In his effortless pursuit of success, Mark finds himself in a web of humiliation and constant conflict when his role as a waiter at a prestigious hotel puts him face-to-face with his wife's powerful boss, Mr Alistair. During a high-stakes business meeting, Mark's dignity is ruthlessly attacked, leaving him torn between defending himself and protecting his wife's career. Their relationship is put at stake test as their confrontation creates a chain of events that threaten to shatter Mark's marriage.
Mark held the tray with the glass cup and wine tightly, releasing a deep breath, attempting to suppress his nervousness.
He joined the other staff, striding down to the meeting hall. He didn't feel good about it, but he was in charge of serving this section.
The hall's door swung open wide, and he led the staff in, carrying drinks and food.
"Welcome to Trump International Hotel. Here is the order you placed," Mark bowed his head, a clean handkerchief in hand, resting at the base of the wine bottle.
He tilted the wine slightly, pouring a few glasses for the young man.
It was a business meeting involving five businessmen and women. Among the women was his wife, Lacey
Bowing his head, he gently placed the wine bottle in an ice bowl. Mark felt eyes on him but decided to focus on his work, not wanting to cause trouble for his wife or be looked down upon by her boss and colleagues.
"Isn't he your husband? I almost couldn't recognize him for a while," Mr. Alistair asked Lacey.
She cleared her throat slightly, glancing at Mark, not wishing to be acknowledged as his wife at that moment.
"Sure." Her replies were quick yet faint; she knew lying wouldn't help because her boss knew him well.
Mark realized what was about to happen and wanted to walk out with the other staff.
"Mr. Jones, stay and have a drink with us," Mr. Alistair said before Mark could leave. Mark halted, swallowing hard.
"I really do not think that's necessary, sir," Elsa, Lacey's best friend, spoke up before things got even more awkward.
"What do you mean not necessary? I'm just trying to be nice to my business partner's husband, and I don't think that should be an issue," Mr. Alistair snorted.
"Sir, I think we should just let him be since he's still working and he's not needed here," Lacey quickly said, knowing her boss well.
He was far from being nice, especially with his choice of words.
"Come on, Lacey! You know how important this contract is, right? Let's not delay it and just let him have his seat already," Mr. Alistair said frankly, giving no room for another opinion.
Mark realized he had no choice but to sit with them, not wanting his wife to lose an important deal because of him.
Swallowing his dry throat, he took his seat beside his wife gently, staying quiet, fearing he might add to the tension. But eventually, he found he couldn't escape.
Lacey had always wanted to avoid this kind of situation, but it only got worse each time. The meeting was a high-stakes contract, and she couldn't afford to lose it.
Mr. Alistair was not an easy man to deal with, and she knew that well. Mark felt uncomfortable, even lifting a glass of water to his mouth.
"It's really unexpected to meet you here. I mean, you working as a waiter is unexpected and unbelievable too," Mr. Alistair laughed.
Mark looked down at his fingers, trying not to let his brows rise in discomfort. He already felt uneasy and too low sitting among them.
"Tell me, really. Why are you working as a waiter? I did hear that Lacey married a pauper, but I never expected someone who is not qualified for a decent job," Mr. Alistair said.
The other staff, except Elsa and Lacey, ended up laughing, while some chuckled and others appraised him in his simple clothes.
Mark remained quiet. He felt the man's intentions were to mock him, and he regretted not turning down the offer immediately and walking away before it got worse.
"We should talk about the business, sir," Elsa said, attempting to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
"Business? That's unfair to Lacey's husband, the waiter. How is he supposed to understand? Is he even educated?" Mr. Alistair asked.
Most of the meeting attendees couldn't hold in their laughter anymore. "He does look too poor, I will say," Mr. Alistair's close associates said frankly.
"That's true," another lady agreed.
Mark held his hands tightly under the table, trying not to break down with their words. It was becoming too much for Lacey to bear.
If only the contract wasn't important. She tried not to show that he's her husband, yet this happened.
Mark kept staring at the glass of water before him while they laughed and joked at him.
"I feel like I made a mistake letting someone of a lower class sit with us. I shouldn't have allowed that, and now I'm afraid his cheap perfume will contaminate mine," Mr. Alistair said with scorn in his voice.
Mark was about to burst at that moment, wanting to stand up from the table. Elsa and Lacey couldn't say anything.
Stopping Mr. Alistair would only make things worse, and they were already as bad as they could get. Just until this meeting ended, and she could breathe.
Mark wondered why the man had to be like that. It wasn't as if he wanted to be in this situation either; it was just the circumstances of life that had brought him down.
Did he feel happy looking down on him this way, turning a man like him into a laughing stock? Mark wasn't really surprised by his words.
He felt that just because the man was rich and he was not, didn't mean he could demean him in such a way.
All this because his wife wanted a contract from him. His leg started shaking, and his head refused to leave the glass cup in front of him.
"I have finished the wine. Come, pour me more wine," Mr. Alistair said, and Mark was forced to raise his head this time.
"You shouldn't be looking at me that way, Mr. Jones. It's your work, and you could have been out there bowing your heads to people better than you are," Mr. Alistair said plainly.
Unbeknownst to Heaton , the man she met that fateful day would alter her life in the most dreadful manner. She was on the verge of being forcibly wed to a ruthless loan shark, courtesy of her conniving uncle's family. Just when she found a way to escape, everything crumbled as Noel , the dreaded kingpin of the underworld, ensnared her, robbing her of the one thing she cherished most—her freedom. Noel basked in the fear, respect, and reverence his name commanded in the city. But his reputation faced an unexpected trial when a familiar stranger brazenly pilfered from him right under his nose. A simmering anger fueled his relentless pursuit to hunt down the audacious pickpocket. Once he captured Heaton , Noel was determined to make her pay for dHeaton ng to cross him. Meanwhile, Heaton harbored an intense loathing for him and would stop at nothing to break free from the clutches of the menacing Mafia. Little did they know that amidst the chaos, an unexpected twist of fate might lead to a heart heist like no other. Read on to unravel the captivating tale.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
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?"