Brenda gripped Amber's hair as she refused to clean up the mess she made. Amber accidentally dropped a plate of pastries that was meant for dinner.
She has just came home from work and Brenda demanded her to serve the food.
"How dare you drop that plate!? Is it really hard to carry one plate? That is an expensive ceramic and you broke it! You'd better pay for that, little maid." Brenda shouted at her.
Before Brenda could land another hit on Amber. Arnold's voice shouted over requesting for Amber to see him.
Amber obediently went to the main hall with her head lowered down. Stephanie's evil smile never escaped from her eyes. Something must have happened while she was in the kitchen.
"What is it?" she faced her father.
"Amber, thank goodness you're here. I need your help and only you can save our family." Arnold begged.
Amber was taken aback. This is the first time her father asked for help and she did not believe him. There is something else more to this.
"Why should I believe you?" she replied.
"I'm sorry for all of the things I've done to you in the past. You are my daughter and I wish that you'll forgive me. Valencia and Stephanie are willing to apologize to you."
"We're sorry for all of our wrong doings, Amber." Valencia and Stephanie's heads slightly bowed down, showing their genuine expression of regret.
Amber pursed her lips. Why are they being weird all of a sudden?
"I have suffered in this family for years and you're asking help? I don't think so."
"Then let's do this in my way. We have discovered that you're planning to leave this place and this family. So we confiscated your money and your clothes." Valencia smirked.
"Y-You what!? That is not confiscating that's stealing!" Amber couldn't believe it. All of her plans is ruined!
"Help us first then you can leave this place for good." Arnold said.
"Fine. I don't care whatever."
Stephanie and Valencia grinned evily inside. Amber took the bait! They never intended to apologize anyway. This is only to trap Amber into accepting the marriage!
"Wonderful! You will be married tomorrow and Brenda has already prepared the gown in your room." Arnold said cheerfully.
Amber froze. What did he say? Get married tomorrow? How could she be stupid? She became overwhelmed of their apology that she didn't even bother asking.
"Dad! What are you saying? I don't want to get married and I never agreed to this!"
"But you just did, Amber. You will marry Max Easton tomorrow and that's final! Save our family by marrying him!"
She heard of Max Easton's name before. He is cold and ruthless just like the rest of the Easton family. How can she live in a loveless marriage? And most of all...a man that she does not love.
Amber's knees gave up and she kneeled on the floor. They trapped her into an arranged marriage she never knew!
"Oh, lucky you, sister. You're getting married to a man that everyone fears. I wonder how he will treat his new wife tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'll be married to Gavin and bear his beautiful children." Stephanie smirked.
Amber shakes her head. No, she won't accept this fate! She grabbed Arnold's pants and begins to cry.
"No...dad! Please, don't do this to me! I'll do anything even if it means becoming a maid. Just don't marry me off to a man I don't love! Didn't you love mom too? And to think that you're doing this to her daughter, your own daughter!"
"Have you forgotten what I've said, Amber? You are not my daughter! Not even my own flesh and blood! She was already pregnant before we got married. We never loved each other because she was forced to marry me! And you will go through the same fate as what your mother did!"
This revelation broke her heart. He is not her father? Then...who is her real father?
Amber locked herself in her room and waited until the day of her wedding. All hope is lost in her heart. No one is by her side. No one to love her and take care of her. A husband she never met and she does not love.
She closed her eyes, resting her tired body on her bed. The bed where she grew up in. Where her mother cradled her to sleep, scaring away the fear in her heart.
She has always expected others to love her, but has she ever seek for someone to love her instead? Sleep slowly consumed her mind drained out from worrying so much.
The wedding will be held at the Easton family's humongous garden. Amber's hopes completely died and could only sigh in despair.
Rowen Easton visited the Miller family to meet the bride in advance. However, he was shocked to see Stephanie cuddled up to Gavin Westley. He became furious. He was expecting Stephanie to be the bride!
"What is the meaning of this, Arnold!? Why is your daughter not ready for her wedding? And why is she with Gavin Westley?" Rowen growled.
"C-Calm down, Mr. Easton! You didn't exactly say which daughter of mine will marry your son. Stephanie is engaged to Gavin Westley that's why she was not chosen."
"Isn't she your only daughter? You dare to trick me!?"
"Mr. Easton, Stephanie isn't the only daughter of my husband." Valencia immediately stepped in.
