Hailey turned the sauce on the pan and whistled gently as she turned around the kitchen, buying herself other things while it cooked. After a minute, she looked at her wristwatch in contemplation. It was 5 pm already and Nathan should be home soon enough. She couldn't help looking out of the kitchen window to check if he was at the door yet but there was no one there so she returned to what she was doing.After some time, she was done in the kitchen and walked to the living room to sit down and wait for him. But she seemed rather impatient as she soon picked up her phone from the table and instead, dialed his number. It only rang once before it was answered and the man's familiar voice sounded from the phone. "Wifey," he called out cheekily making her break into smiles immediately. She leaned back on the sofa and adjusted the hand holding the phone before replying, "If you're not home in the next thirty minutes, I'm afraid your wife will be seduced away by another man."Nolan's lau
Sunlight filtered into the room, its early rays stirring one of the occupants. Hailey, still with her eyes shut, rolled over to her side and snuggled deeper with her pillow. She had been dreaming of her days back in Westbrook, the time before her life changed overnight. Living in Westbrook had been a hellish experience, and she was grateful that she had left that life behind. The foster parents she had back then, Mr. and Mrs. Bale, couldn't afford a bed as comfortable as the one she was currently lying on. She stretched her arms and legs out like a starfish, and in an unexpected turn of events, her foot brushed against cool flesh. Her palm felt warmth and the steady source of hot air nearby. Suddenly, Hailey's eyes shot open, and to her astonishment, she found herself lying side by side with a man in a bed that looked nothing like the one she had at the Lincoln Villa. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to recall how she had ended up in bed with this man, and not just any man—
Hailey stood in front of the Golden Luxury Hotel, waiting for a cab. Somehow, her phone had disappeared into thin air. Minutes after her disgrace, the hotel manager had approached, ordering her to leave the premises. Luckily, the room had already been paid for, but he refused to disclose the identity of the anonymous benefactor. Security was called to escort her out, and the haughty glares from other patrons revealed that she was already trending on the web. All her life, Hailey had believed that she was unloved and had no place in the world. In the blink of an eye, her small world had transformed into a fairy tale. A letter had been delivered to Mr. and Mrs. Bale, and she was presented before her biological father, Bernard Lincoln, a business emperor. She had been the product of a love affair between him and the daughter of a miller. Olivia, distraught and alone, had abandoned her baby at the doors of a Catholic orphanage before taking her own life. Bernard had recently discovered hi
Hailey's eyes blinked open to the irritating sound of a bell tolling in the distance. The catholic church's bell tower was chiming, calling its faithful to morning mass even though it was barely seven in the morning. For Hailey, that noisy bell was her wake-up call, signaling the start of a new day filled with chores. However, this time, she woke up in confusion. The Lincoln Villa, with its high ceilings and enchanting chandeliers in every room, was a far cry from her previous living conditions. As she sat up and scratched her arm, sensitive from bedbug bites, she couldn't help but question her reality. "Am I not dead?" she wondered. The room she found herself in was dark yet familiar, and the musky odor of wet shoes filled the air. Without thinking, she reached behind an outdated calendar to find the light switch and flicked it on. Realizing her mistake, she immediately turned it off again, withdrawing her hand. "How did I know the switch was there?" she pondered. Slowly, she reac
The journey from her home to the Lincolns took no less than two hours. When the Rolls Royce entered the grand Lincoln mansion and pulled up in the garage, the old butler stepped out of the car first. He stood arrogantly at the top of the porch and ordered, "You can come out." Hailey looked at the man who was putting on airs around her. He had been like that in her past life too, but she had always endured it to avoid troubling her parents. However, she never imagined that in the hearts of her parents, whom she regarded as everything, she wasn't even on the same level as a servant. Hailey took a gentle breath. She needed to stay calm. It wasn't the time to lose her temper. She walked behind the butler as he strode haughtily, behaving as though he were the owner of the house. Hailey's lips curved into a smirk when she saw this, and she didn't bother to pick up her luggage that he had left on the ground. If she wanted to improve things from the past, she had to start by not allowing m
Hailey was unable to tell how long it had been since she was forcefully abducted by the Lincolns. There was no clock in the room where Hailey was locked, and her hands and legs were restrained, preventing her from getting up or pulling open the window blinds. Just then, the door sprang open, and a figure walked in. The lights were switched on, revealing Cassidy holding a tray of incense. Hailey simply glanced at her and looked away. She was in no mood to deal with Cassidy's pretentious attitude. But Cassidy would never let her be. "Sister," she called out sweetly as she placed the tray on the bedside table. "Are you okay?" "You know you wouldn't be tied up like this if you simply accepted the marriage," Cassidy added, her gracious smile plastered on her face. Hailey snorted in reply, "If you're not here to help me escape, you can get out." "Sister," Cassidy gasped. "Are you mad at me?" Hailey watched her silently, refusing to enga
The man in the wheelchair remained silent, gliding quietly until his knees bumped against the bed where Hailey was lying. Hailey bit her lower lip, suppressing the urge to scream for help, and strained her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The thin veil obstructed her vision, but she tried to relax as the figure sat rigidly. Suddenly, a cold hand touched her legs, encircling her ankle. She flinched and attempted to kick against the tight grip. "Be still. You're awake," he said gently, though his tone carried a hint of uncertainty. He rolled his wheelchair backward, searching for the light switch. Locating it, he flipped it on without warning. Hailey squinted reflexively, testing the restraints on her wrists. She could now clearly see the face of the stranger—the sharp angle of his chin and his piercing steel-blue eyes. The light from the elegant chandelier cast a heroic glow upon him. Slowly, he moved toward the head of the bed and removed the gauzy head covering, allowing her to take a
Hailey looked at the man silently. His eyes were light blue, and when her gaze met his, she felt her soul sucked in by the intensity of it. It was like a whirlpool pulling her in, leaving her in a daze. Hailey found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "I have died before. And I was reborn." The words escaped her lips quickly, and she raised a palm to her mouth in shock as she realized what she had just revealed. Nolan fell silent, tapping his fingers on the wooden frame of the bed. Hailey immediately regretted telling him and was about to take it back when the door was suddenly pushed open by another stranger. "You should b—Master Nolan!" the bald butler exclaimed, not noticing Nolan's presence in time. "You are not supposed to be in here." The friendliness in the young man's countenance disappeared, replaced by a cold haze. "Last time I checked, I am the firstborn son of the Rothschild family, and nothing is limited or beyond my reach. You cannot tell me where