MORGAN’S POV
I noticed the moment she noticed my brooch and frowned. I looked down at the pricey jewellery and smiled.
"Do you like it?"
I leaned in, getting closer to her ear. Lowering my voice, I whispered,
"It's actually fake, borrowed it from a friend"
She nodded and pulled back, her face flushing.
"Yeah, uh, it looks real;"' she said, pulling her hand from my arm and stepping away.
I was happy my little lie had worked. Otherwise, how would i explain wearing a brooch worth two million when I was trying to pass off as poor?
I was also confused as my bride withdrew from me, as if suddenly shy of our closeness.
Mh. Was she putting up a show?
According to my source, the eldest daughter of the Luciano's family was anything but demure. I had expected to meet a bold seductress. But my bride seemed to be doing her best to avoid my gaze, and now, she was putting physical distance between us.
Before I could think of a way to draw her from her shell, the woman who had attempted to waylay me appeared, a man in tow.
"Hello, Morgan " she greeted me, a tight smile on her lips.
"I'm Cindy, Eve’s sister. This is Jake, my boyfriend."
Jake appraised her casually. Now, this was the kind of reaction I had expected to get from the eldest daughter of the Luciano's family. A woman who looks at me with apparent desire in her eyes. Not one who blushed so easily and avoided my eyes.
But, wasn't she being a little too obvious in front of her sister? Not to mention she was with her boyfriend.
I gave a cursory glance at my bride, only to find that her expression had changed. Her flustered look was gone, and now, she was staring at the two with a closed-off attitude.
Does she not like them?
Jake turned his attention to Eve, looking a bit squeamish.
"Eve..uh, you look beautiful!”
I caught a slight tightening in Eve's jaw as if she was grinding her teeth. When she didn't pay attention to him, he stepped back to Cindy’s side.
“I heard that you're jobless. It must have cost a lot to hire that suit. But don't worry, since we are going to be family now, my boyfriend can offer you a job at his company'" Cindy told him before turning to Jake.
"Right, babe?"
Eve bristled at her sister's shamelessness. How dare she say something like that?.
She looked towards me, afraid that Cindy's attitude had offended me. She was surprised to find me regarding the two with a slight lift of my mouth, not looking offended at all. In fact, I looked more amused than anything.
I guess what came out of my mouth surprised her even more.
"Thanks for the offer, but I would rather be an idler, than work for you."
Cindy huffed, turning her nose up in the air.
"So much pride does not suit a poor man. Are you planning on living on my sister's money?”
Just then, Eve stepped forward and got in her sister's face.
"That's enough, Cindy. We'd like to begin the ceremony now."
Cindy scoffed but still stepped back.
"Good luck with your pauper" she said as she dragged Jake with her towards the exit.
I noticed that Eve was happy to see them go. The day was already unpleasant enough without having to see their faces.
With Cindy gone, the ceremony started and proceeded smoothly. Nobody from my family showed up, but Eve decided that was a non-issue. What mattered to her was that the agreement between the two families was now fulfilled.
After bidding farewell to our guests, it was finally time for me to bring Eve to our new home. I was relieved the ceremony was over. Now, all that remained was to take my bride home to show her the kind of life she was about to begin living.
If i was lucky, she would cancel the marriage as soon as possible and set me free. That way I would have fulfilled my mother's last wish to marry the eldest daughter of the Luciano's family. It wouldn't be on me if she hated my lifestyle and divorced me..
According to what I had heard about the Luciano's eldest daughter, she would probably not even want to spend a night in the small house I had prepared.
We finally got home. Looking at the expression on Eve’s face, she doesn't look like one that was disgusted to live in such a house. I was even more surprised when she walked into the small, old house and told me that it looked nice.
Although it was a tidy house, it was more like a studio apartment. Everything from the bedroom to the living room and the kitchen was all arranged together.
The Luciano's lived in a huge mansion. So how could she be so calm about the arrangement?.
“Where is my bedroom?”, she asked as she looked around her new home, she thought that it was inconvenient. She had hoped to have a separate bedroom from me, but it seemed as if that wasn't an option.
“Hmm.. sorry to disappoint you, but it just a room “, I replied.
Seeing the new home, she should have known that it was just a one bedroom apartment.
Well, there was only one room and one bed. In fact, it looked so much like the servants quarters tucked away at the back of her family's compound.
