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16. Three Months Later
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Sebastian and I have been married for close to 3 months already and yet we live past one another. The last time I saw him was when he had to rush out for an emergency at 4 am. I never asked what the emergency was because I couldn’t be bothered.
There is nothing lonelier than an arranged marriage, no matter what anyone says. The attraction that Sebastian and I shared before is all but gone, replaced by a simmering dislike. Will I ever get used to feeling this way? Did I want to feel anything other than a dislike for Sebastian? I must be honest, it would be easier to not live with this heaviness in my chest 24/7.
I had been trying to reach out to Charlotte and Esme Langford, my two best friends from high school, but they had been out of England for the last few months or so. They had not been following England’s social news and did not know I was married now. We had a brunch date today, and I was on my way out to meet them.
It was in the middle of Autumn and qu
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The Langford sisters were looking at me as I walked up to them, deep frowns etched on their faces. I sat down. Then all hell broke loose. “Forgive me, MRS DUMONT?!” “You’re married now, Elena?! Why didn’t you tell us?!” I sigh then glance down, “It wasn’t exactly a decision of my own…” I say sadly, then go on to tell them what has been taking place over the past 6 months, but not before swearing them to secrecy about Eliana’s misdeeds. “Oh my gosh, you’re actually married to the dreamy Sebastian Dumont,” Esme says, swooning and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her. “Dreamy? Really?” I ask her, thinking of my husband as anything but dreamy. I had to admit that he was rather handsome but dreamy? Eh. “Oh, please Elena. Don’t tell me you have not felt yourself drowning in his gorgeous hazel eyes?” Charlotte asks, also clearly under the spell that was Sebastian Dumont. I shake my head, “I don’t like the guy, I never have.” I answer hones
The CEO's Second Choice 18. Sleeping Beauty and Her Sebastian
I take off my heels as soon as I enter the villa and breath a sigh of relief. My heart still felt heavy, but I could not allow it to hold me down any longer. As much as I hated it, I was essentially a married woman now and needed to act as such even if my husband did not.“Ah, Mrs Dumont, you are home. Are you hungry?” Ilse asks me as I enter the kitchen area, but I shake my head. “I just came from brunch with a few friends, Ilse. I’ll be fine for a while. Do we have headache tablets? I am not feeling too well and would like to go have a lay down for a little while.” I say and I could see the worried frown that creased her brows.I absolutely adored Ilse, she was like a mother to me in a strange home. She showed me the love and affection I had never received from my own mother. The warmth that matched the villa.“Oh, dearie. I will get you something that’s non-drowsy. Go to your room and I will have it brought right up to
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SebastianMy body feels stiff.I opened my eyes to sunlight and felt a weight pressed up against me. I glance down only to see the sleeping face of Elena wrapped up in my arms. We had fallen asleep on the L-shaped couch last night; I was up against the armrest and she was lying on her side in between my legs with my arms wrapped around her. How did we get in this position?My heart starts to race when I realize that for the first time in years I had slept well; no nightmares had plagued my sleep. Was it because I had Elena in my arms?I peer down at her again and my heart skips a beat; she truly was an exquisite beauty. How could I have been so foolish as to cheat on her with Sarah so many times? She was the woman I had dreamt about long after we met at the masquerade ball, the one who had not been scared to call stiff customs ‘stupid’.My rebellious heiress.And I had almost thrown it away for an office fling, a
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I rushed out of Sebastian’s room after putting the mask back where I found it. The man I had shared a connection with at the masked ball was Sebastian, who was also coincidentally the man I despised above all else.Did I still despise him, though?I sit down on my bed in a daze. Could Sebastian have felt the same way about me at the time? It would explain why he came to see me the following weekend, but he asked for Eliana Wiltshire, not me. Was he mistaken as to who I was?My mind was working overtime at what I had discovered and suddenly 5 years seemed even further away than before. Maybe this whole thing was an enormous coincidence.Sebastian and I were always in the midst of banter whenever we met in the past. He displayed an open dislike towards me and vice versa. He couldn’t possibly be that sweet gentleman from so long ago.I saunter towards my bathroom to have a soak and to forget that I found that damned mask.Two hours la
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I get up from the couch and grab my things before heading back to my room. Sebastian had no emotion on his face when I made that remark. This was for the best, I knew it was. The two of us cannot grow closer, not when my freedom was only 5 years away. My studies and my new life lay across the ocean, not in this villa where I felt trapped.Passing Sebastian’s room, I see that he left it ajar and I could hear his shower going. My mind goes back to his well built body that I spied this morning and I groan inwardly. This attraction would never be extinguished unless I did something about it. He needed to despise me again, go back to calling me fat and screwing his employees.Wait, what? Did I really want him to go back to that woman?I sat down on my bed and an idea came to mind, so I grabbed the laptop on my bedside table. This villa felt like an endless snow in prison, so I will escape to some place sunny. I looked up different places to visit where it would
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The CEO's Second Choice 24. Admissions and First Editions
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Elena I walk out of Wiltshire Towers with a smile on my face - I had just sold my family’s dynasty for a cool six billion, which is currently being donated to various organisations. I know what you’re thinking; I sold my family’s legacy for gain, but in all honesty; I didn’t feel attached to the Wiltshire name. I was never proud to be a Wiltshire heir, not with the way my family always used to treat me. Yesterday I received the news that Eliana had committed suicide in prison. She left no note behind to indicate why she did it, but I knew. The guilt over what she did to her own sister became unbearable. Eliana was never the tough one. She never needed to be tough for anything and I had a feeling her heart eventually got the better of her. My sister was never evil - she just grew bitter and jaded. After I left the prison that day, I had Sebastian put steps into motion for us to legally adopt Morgan, Eliana and Robert’s daughter. We were met with some d
The CEO's Second Choice 64. Intensive Therapy
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The CEO's Second Choice 63. Rest In Peace, Elena Wiltshire
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The CEO's Second Choice 62. Isaac Mortimer Wiltshire
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The CEO's Second Choice 61. Home
ElenaThe familiar winding road to our villa brings a smile to my face. We were going home, all three of us. I looked over at Sebastian in the driver’s seat and little Aaron next to me in the car seat, and my heart felt full. I was well on my way to healing, had my husband by my side, and my baby was safe and healthy. Despite knowing my sister might have been behind my attack, I was still happy.I almost didn’t get into the SUV when we left the hospital because I started having a panic attack. Scenes from the accident came flooding back to me, but Sebastian and Isaac managed to calm me down long enough to get into the vehicle before the paparazzi arrived. My two loves, I still can’t believe how blessed I am to have them both in my life.“We’re home,” Sebastian says with a smile and we make eye contact in the rearview mirror. Home. I never realised it before, but I never had a home. Wiltshire Estate was just th
