《Forever with the Billionaire》


 Life

    Hiry POV:


    Every story has a backstory. Most of them are epic, while some are bad. Just like how the alley leading to my apartment is dark, how my life has been dark and lonely ever since the beginning.


    The street¡¯s light glitched as I walked toward my apartment, and it reminded me that my life was a story with a bad backstory. Dogs barked as I walked past different houses along the alley. The waste bin at the front of each home creates a nauseating feeling in my stomach. If I¡¯m to throw up, I will probably throw up nothing because I didn¡¯t have breakfast.


    As I got to the front of my apartment, I met myndy seated at the front of my door. When she saw meing, she stood up and rushed to meet me. ¡°d you are back,¡± The petite woman who was myndy pped her hands. She always does that whenever I don¡¯t pay my rent on time. ¡°You are two monthste on your rent, Hiry,¡± she shouted and continued pping her hands. Her voice echoes down the alley, and everyone must have heard her screaming.


    ¡°Mrs. Peters, I¡­¡± I tried to say something, but she pped her hands.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Duh, Duh, Duh!¡± she snapped fingers at me. If she were up to my height, 5 feet 7 inches tall, her fingers would be buried deep in my dark brown eyes.


    ¡°If I make excuses when I build this house, it won¡¯t stand today.¡± She pointed to the building as if it was her best achievement. The building is a two-story house. I stay on the ground floor while she stays on the first floor.


    ¡°Mrs. Peters, I¡­.¡± I tried to say something, and she snapped her fingers again.


    ¡°No excuses, youngdy. You have five days. ¡°If you don¡¯t pay my rent in five days, I will throw you out,¡± she threatened and walked away with cusses and mutterings.


    I rolled my eyes as I mimicked her. ¡°You have five days.¡± She must have heard as she turned to look at me. ¡°Good night, Mrs. Peters,¡± I said as I entered my room before she could start a lengthy conversation.


    ¡°When?¡± I dropped my bag and fell to the ground as tears streamed down my face. Life has been unfair to me, and every time I try topete with life, it never ends well.


    I did not cry because of Mrs. Peters but because my life was not what I expected. My life is far from perfect, from a struggling job to a dying father. I don¡¯t have the life I¡¯ve always wanted.


    After crying, I stood up andy on my couch. It¡¯s a two-seater ck leather couch that doesn¡¯t fit my height, but what could a girl with no bed do? Nothing. I stared at my ceilings, that are infested with cobwebs and dust, and thought about my not-so-perfect life. Ten secondster, I fell asleep. I knew I¡¯d have nightmares while sleeping.


    ¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã


    ¡°Rise and shine, Hiry!¡± My rm red in my bag. It¡¯s a tone I recorded myself because I love listening to myself talk. ¡°If you don¡¯t stand up, Hiry, I will hit you.¡± I groaned and blew off my ck braided hair from my forehead and rose from the couch. I stretched and yawned loudly.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± I said, getting up from the couch and looking for my bag, where the rm was ring. When I found my bag, I turned off the rm and yawned again. I looked at my phone and groaned when I saw the time. It was 7:00 am, which meant my not-so-perfect life had begun.


    I already have a schedule I use every morning. First, I take my bath, dress up, and rush out of the house to catch the early morning bus. Second, I alight at the bus stop close to the hospital where my father is admitted, and after checking up on him, I leave for my office.


    My father¡¯s condition had be worse. Doctor John, the specialist in charge of my father¡¯s condition, informed me that morning.


    But, ¡± I paused and heaved a deep sigh. ¡°What about another chemo?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t help. He is at thete stage, and chemotherapy would give him more pain. You have to let him go. ¡±


    I bit my lip at the news as I fought back the tears threatening to fall. ¡°How long does he have?¡±


    ¡°Three months, Max. I¡¯m sorry, Hills, ¡°he pats me on the back. ¡°Concerning your debts,¡± he paused and looked at me.


    I know what he wants to say. It was about my debt to the hospital. I owe them a lot ever since my father started his treatment. ¡°I¡¯ll settle the bills, John,¡± I said to him before he could finish what he wanted to say.


    ¡°Okay. Stay strong, Hills,¡± he smiled, and I returned the smile, but it changed to a frown.


    I stood up and left the office, and when I got outside, a terrible headache hit me, and it felt like my head was getting hit with a hammer. I held my head as another wave of a headache hit me.


    ¡°Leave the way!¡± A husky voice brought me out of my surprising pain. I raised my head and looked at the person. A white man in a wheelchair stared back at me as I continued to look at him. He has unique hazel eyes, which I find attractive. ¡°Are you deaf?¡± The man shouted, sounding a little bit harsh.


    I faked a smile like I always did with my patients and made way for him. He wheels himself away without turning to look at me.


    ¡°Different people with their problems, ¡°I muttered and headed toward my father¡¯s room.¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± I whispered as I entered the room. My father, who used to be full of life,y lifeless on his bed. His ck curly hair was bald, and his face looked like a dead man. It was pale and lethargic. In his mouth was a tube connecting to life support. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± I grabbed his hand. ¡°I wish I could return when you were fine and always happy.¡±


    I stared at my father¡¯s face and wished he could open his eyes. Ever since he was diagnosed with cancer twelve years ago, he has never said a word to me. ¡°Show me you are okay! Move a finger or something! ¡± I shouted and cried out. ¡°Dad!¡± I didn¡¯t want to lose my father, but there was nothing I could do but watch him die.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked no one in particr.


    ??????????????????


    Loukas POV


    As she entered the VIP ward, my stepmother made her presence known. I was admitted to The White Hospital, where I¡¯ve spent almost my life battling my paralyzed body.


    Amanda, My stepmother, dropped her white Louis Vuitton bag on the white sofa and sat down. She took a piece of brown paper from her purse and threw it on my bed. ¡°Die for all I care, but before you do, sign those papers.¡± She pointed to the brown paper. ¡°My bad!¡± She gasped and then startedughing. ¡°Only the left side of your body is normal.¡± She mocked.


    She was right about that because I was useless.


    I watched her as she took the paper and handed it to me. ¡°Are you not going to take it, or is your left side no longer working?¡± She mocked me again, but I refused to say anything. The annoying blonde woman who called herself my stepmother did not deserve to hear me talk.


    ¡°Loukas!¡± She shouted. ¡°Why are you in this hospital when you don¡¯t want to be treated?¡± She stood up from the sofa and paced around the room. ¡°Let¡¯s make this easier for you, Loukas.¡± Why don¡¯t you die and let your brother take charge of everything? ¡± She referred to the inheritance owned by me. ¡°Your brother has been in charge of everything since the beginning. Die and let him have everything.¡± She said to me.


    ¡°So what if I die?¡± I paused and then burst intoughter. ¡°If I die, will you finally be at peace?¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°You are in pain, Loukas, so stop wasting your time here and die.¡± She advised and pointed to the brown paper. ¡°If you fall to your death, I¡¯ll think of how to create a write-up.¡± She tried to touch me, but I pped her hand away. ¡°Sign the papers before tomorrow, and by then, make sure you are dead.¡± She whispered and walked out of the room.


    I heaved a deep sigh as soon as she left and thought about what she had said. I have already considered dying twice. First, it was when I got into the ident that made my right side paralyzed. I couldn¡¯t remember anything when I first woke up, and when the doctor told me I had hemiplegia, I tried tomit suicide. The second time was when I wanted to kill myself by taking poison. Now that Amanda had brought it up again, I thought about dying.


    Don¡¯t judge me. I have spent fourteen years with no memory of my childhood and a paralyzed body. Every month it¡¯s oneplication or the other. Since I refused medical attention, I¡¯m either fainting or having speech problems. Life hasn¡¯t been easy since I got into an ident that damaged my brain. I refused to leave the hospital, which had be my home since the ident.


    What¡¯s the point of living if half your body is paralyzed?


    The reason why I gave up on treatment was when I tried physiotherapy for three years, but there were no changes in my body. The process was painful and a waste of time as I found out my stepmother hired my therapist. That¡¯s the day I gave up on getting better. ¡°Sir,¡± said Rotimi,


    my best friend and bodyguard who had stayed with me my whole life entered the room. ¡°I saw Amandaing out of your room a while ago. Are you alright?¡± He questioned


    ¡°She dropped this,¡± I said, pointing to the brown paper on the bed beside me. Rotimi took the form and read the content. He looked at me and frowned.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Rotimi questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m considering it, Rotimi,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rotimi sat down beside me. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I am going to sign it. Caleb deserves it anyway. ¡± I said my stepbrother¡¯s name. ¡°He has been helping me since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve been behind the brilliant ideas. You n the most prominent building in Mecianda and hotels around the world. ¡± Rotimi tried to talk me out of it.


    ¡°No one knows me, Rotimi. Allow it to be. I¡¯ll sign it. ¡±


    ¡°I disagree with this, Lou,¡± Rotimi said.


    ¡°As your friend and boss, Imand you to agree with me.¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t okay. This is bullshit. ¡± He cussed, and I frowned. When he saw my face, he smiled. ¡°Very well then. I hope you know what you are doing. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I replied. ¡°Take yourself out with the boys tonight.¡± You all deserve a night out. ¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t leave you alone,¡± he refused.


    That was one thing I loved about Rotimi.


    ¡°Please!¡± I begged. ¡°You guys have not taken any rest this week. Go and have fun. I¡¯ll be fine. ¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he agreed. ¡°But I will be back before midnight.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Midnight was okay because I would have been dead by then.

 I saved someone

    Hiry POV


    I yawned for the umpteenth time today as I became bored with the therapy session with my patients who refused to pay for their sessions. All theytalked about were their personal lives and solutions to them as if I were God.


    All they had to offer were talks. They took the liberty ofing again because I would always listen to them.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Gary. You are going to be fine.¡± Itold my fifth patient, who kept talking about his wife and children. Gary was a fifty-year-old man who lost one of his legs in a factory ident, and ever since then, he had lost every bit of respect he deserved from his family. They rendered him useless, and Gary, who used to be a hardworking man, became a man who had no value to his family.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten for days, Hiry. They won¡¯t give me anything. ¡±


    I stared at the man who I thought was better than me, but after listening to his stories, I found out that there were some people I was still better than. ¡°I feel so weak, Hiry. At this rate, I might die.¡±


    ¡°You are not dying, Gary.¡± I dipped my hand inside the brown bag on my desk and took out a dor bill. ¡°Find something to eat, Gary. You¡¯ll be fine. ¡± I handed over thest $10 in my bag to him.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± Gary burst into tears, and I rushed to console him. ¡°Thank you. I should be paying you for the therapy sessions, but every time Ie, you always help me. Thank you. ¡± He joined his hands together and raised them.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Gary. ¡°You are wee.¡± I smiled at him and took his hands into mine. ¡°Go eat something.¡±


    As he was about to reply, my phone rang in my bag, and I left Gary¡¯s side to pick up the phone. I greeted my dad¡¯s specialist joyfully, but I was met with a piece of sad news. ¡°What happened to my father?I¡¯m on my way. ¡±


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Gary questioned.


    I didn¡¯t bother to reply as I rushed out of my office. Tears spilled down my face as I ran down the street. The hospital was just a few blocks from my office, which gave me an advantage as I didn¡¯t have to take a bus. As I ran towards the hospital, I thought about how my father had been with me from the beginning, ever since I lost my mother to an ident that killed her on the spot.


    When I got to the hospital, my father was covered up in white clothes and was being moved to the morgue. I rushed inside the ward and pulled the clothes off my father¡¯s body. ¡°Dad!¡± I kneeled beside him and burst into tears. My heart broke when I saw my father¡¯s pale face. His once happy face had turned into a frown, and he wasn¡¯t breathing. He was dead. My father was dead.


    ¡°Dad! You promised to stay with me! ¡± I grabbed his hand, which had grown cold, and ced it on my cheek. ¡°Why areyou, cold dad? Why? You promised to walk me down the aisle, but you left me. ¡± I cried. I couldn¡¯t believe my father was dead. I pped his bare chest, thinking he would wake up, but it was futile. ¡°Wake up, Dad!¡± I expected a movement, but all I got was a lifeless body that had stopped breathing. ¡°Dad! Stand up! ¡± I continued to p his chest, hoping that a miracle would happen.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Hills.¡± John tried to pull me away from my father¡¯s body, but I stayed glued to him. ¡°He is gone, Hiry.¡± He dragged me. ¡°Let him rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Tears continued to stream down my face as I thought of how my father had died. He died in pain and sorrow. He didn¡¯t fulfill his promise to me. Was that how people die? My father was gone, and all I had of him were the memories we shared. If I could make one wish, it would be for my father to be resurrected.


    My life would be iplete without my father because he was all I had, but Death had something else in mind for him. Death took my father away from me.


    ¡°You have to pay up your debts for you to bury him,¡± John said to me.


    Was that how people were buried? People you see every day die just like that and are buried afterward, which means you¡¯ll never see them again.


    ¡°You lied to me, John.¡± I used him because he told me my father would live for at least three months.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hills, but he was in pain and died because his body couldn¡¯t take the pain anymore. Before he died, he called your name and said he loved you. I am sorry, Hills.¡±


    I burst into tears as I couldn¡¯t hear my father¡¯sst word. I didn¡¯t listen to him speak, and losing him without talking to him for thest time hurt my heart. ¡°Dad!¡± I cried and ran out of the ward as I couldn¡¯t watch as my father was pulled away on the stretcher. I didn¡¯t know where I was running to, but I found myself on the hospital rooftop. I didn¡¯t even take the elevator but ran all twelve floors.


    I was mad at myself for not realizing that my father could die anytime. I was also angry at God for taking my father away from me. The cool breeze on the rooftop blew my braided hair as I stared at the sky. I took a deep breath and pointed to the sky. ¡°God!¡± I yelled. ¡°You are cruel and unfair.I wouldn¡¯t say I like the universe you created because people die, and it¡¯s all because of you. Why did you take everyone I love away from me? ¡± I sniffled as my nose ran down to my lips. I wiped my nose with my hand and continued yelling. ¡°Why me?¡±


    While I continued ranting, I heard a movement on the rooftop. I thought I was the only one on the rooftop, but somebody else was with me. The man stood beside me using a crutch as a supporter. I couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face, but from his bodynguage, I could tell he was muscr. The man helped himself to the rooftop¡¯s edge by sitting down and dropping his crutches. I found his movements dangerous as he sat down as if he had had three lives.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I questioned him, but he didn¡¯t reply. But instead, he shifted and was almost falling. ¡°Are you insane? What the hell are you doing, you fool?¡± I rushed to grab his right hand and tried to pull him, but he didn¡¯t budge. His hand felt as if it had no life. ¡°Why are you trying to end your life?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± he said sternly. ¡°Pretend you never saw me.¡± He said it as if he was threatening me.


    ¡°I am not going to do that.¡±


    ¡°Then watch me fall to my death.¡± He jerked his hand free from mine and tried to jump. Before he could try to jump, I grabbed his left hand.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± I shouted and held on to him. He was too strong, and I felt my hand slipping away. Tears sprung to my eyes as I thought of what would happen if another person died on my watch. The man tried to free his hand from my grip, but I didn¡¯t give up. ¡°God, I¡¯m sorry for what I said to you.I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Please help me save this man.¡± I prayed silently and pulled the man with every ounce of strength.


    I sessfully pulled him off the edge, and he fell backward andnded on top of me. ¡°Thank you, God!¡± I shouted as I was out of breath. I saved someone.


    I saved someone.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Are you enjoying this?¡± The man¡¯s husky voice brought me out of my thoughts as I had forgotten about the weight of the man on top of me. He was as heavy as arge rock.


    I pushed the man off of me, and hended beside me. ¡°I saved someone!¡± I shouted, and I pointed to the sky. ¡°Can you believe that universe? I saved someone! ¡± I closed my eyes and muttered a prayer to God. Even though I had lost my father, I was happy that I had saved a man from ending his life.


    I stood up from the ground and offered my hand for the man to take, but he refused and tried to stand on his own. That¡¯s when I noticed that something was wrong with him. ¡°You need this?¡± I offered my hand to help him, but he pped it away with his left hand. That was the second time I noticed no movement on his right hand. It was as if his right hand was dead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be selfish. I just saved you! ¡±


    ¡°I never asked for your help.¡± There goes his powerful voice again.


    ¡°Look, I know you are probably tired of living, but I¡¯m here to help you.¡± I offered my hand again, and this time, he took it, and I helped him up.


    He shook terribly as he tried to maintain his bnce. His right hand and feet were as stiff as a rock, and I didn¡¯t detect any movement from him. It was none of my business, so I didn¡¯t bother to ask him.


    Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs as I saw five huge mening to the rooftop. When they saw me, they rushed towards me and grabbed the suicide man from my hold. ¡°Hey, I saved him first.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± One of the men asked him. His voice was as powerful as the suicide man¡¯s, and he was heftier than the rest.


    ¡°I should be asking you those questions, you men in ck.¡± I retorted. ¡°This man here tried tomit suicide, and I saved him. It would help if you were thankful for that. ¡±


    ¡°What? You tried to kill yourself, Lou! What the hell is your problem? ¡± The hefty man who asked me who I questioned the suicide man angrily. ¡°You made us leave so you couldmit suicide!¡± He yelled.


    The suicidal man didn¡¯t say anything, but I saw him trembling as if he was having trouble standing. ¡°I think he needs to rest on something,¡± I said to the men. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are and don¡¯t want to know. He might owe you some money, which may lead him tomit suicide, but go easy on him,¡± I advised. ¡°He is going through a lot.¡± I pointed to his body. ¡°He needs help.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this!¡± The suicide man warned


    Hell no. I wasn¡¯t staying out of it because I saved his ass. ¡°Listen, suicide man. ¡°I saved your ass, and if you needed help after settling your bills with the people you owe,¡± I pointed to the men whose faces I couldn¡¯t see as it was too dark on the rooftop, and the only illumination was the moon. ¡°I give people therapy sessions, and most patients don¡¯t pay as they can¡¯t afford it. Juste and register, and you can pay anytime you wish. ¡± I dipped my hand into my pocket and handed over my business card, but none of them took it, so I dropped it on the ground. ¡°Go easy on him, m, or I¡¯ll be a witness if anything happens to him.¡± I walked away and started crying again when I thought about my dead father.


    He would be so proud if he heard that I saved someone from dying.

 A change of Heart

    Loukas POV


    ¡°How could you try to kill yourself, Lou? You made me leave you so you could kill yourself! ¡± Rotimi yelled angrily as he continued to rant about mymitting suicide. I didn¡¯t say a word and watched as he paced around the room. ¡°If that girl hadn¡¯te in time to save you, then you¡¯d probably be dead by now.¡±


    He was right about that. My mind went over to the girl who saved me, and I couldn¡¯t help but think about what would have happened if she hadn¡¯t kept me. Amanda would have been on top of the world and taken all my inheritance.


    Inheritance I don¡¯t care about.


    ¡°Are you even listening to what I¡¯m saying?¡± Rotimi shouted and kicked the door. ¡°That¡¯s it, Lou. I¡¯m not leaving you again. We are going to be together forever. ¡±


    ¡°Including when I need to go to the restroom?¡± I finally said something.


    Rotimi rolled his eyes and groaned out in frustration. ¡°I am increasing the security around you. Whoknows if you¡¯ll kill yourself when no one is watching?


    ¡°That would be great,¡± I responded.


    ¡°God!¡± Rotimi shouted. ¡°How can you talk like that in situations like this, Lou?¡±


    ¡°Listen, Rotimi, I¡¯m sorry I lied to you, but what¡¯s the point of living?¡± I pointed to my body. ¡°How do I survive if I¡¯m like this?¡±


    Rotimi heaved a sigh and came to sit beside me on the bed. He took my hand and ced it on his leg. ¡°You probably think you can¡¯t survive, but you¡¯ve been surviving for fourteen years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, surviving without memories of my childhood.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Lou!¡± He shouted, and I raised my brows in confusion. Why was he crying? I should be the one shouting because I am alone in this world with nothing but wealth and a paralyzed body. ¡°Listen to me,¡± he said, bringing my hand to his chest. ¡°I know you think you are alone, but I am here with you, and I am going to make sure you get better.¡±


    ¡°Can you let go of my hand?¡±


    Rotimi muttered some words under his breath and dropped my hand. ¡°I picked this up from the ground.¡± He handed over a card, which I refused to take. ¡°I believe you can get better, Lou and thisdy will be your savior.¡±


    ¡°You mean thedy who saved me?¡±


    Rotimi nodded and beckoned for me to take the card. I grabbed the card from his hand and read through it. It was the most boring card I¡¯ve ever seen. The colors used didn¡¯t blend, and the names were spelled wrong. Her name was spelled as Hiary Williams instead of Hiry. ¡°Why does this card look like a child wrote it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about how the card looks, Lou. This girl could be your breakthrough. ¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± I scoffed and threw the card at Rotimi. ¡°Just give her money aspensation for saving me, and we¡¯ll forget it ever happened.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Lou; we can¡­¡±He tried to say something, but I lowered my head and raised it again. Something I do when I feel irritated. ¡°Forget it! I don¡¯t remember you listening to me anyway. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy you know that.¡± I winked at him, and he facepalmed.


    ¡°Lou! Don¡¯t you want to get better? Forget your past and move on. ¡± Rotimi ced a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.¡± Don¡¯t you want to own up to your work? Don¡¯t you want to get married again? ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll like it if you don¡¯t discuss marriage with me again.¡± I wouldn¡¯t say I liked that word because I once thought I was in love. Ten years after my ident, I met a girl named Angelica, who I thought was my Guardian Angel. I fell in love with her because she stood by me when I needed her, and her encouragement kept me going. When we left college, I proposed to her, and we got married, but the marriage didn¡¯tst a year as I found out that Angelica was sleeping with my stepbrother, and after we separated, they got married and had a son.


    It¡¯s been four years, but the memory is still fresh in my head. Ever since that day, I wouldn¡¯t say I liked it when I heard anyone talking about couples or anything about marriage. ¡°I am sorry,¡± Rotimi apologized. ¡°I am just looking after you, bro.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯ll be fine. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you saidst month and the previous one. Let me retract that, Lou. It¡¯s what you¡¯ve been saying for years. ¡±


    ¡°I am not changing my mind,¡± I said.


    ¡°Very well, then, brother.¡± Rotimi stood up from my bed. ¡°I think it¡¯s time you slept. ¡°Tomorrow is a great day.¡±


    Tomorrow? I didn¡¯t know what was happening tomorrow.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening tomorrow?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to find out for yourself.¡± Rotimi winked at me and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Rotimi!¡± I shouted after him, but he didn¡¯t turn back.


    That¡¯s a jerk. I¡¯ll have to find out what happens tomorrow.


    I stared at the ceiling and thought of what would have happened if that girl hadn¡¯t saved me. The girl¡¯s conversation popped into my head, and I couldn¡¯t help but think about her until I fell asleep. I thought about changing and trying to get better. It could work if I embraced my fears and got proper therapy.


    Could the girl help? I thought.                            ¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã


    ¡°What is this I hear from Loukas?¡± Amanda¡¯s annoying voice woke me up from my sleep.


    ¡°Amanda, you can¡¯t go in there,¡± I heard another voice yelling inside the room. I¡¯ll recognize the voice anywhere. It belonged to Rotimi. ¡°It¡¯s eight in the morning. Lou needs his sleep.¡± ¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t stop me, Rotimi. You are just a servant and not a member of this family.¡± Amanda retorted.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°What is your problem, Amanda? I¡¯m in charge of his well-being, and I have a right to decide who sees him. ¡± Rotimi argued, and they both started yelling, not bothering to think that their noise could disturb me.


    ¡°Guys!¡± I yelled when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Their noise affected my head, and I had to ce my hands on my head to ease the pain. ¡°Stop shouting!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rotimi rushed to my side and touched my forehead. ¡°You are burning up.¡± Yes, I was. Who wouldn¡¯t have a fever if they woke up to noise and problems early in the morning?


    ¡°What are you doing here, Amanda?¡± I ignored Rotimi¡¯s question and turned to face my stepmother.


    ¡°Before I say anything, he needs to leave because I need to talk to you in private. Amanda eyed Rotimi as if he was a threat.


    ¡°Listen, Amanda; I¡¯m not leaving Loukas¡¯s side because thest time you came, he almost died,¡± Rotimi answered.


    ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he dead?¡± Amanda questioned


    Rotimi gasped beside me, but I wasn¡¯t surprised because she always talked about death around me. ¡°Are you crazy, Amanda? How dare you? ¡± Rotimi stood up from the bed and walked towards her. They both stood inches apart, and if they had been given the opportunity, they would have hurt each other.


    ¡°I am not here for you, Rotimi.¡± Amanda walked away from him. ¡°Have you signed the papers yet?¡± She questioned


    ¡°Someone almost died, and you are talking about paper. What kind of person are you? ¡± Rotimi shouted at her. I could see the veins on his neck popping out. He was furious at Amanda, and I knew I had to do something to stop the argument.


    ¡°Rotimi!¡± I called out his name. ¡°You need to calm down, and let¡¯s settle this,¡± I begged him. Another wave of a headache hit me, making my ears ring. ¡°Ahh!¡± I yelled and covered my ears.


    ¡°Loukas!¡± Rotimi rushed to my side and lifted me from the bed. Heid my head on his legs and massaged my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you babied, but I need those papers right now!¡± Amanda demanded.


    ¡°I threw the papers out. They are probably in the trash now. ¡± Rotimi answered her.


    ¡°Trash!¡± Amanda let out a scream.


    ¡°Stop screaming!¡± I shouted at her because the noise was bing unbearable. ¡°I told him to throw it out,¡± I said, and she opened her mouth in surprise.


    Yes, I ordered Rotimi to throw them out because I decided on my life after listening to Rotimi. Giving up was not going to solve anything but only bring more pain. I was willing to get better and take back all I had lost.


    ¡°How dare you go against me, you useless thing?¡± Amanda chuckled as she called me names. ¡°You said you¡¯d kill yourself and sign the papers. That¡¯s the agreement, Lou. ¡±


    Rotimi tried to say something, but I ced a hand on his leg and shook my head as a sign that he should keep quiet. ¡°I have decided to change my mind, Amanda. I am not signing the paper because I have decided to make myself known to thepany. ¡± The news caused Amanda to choke on her breath.


    She coughed, and when she recovered, she burst intoughter. I expected her to do that because she never believed I would change my mind. ¡°You!¡± She pointed at me in disgust. ¡°You can¡¯t even move properly.¡± She pointed out.


    I know that already. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to get better,¡± I said with a smile.


    I whispered to Rotimi that I was fine, and he gently ced my head on the soft pillow on my bed. ¡°Is that why you are leaving the hospital? Do you want toe to thepany? ¡±


    I looked at Rotimi, who nodded at me. He was behind my discharge because he talked about a big surprise. ¡°Yes, Amanda. I have decided to leave the hospital. ¡±


    ¡°What the hell? You are nothing, Loukas. Your brother had been working effortlessly while your paralyzed self did nothing. You have no right in thatpany. ¡±


    ¡°Enough, Amanda! I think you forget something about the actual owner of the designs and thepany. It is me, Loukas Whitemore. Everything in thatpany belongs to me! ¡± I stated that she could know her ce.


    ¡°We can talk this over, Lou,¡± she said softly. She sat on the bed and tried to touch me, but I raised my hand to stop her. ¡°Why are you changing your mind? You have hemiplegia, and you are useless without your entire body. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m notpletely useless, Amanda, and I¡¯m going to get better.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She burst intoughter and pped her hand on the bed. ¡°You already gave up on getting better. What changed you? ¡±


    ¡°Someone changed me,¡± I said, remembering the girl who had saved my life. Because she gave me a chance at living, I was ready to risk it all for her.


    ¡°Wake up from your dreams, Loukas. I¡¯m going to make sure you don¡¯t get better because my son deserves thatpany. ¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough, Amanda.¡± You may leave now. Loukas needs his rest.¡± Rotimi pointed to the door.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over. I¡¯llbe back and hope you¡¯ll havee to your senses by then. ¡± Amanda said as she stood up from the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided, Amanda.¡±


    ¡°Very well, then. Let¡¯s look at your change of mind, which I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll regret. ¡± She shouted and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that I was getting discharged from the hospital?¡± I questioned Rotimi.


    ¡°Because,¡± Rotimi paused and walked towards the room¡¯s entrance. ¡°I think¡­..¡± He tried to walk out, but I stopped him.


    ¡°Rotimi!¡± I shouted his name.


    Rotimi covered his ears and then startedughing. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you standing up to Amanda.¡± Rotimi pped his hands while I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯ve spent a long time in this hospital, and it¡¯s time to leave. I heard about you getting better. Should I call Hiry? ¡±


    My eyes almost popped out at the mention of her name. The word of her name gave me goosebumps. A girl I don¡¯t recognize is making my heart flutter like a teenager¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t call her. I was joking with Amanda. ¡±


    ¡°Oops!¡± Rotimi covered his mouth. ¡°My bad. I already called her. ¡± He announced and ran out of the room before I could say anything.


    ¡°Rotimi!¡± I shouted, but deep down, I wanted to be better and take back everything I owned.

 Whitemore Mansion

    Hiry POV


    ¡°I am sorry, Hills, but you can¡¯t bury your father unless you pay off your debts.¡± That was what John told me yesterday when I demanded my father¡¯s body.


    It¡¯s been a whole day since my father died, and when I tried to request his body so I could bury him. The hospital refused because I owed them. It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t going to pay, but I hoped they could let me take my father and bury him so he could rest in peace.


    I have been on my couch ever since, thinking of how I could make money and bury my father, but every time I spent alone was agonizing as I cried every time I remembered my father.


    Was that how people die? They die and cease to exist. Memories of them would be stuck in your head forever.


    While thinking of how to make money, I got a call from an unknown number, and when I picked it up, it changed everything. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Is this Hiry Williams?¡± The person on the call asked if


    I would maintain silence as I wasn¡¯t sure who was calling. It could be a fraudster or the loan sharks I owe. ¡°Am I talking to someone?¡± The person questioned,


    ¡°Who is asking?¡± I finally said something.


    ¡°This is Rotimi,¡± the person on the call introduced, but I didn¡¯t know any Rotimi, so I waited for what he had to say next. ¡°You may not recognize me.¡± I do not recognize him. ¡°I am calling to offer you a contract with my boss.¡±


    I hung up and inhaled and exhaled as I was too scared to say anything. What contract was he talking about? I wasn¡¯t popr enough to get a contract except¡­


    The phone rang again, and I waited five seconds before picking up the call. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Why did you hang up?¡± The person shouted, and when I tried to answer him, he said something else. ¡°Iam not a faker, alright. How do I know you are a physiotherapist? ¡± How does he know? I never gave anyone my card except the suicidal man I saved from the roof.


    Right, the man I saved. I had forgotten about him. I wondered how he was doing, but that was not my problem, as I was still trying to figure out who the caller was. ¡°You say your name is Rotimi, and you have a job for me?How do I know you are real?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t find that out on the phone.¡± Note the sarcasm. He was trying to pull off a joke, which he failed at. ¡°Meet me at the address I will send you in four days. Until then, ¡± he hung up before I could even reply. The guy was too rude for me to handle.


    My phone beeped, and I read out the message sent by the unknown man.


    ¡°Whitemore Mansion!¡± My eyes almost popped out of my sockets when I read the address. Everyone in the whole of Mecianda knows about the Whitemore family, especially the CEO, who was responsible for designing the beautiful buildings in Mecianda and worldwide. There was no other person in the country who shared a surname with the Whitemores. I was invited by the Whitemore¡¯s, which means that the person I saved from falling to his death was a member of the Whitemore¡¯s family.


    ¡°Yay!¡± I screamed and jumped on the couch. My long braided hair hit my face as I jumped on the couch. I had finally got someone who was going to help me clear my debt and bury my father.


    Please wait for a second. I stopped jumping and came down from the couch. I sat down and thought of what would happen if I got rejected or they hated me. I was freaking out about someone I hadn¡¯t even met.


    ¡°Breath, Hiry,¡± I said, inhaling and exhaling. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± I stood up from the couch and ran out of my house, not bothering to lock the door.


    I don¡¯t have any valuable things in the house anyway, except the trophy I got when I was in middle school and the only picture I had of my friend who died in an ident fourteen years ago.


    I ran to the bus station and took a ride to the hospital. When the receptionist saw me, she gave me a weird look, probably because she recognized me and knew how much money I owed thepany. ¡°You again? You are here to pay for your father¡¯s funeral?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, I came for something else,¡± I exined, and she nodded, not bothering to raise her head from theputer she was staring at.


    ¡°I need to see Mr. Whitemore.¡± Yes, I ran out of my house and took the bus to the hospital. I needed to speak to Mr. Whitemore before I met him in his mansion.


    ¡°Whitemore?¡± That caught her attention as she raised her head from theputer and red at me.


    I know. Every girl crushes on Mr. Whitemore, but I¡¯m not every girl. The guy was married to a blonde woman I had no idea of but always saw in the news how generous she was. I am not usually the one that handles it, anyway. ¡°Why are you here to see him? Are you even rted to him? Do you know who he is? ¡± Her series of questions rang in my ears, and I had to cover my ears to block out the noise.


    ¡°I have to see him.¡± It¡¯s important.


    The redheaded receptionist eyed me and then looked at herputer. ¡°Mr. Whitemore has been discharged this morning.¡± She asked,


    ¡°What?¡± But I just saved him yesterday, I thought. ¡°How and when?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me questions, youngdy. Look for a way to settle your father¡¯s bills and get him out of here. ¡± Right, she had to remind me of my dead father.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I sniffled and walked out of the hospital, not without a lone tear escaping my eyes. I wanted to bury my father so badly that I¡¯d do anything for him. I¡¯d wait five days if I had to, but I¡¯d do it if it would help me bury my father. I have to find a way to talk to myndy, who has given me a deadline.


    Four dayster,


    ¡°Get out of my house, you stupid girl.¡± I did not find a way to talk to myndy. On the morning of the deadline, she brought three hefty men into the house and threw all my stuff out.


    ¡± I just lost my father, Mrs. Peters. I¡¯ll pay up. I promise. ¡±


    ¡°And I just lost my mother,¡± Mrs. Peters replied sarcastically, even though her mother was still alive thest time I checked. She was old at eighty-nine but still alive.


    ¡°I am telling the truth, Mrs. Peters. Youcan¡¯t just throw me out!¡± I tried to object, but Mrs. Peters made the three prominent men stand in front of my door. There was no change in her mind as she was determined. ¡°Please!¡± I rushed to her to beg for two more days. By then, I would have signed the contract and requested pay. ¡°Two more days!¡± I prayed, but Mrs. Peters pushed me away and stood behind the hefty men who could crush me with the tip of their fingers.


    ¡°What about my couch and my kitchen appliances?¡± Those were the only properties I had that were worth a few dors.


    ¡°I am keeping them as coteral. If you don¡¯t pay your rent in two days, I¡¯ll sell your couch and the rest of your properties. ¡± Mrs. Peters made a threat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± I took my luggage and a few things she threw on the ground, like my best friend¡¯s portrait and my family portraits from when my mother was still alive. I picked them up, happy they were not broken and put them inside my luggage.


    I guessed I had no choice but to leave and go where?


    Well, I went to my office, but when I got there, I had another surprise. My office was locked, and I found a letter at the entrance. It was from the owner of the building.


    ¡°You are five monthste on your rent, so until you pay up, I am locking this ce up.¡± I groaned in frustration when I saw the heavy padlock on the door. The only ce I thought I could run to was also locked. Why was I so unlucky? I had no friends I could go to. Not even one ce. I was alone in the world.


    I sat at the entrance of my office and buried my head in my hand. The warm tears streamed down my face as I couldn¡¯t hold it any longer. I lost my father and got sent out of my home and office. Why was God punishing me like this? I sobbed silently with my head buried in my hand.


    I didn¡¯t know how long I had been crying, but the ringing of my phone made me wipe the tears off my face and answer the phone. My voice croaked, like how a frog would sound.


    ¡°This is Rotimi, and I¡¯m reminding you of the contract.¡±


    My face brightened when I remembered I had an appointment with Dr. Whitemore. It was my breakthrough. ¡°I am on my way, sir,¡± I told him and hung up on the phone. ¡°Yes!¡± I wiped my eyes again and stood up off the ground.


    I dragged my luggage behind me and walked into the street. The first taxi I saw had passengers, so I had to wait for five minutes before another taxi passed. Please don¡¯t me the drivers. me me for getting an office in an isted area because of the pay. ¡°Where to miss?¡± A taxi finally arrived.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Whitemore Mansion.¡±


    ¡°That would be ten dors.¡±


    Ten dors for just a car ride? I didn¡¯t say anything and just entered the taxi.


    The driver drove out of the isted area, and we soon entered the most significant part of the city, where the rich live. The area was filled with skyscrapers and fancy billboards with different celebrities on each one we passed. The driver drove out of the main road and arrived at the front of a gigantic ck gate. ¡°We are here, miss.¡±


    ¡°This is the Whitemore mansion?¡± I questioned


    ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°Here it is,¡± the driver said, pointing to the name engraved on the massive gate.


    ¡°The Whitemore Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful. Last I heard, the owner doesn¡¯t stay in the house. They say it belongs to a ghost. ¡± The driver whispered in low tones, which I found creepy.


    It sent shivers down my spine, making me wonder if I would see a ghost.


    I gave him the fare for riding in his car and got out of the vehicle.


    ¡°Be careful. The ghost story could be true! ¡± The driver shouted and drove away, shaking me from my head down to my toes.


    I heaved a deep sigh and walked to the front of the gate. I couldn¡¯t see anyone guarding the entrance. I was met with pure silence. I took my phone from my pocket and tried calling Rotimi, but before I could, the gate opened for me to enter.


    Could a ghost indeed be in the house? I guessed I would have to find out. I walked into the gate and marveled at therge building in front of me. It was a three-story mansion that was beautifully designed. There were beautiful trees nted around the mansion and arge field of grass. I noticed corridors on each floor and an elevator at the center of the building.


    What is an elevator doing in a three-story building? Rich people do know how to waste money. There was no one around, as it seemed empty, but as I got to the front door entrance, the door creaked open, making my heart jump for a sec.


    What if the driver was telling the truth about the ghost story? What if they truly exist?


    ¡°Wee, Miss Hiry.¡± A sturdy ck man wearing an all-white outfit appeared in front of me.


    The ghost is real. My luggage and Myjaw dropped as I ced my hands on both my cheeks and let out a scream. There was a ghost in the Whitemore Mansion.

 The Argument

    Hiry¡¯s POV


    An actual ghost was standing in front of me, which meant the ghost story was real, and the only people I knew to wear all-white outfits were ghosts.


    The ghost tried to touch me, but I moved backward and tripped over my luggage. To cut the story short, Inded on my butt.


    ¡°Miss Hiry, are you alright?¡± The ghost asked me.


    The ghost could talk. I haven¡¯t seen Ghost Talk except in movies and novels, and they are not actual ghosts. ¡°You¡­¡± I pointed to the ghost. ¡°How are you talking right now?¡± I questioned the ghost.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Rotimi. I called you a few hours ago. ¡± Rotimi was a ghost. I¡¯ve been talking to a spirit.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± I eximed and covered my mouth. ¡°You are a ghost!¡±


    Rotimi narrowed his eyes but didn¡¯t say anything. He offered his hand for me to take, and when I refused, he bent to my level and grabbed my hand. ¡°Can a ghost do this?¡± I noticed his hand didn¡¯t go through my writing, which meant he was not a ghost.


    Why did I mistake him for a ghost? I have gone crazy thinking that a living person was a ghost.


    ¡°You are not a ghost.¡± I smiled and took his hand, and he helped me up from the ground.


    ¡°What with the luggage?¡± He pointed to my luggage thaty on the ground.


    ¡°Erm, about the luggage,¡± I scratched my chin before picking up the luggage from the ground. ¡°Can we talk about this inside?¡± I pointed inside the mansion.


    ¡°Very well then, my boss awaits you.¡± He stepped to one side and beckoned for me to enter the mansion.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said as I walked into the mansion. If the outside was beautiful, then the inside was unexinable. We stepped into a lobby with a grand staircase, and the fantastic thing about the grand staircase was how it was built. It was beautifully designed like a triangle. You could either climb the stairs from the left side, the right side, or even the center. The walls were made like an aquarium, and small ornamental fish swam happily.


    It was something I had never seen before. How could anyone waste money on aquariums? I believed that he must be a sea lover.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Rotimi said, leading me to a door that turned out to be an elevator. The elevator was also inside a three-story building. How amazing, I thought as we entered the elevator.


    ¡°This elevator belongs to the boss.¡± He doesn¡¯t like it when other people use it. ¡± Rotimi informed me.


    ¡°Then why are we riding it?¡± I questioned


    ¡°Because you are a guest.¡± He answered and pointed to the elevator doors that were starting to open. ¡°We are here,¡± he announced.


    I walked out of the elevator with my luggage behind me. The first floor had arge living room, but every item, including the couches, was covered in white clothes.


    Is it just me, or does that sound like a ghost thing? I hoped it was not what I was thinking. If Rotimi turns out to be a ghost, I¡¯ll be damned. The walls were also built as an aquarium, just like the ground floor, and small fish swam freely on the walls. ¡°Follow me,¡± Rotimi said, walking to the left side of the room and opening a door made of silver. Actual silver.


    Although the mansion was built like a royal castle, I noticed it was missing the warmth everyone¡¯s home needed. It¡¯s empty and looks like an abandoned haunted mansion. ¡°Sir, she is here,¡± Rotimi announced as we entered a room that turned out to be an office. It was arge office, but just like the living room, everything was covered in white, except the ss desk chair behind and at the front of the desk.


    The chair behind the desk was turned towards the opposite side, but I could see the head of a person, and I could tell it was the boss. ¡°Have a seat, Miss Hiry.¡± Rotimi offered me the chair at the front of the desk, and I sat on it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± My eyes wandered to the books on the desk, which belonged to the same author, Gerald Olsen. He was a famous author known for writing horror stories, which means my client was a horror lover.


    I wouldn¡¯t say I like anything rted to horror. They make my skin crawl, and I could have a heart attack if I watched anything rted to horror.


    ¡°Do what you need to do, Rotimi.¡± The voice behind the desk sounded harsh and stern. It sounds like he was someone with a big problem.


    ¡°I am not doing anything until you turn, Lou,¡± Rotimi answered the man behind the desk.


    The man behind the desk groaned in frustration and turned around to face me. I was blown away by his beautiful face. From his sharp jawline to his piercing hazel eyes and his beautiful blonde hair that reached his brows, He looked somehow familiar, but I didn¡¯t remember when or how I met him.


    My eyes widened when I realized that I had met him in the hospital when my father was still alive.


    ¡°Anything theproblem, Miss Hiry?¡± Rotimi questioned.


    There is a huge problem, and that problem is the cute man in front of me. His lips were full, and when he bit his lower lips, I shifted in my chair. ¡°There is a problem.¡± I inhaled and exhaled to catch my breath because I almost lost it while staring at the piece of art in front of me. He was perfectly made and bore a resemnce to the Greek god Ares. Just my thought, though.


    ¡°She is not whom I expected.¡± The pretty man said.


    ¡°What?¡± That was not a nice word to speak to the person who saved him from death. He might be handsome, but I could punch him, and no one would question me. ¡°Not what you were expecting,¡± I scoffed as I adjusted myself in my seat. The man red at me, and I returned the look. I grinned at him. ¡°Maybe you need your sses or something.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it was her who saved me that night?¡± He questioned,


    ¡°What?¡± I shouted and mmed my hand on the table. He should be happy that I saved him. If not, he would have been nothing but dead.¡±You have an eye problem?¡± I waved my hands in his face, but he pped them away.


    ¡°Take your hands away,¡± his voice was loud and deep, prompting me to smile and sit down. ¡°Have you told her everything she needed to know?¡± The man asked yet another question.


    ¡°Just a preview. Lou, you do the talking. ¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Rotimi?¡±The man said through gritted teeth.¡± I sensed an anger problem.


    They didn¡¯t say anything but stared at each other as if they were having a conversation in their heads.


    I cleared my throat, and they both turned to look at me. ¡°May I say something?¡± I raised my hand.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Rotimi urged me.


    I crossed my legs and adjusted myself again. ¡°I know what I¡¯m about to say might sound rude.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t say anything.¡± Lou, or whatever his name was, interrupted me.


    I heaved a deep sigh and pinched my nose before I continued. ¡°Mr. Whitemore, with all due respect, I saved you from falling to your death. You should be thankful. ¡±


    ¡°I never asked you.¡±


    What an ingrate!


    I chuckled. ¡°If not for me, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation.¡±You would have been dead. ¡± I demonstrated this by closing my eyes and pretending I was finished. When I opened them, I could feel Lou¡¯s piercing hazel eyes on me.


    ¡°That was a great demonstration, Hiry, but it was stupid.¡± He hit the table with his finger and burst into fakeughter. ¡°Listen to me, faker!¡± He was used, and I gasped in shock.


    ¡°Lou! That was out of line. ¡± Rotimi told him, but instead of listening to him, he went on.


    ¡°You are nothing because your business card looks like a child¡¯s. Are you even real? ¡±


    ¡°How dare you question my validity? Does my card look like a child made it? ¡± I shouted and stood up from the chair. Rotimi chuckled beside me, and I raised my head and frowned. I wondered why he wasughing when Loukas was insulting me.


    ¡°If it¡¯s money you want, I¡¯ll give you since you think you are great because you saved me.¡±


    It was a great offer as I could bury my father with the money, but taking such money was like selling myself and would prove everything he said about me.


    ¡°You are an ingrate!¡± I pointed an using finger at him. He looked taken back and tried to say something, but I shut him up. ¡°I am not a fake, and you are not what I expected.¡± I lied because he was everything a woman could ever want. ¡°I have to admit that I need the money, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here, but you, Mr. Whitemore, have no right to question me because,¡± I paused and moved closer to him. We were so close that I could smell his cologne. ¡°I¡¯m your only chance at getting better, and since you¡¯ve decided to ridicule me, I guess you can find me when you¡¯re ready!¡± I smiled at myself and turned to face Rotimi. ¡°Find me when this egotistical man hase to his senses, but I have one piece of advice for you, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I closed my eyes as I thought of my dead father. ¡°Try to get better, and you¡¯ll know that surviving is a gift.¡± I clicked my tongue and walked out of the office.


    ¡°Hiry, Wait!¡± Rotimi called after me, but I didn¡¯t turn back as I angrily dragged my luggage behind me and entered the elevator. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand went through the middle, and I shouted in fright. ¡°Miss Hiry,¡± Rotimi called.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I came to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Why? ¡°You are not the one at fault,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I know. I apologize for Loukas¡¯s behavior. He doesn¡¯t get along with people. ¡±


    So Loukas was the handsome man¡¯s name, I thought.


    ¡°You are a therapist. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve dealt with crazy patients just like Loukas. ¡±


    Iughed when he called his boss crazy. You are right, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ming back unless he apologizes.


    ¡°Please,¡± Rotimi said, grabbing my hand. ¡°He needs help.¡± I¡¯lldo whatever you want. I pay four times the amount.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, and he nodded. ¡°All right. Here is what I want. ¡± I began to tell him about what I needed.


    He was surprised when I said it all.¡°Until then, I¡¯ll be in the city park,¡± I said as I exited the elevator.


    ¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã


    Loukas POV


    I already told Rotimi that bringing the girl who saved me into my home was a bad idea. Getting a therapist to help with my problem was a great idea because I wanted to get better, but I was scared of trusting anyone again.


    When the girl arrived at the mansion, I watched her through the CCTV camera. I couldn¡¯t see her face the night she saved me, but seeing her through the CCTV, I was surprised to see how fragile she looked. She had great height, a slim body, and curves in the right ces. I continued to stare at her until she entered the mansion after discussing it with Rotimi.


    I wasn¡¯t snooping around, but it was my house, and I had eyes everywhere. When they got to my office and Rotimi introduced her to me, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her fantastic mnin skin and dark brown eyes. She was pretty with her round face and perfectly shaped eyebrows, but her presence annoyed me.


    If not for her, none of us would be together to talk about me getting better. I would have died.


    ¡°That was not cool, Lou. The girl wanted to help. ¡± Rotimi shouted at me.


    ¡°I never wanted her to help Rotimi. Itwas all your idea. ¡± I answered back.


    Don¡¯t you want to get better? You told Amanda you were going to get better. How will you do that when you push your only option away? ¡±


    ¡°Stop talking like that, Rotimi. Sheis not the only therapist in the world. She is not even famous. ¡±


    Rotimi raised his brows and red hard at me. ¡°You are making a mistake, Lou.¡±


    I tried to argue, ¡°Iam not,¡± and I never won.


    ¡°This girl helped you, so you should be grateful.¡± Rotimi reminded. Heheaded towards the door and opened it.


    ¡°Where are you going, Rotimi?¡±


    ¡°To call the girl back.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Because you need to apologize to her for saying all those annoying words.¡± He stated. ¡°She needed the money to bury her father, Lou. You just insulted her and tried to make her feel that what she was doing doesn¡¯t matter! ¡±


    ¡°But she has a sharp tongue, Lou! She talked back to me. ¡±


    Rotimiughed and winked at me. That¡¯s the kind of girl I want around you. She will be able to tame you and also help you! ¡± He said and turned to leave. ¡°I should go!¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I shouted after him. ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± I told him, and he rolled his eyes. For the first time since my ident, I decided to give myself a chance to improve. ¡°Let¡¯s go after her!¡±

 Miles Walker

    Hiry POV


    How dare he say that to me? He didn¡¯t even thank me for saving his life. I had no idea where I was going to, but ever since I left the house angry, I had been walking to God¡¯s known where. It was when I was far away from the mansion that I realized that I had left my phone on Loukas¡¯s desk. I must have gotten pretty angry to have forgotten it on his desk.


    Night came, and I was still on the road, dragging my luggage behind me. My hands and feet felt numb as the cold night breeze blew harshly on my skin. I wasn¡¯t even wearing proper clothes when I left the Whitemore mansion. I had on a sleeveless yellow dress, which was a bad idea. The sky was also void of the moon, and as if the night couldn¡¯t get any worse, thunder rumbled in the sky. It felt as if the whole universe was against me.


    After walking for almost three hours, I stopped when I got to a park. Just like myself, a few homeless people wereying around in the park. There was no spot for me to even spend the night as it was overcrowded and the stench oozing from the homeless people was enough to cause a nose blockage.


    ¡°Yo!¡± A ck man waved at her and pointed beside him. ¡°There is a spot here.¡± He beckoned for me toe. My eyes traveled from the man¡¯s head down to his clothes. He didn¡¯t seem like a homeless man as his afro hair was perfectlybed and his clothes looked like what an average man would wear.


    What was he doing here?


