Grayson was done preparing dinner and it puzzled him when Venice still did not come downstairs. Usually, she would be in the kitchen with him, watching him cook and prepare dinner. Just when he was about to head to her room, he received a message from Noah, his friend and the private investigator he hired to look into Hestia.
"I don't know if you already saw it, but you should take a look at this."
Along with the message, there was a link attached. Grayson clicked on it and it immediately led him to the anonymous that was still being feasted upon by the public. Reading through it, Venice was the very first person who crossed his mind. It probably had reached his fiance so he rushed to her room and, indeed, he saw her all wrapped in her thick blanket.
Her small sniffles reached her ears.
"I... I did not do it," she mumbled. "Why are you blaming me?"
She repeated those words like she was chanting a spell. Grayson sat on the edge of the bed.
"No!" Hestia insisted as she held onto her chair. "I do not want to go home just yet! I wanna drink! I wanna go all-out!""Enough already. I'm driving you back to your house," Grayson said before turning to Noah. "Let's meet up some other time. I will call you."After saying that, he managed to force Hestia to let go of the chair. He immediately carried her over his shoulder despite her attempts to get away from him. Reaching the parking lot, he had her occupy the front seat and put on her seatbelt. Just when he was about to move away from her, Hestia leaned against his shoulder."What did I do?" she asked. Her voice sounded like it would break at any moment. "Why did you leave me, Grayson? Did I do something wrong?""No... You did nothing wrong, Mavis."After he said those words, Hestia did not respond or move. It was only that time did Grayson realize that she had been knocked out so he carefully adjusted her seat so she would be more comfortable. It took them only several minutes t
"You really are shameless," Venice hissed. "Stop being desperate and leave me and Grayson alone!"Hestia looked at her with wide eyes. Within a few seconds, her eyes teared up."I... I did not do anything," she said before a tear finally escaped her eye. "Venice!" Mrs. Charter's voice filled the room as she stomped her way towards the two. She pulled Venice's hand and forced her to keep her distance from Hestia. "What kind of attitude is this, Venice? Your sister has finally come home after three years of being missing, yet this is what you do?"Venice scoffed at the sudden change of her mother. She looked at her while pointing at Hestia, who was still looking down and wiping away her tears."Really, Mom? You are taking her side?" She let out a forced laugh. "Are you forgetting that she posted that article blaming me for the death of her baby and her disappearance? Mom, why are you suddenly welcoming her into our home?!""I am not siding with anyone here," Mrs. Charter said with a fi
Early in the morning, Hestia was already awake to prepare for her interview at the Star Magazine. Wearing a simple blue dress with a ribbon tied behind her revealing back, she paired it with two-inch high heels. She grabbed her small bag and headed downstairs, where she found Venice and Grayson surrounded by several bags and luggage. Before any of them could speak, Mrs. Charter came in and greeted them with a kiss on the cheek. "Mavis, dear. It's still early in the morning. Where are you headed to?" Mrs. Charter asked. "If your errand isn't that important, then you should cancel it for now and help your sister unpack.""Unpack?" Hestia questioned since she thought that Venice just packed her stuff and was more than ready to leave the family home. But it seemed like it was the total opposite."Yes. Since it is just a matter of time before their wedding, she decided to live here because she wanted to reconcile with you. Isn't that much better so once she gets married, you two would st
The scorching heat of the sun somehow mirrored Mavis Charter-Briar’s beaming excitement just by the expression on her face as she sat near the glass windows where she could overlook the city. Clutching at her purse, her thumping heart went along with her anticipation as she heard the staff of the restaurant seemingly in a fuss. It only meant one thing... her husband, Grayson Briar, had arrived.Her eyes were locked onto the entrance and just as she expected, he came walking in with his usual formal clothes. Despite the indifferent expression on his face, Mavis could still notice how Grayson turned the heads of other women."I already ordered some food. You can add something if you want," she said with enthusiasm that Grayson immediately noticed it."No need." He looked at her with intrigued eyes and was about to ask her if something good had happened but he chose not to do it. He also found it odd that she was wearing a long-sleeved dress amidst the hot weather, however, he simply bru
With a heavy heart, Mavis left the hospital without saying another word. Being blessed by a child could have been the best thing she could ever receive, however, her heart sank as the image of her husband crossed her mind. She was simply worried about how he would react if he heard about the baby. On her way home, she was debating if she should inform him of her pregnancy or if she should keep it to herself as of the moment. Holding the cold wedding ring on her finger, Mavis could only let out a heavy sigh as she came to a temporary decision. Upon reaching the mansion, which she thought was unnecessarily too spacious for her and her husband to live in because it made her feel lonelier, she received a rather unexpected call from her adoptive mother, Mrs. Charter. “Mom,” she said upon answering, “is there-”Even before she could finish what she had to say, Mrs. Charter cut her off with her usual sharp tone of voice.“Where are you right now?” she asked.“I am at home.”“What are your
Grayson stared at Mavis with wide eyes, obviously surprised at the sudden confession of his wife. Seeing the serious looks in her eyes, he wavered and thought that she must be telling the truth. However, he still managed to compose himself within a few seconds.“If you are saying this to postpone or not to sign our divorce, then it won’t work. Instead of dwelling in this failure of a marriage, we should part ways,” he said.“But I am pregnant. Do you think I just went to the hospital for nothing? Do you think I would suddenly bring up the topic about having a child out of nowhere despite hearing you say that you do not want one? Grayson… p-please.”Mavis could no longer stop herself from crying. It crossed her mind that she may look like some desperate bitch that very moment but it did not stop her from opening up. In a long time, this would be the only time she got the courage to tell what she truly felt towards her husband.She added, “I-I know that you are supposed to marry my sist
After receiving that piece of good news, Mavis was able to spend the rest of the day forgetting the problems she had to carry around her. However, just after she got off work and was already in the car, the driver with her immediately handed her some tissue with a worried look.“Madam, your nose is bleeding,” he commented with a hint of panic in his voice. “Tilt your head backwards for now and I will bring you to the hospital as soon as possible.”Mavis clenched her teeth as she wiped off the blood. Leaning back on her seat, she replied, “There is no need to go to the hospital. I have some medicine at home so let’s just head back to the mansion.”The driver was about to protest but he received a stern look from Mavis, forcing him to simply nod his head and follow her instructions. All throughout the ride, they were quiet unlike before that Mavis would be vocal, telling stories and whatnot. However, with her current condition and the situation that Grayson decided to put themselves int
“We talked about this, Venice,” Grayson said with a whisper, hugging Venice back and assuring her that he won't go back on his promise of marrying her.Mavis could not bring herself to watch any longer. She may be the wife, but at that moment, it made her feel like she was the third party… the one who ruined their almost perfect relationship. She headed to the plane first and settled on their assigned seats. While waiting for Grayson, she called her friend, Jackson.“What's up? I just got told that you took another week off,” Jackson stated. “Is something wrong?”“No.” She smiled with a mixture of bitterness. “We are heading to our honeymoon.”A moment of silence ruled over them."A honeymoon?" Jackson clarified just in case he misheard her."Yes," Mavis replied, her hand clenched as the image of Grayson hugging Venice crossed her mind. "Grayson and I are finally going to our honeymoon.""What changed?" he asked.Since it was something out of the blue, Jackson immediately sensed that