Annelise's POV“Damn! Now this is what we call a mansion! It's so beautiful!” Esther kept gushing over the house the moment we got in.A smile came up on my face. She kept looking around the room, almost forgetting that I was even there with her."Esther," I called her.She didn't even act like she heard me at all; she just kept looking around the room like she was in an art gallery.“Esther!” I yelled her name this time, making her look at me in fright.She walked over to me with her hand crossed over her chest."What is it?” She asked me."Can I have your attention now, dear friend?” I asked, raising up an eyebrow in a questioning stance.“Oh, sure. But I'm going to break your head if you don't allow me to check these out to my satisfaction,” she said, glaring at me in a manner that made her look kind of scary, but that can't work on me now.I just sighed and sat down on the couch as she checked everything to her satisfaction.Angela came in while Esther was still checking out thing

Annelise's POV"It would be our first official outing together."I was gobsmacked at what he said; it sounded so foreign to even hear him say that.The hard look on his face reminded me that he was only doing this for business purposes and nothing more.“Okay, but I don't have any other clothes to wear other than this one,” I said.I still can't find anything wrong with the dress I was wearing.He looked me up and down again with a lazy look on his face. “Just wait here, I should be able to find something," he said with a clenched jaw.I sat down far from where he stood up from, playing with my phone till he came down with something black in his hand.“Here," I heard him say.I collected the piece of clothing from him to see a dress that looked really expensive; it looked like it would be just my size, just a little bit shorter.“How did you have a female cloth-" He cut me off before I could finish the question.“Can you just put on the f*cking clothes without asking me questions?” he

Annelise's POV“I have a deal for you, daughter-in-law."That voice sounded so much like none other than Amanda, Ethan's grandmother."Who is on the line, please?" I asked, even though I had an inkling of who it was.“Who else do you think it is? It's Amanda, your only mother-in-law,” she said, confirming my thought.I sighed for the umpteenth time today. “What can I do for you?" I asked on the phone.“I have a deal I'm sure you'd like," she said.“Go on."“It's not something that can be said on the phone. Wouldn't you love to hear it in person?” she asked.It was as though my patience just snapped in two; I suddenly got impatient. I gritted my teeth in anger and frustration."I don't care what your proposal is. I honestly don't feel like even listening to it,” I spat.I didn't wait to hear her reply; I just ended the call. I've seriously had enough of people today, and it's not even evening yet!I went to the bathroom and had a really long shower; it looked like just what I needed. W

Annelise's POVI jolted awake after that terrible dream to a door being banged. Startled, I sat up straight on the bed, thinking something had happened.The room was dark, and I couldn't see anything, but I could perceive the familiar musky scent of my husband. I almost didn't even move on the bed.The lights suddenly flickered on, and his face came into view. He looked furious, the death glare on his face towards me made me feel like hiding under the bed.“What did she tell you?" was the first thing he asked me.My mouth went dry; his tone was so icy. “I don't understand you," I asked, my voice shaking.“What did my grandmother say to you?" he asked with the same tone.“Nothing," I mumbled, though that wasn't entirely a lie.The glare on his face hardened. “Trust me, you don't want to see me angry. It's better if you just talk now.” The threat in his voice didn't go unnoticed by me.“She said she had a deal for me," I muttered.His jaw clenched; that dark look on his face turned even

Ethan's POV“What the h*ll did you do to my grandson’s face?!" She yelled; she looked so angry."I only redecorated his face,” I shrugged.So much is at risk with what I'm currently doing, but if this means I get to express myself and do as I wish just for this night, then the damage control can come up anytime soon.“You bas-” She stopped whatever she wanted to say, but anyone would know what she wanted to say. That word no longer moves me; I'm so used to it that it now feels like a normal thing to me, just like my name.“Why did you stop? That's my name, isn't it?” My voice was so low, though any sane person would know that I was only trying to control the anger that was threatening to come out.She clenched her jaw, her old face looking so angry.“I only came here to give your dearest grandson a warning. The next time he tries something like he did tonight, you wouldn't even recognize him again.”I walked away from the duo I'm meant to see as my closest family, as they are the only