Author's point of view... Ericka stood before the mirror and practiced her words about how she would tell Nathan about the job application she had sent the other day. Despite doing it a hundredth time, she still trembled slightly. She sighed at last. He wasn't an easy going person to begin with. "Fine...! I will tell him once I get the offer letter from the company. Sea Hawks Enterprises is a very big company and I am sure he will accept my request once he knows that I am already accepted in it." she mumbled to herself before sitting on her bed and taking out her Laptop. "Besides, he is an unemployed man now. I don't know anything about his bank balance. Maybe he is broke. I can help him if I get a job at such a big company..." Ericka thought as she opened her mailbox to check any mails. As Ericka was waiting for a reply for the application she had sent the other day, she received a call from her sister, Elvira instead. After contemplating for a moment, she finally accept
Author's point of view... "The drama begins..." Nathan muttered to himself as he read the content of the text message he received. He had anticipated this would come sooner or later. Luke noticed the change in Nathan's mood and stood up giving him the privacy he needed. That expression clearly meant that the text he received just now was from his family and Nathan hated of anyone pry into his personal matters. And of course, Luke had already dug a nail for himself by bringing up the topic of his wife. He slowly walked away. Nathan narrowed his eyes and read the text ignoring Luke completely. [Nathan, there's a family dinner tomorrow. I know things are not quite well now but family is family. And you have to keep the promise you made. Bring your wife to introduce her to the family!!] Nathan felt a pang of irrigation building up in his chest. He had agreed to get married but had never signed up for a drama that was about to unfold. However, he had to attend it, as the
Author's point of view... The Dawis family was complicated. Jonathan had Nathan with his first wife, Amelia Dawis, a strong woman from a wealthy family in London, the Smiths. Of all the children, Nathan was the unwanted one while Logan was the favoured one. Ericka masked her emotions, pretending not to know Logan and Elvira, and greeted them politely. Though Ericka greeted everyone in the hall, only a few reciprocated the others just ignored her like she was some plague. These are all a bunch of arrogant brutes..! she thought. Once the formal greetings finished, Jonathan's commanding voice echoed. "Where’s Nathan?" Jonathan Dawis asked, displeased. Ericka was jolted as this was her big boss a while ago. She hesitated for a moment then answered in a low tone, forgetting the fact that she was not an employee at Dawis group. “Aa...Mr. Nathan Dawis is unwell and couldn’t come,” Ericka replied, using the excuse she had prepared in her mind. She used to work for them and fo
Author's point of view... Though the old lady didn't want to talk to Ericka, she tilted her head and peeked at her twice. The girl has something so natural and pure about her. She thought. Lila smiled, clearly understanding her mistress's interests. "Madam, your grandson has a great choice. That girl is so beautiful." Amanda unconsciously smiled but immediately contained herself. She was clearly pleased with the girl but hearing all that rumour about her, she hesitated if she could believe in her grandson's choice and in that girl. Maybe, that young girl was also behind the name, fame and money of her grandsons like the other girls were. Elvira saw that the old lady was hesitant but was also pleased with her sister's appearance and she instantly felt a pang of jealousy settling in her heart. She was completely ignored by the old woman. In order to grab the attention back to herself and to sabotage her sister's dignity, Elvira's crooked mind schemed a plot. She stepped forwar
Author's point of view... As if waking from a trance, everyone turned their attention to Elvira, who looked like a delicate flower. Elvira sniffled wiping her fake tears and added, “Sister, you were the one who wanted to marry Nathan,” she countered smoothly. “Are you regretting it now that you've realized he isn’t even close to that of Logan?” The Dawis family members exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. Suspicion flickered in their eyes, and they wondered if Ericka had ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Elvira smirked, her gaze laced with mockery. This topic, however, intrigued Logan's attention. He stared at Ericka eagerly. He wanted to know if that was true. At least, making the deal with that stupid girl, Elvira, wasn't that boring. He thought. “Don’t fight me, Ericka. You’re too inexperienced for that, dear sister...!” Elvira thought, her expression smug. Ericka’s expression remained neutral as she quietly responded, “What are you talking about? Where did yo
Author's point of view... The group soon settled on the dining table. Ericka was assigned the worst possible seat, at the very end of the table, isolated from the conversation. The others laughed and chatted casually, treating her like an outsider or nothing more than a wooden log. She merely observed as they enjoyed themselves. Elvira was still the centre of attention but in the other way around. They didn't take Ericka's words seriously. “Logan, try this. You’ll love it,” Elvira cooed, holding out a forkful of food for him. Though Logan wasn't into this fake relationship, he faked a smile and nodded, acting alongside his so-called girlfriend. “Oh, look at them,” Selina gushed. “These two really do make a lovely couple.” Jonathan nodded approvingly, and Albert added, “Logan and Elvira are a perfect match.” It was all an act, a show that the father and son came up with, just to show the old matriarch of the family that the shares she wanted to pass on to her eldest grands
