DARING HEARTSThe sound of rain outside left the evening cool, and the frequent drips brought calmness to the tense atmosphere that was once between them. Emily sat at the couch that was positioned near the window, looking out and occasionally touching the raindrops that ran down the glass. Meanwhile, James stood by the door like a stranger, his hand gripping the makeup chair next to it like his life depended on how strong he pulled. None of them had said a word to each other after the conversation about the note 2 days ago. Emily finally broke the silence as usual, it seemed like something she would always do whenever she was with James, she's been questioning his icy reputation lately but one thing was certain, he was not a man of many words.“You know, for someone who's supposed to be newly married, this doesn't feel that romantic….”James chuckled lightly as he sat on the edge of her bed. “What were you expecting? Roses scattered around the floor and dim lights? I thought you hat
WE ALL WEAR MASKSEmily stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the emerald green gown that hugged her body perfectly. That was the fourth time she had adjusted it. She looked stunningly beautiful but she could not bring herself to care as she kept her mouth in a straight line. Today was the first time her and James were going to attend a public event as a married couple, but ever since that day she and James had that conversation, he had not spoken a word to her and now, he was completely ignoring her.Behind her, James stood by the door with a perfectly tailored suit that complimented her dress. He looked undeniably good looking and put together but his expression was uneasy. “Ready to go?” He asked his tone sharp and firm.Emily turned to him, her frustration surfacing. “Oh I'm ready to pretend to be a happy and loving wife to a person that hasn't said a proper sentence to me in days.” James's face hardened, but he didn't take the bait. He just extended his arm to her. “Shall we?
THE PROPOSAL The sound of the clock was louder than usual, Emily Chen sat very uncomfortably at the edge of her father’s chair in his study. He had called her immediately after he came back from a business meeting and she wondered what he wanted with her. She watched the beautiful night sky from his window but she couldn't stop her mind from running wild with possible scenarios.Her father's sharp and firm broke her out of her thinking. “Emily, you need to understand. This is not a suggestion. It is the only way.” She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, her heart in a knot of anger and confusion. This was the man who raised her to believe she had equal rights and protection, who had also taught her that family should come over everything. But this? This felt like the biggest betrayal ever.“You're telling me….you've made arrangements for me to marry James Knight?” Her voice was barely a whisper. He nodded firmly, “The Knights are the only ones with enough power to save us f
THE MEETING Emily's heart thumped uncontrollably as she walked down the hallway of the hotel the Knights had chosen for their meetup. Her every step is heavier than the last one. Her father walked beside her, his presence dominating and suffocating. The venue was as she expected, imposing and extravagant. It was one of the hotels owned by the Knights, her parents had agreed to the chosen location. The atmosphere gave her chills as she hugged herself lightly. Today, she would meet James Knight, the man her father had chosen to be her husband. At the very end of the hallway stood two tall closed doors. She tried to keep herself calm, hiding the different emotions that were going through her and the dominant one being anger. Her mind replayed stories she had heard about James and his reputation for being ruthless and unnecessarily rude, he was a man she only knew from a story she had heard and none of them seemed to comfort her aching heart at that moment. She turned as her father pla
CAUGHT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT The last encounter with James Knight left Emily with mixed feelings, especially after the whole drama with the suspicious vehicle. James phoned the security unit in the hotel immediately and they're looking into the issue but she hadn't gotten any feedback and that too was keeping her on edge. But she knew there was no going back from this commitment. Now they must flaunt their fake union in front of the whole world to convince people they are a perfect couple. Emily had been consumed with Wedding preparations, something that should make a person happy. But she felt like she was living another person's life, a life that had been picked out meticulously by her family and the Knights. As she walked into the large hall for her gown fitting, she found James already inside, sipping on the complimentary champagne.“You're actually here.” Emily said, but it was more like a question. “contrary to what you have in mind.” He said with a smirk “I'd love to see what