"What? You have a second daughter?" Rowen was surprised. "Did you know?" he asked his assistant, Draven Harvy.
Draven shrugged. He never knew about Arnold having another daughter.
"Let me see the bride!" Rowen demanded.
Amber heard everything. Her back was facing Mr. Easton all this time. She turned around to face him and politely greeted him. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Easton. My name is Amber."
Rowen stopped in his tracks and assessed his son's future wife. Amber, huh? She is indeed beautiful! Stephanie's beauty paled compared to hers. However, there is this deep sadness within his future daughter-in-law's eyes.
This girl seems to have been through hard times and did not seem to be spoiled. Rowen assumed that she was not treated well in the Miller family. He knew this because this is a common thing among wealthy families in Aurum City.
"May I talk to you privately, dear?" he offered.
Amber nodded. He took her in one arm and led her to a different room, away from prying eyes and ears. He gestured at Draven to make sure that none of the Millers will eavesdrop.
"I know that you don't want to marry my son, dear." he began.
"Then why did you ask me to marry him even though you know that." Amber sighed in defeat.
"I thought Arnold will have Stephanie marry my son and I never knew that he has another daughter. In the end I approve of his choice. You seem to be much better than Stephanie."
"Much better?" Amber laughed bitterly. "More like my life isn't getting better. This marriage will be my end game and god knows what will happen to my life from now on. I only wished for love and being in a loveless marriage with your son isn't what I pictured."
"A wish for love, huh? Even a parent like me wishes for his son to find love. I wanted someone to take care of him once I leave this world. He does not know what is love and it is my fault for failing to show him love."
"What do you want me to do? Be a faithful wife? Clean all of his clothes and do household chores?" Amber scoffed.
"You will know once you meet my son. The answer is in your heart," Rowen smiled. "The wedding will start now. I wish you the best."
Amber frowned. The answer is in her heart?
She situated herself at the entrance as people scurried around to position themselves for the wedding ceremony.
The sound of the piano begins to play and slowly people walked on the aisle until she was the last one. She breathes deeply and begins moving her feet. The wedding guests gasped at the beautiful bride. They were expecting for Stephanie to be in a wedding dress, but the news broke out that Arnold has another daughter. No one knew what she looked like and is expecting to see it. Amber never looked up to her groom and obediently listened to the priest's words. "Will you, Amber Miller, take this man, Max Easton, as your husband, to love and cherish until death do us part?" Amber's lips froze and her teeth clenched together. She held the bouquet tightly. Rowen Easton's words begins to echo in her mind. 'The answer is in your heart.' He wants her to love his son? She looked up and her eyes shined. Max Easton is a beautiful man, but there is a pool of darkness within his blue eyes. He looks tough and she can see that this man needs love. Someone who will love him. Hope begins sur
Max came in tiredly and loosened the tie around his neck. He dumped his bag and coat on the couch. "Max, I'm glad you're back." Amber greeted happily. Max’s cold eyes glared menacingly at Amber. “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” he growled. Amber ignored the slight pain in her heart. How could he forget about her? “I’m Amber Miller, your wife and we got married last year.” She explained immediately. Max rolled his eyes. “Oh, it’s you.” he said without emotion. “You should go upstairs and take a rest. I will handle your entire luggage.” Amber offered. Max did not say anything and moved past her, going to the kitchen. He noticed that the whole place is completely clean as if someone hired hundreds of cleaners. Even his collection of whiskeys is arranged well. There is also a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Max wasn’t a fan of sweet foods, but decided to take a piece of cookie. “This is good.” he muttered to himself. Did Madam Linda make these? “H
Amber sighed in relief once most of her work is done. She carefully planned out this meal and made sure every flavor is perfect. Lunch time is almost near and she hurriedly went out of the house. His company isn't that far and just a good amount of walking distance. Amber plans to visit to give him his lunch. She prepared teriyaki glazed chicken, salad, sliced fruits and lemongrass tea to help aid his stomach's digestion. "I'm sorry miss. You need an appointment with Mr. Easton first. We can't let you in." the receptionist said. "B-But I need to deliver his lunch." Amber insisted. "Once again, please make an appointment with him first. He is available next week on Monday afternoon." "I'm not making an appointment. I'm his wife and I am sending him his lunch." "Wife?" the receptionist laughed. "Mr. Easton isn't married yet and you declared yourself as his wife? What a joke! Guards please escort her out!" Amber was disappointed. Max never announced his marriage to her, d
