“Shall I do something, Young Master?”
Bruce asked in a low voice as he turned to Ethan. Ethan glanced at Toby’s hands groping Jane’s hips. A glint entered his mild, gentle gaze.“Look again”.Beneath them, Jane took in the sight of Toby’s body trapping hers with visible disgust . With finality she said, “For the sake of your older brother, I’m warning you one last time: Get away from me”.Paying her threat no mind, Toby gripped her chin again, savoring the texture of her porcelain skin. He had had his fun with countless daughters of noble families but never one like Jane whose doe like appearance belied her feisty temper.He allowed himself to contemplate what she would be like between the sheets.“Isn’t a life with me better than one in the kitchen, pretty little thing? The work here gets all dirty and tiring, come with me and I’ll…”Without hesitation, Jane kneed him between the legs, cutting him off.Toby let out a howl of pain, doubling over and staggering back.“How dare you…”, he seethed, “I’ll kill you, you stupid little sl*t”.Jane whirled around and snatched up a knife lying on the chopping board, pointing it at Toby. Despite her small frame, in that moment, her ferocity was unmatched.“Try it. See if I don’t kill you first”.Watching from upstairs, Bruce unconsciously clenched his thighs together as he gulped. Jane could clearly knee a man where it hurt with a vicious amount of force.“Young Master, look how wild this woman is, she incapacitated Young Master Toby just like that!”.Ethan was shocked that Jane was bold enough to attack his brother, but… “Get me downstairs”.If Toby had dared to lay a hand on his wife, he deserved whatever he got.Bruce raced to push him towards the elevator. Before Toby had even recovered from the attack to his groin, Jane was already advancing on him, pressing her knife to his throat. He nearly collapsed due to the rage and pain coursing through him at the moment.In that instant, he heard the noise of a wheelchair approaching from behind him and he knew it could be no one but his feeble wretch of an older brother.His pride would not let him display such weakness before that worthless creature so he bit back the pain and straightened himself to his full height.“Your servant girl is out of hand brother, she dared to raise a hand against me. You’d best teach her a lesson”.At the sound of the wheelchair, Jane had put away her knife. When she heard Toby’s accusations however, she hurled it down on the chopping board violently and it stuck a few inches in.Bruce swallowed and grimaced, he clenched his thighs together again as he wondered how it would be turning out if she had used the knife instead of her knee.“I’m out of hand? Your hands were all over me within seconds of us meeting! I’d say you got off too lightly, you sick, retarded bast*rd”.“You…”, Toby could scarcely believe the audacity of this servant girl.“Come here”, Ethan beckoned to Jane who hesitated before walking to his side. He looked at his brother with concern, “Where did she hurt you brother? Are you alright?”The question made Toby choke. How was he supposed to tell his brother that this tiny had kneed him in a man’s most… vulnerable area? Would he still have any dignity left to spare?“It’s nothing”, he forced himself to lie, “but the fact remains that she dared to attack me. You ought to put her in her place brother. If it’s any trouble, I’ll gladly assist you”.It was clear from Toby’s manner of speech that he held a certain disdain for his older brother. That must mean that there was little love between them. Jane considered this for a moment.The stubborn set of her features suddenly melted into distress as she tugged on Ethan’s arm, her chin jutting out.“He started it hubby. He spoke to me like I was some kind of pet, offering to buy me expensive gifts and even grabbed my chin with his filthy paws”.Hearing Jane call him ‘hubby’ in that soft, sweet voice of hers gave Ethan a pause… this coquettish woman. He raised his hands in a gentle caress over her chin, as though to remove any imprints that Toby had left on her skin.“I know”.Toby’s eyes bulged out of his head when he heard her refer to him as her husband.“What did you say? How shameless can you get, woman? My brother is a married man!.Ethan took Jane’s little hands in his and after a cough, he said in a hoarse voice, “Brother, she is my new wife”.Toby was visibly taken aback. How could this be? When he had heard from his father that his brother was to be married, he had deliberately suggested the ugly, unruly Stacy Harrison for a bride.Stacy was plump, which had displeased the old man but Toby had assured him that her heavy figure was a symbol of goodluck; plus she was less likely to attract trouble that way so they could feel safe leaving her around Ethan.It had been the only thing he was able to say to convince his father. But this woman, with her slender figure and pretty face, was not Stacy!