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018: To New Beginnings (IV)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56"Please, tell me that this is not real!"
Rage filled words left his lips while his eyes stayed glued to his mother's face. He had only stepped inside the tall and wide building he used to call home when his own mother had dropped a bomb on him.
Claude was looking forward to correcting some of his wrongs, but now that he was looking at things, he had lost the chance to make amends. He was instead left to deal with the kind of people he detested the most. His mother had taken it on herself to arrange an event for the couple. Not only that, she made sure that some top news channel representatives were invited to cover the event as well.
She wanted to use this opportunity to announce it to the world that her one and only beloved son had finally tied the knot. That too with a lady who came from an influential background, and was no less the manifestation of grace itself.
"You told me tha
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"Ayla?""Do you need me to call the doctor?" Claude spoke up again when he didn't hear a reply from her. His worrying mind was already thinking of the worst. He could only stand there as he contemplated what had gone wrong with her."N-no."A sigh of relief left his lips when a stuttering reply made its way into his ears."Are you sure?" He was still doubtful about it. Her pale face and shallow breaths told him a completely different story."Yes. I am fine." Ayla replied to him hurriedly this time. She would hate herself for creating a scene right after arriving at the Atkinsons' family manor. "I think I only need some food." She added as she kept her eyes glued to the covers.She was trying her best not to look him in the eye. The thought of it alone made her feel weird. What added to her nervousness was how casually he was taking it
The Heartless Bride 020: To New Beginnings (VI)
"You purposefully went to another city, just so you could avoid meeting me before our wedding." Ayla couldn't believe her ears. She was struggling to believe Claude's words, but knew better than to not trust him."Sort of, yes. I was hoping to surprise you right on the wedding day. I didn't know that things would go south before I was able to return." He exhaled out a tired sigh as his thoughts returned to that eventful day."Even if I have chosen to stay here, I would have to leave eventually because someone decided to not do their job." He continued, giving her a better picture of things."Did you fix the problem?" Ayla couldn't help but inquire about it, trying to keep the conversation going."Of course. Otherwise, I would not be here." He replied to her. "One more thing, do you know about the event tonight?"Claude decided to address the bigger i
The Heartless Bride 021: To New Beginnings (VII)
[Half an hour later.]Ayla made her way down a not-so-narrow corridor as a maid guide the way. She didn't know that Claude's room was literally located in another wing. If she had an idea prior, she would have rather had the maid call him to her.But given the circumstances, she didn't want to bother him much. Especially after how he helped her with her outfits and everything else. It wouldn't be wrong if she was to say that he was acting like the ideal husband one could ask for. The only problem was that she wasn't someone who'd thought about it—ever."There you go, Young Mistress." The maid stepped to the side and bowed her head ever so slightly.Ayla thanked her with a small nod before her eyes shifted to the wide oak door staring back at her.'Do I go inside or not?' She began to contemplate over it once the maid left.
The Heartless Bride 022: To New Beginnings (VIII)
The couple walked down the staircase, Ayla's hand resting in the crook of Claude's elbow. It wasn't long before they entered the hall where the guests were gathered. Since Sylvia had arranged it to be a big event, the doors of an adjoining hall were also pushed open to ensure that the place would not end up being too crowded. In addition, the buffet was supposedly arranged outside in the garden, ensuring an open atmosphere for those who wanted to enjoy the outdoors. "Your mother outdid herself it seems." Ayla could only remark at the arrangements. The place itself lacked nothing, but the dull white fabric of the sheer curtains only added to the charm of it. Especially combined with floral arrangements which added color to the atmosphere. "She does not take this lightly." Claude shook his head, reminiscing about all the past events that were arranged by her. "But this i
The Heartless Bride 023: To New Beginnings (IX)
"First of all, I would like to thank you for taking time from your routine. It's an honour for me to have you all here with me as I share my happiness with the world."Claude continued speaking into the microphone as soon as he managed to get everyone's attention. His arm has slid down the curve of Ayla's back, making sure to not let go of her."Please, give me the honor of introducing this beautiful lady." He gently nudged Ayla forward before pressing his lips to the side of her head."Most of you must have already recognized her as Ayla Lawrence. But today, I am here to introduce her as someone else. Ayla Atkinson." His words washed over the whispers going around in the room, their eyes going wide in shock."You heard me right." Claude continued, confirming their suspicions. "This gorgeous woman is now my wife. We tied the knot last weekend." He finished off before turning h