    I positioned my luggage beside the wall and sat beside the man. The cologne from his clothes was enough for me to look at him again. The street light in the park shone on us, and I found myself staring at him. He had bulging shoulders, and when he smiled, his perfect dimples showed. ¡°Why are you here?¡± I didn¡¯t realize this when I said my thoughts aloud. I quickly covered my mouth and bowed my head in apology. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry.¡±


    ¡°What am I doing here?¡± The manpleted the word. Even his tone was posh. ¡°I am running away from my mistake.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I guessed I heard that wrong.


    ¡°I am Miles. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Did he just ask me my name? Was this the story about how two homeless people meet, fall in love and have children? I shook my head at the idea of that. Stop acting stupid, ¡°I pped myself on the back of the head.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Miles questioned me.


    I nodded and turned to the other side and whispered to myself. ¡°You are stupid!¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am Hiry.¡±


    Miles smiled and, believe me when I say, I drooled when I saw his perfect dimples. It¡¯s nice to meet you. He said to me and offered his hand for me to take.


    I took his hand and it was the softest hand I¡¯ve ever touched. ¡°Same here,¡± My face turned red and I quickly averted my eyes.


    ¡°Your hand is trembling,¡± he observed. What a gentleman! Miles pulled off the leather jacket he wore and draped it over my shoulders. ¡°What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you catch a cold?¡±


    ¡°A heartless gentleman,¡± I wanted to say, but instead I thanked him. Miles and I talked about ourselves until my eyes couldn¡¯t keep themselves open. I fell asleep with my head on Miles¡¯ shoulder. It was a good sleep until¡­


    The deafening screams of both a man and a woman woke me up from my great slumber. Three men with armed guns walked into the park and began to wake everyone up as if they were searching for someone. I nudged him on the shoulder as he had also fallen asleep. ¡°Miles,¡± I whispered, and he fluttered open.


    ¡°Shits,¡± he cursed when he saw the armed men. ¡°We need to leave!¡± He grabbed my hand and pulled me open. ¡°Cover your face,¡± he ordered in a stern tone.


    Where did that sweet voice disappear to?


    There were about five homeless people before us, and when we stood up, the armed men saw us and headed towards us. ¡°Now!¡± Miles grabbed my hand while I grabbed my luggage, and we both started running.


    I was running to where I had no idea. Why were they after Miles? Was he in the mafia? Was he a drug lord? The only friend I had ever made turned out to be a bad guy. How could this day get any better?


    Miles and I continued running until we reached the road. It was silent as only a few cars were passing. While we were trying to cross, the handle of my luggage broke, sending my luggage crashing to the ground. Miles didn¡¯t see that as a problem, as he tried to make me cross. ¡°No, I refused.¡± I have to get my luggage. ¡±


    ¡°Leave the luggage.¡± Those men are after me since they¡¯ve seen you with me. They¡¯lle after you. We need to cross over to the other side. ¡± He dragged my hand, but I refused. I wasn¡¯t going to leave the luggage my father bought for me. I yanked my hand from his and rushed toward my luggage.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± Miles yelled. ¡°Leave the luggage!¡±


    How dare he control me? I¡¯d only met him for like an hour and he was already giving orders. ¡°You can leave if you want, but I am not leaving without my luggage and I have no idea of whom we are running from.¡± I pointed out and started fixing the handle of my luggage.


    Miles muttered a few words and tried to run, but stopped when he heard the gunshot. ¡°Oh no!¡± He rushed towards me and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Wait, my luggage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± a shot was fired, and I closed my eyes. When I looked at Miles, he didn¡¯t look fine. My hand went over to his back, and that¡¯s when I felt the warm liquid on my hand. Miles had been shot, and he was falling to the ground.


    ¡°Miles!¡± I shouted his name as his hand left mine and he fell to the ground. ¡°Miles!¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Miles managed to say.


    ¡°No, I am not leaving you.¡± I refused to leave him when I was just him. I hate to see people dying. When they are close to death, they¡¯ll start saying things they didn¡¯t mean. ¡°I am not leaving you, Miles. You are going to help me if you want to survive this night. ¡± I told him.


    ¡°You know you are bossy right now,¡± Milesmented. How could he say that when he was close to his death?


    ¡°I am going to help you up and we are going to make a run for it.¡± I looked behind us and saw that the men were a few steps away from us. ¡°Please, don¡¯t let us die tonight.¡± I prayed and wished Rotimi could appear because he had promised to look for me.


    Miles nodded, and with my help, he was able to stand up. I ced one of his hands on my shoulder while his other hand was ced on his back. ¡°Now we run!¡± I shouted and crossed to the other side, leaving my luggage behind.


    Bye, bye, luggage.


    The men shouted after us and started shooting from behind us. I made sure we dodged the bullet because I wasn¡¯t ready to die yet. When we were safely on the other side of the road, I began to wave at any of the passing cars I could see. The armed men were trying to cross over to us, but fortunately for us, a car stopped for us, and Miles and I both rushed into the car. When I saw the familiar faces, I eximed, ¡°Than¡­ Rotimi!¡± My eyes couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Loukas, who was in the seat beside us, cleared his throat and ordered Rotimi to drive as the men were already gaining on us. ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°The question for you, Miss Hiry, should be, what are you doing with Miles Walker?¡± Loukas questioned.


    ¡°Miles Walker?¡± I looked at the man whose head was ced on my shoulder and his eyes closed. ¡°Wait, is he dead? Miles! ¡± I shouted his name, but he didn¡¯t move. ¡°Miles! Is he dead? I shook him vigorously, and he responded by groaning out in pain.


    I heaved a sigh when I found out that he was still alive. I thought I asked you a question a few seconds ago, Hiry. ¡°There goes Loukas¡¯s stern tone yet again.¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    How dare he use that tone on me after what he did?


    ¡°Loukas,¡± Rotimi came to my aid like always. ¡°You promised to be nice.¡±


    ¡°I am being nice right now, but she is with Miles Walker.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is Miles Walker?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Crown prince of the Wesnd kingdom,¡± Rotimi answered from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°He had been dered missing for days.¡±


    ¡°But he is a homeless man.¡± How could he be the prince of a popr kingdom? I thought.


    Loukas scoffed while Rotimi burst intoughter. Why were theyughing? ¡°You think he is a homeless man? You are such a daft girl, Hiry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± I retorted. ¡°How did you even find me?¡±


    It¡¯s all my fault that you left. I found you. ¡± Rotimi answered.


    ¡°But how?¡±


    Let¡¯s talk about thatter. Miles Walker¡¯s blood is starting to smell like decayed meat. ¡± Loukas scrunched his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± I argued. Miles¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t pleasant, but it didn¡¯t smell like decayed meat.


    ¡°Stop arguing. I¡¯ll stop in front of a hospital. ¡± Rotimi offered.


    ¡°No!¡± I refused, and both men stared at me. ¡°Eyes on the road!¡± I shouted at Rotimi, who turned his head to look at me. ¡°We can¡¯t. Miles, ¡°I looked at the man whose hand was still on my shoulder and groaning in pain. ¡°Those men mighte after him.¡±


    ¡°Where should we take him to then?¡± Loukas questioned.


    Why was he asking me that? He has a mansion where Miles would be perfectly safe. ¡°Let¡¯s take him to your mansion,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Hell no!¡±


    I bit my lip as those words escaped from my mouth. I shouldn¡¯t be the one saying that. He was the one who was supposed to apologize to me, not the other way round. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have said that.


    Loukas heaved a sigh and tried to say something, but Rotimi beat him to it. ¡°We¡¯ll take him to the mansion.¡± He agreed.


    ¡°What? Rotimi, are you crazy? ¡± Loukas shouted, but Rotimi only replied by clearing his throat.


    ¡°My eyes are on the road,¡± Rotimi said, and I chuckled.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Whitemore.¡± I gritted my teeth and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    The rest of the ride was in silence, and when we got to the mansion, Rotimi rushed out to help Loukas into the mansion, and he came back for Miles, whose face had turned pale. Rotimi rushed into the mansion and took Miles into a room. Rotimi led me into the room and Miles walker on the bed and walked out of the room. I thought he had left me alone to deal with Miles until he came back with a first aid kit. ¡°This should help him.¡± Rotimi handed the first aid kit to me.


    ¡°Why are you giving me this?¡±


    Rotimi pointed to Miles and himself. ¡°He is Miles Walker, and I am just Rotimi. If he dies, it should be on your head, not mine. ¡±


    ¡°What? I thought you were on my side. ¡±


    Rotimi shook his head. ¡°In this type of situation, you are on your own.¡± He turned to walk out of the room. ¡°One more thing, I am sorry about Loukas¡¯s attitude towards you today.


    Why does he keep apologizing to me? ¡°He should be the one saying that.¡± I said.


    ¡°Right. We are going to talk about it once you are done with him. ¡± He pointed to Miles and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I shouted. ¡°Even if I applied first aid to Mile¡¯s wound, he was still going to be in danger.¡± For crying out loud, I was a physiotherapist, not a doctor. ¡°Please call a doctor. I can¡¯t do much.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll do that, but make sure Miles Walker doesn¡¯t die in this mansion, or Loukas will have our heads and, after that, the Royal family will also have our heads.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many heads,¡± I joked.


    ¡°Nice joke, but it¡¯s the truth.¡± He answered and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Help me, God,¡± I prayed silently as I closed my eyes. I opened the first aid kit, bought scissors, and began my job as an impromptu doctor.

 I鈥檓 sorry

    Hry POV


    I heaved a sigh as I covered up Miles walker with a nket. I ruffled my hair and sat on my bed while I stared into his face. He was sound asleep and moaning every few seconds, but he sounded fine. It was my first time removing a bullet and since Rotimi and Loukas refused to help, I had no choice because I didn¡¯t want our heads to be cut off by the Royal family. ¡°Thank goodness you are fine,¡± I said, standing up from the bed. After losing my father, I hated to see people dying around me. It¡¯s made me remember my father and the memories we shared.


    Losing a loved one is the hardest thing in life.


    After making sure that Miles¡¯ walker was fine, I stood up and walked out of my room. I took the stairs and headed towards the office. Trying to be rude after what Loukas put me through, I entered his office without knocking and found him arguing with Rotimi. ¡°She is here, so do the needful!¡± Rotimi pointed towards me and turned to leave.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you stay here with us?¡± Loukas questioned. ¡°What the hell is your problem?¡±


    Rotimi scoffed and pointed a finger at me. ¡°I¡¯ll stay and watch you apologize to her because it¡¯s the best you could after what you did to her!¡± Rotimi is used.


    Loukas heaved a sigh and nodded in response. I looked from Rotimi to Loukas and shrugged my shoulder, having no idea what both of them were discussing. ¡°What are you both saying?¡± I shouted and took my seat opposite Loukas. I grinned at him and mmed my hand on the table. ¡°Exin!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me!¡± Loukas yelled at me, but I wasn¡¯t the type to back down, so I replied to him.


    ¡°You are also yelling at me!¡± I yelled back, and we both started arguing. He called me a dumbo, and I called him a fool.


    Rotimi paced around the room and yelled for us to stop. When we didn¡¯t, he grabbed one of Loukas¡¯ flower vases and threw it against the door. It made a loud crashing noise, causing Loukas and I to stop talking, and we both looked towards him. ¡°Shut up, you two!¡± He yelled. ¡°Can¡¯t you both go without arguing?¡±


    ¡°Did you just break my favorite vase?¡± Loukas shouted and balled his left hand into a fist. He mmed it on the table and shouted yet again.


    I jumped out of my seat and covered my ears, unable to keep up with his yelling. ¡°Why are you crying over a vase?¡± I folded my arms together and chuckled.


    Rotimi looked at me and startedughing. I joined him, and we both mocked Loukas, who looked like he was about to murder someone. ¡°Why are you bothughing?¡± He said.


    ¡°Rotimi and I exchanged looks once again and startedughing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± Loukas mmed his hand on the table. ¡°I bought that vase for ten thousand dors!¡± He said, and heaved a sigh.


    Ten thousand dors? I thought and looked towards the ruined vase that was on the ground. ¡°You bought an ordinary vase for ten thousand dors?¡± I asked him.


    Instead of replying, Loukas crossed his legs and scoffed. ¡°You think I¡¯m lying?¡± He asked and adjusted his shirt. When I didn¡¯t answer, he scoffed and tapped his fingers on the table. ¡°Rotimi just broke a vase that means so much to me!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even care if I break any vases because you haven¡¯t stared at them for years,¡± Rotimi pointed out.


    Loukas chuckled and ced a finger on his forehead. ¡°You might think that I don¡¯t remember how I got it, but it was that cold evening five years ago when Amanda visited me. I had¡­..¡± He hesitated and looked towards me. He cleared his throat and, within a few seconds, he changed the topic, as if he was hiding something. ¡°You don¡¯t need to listen to all of that and that¡¯s not even why we are here,¡± he stated and cleared his throat yet again.


    I understood that he didn¡¯t want me to know about Amanda, who could have been his mistress or girlfriend. I didn¡¯t care about any of that because being a therapist had made me learn how to mind my business. ¡°This reason why we are here is because of what you did, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°Refresh my memory, Miss Hiry,¡± Loukas said, frowning.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what we talked about, Loukas,¡± Rotimi approached him and whispered in his ears. The eyes widened at what Rotimi had said. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.


    ¡°Miss Hiry,¡± Loukas called, and I sat down across from him with my legs crossed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, raising my brows to hear what he had to say next. ¡°You have something you need to say to Mr. Whitemore,¡± I reminded him when he seemed like he wasn¡¯t ready to say anything yet.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have behaved that way towards you.¡± Loukas tapped his hands on the table and heaved a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said through gritted teeth.


    I rolled my eyes and scoffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you, Mr. Whitemore. Your words sounded like they were being forced. ¡± I grinned and tapped my fingers on the table. ¡°If you are apologizing, you might as well do it well,¡± I told him.


    Loukas groaned out in frustration and mmed his hand on the table. ¡°Are youining, Mr. Whitemore?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just apologize to Loukas and let¡¯s end this here?¡± Rotimi begged.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Loukas said, looking at me with those beautiful hazel eyes, and I looked back. I could stare at his beautiful eyes for days. There was something enchanting about it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized. This time around, he sounded like he meant it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your father too,¡± he said.


    I looked away from him and looked towards Rotimi. He was the only one I told about my father. Rotimi smiled at me and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve made a call to the hospital and the debt has been cleared.¡± ¡°You can bury your father tomorrow,¡± he stated.


    My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I heard what he said. ¡°Really?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t repeat words twice, Miss Hiry,¡± Loukas answered.


    I rolled my eyes at his attitude, but I couldn¡¯t hate him at that moment. I smiled at him and jumped out of the chair happily. I rushed towards Rotimi and hugged him. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one you should be thanking,¡± Rotimi said and pointed towards Loukas, who had his eyes up staring at nothing but the beautiful chandelier. I chuckled at his foolishness and headed towards him. I grabbed his left hand and he was caught unnoticed.


    ¡°What¡­ are you?¡± I didn¡¯t let him finish as I hugged him.


    ¡°Thank you so much for this!¡± I sniffled and hugged him pretty tight.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± He inquired and attempted to push me away with his left hand, but I hugged him even tighter. I can¡¯t breathe! Are you going to kill your patient? ¡± He said and pushed me away.


    I let go of him andughed. ¡°Thank you so much for this, sir!¡± I vowed in my head. ¡°I am going to make sure you get better, sir!¡± I promise to make sure you stand up and walk with your legs in six months! I am going to..¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Loukas said, ¡°Stop promising me further promises. You are going to make me better in six months, you say? ¡± Loukas scoffed. ¡°Professional physiotherapists did their best in the past, but nothing worked. You think you can change that? ¡± He asked.


    I heaved a sigh and nodded in response. Although Loukas doesn¡¯t believe in me yet, I wanted to show him that he could get better, and although I had never treated a patient with hemiplegia before, I knew that I could treat him and make him get better. Loukas was an egotistical man who thought that shutting people off from his life was going to make him stronger, but he got it all wrong. I believed that if he could believe in himself, he was going to get better, and I believed in that. I believed that he could get better if he believed in himself and stopped doubting the things that he could.


    ¡°I am going to make sure you get better, sir,¡± I promised him, and ced a hand on my chest. ¡°Just follow my lead and you will see how everything will turn out!¡±


    ¡°I believe in you, Hiry,¡± Rotimi shouted and gave me a thumbs up.


    I smiled back at him and gave him a big smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you say to this, Loukas?¡± Rotimi asked the devil himself. Don¡¯t you want to get better? If you are fine, then I can live my life, ¡°Rotimiughed, but I knew deep down that he wanted to be free. He wanted to live his life after making sure that Loukas was fine.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not the one stopping you from having your life, Rotimi,¡± Loukas said softly. ¡°I told you years ago that you were free to live your life as you wish, but you refused.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving your side until you get better, Lou!¡± Rotimi dered.


    ¡°Me too, sir!¡± I shouted. ¡°Until you are better, this girl isn¡¯t going to leave your side.¡± I ced my hand on my chest.


    Loukas ruffled his hair and nodded in response. ¡°Thank you both for your support and I..,.¡±


    I chuckled, and all eyes turned on me. Loukas red at me with his usual stern look. If only looks could kill, then I would be buried right now. ¡°You are actually thanking us right now, Mr. Whitemore?¡± I asked.


    Rotimiughed and fist bumped me. He tutted and walked closer to Loukas. He ced a hand on his shoulder and pressed it gently. ¡°Lou,¡± he shouted. ¡°I must have underestimated you a lot.¡±


    ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Loukas shouted at him and pushed his hands off his shoulder.¡±I¡¯m trying to be a nice boss to my employee,¡± he stated, but I knew that wasn¡¯t the truth. Deep down, Loukas was a nice man, and I knew he was hurting. I looked towards him, and I realized that he had his hazel eyes fixed on mine. We both stared at each other as if we were the only ones in the room.


    ¡°Once Hiry¡¯s father is buried and Miles Walker is fine, then we start the therapy,¡± he stated without looking away from me.


    I scratched my neck and looked away from him. ¡°Thanks once again for your help,¡± I vowed in my head.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Loukas scoffed and nodded in response. ¡°Whatever you do,¡± he paused and looked at Rotimi.


    I dreaded what he was about to say. He had this powerful look that made it hard for me to make eye contact with him. ¡°Don¡¯t let Miles Walker die in my house,¡± he warned, but it didn¡¯t end there. ¡°If he dies in my house, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to turn you over to the police and you, my dear,¡± he tutted and tapped the desk with his fingers. ¡°You are going to spend years in prison and I¡¯m not going to do anything about it.¡±


    I chuckled and folded my hands together. I had no idea that he wanted to say that. I had thought he wanted to fire me. I bowed my head and nodded in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Whitemore, Miles will not die because I patched him well,¡± I said as I bowed my head for thest time. ¡°I should go check up on him right now since I¡¯m responsible for him. I emphasized the word ¡°responsible¡± and walked out of his office. I squealed as soon as I got out of his office. I jumped andughed. ¡°Yes!¡± I said and walked down the stairs with a smile on my face.


    I was finally going to bury my father.

 Is he Bipolar

    Hiry POV


    ¡°Dad!¡± I sniffled as I stood in front of my father¡¯s grave with lilies in my hand. It was my father¡¯s favorite flower when he was alive. As I dropped the lilies on his grave, tears pooled out of my eyes and I knelt in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t get to walk me down the aisle!¡± I wiped the tears off my face but they wouldn¡¯t stop pooling out. ¡°you shouldn¡¯t have died yet Father,¡± I bite my lips as Imented about my father¡¯s death. If he were to be alive, he would have given his word of encouragement like he always does.


    ¡°Your time wille, Hiry,¡± Those were my father¡¯sst words to me. If I had known that he would die soon, I would have spent a lot of time with him.


    ¡°Everything is going to be alright,¡± Loukas said as he was wheeled towards me by Rotimi. They had paid for everything and I was grateful that they could help me even though Loukas still acted like a dick, I could never forget what he did for me. ¡°Your father is proud of you,¡± Loukas ced his hands on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. ¡°You are a strong girl,¡± he stated.


    I nodded in response and turned to face him. Without thinking about the consequences, I hugged Loukas as if my life depended on it. He didn¡¯t push me away instead he ced his hands around my waist. ¡°I am never going to forget what you did for me today,¡± I told him and hugged him pretty tight.


    Loukas didn¡¯t say anything and only nodded in response. His touch was soothing and I didn¡¯t want to leave his arms but I knew that he was trying so hard to hide his difort. Loukas wasn¡¯t one to hide his emotions or pretend to be fine to prove you right. The time I spent with him made me realize that he has a caring heart.


    I let go of him and bowed my head in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologize. ¡°I let my emotions get the best of me,¡± I told him and stood up. ¡°Thank you to Rotimi,¡± I tried to hug him but Loukas started coughing as if he was under attack. I had to turn to face him and checked what was wrong. ¡°Are you alright Mr. Whitemore?¡± I asked him.


    He raised his hands and cleared his throat. ¡°I am fine. If you are done, we could leave,¡± he said. ¡°Remember we left Miles Walker all alone in my house,¡± he reminded me about Miles who still hasn¡¯t woken up. We had left him in the care of a doctor Loukas trusted.


    I nodded in response and looked at my father¡¯s grave again before walking away with Loukas who was wheeled by Rotimi. ¡°You are going to be fine,¡± Rotimi assured me and I nodded in response. It was all I could do at that moment. My father was gone forever and I was never seeing him again. Although my heart bled because of that, I wished that he finds eternal rest with God.


    After Rotimi helped Loukas into the car, I sat beside him and lowered my head avoiding his gaze. I had almost made a fool out of myself when I hugged and cried in Loukas¡¯s arms. He was going to be patient and there was going to be a lot of touching but I was shy to be around him because I found him attractive. His presence makes my body reacts as if I was in shock. Being together in the car with him was suffocating enough and I had to shift to the other side of the door hoping to escape from him but I couldn¡¯t because I was stuck with him forever. Rotimi started the car and I heaved a sigh as he drove out of the cemetery.


    Goodbye father, I¡¯ll visit again.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked and I nodded my head refusing to look at him. His voice does things to me and it took all the power in me not to raise my head and look at him. Loukas Whitemore was a man that caused my heart to beat faster than the usual pace. It must be a normal infatuation, I thought but I knew it was far from the truth.


    ¡°Since you are okay, let¡¯s discuss the therapy sessions and how to go about it,¡± he stated and I nodded in response. ¡°I have a schedule that I already drafted out yesterday and since this is a business deal, mywyer had prepared the contract which you will sign once we get home. ¡± Loukas informed me and handed over his smartphone to me with his left hand. ¡°The contract is also there,¡± he said and turned to the other side.


    I cleared my throat as I began to read his routines on how the therapy would go. ¡°What the hell sir?¡± I cussed as I read through the contract and his stupid routine. ¡°you want me to follow your routine?¡± I asked him and he nodded in response. I had thought he had changed but he hasn¡¯t because he was still the narcissistic man that he was.


    ¡°Even though I already apologized to you Miss Hiry, I still don¡¯t trust you!¡± He stated and turned to face me.


    ¡°Are you bipr?¡± I asked him and he red at me as if he wanted to strangle me. He blinked and I also did the same thing. If it was a blinkingpetition then I was ready to continue it with him.


    ¡°Do I seems bipr?¡± he asked and I shrugged my shoulder. ¡°Are you even a real therapist?¡± He asked and I rolled my eyes. There he goes again asking me clear questions.


    ¡°Mr. Whitemore,¡± I said, through gritted teeth. ¡°With all due respect, sir, I already made myself clear yesterday. Iam a physiotherapist and I am going to make you better.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say, but I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Loukas, you promised to be nice,¡± Rotimi said from the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Stay out of this Rotimi. I¡¯m the boss here and I¡¯m asking a question that determines my safety!¡± He said and continued his stupid questions. ¡°So tell me Miss Hiry, are you a real therapist?¡±


    ¡°What else do you want me to say? I thought you¡¯d epted my terms when you apologized yesterday!¡±


    ¡°I only apologize,¡± he raised his voice. ¡°I did that because I wanted to give myself a chance!¡±


    ¡°Then let me do my job as a therapist instead of you questioning me!¡± I shouted back at him.


    ¡°You heard thedy Lou. Let her do her job,¡± Rotimi shouted from the driver¡¯s seat.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe her because no real therapist would ask his patient if he was bipr,¡± Loukas refused to back down and continue the argument.


    I rolled my eyes at him and facepalmed myself. I shifted closer to him and when our face was an inch closer, I smiled at him and shoved his phone in his hand. ¡°I am not going with your routine, Mr. Whitemore. I am the therapist here!¡± I dered.


    ¡°And I am the boss! I am the one paying your bills and if you want me to believe you are not a fake then ept my terms!¡± He retorted.


    Believe me? What the hell was wrong with this man? I know people have their problems, but it didn¡¯t give him the right to judge me. ¡°Why are you talking like this, sir? Youdon¡¯t even know me.¡± I frowned at him.


    ¡°I know you enough by your lies.¡± He smirked at me.


    ¡°Lies? I have never lied to you. ¡±


    ¡°You humans,¡± he shouted. What does he even mean by ¡®you humans¡¯? Was he a non-human? ¡°You are vile creatures with manipting and cruel attitudes.¡± I could almost see the veins on his neck popping out as he continued shouting.


    Was his brain affected in the ident too?


    I heaved a sigh and touched Rotimi on the shoulder. ¡°what is wrong with him?¡± I asked Rotimi.


    ¡°This is not something that can be discussed inside the car,¡± Rotimi answered and turned his head and smiled at me, and just then, he hit something and I was pushed towards Loukas. My forehead met with his forehead and I winced in pain. When Rotimi tried to get control of the car again and moved sideways, I was pushed forward into Loukas¡¯s arms and our lips met.


    My eyes widened when I realized what just happened. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Rotimi asked without turning his head to avoid any collision again. None of us replied to him as my lips were still on Loukas¡¯s until he pushed me away. ¡°Get out of my face!¡± He shouted at me.


    I was pushed towards the car door and cried out in pain when my head made contact with the door. ¡°Ouch,¡± I rubbed my head. I cleared my throat and tried to seat better but I made a mistake in turning my head towards Loukas. He stared back at me with fire in his eyes. His left hand was clenched and if looks could kill then Loukas would have murdered me with his eyes.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen,¡± he stated and cleared his throat.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Rotimi asked but none of us answered him.


    I lowered my head and bite my lips in shame. My hand went over to my chest as heat traveled around my body until it reached my face. I had kissed Loukas even though it was idental but the few seconds that my lips were on his felt like a wonderful moment. His lips were soft and I wanted to kiss him more just to have a taste of his lips again.


    I pped my forehead and groaned out in frustration. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you Hiry?¡± I muttered under my breath but Loukas heard me and he gave me an answer I never expected.


    ¡°Now I know that you are one crazy therapist!¡± Loukas tutted and cleared his throat. I tried to reply to him but he bought out an earphone from his pocket and ced it inside his ears.


    I bite my lips and folded my arms together.


    Is he Bipr? I questioned myself yet again.

 Thoughts

    Loukas POV


    A kiss on my lips since a long time ago. Even though the kiss was idental, I liked the taste of her lips, and don¡¯t me a man like me. Having a paralyzed body and a cheating wife would make you do things that you are not expected to do. I am incapable of love, but what I felt for Hiry was just mere lust that my body reacted to.


    It wasn¡¯t going to happen again because I was going to make sure that it didn¡¯t. The rest of the drive was in silence and as Rotimi drove into the mansion, I heaved a sigh and turned to face her. Surprisingly, she was staring back at me. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± I frowned at her.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she corrected herself and looked away.


    Her face makes me remember my ex-wife, and seeing her seated beside me made me think about my ex-wife. I thought she was the world to me, but she had gone behind my back with my stepbrother. Because of her, I almost lost the chance of ever walking again, but now that I¡¯ve decided to try therapy again, I¡¯m going to make sure they pay for everything they did to me. ¡°We are here!¡± Rotimi announced and came out of the car. He brought out the wheelchair and helped me on top of it. Hiry also joined in pushing me toward the mansion. I noticed a few guards in ck suits and a ck limousine parked in front of the mansion.


    ¡°Is this some men dressed in ck shits?¡± Hiry asked as she pushed me forward.


    ¡°This is some saving the prince sh*t,¡± I answered and pointed inside the house. ¡°Miles is¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t allow me to finish as she rushed into the house. She didn¡¯t even know what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell her that Miles¡¯ bodyguards were probably around, but she just had to run inside and act foolishly. ¡°Don¡¯t me her Lou, the girl is just checking on everyone,¡± Rotimi exined why Hiry ran into the building as if I didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Good riddance to bad garbage,¡± I said as I was pushed inside, clicking my tongue and sighing. When I entered, Miles¡¯s walker was seated on an unfamiliar chair that I knew didn¡¯t belong to me and a ss table I¡¯d never seen in my entire life. He was seatedfortably with a guard behind him and was eating from the dish in front of him.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Is he your husband?¡± Miles asked Hiry, who stood in front of him, and just as she was about to answer him, Miles beat her to it. ¡°How dare you let your woman roam around the street!¡± He mmed his hand on the table.


    My eyes widened, and I turned to face Hiry and frowned at her. She smiled at me and scratched her back. ¡°Miles, it¡¯s not what you are thinking,¡± Hiry said, and instead of continuing, she looked toward me. ¡°Mr. Whitemore is¡­¡±


    ¡°You let your wife call you Mr. Whitemore!¡± He shouted and tutted. ¡°Now you sound like an asshole,¡± he pointed out and dropped the fork in his hands. He stood up and walked towards me. ¡°Mr. Whitemore, you should learn how to care for your wife and¡­¡±


    I scoffed and gripped the handle of the wheelchair. I red at Hiry, who did all she could to avoid my gaze. ¡°This is my home, Prince Miles,¡± I pointed around. ¡°You should be thankful that I let you stay here instead of letting you die on the streets!¡± I shouted at him.


    Miles cleared his throat and then startedughing. He pointed towards Hiry. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you saving me, but I remember her. Your beautiful wife saved me.¡±


    My wife? Hiry was far from being my wife. Why couldn¡¯t he get read the freaking room and understand that I wasn¡¯t married to Hiry? Rotimi, who was supposed toe to my rescue, pretended he wasn¡¯t there. He was also enjoying watching Miles as he tortured me with his words. ¡°Prince Miles!¡± I shouted his name and he turned back to face me. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a kingdom to rule, given that you¡¯re sitting here doing nothing?¡± I said through gritted teeth and gripped the wheelchair handle a little tighter.


    ¡°I was already on my way, but I needed to eat,¡± Miles said, ignoring me and continuing to speak to Hiry. ¡°The doctor I meant here told me that you¡¯ve already done everything before his arrival! I must thank you for that, ¡°he said.


    I tried to sound as polite as I could, but I hated it when other people invaded my privacy. It gets me pissed off. If not for Rotimi and the therapy I needed from Hiry, I wouldn¡¯t have let anyone into my house.


    Miles grinned at me. ¡°You sound like a man who needs attention,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m already leaving. Hiry, If you ever needed my help, ¡°he paused and pped his hands. His bodyguard appeared beside him and handed over a card to Hiry. ¡°You could always call me!¡± He ced a hand on her shoulder, and I hated that he ced his hand on her shoulder. It made my blood boil. I¡¯m not supposed to feel that because I believed that I wasn¡¯t attracted to Hiry. I was only getting mad because Miles was whispering in her ears.


    They could be talking about me, I thought as I watched them. Hiryughed when Miles whispered into her ears, and I frowned at theirmunication with one another. I tried shifting on the wheelchair and almost fell off. Rotimi was quick to help me. ¡°Are you okay, sir?¡± He asked, and all eyes turned on me.


    ¡°Mr. Whitemore!¡± Hiry rushed towards me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked.


    Instead of answering her, I stared at her lips as she spoke, blocking the voices from my head. I wanted to taste her lips again. Call it greed or lust, but I wanted her lips. ¡°Mr. Whitemore,¡± she said, waving her hands in my face, and I grabbed it and pped it away. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked.


    I ignored her and looked toward Miles. ¡°When are you leaving Prince Miles?¡± I asked. Miles walked towards me and grabbed my left hand as if he knew that I was paralyzed. I cast a re at Hiry, angry that she had spilled out my secrets, but Miles¡¯ next word changed it all. ¡°I used to have a little sister with hemiplegia, so I observed you when you were wheeled in,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, your highness,¡± I said as I pushed his hand away, and he burst outughing.


    ¡°I hope to meet you again once you are better,¡± he stated. ¡°I should be leaving now,¡± he announced to Hiry and Rotimi. ¡°Thanks for saving my life and amodating me.¡±


    Why was he thanking them? I thought. I had saved his life, and instead of being thankful to me too, he chose to ignore me and walked towards the entrance of the mansion. ¡°Mr. Whitemore!¡± He shouted my name.


    I wondered why he had called my name. Miles Walker wasn¡¯t someone that I was ready to get acquainted with. ¡°My little sister is now a fashion model because she believed in herself that she was going to walk again. The next I want to see you, make sure you are walking.¡± He continued after I thought he was done. ¡°That¡¯s an order, Mr. Whitemore. For amodating me into your home, this is all that I can say to you,¡± he finally acknowledged me. ¡°Take care of your wife,¡± he added and walked out.


    ¡°She is not my wife!¡±I shouted after him, but he was already gone. ¡°What gave a dumbo prince the impression you were my wife?¡± I asked Hiry, who stood beside me.


    ¡°Perhaps I should call the prince back and you could ask him?¡± There she goes again with her sarcastic reply. ¡°If there is nothing else, Mr. Whitemore, I¡¯d like to clean up this ce.¡± She pointed to where Miles had eaten on a chair and table that didn¡¯t belong to me. I believed the prince had left the chair and table because he had the money to throw around.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Call me Loukas.¡± I hated that she had to call me Mr. Whitemore because it sounded like I was an old man.


    Hiry¡¯s eyes widened and then grew into a smile. ¡°Alright, Loukas,¡± she bowed. ¡°Thank you for helping out today with my father¡¯s burial!¡±


    I nodded in response and didn¡¯t say anything more. Instead, I said, ¡°Make sure youe to my office this evening so we can finalize the contract!¡± I informed her, and she nodded in response. She bowed to Rotimi and then turned to leave.


    ¡°Great to see that you¡¯ve improved and have started epting people!¡± Rotimi pointed out, but I ignored him as if I didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Keep ignoring me, Loukas.  It¡¯s the truth! ¡± And I ignored him yet again.


    He wheeled me into my office and helped me to my chair. Rotimi had been by my side for a long time, and I couldn¡¯t wait for the time toe when I would be able to walk by myself. Rotimi noticed the papers on my desk and stared at them. He picked it up from my desk and eximed. ¡°Wow!¡± He smiled. ¡°Your drawings are amazing, Lou,¡± he pointed out, and I nodded in response. ¡°When did you start drawing this?¡± He asked.


    It was a drawing of a new hotel I nned on the building once I¡¯d gotten thepany back from Caleb. ¡°I started when Hiry saved my life,¡± I exined. Don¡¯t get me wrong, but I want everything that has been taken away from me back and I stopped talking as my phone beeped in my pocket.


    Rotimi noticed and urged me to check what was happening. I pulled my phone from my left pocket and exchanged looks with Rotimi when I saw a message on the screen. I swiped my phone to the left and read out the message.


    ¡°I gave you a chance to sign your rights away, but you¡¯ve refused. Now, Caleb has taken over, and the board of directors has agreed to it. There is nothing you can do about it again, Loukas. Announce to everyone that you¡¯ve given up thepany next weekend at the grand opening of Caleb¡¯s hotel.


    My hand shook terribly as I read the message from Amanda. The phone dropped from my hand and shattered into pieces. ¡°Loukas!¡± Rotimi rushed to my side. I turned to face him and then I smiled. ¡°Loukas!¡± He called my name yet again, and Iughed.


    ¡°That despicable witch! After all, I have done for her and her son, They continue to disregard me and betray me! ¡± I chuckled and gripped Rotimi¡¯s arm. ¡°Where did I go wrong?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°We can still resolve this,¡± Rotimi said to me. ¡°It¡¯s yourpany and we can¡¯t still fight back for it with thew.¡±


    ¡°No! I refuse to be a loser who begs just to be saved. This is why I need to stand on my feet. ¡± I stated, and just then, Hiry walked into my office. ¡°How long did you say it would take for me to be okay?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I only¡­.¡±


    ¡°I need to know!¡± I shouted at her.


    ¡°Loukas, calm down,¡± Rotimi held my left hand, but I ignored him.


    ¡°Tell me when Hiry When I¡¯m going to be fine. ¡± I asked her yet again. This time, I asked in a softer tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to make sure you are fine in six months,¡± she assured me, and it was all I needed to hear. ¡°If you agree with my routine, then I can..,¡±


    ¡°I agree to everything. Let¡¯s start tomorrow,¡± I told her, and she nodded in response.


    ¡°Thanks for agreeing to it, but first, I need a room I can turn into an office, and also, your living room needs to be redecorated. It will help with the therapy. ¡± She stated


    I frowned at that idea, but I had no option but to nod my head in response. I was going to get better and was ready to do anything to achieve that and get back at those who had wronged me.

 First day of Therapy

    Hiry POV


    I facepalmed myself for the umpteenth time as Loukas disagreed with my choice of exercise for him. Ever since we started therapy that morning, he had been against everything that I was doing. ¡°Can¡¯t you massage my legs without caressing them?¡±


    ¡°Loukas!¡± I turned to face Rotimi, who was moving the equipment needed for the therapy with three other men. After signing the contract a day before, he gave me one of his empty rooms and, within a few hours, it was remodeled into a physiotherapy room. Loukas made sure everything was made avable, including a mini ss desk, a leather chair for me, and a brown couch that fit his height in case we decided to have a discussion, which I knew was never going to happen. While Rotimi and the men were bringing in the equipment, Loukas and I began his muscle exercise, but he disagreed anytime I tried to help him move his hand.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to let me raise your right hand?¡± I asked Loukas, who pped my hand when I tried to touch him again. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Looking at you cussing around your patient! You are supposed to be patient around me, not cuss me! ¡± Loukas frowned and looked towards Rotimi. ¡°Rotimi is here to help me lift my hands now. Just give him instructions to do it! ¡±


    I ruffled my hair and let out a frustrated groan. Loukas was the first and worst patient I have ever treated in my entire life. ¡°I am the therapist here and I get to make the decisions about you, not Rotimi!¡± I yelled and took a deep breath, trying so hard to push down another scream that was trying to escape my throat.


    ¡°Let Hiry continue whatever you two are doing! I¡¯m not going to interfere,¡± Rotimi said to Loukas and walked outside before Loukas could call after him.


    ¡°So, shall we continue?¡± I asked him as I moved closer to him and tried to touch his right hand, but he pped my hand away yet again. ¡°Why are you so annoying?¡± I said softly and sat in front of him. ¡°If this is going to work, then you need to trust me, Loukas,¡±  I told him.


    He eyed me suspiciously and stared at my hands. I wondered if he saw something bad in my hands that made him not want me to touch him. I forced augh and stretched my hands. ¡°Is anything the problem?¡± I asked him.


    He frowned and nodded in response. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked him.


    He pointed to my hand and then pointed to the door beside my desk, which was the washroom. ¡°Go wash your hands before you touch me and make sure you sanitize them in case of germs,¡± he pointed out and gestured for me to stand up. ¡°Go,¡± he mouthed.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I scoffed and ruffled my hair yet again. I bit my lip to control my anger as I stood up like he ordered and walked into the washroom. When I was inside, I screamed out his name and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I imagined him as the one in the mirror and punched it hard, but it didn¡¯t break. I washed my hands as instructed by my impossible patient, and when I was done, I dried them and then walked out. When I walked back into him, I saw him talking with Rotimi, and I knew something had happened when I saw the stoic look on his face.


    I walked towards them and cleared my throat. Rotimi turned to face me and stood up. Unlike Loukas, whose face was always squeezed, Rotimi had a friendly smile on his face. ¡°You may continue doing what you were doing before,¡± he said as he walked away, pointing to Loukas.


    That was awkward, I thought as I turned to face Loukas. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s your business with that?¡± He asked me


    I joined my hands together and smiled. ¡°Because I am your therapist, remember?¡± I pointed at myself. ¡°I am supposed to know everything that is happening with you, Loukas!¡± I pointed out


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± he said in a stern tone and pointed to his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a muscle exercise to do?¡± He reminded me and cleared his throat. I nodded in response and moved closer to him. As I raised his right hand, I felt a surge of electricity rush through me, and I quickly dropped his hand. ¡°What the hell?¡± He shouted at me. ¡°Do your job properly, Hiry!¡±


    I apologized and lifted his hand again. I stretched his hand to the right side, and after a few seconds, I stretched it to the left side. ¡°This will help trigger and send messages to your brain if you repeat it every day. Since your left brain was affected in the ident,¡± I stopped when I heard him clearing his throat. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just do your thing,¡± he said and closed his eyes. I kneeled beside him and continued stretching his right hand. When I stretched his hand to the left side, I took the time to stare at his brows. They were perfectly shaped and full. He had beautiful eyes, unlike his personality, which stink and made him seem pretty annoying. ¡°So doing this every day will help awaken your brain,¡± I exined to him as I continued stretching his hand. ¡°Sooner orter, you¡¯ll be able to move your hand yourself!¡± I tried to strike up a conversation, but he didn¡¯t bother replying to anything I said. Other patients I have treated in the past made the therapy interesting as we engaged in conversations, but that was not the case with Loukas.


    ¡°Do you understand everything that I¡¯ve said?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Does it seem like I¡¯m not listening?¡± his fluttered open and met mine. We both stared at each other like we were the only ones in the room. Loukas leaned closer to me while I leaned backward.


    I wondered what he was trying to do as he pulled me closer to himself with his left hand. I held onto his right hand as I fell into his arms. ¡°You¡¯ve been touching me for quite a while now. Are we going to exercise only my hands?¡± He asked as he stared into my eyes. I visibly gulped as his left hand touched my face and his fingers trailed down to my lips. My heartbeat quickened as I thought that he was about to kiss me. ¡°You can try to kiss me, but you can¡¯t even do your therapy well!¡±


    Kiss? I shouted in my head. How could he bring up the kissing incident at that moment? I thought. He didn¡¯t only bring up the kiss but also questioned my therapy skills. ¡°What.,¡­¡± I pped his hand away and dropped his right hand on the couch beside him. ¡°You are the one making this therapy look as if I¡¯m forcing you?¡± I retorted and tried to stand up, but he held me in his arms pretty tight. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Listen up Hiry! I¡¯ve spent thousands of dors for this therapy, not for you to stretch my hand for an hour as if it would make my hand better the next day, ¡°he stated, and when I tried to wriggle out of his arms, he held me tighter. ¡°Do your job as my therapist and we won¡¯t have any problems with Hiry!¡± And then he finally lets me go. ¡°Since today is the first day, I¡¯ll let it go, but the next therapy session won¡¯t be like this again, I hope?¡± He asked.


    How did he expect me to answer that question when he was the impossible one? I stood up and heaved a sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to question my therapy skills. I¡¯d treated a paralysis patient before, and thanks to me, she could talk again, ¡°I boasted to him. I expected him to be impressed, but instead, he rolled his eyes and scoffed.


    I didn¡¯t ask you that, Hiry. I don¡¯t care if you wake the dead from the grave! All I¡¯m concerned about is making this therapy work so that I¡¯ll be on my feet in six months. ¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t work out in six months if you keep ming me instead of questioning your narcissistic self!¡± I didn¡¯t yell at him, but my voice was loud enough to echo down the hallway. I tried as much as possible not to yell at him, but there was something inside of me waiting to snap and attack him, but I didn¡¯t want that for either of us. ¡°Muscle exercise is one of the effective methods of helping a hemiplegic patient, and if you would let me do my job then..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the only one paying the bills,¡± he had to remind me. ¡°You are here to help me not to question Hiry, and I can easily rece you if you think you are really important.¡±


    Don¡¯t listen to him, I whispered to myself. His words made tears well up in my eyes, but I blinked them away because I was not going to cry in front of him. I closed my eyes and sniffled. Then I looked at him with a forceful smile on my face. ¡°I apologize, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I said, and he raised his brows in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± he warned in a serious tone.


    ¡°You are my boss, and although I¡¯m staying in your home, I have to be respectful and follow your rules. I sincerely apologize for that, ¡°I told him and stretched forth my hand for him to take.¡± ¡°Before this therapy ends today, let¡¯s take a walk outside this building,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± He scoffed as he stared at me. ¡°Taking a walk when you know that I can¡¯t walk!¡± Yet again, he shouted at me, but I wasn¡¯t bothered by that. I walked away from him and pointed to the wheeled walker Rotimi had unboxed. I told him, ¡°This is going to help you,¡± and pushed the wheeled walker toward him. ¡°This will also help your muscles, and in time, you¡¯ll be able to do without it!¡± I exined how the wheeled walker works, and when I helped him up and ced his hand on the walker, he didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Just push it forward,¡± I instructed him.


    He stared at me for a while before he followed my instructions. He walked back and forth three times before we finally headed out of the room. Fortunately, he was able to use the wheeled walker perfectly, and even as we walked into the elevator, he didn¡¯t need my help with pushing the walker. When we got out, I inhaled the scent of the air. ¡°It¡¯s so cool to be outside!¡± I said and smiled at him.


    He stared at me for a while before pointing forward where there were two chairs. ¡°I can¡¯t stand for long,¡± he pointed out.


    Oh! I almost forgot that he couldn¡¯t stand up for long. I walked towards him and helped him walk toward the chairs. The chairs were ced under a tree and looked abandoned like they hadn¡¯t been used for years. When I had helped Loukas get seated, I sat beside him and we just stared at one another without saying anything.


    First therapy over without losing my head.

 Feelings I can鈥檛 control

    Loukas POV


    When I heard Rotimi mention an invitation that had been delivered to my door, I felt a surge of rage rush through me. I felt the need to punch something or even someone, most especially my step-mother. I pictured her face and frowned as I thought about punching her. My stepfamily had the audacity to send me an invitation to the grand opening of the hotel I designed, drew, and even paid for. They cast me aside because they thought that I was useless, but I was going to make them pay. I was going to make them have a taste of how unbearable they¡¯ve made life.


    Hiry, on the other hand, did everything she could to make the therapy work, but I found ws in everything she did. I was acting like an asshole because I didn¡¯t trust her yet.


    I barely trust anyone.


    My mood changed when she took me for a walk outside the mansion. It was the first time I ever stepped outside to take a look at the clear skies. I don¡¯t remember thest time I sat on the chairs under the tree. ¡°The breeze smells fresh!¡± She eximed beside me and turned to me with a smile on her face. Her smile sent my heart racing, but then my ex-wife¡¯s face appeared in my head and I quickly averted my eyes from hers.


    ¡°What are you even saying?¡± I asked, referring to the breeze. There was nothing about the breeze that made her smile as if she had aplished her goal. To me, sitting under the tree was a waste of time.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the breeze fresh?¡± She asked, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Why are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡±


    ¡°Rolling your eyes,¡± she sighed, pointing to my eyes. ¡°You sound like your entire life was boring,¡± she eximed as she adjusted her seat. cing her head against the tree, she closed her eyes. ¡°What were you like before the ident?¡±


    I stared at her face down to get her lips. We¡¯ve only kissed once, by mistake, and ever since then, I¡¯ve wanted more from her. I wanted to kiss her lips yet again until we were both out of breath. My hand longed to touch her face, and I stretched my hand to touch her beautiful face, but her eyes fluttered open and she pouted. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I cleared my throat and pulled back my hand. ¡°Nothing,¡± I replied, turning away. ¡°Why do you want to know about my past?¡± I ced my hand on the wheel walker and pushed it back and forward. ¡°My past is off limits, Hry because it¡¯s filled with anguish, pain, distress, and sadness,¡± If she could have noticed, there was a hint of sadness in my tone. If only she could have noticed that. ¡°I don¡¯t have a memory of my childhood or how the ident happened! I¡¯m d because I don¡¯t need to know about my past. ¡±


    ¡°What about your parents?¡± Yet another question I was trying so hard to avoid. I turned to face her with my ring eyes, hoping that she would see it and understand that I didn¡¯t want to talk about my parents, but she asked another question again. ¡°Did your memories of your parents disappear too?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said, clenching my left fists.¡± Asking questions that I don¡¯t want to answer,¡± I said through gritted teeth. I said, ¡°Just do your job as my therapist rather than asking questions that are off limits, Hiry.¡± I clicked my tongue and tried to stand up with the wheel walker¡¯s support, but I lost my bnce and almost fell, but Hiry jumped to her feet and helped me. Her tiny arms were wrapped around my waist and the connection of our skin together sent another spark throughout my body. I haven¡¯t felt like this in years and I had thought that I wouldn¡¯t be affected by her, but I was. I stared at her like a sex-starved man.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked, with her arms still wrapped around my waist. ¡°Do you want to go inside?¡± She asked.


    Still staring at her without blinking an eye, I leaned closer to her and she closed her eyes, thinking that I was going to kiss her. I had that in mind, but not yet. Instead of kissing her, I removed a leaf from her head. It must have fallen off when she ced her head against the wall. I could feel her heart beat as my hand brushed her chest. I told her, ¡°There is a leaf on your head,¡± and I leaned backwards.


    Hiry opened her eyes and cleared her throat. ¡°Right,¡± sheughed. ¡°A leaf on my head,¡± sheughed again, touching her head.


    Was she enjoying this? I thought as I stared at her, confused by her action. Why was she acting like she didn¡¯t feel the sexual tension between us? I frowned at her and pointed towards the mansion. ¡°Take me back inside,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Right,¡± she said as she assisted me in putting my right hand on the wheel walker and pushing it forward.¡± Pushing it forward yourself would also help you regain movement in your right hand,¡± I cleared my throat as her hand encircled my waist.


    ¡°Is there a reason why your hand is on my waist?¡± I liked that her hand was around my waist, but I didn¡¯t like how it made me feel.


    It made me feel as if I had never touched a woman before, which was entirely not a lie, because the woman I had ever been with was my ex-wife, and ever since we broke up four years ago, I haven¡¯t touched any woman, so it¡¯s normal that my body would react to her touch. I¡¯m only human, and as a man, I had my needs.


    ¡°I was trying to help you push the walker faster, but if you don¡¯t want it, that¡¯s fine,¡± she said as she removed her hand, which I regretted. Now, I wanted her hands around my waist.


    ¡°Doing this everyday would help you, Loukas,¡± She pped her hands as we made our way into the mansion. ¡°How do you feel today?¡± She asked as we headed into the elevator.