Gavin winced when Amber shouted. This caught the attention of the other shoppers and the security guard approached them. "Miss, is he bothering you?" he asked. "Yes! He is harassing me and touching me without my consent." Amber replied. "No, I wasn't! Tell him that you're lying Amber!" Gavin gripped her arm and she winced. "Do you know each other?" the guard asked. Before she could reply someone pulled Gavin's arm and punched him hard on the cheek. She gasped and turned around to see Max with a dark look in his cold eyes. "Keep your hands off her, Westley." Max said coldly. The other people were whispering to each other. Max Easton is known by everyone as the big shot in the business world. He is a certified genius and saved the family business from trouble. He built an empire and became the head of the Easton family the moment Rowen Easton retired. There are also rumors that he is secretly married to a beautiful woman. However, no one knew who his wife was until news c
Max ignored the growling sensation in his stomach and continued to focus on his work. He skipped breakfast this morning because of a meeting with the investors.Mark came in with a lunch bag on his hand. "Mr. Easton, your wife wants me to give this to you." Max glanced at the familiar bag then went back to work. Mark silently placed the bag on the couch and returned to his office. The stomach pains becomes too unbearable for Max to continue with his work. He hissed in pain and grabbed the bag. Hoping that Amber didn't cook him anything poisonous.He was surprised that the food is still warm despite being uneaten for an hour. The bento-style Chicken Teriyaki with rice and a potato salad seems to be handled with precise care. He can tell that this can even surpass an average home cook. He is very picky with food and will hate it if not seasoned properly. Let's see if Amber's cooking is good. He took a bite of the chicken and he couldn't stop devouring the food. He was sad that the f
Amber woke up in a daze and Linda noticed her waking up. "Breakfast is ready, Amber." Linda said. She looked around hoping to see someone. Linda understood and sighed. "Max already went to his office." "Did...did he come home last night? Has something happened to him since he came home late?" Amber asked. Linda's heart ached on seeing the worry on Amber's doll-like face. For a very beautiful and dutiful wife. How unlucky for her to marry Mr. Easton. "Don't worry about him, dear. He is working on a big project and he must work on it all the time." Linda reassured her. She'd rather not mention her husband's drunken state. It will hurt Amber's heart if she knows. "I should deliver his lunch. He needs a lot of food to energize himself." Amber stood up and dashed to the kitchen. "Max told me that he'll be having a lunch meeting. There is no need to stress yourself for his lunch." Linda stopped her. Amber nodded then joined Linda for breakfast. In the middle of her meal h
Someone gently knocked on the door and Amber turned around to see who it was. Linda came in with a smile and a box beautifully wrapped with a huge red ribbon. "Is that for me, Linda?" Amber curiously asked."Mr. Easton sent it over for you. There'll be a function party this evening and a lot of his business associates will be there. He wants you to go with him as his date." Linda said excitedly. Amber smiled and carefully opened the box. Gripping the sleeves of the dress she gasped at the beautiful onyx colored gown with black diamond crystals shimmering on the soft cloth. "It's beautiful, Linda!" Amber smiled with joy. To think that Max chose this beautiful dress for her. It will definitely attract a lot of people at the party. Brenda sighed in disbelief. If only Madam knew that she was the one who selected the dress, not Mr. Easton. This is for the sake of their marriage. She wanted to see Max happy and see Amber as a good and dutiful wife. Amber hummed happily as she baked c
The man grunted in pain and his hold on her loosened. His strong force pushed her away and she fell on the ground. The roughness of the floor scratching on to her palms and arms creating a small abrasion on her skin. She gasped when a familiar arm punched the man's face. It was Max. Her husband came to save her from the harasser. There was fire in his eyes and his teeth were gritting with anger. A small bruise formed his knuckles and Amber knew that she has to stop him. "How dare you touch her!" he growled and striked a heavy punch to the man's face which broke his nose and few pieces of teeth. "Max stop!" she held on to his arm and he finally calmed down. The pervert was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Some guests witnessed the scene. No one expected a cold, stone-like man such as Max could act this way. As if they've seen him in a different light. Mr. and Mrs. Tresse were also one of the witnesses. With Mrs. Tresse as Amber's newfound friend she had to check on Amber.