"I've told you many times, never prepare food or touch my things, whatever it is! If you have ears, you should understand what I'm saying!"
The voice echoed thunderously, pounding her heart. The room suddenly filled with tension. It was as if the air had been forcibly taken away, leaving Veronica with a tightness in her chest.This wasn't the first time Darwin had spoken harshly or given her a warning. A month had passed. Yet, not a single kind gesture had Darwin shown to his wife.Like this morning, before leaving for work, once again Veronica took the initiative to prepare breakfast for herself and her husband.But instead of appreciation or even a thank you, he responded rudely. Perhaps he was irritated because Veronica hadn't paid any attention to what he had repeatedly said."You should try this food, Win. You don't need to worry, I didn't put poison in your food.""Why should I try your cooking? Trial and error is reserved for marriages. I don't want to keep making my life miserable."He walked away, leaving Veronica once again sitting in silence. She gazed at the man who hadn't shown her any appreciation up to this point. Want to cry? Veronica's tears had already dried. Want to complain? Unfortunately, Veronica wasn't the type to whine to her parents about the misfortune she experienced.She also didn't want to worry her father. That's why she kept Darwin's bad behavior to herself all this time. Hoping that one day he would realize and start treating her with a little respect."Miss Veronica, should I tidy up the food or leave it as is?"Renata's reminder, one of the household assistants who had worked with her husband for a long time, suddenly brought Veronica out of her reverie. She turned and managed a smile."Just tidy it up, please. I'm done and I need to get ready for work.""Please understand Mr. Darwin's behavior, Miss," Renata said, mustering her courage. As she cleared the dirty plates from the table, she spoke softly. "Actually, Mr. Darwin is a good person. I don't know what's gotten into him to become so temperamental."Veronica nodded. As a long-time employee, Renata was certainly familiar with her employer's behavior and personality.Since moving into Darwin's house, Renata had become close and a friend to Veronica, someone she could confide in. Renata had shared so much with Veronica.From what Darwin liked and disliked, to stories of how before getting married, he used to bring his girlfriend home."Yes, Rena. I understand. Maybe Darwin still isn't willing to accept the reality of being married to me.""Yet you're so much more attractive than Darwin's cold-hearted ex-girlfriend. He doesn't even want to acknowledge me," Renata grumbled, her lips curling in frustration.Veronica smiled again. She got up and got ready to leave. "Well, maybe he's just deeply in love. But it's okay. Slowly, I believe I can make Darwin like me in the end.""I'm 100% behind you, Miss Veronica," Renata said, giving Veronica a thumbs-up."Alright then. I'm off to work. For dinner, you can prepare it, Renata. Cook Mr. Darwin's favorite meal. I'll be coming home a bit late today due to end-of-month overtime."Veronica then headed towards her car. She had been working and leading Carribean, one of her father's subsidiaries in the retail industry.After getting married, she decided to continue her career. Besides, being an independent and successful woman had always been her goal.At the office, Deasy was already waiting outside her office. Holding a folder containing a stack of documents, she followed Veronica as she entered the room."Mrs. Veronica, there are a few things that need revisions. I think you missed some important points," the woman said.Veronica settled into her chair and reached for the folder Deasy handed her. She quickly reviewed the contents to see what her secretary and friend meant."Oh my. This is indeed overlooked. Maybe I wasn't focused yesterday, so I didn't check if anything was missed."Understanding, Deasy smiled. She figured Veronica might be tired or preoccupied. Moreover, it was the end of the month, when work tended to pile up."Let me stay here and I'll leave the documents for you to review again, Mrs. Veronica. If you need any help, just call me."Veronica nodded. Soon after, she heard Deasy sigh deeply. Her slightly tense face indicated she was thinking about something."Ve, are you okay?" Deasy whispered. She leaned in closer."I'm fine, Des. Just a little bit of a headache.""Are you sick?"Veronica shook her head. "No. I'm not sick. It's just that—""Is your husband causing trouble again?"Deasy guessed. It seemed she was beginning to understand what was going on with her boss.As