    How do I feel? That was a tricky question because I had no idea how to answer it. Having her around me made me feel like I should be able to walk the next day. But if Hiry was looking for an answer like happy or delightful, I didn¡¯t feel any of that. ¡°How do you feel, huh?¡± She nudged me on the shoulder.


    Yet another skin connection. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again, ¡°I warned her.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°As your therapist, I just wanted to know how you felt after everything that had happened today. It¡¯s your first therapist, so¡­ ¡± She joined her hands together and smiled at me.


    I wished I could smile like her.


    ¡°The therapist was okay.¡± That was all I responded with. The elevator doors opened and she walked me to my office.


    ¡°Hey Rotimi, you are here!¡± She was the first to notice Rotimi, who was seated at the front of my desk. In his hand was his phone, and the way he scrolled through it, one would think that he had a quarrel with someone.


    ¡°I saw you two heading outside a while ago, and I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. How was therapy? ¡°he ced his phone in his pocket.


    I didn¡¯t respond as I pushed the wheel walker towards my chair and, with Rotimi¡¯s help, I sat down. ¡°So?¡± Rotimi looked from me to Hiry.


    ¡°Loukas said it was nice therapy,¡± Hiry answered.


    Rotimi¡¯s eyes widened and he burst into a smile. ¡°Amazing!¡± he pped her hands. ¡°Great to hear. It¡¯s your first day, Lou, and you are already enjoying yourself! ¡± That was a stupid thing to say. Rotimi always finds a way to say things that don¡¯t fit into the conversation. How does he expect me to enjoy myself when I have faced torture? Hiry¡¯s touch made me feel things, and it was hard to control my inner emotions.


    None of us said a word for thirty seconds as we all stared at one another. When it had turned to a staringpetition, I cleared my throat to end the silent torture and pointed outside my office. ¡°You may go to Hiry. You have a lot of unboxing to do,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Right,¡± she said with a p of her hands and a smile at Rotimi. ¡°See youter,¡± she said again in front of me.


    She didn¡¯t even wave at me when I was her boss. She only waved at Rotimi, I thought over and over again. I frowned at her as she bowed her head to me and left the office. ¡°You¡¯ll get older if you continue frowning,¡± Loukas said. Rotimi sat in front of me and bought out his phone. He stretched it towards me and I grabbed it. ¡°It¡¯s all over the news,¡± Loukas said. ¡°The merger between yourpany and Alit Construction Group has been finalized! ¡± He announced


    I frowned as I read through the news headline. ¡°CEO Caleb Whitemore had signed a multi-billion dor deal with Alit after their merging.¡± I chuckled and gripped the phone in my hand. ¡°How dare they do that to me!¡± I screamed and threw the phone in my hand toward the wall. ¡°I may be paralyzed, but I¡¯ve spent years nning that hotel and now they tossed me aside!¡± I shouted and pushed the files on the desk to the ground. ¡°After all, I have done!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Lou! It¡¯s not toote to change your mind and win the board of directors over. ¡±


    ¡°Won them over?¡± I scoffed. ¡°No one knows me, Rotimi! I¡¯m practically a ghost and that was why Amanda took it as a chance against me. ¡°I ced a hand on my beating chest and inhaled deeply. ¡°I am not going to let them win. I¡¯ll reveal their scheme at the g party! I¡¯ll make them pay! ¡± I yelled and mmed my hand on the table. ¡°They are going to regret this!¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do, Lou?¡± Rotimi sounded concerned. ¡°I hate to see you like this,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°I am going to take everything back,¡± I dered and mmed my hand on the desk over and over again. ¡°I¡¯m going to take back what they stole from me!¡± That wasn¡¯t a mere deration because I was going to find any possible means of making them pay. ¡°They¡¯ll regret everything,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll give them ast chance at the g night. Let¡¯s see if they¡¯ll ept my offer. ¡°

 Therapy went wrong

    Hiry POV


    ¡°Rise and shine!¡± I shouted as I burst into Loukas¡¯s room unannounced. His room seemed too dark than the devil¡¯s soul. I wondered if he made it like that. It was so hard to find the switch, and when I did, and the light came on, I realized that everything about Loukas was a mystery. There was nothing homey about his room. Everything inside his room was dark, from his curtain to his bed covers. Even his desk was dark. ¡°Rise and shine!¡± I repeated and pped my hands. Loukas ced one of his many pillows on his head and groaned out in frustration.


    ¡°Why are you in my room?¡± Loukas yelled and slowly rose from the bed. ¡°Why!¡± He threw one of the pillows at me, but I dodged it and instead the pillow hit thempstand beside the bed. Themp fell, and when I tried to pick it up from the ground, Loukas threw another pillow at me and I got hit on the head. ¡°Leave!¡± His voice grew louder.


    Iughed out loud and picked up the pillows from the ground.¡± I¡¯m sorry to bother you, your highness.¡± I gave him a fake bow. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to bother you this early morning, but ording to our routine, you are an hourte! ¡± I pointed out and gently ced the pillow on the table. I leaned closer to him and pointed to my wristwatch, which signified the time. ¡°We have a lot to do today, sir, and I don¡¯t want you on the bed if we are going to recover.¡±


    Loukas visibly gulped as he stared into my eyes. He rubbed his face and gripped my shoulder, pulling me closer to himself. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Get,¡± he paused and gripped my shoulder a little bit tighter, but I didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, I ced my hand on his and smiled at him. ¡°Get out of my room right now!¡± He yelled at me and pushed me backwards, but instead I ended up losing my bnce where I stood and fell on top of him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Oh my, I thought and ced my hand on my mouth. My face was buried in his neck and his left hand was around my waist. Faling on top of him made me realize that he was barely wearing anything except for the briefs he had on. I just made a fool of myself yet again. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him, and just as he was about to say something, the door burst open and Rotimi walked into the room.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Rotimi cleared his throat. With his left hand, Loukas forcefully pushed me off him. I fell andnded on the floor. ¡°Are you okay?¡±Rotimi rushed to my side and helped me up.


    I smiled at him, but I didn¡¯t face him. I was too embarrassed to do it. I had totally made a fool out of myself. I believed Rotimi would have a bad impression of us since he saw us together. ¡°Get her out of my room right now!¡± Loukas sneered and threw pillows at me. ¡°I want her out!¡± He yelled and continued throwing things, including hismp.


    Rotimi grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. When we were outside, he folded his arms and cleared his throat. ¡°Is there something I should know?¡± He made a hand gesture for me to say something.


    I bit my lip and lowered my head. ¡°There is nothing for me to say to Rotimi.¡±


    Rotimi ced a hand on my shoulder and heaved a sigh. ¡°I know you are Loukas¡¯s therapist, but he had set his boundaries in his contract. You are not allowed in his room, which means you¡¯ve broken one of his rules! ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but he¡¯s already an hourte for our routine, and I did everything I could to wake him up, but he ignored me,¡± he said. I tried to exin myself, but I knew I had made a mistake in going into Loukas¡¯s room. ¡°I¡¯ve made a mistake and I apologize for that,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Rotimi sighed as he patted my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll say that to Loukas once he is dressed and ready for today¡¯s therapy,¡± Rotimi said to me and walked into Loukas¡¯s room, leaving me all alone in the corridor. I ruffled my braided hair and took a deep breath. When I released it, I walked away and headed into the therapy room. I sat on my chair and tried to forget what happened between Loukas and me, but the memory kept shing in my head. I stood up and paced around the room, muttering incoherent words I couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± I ced my hands as my heart started beating fast against my chest. When I thought about whether Loukas would do that to me, I remembered the idental kiss in the car with me. ¡°You are a therapist, Hiry,¡± I whispered to myself and rubbed my neck.


    An hourter, I was still thinking about Loukas because he was on my mind and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. While in my thoughts, the door leading to the therapy room opened and I jumped to my feet. Loukas walked in by himself, using the wheel walker. I smiled at his improvement as he wheeled himself towards When he got to the front of my desk, he red at me and scoffed. He gave me a questioning look, as if he was expecting me to say something. Rotimi, who had also made his way into the room, gave me signs and pointed to Loukas. ¡°Mr. Whitemore!¡± I bowed my head in apology. ¡°¡®I¡¯m sorry about this morning. It will never happen again and I¡­. ¡±


    ¡± It must never happen again,¡± Loukas shouted and smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯ll send you away and not think about it. I¡¯ll make sure you regret ever overstepping your boundary! ¡± He threatened and wheeled himself away. I bowed my head in response and cleared my throat. Rotimi gave me a thumbs up for apologizing truthfully, but deep down, I was thankful Loukas didn¡¯t cut off my head in anger. Even if it¡¯s just an exaggeration of what he could do, Loukas could send me away.


    I walked towards him and sat on the chair opposite him. ¡°We are going to be shopping for your home as everything is still covered in cloth.¡±


    ¡°Doing some shopping?¡± Loukas scoffed and exchanged looks with Rotimi. ¡°You think I have money to throw around?¡±


    I cleared my throat and heaved a sigh. ¡°I know you have a lot of money, Mr. Whitemore, that¡¯s why I¡¯m suggesting this to you. Redecorating your home is a form of therapy too, on its own,¡± I exined to him, and when he tried to say something, I continued speaking, interrupting whatever he had on his mind. ¡°I am doing this because it would help you. When was thest time you ever went shopping? ¡± Not waiting to hear his response, II continued.¡± Your house is not an ideal ce to recover. Seeing new people or being in public around people would help too. I gasped for breath as I finished talking. I yed with my fingers as I waited for his response.


    He stared at me like he wanted to strangle me, but I didn¡¯t avert my eyes from his burning gaze and made sure I didn¡¯t show any sign of fear, even though I felt my leg shaking. ¡°You must be insane!¡± He shouted. I had expected him to say that, and it wasn¡¯t surprising when I heard him say it. ¡°I should shop,¡± he scoffed. ¡°You have no idea of the little I have to get better. My inheritance is at stake! ¡± He yelled at me.


    I covered my eyes as I flinched at his shouting. I lowered my head, unable to say anything. I shouldn¡¯t have bought it, I thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡­¡± I tried to apologize, but he shouted at me.


    ¡°Not another word from you,¡± he warned, and that got me pissed off.


    I stood up and paced around the room.¡± I¡¯m your therapist and if you want to get better, you¡¯ll listen to me!¡± I yelled back at him. ¡°If you keep doubting me, then I can¡¯t be your therapist anymore!¡±


    Loukas scoffed and then startedughing. ¡°You think that I can¡¯t find someone else?¡± He asked, but I gave no response and folded my arms as I watched himugh. ¡°All it takes is money, Hiry.¡± Don¡¯t be stupid! You already signed the contract! ¡± He mmed his left hand on the couch. ¡°You stop being my therapist and you¡¯ll have to pay a million dors for breach of contract, which I know you can¡¯t afford!¡± He stated and that was the truth.


    I couldn¡¯t afford a million dors, but staying in the park with other homeless people was better than staying with an egotistical man like him.¡± Choose Hiry, would you rather do things my way or choose to spend your entire life paying the debts you owe me? ¡±


    I bit my lower lip and looked away from him. I stared into Rotimi¡¯s eyes that held pity for me and smiled. ¡°I¡­ ¡± I wanted to say I quit, but Rotimi stepped in for me.


    ¡°I already told you Loukas, if you don¡¯t let her do her job, then how else are you going to feel better?¡± Rotimi questioned Loukas and walked towards me. ¡°She is your therapist and when she suggests things for you, do them because at the end of it all,¡± Rotimi paused and ced his hand on my shoulder. ¡°We all want the same thing,¡± he pointed at all three of us. ¡°We all want you to feel better,¡± he said as he approached Loukas, pulling me towards him. ¡°We all want you to feel better and be able to walk again,¡± he said, and ced my hand on Loukas¡¯s.


    I looked up to face Loukas, and at the same time, he was staring back at me. He raised the left corner of his lips and heaved a sigh. ¡°So you mean I should do some childish shopping with you?¡± Loukas removed his hand from mine and scoffed. ¡°How does that even help with therapy?¡±


    I removed my hand from Rotimi¡¯s and scratched the back of my neck. ¡°Search online, Mr. Whitemore, and stop doubting what I can do!¡± I tutted. ¡°Your house basically looks like an abandoned haunted house,¡± No offense to the aquarium design, but aside from that, the house looked as if it was a ghost house.


    ¡°My home does not look abandoned,¡± he argued. ¡°Rotimi can attest to that,¡± he stated.


    Rotimi exchanged looks with me and burst intoughter. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± He sat beside Loukas and ced a hand on his shoulder.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just listen to the therapist and redecorate this house,¡± he implored Loukas, who red at me. If looks could kill, then Loukas would have buried me with his ring hazel eyes.


    ¡°I can call an interior designer to redecorate the house. Why do I need to shop for it? ¡± Loukas directed the question towards me. ¡°Why, Miss therapist?¡±


    I chuckled when he called me that. He frowned and raised his left brow. In confusion ¡°What¡¯s therapy without a little fun, Mr. Whitemore?¡± I retorted and smiled. ¡°Trust me, this is one of the best methods you can use to get better and forget what¡¯s happening to you! ¡±


    ¡°Hmmmmmmm,¡± Loukas sighed and nodded in response. Let¡¯s try that out!¡±


    I pped my hands and smiled at him. ¡°Great, let¡¯s prepare to leave, Sir,¡± I announced.


    ¡°Now?¡± Loukas and Rotimi both asked, and I nodded in response.

 A great Start

    Hiry POV


    I smiled at the new living room of Loukas and squealed. All three of us stood beside one another and stared at the living room. Rotimi had his face covered with paintings while I had paintings in my hand, and Loukas waspletely free of anything.


    Why won¡¯t he be freed when he didn¡¯t do anything and instead watched us as we arranged the house? He also made sure to give orders as if we were his maids. I don¡¯t me him; I me his egotistical self. The curtains in the living room were reced with brown ones. The old curtains were darker than the devil¡¯s soul, just like the curtains in Loukas¡¯s room. ¡°Isn¡¯t this amazing?¡± I first pointed at the curtains, then I pointed at the white paintings on the wall that waspletely free from the aquarium. The white color lightened up the whole ce, giving it a great look, unlike when I first arrived at the ce and it gave me the creepy ghost vibes.


    ¡°Amazing in the fact that a lot of my money went into this living room,¡± Loukas said and snorted. Taking a seat on the new brown couches, he spreads his left hand and whistles at me. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve done all of this, when is the next therapy?¡± He demanded


    I heaved a sigh and rubbed my forehead. A few parts of my hands were still wet from the paintings, which shows that we finished redecorating the living room a few minutes ago. I knew he wanted to get better, but I needed a break and Loukas seemed like a workaholic to someone who couldn¡¯t move freely on his own. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have a look at the living room anymore?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been staring at this living room for years now. What¡¯s so special about what you just did? ¡± He chuckled. ¡± I want you to make sure that I am fine and not to ask questions about how I¡¯m feeling. ¡°I only agreed to re-decorate this living room to make me feel better,¡± he exined.


    I bit my lip and moved closer to him. At least he agreed to make himself feel better, which was a great response. ¡°How do you feel now?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I feel like this is aplete waste of time and I wasted a lot of my money. Instead of you making me feel better, You only seeded in making me feel worthless and I still can¡¯t lift a finger! ¡±


    Each word he threw at me was an invisible arrow that punctured my chest, making it hard to breathe. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rotimi asked as he walked towards me. He must have seen me touching my chest and probably thought I was under attack.


    Who wouldn¡¯t get an attack from Loukas¡¯s words?


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Rotimi,¡± I told him, and I removed my hands from my chest. ¡°I apologize, Mr. Whitemore, for wasting your time. If you want, we can start the therapy now. ¡±


    ¡°If I want? Is that you giving me orders here? ¡± Loukasughed.¡± Don¡¯t ask me if I wanted that because I¡¯m paying you and also, you are staying here for free. ¡± Now he sounded like an asshole and although his words didn¡¯t mean anything to me, I¡¯ve heard him say something much worse.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a great thing to say, Loukas,¡± Rotimi told him and sat beside him on the couch. ¡°Hiry tried her best to try to make this ce homely. You should be grateful to her for that, ¡± Rotimi spoke on my behalf, like he always does, and just like how Loukas used to be, he responded by throwing another shade at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not paying her for that, Rotimi, and you know that.¡±


    I cleared my throat for him to know that I was still in the living room with him.¡±I¡¯ll go prepare for the therapy sessions, sir,¡± I told him and walked down the stairs, heading into my room. When I got to my room, I muffled a scream and jumped on my bed. ¡°How can someone have no emotions? How can his heart be filled up with nothing but hatred toward someone else? ¡± I wanted to scream, but I knew he¡¯d hear me, so I muttered incoherent words I couldn¡¯t understand. Heading into the bathroom door, I undressed and stood under the shower, letting the cold water glide down my skin. All I could think of was Loukas and his annoying face, which I found attractive.


    How is that possible? I screamed out loud. How can I find him attractive when all he ever did was question my work and if I was real or not? ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± I warned myself as I grabbed a towel and rushed out of the bathroom. I cleaned myself dry with the towel, and when I was done, I changed my clothes into cleaner ones. My hands were free from the paintings after the bath, which was a good thing because I thought I washed the anger that surged through me away when I took my bath.


    When I arrived at the therapy room, Loukas was already moving on his own with the wheeled walker. He looked determined and didn¡¯t notice me as I walked into the room. He was so engrossed in wheeling himself around that he didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge it. Instead, he counted his steps as he walked back and forth.


    ¡°It¡¯s really good to see you walking all on your own,¡± Imented.


    ¡°At least I didn¡¯tzy around,¡± he retorted.


    He always finds the words to say. That¡¯s how annoying Loukas was. Ignoring him, I grabbed the electronic stimtor from one of the boxes and carried it toward the couch. ¡°We¡¯ll be using the Estim today,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Hmmmmm,¡± was all he responded with at first, until he continued. ¡°Do you have any idea what this is used for?¡± he wheeled himself towards me and sat on the couch facing me. ¡°A mistake from this and I could die,¡± he stated and pointed at the machine.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be positive for once?¡± I asked him, and instead of replying, he beckoned to me to help him lie on the bed. ¡°Help me,¡± he said.


    I stood up from my chair opposite the couch and helped him rest on the couch. I ced his hands beside him and helped him straighten his leg. As my hands made contact with his body, I heard him muttering, and when I turned to face him, wondering if he was trying to tell me something, he avoided eye contact with me. ¡°That is good,¡± I stated as I made sure his whole body was ready for the stimtor. ¡°Estim isn¡¯t supposed to hurt, but since we are working on your muscles, make sure you contract your muscles!¡± I instructed him.


    I said, ¡°If you weren¡¯t so daft, you¡¯d know that I can¡¯t move my right side, so there is no need for that,¡± He pointed that out again, and I felt like strangling him, but I couldn¡¯t do that. I just had to ignore his stupid remarks.


    ¡°You know that you could exin things without making awful remakes, right?¡± I applied the electrodes to his right legs, and while I was done, I moved to his hands. His eyes were on me, making it hard to work around him as my body reacted to just his gaze. My heart thumped in my chest, and I had forgotten that I had attached thest electrode until he reminded me.


    ¡°Are we going to proceed or what?¡± He asked, and I quickly blinked, realizing that he was waiting for my next action.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I turned on the machine. I said, ¡°Tell me how you feel so I¡¯ll know if I¡¯m doing it right.¡± I told him, and all I got was a nod. ¡°Proper words willmunicate better,¡± I told him as I sat in front of him. ¡°Instead of nodding, why not reply with words?¡±


    ¡°You are not the one to teach me what to say, Hiry. I¡¯ll reply when I want to, ¡°There goes his husky voice again.¡± Her hands trembled at the sound of it.


    I cleared my throat to remove any unwanted thoughts in my head and focused on my patients instead. ¡°The machine had been timed for fifteen minutes. Since you can¡¯t move your right hand, I¡¯ll help you squeeze so it can stimte it pretty well. ¡± I told him. ¡°Just tell me how you feel,¡± I grabbed his hand. I held it in mine and squeezed it pretty tight. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°A tingling sensation,¡± he answered and squeezed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°Are youfortable?¡± I asked him, and he nodded in response. ¡°I am going to need you to squeeze your right hand on your own now,¡± I instructed him.


    His eyes fluttered open and he red hard at me as if I had done something wrong. ¡°You are aware that I am unable to move my right hand, Hiry. How can I squeeze my right hand? ¡± He yelled.


    I smiled at him.¡± If you are going to feel better, Loukas, then there are certain things you¡¯ll have to do on your own. Just make sure you don¡¯t force yourself too much. Believe in yourself, Loukas,¡± I told him, and then moved to his leg. I pressed on his knees, helping him to squeeze, letting the machine do its job.


    ¡°You are squeezing me too hard,¡± Loukas shouted. The way he said it made me think of something else. It was not as if I was squeezing his balls.


    ¡°This is me trying to let the muscles in your leg react to the stimtor.¡± ¡±


    ¡°By letting you make myself ufortable!¡± He yelled yet again, but I didn¡¯t let him go. I held onto his legs. ¡°Are you crazy, Hiry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost over, Mr. Whitemore.¡± I smiled at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go off my leg!¡± He yelled at me and I was kicked backward with his leg.


    With his right leg! Inded on the ground and hit my elbow on the marble floor, but I didn¡¯t care about myself. I jumped to my feet and rushed towards Loukas. The timer had stopped and Loukas was trying so hard to stand up from the couch. He supported himself with his left hand until he was seated. ¡°You almost killed me!¡± He shouted at me. ¡°So much for a therapist!¡±


    ¡°You just moved your leg, Loukas,¡± I said, removing the electrodes from his leg and hand.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Loukas narrowed his brows at me. ¡°I don¡¯t understand a thing you are saying,¡± he said.


    I heaved a sigh and sat in front of him. ¡°When I squeezed your leg for better stimtion,¡± I tried exining, but he interrupted me.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°And you almost had me killed,¡± he added.


    I palmed my forehead and cleared my throat. ¡°You kicked me while I held onto your leg,¡± I announced and pped my hands. ¡°You just moved, Loukas!¡±


    His eyes widened, and he startedughing. ¡°I kicked you?¡± He asked, and I nodded in response. ¡°Goodness! That sounds like a great start! ¡± Heughed again.


    I had never seen himugh so much. I joined in hisughter, and just then, the door opened and Rotimi walked into the room with boxes in his hands. When he saw usughing, he dropped the boxes on the ground beside us and walked toward us. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± He asked as he ced his hands on his waist. ¡°What did I miss?¡± He looked from Loukas to me, and just as I was about to answer him, Loukas beat me to it.


    ¡°Could you believe it, Rotimi? My right leg moved,¡± he announced happily.


    Rotimi stared at him with his face brightened and a huge smile on his face. ¡°This is great!¡± He pped his hands. ¡°A great start!¡±


    A great start indeed, because I was able to make Loukasugh ever since I arrived.

 If only She Knew

    Loukas POVConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    I couldn¡¯t believe Hiry when she said that I moved my right leg. It¡¯s surprising because I haven¡¯t felt any movement in my right leg in fourteen years, so when she told me about it, Iughed about it. ¡°Great to hear that you felt a movement in your leg,¡± Rotimi reminded me once Hiry was out of the room. ¡°It¡¯s a great start, but we have another problem,¡± Rotimi announced, and he looked towards the door of the therapy room, searching for Hiry.


    I told him, ¡°She is noting anytime soon.¡±


    Rotimi heaved a sigh and nodded in response. ¡°Amanda has made the move and she is gathering other supporters for her son.¡±


    I shifted in my seat and sighed briefly. ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked him, fearing the worst that was yet toe. ¡°What is going on? I thought you said you had everything under control and Mr. Adrians was in support of usst week! ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought until today when I called him and he dropped the bombshell,¡± Rotimi said, rubbing his forehead and giving me the pitiful look he had on his face for years. I didn¡¯t want that and when I thought that I had everything under control, Amanda just found another way to ruin everything for me. ¡°There is no turning point for now, Loukas. Thepany haspletely been brought over by your brother, and even if you decide toe back again, you won¡¯t be epted.¡± Rotimi ced his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way,¡± he assured me.


    ¡°A way?¡± I scoffed and shook my head. ¡°Come on, Rotimi, you know thatpany has been my sweat for years even if I don¡¯t make myself known!¡± I bit my lip and blinked, trying hard to let the tears that had welled up in my eyes appear. I was a man whose life had been decided fourteen years ago. If Hiry had note then, I would have been dead by now and Amanda would be the happiest person on Earth. My death was her happiness.


    Just as I thought about Hiry¡¯s, the door opened and she walked in with a tray of fruit juice. ¡°Sugar-free homemade orange juice!¡± She announced and dropped the tray on the table. There were three ss cups on the tray with a straw each. I stared at the ss of juice and then looked up to face Hiry. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± She pped her hands and beckoned to Rotimi and me to pick up the sses.


    If only she knew what had happened before she arrived. If only she understood that I wasn¡¯t in the mood for a ss of juice. ¡°Hiry, I¡­¡± I tried to say something, but Rotimi nudged me on the shoulder. I turned to face him and gave him a questioning look. I raised the corner of my lips to him, but he ignored me and pointed to the juice on the table. ¡°Drink this, Lou,¡± he belched, setting his ss on the tray. It¡¯s so healthy,¡± hemented and gave Hiry a thumbs up.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hiry replied.


    I scoffed as I carried the ss from the tray and ced it close to my lips. When I smelled it, I gave Rotimi a questioning look, but he just shrugged his shoulders at me. ¡°Let¡¯s just get it over with,¡± I said and took a sip of the juice. I squeezed my eyes shut and almost spat out the liquid in my lips, but I forced myself to swallow it.


    The juice was devoid of sweetness. ¡°What is this?¡± I quickly dropped the ss on the table and gave Hiry a questioning look.


    ¡°It¡¯s juice free from sugar. 100% natural,¡± she said, but I didn¡¯t find her smile enticing; instead, I med myself for drinking the juice. ¡°How is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nd!¡± I shouted and got hit on the shoulder by Rotimi. ¡°What?¡± I rolled my eyes at him. I clicked my throat and squeezed my eyes shut, still feeling the taste of the juice in my throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s one hundred percent natural,¡± Hiry repeated and sat opposite me. She took the ss of juice and gulped it all at once. I stared at her in awe, and when she saw me staring at her, she chuckled. ¡°Health is wealth,¡± she said, clicking her tongue.


    I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I replied, ¡°As if it will bring me money.¡±


    Rotimi cleared his throat and stood up from his chair. He picked up the boxes beside the door and ced them on the table. ¡°Guys! I bought your clothes for the g party of the Whitemorepany,¡± he informed us and pointed to Hiry¡¯s box that was just beside mine.


    ¡°A party?¡± Hiry asked as she opened the box. ¡°Do we have a party to attend?¡± She asked again.


    I scoffed, and she looked up to face me. ¡°Were you deaf when I announced it a few days ago?¡± I retorted, and she shrugged as if she didn¡¯t understand what I meant.


    ¡°The party is held by Caleb Whitemore, Loukas¡¯s brother, ¡°Rotimi informed her.


    ¡°Wow!¡± She pped her hands as she picked out a red sequin dress. ¡°This looks pretty,¡± shemented.


    ¡°Courtesy of Loukas,¡± Rotimi pped his hands. ¡°He bought the dress and shoes for you!¡± He announced got hit on the shoulder, wondering why he kept announcing it to her.


    ¡°It must have been expensive,¡± Hirymented and hugged the dress.


    Did she expect me to buy a worn-out dress? I thought and chuckled. ¡°Thank you, Loukas,¡± she said to me. ¡°I love it,¡± she added.


    I lowered my head and smiled, not letting anyone see the smile on my face, but Loukas was tricky. He caught me smiling and nudged me on the shoulder. ¡°I never expected that you¡¯d smile,¡± he whispered into my ears. I raised my head to face him and gave him a questioning look. ¡°No need to get angry about it. She looks happy, ¡°he pointed towards Hiry, who held the dress closer to herself. Watching her embrace the dress brought a smile to my face. She looked happy, and that was enough to melt my cold heart.


    ¡°I heard Caleb Whitemore is opening a new hotel, right?¡± She asked, and Rotimi nodded in response. ¡°Your brother is cool!¡± She dropped the dress on top of the box. ¡°I¡¯ve been a fan of his for a long time,¡± she chuckled as she took the ck heels from the box and admired them by bringing them closer to her legs.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been my brother¡¯s fan?¡± I asked her and she nodded in response. That¡¯s enough to create an unpleasant feeling inside of me. ¡°What are the things that made you his fans?¡± I asked out of curiosity. I wanted to know what she found pretty amazing in my stepbrother, who had been an idiot while we were growing up.


    ¡°There is no need to ask these questions, Lou,¡± Rotimi whispered into my ears.


    I ignored him and beckoned to Hiry to answer my questions. She looked from me to Rotimi before opening her mouth to reply. ¡°When I was informed that I had gotten a job from the Whitemore family, I thought it was Caleb Whitemore.¡±


    ¡°Why ?¡± I asked. ¡°Because you find him amazing, right?¡± She nodded in response, and Iughed. ¡°Go on,¡± I implored her.


    She shifted in her seat and dropped the heels in her hand inside the box. ¡°I became a fan of Caleb Whitemore when he built the Whitemore hotel,¡± she pped her hands. ¡°It¡¯s the biggest hotel in Mecianda.¡±


    I chuckled and nodded in response because I was behind it. I was behind the building because I drew the ns, but my brother took credit for it all. ¡°Why don¡¯t we stop this discussion?¡± Rotimi said, and he stood up beside me and pped his hands. ¡°Today has been a great day, so why don¡¯t we all just rx?¡± He tried to stop the conversation because he knew that I would be triggered, but I wasn¡¯t ready to end the conversation yet.


    ¡°How do you know that it was him who built the hotel?¡± It could have been someone else, ¡°I said.


    Hiry shook her head in response. ¡°Your brother is a great man, and he did a great job of building the best hotels in the country and around the world. He is amazing! ¡± She squealed.


    Her actions got me pissed off and I burst outughing. Rotimi rushed to my side and inquired about why I wasughing. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked.


    Instead of replying to him, I continuedughing. ¡°You must love my brother so much that you are also proud of him,¡± Hiry pointed out andughed alongside me.


    ¡°I think we need to stop talking about Caleb Whitemore Hills,¡± Rotimi told her, but she refused to adhere to his warning.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    Why? I wanted to scream out that I hated my brother and hated the fact that he took credit for everything that I had spent my life nning. Because of my body, he took credit for everything I had worked for, and even Hiry believed in him. If someone else had said that, I wouldn¡¯t be so pissed, but since it¡¯s from her, it made my blood boil. I picked up my ss from the tray, still full of juice, and threw it against the wall. It shattered across the room and the pieces flew around, shing me in the cheek.


    I touched my face as I felt it bleeding and smiled. ¡°Oh goodness, Lou! What did you just do? ¡± Rotimi checked my face. ¡°You¡¯ve hurt yourself!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Hiry also rushed to my side to check my bleeding face, but I pushed her away. She stared at me in awe. ¡°What did I do so wrong?¡±


    ¡°What did you do so wrong?¡± I chuckled. ¡°You are so daft that you have no idea how ufortable your patient was when you were talking about my brother. Have you ever wondered why I never showed my face to the world? Have you also wondered why no one talks about me? ¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hiry stuttered, unable to form any words. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    It was toote. She had seeded in opening the wounds that I tried so hard to close. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you could¡­¡± I didn¡¯t let her finish as I grabbed the second ss from the tray and stretched my hand to throw it again. ¡°Out!¡± I screamed at her.


    ¡°Calm down, Lou,¡± Rotimi said to me, but I ignored him and gripped the ss cup in my hand pretty tight. ¡°I think you should leave now, Hiry,¡± he advised.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hiry nodded in response and picked up her box from the table. She headed out of the room without turning back to look at me.


    Good riddance to bad rubbish.


    ¡°Control your temper, Loukas,¡± said Rotimi, grabbing the ss cup from my hand and cing it back on the table. ¡°Today was supposed to be a great day, but you decided to ruin it!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ruin it alone! You heard her when she talked about my brother as if he was the best person in the world! ¡± I reminded him again in case he had gone deaf when it all happened.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know Loukas!¡± He shouted at me. ¡°You were the one who kept asking questions. What were you expecting? ¡±


    ¡°I expected her to¡­¡± I paused and bit my lip. What the hell was I even expecting her to say? Did I expect her to have my back just like Rotimi did?


    Rotimi heaved a sigh. ¡°You made a mistake by reacting in such a manner. She doesn¡¯t know Lou! You need to remember that! ¡±


    I rubbed my forehead and sighed briefly. ¡°Watch her Rotimi. She could be the perfect vessel for my family to use against me,¡± I told him.


    He just stared at me as if I had grown two heads, but I just shrugged my shoulder. ¡± It¡¯s better to be prepared before the attackes,¡± I told him and he just continue staring at me.

 The Party Rules

    Hiry POV


    When he didn¡¯te for therapy that morning, I knew something had gone wrong. I had spoken out of my excitement for Caleb Whitemore without realizing that both brothers were not on good terms. I could have noticed, but I was too stupid to even notice my patient¡¯s difficulty. ¡°What did you do?¡± I questioned myself as I paced around the therapy room. I turned every time I heard footsteps near my door, expecting Loukas to appear out of nowhere, but he didn¡¯t appear until Rotimi entered the room in the afternoon.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said as he walked in. I quickly jumped out of my chair and walked towards the door. I looked towards the door, and when he caught me staring, he heaved a sigh. ¡°Loukas won¡¯t be having his therapy today,¡± he informed me.


    I nodded in response because I knew that it had to do with what happened between us the previous day. ¡°Is this about what I said yesterday?¡± I asked Rotimi, but he didn¡¯t respond, and that was enough for me. I took it as a yes and sighed deeply. I sighed and palmed my forehead.¡± What did I just do?¡± I heaved a sigh and continued pacing around. ¡°I need to apologize to him,¡± I stated and rushed towards the door, but Rotimi stopped me before I could open it.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it any longer,¡± he told me, and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the couch. We both sat down and still, he didn¡¯t let go of my hand. ¡°There are things that Loukas or myself didn¡¯t know that I am going to tell you now.¡± Rotimi shifted in his seat. ¡°Loukas will be mad if he knows that I told you this, but you need to know because Loukas will never tell you,¡± Rotimi took a deep breath, and when he released it, he started the story. ¡°Loukas and his brother are not on good terms, but they are not enemies either. Since Loukas¡¯ ident, his brother has been the CEO of thepany, but Loukas was the one who nned and drew those amazing buildings you mentioned yesterday. It¡¯s all Loukas. ¡±


    I gasped when I realized what I had done. ¡°Oh my!¡± I said and pped my forehead. ¡°No wonder he was so mad at me. I have no idea about Rotimi, ¡°I defended myself. ¡± You know that I will never hurt Loukas like that.¡± I told him and lowered my head.¡± I had no idea that he and his brother were not on good terms. I don¡¯t just know when to stop!¡± I groaned in frustration.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good because you didn¡¯t know. Loukas is reflecting on his attitude toward you yesterday. It¡¯s why he didn¡¯te for therapy today, ¡°Rotimi informed me and stood up beside me, letting go of my hand. ¡°Another person you shouldn¡¯t talk about is Loukas¡¯s stepmother, Amanda, and Caleb¡¯s wife,¡± he advised, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°So you mean I shouldn¡¯t talk about Loukas¡¯s family in front of him ever again, right?¡± I asked, and Rotimi nodded in response. I stood up and bowed my head. ¡°Thank you for this,¡± I told him, joining my hands together, forcing a smile on my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to get ready for the g party tonight. Rotimi reminded me, but I had forgotten about it. I just stared at him, having no idea what he meant by the g party. ¡°How can you forget things so easily, Hiry?¡± Rotimi rolled his eyes and palmed his forehead. ¡°The party we talked about yesterday. One of the dresses,¡± he reminded me, and I pped my palms together when I remembered.


    ¡°Oh, the party!¡± I chuckled and nodded in response.¡± Oh yeah, ¡°Iughed and pped my hands together again. ¡°I hadpletely forgotten about it,¡± I admitted, then burst outughing. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    You have to be done dressing up before seven pm on the dot. ¡°Loukas hates tardiness,¡± he informed me and walked out of the therapy room.


    Of course, I know the likes of Loukas would hate tardiness because of his personality. I knew he would be a workaholic if he didn¡¯t have hemiplegia. ¡°Oh! ¡± I eximed when I thought about the building Loukas had built. Why wasn¡¯t anyone talking about it? Why did his brother take all the credit for it? I thought and walked towards the window. I heaved a sigh when I realized that Loukas might have faced a lot of problems after his ident. ¡°He is a strong man,¡± I thought.


    As promised to Rotimi, I was dressed up for the party before seven pm and had to sit in Loukas¡¯s sitting room until seven. While waiting for him, I stood up and stared at the aquarium, watching the fish as they swam around. ¡°How I wish you could be free and enjoy the rest of your life in the ocean,¡± I said sadly to the little fish that had swam towards me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about therapists behaving crazy, but I never knew that you would be exceptional!¡± Loukas¡¯s voice sounded as he was wheeled out of the elevator by Rotimi. I turned to face him and almost lost my bnce because of how charming he looked.


    That might sound cliche and make others cringe, but it¡¯s the truth. Loukas looked like a male model in a wheelchair. His ck tuxedo hugged his muscr figure pretty tight, like a second skin, and his hair was brushed backward stylishly. It made him look younger and more handsome. I stared at his beautiful hazel eyes and got lost in them. The room became smaller, and I pictured the two of us dancing alone in the dark.


    ¡°Hey! ¡± Rotimi snapped his fingers in my face. I looked towards him and smiled at him. He also looked amazing. In his brown suit. I wondered how lucky I was to have two men in my life. They both looked like celebrity models and liked the prettiest things ever. ¡°You look beautiful,¡± hemented and winked at me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look bad yourself,¡± I replied, giving him a thumbs up, then returning my gaze to Loukas, who was staring at me. ¡± I must say that you don¡¯t look bad yourself,¡± I smiled at him.


    Instead of replying like a normal gentleman would, he rolled his eyes and beckoned to Rotimi to wheel him away. I took action for what I had said the previous day.


    He must still be pissed, I thought as we all walked into the elevator. None of us said anything to one another until we reached the car. It was a white limousine, which I hadn¡¯t seen before among Loukas¡¯s fleet of cars. Rotimi helped Loukas into the car and motioned for me to follow. I entered the limo and sat beside Loukas while Rotimi sat opposite us.


    ¡°Wee, Mr. Whitemore,¡± The driver of the limousine announced his name and started the vehicle. ¡°I¡¯m Simon, and I¡¯ll be your designated driver for today.¡±


    Rotimi and Loukas didn¡¯t bother replying to him, but I wasn¡¯t the type who wouldn¡¯t appreciate hard work. I gave the driver a thumbs-up even though he couldn¡¯t see me. ¡°Good job!¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Thank you, pretty ma¡¯am,¡± he replied, and I smiled, but when I turned to my left, I was met with Loukas¡¯s ring eyes. I cleared my throat and looked away from him. I turned to face Rotimi, but he was on his phone.


    ¡°Listen up Hiry,¡± Loukas rified, clearing his throat to gain my attention, and when I turned to face him, he started his long list of party rules. ¡°I know you are a fan of my brother, but please stay away from him,¡± he warned, and I nodded in response. I wanted to tell him that I didn¡¯t mean what I said the day before, but he shut me up and continued. ¡°You are my date for tonight and if any of my family members ask you questions and I¡¯m not there, please don¡¯t respond to them,¡± he warned, and I nodded in response. ¡°Don¡¯t leave my side until the party is over, and don¡¯t talk to my stepmother,¡± he said, pointing at me. ¡± I hope you listen to all my rules and won¡¯t go against any of them.¡± He dropped his finger and coughed. ¡°Just do that and we¡¯ll be fine,¡± he stated.


    I nodded in response and shifted in my seat. When I saw that he didn¡¯t have anything else to say again, I apologized for what I said to him the previous day. ¡°I am so sorry about yesterday,¡± I said and all I got was a nod.


    At least he acknowledged that.


    The rest of the drive was in silence and no one said a word until the limousine stopped. ¡°We are here,¡± the driver announced.


    I took a deep breath as Rotimi stepped out of the car. Positioning Loukas¡¯s wheelchair at the entrance of the limousine, he stretched forth his hand for Loukas to take and helped him out of the limousine. When Loukas wasfortably seated in the wheelchair, I came out of the limousine. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± I whispered to Rotimi, offering to push her forward. He agreed and moved away from Loukas. I stood behind him and wheeled him toward the hotel where the event was taking ce. They were about to cut the ribbons for the hotel when we arrived. All eyes turned on us as reporters rushed towards Loukas.


    ¡°Mr. Whitemore! You are back from your long trip,¡± one of the reporters who was the first to get to us asked. It was a female and I stared at how her lips were moving, not bothering to listen to what she had to say next. A camera shed at us and I thought that I would go blind.


    On the other hand, Loukas didn¡¯t look bothered as he didn¡¯t bother replying to any of the paparazzi.


    ¡°Who is she? Is she your new wife? ¡± Another reporter questioned


    ¡°I heard you are stepping down from your chairman¡¯s position today,¡± Another reporter asked and hovered around Loukas, not giving him space for me to move him closer to the people, but then a few bodyguards appeared from nowhere and stood guard, blocking the swarms of reporters and paving the way for me to push Loukas forward.

 You Shouldn鈥檛 have Come

    Loukas POV


    It¡¯s been years since I ever had anyone around me like the swarms of reporters. I could still remember how the reporters had rushed towards me years ago after my ident to get an exclusive about me. Ever since then, I have had to make myself visible to the public. I am always hiding in the dark and letting my brother take credit for everything I do.


    But now, I was ready to take back everything.


    ¡°Wee dear son,¡± Amanda said as I was wheeled towards her and her pitiful excuse for a son. He had his hands wrapped around my ex-wife, the ever-backstabbing bitch Angelina, who left me after two years of marriage. I looked beside her and smiled when I saw her holding her son¡¯s hand.


    A son that could have been mine. ¡°You made it just in time,¡± said Caleb, bowed his head, and tapped me on the shoulder. I forced a smile on my face as I imagined how I could cut off his hands.


    How dare he touch me? I thought.


    ¡°We were about to cut the ribbon when you arrived. Do us a favor and appreciate your brother¡¯s achievement, ¡°Amanda shoved the scissors in her hand toward me. I looked up at her and forced a smile on my face. She wanted a show and I was ready to give her that. I stared up at the building and heaved a sigh. Instead of the name I nned on giving the hotel, ¡®Whitemore¡¯s Pce,¡¯ Caleb changed the name to A and C.


    A stupid name formed by stupid people.


    ¡°Cut the ribbon,¡± Amanda reminded me and pped her hands.


    ¡°Of course, ¡°I ced the scissors on the ribbon and cut it at the count of three. Everyone around us pped, and cameras shed their lights in my face. They rushed towards Caleb and questioned him about the sess of the hotel when I should be the one getting that attention.


    Life is ironic, isn¡¯t it? I watched as he answered their questions as if he knew everything. I clenched my fists and muttered some incoherent words. Hiry must have heard me as she grabbed my left hand and squeezed it gently. I looked up to face her, and she smiled at me.


    I found her smile charming and enchanting, but I wasn¡¯t ready to watch her face all night. The anger that boils inside of me was enough to make me want to scream all night long. ¡°Let¡¯s go of my hand,¡± I said through gritted teeth and yanked my hand from hers. ¡°Don¡¯t ever touch me again unless I told you,¡± I said to her and She nodded in response.


    After the stupid interviews from the media, everyone walked into the hall as my family stood in front, leading everyone into therge hall of the hotel. I remembered the building as one of my ns, and I smiled when I remembered spending days trying to get the building perfect. Now, someone else was taking all the credit for my handiwork. ¡°Son,¡± Amanda shouted my name and pointed to my seat, which was in the circle with my family. There were seven chairs around the table, and mine was facing Amanda.


    The hall was beautifully decorated with bright lights. It was the only thing I found attractive in the room and how spacious it was. It could amodate a thousand people approximately. That¡¯s how big it was.


    The colors on the other hand seemed to have beenbined by a fool.Whobines yellow and blue? I hated both colors, and I thought that I was in the wrong hall when I saw how the colors werebined. ¡°What the hell?¡± I muttered as I looked around the hall and saw how the color made therge hall look like a disco party.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± Rotimi¡¯s voice made me turn back to face my family. He gently helped me from the wheelchair to the chair and then moved the wheelchair away. He sat down beside Hiry, who was beside me and pulled out his phone. Rotimi pretended he wasn¡¯t at the table with us, but I knew he was ring at Amanda every few seconds even though his eyes barely left his phone.


    If he were given the chance, he¡¯d probably murder someone on the table.


    ¡°How do you like the hall?¡± Caleb started a conversation as I raised my head to face him. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± He asked, and I didn¡¯t respond as I just stared at him. ¡°It¡¯s been decorated by my mother,¡± he announced happily and gave Amanda a thumbs up.


    Just what I thought. Amanda had decorated the hall and made it seem like a disco ball. I looked around and gave him a nod because I didn¡¯t know what I could say if I decided to speak. I might end up insulting both mother and son for their foolishness.


    ¡°Try to smile a little Loukas,¡± Amanda pointed out and then faced Hiry, who sat beside me. She had made herself invisible, just like the rules that I gave her in the car. She lowered her head and didn¡¯t make eye contact with anyone.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± I thought as I watched her y with her fingers.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Amanda asked me ¡°Are you getting married again?¡± There goes the stupidest question I¡¯ve ever heard in my entire life. ¡°You can¡¯t even walk properly. How the hell do you intend to keep up with marriage?¡± She chuckled, and her son also joined inughing at me.


    Caleb chuckled beside his wife Angelina, ¡°Mother. It¡¯s a great thing that Loukas was able to forget about his ex-wife and move on,¡± he referred to his wife beside him and ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s great news that my brother doesn¡¯t hate me any longer,¡± he pointed out andughed.


    ¡°Whether I want a wife or not is none of your business, dear brother,¡± I finally said after a brief pause. ¡°This lovelydy right here,¡± I said, pointing to Hiry. ¡°She is my date for the night.¡± I introduced her and watched their reactions. Amanda¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Hiry as if she was her newestpetitor, while Angelina raised her head to look at the woman who had seeded in recing her after she left me for my brother. The look on her face was funny to watch. Her green eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Caleb, on the other hand, stared at Hiry for a while before averting his eyes.


    That¡¯s the reaction I expected from them.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Hiry and I¡­ ¡± Hiry introduced herself, but Amanda shut her up by standing up from her chair.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for speech, son!¡± Amanda pped as he pointed to the stage where a man had announced their names. She beckoned to her son and grabbed her hand as they made their way to the stage.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Hiry asked.


    I nodded in response, my eyes not leaving Amanda and Caleb as they climbed up to the stage. I turned to face Hiry and shed a smile at her, but deep down, I wasn¡¯t. I was burning with anger, and when Caleb started his speech, I gripped my thighs as I watched him spit out lies from his mouth.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°A and C have been one of my greatest achievements. It has about a hundred floors and most of the rooms are built to¡­.¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± I didn¡¯t realize I had said that aloud until Angelina turned to face me.


    ¡°You know that you shouldn¡¯t havee here, Loukas,¡± she muttered, but I was able to hear her because I was closer to her. ¡°Coming here is just to ridicule yourself!¡± She chuckled and leaned closer to me.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°It means that Amanda and Caleb deliberately invited you here to ridicule you. I know A and C are your original works because we nned them together,¡± she sighed as she discussed our previous lives. I hated to be reminded of something that never worked out. It was an old memory I never wished to remember.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± I asked her.


    She chuckled and adjusted herself in the chair. She looked towards Hiry, who had her eyes fixed on us, listening in on our conversation, and waved at her. ¡°You¡¯ll never win them and will continue to put yourself in apromising situation!¡±


    I chuckled and raised the corners of my lips in annoyance. ¡°How do you know all of this? How do you know that I can¡¯t win them? ¡±


    ¡°Because¡­,¡± she was about to reply when our conversation was cut short by apuse and the mention of my name.


    ¡°We have another announcement,¡± Amanda said, and the hall grew silent. ¡°My older son, who is physically challenged, has decided to step down for his brother because he is unfit to lead thepany,¡± Amanda said, directing attention to me. ¡°He has hemiplegia and has no chance of ever walking again. It¡¯s a good choice that he is stepping down, right? ¡± Amanda asked the guests in the hall, and every one of them agreed and chorused ¡°Yes.¡±


    I looked around me and saw that everyone was pping their hands as if Amanda had said something great, but deep inside of me, I felt a wound reopened. The pping resounded in my head and everything around me became a blur. My vision became hazy and I could barely see anything. ¡°Loukas!¡± I heard Hiry speaking and reaching toward me. She grabbed my hand, but I couldn¡¯t feel her. I yanked my hand from hers and held my throat as if it felt as if someone was holding me by the throat. A wave of pain hit me on the chest and I screamed out in pain as I fell to the ground.


    ¡°Loukas!¡± I heard Hry¡¯s voice again as she rushed towards me. ¡°Rotimi! ¡± She screamed out, but her voice soon faded away and I could barely hear her again. The only thing that I could hear was the crashing noise of the night of my ident.


    Maybe Angelina was right when she said that I shouldn¡¯t havee to the party, or maybe I was too weak and got triggered the instance Amanda reminded me about my ident.


    As I closed my eyes to fall asleep, a lone tear escaped my eyes.

 His Past

    Hiry POV


    I held his hands tighter until we reached the hospital, and even when he was wheeled away, I continued holding his hands until I couldn¡¯t enter the restricted IU center with them. Tears welled up in my face as I paced around the hallways with Rotimi, who hasn¡¯t said a word to me ever since we arrived at the hospital.


    No one of us expected him to be triggered by a memory of his ident. I could have noticed him since I was his therapist, but I didn¡¯t and left him all alone. ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± I whispered as I continued pacing back and forth in the hallways. My hands trembled and, unable to hold back the tears, I slid down to the ground and burst into tears. I didn¡¯t cry because of Loukas¡¯s attack but because I felt negligent towards him. I didn¡¯t even notice that he was having a panic attack until he fell to the ground.


    He made me remember my father and the first time he copsed in front of me. If I had not ignored him when he needed me the most, then he would have been alive by now, but because of my stupidity, I left my father alone until there was no hope for him any longer. ¡°Hey, hey, ¡°Rotimi walked towards me and offered his hand for me to take. ¡°Loukas will be fine, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be happy to see you sitting on the ground,¡± he tried to talk me out of it, but I refused to take his hand and continued crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± I sniffled and hit my head over and over again until Rotimi stopped me and pulled me up. He pulled towards one of the seats in the hallway. He forced me to sit down, and he sat down beside me. When we were seated, he ced his hand on my shoulder and pressed it gently. He pulled me closer to himself and let me cry in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± he assured me. ¡°Loukas had survived worse situations,¡± he said and rubbed my head.


