Ericka's point of view... "I do," I said, still in a delusion. Did I just say that I agree to this marriage with him?? God...! I must be going crazy...! Wasn't this all for helping me? I thought it was, but why do I feel trapped instead. Something was quite unsettling. I was unintentionally gaping at the man beside me. Where I was dying here to utter even a word, he sat back in his wheelchair without even a frown on his forehead as if this was all his arrangement, to begin with. What a calm personality...! I haven't seen him so relaxed before. I was both amused and nervous. "I do..." his voice echoed in my mind and that literally smacked me out of the daze. Nathan glanced back at me, and I saw something in his eyes, which was not at all his style when he said those words. I Do...! He was smiling??!! I might faint if all this doesn't stop right away. This was too much for a little head like me, to take in. Far too much to digest in one day. "I announce this b
Author's point of view... Ericka shot Nathan a helpless glance before hanging her head, fighting back the urge to cry. She didn't know what that feeling truly was but she literally felt trapped in something even more dangerous this time. Nathan was overly domineering. It was like he had been controlling her entire world without being noticed by her. But in reality, he was trying to protect her. It's just that his way of caring was a bit different from others; people might get suffocated sometimes because of his overly domineering attitude. It was true that Ericka's family was far from being a caring and loving one. They no longer cared about her. Actually they never ever cared about her at all. Though Nathan already heard about them from his men, the way her father behaved with her earlier, left him with no other choice but to cut them off from life. He prepared his mind that he would never let any of them bully her anymore. Despite truly trying to keep her safe, he just forc
Ericka's point of view... Grandma...! Everything Just blacked out as I read those words and the only thing that I thought about was my grandma. To be honest, for once, I thought that it was all Dad's plan to bring me back, but I couldn't help but feel uneasy. If there is someone other than my Mom in this entire world, then it is my grandmother. She is the kindest person I have ever met. Just like her daughter, my mom. She was the only person alive in this entire family that I could call mine. And I just can't imagine a world without her. The man next to me was clearly pissed off, and I know I offended him now with whatever I did, but I can't help it. I actually didn't know how to put it all before him. Nathan never liked people who talked back to him and I never usually do that. But today was different. I didn't want to show anything but to go see my grandma right away. And so, I bravely asked him if I could visit my home, and as I already expected, he burnt in frustrat
Author's point of view... "What did you say mom? Is it true that Ericka hooked up with a cripple?" Elvira asked, excitedly. Emily smiled and carrassed her cheeks. "Yes, honey. Your uncle told me that she was with a crippled man last night and they declared that they were in love with each other" Elvira was so happy that she almost lost herself as she giggled. "That bitch...she deserves it...no wonder she wanted me to lure Logan...I wish her so called love life would be destroyed forever..." Elvira mumbled to herself. Emily looked at her daughter and pursed her lips. "I wish that too, baby but your uncle is such a fool. He wanted her to marry the young master of the Dawis family..." Elvira's smile faltered immediately, she grabbed Emily's hand and squeezed it. "Mom...who...Logan...but" "What... Mom, what are you talking about! Why would Logan marry a characterless slut like her? He deserves better..." Emily smiled reassuringly, "I know, honey. Young master L
Author's point of view... Ericka gripped her dress so hard that the fabric almost got ripped. She spoke though masking her fear inside. She knew he must be furious as he wasn't someone to take a 'no' as an answer yet she had to say that. Just when she saw his gaze fixated on her, she gasped and no one could see how much she was shivering at that time. Nathan however, just stared at her without even changing his expression, as if reading her mind through her eyes. There was silence in the entire house as no one dared to talk. Though Dave showed some excitement earlier, he instantly zipped his mouth when he saw Nathan's intimidating eyes ripping his skin off. After what felt like an eternity, Nathan finally opened his mouth to speak and the words that came were like a roar coming out of an angry lion despite being low. "Come down..." his roar sent shivers down everyone's spine and Ericka could feel her entire body getting numb. She stood there with her eyes widened unable t
Ericka's point of view... When Rayan came into my room that day and acted weirdly, I knew something was wrong. The first thing that struck me was Grandma. Did something really happen to her? I lunged forward and grabbed Rayan. "Rayan, did something happen to grandma?" I asked desperately. I don't know if it was the thought of losing her or the dizziness of the drug they used on me, my head was spinning like hell. I clasped my hands over my head as I repeated my question. "Rayan...tell me...Did something happen to her? Did Dad do something to her?" He kept silent, increasing my anxiety for every second passing. His silence was making my gut churn. "Rayan..." I yelled, shaking him awake from his stupor. He hung his head and I felt like I saw tears in his eyes. My heart sank. Something did happen to Grandma. Only she is worth his cold tears. My hands started trembling and I couldn't force another word out. "He is a monster, sis" Rayan began, gritting his teeth at
