THREE

Aciel ruffled his hair in frustration as he entered his den which was on the first floor. Facing Eden's very strict attitude like four years ago would really drain his energy. Especially now that he is busy with a new project, Eden's tough attitude will certainly make him more troublesome and dizzy.

“Hey, have a drink first. You look really frustrated, man."

Sian, who happened to be visiting to see the condition of his little niece and nephew as well as his friend's pathetic condition, immediately handed him a glass of vodka while gently patting Aciel's shoulder.

As one of the closest people to Aciel, Sian knew how difficult Aciel was with this matter. Moreover, his friend’s struggle to get his wife is not easy. There were many sacrifices that Aciel had to make to get to this stage.

“Eden really turned into Eden four years ago. She is rude, hot-tempered, and uncontrollable. Damn amnesia messed up all Eden's memories of me, Ciara, even Louise. She doesn't remember us at all, even our married life which has gradually improved since one year ago." Aciel snorted angrily as he clenched his fists on the table.

“Dude, I'm sure you can bring Eden's memories back. Didn't you manage to tame it before, now I'm sure you can do it too. By the way have you brought Eden to meet Louise?”

"With her being like that? Seriously, she would actually hurt Louise if I took her to meet Louise. I don't want her to hurt my son," said Aciel flatly.

He then closed his eyes for a moment, replaying his memory of when this morning for the first time he entered Louise's room and held the tiny baby. He felt like he wanted to cry when he saw that Louise who was so weak, small, and fragile had to go through such a terrible condition.

“Ace, you should have brought Eden to meet Louise, maybe the bond between them will bring Eden's memories back. Well… at least movies always tell a story like that.”

“You think my life is a petty drama like you watch? Damn you!" Aciel cursed in annoyance, while Sian could only chuckle from where he was sitting. At least he could make some jokes for Aciel, even though he knew his jokes weren't funny at all.

“Of course, I will definitely bring Eden's memories back. But I think this time Eden will trouble me more than four years ago. And besides Louise, I'm also afraid that Eden will hurt Ciara because she hasn't been able to accept Ciara as her child. Even when Ciara hugged her, Eden looked very stiff and tense.”

“Well.. her memory is trapped in the past five years, so it's only natural that she hasn't been able to accept Ciara's presence because she was still so naive five years ago and often became a naughty woman to seduce many men, including Anthony. But you should also be grateful because that way she forgot her memories when she married Zyan," said Sian as he raised his glass of vodka high before gulping down the contents of the liquid.

While Aciel just stared at Sian sharply without intending to reply to his friend's words further. What his best friend said was true, he did benefit a little from Eden's current condition, but apart from losing her memory of Zyan, Eden also forgot their happy life so far.

In the past he often slept with any woman that caught his attention, but after meeting Eden, karma seemed to apply to him. He feels like a character in a small drama who has to beg for love for the woman he loves. And unfortunately, the woman he likes is not the easy type.

Many times Eden rebelled against him and almost humiliated him several times in front of his business colleagues who at that time came to the house for a business banquet. But in the end he managed to conquer Eden. It feels like remembering the past makes Aciel amazed at his patience to keep Eden alive with him.

But now, he didn't know if he could do it. He was afraid that Eden would leave him, either leaving him because of death or because of another man who was his wife's lover. What is clear is that he must move quickly to find out where Anthony is now because he is not a random man who can be underestimated.

"Do you know where Anthony is now?"

“I don't know, but I've seen him in the Boulevard area. At that time he was signing a cooperation contract with one of the companies owned by our business colleagues.”

“Ferdinand's entertainment company? I think he's a very persistent guy because he's still trying to build his life again after I've thwarted several careers because I incited my colleagues not to use the guy as a brand ambassador in their company.” Aciel explained with a furrowed brow.

Honestly, lately he's been a little complacent with his happy life with Eden so that he forgets Anthony, whom he has hurt. How is the man now? Does he know that Eden is having amnesia?