    I raised my head and looked into his eyes with tears in my eyes. ¡°What do you mean, much worse? What do you mean by that? ¡± I asked him.


    Rotimi heaved a sigh and averted his eyes from mine. He rubbed his forehead and scratched the back of his neck. His actions showed that he was hiding something from me, but I wasn¡¯t the type to force things out of people, so I didn¡¯t bother to ask him again. Instead, I continued sobbing in silence.


    Rotimi finally spoke up, ¡°Loukas will be so mad if he finds out that I told you about this.¡±


    ¡°¡®I¡¯m not going to tell him anything if you don¡¯t want me to,¡± I assured him and wiped the tears off my face. ¡°What has happened in the past? What did his family do to him?¡±


    ¡°Loukas,¡± Rotimi started and adjusted himself in the seat. ¡°He didn¡¯t believe he could get better until you came along. His stepmother tried everything she could to make him cease to exist! ¡±


    ¡°Ceased to exist!¡± I sounded shocked and my voice was so loud that it resounded down the hallways. ¡°You mean she tried to kill him?¡± I whispered and looked around in case anyone was snooping around.


    ¡°Not physically, but verbally,¡± Rotimi replied, causing me to sigh. Although Loukas¡¯s stepmother didn¡¯t abuse him physically, she deserved to be punished for attacking him verbally.


    How could she have done that to a sick person? I thought and continued listening to Rotimi¡¯s story. ¡°Until you came along, Loukas didn¡¯t believe in himself and lost all hope of ever getting better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± I said again because everything he said deserved a response.


    ¡°That¡¯s the night you saw him on the rooftop,¡± he said, pausing to bite his lower lip.¡± Loukas was going to kill himself because his stepmother wanted him to die!¡±


    I gasped and quickly covered my mouth. ¡°That woman is terrible!¡± I stood up and looked to my left and right as if I was waiting for someone. Like Loukas¡¯s stepmother could appear out of nowhere and I¡¯d punch her in the face. ¡°How could she do that?¡± I yelled, not caring that I could be disturbing the patients around us because my voice resounded in the hallways.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Rotimi said as he dragged me to my seat and shushed me. ¡°I did much worse than you did,¡± he sighed softly. ¡°If you had note that night, then Loukas would have been known as a suicidal man, but ever since you came along, you gave him hope and made him want to start living again.¡± ¡±


    But,¡± I sniffled as tears glistened in my eyes. ¡°But he hates me and spoke against every one of my words!¡± I pointed out everything Loukas had said to me, but Rotimi onlyughed at my every word. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± I shouted at him. ¡°It¡¯s not funny because I thought that..¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he hates you?¡± Rotimi asked, and I nodded in response. ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate you, Hiry. He trusts you instead because you are the only one besides me who could speak sense into him. You are his savior, Hiry, and you should be happy that you made a man want to start living again.¡± He squeezed my hand gently and smiled at me. ¡°It¡¯s you, Hiry! You are his savior. ¡±


    It¡¯s you. That word resounded in my head and I tried not to cry out as I thought about the things that I had said to him. I thought he was being a jerk, even though hisments about my job were most of the time annoying. I didn¡¯t know that he trusted me so much and that made him want to start living again.


    I¡¯m a hero, I thought as I stared at the ceiling. I am a hero, I said to myself over and over again. The door leading to the ICU units opened, breaking me out of my thoughts. I jumped to my feet and tapped Rotimi on the shoulder. ¡°They are here,¡± I informed him, and he also jumped to his feet. Hand in hand, we both walked toward the doctors.


    ¡°How is he?¡± I quickly asked the doctor.


    ¡°Your husband is stable now,¡± the doctor answered, making the mistake of calling Loukas my husband.


    ¡°He is not my¡­¡± I tried to correct him, but Rotimi interrupted me and asked another question.


    ¡°Is he going to be fine?¡± He asked the doctor. ¡°Do we have to worry about anything?¡±


    The second doctor shook his head in response. ¡°He had a panic attack that shouldn¡¯t happen again because it could cause a heart attack and worse, he could die!¡±


    I gasped and exchanged looks with Rotimi. ¡°I hope that he is fine now. There is nothing we should worry about, right? ¡±


    The first doctor nodded in response. ¡°He is fine, but he is going to have mild difficulty with speech for a few days once he wakes up!¡± He announced


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked him. ¡°Has this happened before?¡± I asked Rotimi, and he nodded in response. ¡°What? ¡± I shouted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me any of this?¡± I palmed my forehead. ¡°You could have told me about it and I could have¡­..¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about that right now, Hills,¡± he said, resting his hand on my shoulder. ¡± Can we see him now?¡± Rotimi asked.


    The first doctor answered, ¡°Yes, you can,¡± and then turned to leave, but then he remembered something and turned back. ¡°I have shocking information to give out about your husband. ¡± He made the mistake of calling Loukas my husband yet again, but I didn¡¯t care about that. My heart beat hard against my chest as I anticipated what he was about to say. ¡°Mr. Whitemore moved his right finger,¡± he announced.


    I turned to face Rotimi and squealed. ¡°Really?¡± I asked again to make sure.


    The doctor nodded in response. ¡°Yes he did,¡± he said. I¡¯ve treated him for years now, and I didn¡¯t know that he would make a recovery so fast like that! He had only left this hospital a few months ago, right? ¡± He asked Rotimi, and he replied with a nod. ¡°Whosoever his therapist is, I mustmend him. He did a great job,¡± the doctor said and walked away, leaving us alone in the hallways.


    ¡°I told you that you are Loukas¡¯s savior,¡± Rotimi said to me, and I jumped into his arms and hugged him pretty tight. ¡°Oh, no! You are going to choke me to death,¡± he joked and patted my back.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Iughed and let go of him. ¡°I¡¯m so d that he is improving in such a short period!¡±


    ¡°You are his angel,¡± he said and I couldn¡¯t stopughing.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    His angel, indeed. A few moments ago, I was crying and ming myself, and now that I heard that Loukas was fine, I was d that nobody had to die on my watch again.


    We waited for a few minutes after Loukas was moved from the ICU to a VIP ward. After he was settled in the room, Rotimi and I visited him. His face was whiter than snow, and at first, I thought that he had died when I first saw his dark lips and pale face until I moved closer to him and touched his hand. They were still warm and not cold like my father¡¯s when he died a few months ago.


    ¡°He is fine now,¡± Rotimi assured me as he stood behind me. ¡°I told you that he was going to be fine, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    I nodded in response and wiped a few tears from my face. I was so d that he was fine now. I chuckled and stared at his face. ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± I sighed with relief.


    ¡°You should get some rest now that you know that he is fine.¡±


    I shook my head in response, refusing to leave his side. ¡°I¡¯ll be with him tonight,¡± I told him, and all I got was a nod.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out tonight, Hiry,¡± he said to me. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in the morning once I¡¯ve settled things.¡± He patted me on the shoulder for thest time and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Loukas,¡± I said, kissing his hand. ¡°I am going to make sure that you are fine and nothing will ever happen to you again,¡± I assured him andid my head on the bed beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll be here.¡±

 Stay away

    Loukas POV


    I woke up gasping for breath and I felt the softness of someone¡¯s hand on mine. My eyes fluttered open, but I quickly closed them, trying so hard to adjust to the light above me. After a few blinks, I was able to open my eyes, and when I looked to my left side, I realized that it was Hry sleeping with her head on the bed beside me. I knew she wasn¡¯tfortable with the way she muttered in her sleep. I looked around me and realized that I wasn¡¯t in my house in the mansion. Instead, I was in the hospital in the room where I had spent most of my life.


    I heaved a sigh when I thought of what happened on the night of the hotel opening. I remembered how Amanda talked about my ident and it triggered me to a point I couldn¡¯t remember. I didn¡¯t remember what happened after that, but I knew that Rotimi and Hiry had taken me to the hospital. I winced in my pain when I tried so hard to remember what happened the night before, and in the process, I screamed out loud when a wave of pain hit my head.


    Hiry jumped to her feet and rushed to my eyes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She yawned and rubbed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve woken up!¡± Her eyes widened and she smiled.


    I looked up at her and, through my hazy vision, I could see the weary look in her eyes. Her face was dull, unlike the night of the party when I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her beautiful face. She was still in the same red dress, which means that she stayed beside me all through the night. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked and touched my forehead.


    I didn¡¯t bother removing her hand following my no-touching rule. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her and wondered why she chose to spend the night with me when Rotimi could have done it. ¡°You ain¡¯t saying anything,¡± she said, and her voice soothed the pain in my head, and I wished that I could continue listening to her. ¡°Do you want me to call a doctor?¡± She asked and removed her hand from my forehead. She turned to leave the room, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms.


    She gasped as she was surprised by my sudden attitude, but being the good person that she was, she wrapped her hands around my waist. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered into her ears, and she shivered under my touch. ¡°You stayed with me all through the night?¡± My voice croaked as I struggled to speak. My throat felt as if it was on fire, and when I tried to say something again, Hiry shushed me.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± She let go of me and faced me. ¡°The doctors said you¡¯ll have trouble with your speech for a couple of days, so don¡¯t stress too much,¡± she advised and smiled at me.


    I didn¡¯t respond to her and only stared at her. I swallowed an invisible lump in my throat and moaned in pain when my sore throat reacted badly to my actions. It felt as if someone was strangling me and I was gasping for breath. ¡°It¡¯s okay, ¡°Hiry patted my back. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want a doctor?¡± She asked, and I shook my head in response.


    Watching her was enough for me, and I didn¡¯t care about any doctor at that moment. I just wanted her around me and didn¡¯t want her to leave. Her presence was electrifying, and each touch sent a spark to my entire body.


    What is she doing to me? I thought as I continued staring at her. We both continued staring, and I couldn¡¯t resist as I made the move. I ced my left hand behind her ear and leaned in closer to her. She didn¡¯t turn away and also leaned closer to me.


    It was as if she also wanted the kiss. I looked into her eyes, looking for any sign of difort from her, but when I didn¡¯t see any, I ced my lips on hers. Our lips moved slowly in rhythm, but it was cut short as I heard Rotimi¡¯s voice outside the room. He was arguing with someone, and my headshot to the entrance when I heard the door open. I pushed Hiry with so much force that she fell to the ground beside me. I cleared my throat and tried to adjust myself on the bed, but I couldn¡¯t because there was no help and Hiry, who could help me, was on the ground ring hard at me.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me see my stepson?¡± I heard Amanda¡¯s voice as she walked into the room.


    ¡°He is your step son and you have no right to see him after what you¡¯ve done!¡± Rotimi retorted as he entered after her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to my mother like that,¡± Caleb¡¯s voice also sounded from the entrance as he walked in. None of them realized that I was up and they started arguing pretty loudly at the entrance, ¡°You are not even family. How dare you stop us? ¡±


    ¡°Coming from you who jumped on his inheritance the instant you found out that he was discharged from the hospital!¡± Rotimi yelled at him and stood at the entrance, blocking him. ¡°I¡¯m not allowing any of you to enter this room!¡± He dered.


    Hiry and I exchanged looks and she mouthed a few words I couldn¡¯t hear and pointed to them, but I just smiled because I found their actions amusing. Hiry muttered a few incoherent words and rose from the ground. She whistled so loudly that I had to cover my left ear because of how loud she was.


    They all turned to face her, and she pointed toward me. Hiry cleared her throat again and pointed to me. ¡°And who the hell are you?¡± Amanda pushed past Rotimi and walked towards Hiry. Her eyes roamed around Hiry, and she suddenlyughed. She pointed at Hiry. ¡°I know you. You escorted my stepson yesterday and I¡­¡±


    ¡°And I remember you as the stepmother who revealed her stepson¡¯s ident in front of everyone yesterday, triggering an attack that almost cost him his life. Yes, I also remember you, ¡± Hiry spoke back to Amanda, and I chuckled out loud.


    I found their interaction funny because I know Hiry to be sassy, but I never expected that she would put Amanda in her ce. All eyes turned on me as I continuedughing.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°You find this funny after letting your dogse after me?¡± Amanda scoffed and walked towards me, but Hiry quickly stood in front of me, shielding me from her.


    I understood that she was acting as a good therapist would, but I wasn¡¯t a weak man who would allow a woman to be a shield for me to lean on. I could fight my own battles. ¡°Move!¡± I said to Hiry. She turned to face me. She gave me a questioning look and I nodded in response, acknowledging what I had just said. She moved out of the way, and then Amanda moved closer to me. ¡°Wh¡­ what¡­¡± I struggled with my speech and held my throat.


    ¡°Stay away from him!¡± Rotimi pushed Amanda away and rushed to my side. ¡°He can¡¯t speak at the moment, and if you have anything to say to him, do thatter, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll want to speak to you!¡±


    ¡°How dare you push my mother like that?¡± Caleb yelled at him and walked towards Rotimi. ¡°You have no respect, your dog!¡±


    ¡°You are the one barking here, Caleb. How dare you show your face after everything you¡¯ve done? ¡± Rotimi scoffed and pped his hands. ¡°You have no right to be here,¡± he pointed his fingers at Caleb and Amanda. ¡°You put him in this situation because of what you saidst night!¡± He threw an usation at Amanda.


    Instead of feeling remorseful for what she did, sheughed hysterically and blew air on her perfectly manicured hand. ¡°Why should I care about him because of what I said?¡± Amanda scoffed. ¡°He is just a weak, disabled man who got triggered by what I said! What do you call a man like that, huh? I did what I had to do because he was unfit for thepany. ¡±


    ¡°How dare you talk about thepany like it was ever yours?¡± Rotimi balled his hands into fists and moved closer to Amanda. ¡°You are a pathetic woman who is scared of this man here!¡± He yelled at her, and what followed next was a deafening p.


    Hiry gasped as Amanda pped Rotimi hard on the face. I tried to say something, but I couldn¡¯t, and the only thing that I could do at that moment was watching their argument. Amanda pointed a finger at him. ¡°You should know your ce, you pathetic servant,¡± she said. ¡°The next time you try this in front of me, I¡¯ll make sure you regret ever exchanging words with me!¡± She threatened ¡±


    ¡°Take your finger away from my face,¡± Rotimi said through gritted teeth as he moved her finger away from her face. ¡°The next time you raise your hands on me again, I¡¯ll cut them off!¡± Rotimi threatened her, and she raised her hand to p him again, but he grabbed it and pushed her hand down. ¡°I already warned you!¡± He shouted at her and gripped her hand pretty tight.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Caleb tried to hit him, but Rotimi was faster. He grabbed Caleb¡¯s fist and pushed him backward. Caleb fell to the ground and quickly jumped to his feet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He shouted as he watched Rotimi tighten his grip on Amanda¡¯s hand while she struggled against him. She tried to free her hand, but she ended up moaning in pain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with my hand!¡± She yelled and cursed under her breath. She looked behind Rotimi, and when our eyes met, I smirked at her. ¡°You are watching how your servant is assaulting me!¡±


    I was enjoying the show because watching Amanda in pain made me happy because she had done much worse to me in the past, but the argument had to end. Because I couldn¡¯t speak well, I took a deep breath and when I breathe out, I screamed at top of my lungs, not minding that my throat would hurt me. ¡°Stay away from me, Amanda!¡± I shouted her name. I started coughing. ¡°I need¡­¡± Hiry rushed to my side and grabbed my hand. She rubbed it gently and whispered in my ears.


    ¡°Do you want them to leave?¡±


    I nodded in response. ¡°Please leave,¡± she said, pointing towards me. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want you here,¡± she said, pointing towards Caleb and Amanda.


    ¡°You heard him,¡± said Rotimi, finally releasing Amanda¡¯s hand. ¡°Stay away from him. Never show your face to her again. ¡±


    Amanda rubbed her wrist and chuckled. ¡°Very well then, It¡¯s what I wanted to hear for years, ¡°Amanda revealed. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to be a good stepson, this is you saying that you¡¯ve handed over yourpany to your brother, right?¡± Amanda asked.


    I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak up. ¡°This¡­ This is me dering war on you, Amanda. In six months, I¡¯lle back for everything. ¡°I started coughing again.


    ¡°Are you bluffing?¡± Calebughed. ¡°You can¡¯t even stand on your own without your dog¡¯s help,¡± he mocked.


    Rotimi approached him, ready to strike. ¡°No need for that,¡± Amanda shouted. ¡°We shall leave but¡­¡± she paused and adjusted her bag on her arm. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you in six months. Until then, ¡°she turned to leave and grabbed her son¡¯s hand as they both walked out of the room.


    I stared at them as they walked away and then looked toward Hiry, who also had her eyes on me. I smiled at her and she also returned the smile. Having her around me was a great blessing that I thought would never happen for years.

 I don鈥檛 believe in Love

    Hiry POV


    It¡¯s been two days since the incidents at the party and the hospital. A day after it all happened, Loukas was discharged from the hospital. When Rotimi and I informed him about how he moved his right fingers, he took therapy more seriously, and he woke up earlier and waited for me in the therapy room.


    When I entered, he was moving around with the wheeled walker and didn¡¯t acknowledge my presence as I walked in.


    He was back to his usual annoying self. ¡°You are thirty-five minuteste,¡± he said as he wheeled himself towards me. ¡°What happened to your routine, huh?¡± He scoffed and wheeled himself away from me.


    I dropped a few books in my arms on the desk and tried to exin myself. ¡°I am so sorry foringte, Mr. Whitemore, but I figured that you needed rest since you just came back from the hospital, and as your therapist¡­¡±


    ¡°As my therapist, you need to know that there is no time to waste and you need to know what I want all the time,¡± he stated.


    All the time? I scoffed at that because he was insinuating that I needed to be avable for him all the time, which was weird because I had things I wanted to do in my leisure time. ¡°You need to know that I have things to do too, sir,¡± I told him, but he didn¡¯t bother responding and wheeled himself towards the couch.


    ¡°You are all talk and no action,¡± he hissed. ¡°Now that there¡¯s been an improvement in my right hand, let¡¯s move to today¡¯s therapy.¡± Don¡¯t forget about your six-month n. ¡±


    I rolled my eyes and sat in front of him. He didn¡¯t have to remind me about that because I had it all nned out. ¡°I need you to lie down,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Are you fucking stupid?¡± He asked me, which sounded a little offensive, but I¡¯ve heard worse. I raised my brows in confusion, having no idea why he would call me that. ¡°You are impossible,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°You know that I can¡¯t move my body on my own!¡± He reminded me.


    Oh! I forgot about that. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I stood up from my chair and ced my hands around his waist as I helped him lie down on the couch. After making sure that he wasfortable, I let go of his waist and tried to sit down, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms.


    ¡°What the hell are you even doing?¡± I asked him and tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he held on tightly to my waist. ¡°What do you want?¡± The memory of our kiss at the hospital shed through my head and I could feel the beating of my heart against my ribcage. My face was buried in his neck and I could smell his cologne. It was strong and had a good strong scent that was alluring. It smelled like a rainforest, and for a moment, I thought I was in the forest.


    ¡°I¡­ ¡± Loukas cleared his throat as he couldn¡¯t say anything. He let go of my waist and cleared his throat. I apologize for that. I thought I saw something in your neck, ¡°he stated, and I could detect the lie in his tone. Loukas was not good at lying, and even though he tried to hide how he felt, it was obvious that he felt something for me.


    It was the same as me. I liked him and was attracted to him, but I still haven¡¯t figured out what I wanted from him because he was difficult to understand. One time he is caring and the other time he is moody as if the whole world is against him. I tucked my braided hair behind my ear and sat down on the chair. Clearing my throat, I began the therapy section. ¡°Today is all about motor imagery,¡± I exined, and he nodded in agreement. ¡°Motor imagery,¡± I stood up and turned on the TV in the room. He was facing it, and he didn¡¯t need to raise his head before he could see because the couch was high enough for him to befortable. I picked up the USB cable from my table and inserted it on the left side of the TV, and when a video came on the screen, I yed it for him.


    The video first showed a man who moved his hands a few times and also walked around a couple of times. ¡°What is the use of motor imagery?¡± He asked.


    I pointed to the screen. ¡± This form of therapy sends signals to your brain and watching the videos or pictures of people raising their hands or legs triggers a change in your body and if you can continue like that for weeks then there will surely be an improvement!¡± I told him, and he nodded in response and continued watching the video.


    I walked towards him and bent lower to his level. I raised his right hand and he turned to look at me. ¡°Watch the video, Loukas,¡± I said quietly, and he didn¡¯t object as he stared at the screen. I raised his hand and gentlyid it back beside him. I raised it again and repeated the whole thing five times. ¡°Do you remember anything from your ident?¡± I asked him but he didn¡¯t respond and pretended that I wasn¡¯t there. I told him, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to answer, but I need to know to make you feel better.¡± He turned to face me and, not knowing that he had turned his head toward me, I also turned my head toward him. Our lips were so closed that I could feel his breath on mine.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°I want to kiss you right now,¡± he whispered and raised his left hand to touch my face. ¡°Your lips are so soft, and I can¡¯t help but want to taste them every time I¡¯m around you,¡± he said as he gently pushed my head toward him. I didn¡¯t resist and let our lips touch.


    I felt the butterflies in my stomach, which sounded cliche as hell, but it was how I felt toward him. His lips slowly moved against mine, and I found myself touching his face as the kiss deepened. The hair on my body rose, and as the kiss became intense, his hand left my face and trailed down my neck. ¡°Fuck, your lips taste good,¡± he whispered in between the kisses. I moaned in pleasure as his hand trailed down my neck and down to my chest.


    I shouldn¡¯t be doing this, I thought as his hand fondled my left breast. My legs shook terribly where I knelt, and I thought that I could faint due to his touch. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this, I reminded myself yet again and gasped when his lips met with my neck. He sucked on my neck while I moaned in pleasure. ¡°I¡­¡± I finally spoke up and grabbed his hand that fondled my breast. ¡°We¡­¡± I swallowed the invisible lump in my throat.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want this?¡± He asked and stared into my eyes.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be doing this,¡± I finally dared to say something. It was wrong of us to be kissing when we are always at each other¡¯s throats. I believed that we needed to figure out our feelings and even though the attraction between us was strong and inevitable because we touched all the time, I knew Loukas was not the type for a rtionship. ¡°What are we?¡± I asked him.


    He blinked and dropped his hand beside him. ¡°What do you think we are?¡± He questioned him back.


    I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head. ¡°I believe that we are attracted to one another and you¡­¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Loukas chuckled. I didn¡¯t find what I had just said funny because I was being serious. I frowned at him and shrugged my shoulders, wondering why he wasughing so hard. ¡°If you think that we meant something, then you are crazy,¡± he stated bluntly. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in rtionships and don¡¯t believe in love!¡± He dropped the bombshell.


    It was what I expected him to say. For a man who doesn¡¯t care about that, I expected that from him. Someone like him was incapable of love. ¡°You mean you are not attracted to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± he answered, and my heart skipped a beat. ¡°You are an attractive woman, and I can¡¯t keep my hands off of you!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Are you fucking stupid?¡± He shouted at me. ¡°Can¡¯t you read the room, Hiry?¡± Loukas tutted. ¡°I¡¯m attracted to you because I want to fuck you! Even though my right side is useless, I still know how to handle a woman! ¡±


    Tears welled up in my eyes at the sudden discovery, but I blinked them away. I refused to look weak in front of him. ¡°I¡­ ¡± I sniffled and turned my face away from his. I stood up from the ground and turned my back on him. I wiped my eyes as I felt a tear roll down my face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you can¡¯t fuck me,¡± I chuckled, turning to face him. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the therapy going,¡± I chuckled, and he just stared at me as if I had two heads. I knelt beside him and helped him raise his leg. ¡°Motor imagery has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for hemiplegic patients,¡± I exined to him as I raised his legs.


    He tried to say something, but I pointed to the TV screen. ¡°Hiry¡­.¡± He called my name.


    ¡°Please keep an eye on the TV screen, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I said formally again. He didn¡¯t say a word after that and followed my instructions.


    What was I thinking when I thought that we could figure out our feelings? He was a cold man with a stone heart. He had given up on a lot of things, and nothing could change how he felt.


    Not even me. Who was I to change him?

 Moving on

    Loukas POV


    For the umpteenth time, I swiveled in my swivel chair, thinking about what had happened between Hiry and me. I should not have reacted in that manner. I thought as I spun once more. My eyes rolled as I spun again, and everything around me became hazy.


    I came to a halt in my chair and took a deep breath. Hiry¡¯s words rang in my head at that precise moment. ¡°You need to learn how to practice on your own!¡± Her angry face appeared in my head, and I chuckled, oblivious to the fact that she was not present. I groaned in frustration as I looked around my office.


    What was I doing acting like an idiot? I pondered. We were supposed to have another therapy session today, but she left the mansion for something important.


    Something important my foot or she was avoiding me after our heated kiss.


    I should not have kissed her, I thought, briefly sighing. I pushed myself closer to my desk, picked up a pen, and attempted to draw a building n on an empty sheet of paper, but my hand failed me miserably. I started drawing what was in my head, which was Hiry¡¯s face. I dropped the pen in frustration, and when I picked it up again and closed my eyes, hoping to block her out of my mind, her face reappeared.


    I sighed and mmed the pen angrily on my desk. ¡°Howe?¡± I yelled, and just then, the door to my office opened. I quickly turned to face the door, expecting to see Hiry, but instead Rotimi walked in. I lowered my head and frowned. I had no idea Rotimi could read my expression, and he turned back to face the door, wondering who I was looking for behind him.


    ¡°Are you searching for Hiry?¡± He inquired, but I ignored him, pretending not to hear him. ¡°Hiry has arrived. She went grocery shopping ¡°He informed me of this.


    I scoffed and reached for my desk pen. She could tell Rotimi where she was going, but she couldn¡¯t even tell me. ¡°So funny,¡± I thought as I gripped the pen even tighter, not realizing I had said it aloud.


    ¡°What¡¯s the joke?¡± Rotimi asked and sat in the chair across from me. He put his hand on the desk and his gaze was drawn to the sheet on the table. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re drawing?¡± He inquired, but I quickly grabbed the sheet from the table and ced it in the first drawer of my desk. ¡°hmmmmmmm,¡± Rotimi grinned and chuckled. He made another funny face by rolling his eyes and grinning.


    ¡°You resemble a zombie!¡± I told him, raising the corner of my lips.


    Rotimi suddenly became solemn and cleared his throat. ¡°I came here to inform you about something I heard from my source,¡± he said solemnly, moving his head closer to mine.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± I asked him, tilting my head back.


    ¡°I¡¯m attempting to kiss you,¡± he replied,ughing.


    ¡°Are you crazy!¡± I yelled at him, but heughed even louder. I mmed my hand against my desk and pointed at him. ¡°What the hell are you doing in my office?¡± I inquired.


    Rotimi cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°Remember the ideas you discussedst week before the g?¡± He inquired, but I had no idea what he was on about.


    ¡°Please specify,¡± I said.


    ¡°The business idea,¡± he said as he clicked his fingers on the table. ¡°The merging concept in which you will invest in a near-bankruptpany!¡± I nodded in response to his reminder.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What do you have to say about that?¡±


    ¡°I discovered a once-greatpany and obtained the information from my sources,¡± he dered.


    I furrowed my brows and moved in closer to him. ¡°Tell me,¡± I said, because it sounded intriguing. I came up with the idea of buying a bankruptpany and rebuilding it to retaliate against my family for what they had done to me, and now that Rotimi had purchased the great news, it sounded like a great idea.


    ¡°My source is apany insider, and he says¡­. ¡±


    ¡± Whichpany?¡± Out of curiosity, I interrupted him.


    ¡°A& T,¡± he replied, and I ced my hand on my chin, wondering where I had heard the name. It sounded familiar, but I had forgotten about it. I couldn¡¯t recall where I¡¯d heard it.


    ¡°It¡¯s apany you coborated with years ago. Thepany that beat yourpany and won the best award five years ago, ¡± Rotimi reminded me and I suddenly smiled remembering thepany¡¯s name.


    ¡°What happened? ¡± I asked him because thest time I checked, A& T was one of the best construction in thepany. It was in the top five best and I remembered the year they won the best award. ¡°Why are they on sale? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apany you worked with many years ago. Thepany that beat yourpany and won the best award five years ago,¡± Rotimi reminded me, and I smiled at the memory.


    ¡°What urred?¡± I asked him because,st I checked, A&T was one of the best constructionpanies in thepany. It was in the top five best, and I recall them winning the best award the year before. ¡°Howe they¡¯re on sale?¡±


    ¡°The CEO¡¯s son is in charge of everything.¡± He made a few transactions with an international no-namepany and was taken advantage of. Thepany is now facing bankruptcy and is on the verge of failure! ¡±


    I sighed and rested my hand on the desk. ¡°How about the father?¡±


    ¡°He has a terrible disease that I am not aware of. Thepany used to fund his health care, but now that it has gone belly up, they no longer have the funds to continue the treatment, which is terrible because the old man would die without it.¡±


    The information about the father reminded me of mine. My father survived the ident and was taken to the hospital, but after a few months, he gave up and died before I coulde out of thea. I understand the anguish of losing a loved one, especially if you have no memory of them.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Rotimi pped his fingers against my cheek. ¡°What are your thoughts on this?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Because A&T was once a powerfulpany, I think it¡¯s a fantastic idea. What is the buy-out strategy?¡± I inquired, and he responded. ¡°That¡¯s too low for such a greatpany as A &T,¡± I said, gently rubbing my brow. ¡± Who listed thepany for sale?¡±


    ¡°The father,¡± Rotimi said as he stood up and stretched his arms. ¡°There are a lot of people on this,¡± he said as he sat down again and moved closer to me. ¡°Your brother is on the list of those attempting to acquire A&T,¡± He informed him.


    ¡± What? ¡± I chuckled as I mmed my hand on the desk. ¡± He¡¯s spreading his wings now,¡± I eximed, clutching my stomach when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Rotimi jumped to his feet and charged at me. He sighed as he ced his hand on my brow. ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± he said, sighing.


    I rolled my eyes at his folly. He pretended to be a doctor even when it was a minor matter, but I quickly realized that he wasn¡¯t. I thought the sharp pain was fromughing too hard, but then I remembered that I hadn¡¯t felt pain in my abdomen in a long time.


    What was the situation? As I stared into Rotimi¡¯s eyes, I had a thought. He had a worried expression on his face, and telling him what was going on with me would only raise more questions from his side. I didn¡¯t want to hear about the burden, so I kept it to myself. I gently pressed my hand against my stomach and noticed that the pain had gone away. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Rotimi asked me again, and this time he tried to touch me, but I pped his hand away.


    ¡°We need more information about the A&T buy-out n,¡± I responded instead.


    Rotimi sighed and returned to the chair opposite me. ¡°You are impossible,¡± he said, and I rolled my eyes at him, wondering what he meant. ¡°The buy-out n is already in ce, and the lucky recipient of thepany will be announced in a week,¡± he exined.


    ¡± Hmmmmm,¡± I thought as I spun in my chair, thinking of an idea. ¡°I have a fantastic idea,¡± I said as I spun to face Rotimi. ¡°It¡¯s such a great idea, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out,¡± I said.


    ¡± What¡¯s your n?¡±


    ¡°Visiting the hospital where the father is,¡± I replied, and he raised his brows in confusion. ¡± We¡¯ll pay a visit to his father and¡­¡±


    Rotimi snapped his fingers at me, and I immediately stopped talking. He pointed to me before pointing to himself. ¡°You can¡¯t go because your identity will be revealed, and why are you going to the hospital?¡± He inquired.


    ¡± Because I¡¯ll be offering him a lifetime offer he can¡¯t reject, ¡± I clicked my tongue and smiled wickedly at him.


    ¡°Howe your n sounds so stupid?¡± He inquired, and instead of responding, I briefed him further on my brilliant idea.


    ¡°All I need is a wife,¡± I said, as the door to my office burst open and Hiry walked in unannounced.


    ¡°I apologize for barging in, but I¡¯ve been back from the grocery store for a while now and I prepared a meal for all of us,¡± she exined.


    Why do people apologize aftermitting a heinous error? I thought as I stared at her. I smiled unexpectedly as an idea urred to me. I kept staring at her until our gazes met, and she quickly averted her gaze.


    ¡°Yay! ¡± Rotimi¡¯s reaction was to p his hands. ¡°I¡¯m so excited to eat your meal! Loukas¡¯ chef cooks stupid food,¡± Rotimi said, feigning choking and shaking his head. ¡± His food is disgusting!¡± He said this and then turned to face me. I scoffed as I red at him.


    How could he call my food stupid after eating it for years? I considered him a hypocrite.


    ¡°We will be there,¡± Rotimi said on our behalf, and Hiry nodded and walked out of the room. ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound like a jerk all the time,¡± Rotimi told me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I retorted, rolling my eyes. ¡°Now, back to my idea,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°I think I know who I can make my wife,¡± I said, looking towards the door from which Hiry had exited. Rotimi turned to face me after following my gaze.


    ¡°No way! ¡± He said, but I responded by nodding my head and saying that it was possible. ¡°You¡¯ve gone insane!¡± He said.

 The Marriage Proposal

    Hiry POV


    As I waited in Loukas¡¯srge dining room, my heart beat erratically. It was my first time there because the dining hall was on the second floor, which was essentially home and a no-go zone for me. I¡¯ve only been there once, to wake Loukas in his room. It was also thest time I visited. I waited for them as I set the table after obtaining proper permission from Rotimi, who gave me the go-ahead to ce the meal I prepared on Loukas¡¯s dining table.


    The dining table was made of tempered ss and had four transparent ck chairs. I cooked three meals to distract myself from the thought of Loukas, but while I was cooking, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him and how his hand had fondled my breast and how sexy his voice was. The mere thought of it sent shivers up and down my spine. I couldn¡¯t get it out of my head.


    ¡°Get a grip,¡± I told myself as I set the tes on the table and sat in the first chair on the left side, waiting for Rotimi and Loukas to arrive. I waited for them for twenty minutes before they decided to show up and waste my time. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± I said as Rotimi wheeled Loukas into the Dining Hall.


    ¡°Something smells nice,¡± Rotimi said, sniffing the air and giving me thumbs up. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to taste your food,¡± he said as he assisted Loukas on the chair at the table¡¯s edge.


    Our gazes locked, and he looked at me as if waiting for me to say something. After what he did to me the day before, I shouldn¡¯t be the one to say anything. We continued to stare at each other until Rotimi decided to end the stare-off. ¡°What exactly are we eating?¡± Rotimi smacked his fork against the table like a child.


    ¡°I¡¯ll serve you both,¡± I said as I stood up beside Rotimi and opened the first dish containing the first meal I made. It was a French bread oven-baked pizza. ¡°I made this because I think you two will enjoy it!¡±


    ¡± Wow!¡± As I ced the bread pizza on Rotimi¡¯s te, he pped his hands. He bit into it and moaned with delight. ¡°Delicious!¡± He eximed and gave me another thumbs up.


    I chuckled, oblivious to the fact that Loukas was waiting for me to serve him. ¡°Are we going to have to wait until Rotimi is done eating before you serve me?¡± He¡¯s at it again with his rude demeanor. I wasn¡¯t surprised because this was his usual demeanor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologized as I ced the French bread pizza on his te. I sat down to mine after serving it. Raising my head to face him, I observed him cutting a slice of bread and inserting it into his mouth. I licked my lips as he chewed it, and when he caught me staring, I visibly gulped and pretended to take the ss of water from the table. I sipped the water and set the ss down on the table. ¡°This tastes pretty good,¡± Imented.


    Loukas chuckled as he dropped the fork on his head, but his actions caused him to choke. I poured him a ss of water and handed it to him, acting like a crazy wife. He looked at me as he drank from the ss cup, and when he was done, he gently ced it on the table. ¡°Are you all right?¡± I inquired of him.


    ¡°Your meal is so sweet that he choked on it,¡± Rotimi joked, and Iughed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t choke because of that,¡± Loukas said quickly. ¡°I choked because she¡¯s stupid,¡± he said, pointing at him.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, wondering why he was calling me names after I served him a delicious meal and gave him water instead of letting him choke to death.


    Loukas chuckled as he pointed at me. I exchanged nces with Rotimi, who was busy stuffing his face with beef and broli, the second meal that I had prepared. He shrugged his shoulders and continued eating when he noticed I was staring at him.


    ¡°I have a proposal for you,¡± he said, shifting in my seat as I waited to hear what he had to say.


    ¡°What exactly is it?¡± I set the fork on my te and picked up the ss of water on my table to drink, but his next words made me choke on the water.


    ¡°I need you to marry me,¡± he eximed.


    I began coughing as Rotimi rubbed my back, and he just sat there watching me as he ate the bread pizza, not caring if I was choking to death. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Rotimi continued to rub my back.


    When the coughing stopped, I nodded and raised my head to face Loukas. I red at him and noticed him smirking back. ¡°What is that kind of proposal?¡± I asked him, looking at Rotimi, who didn¡¯t seem surprised, as if they were on it together. ¡°Did you know?¡± I inquired of Rotimi, who cleared his throat and averted his gaze.


    ¡°It will only be for six months until I get better,¡± Loukas replied to my inquiry. And just when I thought he was done, he went on. ¡°I just need you to y the role of my wife until the therapy is over,¡± he added.


    Iughed and pped my hands, trying to make sense of what I had just heard. ¡°Did you just propose marriage to me?¡±


    ¡°In name only,¡± he replied, dropping the fork on his hand. ¡°But it would only be for a short time!¡±


    Iughed once more and sighed. ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Of what?¡±


    ¡°Of what marriage is,¡± I replied, shifting in my seat. ¡°Marriage is sacred, and it is a life-longmitment made by two people. You don¡¯t ask people to marry you just for fun,¡± I exined.


    ¡°This is not a holy union, Hiry. It¡¯s a deal that urs in movies and stories. I¡¯m making you a once-in-a-lifetime offer that will change your life. ¡°We are not marrying because I love you,¡± The way he said it pierced my heart, but I faked a smile and listened to what he had to say. ¡°I am marrying you purely for business purposes, and the only reason I am doing so is to gain apetitive advantage and I can¡¯t achieve it without a wife so, ¡± he pointed to me. ¡± I am asking you to be my wife, ¡± he stated.


    ¡°why?¡±


    Loukas rolled his eyes and made a face. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± he inquired. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear everything I said?¡± He smirked.


    ¡°Lou,¡± Rotimi addressed him. ¡± I believe she is surprised because you announced it out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be surprised because we¡¯re not getting married for the rest of our lives. It¡¯s only for six months, and then she¡¯ll be on her own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you why you chose me over someone else!¡± I mmed my hand on the table and locked my gaze on him. ¡°I must know why!¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re my therapist,¡± he replied, and I just rolled my eyes.


    Is that all I ever meant to him? his therapist! I wanted to scream it so loudly that he could hear it. I thought I heard him say he was attracted to me once, but now I¡¯m his therapist.


    What a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°I believe you are ideal for this position, and if you help me, Hiry, I will help you as well,¡± he promised. I just stared at him, not saying anything.


    ¡± If you need time to think about it, you can do so.¡­¡± Rotimi attempted to speak, but Loukas interrupted him.


    ¡°You know there¡¯s no time, Rotimi,¡± Loukas said, his face emotionless as it always was, and he raised his brows at me. ¡°You need to make a decision quickly so I can n the next phase of our wedding,¡± he said.


    I sighed and closed my eyes, remembering everything that had happened since I met Loukas. I wanted to be close to him, but I never expected him to ask me to marry him.


    My inner voice reminded me that it was just a business proposal. I exhaled an exasperated sigh and shoved one of the bread pizzas into my mouth. I drank from the ss that was on the table. After swallowing the bread pizza, I looked at Loukas, who looked at me with disgust, as if eating quickly was a bad thing.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to this, but,¡± I paused and turned to face Rotimi, who had a worried look in his eyes. ¡°You need to tell me the real reason you¡¯re marrying me,¡± I said, knowing Loukas would disagree.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already exined why I needed you. What else do you require?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°The real reason,¡± I said with a smile. I told him, ¡°Only then will I agree to your decisions.¡±


    Rotimi nodded in response and exchanged nces with Loukas. ¡°I think you should tell her because she¡¯s going to be your wife,¡± he said.


    Loukas let out a sigh and nodded in agreement with my rules. I pped my hands and smiled. I was selling my soul to the devil and instead of regretting it, I was delighted.


    Once I know why he decided to do that then it will all be for good and maybe, we¡¯ll get along but I know that Loukas wasn¡¯t the type to get along with anyone especially someone like me.

 Stargazing

    Loukas POV


    Before telling Hiry why I wanted her to be my wife, I drank a ss of water. I never nned on making her my wife, but it just came out and I never regretted saying it because I knew the marriage thing was not forever. It was just for six months until I was fine and until I got the business deal from A & T Construction. It¡¯s not like I was going to fall in love with her.


    It was never going to happen because I don¡¯t n on making her mine. Not her or anyone else.


    ¡°So? Why did you ask me to marry you?¡± Hiry hit the table and bought me out of my thoughts. The way she sounded made it seem like we were getting married for love.


    ¡°It¡¯s for a business deal. I need you to y the role of a perfect wife, attend official outings with me, and travel around the world with me until I get what I want,¡± I told her, but she said nothing and just stared at me. ¡°Ain¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± I asked her.


    Rotimi cleared his throat and spoke with food in his mouth. ¡°I think you didn¡¯t exin it the way she wanted,¡± he told me and swallowed the food in his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me with food in your mouth next time,¡± I told him and then pointed at Hiry, who wouldn¡¯t stop staring at me. ¡°Say something.¡±


    Hiry folded her arms and what came out of her mouth next made me cough out loud. ¡°Are we going to act like a real couple?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What? ¡± I coughed and quickly drank water from the ss on the table. ¡°What do you mean by a real couple? I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that, ¡°I told her, and she chuckled and looked towards Rotimi, who shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°What I meant was that we are going to y the couple role like a normal couple does,¡± she said, and I found that pretty interesting. The way she said it made it sound naughty.


    I smirked at her and beckoned for her to continue. ¡°How do couples act?¡± I asked her even though I already knew the answer.


    She rolled her eyes and palmed her forehead. ¡°Stop acting like you don¡¯t know Loukas,¡± she stated.


    I found her eyes rolling rude and if Rotimi wasn¡¯t on the table with us, I would have grabbed her and ced her on my legs while kissing the hell out of her. I couldn¡¯t do that because I was paralyzed and Rotimi was there with us. ¡°If you are talking about sex,¡± I said and Rotimi jumped to his feet.


    ¡°What the hell, Lou!¡± He shouted at me as if I had said something wrong when I hadn¡¯t. ¡°Please refrain from such words when I¡¯m around you two,¡± he stated and picked up his te from the table. ¡°If you two are done talking about your sexual lives, then call me,¡± he said and walked out of the dining hall. He muttered under his breath as he walked away. ¡°Why do I need to know about their sexual lives?¡± I could hear his voice as he walked down the stairs.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t you going to say anything about what I have just said?¡± I asked her and she finally raised her head to face me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve told me what you wanted already, so now I know why we are getting married,¡± she answered. ¡°And we are not having sex,¡± she stated.


    I chuckled and nodded in response, but deep down, I wanted her. I wanted her in my arms while I fucked her until she was out of breath, but the way I wanted her pinned to my bed only existed in my head. What could a paralyzed man do? I can¡¯t even walk on my own. ¡°We can if you want,¡± I teased and clicked my tongue.


    She scoffed and shook her head in response. ¡°I¡¯ll help you with whatever you want,¡± she said, making it sound as if I was forcing her to marry me.


    It¡¯s not as if she doesn¡¯t have a choice. She does and she could easily disagree, which made me wonder why she agreed with my proposal. ¡°If there is nothing else to say, then you can continue with the next phase.¡± She stood up and started packing our tes from the table.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°It seems you have something else on your mind. I should do the dishes while you continue thinking. I¡¯ll visit you in your office once I¡¯m done, ¡°she continued packing the tes and when she was done, she turned to leave, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the tes almost dropped from her hand, but her reflexes reacted and she grabbed it before it could drop. ¡°I almost dropped the tes because of you!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a te, Hiry,¡± I told her but she disagreed and yanked her hand free from mine. ¡°I still need to talk to you,¡± I reminded her.


    She nodded in response and walked away from me without saying anything. I muttered a curse word and punched the thin air. I said through gritted teeth and mmed my hand on the table. ¡°She didn¡¯t even listen to what I wanted to tell her,¡± I hissed and heaved a sigh. I looked towards the entrance of the dining room where she exited and sighed yet again.


    What was she doing to me? I thought andid back on the chair. I didn¡¯t know how long I was seated until Rotimi appeared from the room¡¯s entrance. He headed towards me and waved his hand in my face.


    I pped it away and red at him. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked him.


    Rotimi sat down on the chair next to me and crossed his legs. ¡°I hope you know what you are doing?¡±


    I responded by clicking my fingers on the table. ¡°It¡¯s the only way to get the deal fast from A & T Construction.¡±


    ¡°But there are other ways,¡± He tried to talk me out of it, but my mind was already made up. I was going to get married to Hiry until I was able to walk on my own and get the business deal.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way.¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Later that night, I sat in my room staring at an old picture of my parents and my four-year-old self. We all looked happy in the picture, and it¡¯s so sad that I didn¡¯t remember why we took that picture. It¡¯s the only picture I had of us and another picture of myself and a girl I don¡¯t even recognize. While I continued staring, the door leading to my office opened and Hiry walked in. She waved at me as she headed towards me. Before I knew it, she had stretched her neck to look at the picture in my hand, but I pushed her away.


    ¡°Mind your own business,¡± I said as I hid the photograph in the drawer. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯de over once I finished the dishes,¡± she reminded me, and I nodded.


    I hadpletely forgotten about our discussions. She sat in the chair in front of my desk and coughed briefly. ¡°So, concerning the marriage proposal, Don¡¯t you think you should do it the proper way? ¡± She asked, but I blocked her voice out of my ear and I just stared at her lips.It¡¯s pinker as if she just added lipstick. Who was she trying to impress, huh? I scoffed out loud and earned a re from her.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± She asked. ¡°Is my question funny?¡± She asked, and I shook my head in response. She had no idea why I wasughing. It was fun to watch her talk, but I wasn¡¯t ready for any conversation that night.


    Seeing her face made me want to pull her into my arms and kiss her senselessly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk about this, right?¡± She seemed to understand my mood.


    I nodded in response, and she stood up. ¡°Alright, Loukas. I guess I just have to go, ¡°she turned to leave but remembered something and turned back to face me.


    I asked her if there was anything wrong.


    ¡°Tonight seems like a great day to stare at the stars, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Never!¡± I bluntly refused. I don¡¯t even remember thest time that I stared at the sky or stayed outside at night. She was asking the impossible. ¡°You should go to sleep,¡± I told her.


    She rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. ¡°Come on, Loukas, it¡¯s just for tonight. The sky is really beautiful tonight, ¡°she tried to convince me, but I shook my head in response.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said tly.


    She nodded in response and I thought she had given up, but she walked closer to me and bent over until our lips almost touched. I blinked as she leaned in. I closed my eyes, anticipating the kiss because it was what I wanted ever since dinner at the dining hall. I waited for the kiss, but it never came. Instead, I heard her chuckling in my ear. My eyes fluttered open, and when they met hers, sheughed at me. ¡°You find this funny, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked her and she nodded in response. ¡°What will you do if I kiss you right now?¡± I asked her.


    She visibly gulped and cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to stare at the stars. I¡¯ll go watch it on my own, ¡°she turned to leave, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go watch the stars.¡± I finally agreed to it because I wanted to keep seeing her face.


    ¡°Really?¡± Her face brightened up, and she smiled at me.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t like repeating myself, Hiry,¡± I told her, and she nodded her head in response.


    A few minutester, we both sat under the tree outside the mansion and stared at the sky. Just like she had said, there were stars in the sky. They brightened up the sky, giving it a beautiful look. That night was the first time in fourteen years since I sat down and stared at the sky.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you agreed to stargaze with me,¡± she said, pointing to a star in the sky.


    I turned to look at her, and even in the darkness, I could see the shape of her face. I stretched my hand to touch her face, and she turned to face me. ¡°Why do you agree to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Because as you said, it¡¯s a business deal,¡± she answered.


    Just a business deal, her words resounded in my head. I didn¡¯t want it to be a business deal, but I was scared to fall in love again.


    How can a man who grew up without love, get cheated by love fall in love? No way that could happen. I removed my hand from her face and looked up at the sky, trying to hide my disappointment in her response. ¡°You are right, it¡¯s just a business deal,¡± I said, even though my heart was saying something else.

 The Marriage Arrangement

    Hiry POV


    I took a deep breath as I entered Loukas¡¯ room. It was my second visit, and unlike the first, when I barged in, I decided to be more polite and knocked on his door. We barely saw each other after he made his announcement about marrying me two days ago because he was too busy with his business dealings and the fake wedding. ¡°Loukas,¡± I said again, announcing my presence.


    His voice came from inside his room, and he invited me in. I walked in and saw him trying to tie his tie, but he couldn¡¯t because his hand kept slipping, and because he couldn¡¯t move his right hand, it became more difficult. I looked around for Rotimi and when I didn¡¯t see him, I figured he might need my assistance. ¡°Let me do it,¡± I said, extending my hand to assist him with the tie.


    I try to avoid his stares while tying his tie. I moved away from him once I was finished. Being around Loukas weakens me, and the only way to avoid him was to avoid any physical contact, but how could I avoid that when we were always around each other? ¡°Are you prepared?¡± As his gaze moved around my body, I heard him ask. I cleared my throat and looked in the mirror. Because almost all of my clothes were jeans and hoodies, I was wearing a sleeveless blue Pzzo jumpsuit with a ck zer. Except for special asions, I rarely wear a dress. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re wearing?¡± he inquired, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°Why?¡± I inquired. ¡°Is there something wrong with my outfit?¡±


    Loukas examined my clothes with his hand on his chin. ¡°You can¡¯t meet our guest dressed like this,¡± he said.


    I frowned at him as I folded my arms. ¡°How do you rmend I dress?¡± I inquired of him.


    He cleared his throat and drew a long line with his fingers as if drawing something. As I stared at him, I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying. ¡°What are you attempting to say?¡±


    ¡°You need to be sophisticated to act like my wife,¡± he borated. In a way that I couldprehend. ¡°Dressing like this gives the wrong impression about a billionaire¡¯s wife,¡± he exined.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    I chuckled and then gave him a hard stare. How dare he criticize my attire? As he continued to stare at me, I frowned and tutted. ¡°What makes you think I can¡¯t be sophisticated?¡±


    Loukas rubbed his brow and clicked his tongue. ¡°Did you see yourself?¡± He asked me in a way that made me sound unattractive. ¡°Compare to me,¡± he said, pointing to himself. ¡°I¡¯m dressed like an ideal husband, and if my future wife is seen dressed like that, it¡¯ll be a disaster,¡± he said as he shook his head at me. ¡°You need to change your dress, Hiry,¡± he should have said simply, but he had to go a long way before finally saying something.