Ericka's point of view... They carried me out as if I wasn't a human but some sack of rice. It felt horrible, not being able to clarify things as my mouth was choked with a piece of fabric. I tried to scream and hit the men who were carrying me but to no use as they both were like some huge monsters with thick skin and almost no sense. I was literally pissed off. After what felt like eternity, we reached near a chain of cars parking outside the house when they finally decided to put me down. I turned around only to find Mike and pleaded with my eyes to let go of me. He looked at me with pitiful eyes and shook his head in diapair. I looked behind him to find that heartless man who treated me like shit. I was just pretending for god's sake...! Can't he just use some simple method to get me out of that place? He opted for the rudest one just to humiliate me and embarrass me. I was frustrated but I knew better than anyone that I couldn't even vent my anger on him. How
Author's point of view... Ericka was stunned for a brief moment before her jaw dropped at the sight. The man who stood before her had very familiar features. He looked so much like Nathan Dawis. Though the room was dimly lit, Ericka could see his features vaguely. His perfectly angular side face and his muscular chest, his bulging biceps and everything was exactly the same. Other than the fact that this man wasn't crippled, she couldn't think of any other reasons for him not to be her boss, Nathan. "You—who are you?" she stammered, utterly confused. He took a step forward and her face burned as she realized how inappropriate it was to be staring at a stranger’s exposed body. Quickly, she turned around, covering her eyes with her hands. She never heard Nathan had a twin brother. Who is this man? She thought. A clown?? From behind her, she heard him scoff. "Are you trying to play dumb to get my attention?" Ericka stiffened at his cold tone. What is he talking about? She
Author's point of view... Luke and Erik exchanged a quick look when they saw Nathan casually tapping his fingers on the desk. He seemed inexplicably happier than usual. Silently, they both pulled out their phones and started texting, careful not to draw his attention. Luke, "Is my vision acting up?" Erik, "It was not his wife then who could it be?" Luke, "Hell man, I have no idea! Did he get a secret girlfriend?" Erik, "No way...! Nathan!! in a relationship!! I feel like fainting" Luke, "I was getting the same feeling!!" Thier chatting ended as Nathan dismissed them all. When it was evening, Ericka was already waiting at the address Anna had sent her. She glanced around the exclusive bowling club in surprise. She’d never expected Anna to bring her here. Though Anna had taught her bowling back in their teenage years, they rarely had time for games these days. Just when Ericka was feeling uneasy a sweet voice echoed in her ears and a pair of slender hands hugged her
Author's point of view... Ericka was furious. Her cheeks burned looking at the man getting closer and closer. She couldn't help but feel infuriated. He dared to flirt with her when all he was going to do was divorce her. He is shameless. Jack felt his mind getting numb. The man sitting in the back seat was actually flirting with his wife. His boss flirting with a woman...! Jack thought that he might have heard it wrong. How could Nathan say those words? He felt he should just disappear from there. Why is he listening to something that he shouldn't have?!! Ericka unconsciously covered herself with her little hands and closed her eyes. Nathan stopped. A smirk tugged on his handsome face. Ericka's flustered face looked so attractive and appealing, but she didn't want to do anything stupid, not at least now. Getting back to his normal place, he grunted. Ericka slowly opened her eyes as the heat that she felt earlier on her face subsided. She looked at his handsome face, surpri
Author's point of view... As she walked in, Ericka saw that the entire Dawis family was gathered at the breakfast table, though her husband and the old lady were missing. At that point, her mind was in a mess and she was in no mood to join the crowd. She won't be welcomed dearly, anyways, so she went upstairs, straight to Nathan's room. Just when she was about to reach out for the door handle, she heard some noises coming from inside which made her freeze on the spot. "Sir, everything is done. What are we going to do next?" It was Mike's voice and she was sure about it. She hadn't seen him for days. Mike was on the phone. Nathan didn't respond immediately but after a minute, he spoke coldly, "Nothing" he said nonchalantly, he had just achieved what he wanted, there was no hurry about the rest of the plan. "Just wait until grandma transfers the shares." he replied, Ericka gasped. Shares!! Grandma's shares! So that was all true!! Logan was telling the truth...! T
