Chapter 21. Taylor's First Move.Emma was also present, enjoying herself as she watched the row of confused girls while they waited for Taylor to speak."I had access to some information," he began, maintaining the mystery as he picked up the folder that once belonged to Richard."What's this?" one of the girls asked, briefly recognizing the folder."It was me," murmured one of the girls, holding back laughter. "It's the folder with all the data about each one of us." Her voice cooled as she remembered."Let's get straight to the point. As you know, my uncle was in search of a wife.""Yes, and I was one of the chosen ones," announced another proudly."Any of you is better than that woman," declared Emma, showing indignation."True, that nobody ended up getting lucky twice.""Anyway, I know that each of you is dissatisfied with my uncle's choice, so I'm here to announce to you that..." He gave a subtle smile, looking casual. "Don't give up yet. This marriage won't last long. You can do

Chapter 23: Dark SecretsElizabeth stared at him presumptuously and annoyed that he had stayed."How dare you?" she asked, continuing to dry her hair with the towel."You ask the same questions so irritatingly. Why not tell me why you need that data? I'm curious. What have you been up to?" he asked."It's nothing much. Have you heard of Miss Zany Bay?" she asked, raising her eyebrows."Every self-respecting businessman knows that woman. She's becoming well-known without even showing her face.""She's above you as well," she commented mockingly. "She's one of the main benefactors of the college. You're second, destined to be second.""Are you trying to provoke me? Because the Leblanc family is fifth as a benefactor of that university, so you shouldn't mock me."He coughed and changed the subject."True, shall we go out?""I didn't wait for you here to go out; sit down."He invited her to sit next to him, but she resisted."That kiss yesterday was a misunderstanding. Besides, you kissed

Chapter 25: At Richard's Mansion Richard ordered Jayden to fetch Elizabeth, who wasn't expecting him to send someone to pick her up."Why did he send you?" she asked unenthusiastically."The location is a bit far; he thought it would be more suitable for us to take you there."She just shrugged and got into the car, sitting in the back seat, and they set off on a half-hour journey. When they arrived, she was speechless. Richard's house seemed like a palace; the enormous gates, the unique garden, but she could hardly imagine that the walls of plants a few meters beyond the garden were part of a maze where Richard loved to spend time. He was the only one who knew his way around there, as it had a single path and destination but could lead to many dead ends without an exit, making it impossible for anyone to leave. Even trying to climb over was futile because the top of the wall had plants with red m

A Hint of JealousyShe sat at the table, remaining curious as Ailda stayed serious."You're jealous because he showed interest in another woman?" she suddenly asked, heading to the fridge to grab a jug of juice and bringing it to the girl. "You haven't had dinner yet. I thought you were asleep. How's Richard?" she asked, making her blush."What do you mean? Why would I know?" she stammered, nervous."He's your husband, weren't you in the same room?""Don't misinterpret. We only have the title, nothing more. He and I will never have a husband-wife relationship. Besides... I need a driver to take me home. It's not appropriate for me to sleep here.""How come? This house... maybe because of the circumstances of the marriage, you're in total denial, aren't you? But I assure you that Richard is not a bad man. Allow yourself to get to know him, and you'll see that behind that cold exterior is a man with a huge heart and values.""Do you think so?" she asked sarcastically."Isn't he?""I don

Chapter 29 - Suspect The scene could even be comical: a tall, well-built man carrying a moderately slender girl on his shoulders. She pounded his back and squirmed, trying to break free while he calmly walked through the dark hallway towards his room. "You wretch, I told you I don't want to sleep by your side." "You don't have a choice," he grumbled, stopping in front of his room door. As soon as they entered, he threw her onto his bed and began undressing in front of her, noticing her wide-eyed panic while she tried to disguise the attraction she felt at seeing him shirtless. "Stop!" she shouted when he was about to remove his pants. "Childish!" he grumbled, heading for the bathroom. "How daring," she whispered breathlessl