On the way back, Duke Kensington stole glances at Melissa, hesitating about what he wanted to ask her.Melissa, who had caught his abnormality from the corner of her eyes, couldn't take it anymore."Zachary, is there something you want to ask me?" Melissa turned her head abruptly, catching him in the act."What?" Duke Kensington blurted out."You've been staring at me every now and then. Surely you must have something to ask me?" Melissa asked.Duke Kensington searched her eyes and relaxed when he saw a teasing glint in them."Do you know about Lord Benjamin?" Duke Kensington tactfully asked."About what specifically? That he sent those gifts to me?" Melissa asked him back. So he did know about it after all.Duke Kensington couldn't help but asked, "How did you know?""I found it out myself. And he admitted it when I asked him." Melissa said. Duke Kensington merely nodded his head and didn't say anything else."I guess you knew it all along? Why didn't you tell me?" Melissa asked curi
On the day of the art gallery opening, Melissa turned up early at the venue. All the paintings had been sent earlier and had already been set up in their respective display area. Melissa had chosen to wear a green and silver dress, the official colours of her family. She had decided to style a low bun for her hair, with few unruly strands framing her delicate face. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful that even Lord Melvin was stunned when he saw his sister.At approximately 2 in the afternoon, guests started to grace the venue and Melissa busied herself entertaining them, escorted by her brother. Lord Melvin had decided to stay by her side today and he had kept a look out for the Casanova the whole time. However, Lord Benjamin was nowhere to be found.When the guests entered the spacious hall, they were at awe of the various beautiful paintings that graced the walls."Lady Melissa is so talented. Duke Malcom must be proud of her." A nobleman could be heard saying to his wife. They
"You should know the answer! This place is called Graden-Hall. Who is that? Is that your mysterious painter?" Princess Katherine retorted, deriving snickers of laughter from the crowd.Melissa was silent for a moment. Graden-Hall were a combination of both her Master's and her original name. How can she explain this?"Look, she has nothing to say. What I said is true then, you didn't paint these. You're a fake!" Princess Katherine exclaimed while covering her mouth in shock, clearly acting out her part for others to see."Your Highness, I was there when Melissa painted all these. I can vouch for her!" Lord Melvin spoke up for his sister, his face was red from anger. Even Duke Malcom had an unpleasant look on his usual calm face. "Lord Melvin, you're her brother. How can we blindly trust what you said?" Lady Anastasia said with a smile."Exactly, if there's someone else who painted these, doesn't that mean she's deceiving everyone here? That's a crime, isn't it?" A young lady who look
"What the hell are you doing??" Lady Anastasia hissed at her brother. The moment the Queen left, Lady Anastasia had dragged Lord Benjamin out of the building to the outside yard where there were less people around."What do you mean, Ana?" Lord Benjamin feigned innocence."You were praising her. How could you do this to me! You knew how much I hated her guts!" Lady Anastasia said with widened eyes."So, what has that got to do with me?" Lord Benjamin asked again."You're my brother! You're supposed to side with me." This time, Lady Anastasia punched Lord Benjamin's chest in frustration."Ana, even so, the truth is there for everyone to see. Lady Melissa can paint and she did it excellently. Even you can't deny this fact." Lord Benjamin tried to reason with his idiotic sister."So what if that bitch can paint? She's clearly taking this opportunity to show off!" Lady Anastasia said while crossing her arms."Are you going to stick around?" Lord Benjamin looked at her malicious eyes and a
Both the husband and wife were startled at this sudden intrusion. They turned and saw who it was."Oh, Lord Benjamin, how are you?" Baron Randell greeted him. However, the older man didn't look too happy with Lord Benjamin's comments. "I'm fine, until I heard some ridiculous remarks by some people who're unaware of their status." Lord Benjamin smiled at Baron Randell with a knowing look.Baron Randell sighed and looked at his wife. He looked at Melissa and smile apologetically at her. "My dear, regardless of who you choose, I really like you. We don't have a daughter, Harry's our only one. If you don't mind, you can come and visit this old lady anytime you like. I hear you embroider very well, we can exchange points about that." Baroness Ellie said while holding Melissa's hands. Melissa knew this older couple didn't mean any harm. She nodded her head and smile at the woman. Baroness Ellie patted her hands before leaving. "Why did you say that to them? It's not nice Benjamin." Meli
"Don't take to heart what he said, Benjamin. Thank you for leasing this space to Melissa." Duke Malcom, the more experienced gentlemen, knew that this was someone they shouldn't offend, given his massive networking and business dealings everywhere. One day, they might need his help.In any way, what Lord Benjamin does in private is of no concern to others and Melvin shouldn't embarrass him like that especially not in front of Melissa. 'This Melvin is getting more out of hand lately. I need to speak with him!'"It's alright, Your Grace. I meant everything I said though. I'm seriously thinking of settling down." He replied with a smile. "Good, good! Do what's best for you. Zachary and you are about the same age, and he already has a son! I need to get Melvin to think like you too." Duke Kensington, who had been silent since he sat down, was in a deep thought. He wasn't aware of what had transpired earlier as his mind was preoccupied with memories of his kisses with Melissa. He stared