"Don't worry, I'm going to find out about that guy's whereabouts. Now all you have to think about is the condition of Eden, Louise and Ciara. Aren't they your current treasure?" asked Sian with a faint smile etched on his face.

"Notify me immediately if you find Anthony because I have to make sure he's not plotting to destroy me."

-00-

A gray afternoon after the torrential rain that lashed Vegas this afternoon. Eden looked dreamy on her bed while thinking of various ways to get out of the luxurious mansion that had become like hell for her.

Since yesterday her brain has been thinking so that she can quickly escape from Aciel's grip, but unfortunately that man is much smarter by setting up many trained guards around her room. And again, since she realized she had never gotten cutlery made of ceramic or sharp objects that could potentially hurt her. All the cutlery she received was made of plastic, so she sometimes felt like a four-year-old toddler who couldn't eat properly.

Knock knock

Eden turned towards the source of the voice while frowning in confusion. She glanced at the clock it was still five in the afternoon, that meant the person who knocked on the door of her room was not Aciel, because Aciel would only come in the morning and evening. Meanwhile, the food delivery servant also couldn't possibly knock on her door this afternoon because the servant would only deliver dinner at seven o'clock. Who has been knocking on my door?

Slowly the wooden door opened, revealing the figure of a young woman with a little girl in her arms. When she entered the room, the woman immediately smiled kindly at Eden while nodding her head politely at Eden, who was still faithfully looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze that was not polite.

"Good evening ma’am, I'm Mary, Miss Ciara's nanny."

"Mommy!"

The four-year-old little girl immediately slid down from Mary's arms and immediately ran to the bed to hug her mother who was still stiff without moving an inch.

Eden looked at Ciara in fear like she was staring at a virus. When Ciara approached, Eden immediately backed away to avoid Ciara. But when she was completely cornered and couldn't move back, Ciara immediately jumped at her and hugged her so tightly that it made her want to throw up because Ciara was pressing her stomach too hard.

"Ciara misses mommy."

"Please keep her away from my stomach, I want to throw up." Eden stammered to Mary. Mary also swiftly pulled Ciara back so that Ciara wouldn't make Eden uncomfortable.

“Sorry ma’am, Ciara is too happy that you have come to her senses. Ciara misses you very much.”

Eden looked closely at Ciara's face while comparing her face and also Ciara's face through the mirror. If you look around, she and Ciara have similarities in terms of eyes and forehead, but she is still too afraid to conclude that Ciara is her child because the man said that Ciara was their child, while she never wanted to bear the man's child.

“Ma’am, are you all right?”

Mary touched Eden's wrist lightly and made Eden jump up instantly. She then shook her head slowly while smiling faintly at Mary.

"Is Ciara my child?" Eden asked Mary doubtfully.

“Of course, Ciara is the daughter of you and Mr. Aciel. You gave birth to Ciara four years ago. And besides Ciara, you also gave birth to Luoise one week ago. Your baby is very cute, ma’am, don't you want to see the baby?"

Eden was silent for a long time with the information she received from Mary. She didn't know that she had gone too far with him.

"I don't remember it, at all." Eden added with an unreadable face.

Whether Eden was sad or confused right now, Mary couldn't read it. But the corners of Mary's lips suddenly curved into an arc when she saw Eden's hand instinctively stroke Ciara's thick black hair.

“You just woke up from your critical period. Gradually you will surely remember everything.”

“I'm not sure, even I don't want to remember it because I hate Aciel so much. He is a demon who has ruined my life, as well as my friends.”

“Mommy, what is a demon?”

Suddenly Ciara looked up and exclaimed innocently. Mary quickly corrected Eden's words so that a girl as small as Ciara would not be dragged into the complicated problem between her parents.

"It's nothing honey, forget it. Play again with your rillakuma doll.” Mary ordered softly.

Eden looked at the interaction that was created between Mary and Ciara with a strange feeling. She suddenly felt annoyed that Mary was able to show her gentle demeanor, which she couldn't. If she really is Ciara's biological mother, she should have an inner bond with her daughter. But so far she can't feel anything, only annoyance that continues to surround her heart because Aciel doesn't want to let her free at all.