Author's point of view... A hush came over the room. Everyone sat speechless as Elvira's lies were exposed. Elvira, out of any ideas to deal with the matter, pretended to faint and slumped into Logan's arms. "She might be stressed!" Nathan said coldly, the sarcasm evident in his voice. Ericka, however was not at all in a mood to see through her sister's act. She was so furious that she felt her cheeks started burning. "Logan, just take Elvira to rest" Jonathan was the first one to speak, easing the awkward situation. "That little girl...she might have done it by mistake. Why would she harm her own sister?" he tried to cover up Elvira's lies. Nathan scoffed but didn't say anything. With that, the matter was closed, just like that. Logan, however, shot one last glance at Ericka before scooping Elvira into his arms and rushing out of the room. Finally, a staff member broke the silence by announcing that breakfast was ready. Everyone left the room as the show was finally ov
Author's point of view... Elvira was so stunned in disbelief that it took a few minutes for her to recover from her shock. "You dare hit me...!" she growled when her mind reeled everything back before her eyes. It was the first time in her entire life that someone had slapped her and out of all, the one who slapped her was none other than Ericka, her useless sister, who was not more than a punching bag for her and her mother for years. That was utterly unbelievable. "You bitch..." Elvira was just about to spring up to grab Ericka's hair, but Ericka kicked Elvira's knees, making her slump down again. Ericka was done with everything that had to do with this shameless sister of hers. "Stop messing around..." Ericka warned through gritted teeth but her words were cut off as Jonathan strode to them. Taking advantage of the situation, Jonathan stepped into that mess, standing between the two of them. He glared at Ericka with disdain, clearly declaring his stand for the other o
Author's point of view... As Elvira walked in, she saw how affectionately the old lady held Ericka's hand while she was being ignored completely. She couldn't take it anymore. As the only daughter of the Hollow family, she was used to being treated like a princess, whereas Ericka, being the breadwinner of her family, was treated like a maid who would do anything. Elvira couldn't just see Ericka being loved. She just wanted that attention to herself. How could her cousin, a girl from a mediocre family, have that importance while the only daughter of the Hollow family was being ignored!! That's not going to happen...! That old hag must be blind to not see her!! She gritted. Moving forward, Elvira stood beside Logan. "Oh my, Ericka, you are here. We were all so worried about you last night, weren't we, Logan?" Elvira remarked, nudging Logan with a smirk. She just wanted to show herself quite dissolved in the family before the old lady. As if she cared a lot about her siste
Author's point of view... "No..no.... it's not like that" Ericka instantly tried to explain but the old lady brushed it off with a knowing gesture. "I know..." she grabbed Ericka's hand and continued, "I know very well about little Nati's temper, Darling. You don't have to tell me about it..." Ericka stared between Nathan and the old lady, stunned, clearly not knowing what to say. Amanda laughed and looked at Nathan who was glaring daggers at Ericka. Despite the anger, there was also a hint of surprise in his eyes. He never saw his grandmother taking sides, especially when it comes to him. She was never so friendly and happy before, laughing and chatting like how she did at that time. He was very puzzled about how Ericka could impress anyone by just being there without putting any efforts. "You know..." the old lady continued, "I was so worried about this boy..." Amanda turned her gaze back to Ericka, who was still so confused, looking as if she had walked into an alternate
Author's point of view... After getting dressed, Ericka walked out. A maid was waiting outside for her to receive her. Nathan had made sure she would always be tailed behind by someone to keep her safe. The maids and servants he planted in the Dawis mansion were all his people, all trained in martial arts and weaponry. After what had happened the day before, he couldn't help but feel unease. He was sure that someone from his family was trying to harm Ericka and that was because of him. He felt guilty. At least he had to keep her safe until he reached his goal. "Ma'am, this way please" the maid escorted her towards the ancestral quarters to meet the old matriarch of the family. Ericka looked around. Neither Nathan nor any of his men were anywhere to be found. She gulped nervously before asking the maid, "Have you seen Mr Dawis anywhere," the maid looked at her confused, Ericka instantly corrected herself, "I mean, Nathan?" That maid shook her head, "No ma'am. I haven't
Author's point of view... Ericka was stunned. It didn't take him a second to scoop her fragile body into his arms. Before she could understand what was happening, she was already in his arms. "You...Nathan...I am..." she stuttered, unable to speak normally. He stared at her and finally said in his ever so commanding tone. "You are sleeping with me..." Ericka instantly felt her throat dry. Sleeping with him? Is he serious? "But...I...I don't want to trouble you" she finally said with a futile effort to set herself free. He narrowed his eyes and snorted through clenched teeth. "Aren't you afraid?" Nathan asked. Ericka lowered her head. She was indeed afraid of closing her eyes. "Yes," She admitted timidly. "Then you can sleep next to me. You won't be afraid anymore." he said, his voice calm but unreadable. Nathan recalled the strange emptiness he had felt when she had chosen to sleep on the couch instead of beside him. "I'm just having trouble sleeping tonight