DEBRA'S POV“There’s a secret I’ve been keeping from Damon too, for the past six years.” I said.“A secret?” Sophia whispered, looking at me with wide and questioning eyes. “What do you mean by ‘secret’, mom?”I could feel her eyes on me. The weight of her concern was pulling me to reveal the truth I had hidden for so long. I hadn’t intended to tell her, but maybe she deserved to know.“Yes, Sophia. A secret,” I said, my voice was barely above a whisper. I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to continue. “I’ve kept this away from Damon for the past six years.”My fingers were fidgeting nervously. “He was in a terrible car accident. It was bad. Worse than he knows.”“Accident?” Her brow furrowed, but she went silent just immediately, waiting for me to go on with my revelation. The memories I had tried to bury, rose to the surface, and it took me back to that dreadful day, six years ago.*******************SIX YEARS AGOI was lying face down on the spa bed, letting the masseuse
SOPHIA'S POV My Mother-in-law's words were still echoing in my mind. ‘A car accident. Short term memory loss.’ Two misfortunes befell Mr. Graham six years ago, and he doesn’t remember any of it.Sitting beside her, I felt pity for her. With that, I couldn't stop thinking of how I was deceiving this kind-hearted woman. How could I keep lying to her about my fake marriage to her son? She trusted and confided in me by disclosing a big secret she had been keeping from her own son. I felt like I was betraying her.A wave of guilt settled over me, and I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tighten.“Excuse me, Mrs. Graham. Mr. Graham has regained his consciousness,” a nurse called, snapping me out of my thoughts.I looked up, meeting Mom's wide and relieved eyes. We both bolted to Mr. Graham's ward without a second thought.Inside, he lay on the bed, his eyes were opened but they were weakened. Mom rushed to his side, her voice was filled with worry. “Darling, are you okay?”I hovered behi
SOPHIA'S POV I was flustered, and I pulled back immediately. “I’m.. so sorry, sir” I stammered, taking a step back.His tone dripped with irritation as he scoffed. “I’ll let it go this time,” he said with a dismissive wave, and turned his head away from me.I bit my lower lip, forcing myself to hold back a retort. ‘Just one year with him. I will endure it.’ I was about to sit down back on the chair beside his bed when my phone began ringing. I glanced down to see “Mother Rose” flashing on the screen. I was filled with relief, I hadn’t heard from her since last night. But before I could answer, I got frightened by Mr. Graham’s voice.“Who’s calling you?” His tone was accusatory as he narrowed his eyes.“It’s just… it’s…” I hesitated.“Your boyfriend?” He sneered, crossing his arms. “He doesn’t know you’re with your ‘contract husband’? That you’re too busy for calls right now?”“No, it’s not…” I tried to explain, but he interrupted me again.“Pick it up, and our deal is over.” He
SOPHIA'S POV“They look so much like Damon did when he was their age.”Mother-in-law's words hit me like a shock, and I felt like my heart had just skipped a beat.‘Like Sir?’ My inner mind was also confused. I nodded, as if her comment hadn’t left me utterly speechless. Had Mom really said my sons looked like Mr. Graham? I tried to laugh it off, but her expression was so serious.“Hayden and Kayden?” I asked, hoping she was joking. “Like, they resemble Damon?” My confused state, for the first time, called my boss by name.She nodded, studying my face as if trying to make me understand. “Yes, Sophia. I can show you some of Damon's childhood photos I have in my house if you want. The resemblance is uncanny. Even now that he's in his thirties, that striking resemblance with them is still there. Does it never occur to you?”Of course, it never occured to me that my sons looked like my contract husband. The only time I felt it was when I saw Damon's blue eyes and thought they were identi
DAMON'S POVWe got to the mansion around past 11PM. As the car pulled up in the garage, Sophia and I had nothing to talk about as we headed to our respective bedrooms. Not minding that I felt weak, I took a quick shower and decided to work on my computer.**********I was buried in work, with my fingers flying over the keyboard.I barely noticed the time, but the dryness in my throat finally pulled my attention. I punched the intercom, calling the maids’ quarter.After a few moments, one of them knocked on my door.“Come in.” I said, and she gently walked into my room, bowing her head. Her hair was ruffled and her eyes were heavy with sleep. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.I kept my voice cold as I watched her carefully. “Get me a glass of chilled water.”She hesitated, and her eyes flickered from me to the door as if she wanted to ask why I couldn’t have told her from downstairs instead. “Should I get it myself?” I challenged.She stammered, snapping back to att
DAMON'S POVEven when I worked all night, my energy didn't dull one bit. Perhaps because I enjoyed seeing Sophia run helter skelter trying to make me food I kept rejecting. The last time I saw her was two hours ago when she finally shuffled off to bed after I let her. I rejected her attempts to make me a meal four times just to please myself. “You lack at cooking meals.” I yelled at her. But she was too exhausted to even glare at me. “Just clean up the mess I made on the floor and go to sleep before office hours.”The memory made me smirk as I pictured her tired, defiant expression as she cleaned up the broken plates and food wastes from the floor. Her eyes were wide and red with exhaustion.As I dressed up and ready to leave for the office, I headed down to the dining room for breakfast. My cold attitude didn't allow me to take Sophia’s food even when I was badly hungry at that time.I caught myself snapping orders to the maids with more precision than usual. That is getting into w
