"... I am sure when we spoke on the phone, this purpose wasn't suggested. You did not say wanted to meet me to end the marriage, therefore I did not say I will be here to help in doing that." "Then why did you come?" She asked calmly. "What reason should a man have to see his fiance, Adele? I am here to see you... to get to know you more." He loved her more than anything else in his life, he desired her and he got her, but circumstances and responsibilities did not let him keep her long. As the days went by, they only grew apart. A pregnancy was lost as well. What will he do to keep his family together especially when his darling wife decides to leave the house and requests for a divorce? Will he keep staring at the divorce papers every day and not sign them? Or will he sign and finally set her free? Read to find out if the billionaire finally brings his family together again and how...
CHAPTER ONE
Adele heaved out a heavy sigh as she stepped out of her black Audi and gazed up at the villa standing tall before her. That was the residence of the Dominic's, who happened to be the wealthiest family in the nation. They owned the largest business conglomerate in the country named Dominick Co.
Adele had been adopted by the mother of the man, Mr. Michael Dominick, who owned this company when she was five years old and she was raised by that woman even though in a different country. It was until when she had her college degree that her adoptive mother forced her to come and live in the family residence, which she did not want to because she knew she wasn't welcomed there. However, she did not want to disappoint the old woman, so she decided to come and live in the family residence, making sure to mind her business.
"Good evening to you, Brand" She greeted with a cheerful smile as she playfully threw her car keys to the parking valet and made her way into the luxurious living room.
It was almost dinner time, so she was not surprised to see servants in their uniforms, walking helter-skelter around, trying to organise places, especially the mighty dining because dinner at that household everyday looked like a banquet.
They were rich people and they did not fail to flaunt their wealth everywhere they went or in everything they did, even at dinner.
"Good evening to you, Kain" She greeted the butler who approached her to take the thick winter coat she had on. The freezing weather left her no choice but to always have it on, especially as she was cold intolerant.
"Good evening Miss MacKenzie, I will take your coat" The butler replied with a smile and without resisting, Adele quietly took off her winter coat and handed it over to the butler who quietly nodded his head and walked away. The aroma of the food coming from the kitchen made her intestines grumble, but a sudden wave of sadness overcame her when she thought back to the fact that she would be eating dinner with the entire family that seemed to despise her.
When she had been adopted by the old woman eighteen years ago, there was a big fight in the house. The wife of the old lady's son, Mrs. Aliya Dominick, was very angry and up till date, that woman still despised her and even her daughter, Shannelle, had joined her mother in the hating game.
"Adele!" She heard a familiar voice call as she was ascending the staircase leading to her princess room upstairs. She turned around and a wide smile formed on her face when she saw grandma Devon standing in the living room. She immediately swivelled around and descended the staircase to go and greet her properly.
That woman was the most important person in her entire life and she loved and respected her very much.
"Good evening grandma" She greeted as she hugged her grandma.
"How was your day at work?" Grandma Devon asked concerned and Adele playfully rolled her eyes as she scoffed.
"Terrible grandma, terrible. I just want to go upstairs and have a shower so I can calm my nerves." She spoke eloquently with her rich British accent.
"Yes, you should do just that. And I want to let you know that after dinner, there will be a family meeting in my private library, I have a very important piece of information to pass on to you all"
"As in, all of us? Including me?" Adele asked, disturbed.
"Especially to you" She stressed and walked away and the mischievous smile on her face did not go unnoticed by Adele.
She could feel that grandma Devon was up to something and she knew what she was about to announce, "especially to her '' was going to take her off guard.
She went into deep thought as she lifelessly ascended the staircase and when she got into her bedroom, she threw herself on the bed with her arms and legs spread wide on it.
"Grandma, what are you up to this time around?" She asked rhetorically as she tried to figure out what the announcement would be about.
Grandma Devon was a very ambitious woman who was more than capable of getting anyone to do anything she wanted.
When Adele turned ten years old, she sent her out of the country to live with her sister in England and study and the moment she had her college degree, grandma found her a job back there in the country and called her to come back home. The night of her return, there was a heated argument in the house between grandma and the wife of her son, Aliya, about Adele's stay, but Aliya stood no chance against the influential women, so she stayed.
Ever since she got to the house, Aliya and her daughter, Shannelle have not failed to make her feel unwelcome. She has begged grandma time and again to let her go stay with somewhere else, but grandma turned a deaf ear to her pleas over and over again, so she stopped asking.
She could only pray and hope that whatever announcement she was about to make would not be something that will make her life take a drastic turn.
**********************************************
After dinner, which was silent as usual, Adele went straight into her bedroom to put on another sweater. The house had a sophisticated heating system, but her cold intolerance made her feel like there was no heating system in the house. If they had to adjust the temperature of the thermostat to her taste, then everyone else was going to die of heat, so she always made sure to double sweaters to keep herself warm.
Once she wore the sweater, she exited her bedroom and descended the flight of stairs that led to the third and second floor which happened to be grandma's chambers. The villa they lived in had six storeys. The first floor had the largest living room, kitchen, dining and other rooms. The second floor was Grandma Devon's chambers, the third floor was for Mr and Mrs. Dominick, the fourth floor was for the children (Adele, Shannelle and Jamal) , the fifth and the sixth floor were for guests.
When she arrived at Grandma Devon's private study, he let out an enormous sigh before stretching her hand forward to knock.
When she did and the reply came, she softly creaked open the door and froze on her tracks when she saw the numerous pairs of eyes staring at her.
Everyone else was already present, and it looked like they were all waiting for her.
"I'm sorry I'm late" She apologised as she closed the door behind her.
