To everyone at the table, this came as a complete surprise. Everyone knew that with the help of the Andersons, the family would soar to the top known families in Swanville, California. Steve was the young master of the Anderson family; he was to be the next CEO of their real estate company and heir to Anderson’s fortune. Who wouldn’t want him to be their grandson-in-law? Everyone was whispering to one another, unable to believe what the head of the family had said. “Grandfather, why? He’s competent; he can bring many benefits to the family if this union can be….” Said Claire, almost in tears. She worked hard to pursue this family union, bringing her more benefits into the family’s good graces and using this opportunity to get ahead in the company. A young man sitting opposite Claire smiled. He was jealous of Claire’s influence on the family; she and her sister were always his grandfather’s favorite. He was Henry Weston, Claire’s first cousin, and she and he were always rivals. “Si

Blake closed the door and sat on a wooden chair in front of the desk. It was a fairly spacious office with an oak desk, leather seat, a couch on the side, and filing cabinets. A window with shades was behind Mr. Wilson as he sat, giving a vibe from an old movie. “Blake, what happened during your last delivery?” Asked Mr. Wilson, sternly looking at Blake. “I don’t know what you mean?” Asked Blake with a blank expression. “I just got off the phone with a Mr. Weston stating that you will be reporting back to his home tomorrow morning and that you will not be able to work that day. Who did you offend? Do you know who that person is?” asked Mr. Wilson getting angry. “It’s the goddam Weston Family; they are one of the most influential families in the city.” “Sorry, Mr. Wilson, but I was going to explain to you as soon as I got back that I was not going to make it into work tomorrow, but I guess grandfather beat me to it.” Said Blake without showing any concern. “Grandfather, who’s your

Shocked by what he had just heard, Steve didn’t realize that he was too late to take Claire as his wife.“Claire, you will go to your husband this instance and stand by his side,” George stated angrily, coldly looking at Steve.Claire could only obey her grandfather and walked towards Blake, who had just arrived at the foyer.“Claire, what’s going on? Who is he? Grandfather, can someone please tell me what is going on?” Steve, who still couldn’t comprehend what had happened, asked franticly. “Steve, I’ve already told you that Claire is now married to this gentleman. She is no longer your concern, and you will break all contact with her from here on out.” George replied coldly at Steve.Steve was in denial, shaking his head.“This is impossible. I don’t believe you. How can this happen? Claire, I love you, and you love me, you are to be my wife, this is some joke, haha, you got me, Claire come here to me, don’t play with me.”Claire stood by Blake and held her head down with tears dro

In a flash, a year and eleven months had passed. A pandemic had taken over the nation in twenty-twenty, and many had suffered. The small business was significantly impacted, and so was the entertainment business. Dynamic Entertainment was at a significant loss during that year. The company can barely make ends meet, even with the twenty-twenty-one recovery this year. George called a great meeting for the company, and everyone was in the conference room. Claire was sitting at the back while Quinton and his son Henry were seated on both sides of George, with the remaining board members sitting around the table. “Okay, I won’t beat around the bush here. It was brought to my attention that we’re in a deficit of thirty million dollars, and there will be trouble with the new regulations out there right now. Any ideas on where we can get more investors for the company.” No one said anything but looked around with concern on their faces. Whispers were heard throughout the meeting room, but

“Don’t you talk to my daughter like that? You should be grateful that she can tolerate the slop you feed us daily.” Julie had said from the couch, watching her program. “I’ll go washup,” Blake replied as he headed to the bathroom to shower off the day’s work. “Humph, the nerve of him, how could he talk to you like that? I will give him a piece of my mind when he gets out.” “Mom, don’t bother. Once trash, always trash. Just let it go, and I’m not in the mood right now.” Blake finished cleaning up and headed into his and Claire’s room for the night. He had to sleep on the floor for almost two years while she slept on the bed with a knife under her pillow. He could hear his wife tell her mother that she would wash up and head to bed. A half-hour later, he listened to his wife open the door, get into bed, check for her security, and finally fall asleep. The following day, Blake starts his routine like clockwork and chores and makes breakfast for the two women. When it’s finished, he