Andrea didn’t know if she should be horrified that they found evidence of Gryphon dating her back in high school, but her heart swelled so badly when she reviewed the photos. It was all her face and hers alone. There was no him or anyone—she wasn’t even looking at him. Neither did she know that these photos even existed.
Then, she saw this one photo where she was looking, but there was a visible shake on the photo. It was as if Gryphon moved the camera away as soon as she looked at him. She figured it was those times that Gryphon would suddenly grow weird and evade her.
How painful was it that he had this… tons of photos of her safely kept from fading or aging… yet he still tossed her away like some plastic tub?
“…it’s okay. This doesn’t mean anything…&
It was nothing short of a fairytale dream to Andrea. She had walked the aisle and into the arms of the man that she had long envisioned to be hers for the rest of her life. With a smile that could melt even the strongest of hearts, she held onto Gryphon’s hand and walked to the altar with him. They then kneeled on the first step to continue the ceremony.At the seats, Parker leaned on her husband and dreamily watched the ceremony. When Gryphon rejected the first marriage interview they got for him, she thought that her son would never get married. She worked desperately to find a good bride for her son; sometimes, it was not even anything worthy. It came to a point that she just wanted Gryphon to meet a girl.Who knew that even after she showed that album to Andrea, the heaven-sent girl didn’t drop out of the wedding? Moreover, after pushing Ashley
The weather outside was so clear that the blue sky was a witness to everything that happened. The groom with blood on his sleeves and fists walked along the deserted street, having no more energy to yell for his wife’s name. He wanted to kill Mathias for the sick act, but he wanted Andrea to see it. He had to find his wife first before becoming evil again.Following the trail of the wet train, he soon arrived at a winding road that headed to their hotel. There were a lot of shops around, but it was too early for them to be open. That was why, when he saw a lot of people crowding around, he figured he already found Andrea. He just… didn’t know what he would see.He stepped closer and closer, his heart pounding louder until it was the only thing that he could hear. The people murmured in the background, and he hoped he would have to call an amb
Bang! A loud sound came from the recovery room where Mathias was. Gryphon ended up beating his face quite well that day that he was indeed sent to the hospital. There was a crack on his cheekbone, and Mathias couldn’t even talk because of the strain it gave his injury.It didn’t help that Gryphon and Andrea continued with their reception and still behaved like nothing big happened at their wedding. The blonde bitch even had the gall to make a rather sympathetic post about how she would stand strong against the attack of the ex-boyfriend. In a fight like this, the Internet was quick to pick which side to fight for.They didn’t name Mathias in anything, but everyone who knew Andrea had an idea who the ex-boyfriend was. Even the person billed for the damages pointed his finger at the ex-boyfriend.Tha
Mathias’s face was still a little swollen that morning, and it even looked like the hematoma would never go away. Then again, he knew that it was only like this because the bone was still healing. He shouldn’t force his body to get rid of the scar of his failure. Heh, it was not a hundred-percent failure if the people never forgot about how Andrea was not as innocent as she was presented to be.Today, they were getting called in for an early morning meeting. If he had to speak to a lot of people, he should at least do something about this bruise on his face. He then looked down and raided Andrea’s makeup drawer for anything he could use.It’s been months since that woman had last come here, but she didn’t get to take any belonging she had. Everything—from her jewelry to her dirty laundry—was still here in Mathias’
Even if she was scared when Mathias went charging toward Gunther like a bull, Andrea felt like she was listening to music when he started screaming while being dragged away. He had cursed all three of them, but she only tilted her chin up. With all the evidence they recovered from the financial records and Gunther’s testament, Mathias was surely going to jail for a long time. What they used to sink Grandeur and other parties that got in their way easily raked up millions, and everyone here knew how Mathias had to forge those receipts. If they didn’t sell, they would all sink with him. They were all successful people—as they called themselves. There was no way they would end up in a ditch if there was a fall guy. It was ruthless, but Mathias Hall was just one man. Gryphon Pearce was an empire.