The Heartless Bride 024: To New Beginnings (X)
The duo was done changing into their own nightwear, ready to hit the sack. Ayla watched Claude move around the room for the next fifteen minutes while she kept herself up despite the fact that she was tired. It was getting harder for her to keep her eyes open as the clock ticked by, but Claude showed no sign of resigning for the night.Instead, he picked his laptop up and began to scroll through his emails. He was so focused on the screen that she was struggling about interrupting him."What is it?"The silence was broken down by the man. He could sense her staring at him from time to time and decided to ask her about it."Nothing." Ayla shook her head frantically even though she could see that his eyes were still glued to his laptop."Are you sure?" He finally looked up from the laptop. "You look like you need to sleep, but you are forcing yourself to sta
The Heartless Bride 025: The Lady Boss (I)
The day was about to come to an end as the clock struck two in noon. It was about time that the lady in white wrapped her books up and found herself a ride back home.It was Claude who had dropped her off in the morning despite the fact that he asked her to let him rest for a while. She wondered whether or not a driver was sent to fetch her back home as Claude did ask her about the time she got off.Contrary to how Ayla was expecting, there wasn't much of a talk about last night's evening. While she caught a couple of people throwing cautious glances her way, there was no buzz around her either. At first, she found it weird but later chose to shrug it off. She knew better than anyone how fast news travelled around her campus. The evident delay only worked in her favor.She was all ready to find herself a ride back home when her eyes landed on a familiar face, waiting patiently by the exit."May I ask, what are you doing here?" Ayla rolle
The Heartless Bride 026: The Lady Boss (II)
The last words that left the lady's mouth were all that took for Ayla to lose her calm. She clenched her palms into fists as she took a step closer to the counter. "Rachel, is it?" Ayla snuck a glance at the lady's name badge. "Why don't you do as I am asking? Pick up that damn phone and tell your boss that his 'wife' is here to see him." She had no plan of rubbing it into anyone's face, but she would rather do it than get humiliated by some random woman who thought too highly of herself. To her dismay, her words seemed to have no effect on Rachel. She just laughed it off before exchanging a look with her colleague. "If you are our boss's wife, then I am a celebrity." Rachel burst into a fit of giggles, getting the attention of the people passing by. "But both of us know that it's nothing but crap. So, I suggest you leave right now and find some other place where you can actually pull this off." She added haughtily while looking down on Ayla
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[Three years later…]"Breathe in… breathe out…" Ayla was mumbling to herself as she tried to calm down her jittery nerves.She was standing before a floor length mirror, her eyes focused on her own reflection as her dress glinted under the warm lighting of her new room. Bringing her palms to the front of the dress, she ran them down in attempts to smoothen down the nonexisting creases. She couldn't help the worrying thoughts resonating at the back of her mind, her frown only deepening. But before she could delve down further, a knock at the door brought her out."Is anyone inside?"The voice was so familiar to her that a sigh of relief left her lips unconsciously."It's just me in here." Ayla breathed out as a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had sent everyone out including the make-up artist and her team once they had
The Heartless Bride 191: Desires (II)*
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] Claude sucked onto the soft spot as his finger moved inside her, earning her moans in return which were not less than a siren's call for him, luring him to continue. He felt her insides tightening around his finger as he moved it relentlessly. He knew that she was close to finding her release and deliberately slowed down his movements. Ayla could feel her orgasm building up, inching closer to the edge. She let out a frustrated groan when Claude slowed down his movements. "D-don't st-op." She managed to say in between her gasps for air. "Oh! I am not planning to, my love, not tonight." Claude murmured against her skin and moved his lips to her cleavage, biting and sucking on her fair, smooth skin. "This might hurt a bit." He said as he inserted
The Heartless Bride 190: Desires (I)*
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "You don't think that it makes me unworthy of you?" She managed to mutter out as she held Claude's gaze. "You must have hit your brain if that's what's going through your brain." Claude scoffed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. This time she didn't push him away but responded with the same passion. It wasn't until both of them ran out of their breaths did they pull back. "Do you understand now how much you mean to me?" Claude flicked her forehead as if he was reprimanding a small child. "I do… you mean no less to me." She smiled for the first time today and it was enough for Claude to know that everything was going to be just fine. All she needed was a little time and his love. "I love you." Claude mumbled
