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The captive
Jessica Matthews whimpered softly where she was tied like a dangerous wild animal in a cage that could barely contain her. Her joints were stiff and her bones ached from where she had been folded into an impossible position so that she could fit into the cage. Looking at her, one would never believe that she had once been one of the most beautiful women in America. Now, she was all skeleton and bones and her dirty hair hung limply from her skull of a head.
“Are you hungry yet?” The man guiding her asked, baring his brown and disgusting teeth at her in a sickening smile.“Yes, please,” Jessica replied humbly and feebly. She could feel the hunger pangs gnawing at her stomach as it had been doing ever since she got here. They had never given her enough food to satisfy her. Instead, they gave her just enough to make her live and suffer. She would have gladly killed herself a long time ago if she could, but she was watched and guided like a hawk and there was hardly a singleRelated chapters
The Substitute Bride Saga Carol's escapade
Carol sat on a park bench that was placed under a tree, totally famished and feeling incredibly stupid. After she left the house, she had flagged down the first taxi that she saw and asked the driver to take her to the bank so she could withdraw some money. Once she had done that, she had proceeded to stroll around town leisurely, just getting a feel of the place. From what she had seen so far, it was a nice place, and she would not mind living here one bit. She located a store where she got some clothes for herself at an affordable amount and armed with her purchases, she hailed a taxi, only for her to stare dumbly at the man when he asked her where she was headed.“Huh?” She asked, trying to buy time so that she would not look stupid in front of the man and wracking her brain desperately to see if she knew anything about where the house was. No, she did not know where it was, neither had she had the sense to ask Sebastian or even the gateman this morning about the address of th
The Substitute Bride Saga The argument
“Now, let me make one thing very clear to you. You are now my wife, in as much as you and I resent that fact. Do you know what it means to be a billionaire’s wife? I…”“I can’t say that I do, but from the little I’ve seen, apparently it means having to act like a puppet and do everything you’re told without being allowed to have a mind of your own.” Carol cut in angrily. Who did he think he was to talk to her like that?“Well, if you want to put it that way, I can’t say that I’d stop you. However, the fact remains that were in very dangerous times, and you wandering off on your own just because you feel like it is not in any way a wise move at all.”“Meaning what exactly?”“Meaning that you could easily get kidnapped or something equally bad just because you’ve chosen to be pigheaded and then someone else will have to bear the cost of your stubbornness. Now, don’t go thinking that I’d be willing to fork out a shit ton of money if out of stupidity and a desire to show tha
The Substitute Bride Saga The bargain
Jessica stared at the woman unsurely, but nodded politely, wondering if the name was supposed to mean anything to her. The name did not ring a bell, so she had no idea who the woman was, but she was not about to say that.“Do you know who I am?” The woman, Charlotte as she called herself, asked.“No. No, I don’t ma’am.”“That’s okay. Now, I want you to know that I’ve decided that you’re leaving this place very soon. How do you feel about that?”“I’m very grateful to you, ma’am.”“You’re happy to leave then?” Charlotte asked, causing Jessica to pause. What sort of question was this? Was it a trick question? Since she did not know how to answer, she decided to go with the truth.“Yes, I am, ma’am.” Jessica’s heart was beating a mile a minute, but she hoped that this woman was really telling the truth. She would do literally anything, whatever it took to get out of here and see her dear Sebastian one more time. It was the thought of him that had kept her going all the
The Substitute Bride Saga The revelation
“No, ma’am. I can’t say that I do.” Jessica said, lifting her chin in defiance, but she was unable to control the small tremor that shook her bony frame. How on earth did this woman know about it?“It wouldn’t have to do with the fact that you were shagging a man who was old enough to be your father while dating Sebastian all because you wanted quick cash and the man promised you heaven and earth until James got wind of what you were doing?”At this, Jessica’s eyes filled with tears and she averted her gaze from that of Charlotte.“Are you going to tell him then? Is that how you plan to hurt him?”“No, of course not. I am no tattletale. Sebastian has done no wrong to me so I have no wish to hurt him at all. It is the uncle I’m after. Besides, who am I to judge you? We’ve all done things we’re not proud of at one time or the other. In your case, I know you needed the man to break you into the modeling world and that was why you did what you did. That’s a noble reason if y
The Substitute Bride Saga Victoria's 'reappearance'
The weeks passed in pretty much the same fashion, with Carol’s daily routine being sleeping and eating. However, this time around, Carol saw even less of her supposed husband than she had seen before. Sebastian went out before she woke up and most of the time, came back after she had gone to bed. Even on days when he came back before she went to bed, he greeted her as though they were strangers before disappearing into his study, not to be seen again till the next time she happened to come across him.As for Carol, she spent her days sitting in her room and painting. Painting was one of her greatest passions and now that she had more than enough time on her hands to spare, she sought out a shop where art materials were sold and bought numerous art supplies from the money Sebastian had given her. She still hadn’t bothered herself to read the contract or find out what it was about, as she did not care the least about it. After all, her so-called husband did his best to avoid her in
The Substitute Bride Saga The mother from hell
Carol sat in shocked silence for some time after her sister cut the call, wondering what on earth her offense was. So she was now the evil one for deciding to bail their family from those evil people? She knew exactly what was wrong with her sister. Victoria had found out that the marriage was nothing like she had thought it would be and that Carol was not suffering like everybody had assumed she would. So she was jealous and angry, preferring to think that Carol had purposely ‘stolen’ her spot.“What sort of sister and even family do I have for crying out loud?” Carol asked herself. Already, the call had spoilt her mood and she was feeling agitated and saddened. All she had felt was genuine concern for her sister, but Victoria obviously did not give a damn and preferred to think the worst of her sister. She was even threatening Carol, for crying out loud. Deciding to let her parents know that her sister had finally reached out if "reach out" was the proper term for the conversat
The Substitute Bride Saga Mr. James comes visiting
There was no way to pretend that she had not been crying so Carol did not even bother to do so. She sniffed, wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks, and then smiled shakily at him.“Good afternoon, Mr. James. What on earth are you doing here? I didn’t know that you were coming here. It’s a pleasure to see you.” Carol said, trying to hate the man, but finding that she could not really summon the energy to do so. It wasn’t his fault that her father had a gambling problem.“I can’t say the same about you, my dear.”“Huh?”“I surely did not expect to see you crying. What on earth is the problem? Is my dear nephew not treating you well?”“Oh no. It’s not that. Sebastian’s nice.”“So what then is the problem?” He asked, gesturing at her to make room for him on the bench on which she sat. Carol quickly did so, wishing she could get away. What on earth did she have to say with Mr. James? She barely had anything to say to Sebastian, whom she lived with as it was.“It’s
The Substitute Bride Saga The quiz
Besides, what was her coming into Sebastian’s life supposed to do for him or for her, exactly. Well, she supposed that it benefitted her family immensely, but she did not see the exact good that it was doing for Sebastian or his family. The man could barely stand her as it was, not that she cared in the least bit, but from what she could deduce from what the uncle was saying, she should be caring. Anyway, it wasn’t her fault that his fiancée decided to abscond.“Does he seem happier than he was before?” Mr. James asked her, finishing off the last spoon of food before him and sighing in satisfaction. The man was a ravenous eater.“Well, I certainly did not know him before, so I cannot say whether he is happier or not, Mr. James.”“I know that, but I mean that does he seem happier than when you newly got married? You’ve been married to him for a little over a month now. I daresay that you should be able to note certain differences in the man.” Mr. James said, with
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