“You must be joking brother, I personally helped pick out your bride, do you think I wouldn’t recognize her? I know Stacy’s no real looker but that doesn’t mean you can go about cheating on her, on the first day of your marriage nonetheless”.Stacy had been Toby’s choice of a bride for his brother? Jane hid her scorn for this man’s petty malice. And yet… Why wasn’t Ethan denying the accusation?It would do them both no good for word to spread about her husband cheating on his wife as a newlywed.Jane bent down so she was eye level with Ethan, “What should we do? He doesn’t believe that we’re married”.With half his features obscured by the mask, all she could see was his eyes. Their dark depths were guileless and innocent.Jane’s thoughts raced silently. What should I do?She could brandish the marriage certificate as proof. But she didn’t believe that her husband was incapable of coming up with such a simple situation; the wounds to his face and legs hadn’t affected his mind.Did this mean that he wanted her to demonstrate the evidence of their marriage instead?Only… how was she supposed to do that?Ethan studied the flicker of emotions across her face with some enjoyment, watching her oscillate between nonplussed and bewildered. This little wife of his was an interesting one, he noted silently.Right then, a gleam of inspiration lit up Jane’s eyes. She pulled down Ethan’s mask and kissed him on the lips.“Is this proof enough?”Ethan stared at her, slightly dazed. He had planned to present Jane with a challenge and let her take charge of finding a solution, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so straightforward. Her soft lips pressed against his, and just like that, they were gone, leaving him with no time to react to their flavor.“It is”, he said, helpless to argue.Toby took in the sight of both of them, then the hideous burn scars littering his brother’s face. Disgusted, he lifted a hand to shield his eyes.“That doesn’t seem right, brother. Can a mere kiss prove that this woman is your wife? If I take her to bed, does that mean I can start calling her my daughter-in-law?”In the blink of an eye, Ethan’s expression darkened, his gentle gaze turning dangerous.“What did you say, Toby Harrington?”Bruce had served Young Master Ethan for years and he knew his master was truly enraged. He retrieved the knife Jane had discarded on the chopping board and seized Toby’s arm.“You dare to disrespect my Young
“My room is in the basement”.As she spoke, they had already reached the basement. Jane pushed the door open. The room was wide and spacious, cluttered with a variety of junk.Tucked all the way at the back behind a curtain, was a small corner with a single bed, a worn desk and a flimsy clothes rack.Toby’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was where the Harrisons kept such a beautiful girl? Not only was there not a trace of sunlight here but, it was uncomfortably humid and it was so stuffy that the air seemed to stick to one’s skin.How could anyone be forced to sleep here? Jane must have been worth less than dirt to the Harrison family!Jane had a few belongings so she was done packing in no time. Noticing that Toby was studying their surroundings in shock, she shrugged and said, “Okay, I’m done. Staring won’t make this place any prettier. Let’s get out of here”.Ethan’s expression was more contained than his brother’s. The thin, flat line of his mouth was the only sign of the storm l
Bring Stacy Back?! Jane couldn’t help stealing a nervous glance towards Ethan but he remained as unmoved and silent as ever.She felt a wry, bitter laugh bubble to her lips. She had fooled herself into thinking that Ethan had approved of her. Like a delusional, lovesick fool, she had even been truly fond of him, wanting to be his dutiful wife…It wasn’t that she had truly wanted to marry Ethan Harrington but the Harrisons would never let this slide… to say nothing of what they would do to her grandmother. The thought sent a pang of pain through her heart and she felt her eyes prick with tears.Upon hearing Toby’s pronouncement, the Harrison family’s faces fell. To wed Stacy to that sickly cripple, with his pasty, disfigured face…Stacy herself would never agree, but even all of Ursula’s love for her daughter couldn’t compel her to allow Stacy to come back and face such a match.“That doesn’t seem quite appropriate Young Master Toby”, she objected. “No matter how you put it, Jane alr
