Astrid's POVEliza and I had so much fun that I couldn't stop smiling as I walked in through the front door of Damien's mansion. When Malea had told Fiona what had happened, her reaction had been exactly as I had expected. She had stomped her foot and thrown a fit, saying she bought the jewelry first. I actually pitied Malea because she was caught at a crossroads between two wealthy families. But I made a mental note to compensate her for the suffering she had to go through.The look on Fiona's face when she found out that even her wedding gown—which was supposed to be the talk of the century—was going to be given to someone else because the person was more influential was something worth remarking.Eliza had laughed so hard I got scared that she would get an aching stomach or lose her voice. But she had told me she was happy to meet a friend like me who could make good plans like this and that we should do more in the future.Of course, we are going to do more. When Fiona left the s
Damien's POVSelena has feelings for me. My little sister has feelings for me. No.I still can't bring myself to believe it. I always thought we had a normal sibling relationship. Ever since that bitch who called herself my mother had done what she did, and then disappeared, I had been alone.Until Mom and Dad took me in as their own son, giving me the love I never thought I'd experience. Selena was only 6 while I was 12. Now, 16 years later, we have been the closest siblings ever. At least from my own point of view.If only I had known that my being the best big brother would cause my sister to develop feelings for me. I'd have kept my distance as much as I could."Shit," I growled, kicking the edge of my bed. The action sent a jolt of pain up my foot, but I didn't care. Pain made me forget. It was like therapy. However, I couldn't forget that just a few minutes ago, my youngest sister's lips had been on mine.Selena had wa
Astrid's POVDang it, my face was still red. How is this possible? I'd washed it so much it should be white by now and no longer its exaggerated tanned color. Eliza is going to know something is up. Shit, I didn’t want her to figure it out.After running from Damien’s presence and locking myself in my room, I stayed there the entire day without stepping out—not even to eat. Okay, maybe that’s a lie. I did step out, but it was late at night when I was sure he’d be sleeping. At least, I thought he was, since the light in his room was off. I tiptoed so carefully past his door that I was certain he had no idea I was still awake.I still can’t believe I’d been so stupid to go downstairs in nothing but a towel. I was just so excited to eat that I didn’t even realize I’d just finished taking a bath when the delivery arrived.Now I’m not sure which was more embarrassing: giving the delivery woman a clear view—a bad one, apparently, judging by the glare she gave me before grabbing her money a
Astrid POVToday was the day Fiona and Adrian were appearing before the media for an interview before their wedding.I had told Eliza countless times that we could look for a different way to do this since her job and reputation would be on the line, but she told me she didn't mind and that if she got fired, she would spend the rest of her life taking vacations and trips with the money her husband was being paid by mine.That girl is stupid, I know.But well, the thrill of doing this ran through me, making me shiver in delight. The fact that they had embarrassed me in front of a huge crowd meant that this was their moment too.It has always been said, do not repay evil for evil, and I often felt bad doing what I was doing. But then, I am still going to do it either way. I will not take betrayal lying down."Oh God, how do I do this?" I whispered to myself, thinking about how I would manage to convince Damien to come with me. I hadn't spoken to him since the day of the towel incident.
Astrid's POVFiona shot up from her seat like she had been sitting on hot charcoal. “What do you think you are doing here, Astrid?” she asked, glaring daggers into my face.“What do you think I’m doing here, Fiona?” I retorted sharply, rolling my eyes. “I’m here for the interview as well. I was invited.”She turned, fast as lightning, to glare at Eliza, who hid her smirk immediately behind a poker face. “What do you think you are doing, Mrs. Edison? This is supposed to be our wedding interview.”“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. This wedding interview is being conducted by the company. And while we thought it would be good to have the families of the couple present, the family of the groom and your father were reluctant to attend, so the only member of the family who could attend was Mrs. Sta—Ms. Astrid…”She caught herself immediately, but I still glared at her for the almost slip-up.It was not time for the big reveal yet.“Well, I don’t want her here, Adrian. Let’s go,” Fiona said, grabbing A
Damien's POVAstrid thought she could really hide her plans from me. For goodness' sake, she has been using my name to carry out her revenge scheme. There is no way I wouldn’t know what she was up to.I have to admit, though, the girl is pretty smart and sneaky.I had ordered for all her movements to be shown to me, just for her protection and to be sure she didn’t get herself into trouble. Or maybe not, a little voice in my head whispered. Maybe because you wanted to be sure she was not approached by any men.It was true, though. I even got her a female bodyguard. Damn, I’m losing it.When I met her early this morning, all dressed up, looking like the beautiful angel she is, with those curves calling out to me, I had barely restrained myself from taking her into my room and making her mine.It is no doubt anymore—I am developing feelings for my wife.I like this woman.This clumsy, silly, beautiful princess who makes my heart giddy with just a smile.To think I swore never to love an
