In a large sitting room, three people stood with a grim expressions on their faces. A middle-aged man was fuming with rage while his wife held him, whispering into his ears to calm him down. The man slightly pushed her away from him as he stared coldly at the young lady in front of him.
"Madeline, this has to happen. You have to understand that we can't do anything right now. You just have to make this little sacrifice for our family," The man's deep voice reverberated in the sitting room as he tried to calm himself."Look, dad, I can't do this, I really can't. This sacrifice is too huge. Call me wicked or selfish but this might cost me my whole life. All my life, I've been doing the things I don't want to all in the name of saving you guys, but this time, I just can't," Madeline, replied."So you want our family to crumble? If you don't do this, our family, our businesses, our position, our title, everything will crumble and our reputation would be tarnished," the man yelled."No, I'm not saying that. Isn't Anny supposed to be doing this? Then why me?" She asked."Anny can't do it. She threatened to kill herself and she also ran away from home and we couldn't find her.""I don't believe Anny is nowhere to be found. Why don't you ask her where she has taken her daughter to?" Madeline spat, pointing at the woman beside her father."D...don't drag me into this. I don't know why it's hard for you to think about your family. It's just getting married, no one is asking you to kill someone," the woman said."It's just getting married, but you hid your daughter," Madeline argued as her chest rose and fell as she tried to control her anger. That brat, Anny. Just when it was time for her to help the family for once in her entire life, she ran away. Her father's company was crumbling. It has been going up and down for years before it finally went so down that the rival company threatened to take it. They wrote a letter to her dad that to leave his company and help it grow, he would have to trade his eldest daughter.Anny was the eldest. She was older than her by just two months and was to get married the next two days but that girl threatened to kill herself and ran away from home so she won't get married to the ruthless son of the Johan family and so she left the burden to her. Now, her dad was persuading her to take her sister's place and get married to the son of the Johan family whom no one would want their daughter to get married to. How much Madeline hates Anny for this.No, she wasn't going to agree to her father's request. Not in this life and not in the next to come. She wasn't always going to sacrifice for her family and her stepsister. It has to stop. Anny would be the one to get married to that man and not her. After all, they didn't ask for the youngest, they asked for the oldest. She wasn't going to continue taking her Anny's place forever. She used to take her place and help her write exams. She used to take her place and help her lie on her bed so no one would know she went out, but not anymore. She wasn't going to help her sister get married too. And it's not only about taking her sister's place, she just doesn't want to get married to the man in question."Don't you dare speak to her that way, Madeline Crayon? She's my wife," her father roared, calling her by her full name."Honey calm down. Your blood pressure would shoot up if you don't. Hmm," the woman said walking to him and patting his back in an attempt to calm him down and Maddie only scoffed at her."Madeline, just do as your father ask you to. Can't you see his condition? Don't get him more stressed out.""I might do that if I was supposed to get married in the first place, but I can't and I won't take Anny's place. Not again, this has to stop," Madeline raised her voice."What has to stop?" Mr. Crayon asked."Me always taking Anny's place.""You two are sisters and it's only right you help each other and take places for each other.""And when has she ever taken my place? She has never taken my place or helped me with anything," Madeline said."I don't care what you say. You have to take Anny's place and get married to the son of the Johan family in two days. Get it?" Mr. Crayon asked."I'm also going to kill myself. I'm going to slit my wrist in a way that I won't survive. Just you watch.""I'm not going to let you do that. You are going to do as I ask, Madeline.""Right! So you're going to make me take her place again. You're going to trade me for your benefits," Madeline said with little droplets of tears falling from her eyes."I don't care. That's your problem.""Just like you didn't care when you killed mum," Madeline yelled loudly, and everywhere grew silent for a minute and only heavy breath could be heard."Yes, do you want to deny it? Do you? I saw it that day. I saw how you murdered my mum in cold blood."She had seen him that day. This evil man killed her poor mother. He murdered her. She knew it all. She knew everything that happened. Her mother had found out about him having a daughter outside of marriage and when she confronted him, they got into a heated argument and he pushed her down the stairs. She watched her mother's body fall down the stairs through the little hole in her room's door. A five year old her, saw everything."Aggie, Wolf," Mr. Crayon called and two able-bodied men showed up. "Lock this girl in her room, make sure she doesn't escape, remove every sharp object, and take her phone," he ordered."Dad you can't do this," Madeline said as the men started dragging her to the stairs."Dad, dad, dadddd," she called but it all fell on deaf ears.The door of Madeline's room burst open and the two able-bodied men pushed her inside. She immediately turned to face them and stared at them with pleading eyes. "Aggie, wolf," she called with a desperate voice with both her palms clenched together in front of her face. "I'm your friend, right? I always treated you too well. Please let me leave. I promise I would always be grateful. Please.""I'm sorry miss, we can't do that. We can't go against your father's orders," Aggie answered with his head down. He would have loved to help her, but that might cost him his life. He possibly can't go against his master's order. Madeline has always been nice to them, unlike her sister. She would always help and keep them company. It's a shame they can't help her when she needs help. "You guys don't understand. Please I'm begging, let me leave. Father wants to get me married to the son of the Johan family. You've heard the rumors about him, right? I don't want to get married to him. Please try and