EVE’S POV
on arriving at my new home, I wasn't surprised to see it. After all I had already known that he wasn't financially fit. But I must confess that he really was a neat guy.
What was I even thinking as I asked for my own room. It was clear that it was just a one bedroom apartment. So what was the need to have asked for my separate room.
Practically, there was nothing luxurious about it. But at least it looked nice. While it was a far cry from my family's mansion, it looked homely and tidy enough.
The size wasn't an issue to me. Because, before Jeffery and Morgana had adopted me, I had lived at the orphanage, sharing a dorm with many other girls. I had learned from a young age to be thankful for having a roof over my head. Not many orphans were as lucky as I was.
Well I had just one problem about this new home of mine, which was the bed.
The one bed...that was the real issue. There wasn't even any extra space where I could move in an extra bed for myself.
Just then, my eyes landed on the three-seater sofa in the house. I guess I could fit there, right?.
While I took in my new home, Morgan moved to the bed and removed his jacket.
Maybe I was okay with the house, but had I thought about the mechanics of the entire arrangement?.
There wasn't much privacy in the room. We would be sharing a bed, a bathroom, and everything else. Would I be able to maintain my cool if he undressed in front of me?.
MORGAN'S POV
As I reached for my tie, I turned around to face her. She was beautiful, that much was clear. Her black hair was gathered at the top of her head in some kind of fancy bun. The few strands at the front, were untamed, framing her round face. She was actually kind of cute too.
I shook my head at that thought. Cute?.
Besides, I didn't care whether she was cute, hot, or plain ugly. I wasn't planning on staying married to her for long.
I saw the moment her eyes reverted to me as I unbuttoned my shirt. Just then, she blushed instantly and turned away, muttering apologies.
“Sorry, sorry”,
I smirked, finding her reaction amusing. She faced the wall and even brought her hands up to cover her eyes.
We were going to be sharing this house from today onwards. So was that how she was going to react any time I changed?.
She was bound to see my naked body at some point.
"No need for the apology. Would you like to take a shower first?" I asked her.
EVE'S POV I looked towards the bathroom. It was the only private place in the house. I guess It at least solved one of my problems. I would never have to changed in his presence. I would only wish he did me the same courtesy and stopped undressing in front of me."Yes" i said, nodding. Still keeping my gaze away from him, i walked towards where my suitcases were sitting. Opening one, I looked for my towel and a change of clothes. Then, without another word to him or a glance towards his side, I hurried towards the bathroom, opened the door, and disappeared inside.The bathroom was not as spacious as the one back home, but it had enough space for a shower, the toilet, and counter space. There was no bathtub, but that was fine. I could live without those relaxing herbal baths I had gotten used to at my family's home. It's just a small price to pay.Looking at myself in the mirror, I cursed softly. My face was still covered in all the makeup I had worn for the wedding. I had forgotte
EVE'S POV My heart hammered away in my chest. Why was he suddenly asking that? Have I said something to give myself away?.If he finds out the truth and cancelled the marriage... No! I couldn't let that happen. If he discovers my family's deceit, my parents would no longer cater for Sarah's treatment."Of course I am" I replied, crossing my arms across my chest. "Why would you ask that?".He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at me. It made me even more uneasy."You are the Caruso's' eldest son, right?" I asked, attempting to shift the attention from me to him.He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked on his feet. “I am", he said and I nodded. "Well then, it's all good, right?”MORGAN POVKnowing that I was going to marry a strange woman to fulfil my mother's wish. I sent someone to investigate the eldest daughter of the Lucianos. I had needed to know about her so he could figure out how to encourage her to divorce him qui
EVE'S POV My face burned red at Morgan’s words and proximity. Why was he suddenly acting this way?.I had already made it clear that I wasn't going to share the bed with him, let alone sleep with him!He must be teasing me!.His lips was so close to my ear as he whispered."What do you think?"What did I think? I couldn't even think, for one. The only thing I knew was that I needed to get out of this situation…Quickly, I ducked under one of his arms and sprinted across the room to the bathroom. I didn't care of how I looked like running away. I would deal with the embarrassment the next day.Now, all I had to do was remain in the bathroom until he went to sleep then I could slip back into the room.Heaving a sigh, I walked to the mirror and took in my appearance. My face was a raw shade of red, and when I placed my fingers against it, i felt how hot it was. When was I going to stop having such a reaction to him?MORGAN'S POV When I woke up the next day, the first thing that regist
