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 POVFiona-my adopted sister- was the first to welcome me to the conference room. “You are going to ace this, Astrid. I’m rooting for you.” She smiled at me, holding my fingers.“I hope so, Fiona. I worked hard for this.” I sighed, squeezing her hand back. She was just the support I needed.Minutes passed and my dad walked into the elegant boardroom, I stilled, anxiety taking over me so much that my palms got sweaty. this was the long awaited moment. However, when he uttered his first sentence, betrayal rocked my being. My chair flew back as I rose to my feet. “What are you saying, Dad?” I gritted out.“Please behave yourself Astrid.” He barely glanced at me and his hand beckoned to Fiona. “Come here my brilliant gem." It seemed like the world was crashing down on me, when I heard his words.“Right here and now, I declare Fiona, my lovely daughter, as the new CEO.” My dad spoke, breaking my heart.“But Dad…” My lips trembled, and I gripped the table hard, “How can you do thi
Chapter twoAstrid's POV Instead of the pain and impact I expected, a strong hand grabbed me, pushing me violently to the other side. We both fell, tumbling to the sidewalk and rolling off. The person who had saved me wrapped me in his warm embrace, as if to shield me from scraping my skin against the concrete.My breathing halted as I took in his face mere inches from mine, his gaze locking onto mine. He held it for what seemed like forever.Woah. This guy is an adonis. He's so attract- "Are you crazy, you foolish girl? Why would you stand in the middle of the road?" The driver of the car that almost killed me exclaimed as onlookers rushed toward the scene. "Do you want me to be the one to kill you? Let me tell you that you’ve failed, okay? Although I wish you’d have died to have one less fool to worry about." My heart beat spiked. I was still not over the shock of almost dying, yet this man was being so rude. The stranger, whose arm was still around my waist, stood up, grabbed m
Astrid's POV"What?" I demanded, my brows knitted together."I think you heard me the first time. Marry me, and I'll help you get your revenge. Don't worry, it won't be forever. Just a couple of months."What the hell? What does he think marriage is about? It isn’t just a playdate in the park. It’s sacred! Whether forever or not!"I'm sorry. I won't marry you. If that's the only way to get revenge, then... I'm not interested.""Your choice. But..." He handed me his card, a smirk playing on his lips. "Call me when you change your mind, which I know will be soon." After saying this, he stared at me for a few seconds, then turned on his heel and walked toward his car, his guards following closely behind.My mind was racing. Where would I go after this? All my income was under Dad's control. I couldn't go back to the family mansion, so I was homeless. But if I marry him... I could have a place to stay while planning my revenge.I shook my head, trying to drive the thought away. But the th
Chapter 4Astrid's POV As soon as I stepped out of my room the next afternoon after I slept in, my eyes widened. A group of stylists and make-up artists gathered around me, carrying numerous items I'd never seen. “Good afternoon, ma’am! We’re here to prepare you for the party tonight,” one of them greeted in a professional manner. What party? I wanted to ask but chose to keep my mouth shut. A few hours later, they stopped doing their work and left. My jaw dropped as I glanced at myself in the mirror, seeing a more stunning version of myself staring at me. I descended the staircase, wondering to myself what compliment Damien would give me. As I reached the bottom, I saw Damien standing there, dressed to perfection in a black three-piece suit, his hair gelled back. Wow, how can a man look so yummy? He glanced up at me, and instead of the compliment I'd hoped for, he just turned and walked to the car without a word. "I'm opening a new hotel today, so it's the perfect opportunity
Astrid's POVThe whole ride home, I kept peering at Damien under my lashes. He looked as impassive as ever, his eyes focused on his phone, the light reflecting from it giving me a beautiful glimpse of his face. He hadn't spoken to me after what happened at the party, and I was getting frustrated because I now felt like it was my fault.As we walked into his mansion, I decided that I had had enough. I was going to apologize, although I know I did no wrong. If I were given the opportunity to save someone's life again, I would.As Damien walked towards his room, my hand shot out to grab his wrist. He turned to me, arching a brow.I inhaled, the words feeling heavy in my mouth. "I—I am so sorry about what happened at the party. If I had known, I would have chosen a different approach. Please forgive me."His jaw clenched, as if he was fighting to keep his composure, and he turned away from me."Just go to sleep, Astrid. It’s late."With that, he walked away, leaving me feeling even more f
