MasukRays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, and birds chirped outside.Wrapped in strong arms, Ariella snuggled closer, a faint smile touching the corner of her lips."Good morning.""Did you sleep well?""Thanks to you."Damian created a small distance between them to stare down at her. "Say it clearly. How well did you sleep?"She burst into a hearty laugh. "Stop being naughty." The look in his eyes didn't suggest he was satisfied, and she sighed. "Fine. Thanks to you, I couldn't sleep well. You literally had me whole last night, and you showed me a different side of you.""What?" Damian didn't expect that response, as his brows rose in astonishment."But I enjoyed every part of it. You were feisty throughout the night, and I liked it." "Oh, did you?"She nodded and pecked him. On the same lips that had her kicking her legs in the air when it went down on he
She stepped out of the tall hospital building, her joy boundless. She brought out her phone, typing away for a moment.'Be home early. I have good news. I can't wait to share.'Her fingers lingered on the screen for a while. She hesitated, then added a love emoji at the end of the message before sending. That sent a relief down her spine.She was done hanging onto her past. A trauma that kept her tied to the painful marriage she had in the past. Something she had regretted. But now, she didn't mind if she had a terrible past. All she cared about was that there was someone who loved her and she was willing to love him back. An appreciation for all the love he had shown her for so many years.By the time she got home, the children were outside playing with their nanny. It was the weekend, which meant they had the whole day to have fun. Immediately, they saw her; they ran to her as usual. With a gentle smile, she managed to hand them back to their nanny before heading into the house. I
The door clicked closed, loud enough that it stirred Ariella awake. The aroma of freshly baked toast filled the room instantly. A soft clink of tray against the table, and Ariella groaned. She rubbed her eyes quietly before they flew open as she sat up immediately. The memories of yesterday came flooding in. How her own driver had made her unconscious in the car. How she was almost kidnapped. Her heart skipped two beats when she realized she was on a bed. Not tied to a chair as she expected. Not taped on the lips. Or alone in an incomplete building. And that was when the familiarity of the air drew her in—coupled with the familiar interior designs of the bedroom. Her gaze locked with Damian standing beside her bed. "You're..." She didn't let him finish as she lunged forward, her arms flying over his head. The hug came as a shock to Damian, but as the seconds flew by, he found himself drawing her closer. "You're awake." He breathed into her ears. "It's okay. You're safe
Ariella didn't have to turn to know the voice behind the sudden intrusion. A brief silence. Then, "I'll take my leave now." Amora left after taking a hint from the still atmosphere."Ari." The voice called again.Ariella turned around instantly. "If you barged into my office because I refused...""I'm not here to talk about that. I want to talk about us." Sebastian chipped in quietly. "Yesterday, I received an anonymous tip and since then I've been curious.""I wonder if everything I thought I knew was a lie. Or it's just somebody playing random tricks on me." His hand went into his inner pocket and he brought out a small flower crafted into a ring. Despite looking slightly rumpled, hope managed to crawl onto his expression as his gaze remained intent on Ariella.Her brows furrowed, staring down at the flower. A look of familiarity crossed her face."You can finally make the ring." Those words left her before she could stop herself."Yes. I finally learnt your favorite craft back t
"What exactly are you hiding from me?" He took another step forward. "Are you really the Ari I know from the past?"Arietta flinched, stepping back instantly. Words failed her at the moment. Or if there were any description greater. He called her name in full for the first time since they met.It had been just a few years after Sebastian returned home and regained his memories. He had just taken over the family's company as the CEO and had gone to the departmental store to get a birthday present for his mother. Then, he met her, also shopping for luxury bags and other ladies' items. Out of shock and relief that he had finally seen the lady he had always sought, he called out the only name he remembered. "Ari." And she responded and agreed without denial. That was how their love story began.Ari. The only woman who became friends with a young man who had just lost his memories. In that small fishing village where nobody knew his identity, she helped him manage a rural life he wasn
"Now, I know why Arietta is a lost cause." Ariella breathed out, suddenly breaking the tension that had gripped her since she walked into that suite."You raised her after all.""What?" Both Mrs. Williams and Arietta shouted simultaneously, shock cascading over their features.She took a step closer. "It's been five years mother. Five years of being apart and that is all you could say to a daughter you claimed to be worried about. You've always been so caring and lenient with Arietta. Despite knowing that she tried to kill me, you still want me to be the forgiving one when she hasn't earned that forgiveness.""You've gotten it all wrong." Her mother chipped in. "Your sister didn't try to kill you. That man threatened her to say all of those things and made it look like she was against you.""Did she say that to you?" Ariella scoffed, unable to contain the surprise of what she had just heard as she glanced at her sister."Is that what you told them?"Arietta walked up to their mother.
Damian Moore, an influential business tycoon in America, was Ariella's childhood friend in the slums until life changed for him. Almost similar to Ariella's situation, his family lost him to the ocean at his three-year birthday party on a yacht, but a fisherman found him and raised him until his fa
Seconds passed yet there was no response. Then, the door was unlocked, creaking open as it revealed Arietta standing akimbo by the entrance. A smirk played on her lips, seeing her sister's state, and she tilted her head when their eyes met. "Sebastian is the one you want. You can have him, and I
"I made that happen," Arietta smirked. "It was only unfortunate that you were unconscious when I called back and Scott didn't hesitate to reform you into what I wanted for the scandal. Now, nobody will look at you the same way ever again. Not my parents or even my Seb." She added quite lowly for Se
The beeping machine and the nurses' movements inside the ward stirred Ariella awake as she sat up instantly, hands flying down to her stomach despite the IV line connected to her right hand."How is my baby?""We're sorry, but you lost the baby before you reached the hospital, and that was two days