The Harrisons flinched at the noise and trembled in fear.“Apologize!”Peter nearly collapsed to his knees, cold sweat beaded across his forehead. Ursula was the first to give in, bowing her head as she broke down.“We’re sorry, Young Master Ethan. We were wrong to frame Jane. We’ll never do it again!”Ethan coughed repeatedly. “My voice is the one who deserves your apology, it’s her forgiveness that you need!”“It was our fault, Jane. Forgive us”, Ursula forced the words out.The absurdity of the situation was not lost on Jane, the Harrisons had always treated her like a servant. Never had she thought that they would grovel for her mercy.Ethan took note of Jane’s silence. She must have been bullied horribly by them in the past, he thought.“I told you, you’re mine now, and I will not let anyone hurt you. I’ll get them to apologize on their knees”.Jane felt delight in her heart at seeing the Harrisons being brought low. She had been beaten by them since she was a child, labeled a lo
“It’s up to you, I’m not picky”.Jane nodded and realized that with his illness, he would have to abstain from a log of food but he must be keeping them to himself out of worry that she won’t be up to the task.Ethan was truly a kind hearted man. They had barely known each other for twenty four hours, yet he had made his anger, on her behalf, known to the Harrison’s in their home.No doubt, there was an image she had to maintain as part of the Harrington family now, but she still found herself grateful for everything she had gained marrying him.“I’ll cook bone broth then: it will make your legs stronger”.She wasted no time in leaving to but some pork ribs.Her brows furrowed at the price but she bought a pound of ribs anyway, ignoring the way her wallet cried out.Noting her reluctance, Ethan reminded her with a smile, “The money from earlier belongs to you, it’s yours to spend”.Jane disagreed, “Better to save for a rainy day. The money from the betrothal and dowry belongs to us, I
She nodded vigorously like a hen pecking corn. She had promised him that she would take care of him; she hadn’t been planning to continue staying on campus anyway.“What about you?” Ethan asked with a raised brow, “Feel free to tell me any requests you have”.“I don’t have any!”Stroking her head, he said, “Don’t be in a rush to answer. Take some time to think about what you need before getting back to me”.“Okay”.She was already grateful that he had allowed her to continue with her studies. She would study hard, and who knows, she might even be able to help heal him in the future!Later at night, Ethan finished showering. He spared a glance at the master bedroom, then pushed his wheelchair over to the guest bedroom wher he knocked on the door.Jane opened door while drying her tresses, looking adorable in a pair of panda themed pajamas.“Yes?”“Would you rather come to the master bedroom or have me come over here?”Jane didn’t respond. She eyes him, trying to decipher his meaning.“W
“Jane! Be serious with me”, Ivy’s eyes were practically bulging out of her head.“Everyone knows that Young Master Ethan is a cripple who can barely walk, the accident practically drained half his life from him”.“He relies on medication now, but he won’t live past half a year more, so he’s a lunatic, unstable, a —”With a sigh, Jane explained the situation involving Stacy. Ivy brought her fist down on the table in rage.“The Harrisons are too much, to ship you off to meet such a fate”.Fearing that someone would hear her, Jane rushed to clamp a hand over Ivy’s mouth.“Quiet”, she hissed, “you know nothing about the Harrisons. Besides, I don't regret marrying Ethan Harrington”.“He might be in poor shape, but he’s a good person, nothing like what the rumors say”.“You idiot”, Ivy hissed back, “He won’t live long in that condition. What will happen to you then, as his widow? If the Harrisons are capable of treating you like that, then after he is… is gone, what do you think they’ll do t
“Jane, that book’s level of difficulty is a little advanced. If you want to learn about traditional medicine, you should try to glean the basics from this book”, he suggested in a crisp, clear voice, holding out a second book with a smile.Jane edged to the side, keeping her distance from him, she had indeed been looking for that book.“Thank you”.Brock passed her the book, sensing her reservations about him and frowned slightly.He sat next to Jane, “I’ve read all these books, if you don’t understand anything, you can ask me. I’d love to hear the opinion of our top student here”.At his words, Jane became alert; when it came to her area so interest, she was nothing short of ernest. Ivy say opposite them, observing silently. Jane, naive and darling that she was, didn’t even spare a glance at the fine, handsome man beside her.Brock’s eyes, in the other hand, lingered on her and his manner constantly betrayed little signs of doting.She pursed her lips. This man was most definitely int