Author's point of view... Ericka was as scared as she was irritated. Her stomach turned because she could see the lust in his eyes. She was in his area, and not a single person would come to her aid if she needed it. There was no doubt that no one would believe in her, regardless of what Logan did. "I should have asked Jack to stay with me," she thought, terrified as the realization struck her. She took a couple apprehensive steps back. Logan smirked. "Come back to me, Ericka. You deserve better...that cripple won't be able to satisfy you but I can..." He took another step ahead and Ericka shivered. "Logan, stop there... did you forget? I'm already married to your brother. I'm not getting back to you," Ericka said firmly. "That's never going to happen." She looked at him determinedly, but Logan refused to accept her words. "He is crippled, Ericka. He's not for you," Logan scoffed. "And what about in bed? He's a pitiful worm that no one in the family likes. He can't sa
Author's point of view... "Honey, did you miss me?" Ericka's heart fluttered as the words echoed in her ears. Even though she couldn't clearly see his face in the darkness, she immediately recognized his cold and intense gaze. Those eyes stared intensely at her. "Nathan?" she whispered in shock. "You're here!" She tried to get up only to get pulled back even closer. He tilted his head slightly to look into her surprised eyes. "Did you miss me?" he repeated the same question, his voice dripping with amusement. Though this behaviour was unexpected, Ericka felt relieved as she saw him. But soon, as she thought about everything that she just spat, her face turned red. Did he hear everything? How long has he been here? She was just bluffing around to piss Logan off, he won't take it seriously, will he? She opened her mouth to speak, but with Logan standing right beside her, she was at a loss for words. Nathan's sharp eyes flicked to Logan. His expression remained c
Author's point of view... Anna had just finished her turn by rolling down eight of the pins in the first go, then completing the strike with the other bowl. It was a tie, though Luke still had an upper hand in the game. Nathan was up next. "Nathan, you can do it!" Luke said, cheering his friend on. Nathan tilted his head slightly and looked at Ericka. Her eyes seemed to be begging him under her long and curly eyelashes. Although they were technically married, the relationship between them couldn’t even be compared to that of friends. He might have considered helping her in other circumstances, but today, there was a desperation in his eyes. He wanted to win this bet. He stepped up, positioned the ball, and took an unfocused yet smooth shot. One pin after another, he knocked them all down, finishing with just a strike that had everyone surprised and cheering. "Wow...!!" "A complete ten...!!" The audience erupted. Ericka's jaw dropped. It wasn't an impossible thing to s
Author's point of view... "I quit." The moment those words left Ericka's lips, everyone near her, including Anna and Nathan, interrupted in unison. "No way..." Ericka looked up at them, stunned. Anna did notice something about the masked man. He seemed to be interested in her friend and that made her frown. It would be different if she got attention from the young master of the Copper family, but that mysterious man is definitely out of the league. She didn't want her friend to get involved with some mysterious guy whose origin even she didn't know. "Let's go for girls versus boys," Anna declared. Ericka elbowed Anna with a questioning gaze. She clearly didn't want anything to do with Nathan. Who knows what he was thinking at that time? She didn't want to play. Why was Anna dragging her into this!! Anna immediately leaned closer to Ericka and whispered in her ears. "It's just a game, sweety. What are you so afraid of?" Anna sensed the discomfort of her friend and turn
Author's point of view... Luke and Erik exchanged a quick look when they saw Nathan casually tapping his fingers on the desk. He seemed inexplicably happier than usual. Silently, they both pulled out their phones and started texting, careful not to draw his attention. Luke, "Is my vision acting up?" Erik, "It was not his wife then who could it be?" Luke, "Hell man, I have no idea! Did he get a secret girlfriend?" Erik, "No way...! Nathan!! in a relationship!! I feel like fainting" Luke, "I was getting the same feeling!!" Thier chatting ended as Nathan dismissed them all. When it was evening, Ericka was already waiting at the address Anna had sent her. She glanced around the exclusive bowling club in surprise. She’d never expected Anna to bring her here. Though Anna had taught her bowling back in their teenage years, they rarely had time for games these days. Just when Ericka was feeling uneasy a sweet voice echoed in her ears and a pair of slender hands hugged her