SOPHIA'S POV“Hello! Excuse me!” I heard a faint distant voice followed by a tap on my desk.The tap was soft, but also startling enough that it jolted me awake. I snapped my head up, blinking hard to clear the fog from my eyes. I had only rested my head on my desk not quite long, I never knew I dozed off in the process. It took me a second to notice a man standing in front of me. I quickly straightened up in my chair, ashamed of myself. “Oh! I’m so sorry, sir. How may I help you?”The man standing before me looked amused, as her wore a small smile on his face. He was dressed in a dark suit that fit him perfectly, and he was probably in his early thirties. There was something warm about him. Maybe his relaxed smile or the way he looked directly at me, like he was not judging me for dozing off.“Are you the new secretary?” he asked.“Yes… sir,” I stammered, looking down at my desk in embarrassment. “I am.”I probably looked like a complete mess, and my mind was racing with ways to s
SOPHIA'S POVThe sunlight filtered gently through the windows as I moved around the kitchen with the maids, laughing and chatting as we worked together today being Saturday.It’d been three weeks since I came into this mansion as a fake bride, and I hadn’t been able to see my boys in weeks. I only speak with them on the phone, through Mother Rose.While the weight of that was always with me, today felt lighter. Maybe it was because I was doing something I enjoyed doing. Cooking, cleaning and helping out others. Even when I knew it wasn't included in my contract, and that I wasn't a real wife to the owner of this mansion, I wasn’t the kind to just sit idle and watch others work, because It seemed unnatural to me. I’d become used to doing household chores having grown up at the orphanage, where we all pitched in, and where everyone looked after each other. As we set to work making breakfast, the chatter among the maids kept the mood lively.“You know,” I said with a grin, kneading so
DAMON'S POV An hour later, we stood on the tarmac. Mr. Brownlow had arrived with ten officers, all geared up, ready for the mission. Leo came in front of me and gave a nod that the jet was ready. Without wasting another second, we boarded the jet and took off.It took us two hours to land in Stornoway. The airport was small, barely a speck compared to Glasgow’s. The town itself wasn’t a large one. It had the sleepy charm of a fishing town that had never fully woken to modernity.When we got to the airport entrance, we split into pairs and hailed cabs.“Harbour Kitchen,” Mr Brownlow told one of the drivers whom the others followed behind in a line of cabs.The locals wouldn't stop staring at us when the cabs rolled into the narrow streets. I caught their eyes filled with curiosity—and maybe fear. They were probably wondering what a group of armed officers were doing in their locality. And indeed when we stopped, we saw the “Harbour Kitchen” restaurant. Sharon wasn't lying. Immediat
DAMON'S POV I stood frozen on the stairs as Sharon’s words echoed in my head.“A… daughter?”She looked desperate, her eyes pleading for me to believe her. “Yes. She’s ours. I had her while I was held captive. I never got the chance to tell you.”The silence between us stretched on, thick and suffocating. I didn’t know whether to scream, question her, or run upstairs.When I finally broke the silence, I returned to stand in front of her. “Do you think you can make me believe you by telling me yet another lie that we have a kid together?” I raged.Her face twisted in pain as I shook her shoulders. “No, Damon. She’s your child,” She cried, “Please, let go of my shoulders. You’re hurting me.”I hesitated for a moment, and then released her, my anger boiling just below the surface.She lowered her voice, continuing, “About three months into my captivity, I discovered I was pregnant. I tried to hurt myself and abort it because I couldn’t let someone else join me in that hell, but they sto
DAMON'S POV My mind was racing with uneasy thoughts. I couldn’t shake off the discomfort of leaving Sophia in the house with Sharon. What if she did something terrible to her? Especially after the way she kept staring at Sophia and asked who she was.Or what if Sophia lashes out at Sharon because of how I carried her in yesterday, or simply for showing up in my life again now?I knew I made a grave mistake by asking Sophia to stay back home to attend to Sharon. Especially when I acted rude to her.“Sir?” Leo tapped my side of the table, jotting me back to reality. I remembered I was in the meeting room with my senior staff, going over a tech company’s proposal to buy our shares. But my mind was elsewhere, tangled in thoughts about my personal life.“Are you listening, sir?” Leo demanded, to be sure I wasn't lost in their way of presentation.“Me?” I pointed at myself, confused like a lost dog. “Yes. Yes, Mr. Leo. I'm listening.” I lied, letting out a fake smile. “Go on with the pres
