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"I may not know what you want or what you like or whatnot but you have shown me that you want out of this marriage and that's one thing that I know I'm going to help you with it" Callum replied and Athaliah smiled mirthlessly. "That is what you want. That's what you've always wanted. You are the one who went to work on our wedding night without saying a word to me. You are the one who leaves the house before I wake up and come back when I'm asleep. You are the one who treats me like a plague, someone you can't stand for a long time, and you've done that for two years Callum and now you dare to stand in front of me and tell me I showed you I wanted out of this marriage" Athaliah said shaking her head. "How dare you?" she shot at him. **************************** Bound by a marriage forged in the crucible of misunderstanding, Athaliah and Callum found themselves tethered to a union neither of them wanted. Athaliah' compelled by familial duty and Callum, driven by his grandfather's desire. The union was doomed to crumble and fail. Within a mere two years, after his grandfather's death, the ties that bond them together snapped, and with two signatures, their paths were set separate and different from each other. Fate, that fickle mistress, intervened years later, bringing them back to each other's orbit igniting the spark and electric connection anew and the both of them dared to grasp at the second chance fate had offered. But then again, history began to repeat itself, patterns began to replay, and Athaliah and Callum are faced with their shared past, forced to confront the ghosts of their past. With new revelations and unfolding layers of complexity, the fabric of their relationship was stretching thin, and Athaliah's perception is shattered after unearthing a scared truth.
In the whole Sinclair family, Athaliah's favorite was the old man and she knew he adored her too. He didn't allow any of the members to bully her or talk her down, including her husband. He always supported her whatever she did at all, invited her to his secret tea parties, where he gossiped about his old days and told her stories of his dead wife.
Athaliah had never found a more interesting old man, her own grandfather was boring and only knew how to fish. So when he had first slumped at home and rushed to the hospital, Athaliah had felt a bad premonition, that his time was limited and that she would soon lose HIM and the support and pillar she had always rested on would soon vanish without a trace.
Her fears were further affirmed when the old man always wanted her around him. He would reminisce about times when he was younger and make her laugh with him and with each passing day, Athaliah knew his time was getting near and then it came. She was there peeling apples for him.
"You know your sliced apples are the best right?" He asked delivering a slice of apple to his mouth and smiling widely.
"You said your wife's own was the best" Athaliah countered with a playful laugh.
"I get happy eating your sliced apples, I get really happy. But he gets even more happier than me" he muttered and Athaliah shook her head bending to pick up the fallen knife.
"Who's the other he you are talking about?" She asked with a smile but she received no answer. By the time she turned to look at the old man, his eyes were closed with a smile on his face.
Alarm bells went off in her head as she screamed for the doctor.
Athaliah had chosen not to speak at the burial much to her husband's parents' disapproval. Everyone spoke, telling the sweet and happy memories with the old man and how amazing he was when he was alive. People came up talking about how he had offered them assistance and help when he was alive and Athaliah knew they weren't lying, the old man was one sweet and happy fellow even till his last moments. He was indeed amazing and was very empathetic and would help anyone in need at least that was how she got to marry into the almighty Sinclair family.
The hall was swimming with people from all walks of the world, after it was Adam Sinclair that died, the owner and founder of the Sinclair Corporation, one of the biggest and largest Corporations in the world. Everyone wanted to celebrate him, even news outlets and bloggers kept writing blog spots and talking about his death as if they knew him.
Athaliah glanced at her husband who was standing beside her. His face had been blank since the start of the ceremony and she couldn't decipher what exactly was going on in his head. Her husband was one unpredictable person. One could never guess what he was thinking.
After her, he was the old's man favorite. They spent time with each other and everyone knew that at the old man's death, he would take over the corporation but Athaliah knew they had a bond that went beyond the father and heir bond. A bond that only reminded her that he was humanly to everyone else except her.
She sighed softly shifting uncomfortably in her heels. She didn't realise she had outgrown those heels and now her toes were in for some pain.
"Why don't you find someone to seat down? Silas would bring you slippers" he muttered and Athaliah glanced up at him.
His face was still expressionless but she could see and hear the irritation in his voice, in the way his eyebrows wrinkled. He didn't care about her, he didn't care whether her toes were hurting or not, all he wanted was to get the weird stares they had been receiving from people off him.
She chose not to reply to him and immediately walked towards a secluded table. She was even quicker to remove her shoes and wriggle her toes to try and relieve them of the pain they had been feeling. She watched as a couple walked up to Callum talking to him about something she couldn't hear. A slight chuckle escaped lips as she watched the wife of the couple stare at Callum like he was some kind of eye candy.
And in all honestly, Athaliah admitted that her husband was indeed an eye candy, especially in those suits that seem to perfectly accentuate his muscle and firm body. A body that never laid beside her or came near her in their two years of marriage.
"Ma'am" a voice brought her back and Athaliah immediately offered her husband's secretary a smile.
"Thank you Silas" she muttered slipping her feet into the leather slippers he had brought. This was the part of their marriage that Athaliah couldn't deny, Callum was creepily responsible. He made sure he provided everything and anything that would make her life easy well except making himself available as a husband.
She rolled her shoulders tired and sighed softly. The burial preparations had taken a toll on her than she thought it would. She hadn't even done anything that stand and take care of the old man's belongings. No one had been surprised when the butler had told the family that only she and her husband could touch his belongings.
She rested her back in the chair and yawned a little, she turned to check if Callum was still standing and she realized that he was still standing and talking to another set of people, she knew it would take him a while to be done considering the number of guests that were still around. She placed her head on the table hoping to catch a few minutes of sleep. But she was wrong.