    ¡°Would you like me to change my dress?¡± I inquired, and he nodded in response. ¡°why? ¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t like repeating myself Hills,¡± he said, motioning to the wheelchair beside his bed, but I didn¡¯t respond and just stared at him. I scoffed and gave him a murderous. ¡°Hiry,¡± he said, palming his brow. ¡°Put on a dress or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to burst your bubble, but I don¡¯t have the dress you expect me to have,¡± I indicated with my fingers.


    ¡°Then we go shopping for clothes and do your hair and makeup,¡± he replied.


    When I touched my face, I noticed how bare it was. I can¡¯t even remember thest time I put on makeup. His phone rang beside his bed, and he motioned for me to take it. I answered the phone and ced it against his ear. ¡°Oh hey Rotimi,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°You got the engagement ring?¡± he asked, thenughed. ¡°Good. Hiry and I are on our way down to meet right now. We need to stop somewhere before heading to the hospital.¡±


    My heart rate increased when he said hospital, and I wondered why he was going to the hospital. Was he ill? I thought as I looked at him. ¡°OK, see you,¡± he said as he hung up the phone and ced his hand on mine. ¡°You can take the phone away,¡± he said, and I nodded. I took the phone out of his ear and assisted him in getting into his wheelchair, but I couldn¡¯t stop wondering what he meant by ¡°hospital.¡±


    My curiosity got the best of me, so I asked him about it. ¡°Howe we¡¯re going to the hospital?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where we¡¯re going,¡± he replied.


    ¡± Are you ill?¡± I inquired, and he responded by shaking his head. I sighed and pushed him out of his room and into the elevator. ¡°So, why are we going to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°For the business transaction, Hiry,¡± he replied. ¡°We¡¯re going there as a couple to finalize a business deal,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Oh!¡±I eximed. ¡°I assumed you were ill.¡±


    He shook his head and chuckled. ¡°How can I be sick when you are here?¡± I smiled at the way he said it. It sounded like the way lovers conversed.


    As we approached the ground floor, the elevator doors opened, and I pushed him out without saying anything else. Rotimi was already standing in front of the mansion, next to a White Venza, and waved when he saw us. ¡°Hey Hiry, you look lovely,¡± he said, and I smiled back.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I chuckled because heplimented me rather than acting like Loukas, who finds ws in everything I do.


    ¡°Are you going to converse all day?¡± Loukas said angrily, pointing to the Rolex watch on his right wrist. ¡°There is no time for you two to keep talking,¡± he gritted his teeth.


    Rotimi tutted as I rolled my eyes and huffed. I sat beside him as he helped him into the car. I kept my distance from him, trying hard not to make physical contact with him. We waited for Rotimi to load the wheelchair into the car booth, which seemed to take an eternity. I smiled when Rotimi finally got into the car and started it. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten the engagement ring, Lou,¡± he said as he took a ring box from his pockets and extended his hand for Loukas to take.


    Loukas snatched it from his grasp and opened the box. I was taken by the beauty of the ring and wondered how much he had spent on it. It was a diamond ring, and although I didn¡¯t know the karat, I knew it would be expensive. I was perplexed as to why he would spend so much money on a wedding that wasn¡¯t even real. ¡°What about the wedding bands?¡±


    ¡°I should have it by the wedding next week,¡± Rotimi replied. When he said next week, I shifted in my seat. I thought the wedding would be in a month, but they just nned it without telling me.


    ¡°A week! ¡± I yelled and moved closer to Loukas,pletely forgetting about my no-touching rule ¡°How could you possibly not tell me, Loukas?¡±


    ¡°Because I thought you knew,¡± his response sounded stupid, and hearing him say it was grating. How could I have known when he refused to tell me everything? Was I supposed to use my brain to figure everything out? I wanted to scream, no, I wanted to punch Loukas and Rotimi in the face.


    ¡°How am I supposed to know when you only told me two days ago?¡± I screamed at him.


    Loukas sighed and yelled back at me. ¡°Hiry, this isn¡¯t a real wedding. Stop being like this about it!¡±


    ¡°You guys should lower your voice,¡± Rotimi begged, and we both yelled back.


    ¡°Stop talking!¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not a real wedding, but I only agreed to help you, and there are things you¡¯re supposed to tell me!¡± I screamed at him.


    ¡°Quit yelling at me!¡± He yelled back.


    How did he expect me not to yell at him when I was enraged? I didn¡¯t expect my dream wedding to be so hurried. I wanted it to be simple but full of love, but Loukas had to spoil my ns. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t have a choice, but I wanted to help him not out of pity, but because I was drawn to him and because Rotimi had told me about being his guardian angel.


    Being his guardian angel must have been hell because he was bossy and had no emotions. ¡°Is there anything else I should know, Loukas?¡± I inquired of him.


    He sighed and nodded in response. ¡°What exactly is it?¡± I inquired of him.


    ¡°Once we leave the hospital, mywyer will bring the marriage contract.¡±


    I groaned and moved away from him, frustrated. ¡°I told you not to leave me out if I¡¯m marrying you,¡± I reminded him, and when he attempted to speak, I cut him off. ¡°This isn¡¯t a real marriage, but it¡¯s sacred to me, and I don¡¯t want my fake wedding to be rushed.¡±


    Rotimi agreed with a nod but did not turn to face me. ¡°Lou, I agree with her on this one. She should be kept up to date on everything ¡°He stated this.


    Loukas agreed with a roll of their eyes. ¡°Fine, but keep in mind that this isn¡¯t a real wedding,¡± he reminded me, and I nodded in response. ¡°Great, start by putting this ring on your,¡± he said as he shoved the box into my grip. I asked him a question, and he frowned at me as if I had done something wrong. ¡°No one is going to believe you¡¯re my bride-to-be if you don¡¯t have a ring on your finger,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡± Oh, yes!¡± I gave him a friendly smile and opened the box. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s supposed to put the ring on my finger?¡±


    Loukas responded by shaking his head. ¡°No,¡± he said tly. I rolled my eyes as I ced the ring on my finger.


    I suppose this marriage was doomed from the start. A truly dreadful one.

 The Announcement

    Hiry POV


    I groaned in frustration as Loukas turned me back for the umpteenth time because I was not dressed in his preferred attire. You know, a gown fit for the wife of a billionaire. We first stopped at a cosmetics store, where I waspletely transformed into another person. My hair was stretched to my shoulder and my face was baked with various cosmetics products; at the end of it all, I looked like apletely different person. Rotimi took us to a clothing store after we left the makeup store, and Loukas, being the annoying person that he was, made me change a couple of times.


    I¡¯m not sure how a man can be so annoying. He was unbearable, and I worried about how our marriage would fare if he continued to act as if he owned me. As if I were his property and someone he couldmand.


    I expected him to finally ept me when I entered the dressing room again and changed into a ck long-sleeve dress, but he gave me a shocking response.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going there for a funeral, Hry,¡± he grumbled. ¡°You need to wear something thatplements your make-up,¡± he said and began listing the requirements for a good billionaire wife. ¡± You must be sophisticated, have good dressing sense, and always be¡­ ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± I said angrily as I stormed into the dressing room. ¡°Egotistical jerk,¡± I yelled at him as I turned to face the dressing room door.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll like this brown dress, ma¡¯am?¡± The store clerk inquired, but my gaze was drawn elsewhere. It was a white bodycon dress with a one-of-a-kind design on the sleeve. It has a ck flowery pattern on the sleeve that has piqued my interest. I smiled at the attendant as I picked it up and told her what I wanted. It was as if the dress was tailor-made for me once I put it on. It¡¯s as if it was left there specifically for me to wear. It fit my figure perfectly, and when I looked in the mirror to check myself out, I looked like the wife of a billionaire, and the store clerkmented on the dress.


    ¡°You look amazing, ma¡¯am,¡± she said, and I returned her smile.


    ¡°Thank you, ¡± I said.


    I walked out of the dressing room determined not to change my dress, even if Loukas demanded it. I can¡¯t tell you how many times I¡¯ve changed my clothes, and I¡¯m determined not to listen to him this time. ¡°How do I look?¡± I inquired.


    When I walked out, he was on his phone, and when he heard my voice, he looked up and let his gaze wander over my body. He cleared his throat and looked at Rotimi, who didn¡¯t bother looking at him and instead pped his hands and gave me a thumbs up. ¡°You look fantastic,¡± he said.


    I smiled at him and cleared my throat, waiting for Loukas to speak. I needed to know what he thought about the dress even though I wasn¡¯t nning on changing it. ¡°You look,¡± he paused, staring into my eyes. ¡°You look,¡± he paused again, and I fiddled with my perfectly manicured nails, waiting for his response.


    ¡°Are you going to say anything, Lou?¡± Rotimi snapped his fingers across Loukas¡¯ face. ¡°Please say something.¡±


    After a few minutes of waiting for him to say something nice to me, Loukas said, ¡°The dress is okay.¡± What on earth was I expecting him to say? ¡°You appear to be the ideal billionaire wife,¡± he added.


    I chuckled and rubbed my newly stretched hair gently. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t ask me to change because I wasn¡¯t going to,¡± I exined.


    After Loukas epted the dress, the store clerk found ck heels to match the dress and a brown Louis Vuitton bag that appears to be far more expensive than my sry. We then left the store, but as soon as I stepped outside, I almost fell to the ground because I was wearing a four-inch heel. If Rotimi hadn¡¯t held my hand, I¡¯d be kissing the ground while Loukas made fun of me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to Rotimi, who had saved me from my embarrassment, as I dashed into the car. When Rotimi helped Loukas into the car, I moved closer to the door to enforce the no-touching rule.


    ¡°Maybe you should fall out because you¡¯re trying so hard to get away from me,¡± Loukas suggested tutting. ¡°You should know that the day we get married, we won¡¯t be able to keep our hands off ourselves, and even though it¡¯s a sham, we¡¯ll still be affectionate in public,¡± he reminded me and cleared his throat as Rotimi entered the car.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re ready to go,¡± Rotimi said as she started the car and drove out of the clothing store, toward the hospital, where Loukas¡¯ real business was. ¡°To persuade Mr. Atin, you both need to act like a real couple, or he¡¯ll see right through you,¡± Rotimi exined.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about her, but I¡¯m good at dealing with situations like this,¡± Loukas responded, turning to face me. ¡°so Hiry, you should probably practice a few lines so you don¡¯t forget things for us,¡± he said, clicking his tongue. ¡± I¡¯ve got a few lines for you.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Just a few lines? Iughed because I found that amusing. Does he believe I¡¯m incapable of dealing with situations like this? For God¡¯s sake, I¡¯m a therapist, and I¡¯ve met a lot of people with different personalities, and I could y some of them. Pretending in front of others was one of my specialties, and I was confident that I could act better than Loukas. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t be the perfect wife you wanted me to be?¡± I indicated with my fingers, but he remained silent and only stared at me. I pped my hands andughed. ¡°You must believe I can¡¯t do it,¡± I muttered. ¡°If you have so little faith in me, maybe you should find someone else,¡± I suggested.


    ¡± Guys! ¡± Rotimi yelled. ¡± There¡¯s no need to be like this with each other, okay,¡± he sighed briefly before continuing. ¡°You both need to agree if you want Mr. Atin to believe you¡¯re a couple,¡± he advised.


    ¡°You should be worried about Hiry because I am good at what I do,¡± Loukas arrogantly boasted.


    Refusing to back down, I decided to demonstrate to him that I was also pretty good at what I do. ¡°You should be worried about yourself, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I advised.


    ¡°Why?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Because you are quick to judge others and have anger issues,¡± I said, referring to his irritating attitude.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t have an anger problem, and of course, I judge people who are slow and stupid like you!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m stupid, Mr. Whitemore, you¡¯re pretty stupid,¡± I replied, and he looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. ¡°Do you realize how annoying you are? And you always get on my nerves because you want perfection, but there is no perfection anywhere, Mr. Whitemore!¡±


    Rotimi shouted and hit the brake, causing us to move forward and hit our heads on the front seat as Loukas tried to respond. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Loukas yelled, unable to move his head backward because he was stuck.


    ¡°I assist you,¡± I said, assisting him to move backward and rest his back on the back seat. ¡°That was not cool, Rotimi,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Loukas yelled at him. ¡°You nearly killed us, Rotimi!¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t die,¡± Rotimi grinned as he turned to face us. ¡± You both won¡¯t stop arguing and if I don¡¯t stop you, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll keep arguing until we get to the hospital, at which point you¡¯ll likely blow your covers!¡±


    ¡± You should have warned us before you mmed on the brakes!¡± Loukas screamed at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, ¡± Rotimi said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Your noise was so loud that I didn¡¯t resize that it was already green,¡± he exined, pointing up to the traffic light. Rotimiughed as Loukas clenched his left hand and muttered an incoherent word. ¡°You both seem like an ideal couple,¡± he said, pointing to both of us andughing.


    ¡°You, Rotimi¡­ ¡± Loukas spoke up, but Rotimi returned to the road and started the car.


    ¡°It appears to be on green light now, ¡± Rotimi cleared his throat and resumed driving, ignoring Loukas¡¯s responses.


    There wasplete silence in the car after that, and none of us said anything. As we passed by tall buildings and beautiful pedestrians, I turned to look out the window. It was beautiful to watch, and at one point, I took out my phone and took pictures of some beautiful pictures. I noticed Loukas¡¯s burning gaze was on me, and when I turned to face him, he quickly averted his gaze.


    I chuckled at his demeanor and continued to stare out the window. We finally arrived at the hospital after a thirty-minute ride. Rotimi dashed out of the car as it parked in front of the hospital to assist Loukas in getting out of the car and into his wheelchair. ¡°You should both handle things now,¡± he said to both of us before turning to leave, but he remembered something and asked us to wait. He opened the car door and looked for something on the seat beside the driver, then shoved it into my hand.


    ¡°What exactly is this?¡± I inquired of him.


    ¡°Loukas gets a nose mask. He must conceal his identity until he meets with Mr. Atin.¡±


    I nodded and handed the mask to Loukas, who quickly put it on to cover his nose. I had no idea why Loukas was trying to conceal his identity, but I assumed it was for the best, and he only said three words to me as I wheeled him into the hospital. ¡°Follow my lead.¡±

 Business Problems

    Loukas POV


    I despise the smell of hospitals. Spending years of your life in the hospital will make you hate everything about it, which is how I felt when Hiry pushed me into the lobby. I closed my eyes and, thanks to the nose masks, the smell was blocked out, but it wasn¡¯t long before I gasped out because I couldn¡¯t keep up any longer. Hiry stopped pushing me and stood in front of me when I coughed. ¡°Are you all right?¡± she inquired.


    In response, I nodded and pointed to the receptionist. ¡°Get Mr. Atin¡¯s room number.¡±


    She nodded and walked away from me, towards the receptionist. I tried as hard as I could not to inhale the bleach odor that was everywhere.


    In three words, I hated hospitals.


    Five minutester, Hiry reappeared and began pushing me toward the elevator. ¡°Did you get the room number?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Yes, on the third floor, Room 203,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Great. Remember what we¡¯ve nned, okay? Once we were alone in the elevator, I reminded her. ¡± I hope you remember.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be concerned about, Loukas. I¡¯m not going to let you lose this business opportunity, ¡°She promised, and I believed her.


    I needed the business to seed so that I could repay my family. For everything they did to me, they deserved to be punished.


    Hiry wheeled me out of the elevator and into the room as soon as the doors opened. I stopped her with my hand when we arrived. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I nodded in response to her question. Everything was fine, but I needed to make certain that I got the best deal possible. Losing a great deal like that would onlyplicate matters because finding a greatpany like A&T would be difficult.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, and she opened the door and wheeled me inside.


    I never expected someone as great as Mr. Atin to be in a room as small as the one we just entered. The room was too small for him, and I wondered how deep his debts were for him to be in a room with only a small bed and a chair beside it. Apart from that, there was nothing.


    Mr. Atin was on the tiny bed, but he had his back to us when we entered the room, and I could hear his loud snore, but it sounded like a ruse. As if he didn¡¯t want to see us and the only way he could get us to leave was to pretend to sleep.


    ¡°Seems he¡¯s sleeping,¡± Hiry said, believing Me Atin¡¯s stupid actions, but I could see right through him, and when he shifted on the tiny bed, it was confirmed that he was acting.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not sleeping, Mr. Atin,¡± I said, clearing my throat and cing my hand on the bed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain he isn¡¯t sleeping?¡± Hiry inquired, but I did not respond because I knew Mr. Atin was not sleeping. ¡°We shoulde back Loukas,¡± Hiry suggested.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, stopping her and pointing to Mr Atin. ¡°Wheel me closer to him,¡± I said, and she did so without arguing. When I approached Mr. Atin, he tried desperately to keep his eyes closed, but I beat him to it and waved my hand in front of his face. I tutted at his folly as he blinked twice. Mr. Atin had lost all of his hair, but I could still see a few grey strands on his head.


    Perhaps his illness had caused him to lose all of his hair. That was just a thought because Rotimi didn¡¯t tell me everything I needed to know about the man.


    How could he have thought I wouldn¡¯t notice his stupid tricks? I was curious as to why he was hiding from us or pretending to sleep so that we couldn¡¯t visit him. ¡°Mr. Atin, I¡¯m here for a business proposal that will benefit you, and if you agree, I¡¯ll take you out of here and ce you in a better ward.¡±


    ¡± I don¡¯t need your insignificant assistance!¡± His eyes fluttered open, and he pushed himself out of bed. ¡°I¡¯m curious why you didn¡¯t take that as a hint to leave,¡± he coughed, turning to face Hiry. ¡± Who exactly is she?¡± He inquired. ¡°Is she your sister?¡±


    ¡°She is my future wife,¡± I corrected him. How could he have thought Hiry was my sister when we don¡¯t even look alike, I¡¯ve never wished Hiry was my sister in my wildest dreams. She¡¯ll most likely nag me to death.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mr. Atin¡¯s gaze roved around Hiry¡¯s body, not in a sexual way, but as if he knew her from somewhere. ¡°She¡¯s lovely,¡± he said, pointing to the chair beside his bed. ¡°Since you¡¯re both here, I can¡¯t chase you out any longer,¡± he coughed once more.


    ¡± Thank you, sir, ¡± Hiry smiled at him and sat on the chair. She shouldn¡¯t even be smiling because she didn¡¯t know Mr. Atin from anywhere.


    Why was she acting as if she knew who he was? I red at her, and when her gaze met mine, she lowered her head quickly. I returned my attention to Mr. Atin, who had remained silent since asking Hiry to take a seat. He just stared at the ceiling, as if counting, which he was. I told him about my business proposal, clearing my throat because I didn¡¯t have time to waste. ¡°I was aware of A&T and the buyout. I¡¯m here to make you a deal,¡± I exined.


    He didn¡¯t respond and just kept counting the ceilings. I thought he¡¯d gone insane until he turned around to face me. ¡°How am I supposed to tell you about A&T when you have a fucking mask up on, ¡± he pointed out.


    Ipletely forgot. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I apologized as I removed the mask from my nose. ¡°Let me properly introduce myself,¡± I said as I extended my hand, but he just stared at it. ¡°My name is Loukas Whitemore, and I¡¯m interested in your buyout,¡± I told him, and when he didn¡¯t take my hand, I dropped it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to introduce yourself because I¡¯m not going to sell mypany to you,¡± he said as he leaned back in his bed. ¡°When you¡¯re finished with the introduction, you can go,¡± he said as he closed his eyes.


    This man has guts. How could he still be proud when he was drowning in debt and had no one to help him? His face was wrinkled and shallow, with no emotions, and he appeared to be dying in seconds if he wasn¡¯t given proper care. ¡°I have some fantastic offers for you, Mr. Atin, ¡°I cleared my throat and began listing the things I would do for him if he agreed to sell hispany to me. ¡°I¡¯ll pay your bills and get you the proper treatment, and I¡¯ll clear your name.¡± Instead of opening his eyes, he turned his body towards Hiry and backed me up. ¡°Stop acting as if you don¡¯t require this. If you do not agree to my demands, the bank will sue you, and even if you sell yourpany at that low price, it will not cover your bills and debt ¡°I informed him.


    ¡± Loukas, maybe you should give him some time to think about this,¡± Hiry suggested, earning a re from me.


    Was she deaf when I told her not to say anything that would jeopardize my chances with Mr. Atins? Maybe she was, but I was hoping she didn¡¯t say anything else that would irritate me.


    ¡°I think you should listen to your fiancee and get out of my room,¡± Mr. Atin finally said, and it was all because Hiry had to ruin everything for me.


    ¡°My fiancee doesn¡¯t get to decide what I¡¯ll do for me,¡± I said, frowning at Hiry, who mouthed an apology to me. ¡°Your son is currently on trial for defrauding arge number of people, and agreeing to me is your only option.¡±


    Mr. Atin burst outughing and jumped out of bed. He was in front of me in the blink of an eye and grabbed me by the cor. That didn¡¯t surprise me because I expected him to react that way. His son was a huge disappointment, and as a result, his father was facing a lot of difficulties.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bring up that crazy boy with me, and as I previously stated, I¡¯m not selling mypany to a jerk like you!¡± He yelled at me, but I didn¡¯t move. ¡± You must leave my room immediately or I will summon security.¡±


    ¡± Mr. Atin, get off your high horse!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°Do you have any idea what¡¯s going on?¡±I yelled at him. ¡± You are about to lose everything you¡¯ve worked for!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that!¡± He tightened the cor of my shirt. ¡± Simply leave!¡±


    Hiry rose from her chair and approached us. ¡± Please,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Don¡¯t get upset over what he just said.¡± What in the world was she saying? She was supposed to support me. I turned to face her and asked her a question.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± I inquired of her.


    Hiry ignored me and kept talking to Mr. Atin. ¡°Loukas only has your best option in his heart, and he just wants to help you,¡± Hiry exined calmly.


    Mr. Atin let go of me and sighed briefly, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want help from someone like him!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave,¡± Hry said, putting her hand on the wheelchair. ¡°If you need more time to think about it, we¡¯ll give you that, but know that Loukas has your best interests at heart.¡±


    I don¡¯t think so. I was only interested in the business deal. I was perplexed as to why Hiry was fueling the whole thing when I didn¡¯t have time. If I lose the deal, Mr. Atin will sell it to someone else, and it may end up in my brother¡¯s hands. ¡°We¡¯ll leave right now,¡± She wheeled me forward, and when I tried to speak, she tightened her grip on my shoulder, causing me to moan in pain. ¡°Bye,¡± she said as she grabbed her bag from the chair she was sitting in and exited the room.


    I clenched my fist because I couldn¡¯t do anything, but she would be sorry. I had nned to make her¡­


    ¡°Wait!¡± When we were close to the door, Mr. Atin yelled. Hiry came to a halt but did not turn. ¡°I¡¯ll take the offer,¡± he said.


    What¡¯s that? Is it possible that I misheard him? ¡°Turn me around,¡± I said, and Hiry did so without a fight. ¡°Do you agree to this?¡± I inquired of Mr. Atin, who nodded in response.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll only be speaking to thedy,¡± he said.


    What was that again?

 Business Deal Done

    Hiry POV


    He has no patience, I thought as I watched Loukas interact with Mr. Atin, and based on the way he spoke, no one would give theirpany out because he sounded authoritarian, which was irritating. When it appeared that things were getting heated, I cut them off and asked Mr. Atin to think about it while wheeling Loukas towards the door. He was boiling with rage, and I knew he¡¯d let it all out once we got home, but he had no idea it was all to change Mr. Atin¡¯s mind about him. It worked out because he called us back.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll take the offer,¡± Mr. Atin agreed, and I smiled, knowing that my n had worked perfectly. I understood how things worked with patients who had anger issues because I had treated many of them, but Loukas believed money could buy everything.


    Mr Atin was in pain and there was no one to help him, and I could see right through him as he put on a false front, trying so hard to show that he could be strong even though he was in pain.


    ¡°Turn me around,¡± Loukas said, and I did. ¡°Are you in agreement?¡± Loukas inquired of Mr. Atin, who nodded in response.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll only be speaking to her,¡± he exined.


    ¡± What? ¡± Loukas inquired, chuckling. ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand business as well as I do, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Thedy or we don¡¯t have a deal,¡± Mr. Atin cut in, pointing to me. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her about what I want,¡± Mr. Atin said again.


    Loukas cleared his throat as I wheeled him over to Me Atin and sat in the chair beside Mr. Atin¡¯s bed. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Loukas inquired, but instead of responding, Mr. Atin turned to face me. As he began his story, he rubbed his wrinkled face and sighed.


    ¡°Because my son did not grow up without a mother, I spoiled him because I wanted him to be happy, but I didn¡¯t realize I was only spoiling him, which is unfortunate because¡± Mr. Atin took a breather and rubbed his bald head. ¡°When I found out I was sick, I kept it a secret from him and gave him what he had always wanted. Because I know I don¡¯t have much time, I gave him control of thepany ¡°He forced a smile, but I knew he was hurting on the inside because I could see right through him.


    He kept pretending to be strong when he wasn¡¯t. He was just a father who wanted his son to survive in this crazy world, but his son turned out to be a tyrant who destroyed everything his father had worked for.


    What a crazy kid!


    ¡°I¡¯m in the final stages of cancer,¡± he announced. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the word cancer because I remembered how my father had battled cancer before his death, and now the same thing was about to happen again, but this time it was a different person.


    Why do people have their lives cut short? Why aren¡¯t they able to live the years they desired? I reflected as I listened to Mr. Atinment.


    ¡°Mr. Atin,¡± Loukas cut him off, and I turned to face him, hoping he wouldn¡¯t say anything that would enrage Mr. Atin and ruin everything for us. ¡°There are rumors about you having a curable disease, but you said you havete-stage cancer; how does that rte?¡± He inquired.


    I sighed, relieved that he hadn¡¯t said anything else. I turned to face Mr. Atin, patiently awaiting his response. It took a while for him to say anything, and when he did, it was met with tears. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want my son to feel guilty and med him for what happened to me,¡± Mr Atin sniffled.


    I stood up and sat beside him on the bed, unable to watch him suffer alone. I gently rubbed his back, something I didn¡¯t get to do with my father before he died. I¡¯d spend time with my father if I could take us back in time. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I reassured him.


    Mr. Atin kept crying for a few minutes, and instead of stopping him, Loukas and I let him cry his heart out because he needed to. He¡¯d pretended to be cheerful when he wasn¡¯t. ¡± thanks¡­¡± Mr. Atin wiped his tears away and took my hand in his. I didn¡¯t care if his hands were wet from his tears; all I cared about was that he was okay. ¡°You know, I wish I had a daughter,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°I could be your daughter for a while,¡± I said to him and he stared at me like I was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. ¡°I also lost my father to cancer and I didn¡¯t enjoy the joy of having a father, ¡± I bite my lower lips as I tried hard not to cry in front of him.


    How could I even cry in front of a man in pain?


    ¡°Your son,¡± I paused and looked Loukas in the eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll surely regret not being around you, and I hope he doesn¡¯t end up like me because I miss my father more and more with each passing day¡± I sniffled and blinked a few years away.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry, little one,¡± he said, patting my hand. ¡± I just hope my son grows up to be far superior to me.¡±


    ¡± He still has time to change if he wants to,¡± I told Me Atin, and he nodded.


    ¡°What do you want before selling yourpany to me?¡± Loukas abruptly inquired. He had been patiently waiting, and I could tell he was running out of patience. Loukas was the type of person who enjoys it when his nse together quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have this lovelydy as your future bride,¡± Mr. Atin replied instead. ¡°She is a wonderful person, and may I inquire as to how you two met?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°On a hospital roof,¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Inside the elevator,¡± Loukas responded, and both answers came out at the same time. Loukas rolled his eyes and red at me. ¡°I told you not to say anything,¡± he said.


    What was his issue? I was simply telling the truth because I don¡¯t recall meeting him in an elevator. Why on earth did he have to lie?


    Mr. Atin sighed as he looked from me to Loukas. ¡°Young couples,¡± heughed, patting my still-in-his hand. ¡°You two are one-of-a-kind,¡± heughed.


    I was curious as to why he wasughing, so I decided to join him and made hand gestures to Loukas to join in theughter as well, but he just stared at me as if I had grown two heads. ¡°Did you two meet in an elevator or on a rooftop?¡± Mr. Atin inquired once more after theughter subsided.


    ¡± We met inside the elevator first, and it took us to the rooftop,¡± I quickly lied before Loukas said anything else.


    He didn¡¯t want Mr. Atin to know that he had attempted suicide, and I respected his decision.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± Mr. Atin said. ¡°I remember my wife and how we met,¡± heughed, recalling his past. ¡°She was a stubborn woman, and I believe my son inherited her stubbornness,¡± he chuckled and looked down. ¡± Mr. Whitemore,¡± he said as he turned to face Loukas. ¡°I only have one wish, and that is for my son not to go to jail,¡± he said.


    ¡°That would be difficult given that he defrauded so many people,¡± Loukas replied bluntly. He could have said something different, but Loukas was always Loukas.


    A haughty man with a big personality.


    Mr. Atin let go of my hand and leaped out of bed. He copsed beside Loukas and knelt in front of him. When I realized what he had just done, I gasped. Loukas simply stared at him, his usual stoic expression intact. He just stared at Me Atin, pleading for his son. ¡°Please, I need you to assist my son,¡± he pleaded. ¡°That is my sole wish. You can ept the buyout at any price you want, but I want my son to be nurtured until he is strong enough.¡±


    ¡± How old is your son?¡± Loukas simply inquired.


    ¡± He is 23 years old. ¡±


    It¡¯s no surprise he was immature. He was too young to make his own decisions, and even though he was an adult, he sounded like a spoiled brat to his father.


    ¡°How do you want me to handle him?¡±


    Loukas inquired of Mr. Atin, who remained on his knees patiently awaiting a response or agreement from Loukas.


    ¡°I need you to be his protector until he¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Atin, that would be difficult. Your son is old enough to make his own decisions!¡±


    ¡± You think I¡¯m not aware of that!¡± Mr. Atin yelled, and he soon began coughing. I rushed to his side and assisted him in climbing into his bed.


    ¡°I believe you should rest,¡± I advised.


    ¡°Thank you. Mr Whitemore, ¡°As he continued pleading with Loukas, tears welled up in his eyes ¡°Please assist my son and keep him out of jail. He is a moron, but he works hard and..¡± Mr. Atin burst into tears once more. I looked into Loukas¡¯ hazel eyes even though he wasn¡¯t looking at me, patiently waiting for his answers.


    ¡°Loukas,¡± I called his name, but he didn¡¯t respond or say anything for a few seconds. He finally said something, letting out an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to this, but only if you keep my identity anonymous,¡± Loukas said.


    Mr. Atin responded with a nod.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mr. Atin said, wiping his tears away and reaching out his hand to Loukas. ¡°Do we have an agreement?¡±


    Loukas paused for a moment until I cleared my throat and he turned to face me. I gave him a friendly smile and pointed to Mr. Atin¡¯s outstretched hand. He muttered something and reached for Mr. Atin¡¯s hand. ¡°We have a deal, Mr. Atin,¡± Loukas said, pping his hands.


    Mr. Atin smiled at me as he turned to face me. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to Loukas, turning to face me. ¡°Thank you very much, my dear new daughter.¡±


    I said nothing and just stared at him.


    ¡°How much time do you have left?¡± Loukas questioned bringing up the depressing subject of Mr Atin¡¯s disease once more.


    ¡°Just a month,¡± Mr. Atin replied, sighing deeply. ¡°I can happily die a happy man now that I know my son is safe,¡± he forced himself to smile.


    ¡°You need to tell your son because I regret not being by my father¡¯s side when he died,¡± I told him as I assisted him in repositioning himself on his bed. ¡°That was the biggest blunder of my life.¡±


    Mr. Atin responded with a nod and remained silent. I rose from my seat and approached Loukas. ¡°I think he needs to sleep,¡± I said, and Loukas nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back with the contract in two days, until then¡­ ¡°

 Perfect Wedding

    Hiry POV


    Weddings are one of the most special days in a woman¡¯s life, especially if she is marrying the person she loves, but that was not the case for me. I was about to marry a man who only wanted me for his business deals.


    I was about to marry Loukas Whitemore, a man with a big personality. What was I doing marrying him? It was simply because I liked him, and it felt like an infatuation at the time. I still desired him.


    I had fallen for my boss and future husband.


    The wedding preparations only took a week, and because it was on such short notice, Loukas didn¡¯t bother inviting many people, except for his family, whom he invited at thest minute. Loukas didn¡¯t have any friends to invite because he had lived his entire life without making any. I had no rtives that I was aware of, and because I was not the type to keep friends, I sent no invitations to anyone except Mr. Atin and his son, who was saved by Loukas after signing the A&Tpany¡¯s buy-out n.


    I, on the other hand, received a contract outlining our rtionship. The marriage would only be for business purposes. I was always going to be by his side, ying the perfect wife, until he got better and aplished his goal.


    I could have objected, but it was what I desired.


    ¡°Are you getting ready, Hiry?¡± Rotimi inquired as he entered my room, where I was having my makeup applied by Loukas¡¯s professional stylist. Rotimi entered the room wearing a blue tailored suit that was attached to his muscr body like a second skin. His arms were strong, and the way he carried himself toward me reminded me of Loukas.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± I chuckled, pointing to the stylist working her magic on my face. ¡°How about Loukas?¡± My heart beat faster as I mentioned his name.


    He does that to me, makes my heart race.


    ¡°You look lovely, Hiry,¡± Rotimi said as he moved closer to me and took my hand in his. ¡°Loukas is already ready to meet his bride,¡± he joked, and Iughed. ¡± I just hope you¡¯re all right?¡± I nodded in response to his question. ¡°All right,¡± he said as he turned to leave, but I grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said.


    Rotimi turned to face me with a puzzled expression and smiled. ¡± What exactly is it?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Would you mind walking me down the aisle?¡± When I asked him, his eyes widened. He hadn¡¯t expected me to ask. Rotimi and I had formed a sibling friendship since my arrival, and because I didn¡¯t want to feel lonely as I walked down the aisle, Rotimi was the only person who came to mind.


    ¡°This is a big request, Hiry,¡± Rotimi said, nodding in response. ¡°Are you certain about this?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. Even though it wasn¡¯t a real wedding, I wanted to feel as happy as every other bride on her wedding day. ¡°Please, Rotimi,¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he agreed, patting my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything for you,¡± he said as he turned to walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Loukas. He¡¯s probably looking for me right now ¡°He stated as he dashed out the door.


    When reality struck me again, I sighed. I was getting married to Loukas Whitemore. ¡°How long until you¡¯re finished?¡± I asked the stylist, a woman who hasn¡¯t said anything to me since she arrived.


    ¡°A few more minutes, ma¡¯am,¡± she replied and went on.


    I was ready for my wedding in a few minutes, as she had said. My face makeup was bold; I wore bright red lipstick that I would never wear on a normal day, and my tangled hair was stretched and styled in a bun. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a different person. When I was wearing my wedding gown, I imagined my father grinning from ear to ear when he saw me in it.


    Loukas had made me choose my dress three days before, and I chose a simple yet ssic gown. It was a mermaid-style gown that clung to my curves. The dress was sleeveless, but it perfectly concealed my skin. As we both stared into the mirror, the makeup artist admired me. ¡°You look amazing,¡± she said. ¡°Your husband will be overjoyed when he sees you.¡±


    ¡± Thank you,¡± I forced a smile because only I understand the emotions that rushed through me. I was overjoyed that I was getting married, but for Loukas, I couldn¡¯t say the same.


    I reminded myself that he doesn¡¯t believe in love.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    I sighed and stared at the mirror after the veil was ced on top of my head. ¡°You can do it, Hiry,¡± I said to myself.


    Or maybe you could back out, a voice in my head suggests, but I ignore it because I don¡¯t want to put Loukas in a position where he reverts to his old shallow self.


    ¡°Hiry,¡± a knock came on my door, and Rotimi entered. ¡°Are you finished?¡± He asked as he walked, and just as I was about to respond, he gasped and stared at me. ¡°Wow! You look stunning. I¡¯m sure Loukas will be astounded ¡°He remarked.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said,ughing.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    I epted it with a smile. ¡°We shall,¡± I said as we both exited the room. When we got outside, I noticed a white limousine with two ck Vans following behind it. I looked at Rotimi with a puzzled expression, wondering why it was there, and he seemed to understand.


    ¡°Loukas requires protection,¡± Rotimi said as he led me to the limo door. ¡°You may enter and meet your lovely groom,¡± he winked at me before turning to walk away, but I stopped him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I inquired of him.


    ¡°The ck van,¡± he said, motioning behind the limo. ¡°You and Loukas own the car,¡± he winked once more before walking away, leaving me alone.


    Before getting into the Limousine, I took a deep breath. Loukas looked at me as I walked in and sat down beside him. ¡°Hello,¡± I said, not raising my head to face him. His cologne was all over the ce, as strong as he was. It was awkward to sit next to him and not say anything. On a normal day, Loukas and I would be at each other¡¯s throats.


    ¡°Hiry,¡± he said, and my heart skipped a beat. ¡°Wow! ¡± He eximed and cleared his throat. ¡°You look pretty,¡± he said, and I swear time stood still.


    Loukasplimented me for the first time. I turned to face him, and he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. As I stared into his hazel eyes, my heart beat faster against my chest. They were lovely, and his blonde hair was neatly styled, giving me a new look. He wore ck tailored suits that made him appear to be born to wear a suit. Loukas appeared ten times hotter with the new look, and, surprisingly, he smiled.


    A genuine smile


    ¡°you¡­¡± my voice shakes horribly as I try to speak. ¡°You look amazing,¡± I said, smiling at him.


    ¡°I know,¡± heughed, and I rolled my eyes at his narcissistic demeanor.


    There he goes again.


    ¡°I wish I could see your face right now,¡± he said, reaching out his left hand to touch mine, but I moved away. ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad luck for a groom to see his bride¡¯s face before the wedding,¡± I exined, and he simply frowned.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that this is a forgery, Hiry?¡± He didn¡¯t have to remind me because I was already aware. I wanted to continue the old tradition, whether it was true or not.


    ¡°Loukas, This may appear to you to be a sham marriage, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me ¡°I apologized and regretted what I had said.


    Loukas didn¡¯t respond, and we didn¡¯t say anything to each other until we arrived at the Hall. Loukas had rented one of Mecianda¡¯srgest Halls, and I wondered why he had thrown such arge and expensive party for a marriage that would notst for years.


    When we arrived, there were no reporters anywhere, which pleased me because I disliked being in the spotlight and the clicks of hundreds of cameras on my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t back out now,¡± Loukas said as the limousine door opened and Rotimi¡¯s face appeared. He assisted Loukas in getting from his car to his wheelchair and motioned for one of the guards to push him inside. ¡°What exactly are you doing? Are you not going to push me inside?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rotimi replied, ¡°but I¡¯m walking Hiry down the aisle.¡±


    As one of Loukas¡¯ bodyguards pushed him into the Hall, I heard him hiss.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Rotimi inquired as he extended his hand for me to take.


    ¡°It¡¯s my wedding day, Rotimi,¡± I replied.¡± I deserve to be happy.¡±


    This is it.


    As I walked towards Loukas, Ed Sheeran¡¯s perfect song yed. I drowned out all other voices in the hall and concentrated on Ed Sheeran¡¯s soothing voice.

 Speechless

    Loukas POV


    All I could do was watch her as she approached. She drained the air from my lungs with each step she took. It wasn¡¯t my first marriage, but it was different with Hiry. She does things to me that I would never have predicted would leave me speechless and amazed.


    I reminded myself that the marriage was a sham.


    My family were the first people I saw in the hall when I walked in. I was seated in the front row, and when I was wheeled past them, I could hear them pointing fingers at me, but I didn¡¯t care because it was only the beginning of my vengeance.


    ¡°Hey, take care of her,¡± Rotimi said as he took Hiry¡¯s hand in mine. As he walked away, he patted her back and pretended to be her big brother.


    The priest cleared his throat and then began the wedding ceremony. My gaze was fixed on Hiry¡¯s the entire time, while I ignored the priest¡¯s words. She was wless, and I was on pins and needles waiting to see her face. I was moved by her, and even though we were marrying under a contract, I wanted it to be genuine.


    It would be ideal if I hadn¡¯t been born this way. ¡°It¡¯s time for the couple to say their vows!¡± The priest¡¯s voice returned to my mind as he cleared his throat to get my attention.


    It wasn¡¯t my fault, though, because I had an angel by my side, making it difficult to hear or see anyone else. ¡°The vows,¡± the priest pointed out.


    I hadn¡¯t nned any vows, but when I saw Hiry¡¯s hard gaze through the veil and the trembling of her fingers, I smiled and rubbed her hand. I had something else to say to her even though I didn¡¯t have a vow at the time.


    Things I¡¯d say if my life weren¡¯t soplicated.


    ¡°Hiry,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°I¡¯ve spent all my years in sorrow until you came along,¡± That was the truth because if Hiry hadn¡¯te along, I would have died and been forgotten, but she made me want to start living again and gave me a second chance at love. ¡°You saved me and taught me that I could be better and that I, too, deserve happiness,¡± I smiled as I remembered everything that had happened between us. She had always been by my side, and she had never considered leaving.


    Her hands continued to shake, but I rubbed them to reassure myself that I had her. ¡°Hiry,¡± I called out again. ¡°You are like a guardian angel to me, and I am grateful that I met someone like you; I promise to keep our friendship and union forever.¡± Thest words were not a lie because I wanted us tost forever, but as a man, I can¡¯t have what I want unless I¡¯m ready.


    She desired love, but someone like me was incapable of providing it. Even though I was already attracted to her, I couldn¡¯t fall in love with her.


    ¡°I promise to cherish you forever,¡± I said as I kissed her hands, which stiffened. Her reaction made me wonder how she truly felt. Was she attracted like I was with her or was she doing it out of pity?


    I needed answers to those questions, but I hoped she felt something, even if it was a minor attraction. When it was her turn to say the vow, my heart began to beat faster.


    ¡°Loukas,¡± she said, and I liked the way my voice sounded on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say but¡­¡± she paused, and my heart skipped a beat. I smiled at her and rubbed her hand again. She wiped her tears or whatever was on her face with her free hand.


    I just hope her tears are joyful and not sad because she is marrying someone like me. ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯ve found a love that is for me, and I never regretted meeting you that night on the roof,¡± she sniffled as she took me down memoryne of that night on the roof. ¡°you and I were meant to be together, and I really hope that we¡­ ¡± she burst into tears.


    Tears welled up in my eyes as a result of her words. They sounded powerful and exciting. I blinked the tears away, but since I was only a human, I let them fall down my cheek. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said as she turned to face the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just emotional,¡± she exined, and I was surprised that everyone except my family stood up and apuded her.


    ¡°Go on! ¡± Someone in the crowd yelled.


    ¡°Yes, go ahead!¡± Someone else yelled.


    I heard Hiry chuckle as she nodded in response. ¡°I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Loukas!¡± She confessed, and I could tell by her tone that she was sincere. She wanted our union tost, and making her deration was her way of saying she wanted me as much as I did her. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you forever, Loukas.¡±


    As she finished her vow, a few people cheered and pped for her. I just stared at her, a strange feeling inside of me. Sparks rushed through me, and I noticed that one of my right fingers was trembling. I gasped and turned to face Hiry, but her gaze was fixed on the priest rather than mine.


    My right index finger just moved, indicating that Hry was correct all along. I was getting better. I was literally screaming within myself. ¡°Can we have the rings?¡± The priest asked.


    Rotimi approached us, holding the box ring, and handed it to me. I let go of Hiry¡¯s hand and opened the box, which contained two stunning diamond rings.


    ¡°Repeat these vows after me, Loukas Whitemore,¡± he said as they exchanged rings. The priest started saying the vows, and I repeated them after him.


    ¡± I, Loukas Whitemore, take you as my beloved wedded wife¡­. ¡±


    ¡°Till death do you part,¡± the priest said, repeating himself as he slipped the ring onto Hiry¡¯s finger. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Hiry Williams,¡± said the priest. ¡°I¡­ ¡±


    ¡± I, Hiry Williams, ept Loukas Whitemore as my beloved husband¡­ ¡± She kept repeating after the priest while staring at me. ¡°Till death do us part,¡± she said as she slipped the ring onto my finger.


    ¡°You may now kiss the bride,¡± said the priest.


    Hiry crouched down to my level and moved closer to me. I failed miserably with my trembling hand and couldn¡¯t even lift her veil. ¡°Hey,¡± she said as she grabbed my hand and gave me a thumbs up with her free hand. That was enough for me to regain myposure, and I smiled at her. When I first saw her, I was stunned; I was speechless because her bold makeup enhanced her elegance, uniqueness, and beauty. ¡°Loukas,¡± she said as she put her hands behind my ears and leaned in closer.


    I stared at her lips and then ced my hand behind her left ear, capturing her lips. I could hear people cheering for us, but I blocked them out and concentrated solely on Hiry. Rhythmically, our lips moved until she pulled away.


    I didn¡¯t want the kiss to be over. I wanted to kiss her right then and there, but I guess that would have to wait.


    ¡°Everyone, Mr. and Mrs. Whitemore!¡±


    As we both walked down the aisle, the priest announced and our guests continued to p their hands. Hiry stood next to me as she pushed me closer to the visitor. My gaze was fixed on her and the whole, and whenever she caught me staring, I smiled at her.


    Even though it would all be over in six months, I was determined to make it worthwhile. I was prepared to make her mine until the end of time.


    ¡°Mr Atin,¡± I said to Me Atin, who was also in a wheelchair like me. He couldn¡¯t walk on his own due to his disease, so his son Aiden wheeled him towards us.


    Mr. Atin signed the buy out contract after assisting with his son¡¯s trial and clearing his debts, but it wasn¡¯t made public because I didn¡¯t want anyone to find out about me yet.


    ¡°Thank you foring, Mr. Atin,¡± Hiry said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world, my dear daughter,¡± Mr Atin replied, turning to face me with a scowl on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t let her down or make her cry. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on things from above, Loukas. I¡¯lle after you.¡±


    I raised the corner of my lips, unsure what he was on about, but when Hiry nudged me on the shoulder, I forced a smile. ¡°Fine,¡± I said gritting my teeth. ¡°How are you doing, Aiden?¡± I asked his son, who hadn¡¯t said anything to me since I assisted him in passing his trial. He had an oval-shaped face with round obsidian eyes, just like his father. He was a carbon copy of father.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing fine. Thank you very much ¡°Finally, he said something. ¡°I promise to be good,¡± he promised, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not the newest couple in town,¡± I heard a voice behind us, and when I tilted my head to the left, Miles approached, apanied by two hefty men. He waved at me before moving to hug Hiry. ¡°Congrattions, baby girl,¡± he said.


    They were giggling and making meaningless jokes in each other¡¯s arms for a while, which caused me to frown and clench my left fist. I cleared my throat when it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to end. ¡°Prince Miles!¡±I yelled his name. ¡°Thank you foring,¡± I said to him, despite the fact that I had not invited him. Hiry had done so without my permission.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    That¡¯s a good one, I thought.


    Miles Walker finally let go of her and faced me. He took my left hand in his and shook it. ¡°You are fortunate to have a woman like her,¡± he said.


    I was, indeed.

 We don鈥檛 need permission to dance

    Hiry Pov


    I was now Mrs. Whitemore.


    Should I be content? I was, indeed. I was d Loukas and I married, but it was all for his business. I kept reminding myself that the marriage was solely for love¡¯s sake. Loukas, for example, did not believe in love because he had never experienced it.


    But my heart was racing faster than usual when Loukas said his vows. He sounded so genuine that it made my heart skip a beat. I assumed he was just saying it to prove to everyone that the marriage was genuine. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should believe him.


    Don¡¯t get carried away, Hiry, it¡¯s all a sham, I reminded myself as I listened to the rest of his pledges. When it was my turn, I didn¡¯t know what to say because the words that came out were genuine. Everything I said was genuine, and it made me cry.


    We began to greet our guests after being pronounced a couple, and despite the fact that there were a few people in the hall, I barely recognized any of them except for Mr Atin and Loukas¡¯s family. We began by greeting Mr. Atin and his son. During the wedding preparations, Loukas assisted Mr Atin with his trials and paid off all of his debts. Mr. Atin came to our wedding to express his gratitude, despite the fact that he had lost all color in his face and was on the verge of death. I heard a voice behind me while we were talking with Mr Atin and his son, and when I turned around, it was my Miles walker.


    He was the only person I knew who had been invited to my wedding. We exchanged hugs, and I thanked him for his visit. We went to the rest of the guests and thanked them foring after exchanging pleasantries. Loukas¡¯ family was thest guests we saw. Amanda stood up and pped when she noticed someone approaching her.


    ¡°Well, well, well,¡± Amanda pped again. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the newest couple in town,¡± she joked, but it sounded more like she was mocking us. ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell us you and your partner were dating!¡± She mentioned it.


    ¡°Mother,¡± her son Caleb, Loukas¡¯ stepbrother, said as he extended his hand to me. ¡°It¡¯s a great pleasure to have you wee here as one of our family,¡± he said with a fake smile.


    I¡¯d dealt with a lot of people like him in the past, and no matter how hard he tried to hide his facade beneath the smile, I knew he was faking it, so I put my hand in his. ¡°Congrattions,¡± he said, clutching my hand. I tried to take my hand away from his but held on tight, never letting go. ¡°You¡¯ll like this family,¡± he chuckled before finally letting go.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether to take it as apliment or a threat, so I just smiled because it was the best I could do at the time. ¡°Angelica, please greet your sister-inw,¡± Caleb told his wife. Angelica stood up and looked me in the eyes with her deep ocean blue eyes, reaching out her slim hand, which I dly epted. I was expecting a hug, but I was disappointed. The woman gave me an odd look before turning to face Loukas, who was staring at him with mixed emotions. Loukas was also staring at her, I noticed.


    Is there anything I¡¯ve forgotten? I thought as I stared at them both.


    Caleb broke the unending stare and moved to hug Loukas, but he was stopped by his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Loukas¡¯ voice sounded authoritative, and it was enough to keep Caleb from approaching him. ¡°I appreciate everyone¡¯s presence,¡± he said, turning to face me. ¡°My wife and I are about to have our first dance as a couple tonight, so we should go,¡± Loukas said, touching my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°What legs are you going to dance with?¡± Amanda cracked a joke and then burst outughing. It was offensive to me. How could she have said such a thing? ¡°You couldn¡¯t keep yourst marriage and you couldn¡¯t keep yourpany,st I checked. How and why did you marry someone from a different social ss?¡± She looked at me with a disapproving expression. Amanda was the type of person who made everyone else feel bad about themselves. She could dismiss someone and make them feel intimidated just by looking at them, but I wasn¡¯t the type to be scared.


