LOGINToday is Daphne's first day as a waitress at the club where Rose works. Primitively, Daphne didn't know what to do.
Eventually, the job became easy for her, taking orders, bringing food to the table, and cleaning up, except for talking to drunken customers. "Miss, can you sit with me and perhaps show some extra service?" Someone said to Daphne. The girl's chest promptly heaved. "I'm just a waiter here." She stuttered, talking back, and immediately left as she placed the bucket of Pilsen on the table. As the days passed, Mother Lili noticed that Daphne became the apple of every customer's eye who spent nights at the club. The others even come back often to see and fantasize about Daphne. "Hey, Amiga.." Monique gasped when she saw Rose. "Oh? What's up?" Rose answered while looking in the direction of her daughter. She was leaning on the bar's countertop. " What came into your mind? You put my goddaughter to work here?!" "What's wrong with that? It's only temporary." "Heh! Stop it, Rose, if Mother Lili can deceive you, not me. Can't you see what evil that old lady is planning for Daphne?!" Rose is throwing her friend a fierce look. "What are you talking about, Monique? Did you see my daughter dance or table a customer?!" It looks like the tension between them is rising. "I don't know about you. Are you being mean or just plain stupid..." Monique ran away with a sigh. Rose was left wondering. Meanwhile, a man in his 40s approached the countertop and looked for the bar's owner. "Are you the owner?" Husky's voice asked Mother Lili. The old lady nodded confidently. "I want that girl.. Did you see her?" He pointed to Daphne, who was currently busy bussing the table. "No.. You got it wrong. She's not...." Mother Lili tried to clear things up, but the older man cut her off. "You got me wrong.." The foreigner interrupted. "I want to marry her. I want her to be my wife. I can give her an extravagant life." Mother Lili's eyes widened upon hearing this. # # # The next day, Mother Lili excitedly talked to Rose about it. "I am not selling my daughter, Mother Lili. You know that. I did her work here to save for her education, not to find a husband." "I didn't say anything like that, Rose. It's a terrible thing to say: 'selling.' Think about it, Rose. Your daughter will be able to study without having to scrub, and you, too, will live like a queen in a big mansion. Where will your daughter be supposed to head? Eventually getting married as well? I learned that one is an older man but deadly rich, so you're in the jackpot. What are you worried about?!" "I'll go headfirst. I'll take my daughter with me too," Rose replied as she stepped forward and didn't say a word to the old lady. "Hey! Wait! Daphne's out is later!" Mother Lili shouted after her. In her haste, Rose bumped into Monique. "What happened to that?!" Monique asked Mother Lili in wonder. "I do not know." She shrugs. "Come on! We're going home," Rose scolded her daughter. "Mom, I still have two hours. It's a shame." "Who will follow? You or me?" Rose responded angrily. Daphne eventually obeyed her mother. Two days passed without Rose letting her daughter enter the club. At the same time, day and night, I am thinking about what to do. Her mind was debating whether she should follow Mother Lili's suggestion. It also occurred to her that a good life awaits her daughter. She also remembered the rich older man's appearance. In her opinion, he's handsome and doesn't seem like a bad person. # # # "Mr. Bolat, she's my daughter, Daphne." Rose introduced them personally. "Show respect, my daughter, okay?" Daphne, seemingly petrified, did not take any action and just bowed. Daphne tentatively raised her hand to the older man for a handshake. She couldn't look at him for fear. She couldn't explain. "He will provide for your studies and everything you need. You don't have to come to the club; you can buy everything you want. Do you want that?" Daphne didn't say a word and kept her head down. She was constantly fidgeting with her fingers. Her swallowing is also steady. "You are so beautiful. I really like you." The older man's eyes twinkled brightly as his smile spread across his lips. "What are you doing, Rose?!" Daryl suddenly arrived and immediately pulled Rose and Daphne. "Just for a while, Mr. Bolat," Rose said while walking away due to Daryl pulling her. "What is your problem??" Rose asked to hold back the scream. Daphne's tears started rolling down her cheeks. This is the first time Daryl has entered the club. "What are you doing, huh?!" Daryl asked angrily. "And what am I doing? What do you mean?!" Rose responded with sharp eyes. "You know what I'm saying, Rose. Did you see that man? I'm going to take Daphne home." He pulled Daphne by the hand, which Rose immediately stopped from leaving. "I will decide for my daughter's future, Daryl. Who are you to interfere?!" "For her future?? With that older man? Can you hear yourself, Rose? Are you asleep and in the middle of a nightmare? Don't you love your daughter? That person is a demon, Rose! Wake up. Owe it to me! You will destroy what you say is Daphne's future." Daryl said darkly. Rose got even worse. "Her life will be good! I love my daughter. That's why I'm doing this, Daryl! If you can't see that, that's your problem! Don't drag us into your messy life!" "Mother... What's going on?!" Daphne was sobbing as if her young mind had realized what her mother wanted to happen. "Daphne, Kid.. You're not going with that person, okay. I'll keep you away from here. Come on..." Daryl can't be persuaded. "Let go of my daughter!" Rose shouted. Monique noticed what seemed to be a disturbance, so she came closer. "Daphne, my dear. Come to the godmother!" Monique called her. The girl came to her in tears. "You too, Monique. You're probably the one behind this!" Monique's mouth opened, and her eyebrows crossed. "Why do you instantly see Monique? Even if she doesn't say it, gossip has wings and a mouth, Rose. Let's talk about what you plan to do with your daughter! Have a fear of God."The grandfather clock in the foyer struck 8:00 AM, its steady, rhythmic mechanical ticks echoing through the mansion's high ceilings like a ticking timer. The morning sun cast a bright, unforgiving light across the long mahogany dining table, illuminating the fresh breakfast spread Lora had prepared. I sat in my usual seat, quietly nursing a warm cup of coffee, while Cara sat directly to my left. After the volatile intensity of our midnight reunion in the dark garage, a heavy, domestic comfort had settled over our perimeter. But the minute Craig stepped into the pavilion, his crisp corporate attire perfectly ironed for a day at the headquarters, the strategic shields of our three-way alliance instantly re-erected themselves. Craig slid into the head of the table, his dark eyes calmly scanning our faces before his gaze locked onto the right side of my collarbone. A tiny, knowing smirk flickered across his aristocratic features. He raised his porcelain cup in a silent toast,
