เสน่หามารยาพิศวาส ( Crazy love in you)

"You are good for nothing!"

"An uncultured and illiterate woman like you doesn't deserve to be my daughter-in-law."

"You bring nothing but shame to us. One day he will get sick of you and leave you in the streets from where he picked you up."

"Don't let me see your face ever again."

"You don't matter to me anymore.

"I'm sick and tired of you, Lily!

"I'm sorry we couldn't save..."

A woman jolted awake, her face etched with terror. She gasped for breath, her rapid breaths filling the quiet car. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she wiped it away with trembling hands. Anthea Morin sat in the passenger seat, her eyes darting around as her pulse gradually slowed. Beside her was Emilia, her cousin.  She was driving the car while casting worried glances in her direction.

"What happened, Anthea? Are you alright?" She questioned worriedly while quickly parking the car on the empty sides of the street. Anthea raised her terrified baby blue eyes slightly to look at the woman in front of her. Her soft pink lips parted slightly as she tried to say something, but nothing came out. She could only manage to nod while reaching her hands into the car's drawer, fumbling to look for something. 

"What are you looking for? Did you have a nightmare?" Emilia asked again, with concern evident in her voice. Anthea, on the other hand, found the water bottle before taking it out. Without answering Emilia's question, she opened the water bottle with her shaky hands before raising it up and then drinking a few gulps of water from it. Emilia helplessly watched her drink water with a worried expression on her face. One moment she was just sleeping peacefully, and the next moment she began shouting in her sleep while sweating profusely.

After Anthea was done drinking water, she clapped the bottle and put it back in its place. She then slowly leaned back on her seat before closing her eyes while beginning to take a few long breaths. Even though Emilia was anxious, she didn't interrupt Anthea and let her do whatever she was doing to calm herself. After a few painful minutes passed, Anthea finally opened her eyes and looked at Emilia, who was nervously watching her.

Anthea, after setting the bottle aside, took a few deep breaths. Finally, she found her voice. "I'm sorry, Emi. I just had a nightmare." She apologized, though she knew it wasn't necessary.

"No! No! Don't apologize to me, Anthea. Just tell me if you are fine or not. Do you want us to visit the hospital on our way?" Emilia's concern persisted.

"No. I'm fine. It was just a bad dream, Emi. Don't worry about it." Anthea's hand reached out to touch Emilia's lightly.

"Are you sure?" Emilia still looked reluctant.

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's go. We are getting late." Anthea attempted a smile to lighten the mood. Emilia hesitated but eventually nodded, restarting the car.

Anthea, on the other hand, heaved a sigh before turning around to look out of the window. Her eyes swept over the crowded streets of New York City while her mind drifted back to her nightmare. It wasn't the first time she had this nightmare. For five years, she had been having this same nightmare, which made her life a living hell. The nightmares, the harsh words, the betrayal, the heartbreak, and all the painful memories still pierced through her heart like a sharp knife. They cut her heart into pieces.

Every time she remembered them, her breathing would almost stop. Even after all those years, her wound was still as fresh as before. The continuous nightmares were proof of how badly she had suffered. How badly her life had been destroyed. How badly she was ruined by the man she devoted her whole life to. Those nightmares would leave her terrified every single time, igniting her thirst for revenge, which was why she was back here, in New York City, after five long years.

Anthea's face hardened as she stared at the familiar streets of New York, where she had roamed countless times. Even though it's been five years, she's still familiar with every corner of the streets, which brought back a lot of unwanted memories she kept buried for years.

"We are here," Emilia announced while finally stopping the car in front of a tall sky-blue skyscraper. Her words snapped Anthea back to reality. She quickly brushed her thoughts aside before glancing out of the window. Her soft blue eyes slowly scanned the tall building, which had CM Group written on it. She smiled at the writing before withdrawing her gaze.

"Let's go," Anthea announced softly while unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Yep." Emilia chipped while removing her seatbelt too. Anthea couldn't help smiling slightly at her enthusiasm.

Just as Anthea was about to open the car's door, someone else beat her into it before opening the door for her. It made her frown a little before she quickly glanced up. Her eyes met a pair of light brown eyes, which were looking at her with a warm smile. Even though Anthea didn't recognize the person, she nodded slightly at him before getting out of the car.

"Good morning, Ms. Morin. I'm Samuel Miller, your new assistant appointed by Mr. Morin. A man dressed neatly in a gray suit quickly introduced himself while extending his hand for a handshake. Anthea smiled at him before shaking her hand lightly with Samuel.

"Good morning, Mr. Miller. It's nice to meet you. She greeted him politely. He was around six feet tall with a nice, lean body. His hair was cut short on the sides and was swept neatly on the side of his head. He could be considered a handsome man. The next-door neighbor type Anthea quickly averted her eyes before she was caught staring.

"Likewise, and please call me Samuel." He spoke with a smile, showing his cute dimples. The man looked quite energetic early in the morning.

"Alright, Samuel. Is it your first day here?" Anthea nodded before inquiring slightly. Samuel shook his head negatively.

"Actually, I have been working here for three years now. I worked as Mr. Morin's assistant temporarily when he was here in the States, but after he left, I was appointed in the HR department." Samuel quickly explained, making Anthea nod as she processed his information. She didn’t bother with this before because she knew her brother would take care of it.

"Great. I hope we will be getting along quite well." Anthea regarded Samuel with a smile before glancing at the car from where she was supposed to come. It didn't take long for Emilia to appear before her.

"Of course." Samuel nodded, grabbing Anthea's attention back. She passed him another smile before she turned her attention to Emilia, who had reached where they were standing.

"Sorry, I was looking for some files, which now I'm sure I left in the apartment". Emilia sighed unhappily. Anthea also sighed.

"It's alright. Let's go inside first, then we can send someone to pick it up." She suggested calming Emilia and stopping her from worrying. It worked, as Emilia agreed with a nod.

"Hello, Samuel." Emilia turned to glance at Samuel, who was patiently standing by her side. He smiled at her before greeting her back.

"Hello, Ms. Morin." He greeted her back politely while straightening his body.

"Call me Emilia since there are two Ms. Morins here. You know, to avoid confusion." Emilia chuckled while saying the past part. It made Samuel chuckle too, as he nodded. Anthea, on the other hand, just smiled slightly before beginning to make her way inside the tall building.

"Alright, Emilia." She heard Samuel's words but didn't bother waiting for them.