Jane woke up in an abandoned warehouse north of the city.Because the wedding was tomorrow, Jane had been resting very early recently and even slept in separate rooms with Ethan.Ever since they started having sex, her husband's self-control seemed to evaporate every night, as if he wanted to make up for years of deprivation.It drained Jane of her energy, leaving her unable to wake up the next morning. Ivy had laughed about it at her expense for a long time.However, Jane did not expect to receive a call from the old folks' home the day before her wedding. They had said that her grandmother was dying and wanted to see her for the last time.After careful consideration, Jane decided to grant her request. Ethan had been very busy recently as most of his businesses were conducted domestically now.Now, Ethan had changed and was stepping into new shoes as a new man, so Jane chose to pop down and come back without disturbing him.Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped into the ward, her gra
Jane was stunned silly, his father had gone that far?“Jane?...”“Continue, I'm listening. How did he even know her in the first place?”“He had an ulterior motive that he didn't want to handle directly so when Claire orchestrated the accident that took the Owens' lives, he secretly contacted her and threatened her with it.”“She was only too ready to comply with his orders. Claire had initially thought that Cassidy and I would be married when we were older and she apparently… liked me.”“So she figured marrying me as Cassidy would solve that for her but you came into the picture, she was receptive to my father's orders.”“He had told her to get you out of the house in anyway possible and he would take it from there…”“So?”“He arranged the robbery… when your passport was stolen. You would be stuck there if you didn't have it.”“He had arranged for you to meet Brock Davenport at the hospital so he would take you with him…”“Hold on, so Brock knew?”“He was in on it because my father p
Ethan's eyes went wide, Bruce put his hands on his head and Arnold stumbled a bit.The officer finally decided he had had enough and left after tucking the speeding ticket into Bruce's pocket. He shook his head and mumbled, “Rich people and their problems”.When he had come out to work today, he had not expected to see the drama from the novellas his wife always watched in real life.The other guards stood by silently, watching and wishing they had not given in to this Young Miss. She wouldn't have been able to come here on her own.Jane clenched her fists and finally decided she had had enough and she let her words out without filtering them one bit.“Now listen here, you poor excuse of a noblesse daughter,” Everyone's eyes went wide, “I do not care where you have come from, your money, title or none of that shit.”“That is all you will say in front of me. You open your gutter and utter one more word, I will make sure to give you what your abductors did not.”“A new facial reconstruc
Jane sneered at the television in disdain and picked up her phone to call Bruce.When he finally picked up, she stated abruptly, “Tell your Young Master not to come back!”“He should not set foot in the villa. I have changed the passcode so he shouldn't bother with anything.”__________Bruce was stunned and immediately walked up to Ethan who was on his way out after the conference was done.“Young Master, the Young Madam called.”A smile bloomed on his stoic face at the mention of his Jane.“She said not to bother coming back and that she has changed the passcode of the villa.”Ethan's smile fell and an overwhelming sense of panic set in, he ran off to the parking lot with Bruce hot on his tail, both ignoring the calls of Cassidy.He got to the car and frantically gestured for Arnold to unlock it. They both got in with a confused but alert Arnold wondering what the problem was.“To the villa, as fast as you can go!”Arnold started the car and raced out of the parking lot, no one noti
