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034: San Francisco (I)
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2021-08-08 23:57:35Gushes of cold wind blew by her hair, turning them into a tangled mess. Ayla was regretting not tying her hair up into a bun as soon as she stepped out of the private jet.
When Claude had mentioned about the getaway, she had agreed to it right away. She knew that there was nothing for her to be afraid of. He had done nothing so far to break her trust. And she believed that he would not attempt to do anything of the sort.
Moreover, she was supposed to make some public appearances with him anyway. Hence, Ayla didn't find any harm in tagging along. It was a much better alternative than having to spend her weekend back at the mansion listening to her mother-in-law.
But never did she think about it being out of the city. They had to take the company's jet to arrive at their destination: San Francisco. Though it only took them almost an hour and a half to reach, Ayla could feel the flight's tiredness creeping up her back. All she wanted was to jum
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The Heartless Bride 035: San Francisco (II)
"Ayla?" Claude called her out as he tried to catch up to her steps, climbing up the stairs. "Hey, hey, hey…." He grabbed her elbow and tugged at it to bring her close. "I know what we talked about, and I meant every single word of it." He used his free hand to brush away the stray locks of her hair. "There's no one in my life, and there will never be one as long as you are with me." He didn't know why, but her words affected her more than he let on. Every last one of it serves as a jab to his soul. It made him wonder about the depth of his feelings for her. So far, he used to believe that he was attracted to her because of reasons he didn't know yet. "That's not what I mean." Ayla was no less confused by her sudden outburst. Why did she make a big deal out of it? There he was, trying his best to give her a good life. And she was doing nothing but to ruin their trip. "I am so sorry." She shook her head as an apology left
Last Updated : 2021-08-10The Heartless Bride 036: San Francisco (III)
"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly are you two related? Claude kept on saying that it's a surprise and refused to tell me anything." She rolled her eyes at Claude first before giving Katherine a smile.Ayla didn't find it comfortable to be poking her nose in their private matters, but she had to know for sure."This little fool hasn't told you about me?" Katherine was a little baffled by the sudden revelation. "Don't tell me that you haven't told her anything?" She shifted her eyes to throw Claude a deadly stare, only to see him shaking his head."For real?" Katherine was clearly having a hard time believing her ears, but all Ayla could do was to watch it all from the sidelines."I didn't get the chance to do it." This time Claude spoke up in his defence. "Everything happened so fast, and I wanted her to get settled down first before disclosing anything about the family's secret. More so, I couldn't do it with Mo
Last Updated : 2021-08-11The Heartless Bride 037: San Francisco (IV)
"Name the devils and here they are. Come on Ayla, I'll introduce you to them." Given no other choice, Ayla followed Katherine out of the living room with Claude walking closely behind her. As soon as she was out and about, her eyes landed on three children—two boys and one girl—and a man following behind them with a couple of plastic bags in his hands. "Noah!" Katherine threw him a glare before giving him a warning out loud. "You better have not let them overshop that sugary junk. Or else, be prepared to sleep on the couch tonight." Ayla found the whole scene a bit hilarious as her eyes darted around the entrance hall which was now filled with loud chattering. "Kids, behave!" Katherine yelled once again, but this time it was directed at the three children who had their eyes focused on Ayla. Their eyes shifted back and forth between her and Claude as they exchanged a few words every now and then. "Is that our new aunt?" The gi
Last Updated : 2021-08-12The Heartless Bride 038: San Francisco (V)
"It's already midnight." Claude spoke up as he looked up to meet her gaze. "Do we really have to go?""It'd be rude." Ayla rolled her eyes before picking up her denim jacket and pulled it over her shoulders. "Kathie looked eager to spend time with you." She added with a shake of her head."No! She is eager to spend time with you." Claude corrected her before burying his face into the pillow. "And there's no way we'll be able to come back inside before the sun is up. You don't know her like I do.""It's not like you are an early sleeper anyway." Ayla interrupted him. "And you don't have to wake up early either tomorrow." She added, trying to persuade the man who was refusing to get out of the bed.Claude, on the other hand, found himself to be in a dilemma. As much as he wanted to spend time with his family, he needed the rest more. He agreed completely with what Ayla said about his sleeping habits, but there were certain things she
Last Updated : 2021-08-14The Heartless Bride 039: San Francisco (VI)
"Claude…""What is it?" He muttered a reply under his breath as he took a step closer to her. Bringing his free hand up to her face. He slowly tucked away a few stray strands of her hair which had managed to slip out of the bun that rested on top of her head.A sharp breath left her trembling lips and she shook her head."N-nothing.""Talk to me." He refused to let go of it. He wanted to know if any of his actions bothered her. Because if they did, he would respect her space and take a step back no matter how badly he wanted to feel her in his arms."Kathie must be waiting for us." Ayla forced herself to reply to him. She lacked the courage to say anything else to him even if she wanted to. Hence, she chose to make the safer bet and brought his attention back to the matter at hand. But what she didn't know was that he could be a lot more persistent than he seemed."She can wait." His thumb moved over the
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Claude finally forced his eyes open and looked in her direction only to find her staring back at him. Her face was shadowed by a threatening frown. "I'll be fine here." He mumbled once again, hoping that she would give up this time. "Alright then. I'll just go and ask Katherine to arrange another room for you." Ayla shrugged her shoulders casually and was about to get out of the covers when she was interrupted. "Fine." Claude got up on his feet and walked to the other side of the bed. "Don't you ever threaten me like that again though." He grumpily added before throwing himself on the mattress. He didn't forget to pick one of the pillows from behind and placed it between them. "I will threaten you again if I want to, Mister." Ayla mumbled with her half droopy eyes. "If that's what is going to take to make you have a good sleep." She pushed herself under the covers, snuggling against the pillow behind her. "Have a
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"How are you feeling now?" Ayla decided to break the eerie silence which was lingering in between the two as the couple was left to enjoy their food."Well, the tiredness is gone now." Claude spoke up, briefly looking at her. "So, I am feeling much better. What about you? Did you sleep well?" It felt a bit weird for him to just act so casual before her without mentioning the elephant in the room."Ummm… kinda. It was okay, I guess." Ayla replied to her, keeping her eyes glued to her plate while her fork dances around the omelette, poking it slightly every now and then. "It just takes me a little while to get settled in new places. Too used to sleeping in my own bed." She cleared it to him before taking a small bite out of her toast."I didn't know that." Claude mumbled a reply, stealing another glance at her. "Is there something on your mind?" He could see it on her face. Something was definitely troubling her, and he wanted to know. He wanted her t
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"I don't want an apology from you, Claude. I want to know what you see. What could possibly make you feel so terrified in your sleep? Because from the looks of it, I can tell it wasn't the first time…."Claude saw her looking back at him intently. She was waiting for him to start talking, but he didn't know where to even begin. He knew that one day he would have to share things with her, things that he never mentioned before anyone else. He just didn't expect it to be this sooner.He drew in a sharp breath before turning his eyes away from her."Would you mind if we finish our food and our conversation in the garden at the back?" He briefly looked up at her and saw her reply in the form of a nod. A faint smile slowly made its way on his face as he picked up their plates and started walking out of the kitchen.Ayla followed him out, holding their coffee mugs. Her eyes were strained over his back. She could make out his taut muscles
Last Updated : 2021-08-18
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"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