THE VOWSThe hall was filled with influential people from all over the state, each one of them eager to see the union of the two most powerful families in the city. Every inch of the hall was beautifully decorated, there was flowers at every corner. Emily was seated in front of a very large mirror in the bridal suite, delicately touching her gown. Beside her was her best friend and bridesmaid, Cassandra carefully arranging the veil that flowed down her back.Cassandra looked at Emily's reflection from the mirror and sighed.“Are you really doing this Em?” She asked gently. “It doesn't really matter anymore Cassie, this is about my family now. Nothing else.”She said with a forced smile.“But it should, though.” Cassandra said with a breaking voice. “You deserve a real wedding, Em, not some business transaction.”Emily looked away, trying to hide her frustration from her friend. She could not afford to have a breakdown today, not when she's gotten to this level. There was no going bac
A MYSTERIOUS GIFTThe drive to the Knights Mansion was in awkward silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, Emily had agreed to just stay in the Knights family house, no dramatic reason behind that decision. As they pulled up to the gates, Emily could really see the house in all its glory and she made a side note in her head that it was maybe bigger than her own house. Multiple staff already lined up to greet them as they stepped down from the car.“Welcome home, Mr and Mrs. Knight.” The head butler said as he bowed lightly. Emily offered him and everyone else a forced smile. “Thank you.” But the word ‘home’ felt exaggerated in her head.James walked inside and Emily followed behind him, everything was just as she imagined and more, the halls screamed luxury and it looked like they were recently polished, the chandeliers shined brightly and the air so cold, it mirrored the life she had just signed up for. “I guess this is my home now.” Emily said quietly, finally breaking th
WE ALL WEAR MASKSEmily stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the emerald green gown that hugged her body perfectly. That was the fourth time she had adjusted it. She looked stunningly beautiful but she could not bring herself to care as she kept her mouth in a straight line. Today was the first time her and James were going to attend a public event as a married couple, but ever since that day she and James had that conversation, he had not spoken a word to her and now, he was completely ignoring her.Behind her, James stood by the door with a perfectly tailored suit that complimented her dress. He looked undeniably good looking and put together but his expression was uneasy. “Ready to go?” He asked his tone sharp and firm.Emily turned to him, her frustration surfacing. “Oh I'm ready to pretend to be a happy and loving wife to a person that hasn't said a proper sentence to me in days.” James's face hardened, but he didn't take the bait. He just extended his arm to her. “Shall we?
DARING HEARTSThe sound of rain outside left the evening cool, and the frequent drips brought calmness to the tense atmosphere that was once between them. Emily sat at the couch that was positioned near the window, looking out and occasionally touching the raindrops that ran down the glass. Meanwhile, James stood by the door like a stranger, his hand gripping the makeup chair next to it like his life depended on how strong he pulled. None of them had said a word to each other after the conversation about the note 2 days ago. Emily finally broke the silence as usual, it seemed like something she would always do whenever she was with James, she's been questioning his icy reputation lately but one thing was certain, he was not a man of many words.“You know, for someone who's supposed to be newly married, this doesn't feel that romantic….”James chuckled lightly as he sat on the edge of her bed. “What were you expecting? Roses scattered around the floor and dim lights? I thought you hat
SHADOWS OF THE PASTEmily's heart sounded in her chest as she looked down at the picture of Evans Royce, she had searched for a long time on the Internet before she got his picture. His sharp eyes stared back at her, she had an unsettling feeling about this man, his name alone sent chills down her spine but she couldn't fathom why. She knew that his involvement with the Knights was deeper than James was letting on. James stretched from his chair, reaching out to grab the phone on the table and stared at the picture intensely. “If Evans Royce is involved in this, then this isn't about some petty grudge, he doesn't seem like someone that will do something like this because of a slight grudge. This is something bigger.” Curiosity piqued Emily. “You said before ‘I remember him’ and now it feels like you're speaking from past experience, you're not telling me everything James. What did your father do to him?” James loosened his tie and sighed . “A couple years ago, my father funded Evan