Ethan opened his eyes first and glanced at the alarm clock on his own bedside table. It read 6:00am, he turned to admire his wife with her hair fanned out on the pillow.Smiling at the memory of last night, he tucked a stray lock of hair away from her face. It had taken some time and serious work to convince her but he did.He had to go pick up Cassidy from the abductors’ den. His guards had infiltrated the den the night before and rounded them up in minutes.They were no match for these ones as they were former mercenaries he had given shelter, a job and a new life.Ethan got up reluctantly to take a shower. All he wanted to do was stay with his little wife in bed and cuddle.He would have that soon enough, bringing back the annoying little critter was more important at the moment since his jet was more convenient than a commercial flight.Shooting Bruce a text to pick him up, he then proceeded to accessorize before planting two kisses on her lips and forehead.He left once Bruce let
Jane's eyes fluttered open and the soreness of her lady bits hit her like a train, she recalled what had happened and blushed. She had finally consummated her marriage.The rumbling of her stomach jolted her from her thoughts, she was hungry. She sniffed the air and smiled, he was in the kitchen.She had a quick shower and tip toed out of the room, she peeked into the kitchen and watched her husband's back muscles ripple as he plated the pasta he just cooked.“Jane, baby, get over here and sit. I can feel your eyes on my back,” he chuckled and she scrunched her nose as she blushed in embarrassment.“That's impossible, how did you know?” She took a seat at the kitchen island and beamed at her plate.“I heard you close the bedroom door. Letting the door close noisily is not exactly wise if you were trying to sneak up on me.”He pinched her cheeks still rosy from her shower. She dug into the pasta with gusto, moaning at the first bite.Ethan swallowed as his brain fed him with flashbacks
Ethan kissed her again and laid her down on the messy covers. Leaning forward, he let his mouth linger on the shell of her ear, his breath tickling her neck.Jane shuddered at his touch, eyes bright and hazy with the eagerness to learn and desire pooling in her belly.He lightly traced her jawline with his nose, enjoying the way her breath hitched.Jane felt she could burst into flames at any moment, feeling goosebumps spread down her neck and chest. He had barely touched her but she was ready to melt into a puddle.Ethan wasted no time sinking his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck with a mild grip. His free hand slipped around her body and palmed her ass as his lips hovered barely an inch over hers, making her moan into his mouth.It felt like he was everywhere at once and all she could do was hold onto him and take it. Then his mouth travelled down her neck, sucking and nipping, she was now practically panting.Ethan sunk to his knees by the bed in front of her, tugging at
The cops tried to talk her out of it as she backed the exit and attempted to leave with the hostage but was quickly immobilized by two bullets from a Ruger SR22.Shot on target by a retired female general and shattered her kneecaps.She was quickly dragged out and calm was restored within the shocked guests.“I would like to state that the real Cassidy Owen is safe and will be returning soon, that's all.”Ethan walked out amidst shouts for interview requests from the reporters and stunned silence from the rest of the audience.Only the comments from the live stream was active even after he left.He rushed to the car and settled in, thinking of how cool he must have looked.“Take me to the villa instead, and don't wait. I will be sleeping with my wife today.”Bruce and Arnold glanced at each other, understanding their Young Master's intentions so when they dropped him off in front of the gates of the villa, they shouted some encouraging words.“Take care, Young Master. You have to do i
There was an uproar both at the event and in the comment section of the live stream. The directors stood stunned at his statement and the reporters began taking pictures and video cameras were focused on the people at the doors of the vault.Jane went mute in front of the television while Ivy screamed in surprise.Cassidy went pale in fear and horror but composed herself and tried to defend herself.“Mr. Harrington, we have been friends for many years but I do not think I like this joke.”“Friends? I have no recollection of ever being friends with a wannabe imposter. That is extremely beneath me and very insulting.”“Mr. Harrington,” the older director, Mr Jenkins, called out to him, “You do realize that you can't just say things like this…”“Oh I can, because I've known my friend since childhood and that… is not my friend.”“Ethan, if this is about what happened at your house with your wife… I apologize. However, you can't disrupt my inauguration because you want to be petty…”“Petty