an employee and friend, Deasy often heard Veronica's confessions. The beautiful woman didn't hide anything. Including the harsh behavior and cruel treatment Darwin often displayed.Deasy had been angry about it. She had even suggested to Veronica that she should leave or at least stand up against every rude behavior Darwin exhibited.But due to her kind nature, Veronica dismissed Deasy's advice. She had no intention of retaliating against Darwin's cruel actions."Darwin isn't causing trouble," Veronica replied. She was tired of hearing her friend's lectures so early in the morning."Really? Then why the headache?" "Thinking about end-of-month deadlines, Des. There are several tasks that need to be completed today. That's why I have a terrible headache.""Are you sure it's not because of Darwin?"Deasy probed once again, trying to confirm whether her accusation was true or not."Really. It's work-related," Veronica reiterated, trying to reassure the woman in front of her."Alright then. Let me handle some of my work. After that, I'll help you tackle the deadlines that need to be sent today. But... if Darwin causes trouble again, please promise me you'll stand up to his behavior. Don't stay silent, Ve. Don't let your self-esteem be trampled."Veronica smiled. Not wanting to dwell on the issue, she simply nodded at what Deasy had just said.Darwin massaged his tense neck. Just a few minutes ago, he had just finished attending a meeting with several members of the board of directors.He had just leaned back in his chair when the room door knocked. As he looked up, he found Kennedy and Randy walking towards him, carrying a medium-sized box of unknown contents."You guys rarely stop by without giving a heads-up first," Darwin remarked as both of his cousins pulled chairs in front of him. Kennedy handed over the box she was carrying first before taking her seat."No time, Win. Just finished the meeting, and I was rushed to deliver this to you," the man explained, pointing to the box he had just handed over.Darwin's brow furrowed. Straightening up, he moved the box on the table closer to him, intending to check its contents himself."What is this?""It's a black forest cake," Kennedy responded. She sat down casually, folding her hands in front of her chest. "Luna made it. I told her that you really love black forest cake. It
Darwin seemed to struggle to shift away from Vivian's embrace. Lowering his gaze, he found his lover still peacefully asleep, her arms wrapped around his waist.After Vivian's visit yesterday, Darwin had left his office right away to spend time together in her apartment. Last night, he had finally decided to stay over. After all, today was a holiday, so he didn't need to rush to wake up and head to the office.Adoringly watching the still-sleeping Vivian, Darwin slowly shifted his body. He moved a bit, then propped his head up with one elbow. His free hand gently caressed Vivian's cheek. Occasionally, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before descending to her lovely cheeks. Eventually, Vivian let out a soft sigh and slowly opened her eyes."Hey, love..." she murmured, her voice husky from just waking up. Darwin had to admit, Vivian was stunning in every moment. Her gentle demeanor only made him more infatuated.Throughout his life, Darwin had only felt this way about Vivian. Not t
Once Darwin stepped out of the room, Veronica immediately walked briskly to her own room. She locked the door tightly while clutching her chest, which was heaving from her rapid heartbeat.This was the first time, after a month of marriage, that she had shown such courage. Veronica had even tried to respond to almost every word spoken by her husband.Growing up with love and care, pampered as an only child, Veronica had never experienced harshness or cruelty from others. Despite coming from an esteemed family and having everything, her parents had never taught her to belittle others or behave rudely.However, recalling Deasy's words, Veronica thought that she shouldn't be too weak or submissive, allowing her self-esteem to be trampled upon. After all, she wasn't at fault here. Her marriage to Darwin was a purely arranged one that couldn't be avoided. That's why Darwin had no right to use her as an outlet for his frustrations.Meanwhile, in his room, Darwin appeared very angry. He had