“You seem very close to Ciara. It seems you are more suited to be her mother, not me.”

“Ma’am, you can't say things like that, you'll always be Ciara's mother. I used to even envy you because you is the perfect image of a mother. As time goes by you will surely remember everything. Mr. Aciel surely won't let you lose your memory for too long, because if you remembers you will surely never regret her marriage to Mr. Aciel."

After saying that Mary said goodbye to Eden because it was getting late and it was time for Ciara to have dinner.

Meanwhile, after Mary came out of her room, Eden's heart became more and more uncertain because the woman said that her married life seemed to be perfect. Full of happiness and very much different from what she was thinking right now.

"How are you today?"

Eden ignored the stiff greeting without any intention of turning her head towards the door. After all, even without her seeing it she already knew who was standing there with piercing eyes staring at her.

"If I ask, you have to answer me, Ed." Aciel growled stifled.

Eden still maintains her silence. And with great arrogance she lay down while tilting to the left, her back to the position of Aciel who was still faithfully standing in the doorway with his fists clenched in his pants pockets.

“You challenged me, heh.”

Unexpectedly, Aciel immediately grabbed Eden's shoulders roughly, until now Eden is in a supine position under the control of that arrogant man.

With all her might, Eden immediately pushed the sturdy body out of the way. At the first push Eden managed to make Aciel's sturdy body pushed back. But on the second push, Eden didn't succeed because this time Aciel hardened his body more in front of Eden.

“I have almost run out of patience to deal with you. Aren't you used to being sweeter and submissive. If you can do it, I won't treat you like a prisoner. I will let you be free like before.”

The offer given by Aciel seemed so attractive to her. After all, being obedient in front of Aciel would never be difficult, especially since he was rarely home. And if she managed to obey the man's orders, she could get her freedom. She roams freely in this house while thinking of a way to escape from the cruel man who is currently grinning over her body while sniffing the top of her head. Gosh!

“Are you really going to set me free if I become sweeter and more submissive?”

"Of course, I'm not a braggart dear. I will definitely keep every promise I make. So you take it easy."

"I want to be free, I don't want to be locked up in this room," said Eden voicing her request.

Aciel responded to Eden's request with a faint smile, then he landed a short kiss on Eden's forehead before he shouted at the woman again.

“I couldn't have locked you up if you were nice Eden, so from now on, be nice to me. Be my sweet and obedient, because honestly I don't like seeing you cooped up here doing nothing. I'd rather see you hanging around the kitchen and… be my wonderful bed mate.”

“Fuck!”

Eden pushed Aciel's body hard when she felt that the man was starting to be rude to her again. However, Eden's strong push on Aciel's chest actually aroused something else that made Aciel even more excited when he saw Eden. Moreover, he had not touched Eden for more than a week. His current body yearns for Eden so much, that every touch that Eden gives on his body makes the entire surface of his skin tingle. Eden's defensive attitude is really very inappropriate at this time.

“Get away from me right now! Don't ever touch me."

"Unfortunately I have already touched you dear. We'd never have Ciara and Louise if I hadn't touched you right?” Aciel whispered manipulation in Eden's ear.

It feels like Eden is really disgusted with him right now. She was disgusted by her attitude in the past that somehow managed to produce Ciara. She was sure that at that time she had been given drugs so that she could act so cheap in front of him.

"Don't think too much honey, I don't like seeing the wrinkles on your forehead."

Aciel then kissed Eden's lips deeply so that Eden could not move a bit. Even the man insolently bit the corner of her lips until it bled and made her couldn't help but open her lips for him.

Aciel gets punched and kicked many times when he tries to wake up his wife's tightly buried past about him. He had determined to himself that he would do anything to bring Eden back into his arms. So even though this was painful for his body and painful for Eden's soul, he didn't care! Even though they had started it painfully in the first place, so it hurt a little once again, it didn't matter to him.