She was lucky. Andrea didn’t know how lucky that cursed woman could be. Perhaps, the only one stuck in a perpetual pit of misfortune was Andrea. The owner of VNVS stood next to the glass wall behind her desk in her office. It was covered by a long black starry curtain, but she was leaning at the frame and staring out at the moment.Just earlier, she heard that Mr. Roberts pinned everything on Mathias, absolving everyone else in his office and the people that were supposed to be pulling it off with him. That was why Melody got away scot-free, even if evidence dictated her participation in embezzling millions from Monarch. It even seemed that the police didn’t pursue her as well.Only Mathias was going to prison for a few years. Hopefully, he would die there. Else, his return would be another nightmare. It’s just that Andrea looked at her own ca
The audacity of this man! Melody opened her mouth to retaliate, but she had no words to say. In a fit of rage, she stomped and barked at Leon’s face. “How dare you insinuate that I’m no good?! Have you seen Andrea and her tasteless—!”“Young lady, why would I not accuse you of being good for nothing? You keep on looking down on Andrea whose watches have sold for millions, while your only achievement is a fraud claim of designing Winter Equinox.” Leon turned his nose up at her. “If you only have spit for VNVS and its owner, I’d rather that you leave our building at once. Don’t wait for Security to pick you up.”“Or I could call the police.” Rita had her phone up to her face as if calling someone. “Don’t be too scared, though. After all, there’s a first time for everyt
The vigor of the people channeled in the movements of their lips and the song of their utensils against the plates. Chatter and laughter melded with the sounds of the lively family restaurant that Andrea chose to eat at. It was the closest to the mall and was her personal favorite, even after tasting a lot of high-end places where Gryphon normally dined.However, her smile was for Sammy, who didn’t hesitate to come with her. Her wardrobe needed new swimsuits for the honeymoon, and that was something that she didn’t think Ashley could help her with. Moreover, the man was also busy with work.Andrea then spoke after she finished her entrée. “Sammy, thanks for today. I didn’t know what to do if I have to shop on my own. My sense of fashion is stuck to budget stores and thrift shops.”
At those words, Charlotte frowned before dropping her shoulders in her little tantrum. “You lied to me? Why? I thought princes are supposed to be honest!”“…I don’t want you to think that I’m lonely. Princes have pride.” Gryphon somewhat snorted as he leaned on the frame of the door. He then eyed Andrea who only looked at him, ignoring the indiscernible emotion in her eyes. “We just went to pay for your bills, and you were already gone when we came back. Tch, you’re really Charlotte’s mother, aren’t you?”“Gryphon, I…” Andrea then saw how Marlene and Tommy showed up next to him. She only smiled at the arrival of her friends, feeling embarrassed. “Hey, thank you for coming to see Charlie. Erm, introductions will be messy at this point, I think.”
The next thing Andrea knew, she was lying down on a hospital bed again. She could still remember the things that happened that time, the nightmare that she survived once again. No one could have prepared her for the fact that it only took Mathias four years to completely forget about being human. However, he wouldn’t return to jail anymore. Gryphon made sure he wouldn’t.Even if she looked so pitiful, Andrea didn’t feel her body aching anymore. The drug must have been flushed out already, and the dextrose succeeded in making her body feel refreshed again. The only bad thing about this was that her left hand was in a cast for weeks.“…I have a bulk order…” Andrea whispered before reaching out for her call nurse button. “I need to find Charlie. She must be so scared to be on her own.”
Andrea had to get that heel to help herself. She then looked at how Mathias busied himself with Roxanne just steps away from her. The young mother then moved her left hand and tried to slip it out of the chains wrapped around it. She reached her right hand higher to relieve some pressure from the left as she forcefully worked it out. It didn’t matter how much burns she would get from this action.She had to escape these binds before Mathias finished with the other woman. She must get away before Gryphon got lured here.Keeping her cries to herself, she forced her left hand out of the chains with great difficulty. Her skin grew red and bruised, and her thumb even lost sensation from the potential break from the joint. However, she managed to slowly free her hands without making a sound that was too loud for Mathias to notice.