MORGAN'S POV When I got to my new in-laws house, I wasn't expecting to be welcomed by the sight of my wife being thrown out of the house.As she stumbled onto the porch, I reached forward quickly and caught her arms, steadying her. "What's going on?" I demanded, taking in her face. Her face was flushed, her lips pursed, while her eyes were teary and red."Nothing"' she muttered, turning her face away from me and freeing herself from my grip. "What are you doing here?", she inquired.I looked towards the open door, where.Eve’s sister had been standing a few seconds ago. Turning around, I spotted Henry who was carrying several shopping bags. "Henry, bring them into the house" I told him."Okay, boss" Henry agreed and walked past Eve and i into the house."What is that?" Eve asked as she looked closely at the bags Henry was carrying."Gifts for my new in-laws," I answered, and then reached for her hand. "Come on, let's go inside!"EVE'S POV I was a bit hesitant to take his hand, b
EVE'S POVI was taking in the spectacle unfolding before me, when Morgan took my hand and led me towards the front door. Of all the ways I had expected Morgan's visit to go, this was definitely not one of them. I could still hear my mother and sister's grumbling as the door closed behind us.Morgan kept his hold on my hand all the way to the front of the house. When he let go, he came to a stop and regarded me. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to your parents' house?"I looked towards the door, half-expecting my mother to appear with more flattering words for Morgan. While I did, I jogged my brain for an excuse to give Morgan. It wasn't as if I could tell him that I came to collect the money that my parents had promised me, on the account that I married him…"Eve?" Morgan's voice urged.Looking away from the door, I faced him."I'm sorry about that. When I left the house, I got a call from my father asking me to come by immediately. I didn't have time to tell you."I remember
EVE'S POV After settling in my new home, I had one more thing to do, finding a job. The sooner, the better. I was no longer getting any money from my parents, and Morgan’s financial situation wasn't the best. So the sooner i got a job, the better it would be for all of us. Once I find a job, maybe I could look for a new apartment to rent. Although, the house we were living in wasn't exactly the worst, it was practical at best. Living with Morgan in the same room when we were only pretending to be a couple had its own share of challenges I wished to fix soon.With a good job, I could be able to afford to rent a good apartment where we could each, have our own rooms. Also, once I find a job, I would have fewer things to worry about and finally focus on finding ways to raise funds for Sandra's medical bill. I had high hopes of finding a job quickly. Just the other day, I had received a call for an interview from Edwards Group, a famous design company that was renowned in the fashion
ELLA'S POV "Yeah, please do tell us" the man sitting next to me encouraged.I crossed my arms across my chest and pursed my lips before speaking up."l just don't have a good feeling about her, that's all""That cannot be a good reason to not hire her" Someone pointed out. "It sounds as if you have a personal grudge against her. You need to give a good reason why you don't recommend her for the position""I do not have a personal grudge against her," I claimed firmly. "But yes, I know her from school. We were classmates. That's why I know she might not be the kind of person we want in this company”."What kind of student was she?"."The kind that cheats on exams," I said. "Look, I didn't want to bring this up because l'm not sure it's relevant now. But who knows, maybe she hasn't changed at all. Back then, she copied a classmates design and won an award with it. The other student was disqualified. I have no idea how she managed to convince the professor that she was the original d
MORGAN'S POV Eve looked up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She eyed the pamphlet in my hands and shrugged. "Yeah."Then she looked away again and focused on her laptop. But I didn't miss her tone, and how her face fell at my question."And?" I urged."I didn't get the job.""Oh" I mumbled, frowning. "Can I take a look at your resume?""Sure"I took her document and sat back on the sofa.The more I scrutinised the document, the deeper my frown grew. From what I was seeing, it didn't make sense that she wouldn't pass an interview at the Edwards Group.According to her resume, she was a top student at her college and even won a scholarship after winning a design contest. That aside, she had recently won a design championship. Both were enough proof that she was a brilliant upcoming designer."Why were you rejected ?", I asked after looking through her resume."Probably because I didn't pass the exam," She replied. EVE'S POV But even as I said that, I doubted it. I