Astrid's POVA million questions ran through my mind, a lump tightening in my throat as I stared at the woman standing before me in the kitchen. What had she just said? She was Damien's wife? But I was Damien's wife! Was he polygamous? But that wasn’t part of the agreement."Are you daft?" she shouted, placing her expensive Louis Vuitton bag on the kitchen counter and walking towards me. "Why am I even asking? You're a new maid, right?"I just stared at her, not responding. I didn't come here to deal with rude, stuck-up bitches."As if the incompetent ones here weren't enough already, he just had to add a deaf and mute one?"That hit a nerve, and I couldn't bite back the retort that escaped my lips. "I wish I were deaf so I wouldn't have to hear your voice."Her face grew red, and she stormed towards me as though ready to strike. "Oh my gosh, what is that disgusting smell?"The corn was beginning to boil, so the aroma was quickly filling the room. While it felt enticing to my nostrils
Astrid's POVI spun around fast, my muscles tensed. "What the hell did you say?"Damien stares at me, unbothered. "Take off your shirt," he repeats slowly, as if I hadn't heard him before."I heard you the first time, you shameless pig!" I exclaimed, my face turning red. "I thought you said no affection at home. Now you want me to please you while—""Do not test me, woman. I am not in the mood for any of your stupidity," he spoke through gritted teeth.I opened my mouth, but he didn’t let me speak. "Here," he said, pulling my hand, opening my palm, and placing a bottle in it. "Since you are too proud, take care of your own injury. And don’t come crying to me afterward."I glanced down at the object he placed in my palm. It was an ointment for burns. I bit my lip, awkwardness quickly taking over the atmosphere in the room. He clearly wanted to help me, and I just had to be rude. Great, Astrid! Just great."Uh, I, uh," I stuttered, heat rising to my cheeks. "I’m sorry, I didn’t know you
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
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 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
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 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
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 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
Astrid's POV"Wow, do people have jobs? How could so many people gather here to watch someone shop for a dress?" Eliza asked, a frown marring her face.I smirked against the straw in my lips, dragging in some more of the cold juice the restaurant had served me. The juice tasted just as sweet as the revenge I was about to have."Well, if I tell you that Fiona will be shocked at seeing these people, will you be surprised?" I responded, smiling broadly.Eliza narrowed her eyes at me. "Astrid? What did you do?""Aww, you think I did something? I just did her a favor. She loves to be famous, right? She'll be getting more famous today. All thanks to me."Eliza's lips parted, her eyes staring at me, disbelief written all over her face. "Wow. I can't believe we only met. We could have been besties from childhood. I love you, girl," she beamed, causing a few bystanders to stare at us.Not for long though, because a few seconds later, the blue McLaren carrying my sister alongside the entourage
Astrid's POVYou can do this, Astrid. You have no reason to be worried. He probably doesn't even remember anything about this morning. Yes, he doesn't. Even if he does, it doesn't matter.I took a deep breath, wiping my sweaty palms on my shirt. Nodding to no one in particular, I walked in, only to freeze as I saw Damien standing by the glass windows, staring at the vast green garden below. He had a phone to his ear while his other hand was in his pocket.He did look yummy in a shirt, his muscles bulging out in a way that was inviting my mouth to land small kisses on it while he... Astrid, stop! Remember the awkward situation this morning.He hadn't noticed me all this while, so I planned to stay there and enjoy the view. Because who knows when I'll have this opportunity again with his grumpiness?I mean, how can a man be so hot and yet so moody all the time? He's like a girl high on hormones whose—"Are you going to come in, or will you keep acting like a creep, Astrid?"I jumped, gu