In front of the mirror, Veronica appeared seated in silence. Her eyes tightly shut. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the tightness that enveloped her.Since last night, her thoughts had been all over the place. Her heart still felt both sore and melancholic as she recalled the image of Sean, whom she had unintentionally met at the dinner party.Rubbing her chest, Veronica attempted to take several deep breaths. Exhaling softly, yet it still felt futile. Flashes of the past continued to dance in her mind."I'm just going away for a short while, Ve. I promise, once I finish the education I'm pursuing, I'll come back to propose and marry you.""Why do you have to study abroad? Are you intentionally leaving me?" Veronica had asked at the time, unable to accept it.Seeing her lover's eyes welling up with tears, Sean embraced the beautiful woman in front of him. He gently kissed her forehead, accompanied by a soothing smile."Who would want to leave you? I'm going abroad only for a
"Sir, if you take a closer look, our company's sales graph is steadily rising and stabilizing over time. I'm optimistic that within less than a year, everything could bounce back to the way it was before or even surge higher than it is now."Darwin appeared to be attentively listening as the project manager and a few expert staff members presented their work results one by one in today's important meeting. All of them provided positive reports that made Darwin feel increasingly satisfied.In reality, the Infinix Group has been in a stable and normal state since Damian Ashborne extended a helping hand to Magnus. However, Darwin wants his father's company to continue progressing and ideally experience rapid growth.This is in order to swiftly repay all the money and assistance Damian provided, so the Infinix Group wouldn't be considered indebted. That way, he could end his marriage with Veronica as soon as possible without any burden."Well then, keep pushing for further development. Don
Vivian: Darling, happy birthday. May at this age, you become even more successful. May all your wishes and dreams come true soon. Love and cherish me more. And most importantly, I hope we can get married soon. From me, who is loyal and always loves you, Vivian Salim.Darwin's smile brightened as he opened his eyes this morning and found a text message from his beloved, Vivian. Apparently, his sweetheart had sent birthday wishes since midnight.Sitting up, Darwin immediately searched for Vivian's contact on his phone. He called his girlfriend to express his gratitude for the prayers Vivian had offered."Morning, Baby."As the call connected, Darwin heard Vivian respond with a sweet tone. Her gentle voice made Darwin even more captivated this morning."Morning, Love. Have you been up for a long time?""Of course. I've been up since four o'clock."Darwin furrowed his brow. He was curious why his girlfriend had to wake up so early."Why so early? Couldn't you sleep like usual?""No," Vivi
This morning, Veronica enjoyed her breakfast alone. She had been sitting for nearly 30 minutes, but Darwin hadn't emerged from his room. Usually, whenever she finished her breakfast or around 7:30 in the morning, Darwin would always be seen leaving his room. However, it was almost 8 o'clock now, and the man was nowhere to be seen.Curious, Veronica took the initiative to ask. Coincidentally, Renata was in the dining room arranging plates and clean glasses into the drawer partition."Renata, has Darwin come out of his room yet? I haven't seen him all this time."Renata, who had been busy arranging plates, immediately stopped her activity. She decided to approach Veronica and answered her employer's question."Sir left for work very early in the morning, Miss. If I'm not mistaken, he left around 6:30. Seems like he was in a hurry. He didn't even touch his breakfast."Veronica nodded in understanding. She thought that perhaps her husband had a morning meeting or an early morning meeting,
Leaving the Infinix Group building, Veronica decided to leave right away. Along the way, wiping away her tears, she contemplated. She thought about what she should do to retaliate against all the things Darwin had done to her. In her heart, Veronica solidified her determination. She couldn't remain silent, let alone surrender, when her self-esteem was trampled upon like this. That's why, instead of immediately going to the Caribbean building, Veronica asked the driver to take her to meet her father. Fortunately, when she approached, Damian was still in his office. The middle-aged man appeared busy discussing work with his assistant. "Dad, can I talk to you for a moment? There's something important I want to ask and discuss." Damian looked up, clearly startled. He was probably wondering why his daughter had dropped by without giving any prior notice. Damian was convinced that there must be something significant that his beloved daughter wanted to discuss, considering she had come al