Fiona knocked at the door and entered when she heard Moriah give her permission to enter.
Hearing the assent, Fiona went in and found Moriah sitting on the couch reading a book."Moriah, dear," Fiona called out to her.Moriah turned towards the owner of the voice and put down the book on the coffee table.Moriah smiled. "Mom, do you need something?""I want to go shopping, can you come along?" asked Fiona with puppy eyes.Seeing her imploring eyes, Moriah can't say no to her mother in law."Mom, give me a bit of time to get ready," she headed to the closet to change.She undressed facing the mirror. She gasped upon seeing numerous hickeys on her chest, the valley between her breasts.Moriah gritted her teeth seeing her reflection, her fury burned all the more.She needed to buy a night gown for tonight's black tie event as the concealer couldn't hide the marks Ethan left on her body."You don't need to worry about the evening gown, your gown will be delivered in the afternoon," Ethan said while he stared at her intensely.She covered her body and whispered - yelled at him, "Get out of here!"Ethan advanced as Moriah backed away. Ethan held her back to prevent her from falling."Don't be shy, I've seen it all," he bent over and sealed her lips with his own, greedily kissing her.A burst of metallic taste spread in his tongue when he was bitten by Moriah.Unlocking their lips, Ethan licked his lips. Moriah's forest green eyes blazed with fury which made her more alluring.He leaned over to kiss her again, but Moriah pushed him, saying, "Your mom's waiting for me."Ethan's phone rang, he answered, walking out on Moriah. She heaved a sigh of relief as she watched Ethan leave.Fearing that Ethan would come back, she quickly dressed up and exited the closet."Young madam Miller, the old madam Miller is already waiting in the car,' butler George told Moriah as she came down the stairs."Thank you, Uncle George," Moriah spoke to the servants with great respect that her parents told her to treat people with the utmost respect, regardless of where they stand in life.Fiona told the chauffeur to drive them to the shopping mall.As they arrived at the shopping mall, Fiona wanted to have coffee first before going to shop. She wanted to have a chat with Moriah first before shopping."When did you meet Ethan?" asked Fiona when they were waiting for their coffee."When we were in high school," Moriah answered."Really?!" Fiona was surprised, she never saw Moriah whenever they had a party."Did you date at that time?" She asked again."No, we didn't," she felt uneasy talking about his nemesis, now her husband."How long did you date?" Ethan never mentioned any woman to her. She only sees her son on the news with different women each month.But she never saw Moriah in any of them."We didn't date that long and got married instead," Moriah felt bad telling lies.How could she tell her mother in law that Ethan married her because his best friend left her at the altar."My son fell head over heels for you that's why he married you at once," Fiona chuckled.It took all of Moriah's will to hold back from rolling her eyes.She laughed from within hearing that her sworn enemy fell in love with her.What a joke.After finishing their coffee, they went from shop to shop.The bodyguards who were with them carried the paper bags containing the bags, clothes, makeup, jewelry and shoes Fiona bought for Moriah.Moriah couldn't get Fiona to stop buying. Fiona reasoned that she wasn't able to buy gifts for Moriah before she married Ethan.According to Fiona there should be an engagement party and a grand wedding, but Ethan didn't give her what she deserved.So she's making up for her son's shortcomings.Moriah had sore feet after walking too much as they went from shop to shop. She had to soak her body in a warm bath to alleviate the soreness.Two hours later, a servant came and told her that someone came to deliver her gown. Two women came inside the room."Madam, I'm Renee, I'm your hair and make -up artist for tonight's occasion," a lady the same age as Moriah introduced herself."Hi, Renee, I'm Moriah," she offered her hand for a handshake.Renee was surprised that she wasn't a snob like Hazel. She's the wife, but she's down to earth, she thought.Renee held Moriah's hand for a handshake."And your companion, what is her name?" Moriah asked."Hi, I'm Riley, stylish at Crescent Fashion", she reached out knowing that Moriah was no snob."Moriah here," she smiled and shook Riley's hand."Renee, I don't like heavy makeup, I'm a doctor and I'm not in the habit of putting on makeup," Moriah said, heading to the dressing room.Renee and Riley followed suit."Don't worry, it will only be a light makeup," Renee told her and let Moriah sit on the stool.Moriah, Renee and Riley had a good chat while they were doing her makeup and hair."Your hair and makeup are done, now let's help you put on your gown," Renee said to Moriah."No need, I can do it, myself," Moriah didn't want to expose the mark's Ethan left on her skin."Fine, we'll leave you then," Riley said, Moriah was relieved that they readily agreed with her."Thank you very much," Moriah hugged both of them before they left."Dear, you look exquisite in your gown," Fiona said adoringly, she looked around and asked, "Where is Ethan? He's not