    I wasn¡¯t a whiner.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I tried to say something, but Loukas interrupted me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say anything negative about my wife!¡± Loukas yelled at her. His voice was barely audible due to the loud music. ¡°If you open your mouth again and talk about my wife, I¡¯ll kick you out; if not, keep it to yourself!¡± He screamed at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Loukas,¡± I said as I ced my hands on his shoulders and gently squeezed them.


    ¡°It¡¯s not eptable! I didn¡¯t summon them to insult you! I will not put up with it from her!¡± He indicated Amanda with his finger. ¡°Amanda, this is my final warning. Never, ever insult my wife and avoid using offensive words around her ¡°He issued a warning. They all remained silent. They all looked at Loukas, then at me. I averted my gaze from their piercing stares.


    I had sessfully alienated myself from my husband¡¯s family.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Loukas suggested.


    I cleared my throat, bowed to my new family, and then pushed the wheelchair forward. Caleb whispered something to Amanda as I took two steps forward.


    ¡°He¡¯ll soon crawl back into his old shell,¡± he said.


    Iughed because I thought it was amusing. How could they despise Loukas so much when he was a member of their own family? I tutted as I clenched my hand on the wheelchair. ¡°Rascals,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Did you say anything?¡± Loukas inquired, but I responded with a sigh.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I exined. ¡°Do you want to dance?¡± As another song began to y in the background, I asked him. It was a song with which I was familiar. Dan+Shay leave you speechless. ¡°I¡¯m speechless,¡± I sang.


    ¡°How can you expect a paralyzed man to dance?¡± Loukas inquired.


    I crouched to his level and walked to his front. ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± I advised.


    ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re doing right now?¡± He inquired.


    Iughed and sat down on his legs. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± I said, cing my left hand on my waist. ¡°Does your wheelchair move on its own?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said, staring into my hazel eyes and smirking. ¡°You know people would be surprised if they saw you sitting on a crippled man¡¯s leg,¡± I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck. ¡°Because your wheelchair is electric, it should be able to move while we dance,¡± I exined.


    ¡°I despise using it on my own,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be concerned. I¡¯m standing right here, ¡°I informed him. I knelt and turned the wheelchair. It was the first time Loukas used it because he preferred being pushed and, as he previously stated, he didn¡¯t want to use it on his own. ¡°How do I keep it under control?¡± I inquired of him.


    He took his hand from around my waist and ced it on my face. ¡°I don¡¯t bring the remote with me when I go out because I don¡¯t use it!¡±


    He put his hand around my waist and put it on my face. ¡°I never bring it with me when I go out because I never use it!¡±


    In response, I sighed and nodded. We were no longer able to dance. I rose from his legs and moved in front of him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll dance to fit you,¡± I said, swaying my lips. ¡°I¡¯m at a loss for words!¡± I continued to dance in front of him while singing along with the song.


    Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to us, and they gathered around and began to p their hands as I continued to dance. I wasn¡¯t much of a dancer, but my father had me take dancing lessons when I was growing up, so I danced to the song using ideas from my childhood and videos I watched online. ¡°Would you like to dance?¡± When the song permission to dance by BTS came up.


    I screamed aloud and spun around.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Loukas observed my movements to my left and right sides, as well as my twirling. I repeated it five times before two others joined me and danced to the beat of the song.


    Three more people joined in, and it quickly became a choreography as they began to demonstrate their dancing abilities. ¡°It¡¯s your turn!¡± I yelled and shoved Loukas into the middle of the dancer. ¡°Come on! We don¡¯t need permission to dance!¡±


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± He inquired, but I ignored him and pushed him to the left side, then the right side, before twirling his wheelchair around. It was exactly like the dance, except Loukas was in a wheelchair and I had to push him around.


    As I approached, the few people who were dancing stopped as I continued dancing with Loukas. ¡°This is a lot of fun!¡± I yelled.


    Loukas¡¯ face lit up, and heughed out loud for the first time since I met him. It wasn¡¯t his usualughter, which sounded like the devil wasughing, but it was full of life. When the song ended, I approached Loukas and smiled at him.


    ¡°Hiry,¡± he said softly, clutching my waist. I lowered myself to his level and leaned in closer. We both panted for air and looked each other in the eyes.


    ¡°Loukas,¡± I eximed. My heart was racing as if I had justpleted a marathon. His lips met mine before I realized what was going on.


    At that point, I forgot about everything else that had happened and simply followed the kiss.


    Well, I had fallen hard for Loukas.

 A night full of surprises

    Loukas POV


    I didn¡¯t regret marrying Hiry, and seeing how she made everyoneugh, including me, with her dancing skills, made me happy. After the party, Rotimi drove us home and left the house, giving us the privacy we desired. He didn¡¯t return that night, which surprised me because Rotimi had never slept outside and was always by my side. I just assumed he needed some time alone.


    When we entered the house, two chefs greeted us on the ground floor. I recognized them because of their strange stupid cap. I just stood there staring at them, wondering what they were doing in my house.


    ¡°Wait, who the f¡­.?¡±


    ¡°Wee,¡± they said before I could finish my sentence. ¡°The other young master ordered that we prepare a meal for the newlyweds,¡± they announced.


    Master, who? I pondered. Who was the house¡¯s young master?


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± I yelled at them, and they jumped back a little. ¡°Are you mentally ill? I am the owner of¡­¡±


    Hiry coughed and interrupted my conversation. Did she just silence me? I pondered.


    ¡°Do you mean Rotimi is the young master? You know a tall ck man?¡± Hiry inquired, and they responded with a nod. ¡°See, you should have asked them that instead of yelling at them,¡± she pointed out to me.


    I swallowed and cleared my throat. ¡± Well, ¡± I said as I untied my necktie and tossed it to the ground. ¡°Rotimi should have notified us before we arrived. It¡¯s not every day that you walk into your house and see someone else!¡± My tongue clicked.


    Ignoring myints, Hiry continued to question the chefs, and then the lights in the house went out, and I couldn¡¯t see anything because it was pitch ck. Even in the darkness, I closed my eyes and muttered a curse word. ¡°This can¡¯t be Rotimi again!¡± I eximed.


    The lights did note back on after a few seconds, but something else happened. The walls of the aquarium began to glow red. The fishes swam around the light, which was magical, but I thought it was too much for a phony wedding.


    ¡°Wow! This is stunning!¡± I heard Hiry say this and pped my hands like a child who had just received a gift. I knew she¡¯d always admired the aquarium around the house since the day she moved in. The aquarium had always been a part of my life because I believed the fish were the only ones who could hear my pains and all that I was going through.


    When I thought it was all over, a song started ying in the background. When she heard the music, Hiry let out a deafening scream.


    I was perplexed as to why she was so enthusiastic about a loveless marriage. She had aplished a great deal since we were married. Hiry had made me have the most fun I¡¯d ever had in fourteen years. Maybe marrying her wasn¡¯t such a bad idea, I reasoned. I closed my eyes and listened to the soothing music ying in the background. I decided to ask Hiry about the music because it sounded so solemn and lovely. ¡°What is the title of the music?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°From the ground up by Dan+ Shay,¡± she replied, standing in front of me. Sheughed as she dropped her wedding gown and grabbed my left hand. ¡°Would you like to dance again?¡± She inquired.


    That amused me because she kept repeating the word as if she didn¡¯t realize I was paralyzed. Although my right finger moved as we exchanged vows at the altar, I didn¡¯t want to tell her about it until I was sure I hadn¡¯t made a mistake or had imagined it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do enough dancing tonight?¡± I inquired of her.


    In response, Hiryughed and shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t need permission to dance. Let¡¯s just hold each other until the song ends ¡°She drew in closer and sat on my legs, her hands around my neck. As the song continued to y, we both looked into each other¡¯s eyes. I chuckled as I stared at her lips. I leaned in and captured her lips with my hand behind her right ear.


    She moaned with pleasure and gripped my shoulder lightly. We kissed slowly because we were following the rhythm of the music. As we both moaned into each other¡¯s mouth, our lips smacking. We hadpletely forgotten that there were two chefs and possibly other people in the house watching us. We didn¡¯t care and continued kissing with hearts joined as one. I had no idea how long we had been kissing, but I relished every moment of it because it made my heart skip a beat and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. ¡°Loukas,¡± she said as the song came to an end.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± I responded by whispering her name and recapturing her lips. When I drew back, we both looked into each other¡¯s eyes, panting as if out of breath.


    When we heard apuse, Hiry and I turned to face the chefs who were still in the room, along with two other people. I had no idea the chefs were still on the ground floor with us. I looked around at the new faces among the chefs and wondered who Rotimi would invite into my home. I nned on killing him once the wedding night was over.


    Did I just imagine the wedding night? I swallowed and reminded myself that the wedding was a sham. I wasn¡¯t the type to feel things, but being with someone like Hiry made it difficult to control how I truly felt. I sighed briefly and closed my eyes. Hiry seemed to notice and took my hand in hers. ¡°Are you all right?¡± she inquired.


    I opened my eyes and looked into her beautiful obsidian eyes, nodding in response despite the fact that I wasn¡¯tpletely fine. I wanted to rip her dress off, and if I hadn¡¯t been paralyzed and couldn¡¯t move my hands, I would have carried her to my room and made love to her until dawn.


    If only, I mused.


    ¡°Who again are you people?¡±


    I turned to face the neers among the chefs. ¡°Did Rotimi allow you to enter my home?¡± I wanted to scream at them, but I kept my cool and sighed. ¡°What do you do?¡±


    ¡°The young master had asked us to prepare a grand dinner night for you both, and you¡¯ll find out once you get to the second floor,¡± one of the strangers replied.


    I rolled my eyes and stared at him. They kept mentioning Young Master even though I was the true master of my household. ¡°Can we leave now?¡± Hiry got excited and jumped up from my legs. I didn¡¯t want her to stand up, but I¡¯m d she did because I¡¯d already developed a boner.


    That was strange because I almost embarrassed myself.


    ¡°This way, ma¡¯am,¡± The other two strangers pointed towards the elevator. ¡°You should take the elevator full of love and surprises!¡±


    I rolled my eyes once more and tried to say something, but Hiry pushed me away from the elevator. As the doors opened, balloons popped, and I closed my eyes, thinking a gun had been fired, and in Hiry¡¯s case, she squealed.


    She had to be excited, I reasoned.


    The elevator was bursting at the seams with red roses, and I wondered why Rotimi was putting so much effort into a marriage that would¡­.


    I stopped thinking about it and just went along with Rotimi¡¯s stupid ns. More balloons popped as we approached the second floor and the doors opened. ¡°Wow! ¡± Hiry gave a hearty p. ¡°Wow! This is incredible!¡±


    Yes, because it was what she liked. I looked down between my legs, feeling a tinge of difort. I was having a hard-on, and it was excruciating because I had to be around her. If Rotimi hadn¡¯t nned everything, I wouldn¡¯t have had to stare at her beautiful face all night. Using the stairs, the chefs quickly reached the second floor. When they saw us, they bowed their heads and pointed to the dining hall. Hiry pushed me into the Hall, and because of the bright light, I closed my eyes.


    ¡°Loukas, open your eyes,¡± Hiry said to me. When I opened my eyes, I saw her staring at me. ¡°Rotimi did an excellent job!¡± She apuded.


    He did, indeed. He decorated the rooms with roses and balloons and pasted happy married life on the walls. After a few seconds, the writing on the wall changed to ¡®Have a lovely wedding night,¡¯ and the balloons all popped on their own. The table was set with various food dishes illuminated by candlelight and red wines.


    ¡°Rotimi really outdid himself,¡± I remarked.


    Yes, he did,¡± Hiry said with a smile. ¡°Let me assist you,¡± she said, and I took her hand as she helped me sit in the chair. She took the seat next to me on the other side, but I didn¡¯t like how far away she was.


    ¡°Come over here,¡± I indicated the chair beside me.


    ¡°Do you want me to move there?¡± She inquired, and I did not respond. I was not the type to repeat myself. She stood up and took a seat beside me when she realized I hadn¡¯t responded to her. ¡°Wow! This is incredible!¡± As the chefs began to serve the food, she looked around and smiled, but all I could think about was getting her out of her wedding gown and making love to her until dawn.


    I repeated that again.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    She could have changed her dress and let me see her gorgeous skin if Rotimi hadn¡¯t had other ns for us. Once the food was served, the chefs left and turned off the light, leaving the candlelight to be our only source of illumination in the dark.


    ¡°Should we?¡± Hiry inquired.


    I didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at her. Even in the dim light, my gaze was drawn to her red lips. My heart pounded against my chest as I struggled to control my emotions around her.


    What the hell was going on with me?

 A great change

    Hiry POV


    I woke up with a splitting headache. I yawned and stretched as I rolled over to the other part of the bed hitting someone hard. My hand roamed around the person¡¯s bare chest until itnded on the person¡¯s stomach. I squeezed it hard and began to chuckle thinking that I was still dreaming until a hand grabbed mine and my eyes fluttered open. I cleared my throat when my eyes met Loukas¡¯s. He stared at me as if I had grown two heads while I visibly gulped.


    ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± He asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have enough yesternight? ¡±


    I blinked as the memories of the previous night rushed into my head. After the dinner that was specially prepared by Rotimi, I lost count of the sses of wine that I took. Loukas who was unable to drink just stared at me when I started singing. I sang and danced for him while he watched me with a seductive smile on his face.


    It didn¡¯t end there as I stood up from my seat and sat on his legs pushing away the tes and cups on the table. I kissed him so fast as if his lips would disappear at any second. The kiss was fast setting my heart racing and when I pulled away, we both panted for breath and inhaled deeply. ¡°I like you! ¡± I had confessed to him and kissed him yet again. He just stared at me and captured my lips yet again and this time, it was slow and passionate making me see the stars and whatever was in the sky but I did the impossible after he pulled away from the kiss, I hugged him and muttered a few words that I couldn¡¯t remember and that was all I could remember.


    ¡°I¡­ ¡± I tried to say something to Loukas but he ced his hand on my lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, dear wife. I thoughtst night would be great but you just spoiled everything by fainting which I never expected from you anyways, ¡± Loukas clicked his tongue and tutted. ¡± My pretty wife was wildst night and if not that you slept off after a few wines then I would have taken you, ¡± The way he said it made my heart race and I couldn¡¯t stop staring at the way his lips moved.


    I realized that I might have done a lot of bad things the previous night but I enjoyed the wedding. It was the wedding any girl would dream of. It was the wedding of a lifetime and I didn¡¯t regret getting married to Loukas because I had fallen hard for him and, to be honest, I didn¡¯t regret anything that I did the previous night. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t do any crazy thing. ¡± I asked biting my lower lips. I had to make sure that I didn¡¯t do any irrational things like forcing him or begging him to sleep with me.


    That would be weird because I wanted Loukas to reciprocate the feeling which I knew was never going to happen ever.


    ¡°You are asking me that? ¡°Loukas chuckled giving me the wickedest smile.


    I cleared my throat and tried to wriggle myself out of his hold but he didn¡¯t let go. ¡°What are you doing? ¡°I asked him.


    ¡°Why are you shying away my dear wife. You were pretty wildst night, ¡± he chuckled.


    I bite my lower lips and muttered a cuss word under my breath. Loukas was acting like we didn¡¯t have a contract to keep. He acted like the both of us were not under an agreement. As much as I wanted to remain in his arms, I knew that I had to stand up from his bed.


    Bed? My eyes widened when I thought of how Loukas had carried me to his bed. ¡°How did I get here? ¡± I asked him.


    ¡°My bed or arms? ¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡± Your bed.¡±


    ¡± I had a little help from one of the chefs, ¡± he answered.


    ¡± So now you let people enter your room or allow me to sleep on your bed? ¡± I was surprised and the shock was evident in my tone. Loukas wasn¡¯t that type of person who would allow just anyone to enter his room let alone sleep in his room and on his bed.


    ¡°Do I seems like a devil to you? ¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you that because you know,¡± I told him and heughed heartily stroking my hair. ¡± Since this is our first morning together as a couple, why don¡¯t you do a small therapy for me. ¡± He winked at me.


    I wondered why he was acting as if the bond between us was real. I was d that he hasn¡¯t spoken about it yet and at the same time, I wondered what changed him. ¡°You want me to do therapy for you this morning? ¡± I asked but he didn¡¯t answer me.


    I heaved a sigh realizing that he was never going to repeat himself. ¡°yes, I need therapy dear wife.¡±


    I nodded in response. ¡°Fine. Can you let go of me now? ¡±


    With that being said, Loukas let go of me and I climbed out of the bed and I realized that I had a change of clothes that didn¡¯t even belong to me. ¡°Who changed me? ¡± I asked him.


    He smirked and stared at me. ¡°I have no idea, ¡± he chuckled.


    Folding my hands and tapping my legs on the ground, I beckoned for him to say something. ¡°What do you mean? I need to know who changed me! ¡±


    ¡°It was me! ¡± Loukas finally answered after a few seconds of silence.


    ¡± What!¡± I yelled. How could he have changed me without my permission? ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t tell me before changing me?¡± I inquired of him¡­


    ¡± Hiry, stop yelling!¡± Loukas yelled at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t undress you with my eyes open, and I had to change you because you were pretty tired. Do you realize how difficult it was for me to change you?¡± Loukas sighed and rubbed his temples.


    In shame, I lowered my head. I was careless and didn¡¯t consider him or how difficult it was for him to change me with his hand. ¡°I¡­ ¡± I took a breather and scratched the back of my neck. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Loukas. I just never expected you to change me because what we have is a contract marriage. ¡±


    Loukas chuckled and simply nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said, but his tone was tinged with sadness. He just stared at me, saying nothing. He made me feel as if I had done something wrong, but that was not the case.


    Our marriage was a forgery.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I apologized once more, and he nodded once more. ¡°Let¡¯s just start the muscle exercise before the real therapy,¡± I said as I knelt beside his bed and grabbed his right leg. I slowly lifted it, trying not to make eye contact with him, but his gaze was fixed on me. ¡°This muscle exercise is extremely beneficial, and it¡­. ¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he replied.


    As I continued to raise his leg, my heart skipped a beat. I moved to his hand and slowly raised it after repeating the process several times. I couldn¡¯t help but notice his face now that I was closer to him, and my chest brushed against his. I leaned in closer to raise his hand every time. ¡°This¡­ ¡± When his strong arms wrapped around my waist, I jumped in fright. ¡°What are you up to?¡± I asked him, but he wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand. My legs shook violently and I could barely stand as his touch caused my heart to race.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to show you,¡± he said as he let go of my waist.


    I sighed, relieved that I didn¡¯t act like an idiot in front of him and made him realize that his touch affected me. ¡°What exactly do you want to show me?¡± I asked, and he ced his hand on the bed. I rose from my knelt position on the ground and sat beside him on the bed.


    ¡°You were right when you said I could move my right fingers, butst night I did the impossible,¡± he smiled at me, lifting his right hand in front of me. It was only three seconds, but it brought tears to my eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I could until it moved on its own ord when I was trying to change you,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡± Oh my goodness!¡± I squealed and eximed. When I rushed to embrace him, I didn¡¯t realize what I was doing. I was simply overjoyed that there had been such a significant change. ¡°This is incredible, Loukas! Your brain is starting to respond to how you think, which is incredible ¡°I let him go and sat on the bed. ¡°This is beginning to make sense, and sooner orter, you¡¯ll be able to lift your hands and legs!¡±


    Loukas smiled and took my hand in his. ¡± I never imagined this would happen until you came along and showed me that I can be better!¡± Loukas said this while kissing my hand. ¡± You forced me to change my mindset, and I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t let him finish before leaning in and kissing him.


    Our lipspeted for dominance as we expressed our emotions through the kiss. It started slowly but quickly became rough as Loukas deepened the kiss. We were lost in our world when the door to Loukas¡¯ room mmed open.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± Rotimi eximed, and he mmed the door shut with a loud bang. Loukas and I backed away from each other, then burst outughing when we realized what had happened.


    When we heard a knock, I quickly stood up and went to the door. I smiled at Rotimi as I opened the door and motioned for him toe in. ¡°Are you dressed?¡± He asked, his eyes closed.


    In response, I shook my head and pped him on the left arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. Neither of us is naked ¡°Except for Loukas, who was unting his chest. ¡°Loukas can now raise his right hand!¡± I said something to him, and he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± He yelled.


    I didn¡¯t mind that he had yelled because it was a great change for Loukas and us.

 A business Honeymoon

    Loukas POV


    I was grateful that night that Hiry saved me from jumping off the roof. If she had not saved me, then I wouldn¡¯t have met someone as pure as her. She was my miracle and made me feel things that I haven¡¯t felt in quite a while.


    To put it simply, Hiry was my miracle, and I never regretted ever meeting her or getting married to her. She was just everything I would have wanted if I wasn¡¯t paralyzed.


    ¡°This is fantastic news, Loukas,¡± Rotimi eximed as he tossed a newspaper onto the bed. He pped his hands and sat beside me on the bed. ¡°You and Hiry are the talk of the town now and you are trending on the number one trending search!¡±


    Hiry picked up the paper from the bed and read through it. Hiry read the front page, which had a picture of us all dancing. ¡°How did a reporter get into the hall? Because thest time I remembered, there was no reporter,¡± she pointed out.


    Rotimi chuckled and grabbed my right hand. ¡°A reporter might have snuck in as a normal guest,¡± he exined. ¡°I am so d that we are making progress, which is why I have prepared a honeymoon for you,¡± he informed us, and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot for us, Rotimi,¡± I said, clearing my throat as he helped me sit on the bed. ¡°You turned my home into a restaurantst night and I must admit that¡­¡± I paused and looked into his eyes while he stared at mine, waiting for my answer. ¡°You outdid yourself, Rotimi,¡± I told him and pped my left hand on the bed. ¡°You got my wife and therapist drunk,¡± I said to Hiry, who lowered her head.


    She must have been flustered because after that night we could barely keep our hands off each other. I wanted it so much, and she also wanted the same thing. The sexual tension between us was pretty high, and I still can¡¯t stop thinking about having her in my arms and never letting go of her. I didn¡¯t know how long I had been staring at her, but Rotimi followed my gaze andughed.


    ¡°This union is the best I have seen,¡± hemented and pped his hands. ¡°You both are pretty amazing,¡± he chuckled.


    I turned to face him and red hard at him. ¡°What the hell are you even talking about?¡± I asked him.


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have an idea, but I have prepared a honeymoon for the both of you,¡± he announced and pped his hands. ¡°You both are going to Hawaii!¡±


    ¡°What? ¡± Hiry and I both said it at the same time.


    ¡°You know this marriage is a sham,¡± I reminded him and made a mistake in looking into Hiry¡¯s face as I said that. To my surprise, she was staring back at me with mixed emotions, as if she never expected me to say that. I turned back to face Rotimi, ¡°We can¡¯t mix business with pleasure. You know that this wedding isn¡¯t real!¡±


    ¡°But the people believed it was real! You are the most popr couple right now! You need to make them believe you, Lou. They have to believe that you are in love, ¡°Rotimi cleared his throat and turned his face toward Hiry. ¡°You have to make sure that this gets through to lure investors to Loukas¡¯s newpany!¡± He told her and I wondered why she should know anything about it since the business wasn¡¯t even anyhow business. I tried to say something, but Rotimi shut me up and continued talking to Hiry.


    ¡°Your honeymoon is also like a business honeymoon because you both will be meeting an investor that I have already informed of your arrival!¡± Rotimi exined it to her, and she nodded at his every word. ¡°You just have to prove to them that you and Loukas are in love, alright?¡±


    She scratched the back of her tangled hair and met my gaze. I stared back at her and we both had our eyes on each other as if Rotimi was never there. ¡°I¡­ ¡± She broke the connection. ¡°I don¡¯t think Loukas wants this honeymoon since this marriage is a sham.¡±


    Of course, I wanted it, and I hated the way she called what we had a sham. My jaw tightened as I stared at her. I grabbed the bedsheet, having no idea why I had gotten angry. I shouldn¡¯t be angry because I had also called our marriage a sham. I would only sound like a hypocrite because I didn¡¯t care about how she felt when I called the marriage a sham.


    Why did I feel this way? I have no idea. What happened to not catching unnecessary feelings? I have no idea! I had broken my own rules by letting her get into my head and heart. I had gone crazy because of her.


    ¡°Hey, Lou!¡± Rotimi snapped his fingers in my face to break me out of my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve informed Philips your pilot, and your jet is ready.¡±


    ¡°You did that without informing me!¡± I shouted and punched the bed. ¡°How are you still connected with Philip?¡± I referred to my pilot because thest I heard of him was when I traveled to Italy to get away from all of my problems, and that was a long time ago. ¡°I thought he didn¡¯t exist any longer,¡± I asked.


    ¡°He does exist, Lou,¡± said Rotimi, standing up from the bed and stretching his neck. ¡°So Hiry, ¡°he ced his hands on Hiry. ¡°Go get prepared to go to the airport by eleven. I¡¯ll deal with Loukas.¡±


    ¡°What? ¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°This is too sudden, Rotimi. I haven¡¯t recovered from the hangover I had yesterday and I,¡± She looked towards me. ¡± I don¡¯t have any clothes for the ind. I don¡¯t¡­ ¡±


    Rotimi chuckled and patted her shoulder. He winked at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that because I have everything under control.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you have everything under control?¡± I asked, letting my emotions get the best of me. Rotimi was like a brother to me because we shared a strong bond, but I didn¡¯t like the way he had his hands on my wife¡¯s body.


    I didn¡¯t like how he acted around her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Loukas,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I am letting Hiry know that all her bags are packed for the ind and I¡¯ve gotten everything under control. She doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything because I have all the essentials she needs for a week packed up! ¡±


    ¡°One week! ¡± Hiry and I both said it at the same time.


    ¡°What the hell, Rotimi!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°How dare you talk about a week together! There is no way I am staying on an ind for a week! ¡± I rejected it bluntly.


    As much as I wanted that, I didn¡¯t like the idea because I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself around Hiry and that would be a disaster because I could catch the feelings that I swore never to have forever.


    The greatest weakness of every man is Love.


    ¡°How are we supposed to spend a week together?¡± Hiry asked him, folding her hands and tapping her foot on the ground. ¡°We can¡¯t be together for a week!¡±


    ¡°I see no reason why. It will bring people to invest in Loukas¡¯spany,¡± Rotimi told her.


    ¡°I am letting you know that he needs his therapy too. We can¡¯t be on an ind together doing nothing when we are supposed to work towards making him feel better, ¡± That was not what I wanted to hear, but it¡¯s all good.


    ¡°Have fun for once, Hiry. You both can be together on the ind and still do your therapy session,¡± Rotimi stated, and listed the things that can be done with his fingers. ¡°you both can do the muscles exercise and since Loukas can raise his right hand now, you can continue the process there too and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve rented some part of the ind all to yourselves! ¡± He announced


    I furrowed my brows at him and inhaled deeply. ¡°Rotimi wasn¡¯t the kind of person to give up on anything.¡± He was the type of person that forced you to do something for your benefit. ¡°Who is the investor we are meeting?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jaden from T Constructions in Dubai,¡± he informed me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just take this as a cue and go prepare for the trip,¡± Hiry finally agreed and walked out of the room.


    ¡°You let her wear your clothes?¡± Rotimi sat down on the bed and moved closer to me. ¡°That is so amazing,¡± hemented.


    ¡°Stop talking like this,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°She was ufortablest night in her wedding dress and I had no option but to give her my clothes to wear,¡± I exined to him, but that only made himugh out loud.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± He pped his hands. ¡°Never in my wildest thought would I ever think of you being an ideal husband? You even let her sleep on your bed,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± I tried to argue, but Rotimi wasn¡¯t ready to listen to me.


    ¡°You are whipped, bro,¡± hemented and winked at me.


    ¡°Stop doing that!¡± I yelled at him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He raised his hands in defeat and then startedughing again. ¡°It¡¯s okay to have feelings, Loukas. I¡¯ve seen the way you both stared at each other. You are¡­..¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish that as I threw my pillow at him.


    ¡°Stop talking Rotimi!¡± I yelled at him, and he nodded in response. He cleared his throat and switched back to the cold and professional assistant that he was.


    ¡°I posted your drawings online,¡± he referred to the investor. ¡°He loved your drawings and requested a meetup, but I told him that you were on your honeymoon and when I mentioned the ind, he requested to meet. ¡±


    That sounded amazing. Cool, ¡°I said. ¡°What about Mr. Atins?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He is announcing the merger next week since you just got married. He wants you both to have the time of your lives, ¡± Rotimi said, and I nodded in response. ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready for your honeymoon,¡± he winked at me, and I tossed him another pillow.


    ¡°What the hell is your problem?¡± I asked him and he shrugged and burst outughing.


    Guess, Hawaii was going to be a long trip.

 A business honeymoon 2

    Hiry


    I saw the writing as Loukas and I were driven into the city by a designated driver, all nned out by Rotimi. The flight down to Hawaii was long and took eighteen hours, and I swear I got jetg. When I entered the limousine, I was quick to close my eyes as I rested my head on the back seat. Loukas remained silent, but I knew that he was watching intently. I could feel his burning gaze on me and when I fluttered my eyes open, I saw his beautiful hazel eyes staring down at me.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± I asked when he didn¡¯t seem like he would stop staring at me. I waved my hand in front of his face. He blinked and grabbed my hand, making me gasp. He pulled me into his arms and before I couldprehend what was happening, his lips were mine. The kiss was slow and I couldn¡¯t resist as I kissed him back. When he pulled away, we both stared into each other¡¯s eyes, panting for breath. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked as he removed his left hand away from my neck.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He asked his eyes not leaving mine. ¡°Is it so bad to kiss my wife?¡± The way he said wife made my heart flutter, and I rolled my eyes at the way it sounded.


    I cleared my throat and adjusted my green blouse. ¡°You didn¡¯t talk to me on the ne. Why then are you talking to me now? ¡± I asked him because I needed to know. I should be familiar with Loukas¡¯s personality now, but I thought that he was only acting that way towards me because he didn¡¯t want to talk on the ne, but I was surprised when he kissed me as if nothing happened.


    ¡°Hiry,¡± he heaved a sigh. ¡°Are you going to dictate to me now?¡± He raised the corner of his left lip.¡± I didn¡¯t feel like talking on the ne. I hope you understand that I didn¡¯t mean to ignore you and¡­ ¡± He facepalmed himself. ¡°Why am I even apologizing to you when I¡­¡±


    Apology? Did he call that an apology? I scoffed out loud, showing my disapproval of his excuses. I didn¡¯t reply to him and turned towards the window and closed my eyes like he was never there, even though his presence was overwhelming and I couldn¡¯t resist. I think Loukas also took my silence as not wanting to talk and didn¡¯t bother saying anything to me until we reached the hotel. The ride took about thirty minutes, and we didn¡¯t even talk on our way there.


    That was our first argument as a couple, and although it was a small issue, I didn¡¯t like how Loukas had made it seem like I was forcing him to interact with him. Sometimes I questioned myself about why Loukas¡¯s words bothered me so much. If it was in the past, I wouldn¡¯t care, but now that we were closer and he was my husband, I termed his rude personality and replies offensive.


    ¡°We are here!¡± Loukas said as the limo pulled up in front of the Ritz-Carlton. The door opened and I stepped out first, helping Loukas unfold his wheelchair from the boot. I stretched out my hand for him to take, but he ignored me and just stared at me as if I had done something wrong. ¡°What the hell is going on with you, Hiry?¡± He asked, but I ignored him and shook my hand so he could see that I was tired of stretching my hand. ¡°Your attitude is starting to get on my nerves,¡± he pointed out, and I rolled my eyes. He gritted his teeth. ¡°And quit rolling your eyes at me. You and I are going to talk about this once we are in our room!¡± He said and took my hand. I helped him out of the limo and helped him into the wheelchair.


    I wheeled him towards the lobby while two men in ck suits trailed behind us with our luggage.


    I eximed and opened my mouth wide when we entered the lobby. My dream ind while growing up was Hawaii, and thanks to Rotimi and Loukas, I was able toe there. Just like in the pictures, it was a beautiful sight to behold. Once we¡¯d gotten the keys to our room, which was already booked in time before we came by Rotimi, I wheeled Loukas into the elevator that took us to the 35th floor, where our room was.


    Loukas and I exchanged no words with one another until we entered our room. A great scent of lilies filled my nostrils as we entered the room. The room was the most beautiful ce I¡¯ve ever seen in my entire life. There were two spacious balconies with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. I squealed and stared outside for a while, and then began to check everywhere else. The room had a separate living room and dining room, and there was just one king-sized bed in the bedroom, which meant Loukas and I had to share the same bed.


    Even though Loukas and I were not talking, the idea of being in the same bed with him again made heat rise in my cheek. Too bad a ck person can¡¯t blush. If not, Loukas would have seen how his presence affected him greatly. ¡°This ce is amazing!¡± I said to no one in particr, even though Loukas was watching as I paced back and forth, admiring the room. ¡°Look at the ocean view!¡± I pointed to the balcony. ¡°It also has a t TV screen,¡± I joked as I touched the 65-inch t-screen TV.


    ¡°Quit walking around already, Hiry. Why are you avoiding me? ¡± Loukas finally asked after a moment of silence and watched me back and forth like a hawk. ¡°Why are you acting like this? Did I do anything wrong?¡±


    I can¡¯t believe that I just heard that from him. Loukas wasn¡¯t the type of person to care about what others felt about him, and his newfound attitude surprised me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± He asked as I turned to face him.


    ¡°I already said what I wanted to say inside the Limo Loukas,¡± I replied.


    ¡°You are angry because I kissed you. I thought we were past that, ¡°he pointed out, but that only made meugh.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You think that I am angry because you kissed me?¡± I chuckled and ced a hand on my brow. ¡°Loukas,¡± I said, clicking my tongue. ¡°Even though we are married in name only, I am still your wife,¡± I stated. ¡°I don¡¯t know what may be going on with you, but you do realize that I am your therapist, right?¡±


    Loukas didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at me. When I tried to say something, he cut me off. ¡°Stop saying stupid things, Hiry. What exactly is your point, and why are you mad at me? ¡±


    ¡°I already said it,¡± I gritted my teeth as I sat on the blue couch in the living room. ¡°I just don¡¯t want us to fight since this is our honeymoon together.¡±


    ¡°Business honeymoon,¡± he corrected me, but he didn¡¯t have to do that because saying things like that was his way of telling me that our marriage wasn¡¯t real.


    I¡¯ve heard that and I was already tired of hearing it over and over again.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, smiling.


    ¡°So are we cool?¡± He asked me, and I nodded in response. ¡°Phew,¡± he sighed in relief and ced his hand on his chest dramatically. ¡°I thought you were going to be mad at me forever.¡±


    Just as I was about to reply to him, I heard my phone ringing in my bag. ¡°Excuse me, please,¡± I said as I walked over to the dining table where I had left my bag. I unzipped my bag and removed my phone from it. I smiled when I saw who was calling. ¡°Hey Rotimi,¡± I said as I returned to the living room and sat on the couch.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Rotimi¡¯s deep voice sounded from the phone. ¡°You guys must have reached the hotel. How was your flight?¡±


    I yawned and stretched my neck. ¡°I am so tired,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long ride and damn..¡± I paused and looked towards Loukas, who had his eyes on me. In other words, he was ring at me. ¡± Loukas is here. Do you want to speak to him? ¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hand over the phone to him,¡± Rotimi answered.


    I stretched my hand towards Loukas and he raised his brows in confusion as if he didn¡¯t have any idea of what was happening. I informed him, ¡°Rotimi wants to talk to you.¡±


    He epted the phone with his left hand and ced it on his ear. ¡°Why are you calling my wife?¡± He asked, and I swear I could detect the jealousy in his tone.


    I wondered why he sounded jealous, but the way he called me his wife made me scream inside my head.


    What the hell was happening to me? I thought. I pped my face and heaved a sigh. ¡°Hiry,¡± I muttered under my breath.


    Loukas and Rotimi continued to speak, and when it didn¡¯t seem like their conversation was going to end, I stood up from the couch and headed into the bathroom. I fell onto the king-sized bed and closed my eyes. ¡°This is amazing,¡± I muttered as I closed my eyes, tired from the long flight, but before I slept off, I had only one thought, and that was to have a lovely honeymoon with Loukas.


    If only it could happen.

 A new friend in Hawaii

    Hiry POV


    I yawned for the umpteenth time that morning. After arriving at the hotel, I slept off and woke up early in the morning to see Loukas beside me. I had no idea how he got on the bed, but I knew that it must have been pretty ufortable for him. The journey was too long and it was my first time traveling such a distance.I could barely keep my eyes open, but I had to because Loukas was meeting the investor set up by Rotimi in one of the meeting rooms. ¡°Quit yawning, will you?¡± Loukas said.


    I cleared my throat and struggled to force myself not to yawn, but it came out and I yawned pretty loudly. I rubbed my eyes. ¡°I am tired.¡±


    ¡°Tired? Why am I not tired? ¡± He asked, and I had no idea what he meant by that. ¡°Thest time I checked, we both had the same trip and here I am wondering how I am not tired.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I have no idea,¡± I admitted, and he rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my first time traveling a long distance,¡± I said. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for that, Loukas! ¡±


    Loukas chuckled. ¡°You have no idea how I survivedst night, do you?¡± He reminded me aboutst night, and I bowed my head in shame. I yed with the ring on my finger with our initials on it and pretended as if I was appreciating it when in fact I was ignoring Loukas. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything, dear wife?¡± He asked. ¡°Hiry,¡± he called when I didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Will you look at the time?¡± I pointed to the watch on my wrist. ¡°I¡¯m sure your investor is waiting,¡± I said as I grabbed my purse from the dining room table. ¡°We should go meet him,¡± I told him, and instead of replying to me, he pointed to a brown folder on the center table in the living room. ¡°You want this?¡± I asked, and he nodded in response. I picked up the folder from the table and handed it over to him. I tucked my hair behind my left ear as he collected the file with me.


    Loukas stared at me for a while before looking away. He cleared his throat, and I nodded in response and wheeled him out of the room. We took the elevator down to the lobby, and luckily for us, we were the only ones inside the elevator. When we reached the lobby, I took my time looking around because I couldn¡¯t see much when we arrived. The lobby had a great design, from the beautiful chandeliers to the vases at every corner. It was exciting to watch. One of the hotel workers, a woman who seemed to be in herte thirties, approached us, and once he saw Loukas, he bowed his head.


    ¡°Mr. Whitemore?¡± She asked, and Loukas nodded in response. ¡°Please follow me,¡± she said and took us to the left side of the lobby. We headed through a door and walked through a long hallway until we reached the front of a golden door. ¡°Mr. Jaden is waiting for you,¡± she informed us. ¡°Let me know if you need anything,¡± the woman said and turned to leave.


    ¡°You can tour around the hotel while I speak to Mr. Jaden, and I¡¯lle to find you,¡± Loukas said to me as I pushed in through the doors.


    ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± I replied.


    Mr. Jaden turned out to be a bald ck man with a charming round face and beautiful obsidian eyes. I had no idea why I was thinking about him, but I have a weakness for beautiful men and Mr. Jaden was one of them. He has amazing muscles and abs that ripped through his suit. If Loukas had not touched my hand, then I wouldn¡¯t even remember that I was standing in front of him with his hand stretched out to me.


    ¡°Your name must be Hiry,¡± Mr. Jaden said, and I nodded and shook his hand. ¡®s so nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure,¡± I said to him, crouched down to Loukas¡¯ level as if I was about to kiss him. Loukas furrowed his brows at me, having no idea why I had done that. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the pool,¡± I whispered into his ears and then pecked him on the lips. ¡°Call me if you need me,¡± I said as I walked out of the door.


    Before I walked away from the doors, I heard Mr. Jadenpliment me. ¡°You have a beautiful wife with an amazing personality.¡±


    I chuckled at thatment and hugged my purse as I walked down the hallways. It wasn¡¯t hard to find the pool because it was just outside the hotel. The smell of the sea filled my nostrils as I walked outside, and the natural breeze made the hairs on my skin rise. I was happy to be in Hawaii. I removed my phone and took pictures of the sky. The sun was bright enough to blind me because I forgot to take my sunsses, but I was happy that I could at least take a picture of the sky.


    The ce was filled up with a lot of people of different races, and it was calm and soothing. I found an empty pool chair to sit on and rested my back. ¡°This ce is surely amazing,¡± I said as I took pictures of the people swimming and also did a video of myself as I showed the area.


    ¡°You must not be the pool type,¡± I thought to myself as I heard a deep, sexy, powerful sound beside me. I removed the phone from my face and turned to my right side where a half-naked man hade toy. I cleared my throat as my eyes roamed around his naked body, dripping wet as if he had juste out of the pool. His skin was tanned and damn, he had beautiful brown eyes with curly dark hair. His muscles and abs were on disy as if the man was born with a six-pack. He was everyone¡¯s dream woman, except that I already had a man to myself.


    ¡°Hey miss,¡± he said, waving his hands.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized, I had stared too much, forgetting that the man that I was drooling over was right by my side. ¡°I didn¡¯te to swim, ¡°I answered his previous question.¡± I am waiting for my husband here, ¡°I informed him, and he nodded in response as he stared at my ring. ¡°Nice ring,¡± hemented, and I smiled, staring at my wedding bands as if I had won a trophy. ¡°First time in Hawaii?¡±


    I nodded in response. ¡°Let me guess, you are here on your honeymoon?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied and wondered why he was asking too many questions. He couldn¡¯t be a stalker, could he? I thought as I stared into his eyes.


    ¡°Amazing. Have you gone on the sunset cruise on Maui Ind? ¡±


    ¡°No. ¡±


    ¡°Then you are missing out. It¡¯s great to see the sunset and also see the whales. ¡±


    My eyes widened at the mention of whales. I had never, in my entire life, been to the sea. ¡°I can see the whales?¡± I asked, and he nodded in response.


    I forgot to introduce myself. ¡°Pardon my manners,¡± he said as he extended his hand for me to take. ¡°I am Andrew,¡± he introduced himself.


    I ced my hand in his and he didn¡¯t let go for a few seconds until I yanked my hand free from his. ¡°Did youe with anyone?¡± I asked him, but he shook his head in response. ¡°You are here on your own?¡±


    He nodded in response. ¡°I stay here in Hawaii, and once in a while, Ie to the Ritz Carlton for peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Imented.


    ¡°What do you do, Hiry?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I am a physiotherapist.¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡± He pped his hands. ¡°You¡¯re a genius,¡± he said, giving me a thumbs up, and I smiled.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I was enjoying where the conversation was heading because he was friendly to speak with.


    ¡°I am into building and construction,¡± he replied. ¡°But for now, I am jobless because I got fired from my job.¡±


    ¡°Fired? I am so sorry about that, ¡°I told him, and he forced a smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said, rising from the chair and facing me. ¡°I¡¯ve been searching around for jobs everywhere but no one is ready to take me.¡±


    I scratched the back of my head feeling sorry for him about losing his job, but then I remembered that Loukas¡¯s newpany was a constructionpany and he was recruiting new people, which meant that Andrews could get a job if I linked him up with Loukas. I jumped to my feet, but because I was overjoyed, I slipped and almost fell, but Andrew came to my rescue and I fell into his arms. We both stared at each other, and he held me closer to himself.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing with my wife?¡± Loukas¡¯s voice sounded beside us. I pushed Andrew away from him and visibly gulped when I saw Loukas¡¯s hazel eyes ring hard at me. ¡°What is going on here?¡± He demanded an answer.


    Oh no, I thought.

 Stay away from my Wife

    Loukas POV


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jaden,¡± I said as we wrapped up the meeting. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing you in Mecianda,¡± I told him, and he nodded in response.


    ¡°Once your honeymoon is over, I¡¯ll visit yourpany in Mecianda,¡± Mr. Jaden assured me, and I nodded in response. He stood up and shook my hands again.¡± Should I help you outside?¡± He asked.


    I nodded in response. ¡°Please take me to the poolside. My wife is waiting for me there, ¡°I informed him and he nodded without arguing. He wheeled me into the elevator and gave me a few ideas on how my honeymoon could be romantic since the ind was a great one.


    ¡°You can rent a yacht and go see the sunset, or maybe you could go see the whales,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Trust me when I say, your wife is going to love it. You can also spend the night together on a yacht, having the time of your life. I remember when my wife and I went on our honeymoon to Bora Bora. It was a great experience, ¡°he paused and cleared his throat.¡± We went for karaoke night, went on a sunset cruise on a boat, and had a wonderful night together.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was telling me, but I just nodded so it wouldn¡¯t seem as if I was rude.


    When the elevators opened, he wheeled me out of the hotel towards the pool. ¡°Women love attention,¡± he advised, and when the elevators opened, he wheeled me out of the hotel towards the pool. We both looked around for Hiry and after searching for her among a hundred people, I saw her speaking with a man and she fell into his arms.


    I clenched my fists, and Mr. Jaden must have noticed me as he pointed toward them. ¡°It appears your bride already has apany,¡± he wheeled me towards them, then stopped when we were behind them. ¡°You take it from here. My wife is waiting for me in Waikiki Beach. Remember my advice, Mr. Whitemore,¡± he said before walking away, leaving me alone.


    Hiry and the ugly man remained in each other¡¯s arms after Mr Jaden left and I felt my blood boil at the thought of them, and I couldn¡¯t imagine how Hiry wasfortable in the arms of another person.


    For goodness¡¯ sake, we were married, I thought as I stared at them. She should have let go of him if she didn¡¯t enjoy it. Unable to watch them any longer, I chuckled as I cleared my throat to announce my presence.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing with my wife?¡± My voice sounded pretty loud and authoritative, but I didn¡¯t care because I was angry that I found my wife in the arms of another man. Hiry pushed the man away as soon as she heard my voice and turned to face me. Her face was full of shock, and I smirked at her because I caught her in the act.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± I asked them, and Hiry quickly moved closer to me.


    ¡°Loukas, this is Andrew,¡± she said as she introduced the man, and I frowned as I looked at him, wondering what he was up to with my wife. ¡°He is a constructor and has spent all of his life staying in Hawaii.¡±


    I chuckled as I stared at the man. Hiry had known everything about him for the few minutes that I left her alone.


    Incredible.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, sir,¡± The ugly man stretched forth his hand for me to take. I just stared at his hand without doing anything. Why does he think that I will take his hand after flirting with my wife? ¡°Your wife is an amazing woman,¡± he said andughed.


    ¡°Oh, stop it!¡± Hiry responded byughing too. I clenched my fists and frowned at the thought of them together.


    How dare they flirt when I was there?


    ¡°You two must know each other so well to be so familiar like this.¡± I gritted my teeth as I red at the man.


    ¡°Not really,¡± the man answered, chuckling. I wondered why he wasughing as if I said something funny. I was about to reply to his stupid answer when Hiry moved closer to me and grabbed my hand. ¡°Andrew here told me about the sunsets and the whale sightseeing here on Maui.¡±


    ¡°Whales sightseeing?¡± I asked, and she nodded in response. I remembered Mr. Jaden telling me about the whale sightseeing and the sunsets, and as I thought of it, an idea shed in my head. ¡°You want to go sightseeing?¡± I asked her and she nodded in response. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll go this evening,¡± I told her, and she pped her hands in excitement.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s hard to see a yacht here,¡± the man, or whatever his name was, informed me. ¡°Except you have a private yacht or you are influential enough to rent one, then you will be able to go on a boat cruise, but since you don¡¯t have any, I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Iughed. ¡°You think that I am not influential enough because I am in a wheelchair?¡± I asked and he tried to respond, but I cut him off. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, Mr. whatever your name is,¡± I told him and then turned to face Hiry. ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way soon, but first I need to feed my wife,¡± I said, smiling at Hiry, who gave me a puzzled look as if she hadn¡¯t expected me to say that. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel hungry, Mrs. Whitemore?¡± I asked Hiry


    She didn¡¯t answer at first, but after a few seconds, she nodded her head in response. ¡°Then we should go.¡± I smiled at her and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°I can take you around Maui if you want to.¡± The ugly man spoke again, and I red at him, wondering why he wouldn¡¯t stop talking. ¡°I can drive a yacht. I used to be a captain and I¡­ ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± I stated.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I know my way around and I can do it for a couple of dors,¡± he clicked his tongue.


    If only I could punch him in the face and make him bleed until he learned that he shouldn¡¯t covet other people¡¯s wives or things that belonged to others. ¡°What do you say, Mr. Whitemore?¡±


    Hiry tried to persuade me, but it only made me angrier. I frowned at her, but when she shed hershes at me, I knew I couldn¡¯t resist him. I heaved a sigh and nodded in response to her demands. ¡°Thank you, Loukas.¡± She kissed me on the lips, and that was enough for me.


    It was enough to change my mind after everything that I had seen. I responded with a nod.¡± I guess I¡¯ll see you around,¡± he said, and waved at Hiry before walking away.


    ¡°So tell me what you were talking about with Andrew?¡± I asked her and she onlyughed as she wheeled me towards the lobby.


    ¡°I am craving a great meal as I am very hungry at the moment,¡± she replied with that instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic, Hiry!¡± I told her and she continuedughing as if I had said something funny.


    ¡°Are you jealous, Mr. Whitemore?¡± She asked, and I only replied with a scoff.

 Beautiful Sunset and lovely Eyes

    Hiry POV


    Amazing That was how I felt when I was on the boat cruise with Loukas. He didn¡¯t agree until after four trials and begging. I didn¡¯t know why Loukas hated Andrew at first and why he was so bent on making sure that Andrew didn¡¯t have toe along with us, but it was worth it once we arrived on the yacht. The yacht was exotic, like all the expensive yachts I see in movies. It¡¯s a white yacht with a beautiful name on it.


    Enchanted. A beautiful name for a lovely yacht.


    ¡°This is amazing, Andrew!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Andrew didn¡¯t pay for the yacht because I did,¡± Loukas answered beside me. ¡°You should be thanking your husband and not someone else,¡± I quickly shed him a smile to avoid any misunderstanding. Loukas sounded like a jealous man, and it was fun to watch, but I believed that since our marriage was a sham, there was no need for us to act like we were the best couple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re jealous, Mr. Whitemore,¡± I teased, and he chuckled.


    ¡°You think I am jealous?¡± He burst intoughter. ¡°You think that I am jealous?¡± He repeated it and facepalmed himself.


    I turned to face him and smirked at him. ¡°You sure about not being jealous?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°No! ¡± He cleared his throat and looked away. I moved closer to him and stood behind him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked as I touched his shoulders.


