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.
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"
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?"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***