coming with you, is he?""He got a call a while back and needed to attend a business meeting tonight," the guilt racked her up for telling another lie to her mother-in-law."Off you go now," Fiona tenderly said."Thanks mom," Moriah said as she hugged Fiona.Moriah was late for a good one minute as she was stuck in a traffic jam due to a minor car accident on the road.She spotted a few guests making their way inside the hall as she emerged from the elevator.She was walking as fast as she could to get in with the other guests, as she did not want to enter the hall by herself.However, she didn't make it as the last guests she saw entered the hall.She took a deep breath before pushing the enormous door.As she entered the spotlight stopped where she was. She shielded her face with her arm as she was startled by the blinding light.Soon her eyes adjusted to the light, gradually she dropped her arm.All eyes were on her when the floodlights stopped on her.Moriah was bewildered why these people were looking at her. She walked and roamed her eyes to look for Cindy but couldn't find her.Ethan's blue eyes became dark seeing his wife in her dark purple gown, her green eyes more beautiful than ever.The gown didn't show her cleavage and neckline, but the two side slits almost reached her behind. She's incredibly beautiful, yet she had no idea.Hazel raged with jealousy as she followed Ethan's gaze. Again, his eyes were glued to Moriah.A slow smile crept on Moriah's face when she saw Denver approaching her."You're so beautiful," Denver could not help but to sing his praise. He took Moriah's hand and kissed the back of her hand."What a flirtatious woman," murmured Hazel, Ethan's body became stiff.At that moment the master of ceremonies announced to the guest to dance while the orchestra was playing music. "Would you do me the honor of a dance tonight?" Denver smiled charmingly and lifted his hand. Moriah took his hand, and Denver brought her to the dance floor. Ethan quietly seethed in anger when he saw Moriah's gown was backless. He specifically told the stylist what he wants for Moriah's gown, how dare they disobey his order. "I love to dance Ethan, can we dance?" Hazel fondly stroked Ethan's arm. Ethan steered her towards the dance floor near Moriah. As Moriah was swirled by Denver, she caught sight of Ethan dancing with Hazel. A strange emotion pricked her heart. She frowned as she couldn't tell what she felt seeing her husband dance with another woman. Their bodies were too close to each other like they were stuck together. She looked away and focused on Denver. She could feel the warmth of his hand at her back when he brought her closer to him with his hand over
He left the mansion, leaving a trail of scared bodyguards in his wake. "Hey," Zachary patted his shoulder as soon as he entered the private room of the bar. Zachary shook his head while he lifted his hands when Ethan gave him a cold look. "Dude, don't joke around with a wounded lion," snickered Jerome and raised his glass to drink. "She did it again," Jerome grinned. Ethan never said anything but Jerome was certain of the source of their friend's sour mood. They have been friends since young. Ethan wasn't someone who talked or showed his feelings. Yet he had been observing him and he knew that only Moriah could have that effect on him. "Why did you marry her in the first place, since you hated each other's guts?" Zachary was shocked when Ethan decided to marry her when they learned that Shaun left. Despite their protest against the idea, Ethan was adamant to marry her. He couldn't think of a plausible explanation for Ethan's decision. He knew he wasn't a person who decides on
"Alright, you're good to go now," Moriah said nonchalantly. Ethan's face darkened as he was sent away like he wasn't her husband. She just tended his injury just like her other patients. Not giving her a glance, he stood up and strode towards the door. The door opened before he could reach it and there came Denver with a cup of coffee and his dashing smile. Denver frowned at him, but smiled again when his eyes stopped on Ethan's hand covered with bandages. So he came here as Moriah's patient and not a suitor. He was able to breathe again. "Good morning, Moriah, I've got you your favorite coffee," he walked past Ethan. Ethan heard her greeting him back and thanking Denver with a cheery voice. He knew nothing about his wife's favorites. He didn't want Shaun to bring her up. Whenever Shaun talked about Moriah, he displayed his disinterest and made sarcastic remarks. Since then, Shaun had made no mention of her at all. Now that he's married to her, he has no clues what his wife like
"Thank you for driving me home," Moriah said when the car pulled up at the entrance of the mansion. Denver got out of the car at once and opened the door for her while she unbuckled her seatbelt. He accompanied her to the door and left only when the mansion's door was opened by a servant. "Good night," Denver said. "Good night," replied Moriah and went in. A Maybach parked next to Denver's car. Rather than getting into the car, Denver waited for the passengers to come out of the car, thinking that they were Moriah's parents. To his surprise, Ethan got out of the car. "You, what are you doing here?" He asked, frowning.
