Silent Temptation: When True Love Meets

Ariana Edwards was sitting in a hotel room wearing a white wedding dress and delicate makeup. It was the day of her wedding, but the groom was nowhere to be found.

In her hands were two documents. One was the consent form for artificial insemination, and the other was a non-disclosure agreement. The first document showed that the insemination was going to take place tomorrow. The Anderson family's lawyer was waiting for Ariana to sign the documents after handing them to her a moment ago.

The sperm that was going to be inseminated into Ariana belonged to Theodore Anderson, her groom and the eldest son of the Anderson family.

Their wedding was going to be the wedding of the century. However, the groom was involved in a ghastly car accident three months ago. It was said that he didn't have much time left.

"Miss Edwards, please, you have to sign them immediately," the lawyer urged Ariana, impatience written all over his face.

The Anderson family was one of the most powerful families in this city. The Andersons valued the continuation of their lineage as much as their wealth. Theodore was a childless bachelor before the accident, so his father, Darian, took it upon himself to get his son a wife. He had it all planned out. The sperm that Theodore froze years ago was going to be inseminated into the new bride's womb before he died.

Ariana's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the documents. A glint of imperceptible panic was in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I need to read all the clauses thoroughly. Can I have some time alone?"

The lawyer frowned slightly before he nodded and left.

As soon as the door was shut, Ariana put down the documents and called her boyfriend.

Yes, she had a boyfriend. But it was top secret.

Her boyfriend happened to be Jasper Anderson, the second son of Darian and Theodore's half-brother.

He was in on the whole thing. In fact, the conspiracy was his idea!

A month ago, Ariana's father passed away after a brief illness. Her stepmother, Glenda Edwards, took over all the properties and drove her out of the house. She left Ariana penniless and even collected all that belonged to her late mother.

Ariana was down in the dumps. It was at this time that her boyfriend, Jasper, came up with a plan. He asked her to marry Theodore and sabotage the artificial insemination operation when it was time. Jasper wanted to be the only inheritor of his family's wealth once his half-brother died.

He promised to marry Ariana. To sweeten the deal, he also vowed to help her take back her mother's belongings from the wicked Glenda.

It had taken Jasper a great deal of persuasion to get Ariana to agree. But now, she was starting to have second thoughts. Ariana's conscience was already pricking her. She didn't think she could go through with the plan.

Jasper didn't pick up even after many rings. This made Ariana more anxious. She paced back and forth in the room. Out of desperation, she sneaked out to look for Jasper.

Ariana's heart was in her mouth as she walked down the corridor. She feared that she might bump into someone who knew her in the elevator, so she took off her heels and headed toward the stairs.

Just as she arrived in front of the last suite at the end of the corridor, she halted in her tracks.

The door of this suite was slightly ajar. A familiar giggle came from inside.

"Oh, don't stop, Jasper. Stay with me for a little longer. After all, Ariana doesn't have time for you now."

Ariana's heart sank. Her legs were as heavy as lead at this time. However, she slowly walked closer and looked through the crack of the door.

A young man and woman were lying half-naked on the sofa. The woman who was twisting her body on the man was none other than Ariana's stepsister, Brielle. And the man was Jasper!

"Baby, you know I'd love to stay with you, but I can't now. I'm afraid Ariana would back out of the plan and run away. I need to keep an eye on her," Jasper said with a grunt, trying to push Brielle away.

Brielle didn't take no for an answer. She lowered her head and gave him a hot kiss. "You don't have to worry. That bitch won't run away. She is always obedient to you. Remember that we still have her mother's belongings. She would do anything for those."

"Hmm. You have a point there." With these words, Jasper lay back on the sofa. He wrapped one hand around Brielle's waist and slid the other under her dress. "Ha-ha! She has no one to rely on since her father is dead. She has no choice but to do my bidding."

"Things wouldn't have been this smoothly if you hadn't tampered with her father's medicine," Brielle said with a chuckle. As soon as Jasper's hand slid through her underwear, she moaned. Her body trembled and melted in his arms. "My silly sister thinks you will marry her after everything is said and done. She has no idea that you killed her father. You are a bad boy, Jasper."

"Isn't that why you love me?" Jasper suddenly turned over and pressed Brielle under his body while kissing her. "Not to worry, you will be my bride when everything is over. I only have eyes for you. For now, let me show you how bad I can be..."

The next second, their voices trailed off and were replaced with pleasurable moans.

Ariana's legs turned to jelly. She staggered back and held the wall for support.

Her beloved Jasper was a betrayer! It dawned on Ariana that his love and promises were all lies! He even killed her father!

Tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks. A painful lump went up her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Ariana clenched her wedding gown tightly. She gritted her teeth in hatred as she listened to the moans coming from the suite.

It turned out that these two were using her as a pawn to carry out their real plan. Now that she found out about it, she decided to work against them.

Ariana wiped her tears and put on her heels again. With her head held up high, she walked back to her room. She took the documents and signed them without hesitation.

She decided to marry Theodore for real and work against Brielle and Jasper secretly. Those two were in for disappointment now that she was one step ahead of them.

*

At night, the Anderson family's residence was brightly lit.

Ariana was sent to Theodore's room as soon as the wedding was over.

This was the first time she was meeting her so-called husband.

According to Jasper, Theodore was so bad-tempered and evil that even Lucifer would give up his throne in hell for him. Jasper had described his half-brother using all the bad words he could think of. He also said that Theodore was as ugly as an ogre.

As a result, Ariana expected to see a hideous man lying on the bed. But her jaw dropped when she saw his face. He was actually good-looking. Even though he was in a coma, the air of dignity and power clung to him.

Ariana's eyes widened in awe as she studied Theodore's chiseled features.

Jasper was such a liar! She regretted believing the words that came out of that betrayer's mouth.

While she was lost in thought, the door was kicked open from the outside. Jasper swaggered in with a bottle in his hand. He belched and said out loud, "Hey, Aria! I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. I was too busy."

Ariana knew that she had to play her cards right if she wanted to come out victorious. So, she hid her real emotions. "It's okay. I understand."

Jasper took a big gulp from the bottle of wine and then smiled confidently. "I knew you would understand. After all, you love me so much."

A spark of fury shone in Ariana's eyes for a split second. Clenching her fists, she said, "It's late. You should leave now. Let's talk tomorrow."

Without uttering a word, Jasper locked the door and then walked to Ariana slowly.

She stepped back warily. "Jasper, what are you doing?"

"The wedding night shouldn't go to waste. Let's make love."

With a mischievous smile on his face, Jasper lunged forward.

It took Ariana by surprise that Jasper was so shameless and bold that he wanted to have sex with her in the presence of his unconscious half-brother. He was nuts!

When Jasper moved closer again, she pushed him away and muttered, "Sober up, Jasper. Don't forget the plan."

Jasper didn't stop. "I have changed my mind. You need to conceive my child before the insemination. That way, my child will become the heir and we can inherit everything."

Ariana was disgusted by him. She was about to go for broke by knocking him down.

Just as she raised her hand to strike him, she saw that Jasper's attention was on something else. He was looking behind her with his eyes widened as if he just saw a ghost.

"Theo... Theodore..."