I was sitting in the living room, scrolling through my emails when Valerie walked in. She was wearing an apron and I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen."Hey, what are you making?" I asked, looking up at her."Chicken alfredo," she replied with a smile. "I know it's your favorite."I grinned, feeling my mouth water at the thought of the creamy pasta dish. "Thanks, Val. You're the best."Valerie chuckled and walked over to the couch, sitting down next to me. "So, have you heard from Lucas yet?" she asked, her tone casual.I tensed up at the mention of his name, feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement. "No, not yet," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.Valerie raised an eyebrow, her eyes scanning my face. "It's been over a week since you signed the contract marriage with him. Don't you think he should have called by now?"I shrugged, trying to hide the disappointment in my expression. "I don't know. Maybe he's just busy."Valerie shook her head, her expression d
I hesitated for a moment when I saw Lucas's name on my phone screen. Part of me wanted to let it ring, to let the call go to voicemail and avoid whatever conversation was to come. But another part of me, the part that had been missing him since the last time we spoke, urged me to answer.Finally, I gave in and answered the call, trying to sound casual even though my heart was racing. "Hello, Lucas.". I watched with hidden amusement as Valerie quickly dropped the plate on the sink and rushed to the living room. She stood beside me curiousity sputtered on her face, she mimed "I'm sorry," and I rolled my eyes at her… Valerie was a handful."Samantha, how are you?" His voice came through the phone, smooth and unbothered… heck he was supposed to call me, I'm not his wife I know but he would present me to the public and most importantly his father, courtesy demand he called at least!"You're going overboard with this Samantha," I thought to myself."I'm good, thanks. How about you?"s"I'm d
"Damn," Samantha groaned as I took a sharp turn and swerved to the other side of the road, I couldn't afford to ruin her first meeting with Father. I drove at high speed and in no time, I pulled up in front of the high fashion store. I noticed the amazed look on Samantha's face but time was running out and he hated to wait.I knew she was wondering what was happening and why we were there because her face was etched in surprise. I got out of the car and opened the door for her."Come on, we're going shopping," I said with a smile.As soon as we got into the reception, the manager came to welcome us."Good evening, Mr. Hernandez. It's a pleasure to have you in our store today. How may we be of assistance?" the manager said, bowing slightly."Good evening, John. I need a dress for my date tonight," I replied, gesturing towards Samantha.The manager nodded as he beckoned to a man who looked like he was in his mid forties, "He's one of the senior staff, and he'll help you with whatever yo
Samantha and I looked at each other and let out a fake cough.He chuckled,"You youngies don't need to shy away from things like this, what's the point of waiting?" He asked, as he took a sip of his wine.Samantha let out a fake cough, and I quickly followed suit. "Oh, sorry about that Dad, we've just been dealing with allergies lately," I said, trying to divert attention away from Samantha's discomfort.Father said with a wave of hand. "No need to apologize, my boy. I just love the idea of you two giving me some beautiful grandchildren. Imagine how good-looking they would be!"Samantha looked at me with a knowing expression, and I couldn't help but smirk at her. She was clearly uneasy with the topic, but I could tell she was trying her best to hide it from my father."Yeah, Dad, that would be something, wouldn't it?" I said, playing along with the fantasy. "I mean, just think of how great it would be to see little versions of us running around."Samantha let out a small laugh, but I c
I watched helplessly as Lucas drove off, leaving me alone on a lonely highway. I couldn't believe it. I was so angry and stranded at the same time. How could he just drop me off like that? I tried to order a taxi back to my house, but the app kept showing "no cars available."I sighed, "Just great," I was beginning to get frustrated, and I could feel the heat rising from within me. I took a deep breath, in a bid to calm myself down."What is wrong with this stupid app? Why isn't it working, today of all days" I muttered to myself as I tried to order a taxi for the umpteenth time. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a taxi arrived. As I got in, I was relieved to be leaving the lonely highway behind."Who does he think he is? Treating me like some object that he can just dump wherever he likes," I soliloquized to myself. I couldn't believe that I agreed to this contract marriage. I did it for the money, but Lucas was making it so dif
I took a deep breath as I stormed out of the lounge. I couldn't explain how I felt. After I saw Lucas and Audrey having a great time together, anger seemed to get a better part of me. Just as I was about to step out of the club, Andres followed me."Are you okay, Samantha?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.I turned to face him, forcing a smile on my face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some fresh air," I lied.Andres looked at me skeptically. "Are you sure? You looked a bit...jealous back there."I clenched my fist at his words, not wanting to give him any indication of how I truly felt. "Jealous, of what exactly?... Pfft" I said, trying to sound convincing. "It's just the tension in there, you know?"Andres nodded, seeming to believe my excuse. "Yeah, I get it. It can be overwhelming sometimes," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "But don't worry, let's just have fun tonight."I sighed,"I agree with you totally Andres, but I've kinda lost my groove for tonight, I really thi
"Hey Samantha," Lucas said with a smile. I rolled my eyes in disgust, "Feeling any better?" He questioned, leaning close he reeked of alcohol as much as I did."What in heaven's name are you doing here Lucas?" I huffed.He laughed and teased me, "I'm just trying to make sure you don't fall and hurt yourself. You look like you can't handle so much liquor,""Last time I checked, I don't remember asking you to look out for me, now if you would excuse me…" I tried to push him out of the way but he held me down, I was too tipsy to make much progress."Ouch, that hurts and to think I just wanted to help a friend," he smirked.I raised my voice slightly, "I am not your friend… and I would prefer you don't help me, I do not need it," Lucas scoffed, he seemed determined not to let me through and I was not having any of this… not this night, "Well… maybe you're not but then let's think of it this way, I can't afford to have you hurt or anything…at least not now that my father seem to take a s
I could easily distinguish Audrey's voice in the middle of a noisy crowd, as she came closer with each approaching step, I couldn't think of anything else to do, without thinking it through, I leaned into Samantha and kissed her."Stupid bitch!" Audrey muttered loud enough for me to hear as she stomped angrily towards us."Your woman is here," Samantha whispered, anxiety laced in her voice.I held Samantha down and whispered to her, "Just play along, Audrey can't find out about our plan."As Audrey came closer, she tried to pull Samantha by the hair but I was quick enough to hold her back, "Leave me alone you bastard!" She yelled as she struggled to break free from my grip.She turned to face Samantha,and snarled "And you, are you trying to steal my man from me?"Samantha straightened her sleeves, "I-I…I'm sorry it is not what you think," she stuttered."Oh cut me some slack," Audrey said, as she glared at Samantha, with so much hate in her."Audrey it's not what you–,"Audrey turned