"Hazel, go home, I'll come to see you when I've got time," his cold gaze turned soft when he looked at Hazel. Moriah was unnerved seeing his husband's cold gaze warmed when he looked at Hazel. "Alright," she smiled sweetly at Ethan, then turned to Moriah and scowled at her before leaving. Moriah just shrugged her shoulders and smiled faintly. The audacity of the mistress was unbelievable. "Have a seat," Ethan said. She didn't sit and talked straight away. "Dad called and said he wants us to go to Manchester to celebrate with them for their 26th wedding anniversary on Monday. I came to ask you what will be your reason for not coming. I'm afraid that we'll give different reasons to dad. I know dad, he will surely ask you." He looked at her and said, "Who told you, I won't be coming?" Moriah couldn't answer him and bowed her head, "I just thought you won't come as you have many things to do and you're with Hazel." "Why didn't you just call me instead of coming here?" "I don't have
As workaholic as he is, Ethan didn't not waste a second, once ensconced in the back seat, he began to work on his MacBook. Tapping on the keyboard his eyes were fixated on the screen, but his ears were attuned to her faint giggling.Cindy’s silly messages made her giggle with glee, but it was eclipsed by the concern she felt for her friend. As always, whenever she sent her silly messages she was lonely and needed consolation, a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on."Hey, what's wrong?" Moriah asked with concern in her tone."Moriah, he's cheating on me," Cindy began to sob.Moriah’s heart felt like being squashed and trample on the ground at her friend’s sobs. She wouldn’t cry like a wailing whale if the hur
"How are you son?" As Ethan was just three inches taller than Jianyu's six feet height, it wasn't difficult for him to place his arm on Ethan's shoulder. He side hugged him as he gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze like a father giving a son encouragement."I'm doing great baba," Ethan called his father in law, baba (dad) and mother in law mama (mum) considering that most Asian people would call their parents in-laws mom and dad as a show of respect.For Asians, to call a father in law and mother in law by their name is disrespectful. Jianyu is Asian and kept some of his culture and traditions, although he had married an English woman and been in England for so many years.The autumn morning chilly air blew, caressing Moriah's face, causing her nape hair to rise. Goosebumps covering the entirety of
A feathery kiss on her face woke her up from slumber. Afraid to meet Ethan's eyes, she didn't open her eyes. "Time to eat," Ethan's alluring husky voice rang in her ears. "You go first, I'll be there in a while," she said in a soft voice without opening her eyes in order to avoid his gaze. The trauma of being abandoned at the altar has been deeply embedded in her heart and made her insecure. The kiss was just a spur of the moment thing. She was emotionally messed up and he might have a craving that needed to be satisfied. There's no special thing going on between them. She wouldn't make a fool of herself to fall into the trap of her enemy. She hurried to the bathroom and washed her face before going to the dining room. "There you are, hurry and sit down before the food gets cold," Jianyu said to Moriah walking towards them. "Baba, I missed this food," she said, looking at the food with wide eyes and sniffing. While watching her, Ethan recalled Butler George's observation that sh