It was easy. Just two words, “I do,” and I was a married man.Upon waking up this morning, I experienced an enormous amount of anxiety and a loss of confidence about this marriage. You could giggle and say the groom got cold feet as if it was nothing. Most of the people on this planet would say it was normal. You are stepping into a new life with the person you love. It was a huge commitment since you are committing your entire life to that one significant person. It was a big deal. Walking through the route of nervousness was really alright, more normal than anything.Only if it was that easy in my case. In the past two days, I checked everything that could be related to Lauren just to get to know her a little better and stay under the same roof with her. It wasn’t a simple job, though. There was nothing about her to find out, only some specifics that I could tell about her just by giving a glance at her.She didn’t use any social media, which was what bothered me for most of the nig
There were numerous times I went to Mr. Astor’s house. I sometimes drop him off after he consumed alcohol, picking him up now and even in the morning. In my three years of life as his secretary, I must have gone to his house at least a hundred times, if not more, but I never put my foot inside the house, even for a moment.That place was forbidden for me to visit, as Mr. Astor told me on the first day of my job that he hated it when people touched his stuff. But that wasn’t true. I touched a million of that stuff that he owned for years, from his clothes to shoes, laptop to phone, but he barely reacted to any of that. Just like any other person, he was okay with me arranging his table every morning. Even if I put something inside the cabinet, he would just ask me about that and hardly scold me or anything about that.In my mind, I came to the conclusion after seeing his reaction that he was hiding someone in his apartment. I made a fiction about him being a serial killer, who was kill
The atmosphere around my parents’ multi-billionaire house was always something that didn’t sit well with me. The first time I felt the cold and distressful clouds around this palace was when I was a child. I was a ten-year-old little boy. This house was enormous. And when I said huge, I meant twenty-three bedrooms, twenty-five bathrooms, two kitchens, four open terraces, a golf course, a swimming pool, a movie theater for 100 people, a sauna, and a spa. This place was beautiful, but it was hilarious to have all these spaces just for three people.Growing up in this house was a unique experience. My parents tried to do their best for their only son, the heir to their abundant wealth. I went to a private school, the one that charged millions of parents for their children to have the same education that others were getting in other schools. I had my own car even before I came to this world. That was an impulsive decision by my father, just like his every decision.They had privileged me
I was by no means good with people. When it came to making friends with strangers, that was something that I constantly found an uphill battle to accomplish. My family didn’t have that DNA either.My mother tried to be friendly with our neighbors, but behind her smile, there was a lot of anxiety that came over her after the friendly chat. She always had anxiety issues when it came to people or making friends. I still didn’t understand how she kept her job in those people’s houses. Working for them must have taken a lot of courage for her.Mom liked to stay at home. There was a time when she didn’t go out of the house for several days. It happened in the months before we found the cancer that had been nested in her body for a long time. It wasn’t ideal for human beings, but that was how my mother did it. She preferred home more than the outside world.On the other hand, my father was an outgoing person. He mostly stayed out at night, but the reasons were different. My father did only t
The wedding night was what people anticipated more than the ceremony. For the first time, a lover consumed their relationship as husband and wife. It was a magical night for the newly wedded couple, but for me and Lauren, it was the night that we spent together just laying beside one another.Neither of us had closed our eyes for a second; it felt like we were both awake in case any monster paid a visit to us. I didn’t know about Lauren, but for me, I was sad. Deep in my heart, all I could feel was empty, which shocked me, as I knew there had to be something in that place.No matter how my family was or my relationship with Celine, at a pretty young age, I learned that happiness was all about me. If I wanted to be happy, it was on me to find the path without depending on anyone.The funny thing was, that I had a decent relationship with my dysfunctional family. Over the years, I educated myself on how to behave around my father or the time my parents yelled at one another like two cra
It had been a week since my married life began. To this point, there was nothing between me and Mr. Astor that a husband and wife shared. We were both sharing the same bedroom, but there was nothing more happening. It was fine, as I didn’t intend to stay in this marriage for long. After meeting my in-law, I got an understanding of the life I had to lead if I stayed in this for too long.That was why one should tie a knot with someone who had the same status as their partner in society. The more I thought about the future that I possibly could have with Mr. Astor, the more nervous I got. The notion of changing myself, turning into someone that I wasn’t, gave me goosebumps.The way Lamie Astor reacted after hearing about my family, it was clear how much he loathed me and my family. The rage in his voice confirmed my suspicion, and trust me, it was nothing but pure humiliation.Mr. Astor was a different person these days, someone I had met by chance. The ruthless CEO I worked for in the
It had been a hectic day. From the moment I set foot in the office to the few seconds before this party, my wedding party, for which I was almost late. Thanks to Lily, I was able to come home at the right time, even though I needed to sign two more documents before I attended the meeting with my Chinese investor tomorrow morning.I wanted to stay a little longer, but Lily grabbed my hand and kicked me out of the office like a mother who was getting annoyed by her son’s adamant behavior. It was the first time any secretary did this type of etiquette with me.All the other previous assistants who worked for me were timid by nature, including my wife Lauren. The way Lily moved or systematized my work made my life and job easier than before. This woman was an expert in organizing. In one word, every file, document, and even my daily calendar was arranged orderly. I rarely felt this level of tension in my life before. It was all Lily and her obsession with spotless that, fortunately, made
The only thing I wanted right at that moment was to get out of this house by any means. Standing under the same roof with Camila Astor was pure torture for me, most probably because of the intimidating personality that she didn’t forget to bring with her. This woman was scary, no matter what she did. It wasn’t just her million-dollar net worth that was making me insecure, but also the way she talked, stared, walked, and other things.Every time she got up from her seat and moved to the other side of the room, a hummer smacked into my heart so hard that I stopped breathing. After, the beautiful and eventful day I spent with her yesterday; I was aware of where I stood in her eyes. How could I not after she made it so clear to me? And it was okay for me. It wasn’t that I accepted an open arm from everyone in this family.The lives these people lived dissented from the ones that I used to live. The way I still couldn’t believe I had millions in my bank account, I was sure they couldn’t be