Author's point of view... Ericka was furious. Her cheeks burned looking at the man getting closer and closer. She couldn't help but feel infuriated. He dared to flirt with her when all he was going to do was divorce her. He is shameless. Jack felt his mind getting numb. The man sitting in the back seat was actually flirting with his wife. His boss flirting with a woman...! Jack thought that he might have heard it wrong. How could Nathan say those words? He felt he should just disappear from there. Why is he listening to something that he shouldn't have?!! Ericka unconsciously covered herself with her little hands and closed her eyes. Nathan stopped. A smirk tugged on his handsome face. Ericka's flustered face looked so attractive and appealing, but she didn't want to do anything stupid, not at least now. Getting back to his normal place, he grunted. Ericka slowly opened her eyes as the heat that she felt earlier on her face subsided. She looked at his handsome face, surpri
Author's point of view... As she walked in, Ericka saw that the entire Dawis family was gathered at the breakfast table, though her husband and the old lady were missing. At that point, her mind was in a mess and she was in no mood to join the crowd. She won't be welcomed dearly, anyways, so she went upstairs, straight to Nathan's room. Just when she was about to reach out for the door handle, she heard some noises coming from inside which made her freeze on the spot. "Sir, everything is done. What are we going to do next?" It was Mike's voice and she was sure about it. She hadn't seen him for days. Mike was on the phone. Nathan didn't respond immediately but after a minute, he spoke coldly, "Nothing" he said nonchalantly, he had just achieved what he wanted, there was no hurry about the rest of the plan. "Just wait until grandma transfers the shares." he replied, Ericka gasped. Shares!! Grandma's shares! So that was all true!! Logan was telling the truth...! T
Author's point of view... A hush came over the room. Everyone sat speechless as Elvira's lies were exposed. Elvira, out of any ideas to deal with the matter, pretended to faint and slumped into Logan's arms. "She might be stressed!" Nathan said coldly, the sarcasm evident in his voice. Ericka, however was not at all in a mood to see through her sister's act. She was so furious that she felt her cheeks started burning. "Logan, just take Elvira to rest" Jonathan was the first one to speak, easing the awkward situation. "That little girl...she might have done it by mistake. Why would she harm her own sister?" he tried to cover up Elvira's lies. Nathan scoffed but didn't say anything. With that, the matter was closed, just like that. Logan, however, shot one last glance at Ericka before scooping Elvira into his arms and rushing out of the room. Finally, a staff member broke the silence by announcing that breakfast was ready. Everyone left the room as the show was finally ov
Author's point of view... Elvira was so stunned in disbelief that it took a few minutes for her to recover from her shock. "You dare hit me...!" she growled when her mind reeled everything back before her eyes. It was the first time in her entire life that someone had slapped her and out of all, the one who slapped her was none other than Ericka, her useless sister, who was not more than a punching bag for her and her mother for years. That was utterly unbelievable. "You bitch..." Elvira was just about to spring up to grab Ericka's hair, but Ericka kicked Elvira's knees, making her slump down again. Ericka was done with everything that had to do with this shameless sister of hers. "Stop messing around..." Ericka warned through gritted teeth but her words were cut off as Jonathan strode to them. Taking advantage of the situation, Jonathan stepped into that mess, standing between the two of them. He glared at Ericka with disdain, clearly declaring his stand for the other o
Author's point of view... As Elvira walked in, she saw how affectionately the old lady held Ericka's hand while she was being ignored completely. She couldn't take it anymore. As the only daughter of the Hollow family, she was used to being treated like a princess, whereas Ericka, being the breadwinner of her family, was treated like a maid who would do anything. Elvira couldn't just see Ericka being loved. She just wanted that attention to herself. How could her cousin, a girl from a mediocre family, have that importance while the only daughter of the Hollow family was being ignored!! That's not going to happen...! That old hag must be blind to not see her!! She gritted. Moving forward, Elvira stood beside Logan. "Oh my, Ericka, you are here. We were all so worried about you last night, weren't we, Logan?" Elvira remarked, nudging Logan with a smirk. She just wanted to show herself quite dissolved in the family before the old lady. As if she cared a lot about her siste
Author's point of view... "No..no.... it's not like that" Ericka instantly tried to explain but the old lady brushed it off with a knowing gesture. "I know..." she grabbed Ericka's hand and continued, "I know very well about little Nati's temper, Darling. You don't have to tell me about it..." Ericka stared between Nathan and the old lady, stunned, clearly not knowing what to say. Amanda laughed and looked at Nathan who was glaring daggers at Ericka. Despite the anger, there was also a hint of surprise in his eyes. He never saw his grandmother taking sides, especially when it comes to him. She was never so friendly and happy before, laughing and chatting like how she did at that time. He was very puzzled about how Ericka could impress anyone by just being there without putting any efforts. "You know..." the old lady continued, "I was so worried about this boy..." Amanda turned her gaze back to Ericka, who was still so confused, looking as if she had walked into an alternate