All Chapters of A Marriage Deal To Remember : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

LINDENAmber liquid slipped into the glass and I watched the colour catch the light as I tilted the alcohol bottle. It was too early to drink. Or maybe too late. Either way, I didn’t care. I wanted something to burn my throat. I sat in the dimly lit bar and swirled the glass in my hand. Three days had passed since something changed in me. Jensyn's innocence was now mine to play with, and I reveled in the power it gave me. My mind wandered to Willow's wedding which was just a few days away. And I wasn't worried about that, I was concerned about Jensyn's smile, her laughter, her tears—they were all mine to manipulate.I couldn't help but think of Arthur's reaction when he found out what I had in mind. He'd be furious, but ultimately, he'd do nothing. My shares, my empire, my rules. His rules died the day my mother died. Jensyn was just a pawn, a means to an end. I'd make her life a living hell, and she'd leave, just like I wanted.The whisky burned my throat as I drank in a rush, lo

JENSYN“Let me go!” My chest hammered as I shoved Linden back with a force I hadn't intended on using. He stumbled back with a smirk playing on his face. Embarrassment and anger curled in my stomach with that expression plastered on his face.“Don't touch me again!” I snapped, my voice trembled with rage.A chucked escaped his throat, low and mocking. “You kissed me back, dear wife. Why are you suddenly uptight about it?”I clenched my fist, nails dug into my palms. “That was a mistake, don't get your hopes high.”He came closer, not so close. His eyes shone with victory. “You said you wanted to make me fall in love with you, didn't you? Well, wifey, I'm just helping you with that dream.”I scoffed. “If I wanted help, I’d do it on my own terms. Don't you think so too?”A hint of disappointment played in his eyes. His fingers grazed his lips, where my lips burned some moments ago. “Suit yourself, my wife.”What arrogance does this man possess? I hated him more than I could ever think

LINDEN“She's been missing for more than twenty-four hours.” I said, my voice low and cold. The thought that I might not see Andrea again crossed my mind, but I shoved it away. It was Andrea, my daughter, Linden Rawlings daughter. Nothing would happen to her. She would be fine. She would be fine.Like a mantra, I read that to myself when I drove Willow and Jensyn to the police station that night Andrea went missing. After Jensyn slapped me in front of everyone, Arthur called me into his room. He gave his say too. I had to find Andrea and bring her alive. The police station reeked of stale coffee and lavender air freshener, but all I could hear was the cracky voice of the officer. “We believe the man who took your daughter matches the serial profile we are looking for. He takes his prey at the same time Andrea was taken, using the same method. My theory is that he saw her as vulnerable and took her.” The officer's fingers drummed against the file in front of him, as if that could sof

LINDENIt was Willow's wedding today and I should be with her, but I was looking for my daughter.I might not see her again.That thought, so eerie, crept through my mind as I got into the car with the officers in charge of Andrea's case. I could picture how my daughter would look. She could be staring at the ceiling, wide-eyed, helpless. She could be singing one of those nursery rhymes she leant when she was two years old. She could be cursing me. Even her mother could be cursing me. Today was her funeral. Today was the day she died. She must be mocking me right now. I told her I couldn't love her. I told her I would only love Andrea. Now see who lost that child.The man who was suspected to have taken Andrea was a meat seller. Each stop we made at the market had turned up the same dry answer.“Your description matches Fat Goerge, he ain't been in the market today.” An old seller told us.“Do you know where he stays?” The officer with me asked. “Don’t know where he stays. He keeps

JENSYNThe last of the warm milk slid down my throat quicky. It rushed through me, and I shivered even though it wasn't cold. They’d taken the blood. Lev and I. The doctor had nodded, murmured something about the transfusion working. I clung to that one hope like it could hold the whole day together.I lifted my legs off the bed, fingers gripping the metal rail of the bed for balance. I reached for the IV stand, ready to make my way to the bathroom when the door creaked. Andrea's small frame stood in the opening, and she stepped in without a word.Her eyes drifted around the room like she was trying to find something safer to focus on. Her hands clutched the sleeves of her cardigan, her jaw tense in that way Linden used to go when he tried not to get angry with me.“Thanks,” she mumbled. It came so soft it barely made it across the air.I blinked. “For what?”Her fingers dug into her sleeves. “For helping my dad. I appreciate that.”She turned to leave.“Wait, Andrea.”Her shoulders s