    ¡°Doing the therapy you wanted,¡± I replied, and gently pressed his shoulders.


    ¡°Have you gone crazy, my dear wife?¡± Loukas asked, and I burst intoughter. I leaned in and whispered into his ears.


    ¡°You are thinking too much, dear husband.¡± I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Seducing you,¡± I joked, but deep down, it was not a joke. That¡¯s the truth. I wanted to seduce him for real.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Loukas replied and grabbed my hand. ¡°I am open to any seduction, dear wife,¡± he said, pulling me to his front and cing me on hisp. ¡°Are you sure you are up for it?¡± He leaned in and nibbled on my ears. ¡°Are you sure that you are up for it?¡± He asked again as he ced his hand behind my ear. I shivered under his touch and wondered why I was affected by just his mere touch. ¡°What do you say, dear wife?¡± His lips were an inch away from mine, and we both stared intently into each other¡¯s faces. He wanted my answer, and I waited for his next move.


    My inner self reacted to his touch, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from touching his face. ¡°I want you to¡­.¡±


    ¡°The sun is about to set! We are in Kapalua Bay! ¡± Andrew¡¯s announcement made me jump from Loukas¡¯s legs and fall to the ground.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± I whimpered, my elbow scratching the yacht floor.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Loukas asked me, and I quickly stood up from the ground and nodded in response.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, straightening my yellow dress and green hat. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I chuckled, gazing up at the sky. Just like Andrew had said, the sun was about to set and it was beautiful to watch. ¡°This is amazing!¡± I pointed to the sky and then pointed to Loukas. ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± I asked him, but instead of replying, he nodded in response, watching me instead. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the sunset was as beautiful as this,¡± I pped my hands.


    ¡°Wait until you see the whales,¡± Andrew said as he stood beside Loukas.


    ¡°I believe you were hired to drive us around, not to meddle in our affairs,¡± Loukas reminded him. ¡°I didn¡¯t pay you to tell my wife about whales,¡± There goes the jealousy in his tone, but Loukas was too arrogant to admit it. I didn¡¯t understand why he was jealous of Andrew when I didn¡¯t even like him and the only attraction I felt towards him was purely mutual, but Loukas made it appear as if he was hitting on me because of thepromising situations he found Andrew and myself.


    ¡°I know my way around Maui, and I am not meddling in your affairs. Once I¡¯m done showing you the whales, I¡¯ll take my leave and let you enjoy your night together, Mr. Whitemore,¡± Andrew answered and winked at Loukas.


    ¡°Do that again and your eyes will go blind,¡± Loukas threatened, and I found it funny because of the way he reacted to it.


    I sat on his legs. ¡°Loukas,¡± I said. ¡°You and Andrew should stop exchanging words and let us enjoy Maui¡¯s sunset.¡± I ced my hands on his chest and he stared at me as if I had grown two heads. I forced a smile on my face and kissed him briefly on the lips. When I pulled away, he cupped my right cheek and captured my lips. I reacted to his kiss and our lips moved in rhythm as Loukas kissed me as if that moment depended on it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just take my leave!¡± Andrew announced and walked away, but we were too busy to even notice him. He must have felt ufortable, I thought.


    Loukas continued kissing me, giving me no room to breathe as his lips dominated mine and made me feel things I shouldn¡¯t feel. We¡¯d broken all the no-touching rules and had forgotten that our marriage was a sham. I had no idea why it was like that, but I wanted more and I wanted us to be together forever.


    If fate allows it.


    ¡°You are beautiful,¡± hemented as he pulled away from the kiss. I panted for breath and stared into his beautiful hazel eyes. ¡°You are as beautiful as the sun setting, Hiry,¡± he said, and my heart fluttered. My heart raced against my chest as if I had run a marathon, and at that time, I didn¡¯t know if Loukas¡¯s eyes were more beautiful than the sunset, or maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.

 Argument left unsolved

    Hry POV


    ¡°I am leaving once we¡¯ve seen the waves.¡± Mr. Andrew announced as Loukas and I sat down to eat dinner.


    ¡°Are we almost there?¡± I asked him because I was already getting impatient and the sun had already set, meaning it was soon to be nighttime.


    ¡°We are closed and the next minute you should see.¡±


    ¡± Whatever we are seeing is none of my business. I have to be alone with my wife. ¡± Loukas reminded him, ring hard at him as if he wanted him gone right at that moment.


    ¡°Be patient, Mr. Whitemore, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Goodness!¡± I squealed. ¡°There is a whale over there!¡± I pped my hands and shouted out loud. Jumping to my feet, I headed toward the edge of the yacht and watched as a blue whale swam below us. It was magical and the first time I had ever seen something as lovely as a whale. ¡°This is amazing!¡±


    ¡°I told you it was going to be magical, but you thought I was lying, didn¡¯t you?¡± Andrewmented as he stood beside me.


    ¡°Move away from my wife or it will be thest time you ever have legs,¡± Loukas threatened, and Iughed at that thought, but I was too upied with the whale to respond to his jealous attitude.


    ¡°Babes,¡± I moved closer to Loukas since he was seated alone at the table and wheeled him closer to the edge of the yacht. ¡°That¡¯s the whale over there,¡± I said, pointing to the whale taking too long to swim away. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, right?¡± I asked him, but he gave his usual sarcasticment.


    ¡°Do I have to jump into the ocean to find out if it¡¯s amazing or not?¡± He retorted, and I chuckled at hisment because I expected it. Loukas was the type of man to make sarcasticments and wouldn¡¯t care if you wanted to hear them or not.


    ¡°I think your husband is the type of person who doesn¡¯t like nature,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Coming from a fool who doesn¡¯t have anything except ogling someone else¡¯s wife,¡± Loukasughed.


    ¡°At least that¡¯s nice enough because I can steal your wife and you will not do anything about it!


    ¡°Say that again and I will throw you overboard!¡± Loukas threatened him.


    Unable to keep up with their ranting andments and everything going on with them, I had to stop them. ¡°Enough, guys!¡± I shouted at them, separating them from their stupid argument. ¡°Because of your argument, you have missed the whales,¡± I pointed out Faraway where the whale was headed towards.


    ¡°Tell your friend to take us back and leave us alone!¡± Loukas told me.


    ¡°Why are you against me?¡± Andrew demanded to know why Loukas hated him, but he wouldn¡¯t know the kind of person Loukas was because of his personality.I was used to him, unlike Andrew, who couldn¡¯t understand his egotistical character.


    ¡°I am not against you,¡± Loukas said to him. ¡°I just don¡¯t like your face.¡± That was the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my entire life.


    How could someone hate someone because of their face? I thought and looked from Andrew to Loukas. They all stared at each other as if they were having a staringpetition.


    ¡°Your wife and I are just friends, and there is no need to bother about anything between us because I have a girlfriend and a daughter back home. ¡± Andrew cleared his throat once he was done revealing what was on his mind and turned to leave.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I felt sorry for him because he sounded as if the whole world was against him and he was the only one in the world.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I was going to take you back to the ind and let you and your husband,¡± he stressed the word ¡°husband,¡± and walked away without saying anything else.


    I heaved a sigh and stood in front of Lucas. ¡°You do know that your action was uncalled for, right? ¡± Lucas chuckled and gave me a questioning look as if he didn¡¯t understand what I had just said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you not going to say anything?¡±


    Loukas continued staring at me, saying nothing while he watched me closely as if he was observing me.


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±Loukas asked me


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have said all those things to him because he was around me.¡±


    ¡°He had his arms around you. What was I supposed to do, huh?¡± Loukas rolled his eyes, and I facepalmed myself. He had bluntly confessed that he wasn¡¯t jealous when I had asked him, and if he wasn¡¯t, then I believed that he shouldn¡¯t have acted that way towards Andrew. He shouldn¡¯t have been mad about seeing us together because our marriage was a sham and it made it clear the day that we signed the contract together.


    ¡°Why are you acting this way when you said you aren¡¯t jealous and do I have to remind you that our marriage is a sham?¡± I blurted out.


    Loukas chuckled, but I could see the look in his eyes and the way he stared at me as if he didn¡¯t want me to say that. ¡°You called our marriage a sham all because of Andrew?¡± Loukas asked, and I could detect the sadness in his tone. He didn¡¯t sound happy, and it was all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have called our marriage a sham, but it was the truth.


    I tried to exin to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say that,¡± he raised his hand and stopped me. ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me exin it to you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Because there is no point in it Hiry! You¡¯ve made it clear to me already! Our marriage is a sham, so there is no point! ¡± He yelled at me and heaved a sigh when he realized what he had done. ¡°I think we should stop arguing about this and just forget the whole thing ever happens!¡±


    ¡°You should try and listen to me. Loukas, I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­.¡± I tried to exin myself so he¡¯d understand, but he cut me off.


    ¡°There is no need for you to exin yourself, Hiry. The sun has already set, so that¡¯s enough. I need to rest in the cabin. Please take me there, ¡± Loukas requested with a smile on his face, but I knew that it wasn¡¯t real. His smile was not real, and he wore a frown on his face like he didn¡¯t want to see me at all.


    Since he didn¡¯t want a conversation with me, I forced a smile on my face and nodded in response to his request.


    I stretched forth my hand for him to take as we both walked down the stairs that led into the cabin. His right side was leaning on me while he walked with his left leg. Once we¡¯d reached the cabin, Iid him on the bed and covered him up with a nket. The bed in his cabin was king-sized. The cabin had a mini dining table for two people and a small kitchen that smelled pretty nice as if someone had prepared something for us before our arrival, which was the truth because Loukas had prepared a chef in advance so we could have a lovely night together, but I had ruined all of that because of my actions and attitude.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± I apologized to him, but he turned his face to the other side away from mine as if he didn¡¯t want to see me. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have called our marriage a sham, but it¡¯s the truth and you always say it!¡±


    ¡°Please leave, I need to be on my own,¡± he said.


    I cleared my throat and nodded in response.¡± I¡¯ll be outside. If you need me, you can call my name, but I want you to know that Andrew is a man who is trying so hard to survive due to the hardship that he is facing. It¡¯s none of your business but you deserved to know, ¡°I told him and turned to leave, hoping that once I returned, he¡¯d have a change of mind.


    Once I was out of the cabin, I saw Andrew staring at the ocean, and I walked to meet him. ¡°I am sorry about Loukas. He is not that kind of person,¡± I defended Loukas, even though his personality was far worse. Loukas was not a bad person, and only those who got closer to him would understand the kind of person he was, and I already knew that a long time ago.


    ¡°I understand you and I also understand him. He must be in a difficult situation, and I¡¯ll be like that too if I can¡¯t move a part of my body,¡± Andrew replied and turned to face me. ¡°He is a smart man with a stupid personality, but aside from that, he is a lovely man.¡±


    I nodded my head and smiled without saying anything else. ¡°He was pretty angry a while ago because I heard everything. I think you need to ask for his forgiveness, ¡°he advised.


    ¡°And how do I do that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°By seducing him,¡± Andrew advised, and I gasped because I never expected him to say that. I turned to face him with my mouth wide open. ¡°Seduce him, and you¡¯ll never be sorry,¡± he winked at me.


    ¡°Oh no! I thought you were a saint! ¡±


    Andrew chuckled. ¡°Never judge a book by its cover,¡± heughed. ¡± That¡¯s the only way to win back his heart,¡± he winked at me yet again and I burst outughing.

 A night together

    Loukas POV


    ¡°Our marriage is a sham,¡± she said in my head, and I groaned in frustration, angry that Hiry thought of our marriage in that way. I was also pissed off that I snapped at her and made her take me to the cabin. Our marriage was a sham. I can¡¯t dispute that, but I didn¡¯t like how he made it obvious and annoying. If I had wanted to hear something like that, I would have preferred to have heard it from my mouth rather than from hers.


    Hearing it from her made it sound like a part of me was broken, and I didn¡¯t want to be like that. It¡¯s made me feel weak and act as if I couldn¡¯t do without her.


    A few minutes alone and I already wanted her around me again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± I thought as I stared at the bright chandelier above me. I am taking this marriage thing too far. I heaved a sigh and turned to face the ocean view. It had already gotten dark and I wondered what she could be doing outside with Andrew when I was all alone, unable to sleep for hours. ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s having the time of her life without realizing she has a husband,¡± I chuckled, rubbing my brow. ¡°So much for a honeymoon that was not meant to happen.¡±


    ¡°Loukas!¡± I must have been dreaming when I heard her loud voice and her footsteps as she walked into the room. I pretended to have fallen asleep as I shut my eyes as she headed towards me. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping,¡± she said as she sat down next to me.


    ¡°I am so sorry if you think that I was taking Andrew¡¯s side, but that¡¯s not the truth. Because I care about you and what we have together is real to me, even though our marriage is a sham,¡± I had wanted to open my mouth and tell her not to say that again, but I wanted to listen to the rest of the conversation. ¡°I care about you, Loukas.¡± I heard her sigh briefly and then she grabbed my hand. ¡°I am not saying this because we¡¯re married, but because that¡¯s how I truly felt. I just want you to know that I¡¯ll always be here for you and us,¡± That sounded like a promise, and I liked it. ¡°We are back on the ind, and Andrew has already left.¡± I wanted to introduce you both since he is a constructor and he needs a job. He is not a bad person if you get to know him,¡± I didn¡¯t want to hear that, but I did want her to keep confessing her feelings.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I wanted to continue hearing that. ¡°I guess you are sleeping. I was hoping we could have dinner together and watch the stars outside. It¡¯s beautiful tonight,¡± she said and stood up to leave, but I couldn¡¯t just let her leave like that, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms. ¡°Loukas,¡± she whispered, my name as she fell into my chest. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I hug my wife?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were listening to everything that I was saying.¡±


    I chuckled and nodded in response. She raised her head to face me and gasped. ¡°You heard everything?¡± She yelled and tried to free herself from my arms, but I held onto her. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Holding onto you,¡± I told her, and I ced my hand on her face. ¡°You are looking beautiful, my dear wife,¡± Imented, staring at her beautiful pink lips.


    ¡°Stop ttering me. You were mad at me a few minutes ago, ¡°she rolled her eyes at me and I swear it was a turn-on for me. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± She shed hershes at me, and I swear I felt my heart beat hard against my chest.


    ¡°Because I want to kiss you,¡± I confessed and ced my left finger on her lips. ¡°I want to have a taste of your lips,¡± I said, and she cleared her throat and averted her eyes from mine as if she wanted to escape me. ¡°Don¡¯t look away from me and just let me kiss you,¡± I told her and lifted her chin. ¡°Lean in closer, Hiry,¡± I said quietly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± She tried to say something, but I had already pulled her closer to me. My lips quickly met hers, and I bit on her lower lips, allowing our lips to lead us on. Her lips tasted like strawberries as if she had eaten one beforeing to meet me or if it was just a figment of my imagination.


    ¡°I want you,¡± I said in between the kisses. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t stand up on my own,¡± I joked, and she chuckled. ¡°Do you want me?¡± I whispered into her ear and then captured her lips.


    I loved her intensity and the way her moans sounded. It¡¯s how I wanted her to feel when I had my hands around her.


    ¡°What do you say to thisme man? Do you want me to? ¡±


    ¡°Loukas,¡± she whispered, and I didn¡¯t know if I should take that as a yes or if she was refusing me instead. ¡°I¡­ want¡­¡±


    I tucked her tangled hair behind her ears and nibbled on it. ¡°Just say the word Hiry and I¡¯ll..¡±


    Hiry cut me off, and this time, she kissed me herself and then stared into my eyes. ¡°I want you so badly that I can¡¯t exin myself.¡±


    I chuckled and kissed her on the lips over and over again until we were out of breath. ¡°If you want me so badly, then show me what you¡¯ll do to me.¡± I just had to sound as if I had been deprived of sex for years.


    You can¡¯t me a man who had not been able to lift a finger in years.


    Hiry chuckled andy on top of me. ¡°Then allow me to seduce you, dear husband,¡± she winked at me, making meugh.

 A night together 2

    Hiry POV


    ¡°I want you,¡± he whispered into my ears, sending shivers all over my body, making it feel as if I was reborn just for Loukas. ¡°I want you, ¡°I swear I wanted him to say it over and over again.


    ¡°Then have me.¡± Iy on top of him and ced his left hand around my waist. I leaned closer to him and captured his lips. His hand tried to leave my waist, but I held it tightly, not letting him remove it from my waist. ¡°Just let me lead us on,¡± I winked, and heughed. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± I asked him, and he pulled his hand from my waist and ced it behind my ear.


    ¡°I amughing because I am just seeing your wild side and it¡¯s amazing,¡± he said, and I didn¡¯t know if I shouldugh or keep kissing his plump pink lips. ¡°You are beautiful, dear wife,¡± he said and it made meugh. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen this side of you before.¡± He kissed my neck and let his hand trail down my neck until it reached my chest and he fondled my breast.


    I rolled my head and moaned as his fingers teased my nipple. ¡°Oh Loukas, ¡°I could feel an unusual emotion welling up inside of me. An emotion I couldn¡¯t understand, but I wanted more and it¡¯s created an unimaginable spark inside of me. ¡°I want you, Loukas.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Hush,¡± he said, capturing my lips as his fingers continued to stroke my nipple. He kissed and sucked on my neck. ¡°You have such an amazing body and I can¡¯t wait to have a taste of you. I want you. I wish that I could bend you over and fuck you from behind,¡± he whispered into my ear and his words caused me to shake terribly under his touch.¡±I want you so badly and I curse this body of mine!¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± I said, putting my finger to his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking and get to work,¡± I winked at him. I didn¡¯t know why I was acting like a horny woman, but I wanted him inside of me. I didn¡¯t care if I am called an attention seeker or a woman who wanted a man who didn¡¯t love her, because I had fallen in love with Loukas, and even though he couldn¡¯t reciprocate it yet, I was ready to give him my all.


    ¡°My wife is naughty!¡± Loukasughed heartily and continued kissing me on the neck. ¡°I want your clothes off right now!¡± The way he said it made it sound as if he wanted to be dominant. ¡°Pull off your clothes right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh! ¡°You sound like a boss right now. ¡±


    Loukasughed and kissed me on the lips. ¡°That¡¯s because I am the boss and I can be dominant in bed. You should be grateful that I didn¡¯t have my other side working. I would have fucked you pretty hard so that you wouldn¡¯t be able to walk for days.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be hard on me,¡± I visibly gulped as I begged for him to go easy on me, but that wasn¡¯t the case. I wanted to see if he could fuck me like he promised.


    Now I sounded like a sex-starved woman. ¡°Your clothes Dear wife, ¡°Loukas grinned at me as he reminded me that I had to remove my clothes.


    Obeying hismands, I pulled up my dress and left it alone with my bare chest and panties. ¡°You could have removed your panties beforeing here, dear wife,¡± he nibbled on my ear, and I burst outughing. ¡°You look lovely, dear wife,¡± he said as he cupped my cheek with his left hand and shook my head. ¡°You look like a bunny right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to keep taking them or are we going to get into action?¡±


    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t have both hands, so help me out of my clothes,¡± he said.


    I chuckled and pulled off his shirt. ¡°You have a nice broad chest. Did you work out in your previous life? ¡± I teasingly asked.


    ¡°What do you think? You thought that ame man couldn¡¯t work out with one hand? ¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Why are we even talking instead of having sex?¡±


    ¡°Because you wouldn¡¯t stop talking, dear wife,¡± Loukas kissed my neck, his hand grabbing my breast once more. He fondled it and continued kissing me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and let our lips move in rhythm. I moaned in pleasure as his fingers continued stroking my breast. He kissed me. ¡°I want to¡­.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°I want to have a taste of your breast. Move closer, Hiry,¡± he ordered, as a boss would do to his secretary.


    I loved his dominant side, and I hoped to have more of him if we could only be together forever. I moved closer to him and he grabbed my breast and ced it in his mouth. My head rolled back as he sucked on my nipple, teasing it with my tongue. ¡°Fuck Loukas,¡± I moaned and ran my hand through his hair. ¡°This is great.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Loukas raised his head and kissed my lips yet again. ¡°You taste so good and I want more of you. Get rid of your panties, Hiry! ¡± There goes his dominant side again.


    ¡°OK,¡± I winked at him and drew my pants down. Once I was naked, I helped him out of his shorts. ¡°Oh my!¡± I gasped when I saw his length poking out of his boxers.


    ¡°You can¡¯t me a man who has been celibate for years. I need this, dear wife, ¡± This time, it was Loukas who winked at me. ¡°I want to be inside of you!¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything and pulled down his boxers. ¡°Oh my! ¡± I cleared my throat and couldn¡¯t help but wonder how he could be as big as that. He was pretty big and long, and I wondered if he could fit inside of me. The only time I had sex was years ago when I was a teenager, and ever since then, I had no time since I was busy with my crazy life and my father, who I had thought would continue living, but since life was being unfair, all of my efforts ended up in a waste.


    ¡°Do you have a condom somewhere?¡± I asked him, but he shook his head in response.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, dear wife. I can¡¯t have children because I was told by the doctors when I had an ident years ago that I could never father a child.


    That sounded a little bit sad and I never imagined that Loukas would never father a child because he didn¡¯t deserve that I thought that he could at least have happiness in his life, but it was just filled with sadness and heartache that couldn¡¯t be easily removed. His life was filled with spaces that couldn¡¯t be filled up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that pity look, dear wife, ¡°he said, and I forced a smile on my face because I didn¡¯t know what I could say when I heard him say that. I pitied him, but for someone like Loukas, he would never allow you to pity him because he sees it as a weakness to his big ego.


    ¡°All right,¡± I said as I sat on top of him. cing him inside of me, I moaned in pleasure as I tried to adjust to his length. I slowly raised my body and lowered it to get used to how big he was and he responded by groaning.


    ¡°You are tight,¡± hemented, and I nodded my head. ¡°You haven¡¯t been fucked before?¡± He asked me, but I shook my head. ¡°Then howe you are this tight?¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± I said to silence him. ¡°Just let us be together without talking.¡± I increased my pace and moaned in pleasure as I held his neck while I let him fill me up. I wanted him to take over, but because of his body, my wishes couldn¡¯te to pass yet.


    I shouldn¡¯t have said that because saying it only means that I wanted him to fuck me yet again, and it would be petty of me to request that from him yet again, even though I wanted more of him.


    What are you thinking? I bit my lip as I thought about it. ¡°I must be going crazy!¡± I muttered under my breath.Yes, I was going crazy, and I decided to reveal to Loukas that I love him, even though I was going to sound like a crazy woman. I was going to reveal to him that I loved him the following day, and I didn¡¯t care what he would say. We both continued to have a feeling of ecstasy with our bodies together until we both climaxed. He stared at me like I was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and I smiled at him because I enjoyed every bit of our sex, even though it didn¡¯tst long and Loukas was not in control.


    I rolled over him andy beside him. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Imented.


    ¡°You are a badass therapist and also a great woman in bed.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we are doing this again?¡± I asked him. I shouldn¡¯t have said that, and when I realized what I had done, I covered my mouth.I sounded like a crazy sex addict who couldn¡¯t get enough of Loukas, and that was the truth. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about our time together.


    ¡°You want us to have sex again?¡± Loukas asked, and I shamelessly nodded my head in response. ¡°Incredible!¡± That was all he had to say.


    ¡°Incredible? That¡¯s all you could say? ¡±


    ¡°What else were you expecting me to say?¡± He pulled me closer into his arms. ¡°What else?¡±


    I chuckled and shook my head in response. There was nothing more to say because Loukas obviously liked the sex and not me, and arguing with him would only make things harder, so I just let it go. ¡°Is there something you ain¡¯t telling me?¡± Loukas asked.


    ¡°Nothing is wrong, Loukas. Let¡¯s just sleep while listening to the sound of the waves,¡± I told him andid my head on his chest. ¡°Tomorrow is another beautiful day to enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you acting this way, Hiry? Did I say anything wrong? ¡±


    I forced myself tough even though I was hurting inside of me. ¡°There is nothing wrong with me, Loukas. Let¡¯s just sleep and have nice dreams. I didn¡¯t say anything bad, or did I? ¡±


    Loukas cleared his throat and kissed my forehead. ¡°I just hope we will be cool tomorrow.¡±


    I nodded in response. I suddenly remembered something and decided to ask him. ¡°Why do you say you¡¯ll never fall in love again?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Lo¡­ love?¡± Loukas chuckled and heaved a sigh. ¡°To me, love is just a waste of time, and I don¡¯t think I could ever fall in love again because I don¡¯t believe in love.¡±


    That¡¯s exactly what I had expected to say. What was I even expecting him to say? Was I expecting him to say that he loved me or hoping that he could fall in love with me? I couldn¡¯t believe that I hoped for that and it made me sound like a fool asking questions of someone who wouldn¡¯t give answers to them. I should have known better. Loukas was incapable of love.


    While thinking about it, a lone tear escaped from my eyes, and I quickly wiped it off before he would notice it. ¡°Let¡¯s just sleep, Loukas,¡± I told him and closed my eyes, hoping that Loukas and I could be so much more.


    If only I knew what was yet toe.

 Death is inevitable

    Loukas POV


    The loud ringing of Hiry¡¯s cell phone woke me up from my sleep. I had tried to ignore it but the phone continued to ring over and over again. How did I know that it was Hiry¡¯s phone?I found out because Hiry used an annoying ringtone. When it didn¡¯t seem as if the ringing would stop, I tapped Hiry who was asleep beside me.


    ¡°Wake up Hiry! Your phone has been ringing non-stop! ¡± I tapped her to wake up, but she rolled over and hugged me tighter, not letting me go. ¡°Hiry!¡± I shouted her name.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± She shouted and rose from the bed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She rubbed her eyes as she turned to face me. ¡°Is it morning already?¡± She asked.


    I didn¡¯t reply and just stared at her beautiful face. After our first night together, we woke up in the middle of the night and did more rounds until we were out of breath. ¡°What are you looking at, Loukas?¡± Hiry asked, staring at me, trying to read my expression, but I quickly frowned. ¡°Why did you wake me up from my beautiful sleep?¡± She pouted at me.


    ¡°Are you insinuating that I didn¡¯t let you sleepst night?¡± I chuckled.


    Hiry cleared her throat and ruffled her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± she said, lowering her head.


    ¡°Is my wife shy? I thought you were a tiger with the way you actedst night, dear wife, ¡°I winked at her.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Her phone rang yet again and she jumped out of bed to pick it up from the dining table. cing the phone in her ear as she picked up the call, she looked into my eyes. ¡°Hello, Rotimi!¡± My ears perked up at the mention of Rotimi¡¯s name, and I thought about why Rotimi was calling her instead of me. ¡°Mr. Atins is dead!¡± Hiry shouted and moved closer to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked her even though I already knew everything. Hiry didn¡¯t reply but instead handed over the phone to me. ¡°Hello, Rotimi!¡± I said. ¡°Mr. Atins died this morning?¡± I asked to make sure I heard him right. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°You both need to find your way down to Mecianda today. Mr. Atins¡¯s death spread throughout the state and everyone that had taken an interest in hispany was heading down to the hospital! ¡± Rotimi informed me over the phone.


    I didn¡¯t know how I was supposed to react because Mr. Atins¡¯ death came as a shock, even though we already knew that he was going to die, but it was too sudden, and I¡­


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that he is dead!¡± Hirymented and stood up from the bed. She paced around while remembering the time spent with Mr. Atins. Tears trickled down her face as she paced around the cabin.


    ¡°Hiry and I would be in Mecianda in a few hours,¡± I told Rotimi on the phone before hanging up. ¡°Hiry!¡± I called but she didn¡¯t answer at first and continued pacing around. ¡°Hiry!¡± I shouted her name yet again, and this time it was pretty loud.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hiry said as she turned to face me. ¡°is¡­¡± She didn¡¯t get to finish as she burst into another round of tears. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be crying, but I am just surprised at how unlucky death has made a lot of people. Life is so unfair and takes the people we truly love away from us. Did we do anything wrong? ¡± Hiry beat her chest as she wept. ¡°Death is so cruel,¡± she sniffled and wiped the tears off her face. ¡°I know death is inevitable, but it shouldn¡¯te when we are closer to our loved ones,¡± By now, Hiry¡¯s nose was already running and her eyes were swollen from too much crying. Unable to stand up by myself, I beckoned to her toe over.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Hiry!¡± I said to her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to cry anymore. What¡¯s happened has already happened and we can¡¯t change Mr. Atin¡¯s fate, ¡°I told her, and she nodded in response but continued to cry. Shey in my arms while I patted her on the back. ¡°Everything is going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, Loukas. I hope so because¡­ ¡± She raised her head to look at me, and it broke me apart to see her face. It was filled with tears, and watching as she was crying made my heart bleed. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I blinked them away because I didn¡¯t want to look weak in front of her. I shouldn¡¯t be crying in front of her. Instead, I should be the one consoling her. ¡°Why is life so unfair?¡± Hiry sniffled. ¡°You just wake up one day and those who are close to you are no more! Why is life like that? ¡±


    I heaved a sigh. ¡°No one can question death,¡± I told her and rubbed her back gently. ¡± Like I said earlier, we can¡¯t change Mr. Atin¡¯s fate or even your father¡¯s, because he was destined to die and no one can change that.¡±


    Hiry nodded in response. ¡°I wondered how his son must feel right now. The man wanted the best for him, and he was pretty lucky that he got to spend time with his father. ¡± She heaved a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to spend enough time with my father or mother. They both left me all alone in this world, and that¡¯s the saddest part of it! ¡± She sniffled. ¡°I just hope we have enough time to spend with the people that we love and don¡¯t have to lose anyone when we are getting to know them,¡± she said, and I agreed.


    Hiry was lucky enough to have a memory of her parents, unlike me, who had no memory of my childhood or my parents. The only thing I remembered after my ident was that I couldn¡¯t walk perfectly again, and that was the saddest thing for me. My life changed overnight and for fourteen years I had been in the shadow all alone until Hiry came along. If she had not saved me that night, then I would have been long forgotten by everyone.


    ¡°Everything is going to be alright,¡± I assured her.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 If Wishes were Horses

    Hiry POV


    Loukas and I left Hawaii that morning and arrived at Meciandate at night. It was a long trip and I didn¡¯t sleep a wink throughout the flight because I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Mr. Atins and how he had been so nice to me and treated me like his daughter. I had a short memory of him, but I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it.


    If only I could spend more time with him.


    When Loukas and I arrived at the airport, Rotimi hade to pick us up, and without wasting time, we headed to the hospital where Mr. Atins had died. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rotimi asked me as we made our way to the morgue to look at Mr. Atins.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± I managed to say, but I wasn¡¯t. My voice sounded pretty weak, like I was in pain, which I truly was, and I couldn¡¯t dispute that.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have announced Mr. Atins¡¯ death to her,¡± Loukas scolded Rotimi. ¡°He was like a father to her, and not only did that ruin her mood, it also ruined mine.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry about that, Hiry,¡± Rotimi apologized, and since I was too sad to reply to him, I forced myself to smile at him. ¡°I never knew that his death would be a great shock to her. I truly apologize for that, ¡°he bowed his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Rotimi,¡± I told him and cleared my throat, stating that I was okay. ¡°There is no need for you to feel that way because of what happened. Mr. Atins is already gone and we can only hope that everything else will be alright. ¡±


    Rotimi nodded in response and didn¡¯t say anything else. The three of us made our way to the morgue, and when we reached the entrance, we saw Aiden, Mr. Atins¡¯s son, getting dragged by the doctors and nurses. He screamed, kicked, and struggled against them as he was pulled out of the morgue.


    ¡°No! He shouldn¡¯t have died like that! ¡± Aiden screamed and tried to push the doctors holding him down. ¡°He promised to stay with me until the end! He can¡¯t just die like that without fulfilling his promise! ¡± Aidenmented and pped his forehead.


    No one of us made a move to console him. We all stood and watched him as he continued crying and screaming. That was also how I felt when my father died and I wasn¡¯t there to speak to him before he left me all alone. Tears trickled down my face as I thought about him. If only I could change the time and tell my father one thing: I¡¯ll tell him how much I love him.


    ¡°We should console him!¡± I finally said after a moment of silence and watching as he didn¡¯t stop screaming and crying.


    ¡°Let him cry until he is tired,¡± Loukas said. ¡°He¡¯ll get tired soon and forget about it.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t forget about it because he regrets it,¡± I told him, and he turned to face me. ¡°For Aiden to act like this, he must have regretted everything that he did when his father was alive, so I don¡¯t me him if he is acting this way.¡±


    ¡°Aiden! ¡± Loukas shouted his name.


    All eyes, including Aiden¡¯s, turned towards us. ¡°Let him go,¡± Loukas said to the nurses and doctors. They didn¡¯t answer at first, but Rotimi beckoned them to let go of Aiden. They let him go, watching him closely in case he tried to run in again but, Aiden didn¡¯t move a bit and just stared at Loukas. ¡°If you are feeling remorseful about what happened to your father, then stop acting like this would bring him back!¡±


    ¡°You have no idea of what you are saying!¡± Aiden shouted at him. ¡°My father died because of me!¡± He hit his chest as he used himself. ¡°If I had not been scammed by those con artists, then I am sure that my father would still be alive by now!¡± Aiden continued hitting his chest as he cried. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault because I made that poor man suffer, and now that he is gone, whose fault is it if not mine? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault!¡± I told him and tried to move closer to him, but he moved backward away from me.¡± I know you are hurting right now and you¡¯ll keep ming yourself for this, but you need to know that it¡¯s not your fault! ¡±


    ¡°You talk as if you know anything!¡± Aiden chuckled and pointed towards the morgue. ¡°You have no idea of what I am going through!¡± He sniffled and ran his hand through his hair. ¡°I abandoned him for years without knowing that he had cancer!¡±


    It was the same case with me because I didn¡¯t have any idea that my father had cancer until it was toote. Listening to Aiden speak reminded me of my father, and I burst into tears as I thought about how pale he had looked when I had seen him on his deathbed.


    ¡°Now you are making my wife cry!¡± Loukas shouted at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault.¡± I wiped the tears off my face and turned to face Loukas. ¡°He is just hurting and I feel sorry for him because he has no one now except for us.¡± I cleared my throat and moved closer to Aiden. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him into a hug. ¡°I am so sorry about your father.¡±


    Aiden didn¡¯t say anything and just let the tears on his face flow freely. He sobbed on my neck while I rubbed his back. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I told him. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± I assured him, and he nodded in response.


    I just wished that I could tell him that I was sorry for acting the way I did toward him. ¡°I just hope that he will listen to me and wake up onest time,¡± Aiden sobbed.


    ¡°We all have thatst wish that neveres true,¡± I said as I pulled away from the hug and looked him in the eyes.¡± It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I told him, and I pulled out a handkerchief from my purse. ¡°Wipe your tears, Aiden. You are not alone anymore, ¡°I assured him.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked.


    I smiled at him. ¡°Since your father had taken me as his daughter before his death, I am going to be your sister and I will always be with you forever.¡±


    Aiden¡¯s reaction to what I said was more tears. He buried his face in his hands as he burst into more tears. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve any of this.¡±


    ¡°You deserve much more,¡± I told him, turning to face Loukas. ¡°You have my husband as your guardian now and you are in safe hands, I can assure you that,¡± I told him, and he nodded his head as he removed his hands from his face.


    ¡°Great!¡± Rotimi smiled at me as he wheeled Loukas towards us. ¡°You did well and acted like the big sister he needed,¡± Rotimimented and gave me a thumbs up like he always does.


    I smiled at him and then turned my head towards Loukas, who still had a frown on his face. When our eyes met, I smiled at him, expecting that he¡¯d do the same, but instead, I was met with his ring eyes, not at me but at Aiden.


    ¡°Can we see your father?¡± Loukas asked.


    That¡¯s not what I expected him to say. I had expected him to console Aiden about his father¡¯s death, but he acted like he didn¡¯t care. As if something worse had happened to him in the past, which wasn¡¯t a lie because Loukas had survived worse and he wasn¡¯t the type to give a damn about other people¡¯s pain.


    ¡°You may see my father,¡± Aiden replied, pointing to the morgue. ¡°He is lying there,¡± he pointed inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there,¡± one of the nurses said to Loukas.


    ¡°Very well then, take us there,¡± Loukas requested as he was wheeled into the morgue by Rotimi.


    I took a deep breath when I saw Mr. Atins¡¯s body and released it after a while. His handsome face had turned pale, and there was no life in them again. His red lips had be darker and Mr. Atins justy lifeless, just like my father had been when he died. I sniffled when I thought about my father, and a lone tear escaped from my eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rotimi asked me.


    I nodded in response. ¡°I am just tired and I think I need a rest. We just arrived from a long trip.¡±ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Loukas cleared his throat and nodded to myints. ¡°We should leave,¡± he said and beckoned to Rotimi to wheel him out of the morgue.


    Even though Loukas was trying to act like he was a strong man, I knew he was hurt, but his face didn¡¯t show it because he was wearing his usual stern look. He wore that expression to hide his pains and how he truly felt, but I don¡¯t me him because it was the only way he could escape the cruel world around him.


    Acting all tough was Loukas¡¯s sce.

 The Announcement 1

    Loukas POV


    I watched as the priest began to talk about Mr. Atins and the life he left behind. After his death was confirmed yesterday, Aiden and I made preparations to bury him, and when we arrived at the church, I never expected that Mr. Atins had a lot of peoplee for his burial, and most of the people that came were businessmen that I knew in the business world. They hade for a purpose and that purpose was known best to me, but none of them had any idea that I had already signed the merger with Mr. Atins.


    ¡°We are all gathered here together for Mr. Atins, who died three days ago, leaving behind his son and everyone else. We truly hope that Mr. Atins finds peace in heaven and also finds peace with everyone else. ¡±


    ¡°Fancy seeing you here? You¡¯ve not been active, not like you were before, but ever since you¡¯ve gotten married, I¡¯ve been unable to see you and I¡¯m surprised you came to Mr. Atins¡¯s burial ceremony. Do you guys know each other? ¡± No one needed to tell me that my stepbrother, Caleb, was the one beside me because I could recognize his voice even if my eyes were closed. Caleb took a seat beside me and pointed to the priest ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re here, but I hope you¡¯re not here to receive sympathy for losing yourpany to your brother,¡± he mocked and pointed to Hiry, who was seated at the front seat with Aiden and Rotimi.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I had told them that I wanted to sit alone and that decision was made so I could see everybody and what they hade to do at Mr. Atins¡¯ burial. Even though I expected Caleb to be at Mr. Atin¡¯s burial, I never expected he woulde for the funeral ceremony in the church. I know he was an ambitious person, but I never expected him to be as greedy as his mother.


    ¡± Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re asking too much of a question?¡± I finally spoke after a moment of silence, but I didn¡¯t turn my head to face him instead I had my eyes fixed on the priest.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± said Caleb, crossing his legs. ¡± I never expected you would leave yourpany in my hands. After all, you were responsible for everything, including the new hotel.¡± I watched him chuckle and sighed briefly. ¡°It¡¯s such a shame that you are ame man,¡± he whispered, and that made me turn my head to face him.


    He was asking for my attention, and I was ready to give him what he wanted. ¡°You think that you¡¯ve won, right?¡± I asked him, but he shrugged his shoulder as if he was unaware of what I had said. ¡°If you remember what I said a few weeks ago, I told you that I would regain everything you¡¯ve stolen from me and that is what I¡¯ll do. I am going to regain everything you¡¯ve stolen from me! ¡±


    ¡± Steal? ¡± Caleb burst intoughter. His voice was so loud that everyone else in the church turned to face him, including Rotimi and Hiry. When Rotimi saw him, he frowned and stood up, but I beckoned for him to sit down instead. ¡°Your dog is even trying to help you!¡± Caleb burst intoughter. ¡°Pathetic!¡± he said.


    ¡°Why are you even here if not that you feel inferior towards me?¡± I burst intoughter.


    ¡± Unlike you,¡± Caleb said, clicking his tongue. ¡± I came here for something else and that is to get the merging with A&T construction. I don¡¯t care about what you have to say or do! ¡±


    ¡± And why do you think the merging wille to you?¡± I scoffed. ¡± I mean you should know me by now that I don¡¯t lose¡± I shed him a smile.


    Caleb shifted in his seat and leaned closer to me. ¡°Stop acting as if you didn¡¯t lose to me in the past,¡± he scoffed. ¡± You¡¯ve been miserable all your life, so don¡¯t act as if you are a happy person when you are not.¡±


    That hit a nerve, but I wasn¡¯t the type to back down so easily. I had suffered enough as a puppet in the hands of my step-family, but I had to make a decision and that¡¯s to make sure that I destroy everything they ever worked for and get back mypany, even if I had to go dirty.


    ¡°If you are so fed up with seeing my face, dear brother, you might as well disappear as you did years ago!¡± I whispered back. ¡°How do you think the whole world finds out that I have been in charge of all the drawings and you¡¯ve never raised your hand to draw anything your entire life? ¡± I retorted.


    Caleb¡¯s expression changed but he tried to pretend that he was happy and to show me that he had the upper hand, but I know when a person is already on their limits and Caleb was ying with fire, and sooner orter he was going to burn.


    Caleb cleared his throat when all eyes turned back to face him. ¡°I¡¯ve always known you to be smart while we were going up, but I never knew you would stoop so low to talk about the drawings you gave to me yourself. I mean, even if you tell the whole world, who is going to believe you?¡± He spoke in a low tone that only I could hear and pointed toward me. ¡°Look at you, Loukas! You¡¯ve been hiding yourself for years and you think that just because you are behind those drawings, you cane and take them back, but I¡¯m so sorry about that,¡± he chuckled. ¡± Thatpany belongs to me,¡± he said possessively, and I could see the greed in his eyes.


    Sometimes I just wonder how he was raised when the inheritance never belonged to him. I wondered why he wanted thepany when he wasn¡¯t the direct heir. Amanda had changed everything, and I even wondered how many people she had to sleep with just to get her son to be the chairman of thepany.


    ¡°I told you already, brother,¡± I said, pointing to the priest, who had finished his speech.¡±You should be thinking of how to stop me once the six months are over, not how you can talk shit about me now.


    That was a warning, but Caleb was too foolish to realize that, and because of how he thinks like an idiot, I knew that he would fall for my prey and wouldn¡¯t understand me at all. I was going to let him take the bait, and at the end of it all, he was going to regret not listening to me.


    ¡°Why should I be scared of you?¡± He scoffed and stood up from the chair as everyone else stood up. Caleb straightened his suit and inhaled deeply. ¡°Everybody knows that you are never going to be the same whether you give me six months or you give me five years. You are still going to look the same as you are now with your paralyzed body and you will nevery your hands on thatpany that you wanted so much because I am going to make sure of that, ¡± he threatened but that sounded like music to my ears.


    I smiled at him and nodded in response. ¡°Whatever you say, dear brother, Don¡¯te to me and beg on your knees when everything is over for you! ¡±


    ¡± Move out of the way,¡± Rotimi shouted at him as he walked past him. ¡± I don¡¯t want to see you around him anymore!¡± He warned Caleb, but that wasn¡¯t necessary because my stupid brother wasn¡¯t worth my time at all, even though he was getting on my nerves.


    ¡°Leave him be, Rotimi!¡± I said to him.


    ¡°You heard your master. You should know best not to be rude to me.¡± Caleb tapped my shoulder, but Rotimi pped his hand away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever touch me ever again, or else you¡¯ll lose your hands.¡± Rotimi threatened, but that only made Calebugh. He chuckled and walked away without saying anything else. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rotimi asked me, and I nodded my head in response.


    ¡°What does he want?¡± Hiry asked as she looked toward where Caleb had headed to. ¡°Why is he here?¡±


    I ced my hand on my chin and smiled. ¡°He believes he has the upper hand,¡± I paused before clicking my tongue.¡±He doesn¡¯t realize he¡¯s already losing,¡± I chuckled, turning to face Aiden.¡± Are you ready to hear your father¡¯s will, huh?¡±


    Aiden nodded in response, and I turned to face Rotimi. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mr. Atins and we¡¯ll announce the merger there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sir,¡± he agreed, and I beckoned to Rotimi to prepare the car. He headed out first, while Hiry wheeled me out of the Limo.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to get pretty busy,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Will you be alright?¡± Hiry asked me, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°Everything will be fine,¡± I sighed and grinned broadly, knowing full well that my brother and the other businessmen would be shocked to learn of the merger.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    When we arrived at Mr. Atins¡¯ mansion, there were a lot of people, including reporters, outside the mansion. There was a long line of cars parked outside the house, and when our limousine stopped in front of the mansion, I reminded Aiden of what his father told me a day before he was released from the detention center.


    ¡°Remember, you have to be strong and show everyone that you can be a great director and also make sure that you run thepany pretty well,¡± I told him, and he nodded in response. ¡°All right,¡± I said as I extended my hand for Rotimi to take as he assisted me out of the limo and into my wheelchair.


    ¡°This is already giving me chills,¡± Hiry said, and I touched her hand that was on my shoulders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up yet, dear wife. Everything is going to be fine,¡± I told her, and she wheeled me towards the reporters while Rotimi and Aiden walked by our side with a few guards trailing behind. Reporters rushed towards us to take our pictures as we made our way into the mansion but the guards blocked them from reaching us.


    When we arrived in the living room, the family¡¯swyer, a ck man, was already seated on one of the five couches in the living room, and when he saw Aiden, he rushed towards him and hugged him. ¡°I am so sorry about your father,¡± I heard him say to Aiden. I looked around and realized that there were a few businessmen in the living room already seated, and Caleb was among those men. When our eyes met, I smirked at him.


    ¡°I hope you are fine.¡± He asked, and Aiden nodded in response. ¡°Mr. Whitemore,¡± he said, turning to shake my hand.¡±Thanks foring here,¡± he said, and I took his hand and shook it gently.


    ¡°Since we are all seated here, I shall read out the will of Mr. Atins,¡± thewyer announced, and everyone shifted in their seat. ¡± Mr. Atins had left his mansion to his son Aiden Atins, but he could only get full ownership of the mansion once he had gotten married. ¡±


    Everyone nodded at that, and thewyer continued. ¡°His estates are also given to his son but can only be essible until his son is old enough,¡± Thewyer cleared his throat and looked into everyone¡¯s faces.


    I smiled when I realized that it had gotten to the point where the merging would be announced. ¡°Right into what we¡¯re all here for,¡± he sighed and stood up.¡± The A&T constructionpany has been handed over to¡­¡± He paused and looked into everyone¡¯s faces yet again. ¡°Thepany has been handed over to an anonymous person best known to Mr Atins. ¡±


    Every one started murmuring when thewyer announced that, but I smiled because I knew that I was the anonymous person no one would ever find out about until I was ready to reveal myself to the world. ¡°This is so amazing!¡± I whispered under my breath and watched as they all murmured amongst themselves.


    I had won and it was just the beginning.

 Reminder

    Hiry POV:


    ¡°Following the death of Mr. Atins, an announcement about the merging of hispany with an anonymous buyer has left the business world in a mess. Mr. Atins¡¯wyer has announced the merging and the businessmen who had lined up for thepany are all surprised by the change in event and..¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching this over and over again!¡± Imented as I walked into the therapy room where Loukas was already seated. He stared at the t screen watching the announcement, and that wasn¡¯t his first time. He had been watching it over and over again ever since the merger was announced.


    I sat beside him and took his right hand in mine, raising it.¡±I am so sorry to say this, but you are forgetting that I have a better n,¡± he answered and pointed to the TV screen. ¡°I am announcing myself soon and once the six months are over, then the whole world will know my name.¡±


    At the mention of ¡°six months,¡± I was reminded about our contract and that was enough to make my heart flutter. It made my heart race pretty fast, and I had no idea about that. Maybe I didn¡¯t want our marriage to end, or maybe I didn¡¯t want him to forget about us yet. Even just the thought of that made my hand shake terribly, and it didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Loukas. He turned to face me and grabbed my shaking hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    I nodded in response and forced a smile on my face. Raising my head to face him, I chuckled.¡± I am just wondering about what will happen to us after six months. You know, I¡¯m talking about the contract.¡± I bit my lip as I said that because I knew that I shouldn¡¯t have said that.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop thinking about what¡¯s going to happen in the next six months and let¡¯s focus on what is now.¡± He said and rubbed his brows.¡± I am talking about my therapy and how I¡¯m going to get better.¡±


    I heaved a sigh when I realized that was all he had to say. I mean, what was I even expecting him to say? I should have known by now that Loukas was incapable of falling for anyone.


    I should have known that already.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about that and focus on, you know, getting to know you better like you said,¡± I tried to stop the conversation and continued raising his right hand. When I was done, I motioned for him to try and raise his right hand. He had raised it for a few seconds, but I wanted to see if he could raise it for another few minutes.


    Loukas groaned as he tried to raise his right hand, and I was surprised when he was able to raise it higher than before, and it was for a few minutes. ¡°Oh my!¡± he eximed as his hand shook terribly. ¡°This is amazing!¡± he eximed and pointed to his right hand. ¡°My hand is better now!¡± heughed.


    I pped my hands and pointed to his right hand, which was still raised. ¡°You did it!¡± I eximed. ¡°Your hand is¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t even know how to react, and the only thing I could do at that moment was to hug Loukas. ¡°I am so happy for you!¡± I kissed him on the lips, and he responded by kissing me back. He was the first to pull away when the door leading to the therapy room burst open. I cleared my throat moved away from him and stood up from the couch.


    ¡°Am I in the wrong room?¡± Rotimi asked as he made his way into the room. I was about to reply to him when he saw Loukas¡¯s hand up in the air. He eximed and rushed to hug Loukas. ¡°You can move your hand now!¡± Rotimi shouted in excitement and faked a cry as he wiped his face. ¡°This calls for celebration now that you can move your right hand!¡± heughed and patted him on the back.


    I knew Rotimi was excited, but he needed to know that Loukas was still unable to move his hands. ¡°Rotimi, Loukas is still unable to¡­¡± I tried to tell him, but he cut me off.


    ¡°You both need to celebrate!¡± Rotimi pped his hands and stood up from the ground. ¡°You both should get prepared, and I¡¯ll go book the best restaurant in town for you too.¡±


    ¡°There is something you need to know, Rotimi,¡± I tried to tell him, but he cut me off yet again.


    ¡°Go dress up now! This is a sess!¡± He rushed to hug me, but Loukas cleared his throat and pushed him backward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to hug my wife,¡± he warned, and Rotimi burst intoughter. I didn¡¯t know if Loukas was jealous because of Rotimi, who was beside me, or maybe he didn¡¯t like the idea of letting another man move closer to me. I didn¡¯t care about that because I loved the way he acted.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°This is amazing!¡± Rotimi pped his hands and walked out of the room.


    ¡°He seems more excited than you are,¡± I said, and it made Loukasugh. I stretched my hand for him to take, but instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer into his arms. ¡°What are you doing? We need to get prepared for the outing!¡± I reminded him, but instead of listening to me, Loukas captured my lips.