Astrid's POVThere are new sides to Damien I have been seeing lately. The humble side of him that cared so much and spoke calmly to his workers on the phone. And then there was the other side, the charming side of him that hadn’t stopped teasing me the whole time in the car.As we alighted from the vehicle, he quickly went around and opened the door for me, holding out his hand for me to take, which I did with a smile.I guessed what I was yet to see from Damien was a smile on his face. I really had married a rock. Maybe Luke was right—he would never smile, and I would have to live with that. But my husband was already very attractive. I imagined how he would look if he smiled. Thinking about it made me blush.Trust Damien to bring me to one of his restaurants. It made me wonder—did he really own every place in this city? No wonder he commanded such respect. It was a beautiful restaurant on the hilltop, with the most fascinating view of the city below.The high-end restaurant was fanc
Astrid's POVNope, we didn't cuddle... sadly.I can't help but wonder, is there a speech therapy session for people who blurt out nonsense without thinking? Because I'm in dire need of one right away.I'm afraid one of these days, I'm going to tell Damien, "Hey Damien, you look so hot today. Do you know I'm a virgin? Maybe you can just take my virginity. I mean, you're my husband, right? I'm all yours."The thought of that does sound appealing, but no, I can't do something like that. Or maybe I can... then go dig the ground and bury myself right after.But on a serious note, I need to be careful. It seems like I'm getting too comfortable around him because—how could I ask him to cuddle with me? Goodness.My cheeks flamed again at the look in his eyes when I said that—shit. It was the first time I had seen such a look on Damien's face.Even when I had walked in and sat on his lap back on our honeymoon, he hadn't been that surprised. It seemed like he knew what I was on to at that time,
Astrid’s POV "Dear Astrid, I know I am still an enemy in your heart. Or maybe you have truly forgiven me, as you said. But I have decided to go far away, to let us all have peace of mind. Why? Because I have tried to move on, but I can't. Somehow, I still have feelings for you. Inasmuch as I worked with your sister against you, I just couldn't get rid of them. I had to pretend when I was helping you, just so you would allow me to keep you safe. I will come back. Of course, I have to. But that will only be when I am sure that I have moved on 100% from you. I am also sorry for planting the bomb in that car. I know you blamed yourself for their deaths. Please don't. It was going to happen either way. Take care of yourself and your baby. I love you, Astrid. I am not expecting you to say it back, ever. But I just want you to know that I do. Bye, Astrid." * I closed the letter, feeling a tear drop onto my hand. Adrian had been of much help, and I think he was doing the right thing b
Astrid's POV The police cars had barely parked when I was rushing inside, ignoring the calls for me to come back. I was beyond reasoning today. All I needed was to make sure Damien was safe. How? No idea, but I was going to stop them today, even if it meant killing my own father. As I ran through the living room and took the corridor leading to Damien's office, my steps halted as Tiffany and Arthur came rushing down the corridor. Tiffany held him up as he limped. They hadn't seen me yet, so I hid behind the wall. To my side, there was a golden vase on the floor. God bless Damien for keeping antiques like this around. With much difficulty, I lifted it and held it, listening closely so I didn't miss my target. As they came barreling down the corridor, I lifted the vase and, with all my strength, hit it hard against Tiffany's head. She fell to the ground, unconscious. If she was dead, then it was good because what was going to happen to her if she didn't die from this was going to be
Damien's POVI woke up to muffled voices and movement. Blinking through the haze, I saw Arthur and Tiffany standing close together.It was real. Not a dream.My own mother was siding with Arthur.What in the world?My eyes trailed down to Arthur’s legs, noticing that his previously wounded leg was now patched up and bandaged. A bit sloppy, but still okay.I cursed the heavens at that moment for making my mother a nurse before she married Dad. Now, with her helping his injuries, she could help them escape, and I would have no way to fight back."Ugh."Shut. My groan alerted them, and they turned to look at me."Hey, son. You’re awake?" Tiffany smirked. "You should get some rest. You’ll need your strength."Arthur nodded, stepping beside her as she walked toward me.My stomach churned, and I clenched my fists. I had to find a way out of this.I struggled to support myself and stand, but only then did I notice that my hands were tied behind my back. Liquid dripped from my head, and when