The next minute Athaliah was opening her eyes, the large hall was empty and there was no single soul in sight, she blinked her eyes rapidly trying to adjust to the environment, and chuckled the moment she turned her face and found Silas standing behind her.
"When did everyone leave?" she asked quietly.
"About two hours ago" Silas replied and Athaliah pursed her lips.
"How long did I sleep?" she asked again.
"Over five hours" Silas replied and Athaliah wanted to smack herself across the face. She had fallen asleep at the burial. She winced imagining the amount of weird looks she must have been receiving while she slept.
She slowly rose to her feet "Let's go" she muttered. She wasn't in the least surprised that Callum had left her in the hall. It was better than waking her up in the most ungentlemanly way possible.
Silas peered at the woman seating at the back of the car with confused eyes. He just never seemed to understand his boss and his wife. He had been Callum's assistant for over five years now but some of his actions never made sense to him. Silas hadn't even noticed that Athaliah had fallen asleep even though he was standing behind her.
It wasn't until Callum had walked towards him and blocked the guest's view of her that he realized that Athaliah had fallen asleep. He had immediately asked some of the bodyguards to rush inside the hall and made them form a barrier around her allowing her to sleep peacefully while blocking her from the guests' view and preventing weird looks and rumors.
Athaliah woke up and didn't ask for her husband. Her chuckle when she woke up had sent chills down his spine. Something told him another misunderstanding had been formed and there was nothing he could do about it. He swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth to talk when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Callum.
Athaliah nodded her head at him "You can go back to work, I'm okay" she muttered and Silas realized that they had gotten home already. He nodded at her and got down from the car watching as the car drove into the compound. He scrolled his phone open and sighed softly rubbing his forehead. He couldn't deal with this couple one minute longer.
Is she awake yet? Ask the nanny to prepare her food and some fruits.
Athaliah laughed mirthlessly as she got down from the car, it had been happening for over two years now and nothing seem to catch her off guard no more. They just made her amused and made her laugh. She knew that since the old man had died now, it was only a matter of time, that it would only a matter of time before he served her diovrce papers, before he asked her to get out of his life, before he asked her to leave. She had no idea how soon it would be, maybe two months or maybe a year but she knew that she would get home one day and find the envelope lying somewhere.
Her phone started ringing and a soft smile crawled up her lips as she picked up the call.
"Heyy girl" Athaliah greeted.
"I just got your text. Your husband does live up to his reputation. How could he let you sleep in front of some many people? He has always been a jerk and just lives up to that reality every single time" the latter on the phone complained and Athaliah laughed.
"Good news, I got enough sleep"
Samantha McCartney is turned into the laughing stock of her family when her childhood crush and soon-to-be husband a wedding ring on her younger sister's instead of her on their wedding day. Devastated and heartbroken, Samantha gets drunk and ends up having a one-night stand with someone she had only seen on TV and more; happened to be the estranged stepbrother of her childhood crush.
"What if I don't fall in love with you?" she asked apprehensively. Instead, his lips curved into a small smile that messed with her chest. "You will" he replied confidently and she knew at that moment that she already had. --------------------------------------------- A loveless marriage. Her parents' mysterious death. Dangerous secrets. Zaria Williams would do anything to find out who caused her parents' death and why. Taking over their company and ending her loveless marriage after disappearing for one year was the first step. With her two brothers as the last of her family, Zaria is further pulled into a web of dangerous secrets and dangerous territories even without having any idea of it. And there was only one reason, he protected her without question, without a word, without she even having an idea of it.
THE MONTELLE FAMILY SERIES (BOOK ONE) “Julian?” the latter called out in shock and surprise as Julian sucked in a breadth and turned to face the latter maintaining his flat expression. “When did you come back?” the latter asked again. The question instantly made a plethora of memories wash over Julian. He discovered he could remember everything that happened that day clearly as if it had happened the previous day. He remembered every word and everything that had happened and they seemed to suck the air of his lungs and as his legs almost turned to powder. His trust was broken and his so called loved ones betrayed him. Not even one of them remained; they had all taken his side and left him stranded and all alone. With his father's threat of giving his company to charity if he didn’t come home; Julian Montelle is forced to abandon the life he had built for himself in Hong Kong. Coming back to the place that held the worst and horrid memories for him wasn’t an option but for some unknown reason. Julian found himself getting on a plane and getting back to take back his rightful heritage and property. This time around, he came back to take revenge on everyone who had something to do with what happened back then and who had abandoned him. And as well this time around, he wasn't alone and had someone who stood beside him without any questions.
When Gianna Emerson best friend gets dumped by her boyfriend; Gianna is determined to make him go through the same pain and hurt he made her best friend go through. Get close to him, make him fall in love with her and then mercilessly dump him. It was the most perfect and flawless plan except that it didn’t involve Gianna falling helplessly in love with him. What’s more, her Favourite rule of friend is “though shall not fall in love with your friend’s ex”
Since when they were little, Gabriella Armani had developed a huge crush on her elder brother’s best friend but the latter had never given her attention or even treated her like her a girl, he had always treated her like a younger sister; much to Gabriella’s annoyance. After severally promising to marry him when she grew up, she left the country or her studies. Never in his life did Kiley imagine that a point in his life, he would start to see Gabriella Armani as woman and not as the younger sister who followed him everywhere.
Despite being an easy target for bullies; Tessa O’Bailey never got bullied. The bullies weren’t scared of her but they never touched her either. And Tessa had no idea why but she was glad, at least she could now do whatever she wanted but when she somehow got into detention with the school’s bad boy, it didn’t take long for her to realize why.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
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."