All her life, she had sworn not to get married because of the kind of relationship her dad and mum had. She didn't want to end up like her mum and so she swore not to married. But she had thought that if she ever gets married, like in her daydreams, it would be in a very beautiful way. Wearing a long white wedding dress, in a beautiful and decorated place. Her groom would wait for her to come on the alter and she would come holding her flower and with a train of her friends behind her. Now she knew the saying was right, the saying that life is not always a bed of roses and that life does not always go as we expected. Now, she was going to get married and it wasn't going to take place on the alter or in a finely decorated place. They would only sign a few papers and that was it. This wasn't her dream. If and only if dreams come true. How she has been fooled by Anny and her mother. They hid Anny away so she wouldn't get married to the beast. Anny shouldn't have done this. At least she c
"Dad, dad," Madeline screamed at the retreating car. How can a father do this to his own daughter? Marrying her out without her wish and now leaving her to the mysterious man. No, she wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry because of her father anymore. She'll try and be happy. He left her, he always does. He abandoned her just like he did to her mum and this time, she wasn't going to forgive him. Yes, she had managed to stay with him for the whole 24 years of her life. She has managed to stay with the murderer of her mother. She had let it go but not anymore. She was going to stay strong and fight this battle with her hands. Madeline turned to her back and her eyes met with a pair of blue eyes. They were staring back at her without any expression. She raised her head and straightened her face. She wasn't going to show any form of weakness to this mysterious man. Why isn't he saying anything? He was just staring at her with his hands folded under his chest. "Get into the car,"
"And you, where do you think you're taking her to?" She looked at kate. "M-master asked me to show her to her bedroom,""What bedro..." "Claire!" A deep voice called sending shivers down their body. "Stop it. From today you shall call her sister-in-law, understood? I'll come to look at your drawing later. Now, go to your bedroom," he ordered before walking away. "Sister-in-law my ass. She's not even beautiful. Hmph!" She said and abruptly turned and walked away. Madeline stood still with her mouth agape. Did a little girl just call her shameless and a mistress? Goodness! Why was she finding all of this funny? Her whole life was funny. She has been facing all sorts of disrespect for the past week and the most painful part was the part of this little girl. Strange how much the maids were scared of her. She saw how Kate stuttered and shivered when she was answering her question. A little girl yield that much brattiness. Seems like someone needs to teach the spoiled girl some manners.
Elias stared coldly at her, how dare she take his mask off and she wasn't feeling remorseful about it. The only people he let see his full face were his family. His dad and his sister, then a few of his workers. No one else has ever seen his complete face ever since he took over his dad's company. And now, a stranger whom he only met today dares to take off his mask and looked at his face. He honestly felt like strangling her to death right now, but he wouldn't do that. If he makes any mistake now, it would ruin the whole of his plans and that would be so bad for him."Can't you hear me? I asked you a question," he heard her ask and his anger rose to the brim. He stretched his hand to the back of her head and clenched part of her hair in his hand, bringing her head closer to him, causing her to flinch in pain. "Don't you ever dare speak to me that way, understood?" He asked releasing her hair from his hold. "This is my room and you have no right to ask me why I'm here.""Y..you mean,
~At Claire's Room~Claire was lying on her bed and dialing a number on her phone and she put it close to her ears. "Come on, pick up your phone Lisa, damn it," she muttered as she sat up on the bed. The phone went through for some seconds before it went off, indicating that the person on the other line, failed to pick up the call. She dialed the number again, put it on speaker, and placed it on the bed. The phone ranged three times before the person on the other line answered."Claire... What the hell? Why are you disturbing me at this time of the night? *Yawn* I was actually having a good night's rest," the person on the other line said."Shut up, Lisa. Everything is a mess here and you're busy sleeping like a log while I'm trying to fix things," Claire scolded. "What's the mess that's making you call me at this time umm? You know how much I fancy my beauty sleep right?" "You just keep quiet before I get angry at you and say something wrong," Claire warned angrily, and Lisa gasp at
Madeline walked downstairs, heading towards the main door in hurry but she halted when she found Elias seated on the couch. She thought he had left the mansion and gone to his company or wherever he works. "Where do you think you're going?" She heard him ask."I thought you already left.""That's not what I asked. Was it?""I...I'm leaving for work. I'm late," Madeline answered. "I was never informed that you work. I thought only your sister works in your father's company. Tell me, where do you work?" He asked in confusion and Madeline narrowed her eyes. He wants to know everything about her which she doesn't feel like telling him."You don't have to care about where I work just like I don't care where you work. We should learn to respect each other's privacy." Elias stood up and walked closer to her. He bent until he was the same height as her and whispered coldly into her ears. "Only I am allowed to have privacy in this mansion. Nothing is private here. Now, tell me where you work
Madeline sighed as she fiercely swerved around to face him. What the hell? How did he know she was going to go out, that he had to lock the door? Wait! It wasn't locked from the inside, it was locked from the outside, which means..."What is this? How did the door got locked from the outside?""I told you before, right? Only my orders work here and no one else. If I ask anyone to dance, they will, and if I ask them to jump into the sea, they will. I believe you've gotten why it's locked from the outside. If you still don't get it, then forget it," Elias said and Madeline could only stare at him with hateful eyes. "Now, go into the room and come down to have breakfast whenever you feel like it. Everything you want would be given to you. So there's no use owning a little restaurant. Get it?" he asked and walked out of the mansion not forgetting to lock the door behind him. Madeline dropped her bag on the floor and looked up in defeat. She felt her tears flow freely from her eyes as she