CHAPTER 2

#Natalie Jackson

"Ahh!" Amelia cried out like the drama queen that she was, and Franklin rushed downstairs to meet her.

"What did you do to her?" Franklin yelled at me as he softly helped Amelia up.

I had not even pushed Amelia with force; I had only wanted to drag her outside. But because she saw Franklin rushing downstairs to meet us, she faked it like she was hurt.

"Franklin, your wife—I mean, Natalie—bit me just now and pushed me away." Amelia held her arm and sobbed as she stood up from the floor.

Franklin glared at me and spat, "I cannot believe that you would do this to your only sister. You are not even the legitimate daughter of Mr. Liam, and yet you cannot treat your sister right. Come on, Amy—let us go outside and eat, and allow her to eat her food alone."

Tears welled up in my brown eyes as I stood watching them. It was Saturday evening, and Franklin definitely did not go to work on Saturdays or Sundays.

I sobbed, wanting to stop them, and I went outside just in time to see Franklin getting into his black car after he had helped Amelia close the door like the gentleman he wasn't to me.

"Franklin, where are you going?" I asked him, as it was after 7 p.m. and getting late.

My soup was delicious, yet Franklin had accused me that my food was bitter and probably poisoned.

I sobbed and watched as Franklin ordered the security man to pull the huge black gate open. Soon, he drove out of our house, heading to God knows where with Amelia.

"What had I done wrong now?" I wondered as I sobbed.

I went back into the house, as I couldn't follow them.

Franklin had three cars, while I did not have any. He had never even carried me in any of his cars before, not to mention opening the car door for me like a gentleman.

As I went back into the house, I looked at the dining table and noticed the tray of food.

I went to sit down and eat it, as the food wouldn't go to waste. I finished my own meal—the one Franklin had wanted Amelia to eat—and went to keep his portion in the microwave to warm it so it wouldn't spoil.

I kept the soup in a small pot and covered it as I left the kitchen and went back to the dining room to tidy it up.

Once I was through cleaning the dining table, I wiped my tears away and went to lock the door as I waited for Franklin to return.

******

#Franklin Howard

Being married to that local woman was the worst day of my life. I could not believe that she would drug me.

On the day that her father was hosting one of his successful business deal parties and had invited my father and some other partners to attend the celebration at his home—that was when I first laid eyes on Natalie Jackson.

She appeared innocent; I would never have imagined what was on her mind was to drug me.

As everyone was enjoying themselves in the party hall—which was the grand hall where the Jacksons mostly welcomed their guests—I had gone ahead following Natalie that night to get to know the kind of woman she was.

My parents were busy chatting with other families that had attended the event, so I excused myself and followed Natalie upstairs to the sitting room.

I had not seen Natalie before, but I got to know that she was a daughter of Mr. Jackson.

Everyone knew the story of how Natalie came about.

Her mother was a prostitute who was not ready to raise a child, and the rumors had it that her mother had tried to abort her, but Natalie was just stubborn and came out after nine months of pregnancy.

I had wanted to speak with Natalie that night to know the kind of person she was.

She was short, with a cute round face and brown sparkling eyes.

She was more beautiful than Amelia then, and I did admire her enough to want to know Natalie.

What irritated me was that Natalie had drugged her wine and was looking for a hookup that night, just like her mother.

Natalie knew most of the families that attended her father's party were rich, so I was the scapegoat, and I accepted to drink from her wine.

That was when I awoke and found myself on the bed with her. We were both náked, and I did not know how many hours I had spent with Natalie in the room.

It was when her family came looking for me and her that they pushed her room door open and caught us together on the bed.

"Natalie!"

"Franklin!" My parents and hers shouted, and to cover the shame, they concluded that Natalie and I must become married.

Indeed, Natalie's bedsheet had red stains, meaning I had slept with her.

I was angry, not wanting to believe Natalie was a cheap woman.

I did not want to marry Natalie, but my father refused and said I would not sabotage his friendship with the Jacksons. It was only right that I marry Natalie and pretend that we had been in an affair, which was not the truth.

I could not remember how Natalie and I had slept together. I did not want to sleep with Natalie after we became married.

Luckily, Natalie did not conceive after that night, and I am planning on divorcing her now, as I want to move on and maybe marry her sister.

Amelia had class, and she was a graduate who spoke fluently, while Natalie was an embarrassment on her own.

When my best friend, Michael Austin, came to visit me, I felt embarrassed each time he set his eyes on my wife.

I could not take Natalie to any events with me, and I was planning on divorcing her because I was a billionaire CEO of H.W. Global.

I thought it was best that I file for a divorce and marry a woman who was of my standard.

If you ask me what I like about Natalie, I do not think I like anything about her, as she was no longer beautiful to me.

Natalie was only good at cooking, and I would find a replacement for that.

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When I drove my car to a fancy restaurant, I knew that I disliked eating out.

I just wanted to excuse myself away from Natalie to get to know Amelia better.

"I hope your arm isn't hurting that much?" I asked Amelia, as she claimed Natalie had hurt her when I went upstairs to change my clothes.

Amelia sat in the front passenger seat and glanced at me.

"No, Franklin, it's okay now," Amelia replied with a smile, and I nodded. "Okay." I smiled back as it was getting late, and I drove my car into one of the fancy restaurants around the city.

"We have arrived. Let's go inside and grab something to eat," I told Amelia with a gentle smile on my face, and she smiled back at me.

Her face had minimal makeup, and that was something I liked about her—no too much makeup, and she was beautiful.

I got out of my car and took Amelia by her left hand as I escorted her into the restaurant. We went to the private section of the restaurant, where I sat down and ordered something delicious for us to eat.

Amelia smiled, and her phone rang just as she settled in her chair across from me.

"Hello, Father," Amelia said as I waved over the waiter to come serve us something nice.

"Yes, Dad. I went to see Franklin and Natalie. They're fine. Do not worry; I will be home on time," Amelia spoke to her father as she smiled flirtatiously at me.

"Okay, Dad. Take care," Amelia ended the call, and without me asking her, she said, "My dad wanted to know who I went out to see. You know that I do not have any boyfriend."

"Okay, that's nice," I replied.

As I wanted to ask Amelia what she would like to eat, her phone rang again, and she answered the call. "Hey, Felix! Yeah, I went out with Franklin. I will call you back later, and I will be home on time." She ended the call, then it rang again. Her two other brothers called to check up on her. But since I got married to Natalie, no one called to check on her.

"So, Amy, what would you like to have for dinner?" I asked Amelia, and she blinked her long eyelashes and bit her bottom pink lip.

"Anything you choose, Franklin," Amelia replied seductively, and I smiled.

"Alright." I chose a simple meal of two plates of chicken pepper soup, as I did not want us to waste much time so that we could return home.

"So tell me, Franklin—how have you been coping with my ugly sister? I know that if Natalie had not set you up, then you and I would have become a couple," Amelia said, and I met her blue eyes that glittered under the dimly lit room.