The young couple neared the fireplace, and there were already people gathered there, enjoying the warmth from the fire and laughing loudly, until "Nicholas Harrington." Nicholas heard a man call him, and he grimaced as he saw who it was.A balding old man with food in his mouth was the one who had called; he had been chewing loudly and had a chicken bit stuck in his mouth. "Hey Nicky boy." He hailed again, and Nicholas frowned. He had heard him the first time; there was no need to call him. And the worst thing was that he insisted on calling him by that dreadful nickname."It’s Nicholas." He told him bluntly, but the balding man waved him off, the barbecue sauce from his fingers flying around. Now that he noticed, there was a lady beside him, young enough to be his daughter. No doubt, this beautiful blond was his arm candy."Tomato, tomato. Nicholas and Nicky mean the same thing." The man replied before proceeding to lick his fingers clean of the chicken sauce. Nicholas released a si
"Nicholas?" Mary softly called to her husband, who had been engrossed in his talk. The men had dived into a session of critiquing their faulty government, and like all talks that had to do with condemning, their voices could be heard a mile away."Yes?" Nicholas turned his entire body to face his wife, his eyes watching her intently."I would like to follow her on a stroll." Mary gestured to Alice, who was adjusting her too-short dress. Nicholas took a look with an upward sweep at Alice; his eyes cast a judging gaze on her, and he shrugged."Sure, you can go ahead." Alice didn't seem threatening or look like a bad influence. Apart from the badly dyed hair that was already showing her brown roots, she was okay. And Mary does seem like she needed a female companion."Thank you." Mary politely replied, and she stood up."Care to join us on a stroll, ladies?" Alice asked the other girl sitting, but they both declined."I think I will wait this out." Tasha spoke, her arms tightly wrapped a
"Nothing much; just the men as usual, being loud and obnoxious." Tasha provided, taking a swig of her champagne, and they all laughed."Hey, are you also referring to me?" Noah teased, looking at his wife like she was the center of his world."Including you." Tasha confirmed, her lips tugging upwards in a grin, and again the group broke into laughter, while Noah leaned closer and gave his wife a sweet peck on her cheek, which got everyone swooning."Awww," Alice cooed, but her facial muscles were quite the opposite of her words. She wasn’t the biggest fan of PDA. In fact, she hated it because it reminded her of all the things she couldn’t have. PDA was just an opportunity for couples to show that they were in love, rubbing the fact on everyone’s faces, and it didn’t sit well with her.But she couldn’t complain. Her job sometimes required her to practice this very thing she hated, and she had no choice.Nicholas leaned toward Mary and whispered in her ears. "How was the stroll?" His wi
The items that Nicholas had ordered had been delivered, and he busied himself trying to arrange them before Mary woke up. He had also ordered a new bag and was currently folding the new items into it. If he had his way, he would have thrown away her former bag, along with all the clothes in it. But he let it go, wanting to give her the choice.Nicholas had laid up some of the new clothing he had gotten for her on the bed next to where she was sleeping. He looked at his wrist; the Apple Watch Ultra had the short hand at 10 and the long one at 8. He looked at Mary, a little worried. She had to wake up on time to enjoy all that he had planned for the day.The telephone rang shortly, and he hurried to pick it up before it would wake up his wife. Nicholas answered the phone, replying in rushed tones. But it was still loud enough to wake Mary up from her deep slumber, and she stirred on the bed."Nicholas?" Mary turned to face him, squinting her eyes as they failed to focus on the princely
Mary followed suit, and they went inside. This time around, they went to have a proper bath. Mary went in first, wrapping the towel around her frame as she went into the bathroom."May I join in?" She heard Nicholas ask her, and she froze like a deer caught in a trap, her eyes widening with each millisecond."Uhmm.." Mary contemplated, the idea twirling in her head. She then remembered all that sister Martha had told her about being submissive to her husband, and she nodded demurely.Nicholas took one look at her, and that was all he needed to do before he burst into laughter. "Oh god, you are so easy to amuse. I was joking, okay? You can go and take your bath; I will take one after you."Mary heaved a deep sigh of relief, happy to know that he wasn't going to carry out his threat, and she hurried into the bathroom, taking a quick bath in case he changed his mind.Nicholas followed suit after having his bath, and he came out wearing only a pair of shorts. He laid on the bed and tapped
The honeymoon was over, and the couples were out of the hotel the next morning as soon as the sun rose. The staff had helped transport all their luggage to the boat that had set sail for the onshore reception.Mary looked back at the suite longingly. She would miss all the times she had spent here on the island, but it was time to face the real world.Mary looked up at Nicholas, his firm hand gently leading her down to where the car was packed. His strong jaw was set in place, and his eyes were hardened as they marched down."Like what you see?" Nicholas teased her, and she flushed, quickly looking down."Yea." Mary whispered so low that no one could hear her. The private jet was already in place, and when it opened, the air hostess that had welcomed them the last time came to them."How was the honeymoon, Mr. Harrington?" She asked cheerfully, but no matter how she tried, Nicholas could still hear the grudge in her voice."It was beyond wonderful; we had a swell time, right, baby?" N
Mary stood in the foyer for a while after Nicholas had left for his room. The harsh reality that this was going to be her new life slowly dawned on her, but she was having a hard time believing that this was the same Nicholas who was doting on her during her stay on the island.He must be tired and hungry. Mary tried to justify his action, or maybe she was just the one who was reading meaning into it.She took in an empty living room, a little too dull for her liking. She had grown up surrounded by people, and there was hardly any time there was peace and quiet, so it was a bit startling.Mary's eyes flitted around the room, taking note of every single detail, her mind making comparisons with the convent. The flat screen took up a sizable portion of the wall, and looking around, there was artwork arranged strategically.Mary skidded to the first artwork, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She stood in front of it, her fingers reaching for it, but she stopped herself on time.She had
Mary picked herself back up after exhausting the supply of her tear duct. She had cried and cried until she had no strength to do so again, and now she was tired of crying. Crying won’t bring him back.She picked herself up, dragging her weary self to the kitchen to get some of the food she had cooked earlier. If she was going to wait for her husband, it is better to do so with a full belly, and that is what she intended to do.Mary reached for one of the pretty china dishes and piled a sizable portion of mac and cheese onto her plate. Feeling bold, she stole the bottle of wine that had been sitting on the countertop, courtesy of her husband and his friend. The bottle was still a quarter full, and it wouldn't be bad if she had just a sip.Mary loaded everything onto a tray and padded to the living room, carefully sitting on the sofa. She took the first bite of it and was almost moaning. The Mac and cheese was beyond delicious. Cooking was a compulsory skill in the convent, and from th