Duke Kensington groaned when he felt her touch against his body and when she hugged him, he could feel her ample bosom crushed against his chest. His kiss became more fiery and urgent, before he travelled down to her neck and ear. He slowly nibbled on her earlobe, causing her body to go limp and she moaned in his ears. "Zachary...." Her sweet voice calling his name excites him and he moved on to her other ear. So, this is her weak point, he's elated at this revelation. The moment his lips touched her other ear, her body became weaker and he had to hold her steady. After torturing her by nibbling on her earlobes, Duke Kensington's lips travelled further down and finally reached her chest. He planted kisses all over her bosom, and Melissa's hand went up to his head, pressing him lower. Duke Kensington understood what Melissa wanted and he slowly pushed down her dress, revealing her beautiful left breast. He gently kissed her nipple, causing her to gasp.When she felt Duke Kensington's
On the way back, Melissa closed her eyes and thought hard about what had happened earlier. So embarrassing. Why did I act like a wanton? Well, at least now I know that if I marry him in the future, I won't be repulsed by him. Melissa sighed deeply. She leaned against the carriage and closed her eyes. Probably she shouldn't get married at all. Meanwhile, at the Kensington Estates, Duke Kensington was still awake in his study. He held a glass of scotch in his hands and looked out into the dark night. The conversation between Melissa and him kept replaying in his mind. She said she didn't love him, and she didn't believe in love. She's even willing to push him to another woman. Duke Kensington had never felt this way towards another woman before. Ever since he met her the first time, she's always on his mind. When he woke up, the first thing he thought about was her. During the day, when he's working, his mind would occasionally wondered about her. At night, before he went to
Duke Kensington woke up in a daze, feeling restless and unsure what the dream was about. He was covered in cold sweat and tried to recall the details of the dream. In the dream, he saw his son and beside him, there was another person. It was a woman but Duke Kensington couldn't see her face clearly. She was laughing and playing with William, while he watched them from afar. When she saw him, she beckoned him near and following her gesture, he walked towards them, hoping to see her face. There's something about her that made his heart swelled with love and happiness. He didn't want to let go of that moment.He never had any contact with any women ever since his wife passed away a few years ago, leaving him with a son to care for. However, due to the Queen's pressure lately, he had agreed to remarry and the candidate was chosen by the Queen herself. The dream he had last night was unexpected and something he couldn't decipher.Duke Kensington shook his head and cleared his mind. He ne
"Ms Hall! Ms Hall! What are your inspirations behind these wonderful paintings? Can you share it with us?" "Ms Hall, now that you've inherited the Graden Arts Hall, do you plan to expand it?""Ms Hall, when will your next exhibition be?" "Can you comment on the rumours that you've secretly gotten married?"A throng of reporters swarmed around Melissa, asking her a barrage of questions which she couldn't keep up. She smiled politely and held up her hand to the reporters before answering them calmly."Do you believe me if I say that I painted these art pieces based on the dreams I have had over the years?" Before the reporters could clarify, she continued,"I plan to keep the Graden Hall as it is, to honour the memory of my late Master. I will continue to hold exhibitions here and when the time comes, you all will be invited."She looked at the reporters who were busy writing down their contents and some were filming her."As for my so-called secret marriage, it's not true. I do not
Beep, beep, beep, beep...The sound of the machine echoed in the spacious room. Melissa felt something sharp poking into her hand and she winched. She slowly opened her eyes and was confused. The white room seemed foreign to her and she didn't remember any white room in the Kensington Estates. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw mechanical instruments by the bed, and an IV drip attached to her hand. Wait a minute, is this the hospital?Before she could process her thoughts, the door to the room opened and a young lady dressed like a nurse walked in. The nurse went straight to the IV drip and checked it before proceeding to adjust something on the machine next to the bed. She seemed oblivious to the fact that Melissa was staring at her intently. The nurse turned to check the patient next and the moment she saw Melissa's bright eyes looking at her, she screamed in shock."You're awake!!! Oh my God!! Wait, I need to call the doctor!!" She said excitedly. Melissa had a guess on w