SOPHIA'S POVDamon had given me the task of taking care of Sharon today, and I couldn't help but feel frustrated. Why me? Why did I have to be the one to look after her?Before leaving for work this morning, he had asked the workers to clean up one of the guest rooms upstairs and made sure Sharon moved there. Because she spent the night in his room.Of course, Damon hadn’t stayed in his room. He had slept in his study. As much as I tried to deny it, I was still feeling elated for boldly telling Sharon that I was Damon's wife last night. But after I went to give her some of my clothes, I saw a mix of sadness and bitterness in her eyes. She was surely not happy that Damon had moved on.She should be sad actually if she was indeed kidnapped like she claimed, because she would feel betrayed that Damon didn't search for her. But, who would? When all evidence pointed at her to have sent the text, and stole from him. ‘Wait, Am I jealous?’“C’mon, Sophy!” I laughed at myself. Why would I b
SOPHIA'S POV I couldn't shake off the uneasiness Sharon’s arrival brought. It gnawed at me like a warning I couldn’t hear clearly. Like a nagging feeling echoing in my mind, hinting me that something bad was about to happen.I quickly shrugged it off. “Nothing’s gonna happen.” I muttered under my breath, as I walked into the kitchen, forcing myself to take a deep breath.Almost immediately, two familiar voices—the mansion’s legendary gossip duo, bombarded me with whispered questions.“Ms. Sophia, what's happening?” Genny whispered eagerly.“Who’s that woman Mr. Graham carried upstairs?” Bella added, glancing around like she expected the woman to pop out at any second.I sighed. “Don’t you girls know her?” I asked, turning to them.“No, we don’t.” They both shook their heads.They most likely weren't employed back when Damon and Sharon were an item.“When did you two start working here?” I asked, arching a brow.“Going on five years now,” Genny said.“Four for me,” Bella chipped in.“
DAMON’S POVI was delighted that Sophia liked the necklace I got her. I’d been jogging that same route for years, yet I’d never noticed the big store tucked away down the lane until today. On a whim, I went in and picked something out for her. A small gesture to show her that I hadn’t tricked her into being intimate with me. I just wanted to feel her warmth.By afternoon, I got done with my work on the laptop, letting out a tired yawn. "You should take a break, sir," Sophia suggested, sitting beside me in the living room as she peeled an orange.I looked at her, uncertain about my feelings. I couldn’t quite understand why I was acting so affectionately toward her. Part of me thought I might be experiencing a genuine change of heart, while another part believed I was only treating her this way because I’d learned she was the one who came through for me the day Sharon ended things with me. And for that, I wanted to treat her kindly.‘She's a perfect woman.’ My inner voice mumbled. I
SOPHIA'S POVI slowly opened my eyes, the corners of my lips curling into a smile. Damon and I fell asleep after our intense and passionate intercourse. I still couldn't believe we both did it.My body felt refreshed, I felt like a whole. Like I just accomplished a mission. I've been in the dark for years. Not knowing what it feels like to be a woman, sexually. At that moment, I felt complete.My eyes drifted to the wall clock.‘6:30?’ I gasped. ‘PM?’‘Did we sleep for that long?’I tried to rush out of bed, but my body felt numb. Damon was completely looming over me. A smile tugged at my lips. I knew what we felt for each other couldn't be termed ‘love’, but I felt an inner joy.I slightly nudged him aside so I could get up, but what I saw on his body made me widen my eyes.Tatoo? Damon has a tattoo at the upper part of his right arm? It was an image of a crown with ‘Her King’ etched beneath it.‘Awwwn! It looks beautiful.’ I admired it.But then, it suddenly struck me. ‘This tattoo
SOPHIA’S POVDamon has been different lately. I noticed quite some changes in him ever since he regained his memory. At first, I thought he was back to being a chameleon. But, he hasn't changed his positive attitude towards everyone since then. The way he had been staring at me as well. I just hoped he would continue being this way.I've been doing my best to satisfy his persistence of me preparing his meal. I had begun watching YouTube videos on how to prepare some international meals, and I'm glad he always thanks me for the meals. Every. Single. Time.That wasn’t the Damon I married, or signed a contract with, rather. It was someone new. And honestly, I hoped this version would stay.When he’d asked me to join him in his room “for work,” I had a feeling it wasn’t about files or emails, because we hardly talk business at home. But I still went.I knocked once and, finding the door open, stepped in.“I’m here, sir,” I said, unsure of what to expect.He was on the sofa, typing someth
DAMON’S POVIt had been a month since I regained my lost memory of six years ago. I felt like I had been reborn. Like someone turning a new leaf. From my cold attitude to a calm one.But then again, could it be because of Sophia? Ever since I found out that I had a one night stand with my contract wife, I had been feeling elated. I should be having mixed feelings, right? Why am I having an unexplainable feeling towards her? It was definitely not romantic feelings. Then what? No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity between us the first day I laid my eyes on her at the office. Had no idea we had a history together.For the past few weeks, I found myself yelling less, talking softly, not getting annoyed over unnecessary things. And Sophia, something in me always keeps looking deep into her eyes whenever she talks. I even recently noticed how beautiful her brown eyes were.‘Gosh! Damon, this isn't you.’I insisted on her preparing my daily meal, and truth be told, I always enjoyed her f