When he heard his name from the woman’s mouth, Gryphon lifted a brow. He didn’t know why the woman had a rather big reaction to seeing him there. He wasn’t even a celebrity that a lot of people wanted to get really close to.The man just looked away from the black woman and motioned to pick up the child. “Little Highness, let’s get you somewhere safer—”“Ow! Wait, it hurts!” Charlotte suddenly felt pain in her body now that her excitement lessened. She couldn’t even raise her arms to accept the carry. Soon enough, she hugged herself and cried out as if everything she did hurt her. She even shivered from the multiple assaults on her small body. “My back hurts… my chest hurts… I can’t breathe… Help me, Mommy… Daddy… help…”
Ring! Ring! Andrea stared at the phone ringing on the kitchen counter. She was preparing dinner, while Charlotte was drawing on the living floor. However, the TV was on, so the child wouldn’t hear how much Andrea let the phone ring. She didn’t even have a prompt set up to receive a voicemail. When the phone picked it up, regardless, Andrea just heard Gryphon’s voice. [“Andy, pick up the phone. We need to talk. Now.”] His tone was short and commanding, and Andrea didn’t use to hearing it that way. It was as if it was a different person already. However, she also berated herself for not blocking the number. Even if she didn’t have it saved in her contacts, she had the number memorized. She should have just declined the call and blocked it then and there. She just felt like it wasn’t the right thing to do; she
Roxanne knew that Kelsey was supposed to pick up the monster from the prison today. They worked on getting his case dismissed, pining everything on the former president who frame his employees to take the fall for him. Of course, they had to work in the shadows, so neither Gryphon nor Ashley would catch any of them. If things happened, they would be diced into pieces… literally.However, four hours had already passed since Kelsey last sent her a text. Without confirmation of the man being onboard their plan, Roxanne couldn’t help but stay frustrated. It even showed by how she did her daily tasks to seduce the CEO.She waltzed inside the office and brought Gryphon a cup of coffee for the late afternoon. A tray was in her hands, and she placed the cup down on his desk like clockwork. She then looked at the glass wall behind him, hoping that Kelsey wo
Furious knocking came to the door, and it came to a point when the occupant of the room growled in annoyance. She reached out to flip her hair back and press on the phone to make the loud music stop. Slowly slithering out of the person on her bed, she bent down to pick up a shirt to cover her naked body. She also grabbed a hair tie from the side.“Just stay there. Don’t make a sound, or else I will cut your little guy off for real.” She huffed at the fringe she picked from the ponytail to have something to frame her face. There was something sticky between her legs, but she only endured it as she made her way to her condo unit’s main door.“You better be hot SWAT officers or something…” The woman peeked through the hole and saw a furious and puffing Roxanne pacing outside her door. Not knowing what could drive her cous
Andrea also wondered if the truth made her sad. She kept on preparing herself for the time when Gryphon would come to collect her… or even just their daughter. Her new life was built on the assumption that Gryphon would drag her back into his world the moment he found her.However, when it came to it, the man only watched them come and go like he didn’t even know them. Now that she faced the man’s mother, she also heard how Gryphon refused to connect with her anymore. She was the one who left him that night, but why did it feel like she was still the one who lost the most?Did she hope that Gryphon would chase her to the end of the earth? Now that he didn’t, her heart decided to shatter some more.She just offered a smile, which Parker caught in its least visible state. “Not really. I
The aftermath was the worst that ever happened in the last four years of Andrea vanishing. As soon as Gryphon met with his father in the parking lot, Parker stopped them both from leaving. She had a finger knife out, holding up both males in her small family. “Will anyone tell me what just happened? Did we really just see Andy there… and not make a sound?!”“Hon, let’s continue this conversation at home. We drove hours just to get here.” Fred sighed as he knew the mood of his wife. It was as if someone hid a tub of her favorite yogurt and ate all of it without sharing it with her. “Aren’t you tired? I’m tired.”“I am tired! I’m so tired of looking for Andy, yet when she shows up, we do nothing!” She turned her finger at Gryphon’s face. “You did nothing! No ‘hello,&r