The air inside the sports car didn’t just feel quiet—it felt like a vacuum, swallowing our breath as we tore through the rain-slicked capital streets. Behind us, the blinding, predatory flashes of the gala cameras finally bled out into the dark horizon. I didn’t look at the road. I kept my head turned, green eyes tracing the sharp, rigid line of Cara’s profile, illuminated only by the toxic green glow of the dashboard dials. Her knuckles were stark white, manicured fingers practically crushing the leather of the steering wheel as she stared down the wet asphalt. Forty minutes. Not a single sound passed her teeth. She was still wearing that flat, dead, corporate mask she’d put on in the shadows of the VIP lounge. But between our seats, the restraint was thick, heavy, and hot—a physical current vibrating through the leather. The car lunged past the estate gates and slammed into the concrete garage. The exact millisecond the engine died, the heavy steel security doors rumbled down,
The grand ballroom of the Shangri-La was a blinding sea of flashing camera lenses, crystal chandeliers, and low, rhythmic high-society chatter.I kept my arm looped securely through Craig’s, my fingers gripping the fine wool of his tailored tuxedo jacket to anchor my trembling posture.My four-inch stilettos clicked smoothly against the polished marble as we navigated the perimeter of the ballroom, cutting through the crowd under the predatory gaze of the corporate board members and the estate lawyers. Every single lens in the venue was trained directly onto our faces, tracking the visual metrics of our contract.We were officially executing our first high-profile public appearance under the seven-year strategic layout. "Keep your posture perfectly loose, Daph," Craig murmured smoothly, his lips barely moving as he flashed a brilliant, adoring smile toward a prominent lifestyle photographer. He leaned down, his face within inches of my curls, masterfully projecting an aura of inten
DAPHNE POV The grandfather clock in the foyer struck 7:00 AM, its steady, mechanical ticking kept time like a metronome counting down. The morning sun filtered through the panoramic glass walls of the dining pavilion, casting long, sharp shadows across the mahogany table. There was no clinical distance separating our perimeters today. Cara sat directly to my left, her charcoal corporate suit jacket tossed over the back of her chair, while Craig occupied the head of the table. In the dead center of the table layout, resting right next to a fresh pot of black coffee, sat a yellow legal pad and a heavy fountain pen. We were officially opening the first joint strategic meeting of our seven-year performance. "Let’s map out the foundational data first," Craig initiated, his voice dropping into a low, clinical pitch as he uncapped the pen. He drew a sharp line down the center of the paper. "We have exactly eighty-four months left before the twins hit the age milestone req
CARA WHITE POV The raw, electric warmth of our lips meeting in that deep, suffocatingly true kiss felt like the first real breath I had drawn in three years. But the moment our mouths parted, the cold, clinical shadow of our reality rushed right back into the master bedroom. The contract terms were still ticking. The illusion of a clean, immediate fairytale ending violently dissolved against the stark metrics of my father’s last will. "Seven years," Daphne whispered softly, her green eyes locked onto mine as she carefully adjusted the tiny, sleeping infants against her chest. Her voice carried a heavy, sobering weight that made my throat instantly tighten. "We still have seven long, exhausting years left on the clock, Cara. The board and the estate lawyers are going to track every single move this family makes until the twins reach the milestone required by the inheritance clause." A ragged sigh escaped my lips as I reached down, my fingers gently tracing the identical, pri
The adrenaline tore through my veins like wildfire as I slammed my foot onto the accelerator, forcing the sports car to its absolute mechanical limits down the winding residential boulevard. The pavement blurred into a violent streak of grey beneath my tires. My heart was slamming so hard against my ribs it felt like it would break through my chest. The truth reeled through my brain on a permanent, dizzying loop. She never slept with him. The twins were an IVF creation. She moved into his quarters strictly to protect my brand from my father’s lawyers. Every single piece of the toxic, monstrous ice age I had subjected her to was a catastrophic miscalculation. I had branded her a manipulative liar when she had been quietly bleeding through a near-fatal hemorrhage across the globe strictly to save my dream from the fire. The luxury brakes screamed in agony as I violently pulled the car into the mansion’s gravel roundabout, shifting into park before the tires could even st
Daphne POV I desperately wanted to go home and finally see Cara. This time, I want to make things right and not lose her again. When the doctor said I could go out, Craig immediately booked the earliest tickets back to the country. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to see and hold Cara i
"Can you give us a moment?" I asked Kazzy as I briefly interrupted the kiss with Cara. She followed. "And please lock the door for me." I chased after Kazzy before she could finally leave. Cara was about to turn her back on me, but I quickly grabbed her hand. "We're not done yet." "Done
I looked at the clock when I woke up. It's almost lunch. It was already dawn when I hit the sack last night 'cause I finished the k drama I was watching. Aside from plants, that's my other way to let time pass or divert myself. After I washed and brushed my teeth and put on my bra, I left the room.
"Hey! Stop drinking," I was already tipsy or perhaps drunk when Cara decided to show up and join us. Just a while ago, Zammy was the one sitting beside me. Now it was Cara who's being a pain in the ass. As usual, Cara being Cara. "What's your problem?" Slightly, I raised my voice. I'm still in th







