Lauren stood unmoving for hours, still unable to apprehend what had taken place moments ago.Marriage?She was going to get married? As Michelle? Tomorrow?Questions after questions flooded her brain and the only answer she could give for each question was tears. Was this her punishment for being born out of wedlock?It was never her fault that she was conceived but yet, in the end, she remained at the receiving end. Here she was thinking offending a big shot and losing her jobs was the most dreadful thing that could happen to her but now, she was damn getting married. What the hell?All her life, she hadn lived at the mercy of her stepmother and stepsiblings just to win their approval. She had been paying for her mother’s sins for years now. She had willingly let her stepmother hit and instil inhumane punishment on her but now, she was fucking twenty-five and ther was no way she would let them take over her life. Not anymore. She was going t

  “Aunty?”Lauren jerked and quickly turned only to see an overjoyed small boy jumping like someone offered his favorite bar of chocolate.  “Bunny?” she was quite surprised.  “Hello Aunty.” He waved at her.Lauren was suddenly reminded of her marriage. Will she give birth to a child who would be neglected by his father like Bunny? Suddenly, the tears she had been fighting welled her eyes again and unable to bear it, she gathered him into her arms, sobbing silently. Bryan couldn’t hide his joy as he saw her. He had already drafted out what they would do in his mind and how he would persuade her to follow him home and meet his Dad so he could convince his Dad to make her his new mom. Unfortunately, his entire imagination was burnt to ashes the minute she gathered him into her arms and began to cry.Huh?First, he was confused but soon, his confusion was replaced by

Malcolm walked up the stairs, hands buried in both pockets. A few distance away, two maids followed, carrying a tray of food and behind them, was Michael, the butler. They made sure not to come any closer to him.  He walked till he came in front of a door. Halting, he knocked.  “Go away.” A small voice belonging to Bryan answered from inside.Malcolm knocked yet again.  “I said go away. Leave me alone.” He yelled in a tiny voice.Moving aside, Malcolm gestured to the butler who quickly provided a spare key and quietly opened the door. There wasn’t any soccer wallpaper or designs on the wall. The room looked like an adult’s room—neat and kept. Bryan laid in the middle of the big Victorian bed, tucked under the sheets. The minute the door opened, he turned and threw his father a spiteful glare.  “Can’t somebody have some privacy around here?” He grumbled. The maids wal

A wave of cold air hit Lauren the minute she entered the car, causing her to shiver a little. Grace, who followed closely behind her, also made to enter but was immediately blocked by the huge man in a black suit and dark sunglasses.  “I was ordered to bring only Miss. Byrne.” He retorted.Lauren watched the drama with a dry chuckle. This marriage deal had actually brought her some good luck. Her grumpy, bossy stepmother actually smiled at her because of it. For the first time, someone carried her luggage for her and even opened the car door for her; not to forget, she was being ridden in a state-of-the-art car. The door closed and through its tinted window, she watched her stepmother shed crocodile tears and run into her husband’s arms for comfort. She looked past them to the house that started her miseries. Perhaps, it would be the last time she ever saw it.Goodbye Lauren. My name is Michelle Byrne.She sang it over and

Lauren suddenly began to suffocate. This wasn’t happening, was it?This definitely wasn’t real.She was supposed to be married to an old, ugly, fat man—according to her imaginations—and not to the most powerful figure in the entire city. She looked at her poor signature that now looked like a piece of rubbish beside his polished one. Why didn’t she realize it from start? The blue eyes would have told her so but she had been so convinced because it was rare for a commoner like her to ever come so close to him.Unperturbed by her frequent glances, Malcolm added some ice to his glass of whiskey and gave the glass a shake before taking a sip of the strong liquid. “You seem surprised, Ms. Byrne.”  “H..How can it be--?” She stuttered.  “What? Am I not up to your class?” He threw back, catching her off guard.Lauren was at sea. He always had a way of forcing someone into