The Heartless Bride 189: The Most Precious Thing to Me*
[The following chapter includes mention of self harm. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Ayla?" Claude knocked at the door as he glanced at the clock. "Are you done, love?" He made sure that he was loud enough for his voice to go through the thick door. It had already been an hour. But she hadn't come out yet. Claude was starting to get worried. "Ayla?" He called out her name again only to be met with the same reply—silence. Though he could hear the water running constantly, he wasn't able to hear her voice. "Ayla?" He tried it one more time before making his way to the other side of the room. Claude searched through a drawer and then moved to another one. If only he could remember where he kept it. "Found it." He mumbled under his breath as soon as his eyes landed on a golden key. It was the master key
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"Take your hands off her!"Ayla's eyes flickered to the owner of the voice and a long sigh of relief left her trembling lips."Claude…"In between the chaos, Claude could only see her lips moving before her eyes rolled up and she fainted."Ayla!" He didn't waste another second and rushed to her, not paying any attention to the culprit. He would have plenty of time for him later. At the moment, the only thing which mattered to her was the wellbeing of his girl.With hurried steps, Claude walked to where she was and started to untie the ropes which were holding her in place."How the hell are you here? Where are my men?" Gavin kept babbling but even then, Claude paid him no attention. He was so busy sheeting with rage that he didn't bother paying attention to anything else. Not the men, who were dressed in black from head to
The Heartless Bride 187: The Culprit (I)*
[The following chapter includes mention of sexual assault. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Let me tell you a story, kitten." He pushed himself off the wall, dusting his coat in the process. Gavin walked to the other side of the room to pick a chair and dragged it to the centre of the room. He settled down on it so that he was facing Ayla. "What story?" Despite the fact that she was scared for her life, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that she had to put up a brave front until Claude could reach her. He would realize sooner or later that she was missing. With a smile, Gavin began. "My father and a friend of his started a business together. The kind which was to grow into a big one over time. But the old man got played by his so-called friend. My father spent everything we had or owned on his dream. When our family w
The Heartless Bride 186: Suspicions (II)
[Three weeks later…]With a jump in her step, Ayla made her way to her favourite store. Things were going great with Claude finally. Everything in her life seemed to be on track. Well, almost everything.Though Claude and her were spending more and more time together with each passing day as if they were in a relationship. They kind of were, but the man never asked her to be his girlfriend despite the fact that's how he had been introducing her to everyone who saw them together.There was one other thing which was bugging her at the back of her mind. Because of peer pressure about them dating—if it could be called that—the two of them inadvertently started using black masks whenever they were in public. Neither of the two wanted to let others throw in their unwanted opinions about their relationship. Though somewhere deep inside her heart, she wanted the whole world to know that Claud
The Heartless Bride 185: Suspicions (I)
"So…"Ayla dragged it out as she turned around to stare at the man who was still standing by the doors."Mr. D'Souza?""Call me Gavin, please." He still has the same charming smile playing across his face as he walked further into the room"Umm… I am pretty sure I can not do that." Ayla let out a nervous chuckle. There was something ominous about the way he stared back at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure that it wasn't only her mind playing with her. Something about him had shifted since the moment they walked in."Oh, please. Claude and I may not be the best of friends, but we are on our way there. It would mean a lot to me if you'd call me without any formalities." He paused before adding after a while. "Only when it's us… three."'What the f*ck!'Ala
The Heartless Bride 184: I was Missing you (II)
"Because it looks like I interrupted something important."Her frown was the only thing which Claude could see but the helplessness which filled her eyes was enough of a giveaway for him. She was feeling guilty for interrupting their meeting. Well, it was more of a tour now. The actual meeting had already been wrapped up a while ago. It was what had Claude believing that her interruption was not going to have any repercussions. Even if there were any, he didn't care."It's fine. Don't worry." Claude rubbed his hand up and down her back to calm her down. Turning his attention to the group, he began. "Apologies for the interruption everyone, but let me introduce you all to my girlfriend." He was smart enough to not announce her name to the team. Though he wondered where Ayla was going with the secrecy."I am sure she must have a name." It was Mr. D'Souza who spoke up. There was a small smile playing acros