Lady Sophia was shocked beyond words. The maids dragged her to the dungeons and mercilessly threw her on the hard cold floor before locking her in. They looked at her in disgust before walking away, leaving her alone to process what the hell just happened. One minute she was in the room with him, ready to carry out her plan but suddenly the Duke had woken up and ordered for her to be imprisoned!Realization dawned upon Lady Sophia that the tide had turned. Her plan had backfired and she had been tricked by him! He knew all along that the tea was laced with sleeping pill and he had come prepared for her. He even had the cook, Mrs Queen hiding in the room, waiting to ambush her! Lady Sophia suddenly laughed. She laughed and laughed until her laughter turned to sobs and eventually into an uncontrollable cries of anguish.She hated the man, she hated him for humiliating her like this. She looked down at her body and realized she was still in her inner wear. Ashamed, she covered herself
"Your Grace, the Duke has returned to the Estates." Carrie notified Melissa, who was in William's room at the moment. Young William was still recuperating and had gone to sleep after the doctor's visit. Melissa turned to Carrie and promptly asked,"Where is he now?""His Grace is in his study. Lady Sophia was summoned to see him earlier." Carrie explained.Melissa who had walked to the door to meet her husband stopped when she heard the name."Lady Sophia?" "Yes, Your Grace."Somehow this news didn't sit well with Melissa.Why did he meet her? He didn't even find me or William when he came back. Melissa bit her lip and thought for a moment before she finally decided to stay put. She had yet to come up with an idea on how to send Lady Sophia packing. Now is really not the time to dwell on useless presumptions about her husband. The last thing she wanted was to have any misunderstandings with the Duke. William's wellbeing is her focus now.After making sure William was comfortable,
Duke Kensington sat by William and held his son's hand. He didn't say anything about the cookies, which made Melissa nervous for some reason. The silence was utterly uncomfortable for her. "I didn't send them to William." She finally said, breaking the silence in the room.Duke Kensington finally looked up and smiled at his wife. "I know you didn't." He replied calmly.Melissa nodded and the room fell into silence again. Both Melissa and the Duke stayed with the little boy throughout the night, observing his condition. Young William woke up a few times in the middle of the night due to discomfort in his stomach but Melissa managed to coax him back to sleep after giving him his medication. When dawn approached, she finally collapsed on the bed next to William due to exhaustion.Looking at his wife sleeping soundly after tending to his son the whole night, Duke Kensington's gaze darkened and he clenched his fist in anger. Something's needed to be done about this, he would not let hi
Melissa smiled at the staffs before she addressed them all."Good day, everyone. Thank you for meeting with me today. I will get to know each and everyone of you in due time so there's no rush today. You can go back to your work. But before you leave, I want to remind you that I do not like to use a third person to convey any message, instruction, order or request to anyone at all. As such, every instruction given to you would be communicated to you personally by me, with no medium in between. If you do not receive the order directly from me, please be reminded that you will suffer the consequences should you act on it. With that said, should you receive any instruction from another party on my name, you must come to me directly. It would only mean that someone is trying to undermine my authority as the Duchess of Kensington and I will not tolerate that. Understood?"All the staffs were stunned and could only nod their heads in understanding. However, some of the older staffs looked d
The next morning, the sun had risen in the sky when Melissa woke up. A warm hand was placed on her back, making her movements restricted. The warm hand suddenly moved and pulled her into a hug. Melissa looked at the handsome guy in front of her and sighed.She traced her finger on his forehead, his nose and finally his lips. Duke Kensington kissed her finger, his eyes still closed. Melissa giggled and pulled her hand back. In a swift movement, Duke Kensington got up and pinned her under his body, making her giggled more. "Running away? Not a chance!" The Duke kissed her, while she stroke his back. Melissa could feel her husband's cock hardened and pressed against her legs. She instinctively spread her legs apart, inviting him in.He groaned and placed his hard cock against her vagina, before he slowly moved it up and down her wet slit. She moaned in his mouth, prompting him to move faster and eventually, he slide his manhood into her tight cave.Melissa's insides squeezed him hard
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you." The Duke whispered in Melissa's ear, comforting her.Melissa nodded slightly and she ran her fingers through the Duke's hair, while enjoying his touch and kisses. The Duke seemed to be under the impression that she's young and naive in this area, and had taken the lead in their first night together. Melissa had allowed the man to do whatever he wanted, especially when she was inexperienced herself. However, she had read and watched enough movies in her previous life to know what to expect and therefore she braced herself for her first time. The Duke's kisses travelled down from her breasts to her stomach, and eventually his lips ended up kissing her most intimate area. He parted her legs slightly, giving him more access to her body and started sucking her cunt. His movements were slow at first but they gradually became faster and her moans became louder with each action he took. "Aaahhh! Zachary!" Hearing his name coming out of her sweet l