Damien's POVLike music to my ears were the groans of Arthur Marshall as he clutched his wounded leg while glaring daggers at me from where he lay on the floor. He had broken in, expecting to take me unaware.Astrid had broken me. After her departure, I had become a mess, going as far as drinking alcohol and doing things I had promised never to do. Luke, seeing that, reduced the amount of security in the house. First mistake.One day, I came home, and the bodyguards tried to help me. In anger, I decided to relieve all of them from duty for a few weeks, just until I could get Astrid home. So I gave them a much-celebrated vacation, which they took. And that was where my self-torture skyrocketed.I didn’t even show up at the office but spent my days indoors, working in my home office tirelessly and then drinking myself to sleep. That was the routine. And that was how Arthur found me.Luckily, Luke was wise enough to leave some cameras in my house, connected to the office. That was how he
Astrid’s POVToday was D-Day.Adrian had let me go to his house, a mansion in the middle of the city—much smaller than Damien’s, but it would have to do. Since Grandmother didn’t know where Damien lived exactly, she wouldn’t know I wasn’t at his place and that this was all a plan. The police were on standby, cameras set; she had to confess whether she knew it or not.“My beautiful grandbaby, look at you! You’re so healthy and happy—you look fat,” Grandma greeted as soon as she walked through the door.“Hi, Grandma. Nice to meet you.” The words felt bitter on my tongue, but I had to pretend to be happy to see her.After that day, Damien didn’t leave me alone. Every day, he kept disturbing me, so I had to move out of that house to somewhere else, which he still found—telling me there was no way he was letting me and his baby go."Co-parent my foot." Those were his exact words to me.It was only because of Luke’s intervention that he didn’t carry me back home. Thank God he didn’t, or els
Astrid's POVLying over the toilet seat had become a habit of mine. Even after leaving Damien's house and going to the small apartment Adrian had rented since I refused anything too extravagant, I couldn't keep anything down. I was booked for a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and so I decided to just drink a lot of water to replenish whatever I was losing. But from the looks of things, I could go to the doctor today.The thought of Damien and Fiona currently kissing or doing something else–it was nighttime, so maybe they were wrapped in the sheets already–filled my head, making me restless.Each time I closed my eyes to sleep, their faces would pop into my mind. Damien's first making me smile, and then Fiona reminding me that I had lost him forever.As I finally stood up from my spot on the ground, Adrian knocked on the door."Astrid? Come on, there's something you need to see."I groaned. Couldn't a pregnant, heartbroken woman rest?"What is going on, Adrian?" I asked. I just wanted t
Damien’s POV"What is wrong with Astrid?" I asked Luke the moment I stepped out of the house and into my car.He didn’t immediately respond but glared at me for a couple of seconds. When I raised a brow, he shook his head."You’re so dumb, Damien. What day is it today?""Thursday?" I replied, wondering what today had to do with my question."And what is happening on this particular Thursday, Damien?"I tried to wrack my brain for answers. Of course, a lot of things were happening. How did he expect me to know which one he meant?"Just tell me what is wrong with Astrid, Luke. She doesn’t look fine. She looks so pale, so sick. In fact, turn the car around. Let’s go take her to the hospital.""And then what next? Damien, you’re getting married today. Do you really think any married woman would be happy and look lively on the morning of her husband's wedding to her sister who betrayed her in the past?"Of course, I knew it. I had just been trying to deny it, but his words hit me in the gu
Astrid's POVIt had been a week since the announcement that shattered my existence. Damien and Fiona weren't planning on taking things slow. Not one bit.I walked down the stairs as carefully as I could, my thoughts running. What if he knew I was pregnant? How would he react? Would he even let me walk down these stairs? Or would he prefer I sleep downstairs? What about my job? My eating habits?I'd been trying so hard to eat, but as soon as anything got close to my mouth, I felt like throwing it all up. The doctor told me it was normal, but I needed to eat for my child's sake. Everything I was doing now revolved around this little life in me. If not, I'd have been a shell of myself.Every night, I'd cook. Enough for both of us. Then I'd wait for him to return so we could eat, but when he didn't show up after hours of waiting, I'd just eat as little as I could and sleep after soaking my pillow with tears."Myra, has Damien eaten?" I asked her as I walked into the kitchen.She turned to
Astrid's POVAs soon as I picked up the call from Eliza, screaming filled my ears."You shouldn't have told him! God, you just acted out of impulse, and now what? If you had spoken to me first, this wouldn't have happened.""And if you had told me, I would never have told him, okay? I didn't know that was the situation!" Luke shouted back.I took the phone away from my ear to stare at the screen, sleep completely clearing from my eyes.What was going on? I'd never heard them quarrel. And why did she call me while they were arguing? Maybe I was butt-dialed. Yes, that had to be it."Hello?"I was about to drop the call when I heard Eliza speak into the phone."You better hope she picks up this call before he finds out."Finds out? Finds out what?"You just ruined everything we've been working on for months!""I'm sorry, okay? I had no idea that was what was going on. I would never have said it, but—""Oh, she's not picking up.""I'm right here, Eliza," I said, bringing the phone closer