A MYSTERIOUS GIFTThe drive to the Knights Mansion was in awkward silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, Emily had agreed to just stay in the Knights family house, no dramatic reason behind that decision. As they pulled up to the gates, Emily could really see the house in all its glory and she made a side note in her head that it was maybe bigger than her own house. Multiple staff already lined up to greet them as they stepped down from the car.“Welcome home, Mr and Mrs. Knight.” The head butler said as he bowed lightly. Emily offered him and everyone else a forced smile. “Thank you.” But the word ‘home’ felt exaggerated in her head.James walked inside and Emily followed behind him, everything was just as she imagined and more, the halls screamed luxury and it looked like they were recently polished, the chandeliers shined brightly and the air so cold, it mirrored the life she had just signed up for. “I guess this is my home now.” Emily said quietly, finally breaking th
THE VOWSThe hall was filled with influential people from all over the state, each one of them eager to see the union of the two most powerful families in the city. Every inch of the hall was beautifully decorated, there was flowers at every corner. Emily was seated in front of a very large mirror in the bridal suite, delicately touching her gown. Beside her was her best friend and bridesmaid, Cassandra carefully arranging the veil that flowed down her back.Cassandra looked at Emily's reflection from the mirror and sighed.“Are you really doing this Em?” She asked gently. “It doesn't really matter anymore Cassie, this is about my family now. Nothing else.”She said with a forced smile.“But it should, though.” Cassandra said with a breaking voice. “You deserve a real wedding, Em, not some business transaction.”Emily looked away, trying to hide her frustration from her friend. She could not afford to have a breakdown today, not when she's gotten to this level. There was no going bac
CAUGHT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT The last encounter with James Knight left Emily with mixed feelings, especially after the whole drama with the suspicious vehicle. James phoned the security unit in the hotel immediately and they're looking into the issue but she hadn't gotten any feedback and that too was keeping her on edge. But she knew there was no going back from this commitment. Now they must flaunt their fake union in front of the whole world to convince people they are a perfect couple. Emily had been consumed with Wedding preparations, something that should make a person happy. But she felt like she was living another person's life, a life that had been picked out meticulously by her family and the Knights. As she walked into the large hall for her gown fitting, she found James already inside, sipping on the complimentary champagne.“You're actually here.” Emily said, but it was more like a question. “contrary to what you have in mind.” He said with a smirk “I'd love to see what
THE MEETING Emily's heart thumped uncontrollably as she walked down the hallway of the hotel the Knights had chosen for their meetup. Her every step is heavier than the last one. Her father walked beside her, his presence dominating and suffocating. The venue was as she expected, imposing and extravagant. It was one of the hotels owned by the Knights, her parents had agreed to the chosen location. The atmosphere gave her chills as she hugged herself lightly. Today, she would meet James Knight, the man her father had chosen to be her husband. At the very end of the hallway stood two tall closed doors. She tried to keep herself calm, hiding the different emotions that were going through her and the dominant one being anger. Her mind replayed stories she had heard about James and his reputation for being ruthless and unnecessarily rude, he was a man she only knew from a story she had heard and none of them seemed to comfort her aching heart at that moment. She turned as her father pla
THE PROPOSAL The sound of the clock was louder than usual, Emily Chen sat very uncomfortably at the edge of her father’s chair in his study. He had called her immediately after he came back from a business meeting and she wondered what he wanted with her. She watched the beautiful night sky from his window but she couldn't stop her mind from running wild with possible scenarios.Her father's sharp and firm broke her out of her thinking. “Emily, you need to understand. This is not a suggestion. It is the only way.” She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, her heart in a knot of anger and confusion. This was the man who raised her to believe she had equal rights and protection, who had also taught her that family should come over everything. But this? This felt like the biggest betrayal ever.“You're telling me….you've made arrangements for me to marry James Knight?” Her voice was barely a whisper. He nodded firmly, “The Knights are the only ones with enough power to save us f