"From today onwards, you are my slave. Don't you dare try to escape from my hands. You will live in my control for the rest of your life." For Pearl, marriage was the greatest prison. She would be imprisoned for the rest of her life. But she may have forgotten that there are actually two people in this "prison". Forced to marry by a big star, she couldn't imagine what such a life would be like.
Pearl Lucas walked into the house smiling, she was home late but it was worth it as today had been a good day for her, she had been given a good tip today in her place of work, she works in a beauty parlor and some actress she had applied make up for. She loved her work and had been invited to the actress' show the next day to fix the actress' make up.
The actress, Yvonne, had been so pleased with her that she added some extras to her payment, Pearl was so happy, she could use the extra pay, her mother would certainly love this piece of good news, life hasn't been easy with them since their father had lost his job and was yet to secure another, her mother who was merely a cleaner in a small company had tried to make sure she always put food on the table, but her salary just wasn't enough to sustain them all. so Pearl had taken up a job at a beauty salon to assist with the house expenses.
"this should be able to feed us for at least two days" she smiled to herself, eager to announce the good news.
"Mom, Dad" she called out as soon as she entered the house but silence greeted her, she frowned, where is everyone?
"Jenny?" She called out her younger sister's name but also got no response, she entered the only room in the house and saw no one inside.
"where is everyone? Is no one at home?" She hollered as she entered back into the living room, did they all just go out and left the door unlocked? She checked her time, it was past seven, her mother should be home now and her father had nowhere to go, so where could they be?
The door suddenly opened and her sister Jenny walked in breathing like someone who ran Marathon race,
"oh thank goodness you're here Pearl, what the heck happened to your line, I've been trying to reach you".
"oh, I have a flat battery, where is mom and dad?" She eyed Jenny tempted to tell her of her day's event but restrained herself, Jenny seemed worried.
"Dad had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital" Jenny cried and Pearl felt as if the bottom had dropped from beneath her, she felt a hollow in the pit of her stomach.
" what! heart attack? Which hospital is he?" Pearl's joy soon faded replaced by worry, her father has been battling depression because of his joblessness, what could have triggered the heart attack?
"He's at City hospital, shall we?" Pearl was numb as she nodded, she followed Jenny to the hospital and saw her mother crying in the hallway, she quickly hugged her, tears brimming in her own eyes.
********************************************
In the hospital
"how's dad, what happened?" She stared into her mother's eyes, waiting for a reply.
Her mother sniffed, " not good, some test has been carried out and I'm waiting for the results".
Pearl led her mother to a seat, "come sit, dad will be fine, I'm sure if it, you'll see, the test result will show nothing serious and in no time, he'll get better and be discharged."
she turned to Jenny, "get Mom a bottle of water."
Her mother shook her head, halting Jenny, " no please, I don't want water".
"Mrs. Lucas" the doctor called and she jumped up from her seat
"That's me, doctor, what's wrong with my husband?"
The doctor shook his head, ", your husband will need surgery as soon as possible."
"What! Surgery? Doctor what exactly is wrong with my father" Pearl cuts in.
"You see, we've observed he has a tumor in his brain that would need an immediate operation, that is why he is always complaining of headaches and dizziness and it could be what had triggered the heart attack. At this point, he needs an immediate operation or it might be too late".
Pearl felt a pang in her heart, she stared at the doctor, "what do you mean by it might be too late?"
The doctor shrugged, "I'm afraid, your father might die if he is not operated very soon".
Her mother covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes rounded fearfully as her legs gave way, Pearl and Jenny rushed and caught her, and they helped her to sit down.
"Did you hear that? The doctor said he might die, we might lose him."
Pearl quickly put her finger on her mother's lips to stop her rant, "nothing will happen, mom, we won't lose dad, okay, I promise" she turned to the doctor, "what do we have to do doctor?"
"You'll just need to pay five hundred thousand dollars to perform the operation, then have faith".
"Five hundred thousand dollars? That's huge, we don't have such amount." Pearl protested
"Well, if you can get at least, two hundred thousand dollars, we'll commence with the surgery while you look for the balance and you need to get that as soon as possible, the more it is delayed, the more danger he's in."
Pearl hopelessly watched the doctor walk away, how in earth are they going to raise the sum of five hundred thousand dollars?even if they sell all their properties, they won't even realize half of the money, no, something have to be done, her mother's soft cry pierced her heart, Pearl ran to the doctor,
"why not perform the operation while I run around to look for the money?"
The doctor shook his head, " except the initial deposit is paid, there's nothing I can do, no operation will be carried out, and the money is just for the operation to be done, you'll also have to pay for his recovery process when the operation is done".
Pearl nodded desperately,
"I understand doctor, I am not saying we won't pay, we will, just perform the operation first".
"When you're ready for the operation to be carried out, you'll pay up, that's the only way it can be done".
Pearl watched as the doctor walked away
"How are we going to get such a huge amount? "
Her mother wailed and Pearl immediately ran to her side,
"hush mom, nothing will happen to father, I'll think of a way out, we can ask for help from some of his friends, I believe their contribution will go a long way".
Pearl brought out her phone and called a lot of people, but none agreed to have such an amount, some contributed so little that it didn't cover a quarter of what was demanded,
"I'll go to my place of work and see if I can be loan money" her mother stood up, wiping her eyes with the back of her .
Her brain did overtime, "mom, I'll go to my beauty parlor to ask for help and I also have an actress, you know her right, she's very famous and generous, I believe after applying make up for her, I believe she will pay me well, it might still not go anywhere but trust me mom we'll look for a way, together, we'll overcome". She hugged her mom tight and they sat hurdled close throughout the night.
"I love you, Aires" "Who wrote this letter?" Aires asked, bending to pick the piece of paper that has fallen at his feet, his eyes pinned hers and she swallowed, "you love me?" His voice sounded strange to her ears but she couldn't fathom the emotions behind it. Timidly she nodded finally voicing out her feelings. His gaze raked over her and she stood absolutely still, "flat chest, flat bum, teeth filled with braces and clumsy as hell, I can never love someone like you so get lost" and so she ran, with tears streaming down her cheeks like rivers of water......
"I Myla Cain, daughter of the red moon beta reject you, Dylan Sabastine as my mate as I am already in love with Chase Lucien, I hereby, declare myself free and reject the mate bond" Dylan Sabastine was an Alpha werewolf who was rejected by his mate, hurt beyond words he ran out from home to calm his hurting heart and was attacked by rogues, his parents who had run after he tried to save him but they were killed in the process, having lost his mate and parents in one day, he decided to leave his pack. He went to the human world and lived as one, hiding his identity of being a werewolf, he soon triumphs in the human world, he has everything but one thing was missing in his life and that Is love, he had vowed never to let any woman so close to his heart ever again but his resolve was soon shaken when he met Ariana, a witch who was also his slave. Ariana couldn't believe her ill-luck, she was being punished for a past she couldn't even remember, she has witnessed the death of her mother but all her memories were sealed off, fate led her to Dylan who took her as his slave. When the seal of her memory broke off and her witch's power revealed, she soon remembered that a werewolf had killed her mother and she had sworn them as enemy. How could she reconcile her burning desire for a werewolf and her quest for revenge?.
"You're such a rogue how could you do this to me! I'll regret the day I ever married you !" She screamed. His smirk never left his face. "You married a Playboy sweetheart " He spoke coldly. Kathleen had always wanted a perfect relationship, she ran away from her abusive relationship only to get married to a mysterious man the same day. Will this stranger treat her any better than her ex? It turned out she got married to a playboy who wasn't ready to be chained down by marriage!
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusions—he wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"