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049: Our First Date (I)
"W-what are you doing?" Even though it was obvious as a plain sunny day, Ayla couldn't help herself from questioning his actions.
"What does it look like?" Claude briefly glanced up to meet her confused eyes before going about tying her laces into a perfect bow. He slipped his pinky finger under the tied laces to make sure that the knot wasn't a little too tight for her to feel uncomfortable when walking.
Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he picked up his drink after dusting his hands off and pushed himself all the way up.
"Let's go…." He muttered out under his breath before extending his free hand towards Ayla.
But instead of taking it, she raised her index finger in the air, silently asking him to allow her a moment to herself. Her actions left the two men with nothing but confusion wobbling their minds. They didn't bother to hide it, but instead of explaining herself to either of them, she went on with what she ha
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The Heartless Bride 050: Our First Date (II)
"Where are we going?" Ayla was already starting to get impatient as her eyes stared out of the tinted windows, taking in a good view of her surroundings as they whizzed past tall buildings."I am not telling you, wife." Claude let out a low chuckle as he briefly glanced in her direction. He turned his attention back to the road ahead as his lips slowly curled up into a faint smile. "You definitely are not a big fan of surprises, are you?" It was more of an observation than an actual question. He could tell easily from the way her right leg was bouncing up and down throughout the ride."It's not that I am not patient otherwise. It's just that I seem to run out of it when it comes to surprises and all." Ayla pursed her lips together as she shifted in her seat slightly to have a better view of Claude. "I don't know how to explain this." She added in a low tone as memories from her past came rushing back to her, leaving behind a painful, crushing aftertaste.&nb
The Heartless Bride 051: Our First Date (III)
"Because I own this place."Her breath was knocked out of her lungs as Claude's words hung in the air. She had her eyes staring back at the man, ready to roll out of their sockets any second now. It was the soft 'ding' of the elevator arriving on their floor that pulled her back to the present."You what?" She drew her brows together, questioning the man. As far as she knew, Atkinsons' Corp never dealt in the food business."You heard me, wife." Claude brought his hand to rest at the small of her back and gave her a small push forward, guiding her to step inside the elevator along with him. "I own this place." He repeated his words from earlier before explaining himself."It's much easier to have a place ready for business meetings and gatherings. Saves me a lot of time on making sure that a reservation is scheduled for a specified day and date." He reached forward to press a button on the side panel of the elevator wall that was m
The Heartless Bride 052: Our First Date (IV)
Ayla could only shake her head at the man's words even though they managed to turn something inside her chest. He was more than a gentleman when it came to treating her right and she knew better than to take it for granted. She would always voice out her gratitude with a soft "thank you" usually, but at times like this, his words threw her mind off balance a little. Hence, she would go for the next best option: changing the topic of the conversation. "Why is it that I didn't see any staff members on our way?" She muttered out in her calm tone as soon as the duo made it inside the private room. Claude, being the gentleman he was, pulled out a chair for her, pushing it a little forward once Ayla had settled down comfortably. "Thank you." She muttered under her breath while keeping her eyes trained on the man as he moved around the black marble table and found him settling down in the chair across from her. "I like my privacy." Cl
The Heartless Bride 053: Making it to the Newspaper
The next morning, a groggy Ayla made her way down the staircase with a jump in her steps.She woke up to an empty room. Claude was nowhere to be found, and one look at the grandfather wall clock in his study made her realize that she was the one who woke up a little later than usual.It took her half an hour to take a bath and get changed into some black, cotton, skin fitted trousers which she paired with a white tee and matching high platform converse. Tying her hair up in a pony, she put on her black rimmed glasses. Giving herself one last look in the dressing table mirror, she made her way back to where her bag was lying. She only spent five minutes fixing her college bag before flinging it over her shoulders and heading downstairs."Good morning." She announced her presence with a cheerful greeting as soon as she stepped inside the dining hall.Her eyes wandered around the room for a little while before landing on the lone figu
The Heartless Bride 054: Sleep with Me (I)
The next few days were rather blissful for the newlyweds. Ayla was starting to get more and more used to having Claude around. So much so, that she insisted for him to move back to his actual bed. For some reason, the idea of him sleeping in another room didn't settle well with her any more."Why can you not use your own bed for sleeping too?" She threw another demanding question his way."I have said this before too, Ayla," he shook his head, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with my presence.""And how many times do I have to tell you that your presence only puts me at ease." She snapped back at her, looking up at him.She has her notes and books sprawled out before her on the dark wood table with her laptop sitting next to her—open.Claude was occupying his usual spot on the other side of his study. He sat back in his leather chair, swinging it side to side, as he kept his eyes glued to a file in hands.&
The Heartless Bride 055: Sleep with Me (II)
"Come here." Claude brought his arms to rest on her sides before pulling her down to settle on his lap. He made sure that she was comfortable with her legs dangling over the armrest of his chair while he hugged her body close to his chest. His actions took Ayla by surprise, but she didn't find herself frowning over them. Instead, her stiff muscles eased under the warmth of his body. "I know you only mean well, but I would hate myself if my presence ends up bringing you trouble, of any kind." He brought his free hand to her face, cupping her cheek before pressing a feather light kiss on her forehead. "But it won't. It will, in fact, put my worried mind at ease." Ayla tried to reason with him only for him to turn her down. With a shake of his head and a deepening frown, Claude shushed her by pressing his index finger against her lips. "Things have finally started to become normal between us even though we are
The Heartless Bride 056: The Charity Gala (I)
Ayla stared back at her own reflection with a deep frown etched in between her brows, causing them to almost meet in the middle. "Are you sure this is not too much?" She couldn't stop herself from voicing out her doubts as much as she was afraid of offending the artist. "Trust me, darlin', this is just perfect." The lady kissed her teeth and shook her head. She could understand the lady's concern, but she knew better. Despite it being a 'charity' gala, the elites of the society never backed down from showing off their wealth through the gowns and dresses of their partners. "You scream just the right amount of elegance and sexiness." She added with a wink, teasing the lady a little. "Thank you so much, Irene." Ayla looked over her shoulder and passed the woman a full blown smile before making her way to the table that was set up by the wall. "It's been my pleasure, Mrs. Carter." The make-up artist shook her head before following
The Heartless Bride 057: The Charity Gala (II)
"F*ck."Claude sucked in a mouthful of air through his teeth as he took the sight before him in. His eyes never wavered away from her figure. He opened his mouth a couple of times only to close it once again as his words failed it."It's too much, isn't it?" A groan followed Ayla's complaint as she eyed herself down.It was only then that Claude came out of his trance, a loud scoff forced out of his lips."Are you kidding me, woman?" He rolled his eyes before closing the distance between them. "It's nowhere near too much. On the contrary, actually." He huffed out a long sigh as his steps hurriedly covered the gap between them, bringing him to stand before her."You look perfect, Ayla." He mumbled in a whisper as he brought his right palm to cup the side of her face without applying much pressure. He would hate himself if he somehow ended up ruining her makeup. She was looking a little too perfect for him to allow that to hap
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