    He kissed me again and caressed my face, sending shivers down my spine. I didn¡¯t know how to react, so the only thing I could do was respond to his kiss.


    I wrapped my hands around his neck and continued kissing him like my life depended on it. I was feeling butterflies in my stomach.¡± I am so d that I found you, Hiry,¡± he muttered in between the kisses and wrapped his hands around my waist. ¡°I am d that you came into my life.¡±


    I hugged him pretty tight and smiled as I buried my face in his neck. I was d that he realized my worth. That was a great start for us and our rtionship, but all I ever wanted was to be with him forever. ¡°I am d that I met you, Hiry!¡± He told me, and I raised my head from his shoulder and stared into his face. ¡°We¡¯d better get ready before Rotimi shows up and attacks us!¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to leave yet,¡± he said, refusing to let go of me and holding me even tighter.¡±I want to be here with you!¡±


    I chuckled and yfully pped his shoulder. ¡°You should stop acting like this!¡± I told him, but it only made himugh and kiss me on the neck. ¡°Loukas!¡± I shouted his name in excitement.

 Past Lover

    Hiry POV


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Imented as I looked around the restaurant. Again, Rotimi outdid himself by getting us into one of the biggest restaurants in Mecianda. The restaurant had always been my dream, and when I found out we were going to La Parte Restaurant, I couldn¡¯t be happier. Our seat was close to the window, and I could see those who were outside. It was magical and looked like I was in paradise.


    ¡°I am so d to be here,¡± I chuckled as I couldn¡¯t hide my excitement from Loukas, who stared at me as if I was the best thing that ever happened to him.


    ¡± You look beautiful in burgundy,¡± hemented and I smiled as I stared down at my dress. It was a dress I never thought I¡¯d wear again because it was gotten by my father when I graduated from high school. The dress was a strapless burgundy long gown slit in the middle, and I felt like a princess wearing it again because it had a lot of memories.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I yed with the diamond ne around my neck, bought by Loukas for the celebration of our wedding. I didn¡¯t know why I was dressed like that, but I wanted to be the person Loukas admired. I wanted to be that person he desired. ¡± You don¡¯t look bad yourself. It¡¯s like you were born in a tuxedo! ¡± Imented on his outfit and winked at him.


    Loukasughed and ced a hand on his chest. ¡± I love it when you wink at me like that. It gives me the chills and makes me want to take you to my bed, ¡± Loukas winked back, sounding like a flirt, but I liked it.


    I love the sound of his deep voice that could make a girl faint when they hear it. How did I get so lucky to be with such a man? I thought.


    ¡°Good evening, sir,¡± A waiter came over to our table and handed over the menu to us. ¡± I am Lancelot, and I¡¯ll be your waiter tonight.¡±


    I smiled at him, and when I turned to face Loukas, he was ring at the man. ¡°Babe,¡± I said, touching his hand, and he turned to face me. I didn¡¯t want him to hate the poor waiter because I was smiling at him, so I created a distraction. ¡°I am not familiar with the meals here. Can you help me choose? ¡± I shed myshes at him.


    Loukas cleared his throat and nodded in response, then looked into the menu list. I also looked into the menu lists and gasped when I saw the prices of the food. It was too expensive, and I couldn¡¯t imagineing there to eat. I wanted to say something about the prices, but when I raised my head to face Loukas, I smiled at him and scratched my head.


    ¡°Are you alright, dear wife?¡± He asked me and I nodded in response, not ready to argue with him. ¡± My wife and I will take a butter-basted sirloin steak,¡± Loukas made the order and I looked through the menu, searching for the meal. When I saw the price list, I gasped. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± He asked, and I nodded in response.


    Everything was not already because I wondered how a meal could cost hundreds of dors, but then, Loukas could always afford such a meal, but if I had my way, I¡¯d prepare it without having to waste so much money.


    ¡°And for the wine, sir?¡± The waiter asked


    ¡± We will have Cabe Sauvignon,¡± Loukas replied and handed over the menu list to him.


    I handed over my menu list and stared at the waiter as he walked away. How lucky he was to work in a restaurant as beautiful as La Partida.


    Loukas cleared his throat, and I turned to face him. ¡°Seeing you looking at him makes me wonder if you want to eat him instead,¡± he scoffed.


    I rolled my eyes and chuckled. ¡± Are you jealous, Mr. Whitemore?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You expected me not to be jealous, Mrs. Whitemore?¡±


    ¡± Did you just admit to it?¡± I questioned him back and he cleared his throat and averted his eyes, staring intensely at the entrance of the restaurant. I followed his gaze and realized why his expression changed to a hard one. His brother and his wife had walked in and were headed towards them.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I tapped him but Loukas didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he continued staring at his brother and most especially his wife. ¡°Loukas!¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Well, well, well, if it¡¯s not Loukas again,¡± his brother¡¯s annoying and whining voice sounded behind me as he made his way to our table. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you in a ce like this,¡± Caleb said, sitting on the chair beside me. ¡± I didn¡¯t know you would have an interest in a ce like this,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡± Leave! ¡± Loukas ordered in a stern tone. ¡± Leave this table or I¡¯ll call the security on you!¡±


    Caleb tutted and tapped his fingers on the table. ¡± Are you not weary of attraction?¡± he pointed out outside. ¡°There could be a reporter in this area and I don¡¯t think you want a bad headline now, or do you?¡±


    ¡± I don¡¯t care, Caleb. I don¡¯t want you on this table,¡± Loukas said through gritted teeth.


    ¡± Maybe we should go to our table,¡± Caleb¡¯s wife said.


    ¡± No,¡± Caleb refused. ¡± I won¡¯t go until I say what¡¯s on my mind.¡±


    ¡°You better listen to your wife or else you want to be publicly disgraced and we¡¯ll see who will have that headline you are trying to avoid,¡± Loukas smirked at him.


    I didn¡¯t like how they kept arguing back and forth, and I knew that it was going to continue for a very long time until we got the attention of the spectators. ¡°They can join us at the table,¡± I blurted out because I couldn¡¯t keep up with the argument.


    ¡°What? ¡± Loukas mmed his hand on the table and red at me. ¡± What are you saying, Hiry?¡±


    I forced a smile on my face even though I was filled with rage inside.¡±You may sit with us, Angelica,¡± I said, motioning to the seat next to Loukas.


    Angelica didn¡¯t say anything and took her seat next to Loukas. I saw how she stared at Loukas like she was just seeing her for the first time. The look on her face was priceless, and when I tried to read her, Caleb tapped me. ¡°You are a nice wife to my brother, and I hope you love him since he is¡­¡± Caleb cleared his throat and ced his hand on the table. ¡°I mean, you could have married somebody else rather than my brother, who is¡­¡±


    ¡± What are you insinuating?¡± I clenched my fist and forced myself to smile. ¡°If you are going to sit there and insult my husband, then I think you should leave our table.


    ¡± You¡¯ve made a mistake in bringing a dog to our table,¡± Loukasmented. ¡± If you are here to throw insults as my wife has said, then I am here for you,¡± Loukas told him and smiled mischievously as if he had something nned. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just eat and get the hell out of here?¡± Loukas ced his left hand on the table. ¡°Since you¡¯ve ruined our night for you, then you shouldn¡¯t waste our time here.¡±


    ¡± You must be crazy, Loukas,¡± Caleb retorted. I could see the veins in his neck almost popping out, and the way he clenched his fist showed that he was burning with anger. Loukas had hit a nerve and any more words from him would make Caleb explode.


    That sounded like a nice thing to watch, but I wasn¡¯t ready to see them destroy each other yet, so I tapped the table to get their attention. ¡°Our food is here. Why don¡¯t you both order something? ¡± I pointed to the waiter who brought our orders to the table. ¡°Our food has arrived,¡± I said, pping my hands and picking up the fork.


    ¡± We will have whatever you are having. Right, Caleb? ¡± Angelica finally said something after a moment of silence. She turned to face me and grinned wickedly as if she was sending me a message with her mischievous grin.


    ¡°Alright ma¡¯am,¡± The waiter answered and poured our wine into our sses, and then left.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Caleb answered in a stern tone.


    I looked from Caleb to Angelica and observed how they were with one another. They didn¡¯t look like they were in love, but as if they were showing off for a certain someone. As the steak entered my mouth, my eyesnded on Loukas, who hadn¡¯t touched his food yet but had his eyes on Angelica.


    I heaved a sigh as I stared at the both of them, observing them. At that moment, I felt a rush of deja vu and I dropped my fork on my te, creating a loud noise, which made Loukas turn to face me.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Loukas asked me, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°You both look like you are in love, but I don¡¯t think Loukas can heal from his past wounds.¡± How he was jilted by the woman he loved and¡­ ¡±


    I cleared my throat and took the ss of wine from the table. I took a sip and dropped the ss on the table. ¡°Do you need to say this now?¡± Angelica shifted in her seat. ¡°Why are you bringing this up now?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Caleb mmed his hand on the table. ¡°Because I can see the way you two have been staring at each other ever since we arrived here,¡± he said. ¡± You are a crazy woman who can¡¯t take her eyes off somebody else¡¯s husband,¡± he used and then pointed to Loukas. ¡± And you can¡¯t stop thinking about another man¡¯s wife. I thought you married your wife for love, so why are you still after mine? ¡± Caleb yelled, and all eyes turned to our table.


    I took my ss of wine from the table and drank it all. ¡°Oh!¡± I heaved a sigh and tapped my fingers on the table. All eyes were turned on me, but I didn¡¯t look at any of them. I was fed up with listening to them talk about the past when it was their problem and not mine. I was also mad at Loukas for proving Caleb right because he had his eyes on Angelica ever since they arrived at the restaurant. I didn¡¯t know if the look was out of pity or not, because I didn¡¯t care. I just wanted the night to be over because it¡¯s been ruined already.


    I stood up from my seat and heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Loukas asked me. I nodded in response and bit my lower lip as I spoke.


    ¡°I need to use the washroom,¡± I announced and walked away, not bothering to hear what any of them had to say. Once I was inside the washroom, I stared at my reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°So they were in love.¡± I turned on the faucet and washed my hands. ¡°So you are in love?¡± I repeated and heaved a sigh. ¡°That must be why he doesn¡¯t believe in love,¡± I scoffed as I wiped my face with my hand after drying it.¡±No surprise,¡± I sighed, cing my hand on my chin.¡±Am I wasting my time?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Angelica said from behind me as she stood beside me. She clicked her tongue and turned on the faucet. ¡°He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off me tonight. I was his first love and still his only love,¡± she dered.


    I heaved a sigh and chuckled. ¡°But you were so cheap that you slept with his brother.¡±


    ¡°Because I chose the winning side,¡± she retorted, and moved closer to me.¡± Why should I stay with a man who can¡¯t give me a son? Why should I waste my time away with a man that is destined to be paralyzed forever? ¡±


    What nonsense excuses? How dare she call Loukas paralyzed right in front of me? I clenched my fists and scoffed. ¡°All I see is a gold-digging bitch who is crazy enough to sleep with her husband¡¯s brother!¡± I used them and pointed a finger at her.


    ¡°How dare you? He doesn¡¯t even love you! ¡±


    ¡± You might be his first love, but right now I am his wife!¡± I raised my left hand for her to see the ring. ¡°Stop saying things that are in the past. You left Loukas alone and I found him! ¡± I sighed briefly and ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡± You should change your ways and stop stealing other people¡¯s husbands!¡± I told her and walked past her as I turned to leave.


    ¡± What the hell are you saying? Loukas is the only one for me! You have no idea why I left him! ¡± She yelled and grabbed my hand.


    ¡± Let¡¯s go off me,¡± I tried to yank my hand off, but she tightened her grip on my hand. ¡± Are you crazy?¡± I shouted at her.


    ¡°You might think you are married to Loukas, but you need to know that he can¡¯t love someone else except for me! He can¡¯t fall in love with somebody else except for me, so stop wasting your time! ¡± She shouted at me, and when I tried to reply to her, she cut me off. ¡°We were together for twelve years and he loved me so much that I¡­¡±


    ¡± Loved? That¡¯s the word! ¡± I forcefully yanked my hand from her hand. ¡°He used to love you, but now he has me and you shouldn¡¯t bother with us any longer. You have your husband now and I have mine, so tread carefully, ¡°I told her and turned to leave, but then I remembered something and turned to face her. ¡°You should know that Loukas doesn¡¯t love you anymore!¡± I moved closer to her and grinned. ¡± He hates you so much now after what you did, and I think the look he gave to you this night was out of contempt!¡± I told her and walked away, leaving her all alone with her thoughts.


    When I got out, I heaved a sigh and leaned against the door to catch my breath. Everything Angelica had said was the truth. Loukas had already confessed that he was incapable of love and that must be because of Angelica.


    If only I could find out what was on Loukas¡¯s mind.

 A great Night

    Loukas POV


    I could feel the pressure on the table and Hiry¡¯s gaze on me. every time I looked away from her. If only she had listened and not invited them to our table, then our night would have been perfect. Seeing Angelica closely again made me want to strangle her, and she did the impossible while we were on the table by touching my legs under the table.


    I red at her, hoping she¡¯d understand that I didn¡¯t want her to touch me, but she made it worse by raising her hand higher until it reached my thigh. I cleared my throat, trying to suppress the scream that I held because I didn¡¯t want Hiry to have another mindset about what was happening, so I pretended everything was fine until Hiry decided to leave the table for the washroom.


    ¡°Stop touching me!¡± I pped Angelica¡¯s hand away and muttered a few words to her because I didn¡¯t want Caleb to hear us since he was watching us like a hawk. ¡°If you dare touch me again, I¡¯ll make sure you never have any hands again!¡± I warned her and pointed toward Caleb, who was ring at us both. ¡± You touch me again and I¡¯ll tell him.¡±


    Caleb mmed his hand on the table and cleared his throat. ¡± What are you both discussing?¡± He asked, and as Angelica was about to lie to him, the waiter bought their food. ¡°I guess our meal is here. Let¡¯s eat,¡± he beckoned to his wife to start eating first. ¡± You haven¡¯t touched your food, dear brother. What are you thinking about? ¡±


    I refused to respond to his stupid sarcasm and just stared at him, having no idea what to say to him. I believed that he didn¡¯t deserve to hear anything from me, so I kept mute and just watched as he ran his mouth. ¡°If you are thinking about yourpany,¡± he picked up his ss of wine and sipped it. ¡± I¡¯ll take care of yourpany.¡± He picked up his steak with his fork and chewed noisily like a child.¡± It¡¯s so good to be chairman, and now thepany will progress well and¡­


    ¡± Oh you mean to say you¡¯ll progress since your mother is a chairwoman, right?¡± I finally found the right reply to give to him. ¡°How are you going to get the original drawings back since I was in charge of all those projects, huh?¡±I asked him and he just stared at me as if I had grown two heads.


    I must have hit a nerve, I thought as I watched his jaw tighten at me.


    ¡°What are you even saying?¡± He asked. ¡°You mean that I can¡¯t rule thepany without my mother?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me please.¡± Angelica stood up and left the table. I watched her as she went, wondering why Hiry had not returned yet. She had been gone for a few minutes and hadn¡¯t returned ever since.


    ¡°You need to stop looking at my wife, Loukas. Stop acting like a fool! ¡± Caleb used me of blindly having no idea that I wasn¡¯t staring at his wife.


    ¡°You must be delusional to think that I am looking at your wife. I told you years ago when Angelica left me for you that I wished the both of you well, ¡± I told him, and when he tried to reply, I cut him off. ¡°Listen to me!¡± I shouted at him and mmed my hand on the table. ¡°You lost the merger of A&T to someone else, right?¡± I questioned him and watched as he raised his brows, eyeing me suspiciously as if he knew that I was the anonymous buyer.


    ¡°You know the buyer?¡± Why are you rubbing it in my face when you didn¡¯t even get thepany either? ¡± Caleb scoffed and tapped his fingers on the table. ¡± My mother might be in charge, but you lost yourpany and inheritance.¡± I¡¯ll give up if I were you. You are useless. What would a man without hands and legs do to me who is whole? ¡± Calebughed.


    ¡± I can do a lot of things, Caleb,¡± I picked up my ss of wine and took a sip. ¡°You should know by now that once I set my mind on something, I¡¯ll achieve it. You might think that I have forgotten about the six-month promise, but I haven¡¯t,¡± I clicked my tongue and dropped the wine ss on the table. ¡°Sooner orter, you¡¯ll realize what I¡¯ve just said once you lose everything you¡¯ve worked for!Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    His eyes widened and he dropped the fork in his hand in shock. He opened his mouth to reply, but Hiry beat him to it and spoke as she walked towards us. ¡°Hey babe,¡± she approached and kissed me on the lips. I was shocked by her actions and wondered why she had acted like that, and then when she pulled away from the kiss, I saw Angelica heading towards us. I looked from Hiry to Angelica and suspected that something had happened between them. ¡°We should probably leave now,¡± she thought as she looked at her wristwatch and walked back to her seat to get her purse.¡±I¡¯ll go get your wheelchair from the car,¡± she said and walked out of the restaurant.


    ¡°You have a lovely wife,¡± Calebmented as he watched as Hiry made her way out of the restaurant. ¡°But do you think she can stay with you forever?¡± He asked and pointed to Angelica. ¡± Sheter came to me at the end of it all because you are a useless man and you don¡¯t know how to take care of a woman very well!¡± Heughed.


    I felt my blood boil and I thought of punching Caleb on the face over and over again until he bled to death, but it was unnecessary and he didn¡¯t deserve my beating, and it would only make things worse, so I reacted by smiling at him. His eyes widened when he saw me smile. He never expected that I¡¯d smile at him. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± He asked.


    I wanted to tell him that I was smiling at his downfall, but instead, I said. ¡°My wife will never stoop so low for someone like you. As I told you years ago, Angelica was a cheap woman to havee to meet you. ¡±


    ¡± Excuse me!¡± Angelica shouted.


    ¡± Stop shouting! ¡± Hiry¡¯s voice sounded from the entrance of the restaurant as she wheeled in my wheelchair. ¡°I thought you were both responsible when I invited you to our table, but you are much worse than you were described,¡± Hiry tutted.


    Described? That¡¯s the only word I heard from everything she said. I didn¡¯t know why she said that, but it felt as if she had heard about them from someone else and I wondered who it could be.


    Rotimi.


    He was the only one who knew about my family and was also close to Hiry. ¡°You both have ruined tonight for us already, so do not let us cross paths ever again!¡± She said it like a boss and stretched forth her hand for me to take. I dly took it as she helped me sit on the chair.


    ¡°You both should have a nice night,¡± she told them and wheeled me out of the restaurant. When we were outside, she inhaled the breeze and heaved a sigh. ¡°Yes!¡±


    I had no idea why she was happy, but it was cool to see her excited. ¡°Why are you so excited?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± She answered as we reached the car. She opened the car door and gently lifted me from the wheelchair and helped me into the backseat. ¡°Tonight was supposed to be magical, but I am d that I enjoyed myself,¡± she sighed briefly as she buckled my seat belt.


    ¡± Are you okay?¡± I asked her because she was acting weird.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± She questioned him back. ¡°You think I am not okay?¡±


    I shook my head in response. ¡± I am just surprised that you are like this,¡± I pointed out because herughter was weird to hear and it sounded like a warning. I didn¡¯t want to get on her bad side, so I tried exining everything that had happened between Angelica and me to her. ¡°Angelica and I used to be married and I¡­.¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± She ced a hand on my lips. You don¡¯t need to exin yourself. I know everything. ¡±


    ¡°How?¡±I asked her and she chuckled.


    ¡± Did Rotimi tell you anything?¡± I asked her and she nodded in response.


    ¡°So you guys talk about me now?¡± I frowned at her.


    She shook her head in response and cupped my cheek. ¡± We didn¡¯t talk about you, Loukas. We just¡­ ¡± I didn¡¯t let her finish as I captured her lips.


    I slowly kissed her, forgetting about the terrible night we had because of my annoying step-brother and ex-wife. Although the kiss was short, it ended the dinner night on a great note, but the night wasn¡¯t over yet.


    There was still plenty of time.

 The night Isn鈥檛 over

    Hiry POV


    I didn¡¯t stop kissing him even after we left the car and I wheeled him into the mansion. Every few seconds, I made sure I kissed him on the lips, not letting go of him. When we got into the mansion, Rotimi was nowhere to be found, and that meant we had the whole house to ourselves. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to have you to myself!¡± Loukas whispered to me as I wheeled him into the elevator. My heart fluttered as he rubbed my hand gently and I felt butterflies in my stomach.


    I wanted him as much as he wanted me, but Loukas was impatient, unlike me. While we were in the elevator, his left hand caressed the slit of my dress. His hand went up until it reached the band of my pants. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I suppressed a moan as he caressed the band of my pants.


    ¡°I want you so badly and it¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t stand up and m you up against the wall and fuck you until your legs start shaking! ¡± The way he said it made me gulp and I cleared my throat. He sounded like someone who was about to devour me, and that was exactly what he nned on doing.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said, removing his hand from under my dress. I pointed to the elevator doors as they opened and wheeled him out of the elevator.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape from me tonight, Hiry!¡± He said it in a deep voice that made my whole body shiver, even when he didn¡¯t touch me.


    ¡± What are you going to do to me?¡± I asked him as I walked into the room.


    Loukasughed and grabbed my hand. I was pulled into hisp and he grabbed my chin, so I¡¯ll be facing him. ¡°First, I am going to kiss you.¡± He leaned in and kissed me slowly and passionately. The kiss was slow and I liked it, unlike when it was fast and rough. When Loukas pulled away, I gasped for breath. ¡°Won¡¯t you ask what I¡¯ll do to you next?¡± He ced his hand on his face.


    ¡°What else are you going to do to me?¡± I bit my lip and wrapped my hand around his neck.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Loukas didn¡¯t reply and instead kissed me on the neck. His tongue trailed down my neck, and then he started sucking on my neck as if he was a hungry vampire.


    I moaned in pleasure and grabbed a handful of his hair as he continued kissing my neck leaving behind hickeys that¡¯ll take days to disappear. My body shook terribly under his touch as he continued sucking, and I thought I¡¯d faint from pleasure when he touched my breast and fondled it. ¡°Loukas!¡± I called out his name.


    Loukas raised his head to face me and smiled brightly at me. ¡°You know what I¡¯ll do next?¡± He asked, and I shook my head in response. ¡± Then I¡¯ll remove your dress.¡± His left hand found its way to my zipper and he slowly zipped down my dress, leaving me naked like the day I was born in front of him. ¡°I can¡¯t get tired of your breasts,¡± he smiled as he grabbed one of mine and sucked, using his tongue to tease my hard nipple.


    ¡°Loukas!¡±


    ¡°Why are you calling my name?¡± His mouth left my nipple and captured my lips. ¡°I want you to ride me right on this wheelchair,¡± he ordered.


    In the wheelchair? I thought that I had heard him wrong. ¡°You want me to ride you in your wheelchair?¡± I asked just to make sure I didn¡¯t hear him wrong.


    ¡± Yes,¡± he answered.


    I nodded my head in response and stood up from my seat. I helped him unbuckle his belt and pulled down his belt, leaving him with his briefs. I slowly pulled down his briefs and sat on top of him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to injure you, Loukas,¡± I was concerned about his body because he was still recovering and I didn¡¯t want to hurt him. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°Go hard, dear wife,¡± Loukas winked before pping my arse.


    ¡°I never pictured you as a man who enjoys stuff like this.¡± I slowly inserted his dick inside of me and groaned as I sat on hisp. ¡± Loukas!¡± I started slowly and watched him as I rode him. ¡°I don¡¯t want this to end!¡± I told him, and he nodded in response. He probably didn¡¯t know that I was referring to our marriage, but I didn¡¯t care if he was referring to something else. I just wanted to enjoy that moment with him.


    ¡± Me too,¡± he moaned. ¡± I don¡¯t want this to end!¡± He ced his left hand on my waist and guided me as I rode him. ¡°The night is not over yet,¡± he said and captured my lips.


    ¡°The night isn¡¯t over yet!¡± I repeated after him.

 Morning Sickness

    Hiry POV


    I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and when I tried to, I realized that I had a pounding headache and I was so tired that I could feel my head aching so badly as if I was being hit by a hammer. Stretching to the other side, Inded on Loukas¡¯s chest.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t tired after what we didst night?¡± Loukas winked at me and wrapped his left hand around me. ¡± You still want me?¡±


    I smiled, forgetting that I had a headache. ¡°I am very sore and I don¡¯t think I am ready to have any more sex,¡± I stretched my hands and tried to stand up from the bed, but Loukas grabbed my hand and I fell into his chest again. ¡°Loukas!¡± I shouted his name. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I chuckled as he kissed my forehead. ¡°You¡­¡±He kissed me before I could say anything else.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave my arms.¡±


    ¡°But we need to prepare for therapy,¡± I argued. ¡± You and I need to prepare for the therapy, Loukas, and although you are getting better, you still need to work out so your hand can be moveable and you will be able to move your legs with no support.¡±


    ¡± As long as you are in my arms, Hiry, I don¡¯t care, ¡± he winked yet again and kissed my forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like doing any therapy today. I just want to¡­ ¡± I pped his hands as I tried to get up. ¡± What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ ¡± I rubbed my forehead as another wave of pain hit my forehead and I suddenly felt the need to throw up. I was nauseated and I wondered why I was like that. ¡°I need to.¡± I held my breath as I felt the bile in my throat. ¡°I need to, ¡± I covered my mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Loukas asked, sounding concerned about what was happening to me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked me, and I nodded in response.


    I yelled, yanked his hand away from mine, and dashed into the restroom. I threw up into the faucet, and it didn¡¯t stop as more liquid escaped from my throat. I scratched my throat and heaved a sigh. ¡°What is happening to me?¡± I asked myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. ¡°I¡­¡± I turned on the tap and rinsed my mouth. I ced my hand on the sink and heaved a sigh. My eyes had bags under them because I didn¡¯t sleep well all night thanks to Loukas, who had me in his arms all night. I had no idea why I was throwing up because thest time I checked, I didn¡¯t show any sign of being sick the night before. I touched my forehead and realized that my temperature was normal. My body was either hot or cold.


    ¡°Are you okay in there?¡± Loukas shouted from the bedroom.


    I washed my face yet again, ignoring Loukas¡¯s call. ¡± Hiry!¡± He shouted my name yet again. I knew that if he had the chance, he would find his way into the bathroom. I ignored him yet again and ced my hand on my chest. That was when I noticed how heavy my breasts were.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it!¡± I pped my left cheek. It wasn¡¯t even possible because Loukas told me that he couldn¡¯t procreate. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it!¡± I heaved a sigh and walked out of the bathroom, removing the dirty thought from my head.


    There was no way it could have happened.


    ¡°I can¡¯t have children!¡± Loukas¡¯s voice resounded in my head, and as I stood at the entrance of the bathroom, my eyes met his and I could see the worry written clearly on his face.


    ¡°Are you doing this because I can¡¯t walk?¡± Loukas frowned at me and I didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at him, wondering what our children would look like.


    If only we could have had one together, that was my thought and I didn¡¯t see it as a bad idea.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± Loukas shouted my name. ¡°Are you acting like this because you know that I can¡¯t walk to the bathroom to meet you?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡± Loukas,¡± I whispered his name as I headed toward him. When I reached his side, I hugged him. ¡°Loukas, ¡± I sniffled.


    Loukas cleared his throat and rubbed my hair. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked me ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why I was acting like that, but I just wanted to be in Loukas¡¯s arms, and it made me so emotional that the tears continued to stream down my face. ¡°I am¡­¡± I hugged him tighter. ¡°I just want to be in your arms.¡±


    ¡°Now you are acting weird,¡± Loukas continued rubbing my hair. ¡± You are acting as if you have lost your best toy!¡±


    That sounded funny, and it made meugh. I let go of Loukas and stared into his face. ¡± We should probably prepare for therapy this morning.¡±


    ¡°Prepared for the morning? I thought we promised to be together without leaving the bed. Why are you acting weird? ¡±


    ¡± No reason.¡± I shook my head in response. cing my hand on his face, I smiled at him. ¡°You need to exercise so you will be okay in the few months toe. You made a promise to your family and now is the time to fulfill it! ¡±


    Just as Loukas was about to reply to me, his phone rang by his bedside. ¡± You should pick your call!¡± I stood up from beside him and picked up his phone that was lying on the desk beside his bed. ¡°It¡¯s Rotimi!¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Ignore his call, ¡°Loukas frowned and motioned for me toe over to his side.


    ¡°Rotimi may be calling for a reason,¡± I ignored Loukas and answered the phone.¡±Hello Rotimi,¡± I greeted cheerfully, forgetting that I was moody a while ago.


    ¡± Always calling anytime I am with you ..¡± Loukas tutted. ¡± I¡¯ll punch him soon,¡± Loukas threatened, and Iughed in response to his bickering.


    ¡°Loukas is making meugh,¡± I told Rotimi on the phone, and he startedughing too. ¡°You want me to give him the phone?¡± I turned to face Loukas and handed him the phone.


    Loukas hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the phone. ¡°Hello,¡± he greeted.

 A closed Meeting

    Loukas POV


    Since the merging five days ago, I haven¡¯t made an announcement yet or even made my face known to the world, and when the board of directors demanded a meeting, Rotimi arranged for a Zoom minute in my office at home. ¡°I am the anonymous buyer, and you are not going to ept me when I change the fate of A&T?¡± I scoffed as I stared into their greedy eyes. They were six in number. Four men and two women.


    ¡°How can we even ept you when we haven¡¯t even seen your face yet?¡± One of the men pointed out, and I ced my hand on my face where I had set a white mask to hide my face away from them. It was all Rotimi¡¯s idea and mine to hide from the world until I was better and ready to be the CEO of thepany and take back my inheritance from my step-family.


    ¡°If you are talking like this because you want to see my face, then Mr¡­.¡± I hesitated because I didn¡¯t remember his name.


    ¡°Mr. Edward,¡± he replied, and I almost chuckled, but I cleared my throat and burst intoughter. His head might have been the reason why he was given the name Edwards. His head was damn big, and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at it for a while before giving him a reply. ¡°Hello!¡± Mr. Edward called for my attention.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Edwards,¡± I said emphatically, clearing my throat. ¡°I¡¯ll reveal myself sooner orter, but for now, I am going to put someone else in charge, ¡± I announced,¡± and they all shifted in their seats. They all murmured amongst themselves, waiting patiently for my response. As someone who had stayed his whole life in a hospital, I had seen a lot of people and how they acted around others. The board of directors, ording to their bodynguage and murmurings, probably thought that I was going to pick one of them, but I had something else in mind.


    ¡°My name is Director Maria, and I was closer to Mr. Atins before his death, so I know everything about thepany,¡± she adjusted her clothes and smiled at me. I didn¡¯t say anything but stared at the woman¡¯s diamond ne. It must have cost a fortune. That could have saved thepany when it was close to bankruptcy. I wondered how Mr. Atins, a nice man like that, could be with directors who add no value to thepany and who couldn¡¯t do anything to save thepany when it was almost buried in the ground.


    ¡± It would be a great idea to be put in charge,¡± Mr. Edward smiled at me.


    The rest of the directors didn¡¯t say anything but continued murmuring amongst themselves.


    After a moment of silence, I finally gave them the answers that they all wanted. ¡°I don¡¯t know any of you, but I have someone else in mind,¡± I said as I moved theptop to the opposite side of the office from where Aiden was sitting.¡±He will be in charge of thepany until I am ready to announce myself to the world,¡± I announced, and they all gasped and began to talk all at once.


    They all began to talk at once, and it was difficult to hear them because of the loud noise and argument. I exchanged looks with Aiden, who shook his head at me. Aiden turned theptop back towards me. ¡°I think you need to talk sense into their heads.¡±


    ¡± What do you think, Rotimi?¡± I asked as he walked into the office.


    ¡± What did I miss?¡± Rotimi asked as he sat opposite me, beside Aiden. He apologized, but he didn¡¯t have to because he had been a great help and was the best friend anyone could ask for.


    ¡°There is no need to apologize to Rotimi,¡± I told him. ¡°How was the meeting?¡±


    ¡± He agreed to our demands already. I¡¯ll arrange for a meeting next week with him, ¡°Rotimi rubbed his forehead and pointed to myptop when he heard the directors calling for my attention. ¡°Ain¡¯t you going to respond to their arguments?¡± He asked, and I nodded in response, turning my head to theptop.


    ¡°We can¡¯t ept him! He ruined thepany! ¡± Mr. Edward bluntly refused to ept Aiden, stating all the things that he had done while Mr. Atins was alive. ¡°He put thepany into destruction and, because of him, it had to be sold! He is the reason his father died! ¡±


    I raised my brows at him when I heard that and looked up to face Aiden, who might have heard all the conversations about him. ¡°Mr. Edward!¡± I called and he stopped talking at once. ¡± You need to know that Aiden wasn¡¯t responsible for his father¡¯s death. If you weren¡¯t so stupid, you¡¯d realize he died from cancer, ¡°I paused for a moment and ced my hand on my chin.¡±Thest time I checked, humans were not the reason why a person would die of cancer!¡± I told him, and when he tried to reply to me, I shut him up. ¡± And you talk about thepany, but listen to me,¡± I pointed out to all of them. ¡°You,¡± I said, pointing to Maria.¡±You have a sophisticated diamond ne around your neck, but you couldn¡¯t save thepany when it was dying!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.


    ¡± I am telling you that you could have done something and now that I am the CEO, I can remove anyone that could be a problem for mypany!¡±


    ¡± Why are you talking like this?¡± One of the unfamiliar directors, whose name I didn¡¯t know, spoke up and pointed to all of them.


    ¡°Without us, you can¡¯t survive in A& T,¡± Maria retorted.


    ¡°Really?¡± Loukas chuckled. ¡± Then you have no idea with whom you are dealing,¡± That statement made her eyes widen, and she just stared at me, expecting me to reveal my bare face. ¡°You bunch of directors didn¡¯t save thepany or Mr. Atins when he needed your help, and I am going to rece each one of you!¡±


    ¡°You will never find any other director like us! ¡± Edward shouted. ¡°We are the foundation of A& T. You can¡¯t rece us like that!¡±


    That sounded like a threat, and it made my blood boil. I tutted at his stupidity and said a few words before ending the call. ¡°Maybe you haven¡¯t realized this, but I am the owner of A&T now and I have a right to remove anyone that I want gone!¡± I told them and while they tried to reply to me, I ended the call.


    ¡°They are one hell of a director!¡± Rotimimented and tapped his fingers on my desk. ¡°They seemed pretty tight about all of this like they didn¡¯t want this to happen!¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Are they going to be alright?¡± Aiden asked.


    I removed my mask and ruffled my hair. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be fine,¡± I told him and faced Rotimi. ¡°Have you contacted Jordan from Hawaii? I asked him.


    ¡± Yes,¡± he replied. ¡± Since you both have signed the contract, he¡¯lle down to Mecianda to check a few things about thepany!¡±


    ¡± Great,¡± I smiled when I realized that all my ns wereing together, and sooner orter, I¡¯d get back my inheritance from my family. ¡°I need you to make your father proud until the end,¡± I said to Aiden, and he nodded in response.


    ¡± Hello everyone!¡± Hiry announced her presence as she walked into my office with a tray of freshly baked cupcakes. ¡°Who wants cupcakes?¡± She asked as she walked towards us.


    I stared at her as she ced the tray on my desk. When our eyes met, she smiled at me. Inhaling the strawberry smell of the cupcakes, I continued smiling. ¡°Thank you, ¡°I told her as she handed over to me a cupcake.


    Having Hiry as a wife was a great blessing because she was able to remove the thoughts about the stupid directors from my head. Seeing her glowing face alone was a great joy for me.

 What is happening to me

    Hiry POV


    ¡°You are doing well,¡± I told Loukas as we walked side by side. He leaned on his wheel walker while I stood by his side. ¡°Good progress,¡± I watched him walk by himself without any help and when he turned to face me, I gave him a thumbs up. ¡°You can do it!¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Loukasughed. ¡± You are my motivation,¡± he said and walked towards me with the wheel walker. ¡°You look beautiful today dear wife and you seem to be a little bit chubby,¡± that was meant to be apliment but it made me think about how I felt days ago. I have been feeling nauseoustely and because I didn¡¯t want to think about it, I let the feeling out of my head. ¡°I love it,¡± he added.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°I¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say and just stared at myself. My green shirt that I wore was fitted and tightened my skin unlike before when it wasn¡¯t my size. Loukas was right when he said that I had added weight because of the truth.


    I had added weight.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Loukas asked after a moment of silence. ¡°You are a little bit calmer today,¡± Loukas raised his right hand but he quickly brought it down. ¡± It¡¯s much better now and I can raise it easily unlike before. ¡±


    I smiled at him and walked towards him halfway. I ced my hand on his and grinned. ¡°You are doing well,¡± I winked at him.


    ¡°Seeing you winking like that makes me want to have you in my arms but I am¡­¡± He heaved a sigh, unable to say anything but I understood him. Loukas was pointing out his disability but I didn¡¯t see him that way.


    He was perfect in my sight and I didn¡¯t care that he couldn¡¯t move his limbs perfectly because I was in love with him. ¡°You should stop saying that,¡± I beckoned to him to follow me to the couch. As I sat down, he wheeled himself towards me until he was seated by my side. ¡°You are perfect to me,¡± I stood up from his side and bent down to where his legs were. I helped him raise his right leg up and down. ¡°Your recovery is faster than a lot of people that I have done physiotherapy with. ¡±


    ¡± Really?¡±


    I nodded in response and looked up to face him. ¡± You are one of the best patients that I ever treated,¡± I told him and he smiled at me. Putting my head down, I continue raising his leg and lowering it. None of us said a word until Loukas ced his hand on my back. ¡°I gasped in shock and turned to face him. ¡± Are you in pain?¡± I asked him but he shook his head in response.


    ¡°I am okay,¡± he replied and smiled at me. ¡°I am just so lucky to meet someone like you,¡± he grabbed my hand and kissed it.


    How I wish he could have said that with so much love. His voice brought a lot of emotions and I felt but I didn¡¯t know if he meant it or not. I didn¡¯t know if he loved me as much as I loved him. ¡°What are you thinking of Hiry?¡±


    I shook my head and forced myself to smile. ¡± I¡­¡± I needed to let it all out. ¡°I don¡¯t know because I¡¯ve been thinking about a lot of things and I wanted you to know that I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± I paused and heaved a sigh.


    I didn¡¯t know how to say it because I wanted to know what he was thinking too.


    ¡± What have you been thinking about?¡±


    I took a deep breath and let it out. It was time to let out my fears and worries. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what would happen to us after our contract ends. What would be of us?¡± I cleared my throat as I asked him.


    Loukas heaved a sigh but didn¡¯t say anything for a while and continued to rub my back. He smiled at me and when I tried to read his facial expression, he had his usual stoic look. ¡°I am¡­¡± He finally said something after a moment of silence. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± he said and heaved a sigh.


    I bit my lips and lowered my head. It wasn¡¯t what I wanted to hear from him. He had already said he was incapable of love and I shouldn¡¯t have asked him about how he felt about me. ¡°I know,¡± I responded and continued raising his legs as if I didn¡¯t say anything a moment ago.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± He grabbed my hand. ¡°I already told you Hiry that this rtionship was just for business purposes.¡±


    And the sex too, I thought.


    ¡°I can never fall in love,¡± he said and I nodded in response even though I know that already. I had been a fool who had fallen for his charms and cuteness. ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going through your mind and I don¡¯t like how you are silent right now and I¡­.¡±


    ¡± It¡¯s okay Loukas,¡± I cut him off. ¡± You already made it clear. I am so sorry for bringing it up,¡± I apologized to him.


    ¡± That¡¯s not what I meant Hiry. You are taking it the wrong way!¡±


    Tears welled up in my eyes as he said that but there was nothing that I could do about it. Loukas and I were never meant to be and even if I tried to force it, the end wasn¡¯t going to be good. ¡°Hiry!¡± He called my name when I averted my eyes from his. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    What else was he expecting me to say? I thought and stood up from the ground. As I opened my mouth to answer him, I suddenly felt bile in my stomach. I felt nauseated and I hit my chest to stop myself from throwing up right there. My vision became hazy and I could barely see anything but I struggled and headed towards the washroom that was inside the therapy room.


    I barged into the washroom and threw up my breakfast into the sink. ¡°What is wrong with me?¡± I felt bells ringing in my head and everything around me suddenly became two. I rubbed my eyes and stared at myself In the mirror. Just like Loukas had said, I had added a little bit of flesh on my cheek, neck, and my stomach. I raised my blouse and stared at my stomach. It was t like always and I shook my head at the idea of being pregnant.


    Thest time I had such an idea was when Loukas and I first returned from Hawaii. Ever since then, I haven¡¯t had any other ideas concerning that.


    ¡°There is no way I am pregnant,¡± I said to myself and turned on the sink. Washing my face, I repeated these words. ¡°I am not pregnant,¡± I repeated it five times until I couldn¡¯t any longer.


    ¡± Hiry!¡± Loukas shouted from outside the washroom. ¡°Hiry!¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply and continued staring at myself in the mirror. Tears trickled down my face and I let it fall because I could fathom what was happening to me. ¡°I can¡¯t be..¡± I stopped talking and turned towards the door when I heard an aggressive knocking on the washroom door. ¡°Hiry!¡± He shouted. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He continued knocking.


    I quickly washed my face with water and walked towards the door. I opened it wide and saw the worried look on his face. ¡°What is going on with you?¡± He asked I tried to touch him but he couldn¡¯t stand perfectly on his own so he dropped his hand.


    ¡°I am fine, ¡± I clicked my tongue even though I wasn¡¯t fine. I felt the urge to throw up again but I held it in when I saw his right leg shaking. ¡°Loukas!¡± I yelled his name.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? ¡± He asked. ¡°Did anything happen to you?¡± Even though his leg was shaking, he didn¡¯t feel it. I pointed down to his shaking leg and when he looked down, he gasped. ¡°My leg is..¡± he screamed out in excitement. ¡°Hiry! My leg is¡­.¡±


    I nodded in response and ced a hand on my chest trying so hard not to throw up. My head began to pound yet again and I held it with my hands. I fell to the ground and before I knew what was happening, I threw up at Loukas¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Hiry!¡± He shouted my name. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I wiped my lips and shook my head in response. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± I huped and tried to rub my eyes because I could barely see anything but then I fell to the ground and everything went ck. Thest thing I heard before I cked out was Loukas¡¯s voice as he called my name.

 Pregnancy problems

    Loukas POV


    ¡°She is pregnant! ¡± That announcement created an unsettling feeling inside of me. I thought that I heard the doctor wrong and decided to ask him again.


    ¡°What do you mean by she is pregnant? ¡± I asked the doctor yet again. ¡°I am not sure you understand what¡¯s going on. She can¡¯t be pregnant.¡±


    ¡± But sir, ¡± the doctor tried to argue.


    ¡± Are you even a real doctor? ¡± That was a rude question because Doctor Mathias has always treated me ever since I got into the ident fourteen years ago.


    ¡°Excuse me? ¡± Doctor Mathias looked from me to Rotimi and heaved a sigh. ¡°I have already done all the necessary tests and it has been confirmed that she is pregnant! ¡±


    That word made my ear bleed. It sounded so foreign and annoying. ¡± She can¡¯t be pregnant, ¡± I argued. ¡°Redo the test! ¡±


    ¡± Calm down! ¡± Rotimi grabbed the Doctor¡¯s hand and pulled his hand towards the door. ¡°You should leave Doctor Mathias, ¡± he told him.


    Doctor Mathias cleared his throat and bowed his head. ¡°I believe my work here is done! ¡± He walked out of the room.


    I ruffled my hair with my left hand as I stared into Hry¡¯s face. She was on my bed while I sat opposite her in my wheelchair. When she fainted in front of me, I thought that something bad had happened to her. My heart beat erratically and I could barely think. Before I could reach my phone, I had spent a few minutes using the wheeled walker as my supporter until I found my phone and called Rotimi. If I could walk perfectly then I would have been able to carry her myself. Rotimi had returned a few minutester and with his help, he moved Hiry into my room.


    It was at that moment that I felt pretty useless about myself and how I couldn¡¯t help Hiry. Now that she was pregnant, I didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°I. ¡± I rubbed my forehead.


    ¡°That was not cool, ¡°Rotimi said as he walked back into the room. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have acted like that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? ¡± I retorted. ¡± Don¡¯t you understand what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Hiry is pregnant, ¡± Rotimi said the words that I didn¡¯t want to hear from him. ¡± You should be happy about this Loukas. Your wife is pregnant! ¡±


    My wife? Iughed at that. Although I had grown fond of Hrytely and the time we spent together was the best, our marriage was based on a sham. ¡°You know that I can¡¯t impregnate a woman because of my ident and now you think that I should be happy. ¡±


    ¡± What the hell is wrong with you Lou? When are you ever going to be happy with all the problems that are going on with you all? Why are you acting this way? ¡±


    ¡°I am the one in the wheelchair, not you! ¡± I yelled at him. ¡± You have no idea how it feels to be like this for fourteen years and now that I want to be happy, she is pregnant! ¡±


    ¡± That¡¯s why you should be happy!¡±


    I scoffed and shook my head in response. ¡± Happy? The doctor said¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget what the doctor said and focus on your future, Lou! You deserve to be happy and stop being like this!¡±


    ¡± I am not ready to have this conversation with you Rotimi. You have no idea how I am feeling at the moment, ¡± yes, that¡¯s true. I felt angry and annoyed that Hiry was pregnant. If I truly was responsible for the pregnancy then how could I ever act like a father when I didn¡¯t have a memory of my childhood?


    ¡°When will you have the conversation then? When Hiry has woken up or when you realize that your child ising to this world!¡±


    ¡± I said that I didn¡¯t want to have this conversation with you!¡± I yelled at him.


    Rotimi didn¡¯t look surprised because I had done much worse than that in the past but heughed. Heughed at the misery and pain that I was feeling at that moment. Taking a deep breath, he turned to leave, mming the door pretty loudly. I had expected him to say something but he just left unlike before when he would have tried to say something to change his mind.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t matter!¡± I ran a hand through my hair and lowered my head.


    ¡°Loukas!¡± I heard Hiry¡¯s name a few minutester. ¡°Loukas!¡± She called for me yet again and I raised my head to face her. Wheeling myself towards her, I grabbed her hand and ced it into mine. ¡°What happened?¡± She tried to get up and when she was seated on the bed, she looked around her. ¡°How did I get here and why am I in your room?¡±


    Too many questions were asked and I didn¡¯t know the one to answer. I had a lot of things going on in my mind and it created an unsettling feeling in my stomach. ¡°You fainted,¡± I answered her first question. ¡°Rotimi brought you in here and I had a doctor attend to you,¡± I did all I could to avoid her gaze.


    ¡± What is wrong? Am I terminally ill?¡± She asked but I shook my mind in response. ¡°What¡¯s going on with me?¡± She asked me yet again after a moment of silence.


    I heaved a sigh and raised my head to face her. ¡°You are pregnant Hiry!¡± I announced.


    The shock on Hiry¡¯s face was evident as she stared as if she had heard something wrong. That was not the reaction I expected from her but it was exactly how I felt when I heard that she was pregnant.


    Shocked. That¡¯s the right word.


    ¡°Is this the truth?¡± She asked and when I didn¡¯t answer her, she gasped in shock. ¡°But you said that you couldn¡¯t procreate. How did this happen?¡±


    ¡± I should have asked you that.¡±


    ¡± What?¡± Hiry scoffed. ¡± Are you using me of cheating on you?¡± She asked but I gave her no response. She chuckled and ced a hand on her forehead. ¡°You are funny! Loukas you are the only man that I have ever been with and aside from you, I haven¡¯t been any other man. ¡±


    I know that because she had been by my side ever since the beginning.


    ¡°Then howe you are pregnant!¡± I still couldn¡¯t believe that I could get someone pregnant after the doctor confirmed. I know miracles happen but I didn¡¯t believe that I could get someone pregnant overnight.


    ¡°You are seriously asking me that?¡± Hiry scoffed and jumped out of the bed. She groaned in pain and rubbed her forehead. ¡°How are you talking like this when you know that you are the only man that I have ever been with!¡± She yelled at me. ¡± Do you think that I disappeared out of your sight and met with someone else!¡±


    No response from me.


    ¡± Loukas, I am talking to you!¡± She yelled out my name. ¡± Why are you acting like I got myself pregnant?¡±


    ¡± Because I can¡¯t father a child! The doctor confirmed it!¡± I retorted. ¡± I already told you that I can¡¯t get you pregnant and you should have taken precautions when you know that this marriage is nothing but a sham. ¡±


    ¡± You say it easily as if all those times we spent together doesn¡¯t matter to you or does it?¡± Tears trickled down her face as she tried hard not to cry in front of me. ¡°This marriage was just a sham to you right?¡± She asked the question she already knew the answers to.


    I had told her from the beginning that the marriage was going to be nothing but a sham and even though our feelings got the best of us along the way, it was hard to believe that I could get a woman pregnant.


    Don¡¯t judge me but I believed that I couldn¡¯t father a child and that was the truth. ¡°You know better what this marriage meant Hiry! It was just a sham ¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Hiry burst intoughter and pped her hands. ¡± What am I to you?¡± She asked.


    Behind herughter and toughness, she was hurting but faking it. She was in some much pain and it was evident in her tone and how she was talking. ¡°Loukas!¡± She yelled. ¡±What am I to you? I¡¯m just a fake wife who will warm your bed or the therapist you needed for your revenge or¡­¡± She paused and clicked her tongue. ¡± Your silence is the best answer to all of this. Now I know where I stand and just like you have said, this marriage was a sham but you need to know that I didn¡¯t get myself pregnant and this baby is yours, not mine only!¡± She sniffled and turned to leave.


    Do something Loukas, my inner voice shouted at me but I didn¡¯t even know what I could do at that moment. The marriage was meant to be pure business and now, it¡¯s on the verge of destruction when I haven¡¯t gotten my revenge from my step Family.


    ¡°You know what Loukas,¡± she turned back to face me. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the child myself. If you can¡¯t man up and ept that this baby is yours then it¡¯s your cup of tea. I¡¯ve known you to be an egotistical jerk but I never thought of you to be someone that would abandon their child!¡± Hiry heaved a sigh and walked out of the room mming the door on her way out.


    Egotistical jerk? That was all I could think about. ¡°Was that how she thought of me?¡± I scratched the back of my neck as I questioned myself. I didn¡¯t want her to leave my side just yet, and I still couldn¡¯t believe I was going to be a father.


    It was surreal, and Hiry may have been correct. Maybe I was an egotistical jerk who only cared about himself.


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