"You dare keep your elders waiting, how mannerless!" Aliya grumbled.
"Aliya leave her be, it's not like you have been here for long. Take a seat dear" Grandma Devon defended her and she quietly nodded her head as she scanned around the room for an empty seat, but to her greatest dismay, there was none, the only empty seat was space beside Jamal and that was the last person she wanted to seat close to.
Jamal hardly spoke to anyone at home, not to talk of her. He was the first son of the household and he was the future CEO of his father's conglomerate. Ever since she got back home from England, he had spoken just once to her and what he had said was:
"Welcome home"
That was one year ago and since then she and Jamal had never said anything to each other. They hardly even ever saw each other. She had no idea whether he hated her like his mother and sister did, but... even if that was the case, it would not be strange because Jamal didn't seem to like anybody. Not even his own mother and father.
"Go on, take the seat beside Jamal" Grandma Devon urged when she sensed Adele's hesitation. Adele quietly walked over to the couch and lifelessly lowered herself beside Jamal, making sure to leave ample space between them. To say that the man intimidated her was an understatement.
She feared the man!
"Good evening once more" Grandma greeted as she looked at them. "I know this meeting was called on a very short notice, I apologise for that. However, it was urgent that I called this meeting, that is why you all are seating her."
"Will you just go straight to the point?" Aliya asked in a bored tone.
"Will you not talk to my mother like that?" Mr. Dominick intervened, shooting his wife a contemptuous scowl that caused her to shut her mouth and stay quiet.
Grandma dismissed her rude comment and rode on.
"I have called you all today to make a special announcement which involves Jamal and Adele" Grandma explained, looking from Jamal to Adele and she could see the uncertainty on Adele's face. She smiled in satisfaction as she sat upright on her chair.
"And what is that announcement, mum?" Mr. Dominick inquired, causing grandma to smile even wider.
"Adele and Jamal are going to get married!" She announced in a firm tone and the moment her words stroked Adele's eardrums, she choked on her saliva.
Adele coughed hard as she struggled to breath and Jamal patiently rubbed her back to calm her down.
When she was calm again, she looked up at Grandma with a baffled expression plastered on her face.
"What?" She asked afraid and grandma just smiled. At that moment, she was hyperventilating and her heart was beating at an increasingly fast pace. She feared that it would hop out of her chest. She was so startled at the news that her ears began to itch and her body suddenly grew hot. She had on two sweaters and her body temperature elevated so much that she began suffocating in the sweaters.
She hastily took off her sweaters as she began fanning herself with her hands.
Everything seemed so hot and uncomfortable at the moment.
"I object to this marriage arrangement! My son is not going to marry someone he does not love, he is not going to marry an adopted lowlife!" Aliya retorted in anger as she casted a furious glance at Grandma. "Dominick!" She called as she averted her gaze to her husband. "Don't just sit there, tell this woman that plan of hers is not going to work!" She fumed in anger but Mr. Dominick did not move an inch from his spot or utter a single word.
"Aliya, will you stop embarrassing yourself and stay calm?" Grandma asked in a bored tone.
"Grandma, what is going on? Jamal and I can't get married, we hardly even know each other. I don't love him and I'm sure he doesn't love me too!" Adele objected and that got Jamal's attention.
He looked at Adele who had a terrified look on her face and clenched his fists.
"Jamal, please tell grandma this is impossible" Adele pleaded as she looked at Jamal. She wondered why had not said a word till that moment. She knew in her mind that Jamal did not want to marry her either so she wondered why he had not said a word or walked out like he always did when he disagreed on something.
"Adele, I know this is sudden, but this is my last wish. Please, marry him." Grandma pleaded.
"But grandma, Jamal ..."
"This is preposterous! They are practically siblings!" Aliya shouted again.
"Siblings? Aliya you have never treated this child like a daughter, how can you open your mouth and declare such foolishness?"
"But she was raised in this house, she is..."
"Jamal" Grandma cut her off and turned to face Jamal who had his gaze plastered on the floor. "Are you okay with this arrangement?" Grandma asked Jamal and the entire room fell in dead silence as they all turned to look at Jamal who had not uttered a single word the entire time.
He had on an indifferent look and no one could tell if he was happy or disappointed about the arrangement.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." He whispered as he averted his gaze from the floor to them. "If it's grandma's wish that I marry Adele, then I will honour it. Let me know when the wedding date is set." He said as rose from the chair and stood straight tall before all of them. "Since the announcement has been made, I will retire to my bedroom now. I have some work to round off with" Then he majestically walked out of the study room, leaving everyone thunderstruck.
Adele kept looking at the door he just exited with her eyes and mouth wide open.
Never in her life had she imagined that something like this was going to happen to her!
"... Reign Callan, I, Alpha Hardin Alonso, reject you as my mate and future Luna. You are free to go out there and find Love and protection in another man’s arms for you will never find it in mine...” Reign's world came crashing down on her when her mate threw those words at her. she had been waiting for the day she would meet her mate, but the day came and it turned out to be in total chaos. As if that was not enough, she was accused of murdering her sister the following day. Her mate took pleasure in having her tortured. Will the truth about her sister's death be revealed? will Alpha Hardin learn to love and accept Reign as his true mate?
A Highschool reunion party leads to a one night stand between Ace, the wealthiest Bachelor in the country and Luna(daughter of a wealthy business tycoon). It doesn't end there, she gets pregnant and when Ace finds out he doesn't hesitate to take responsibility for his actions and that strains his relationship with his fiance(Sophia). He tries to mange the two but it doesn't take long for him to realize that he's not only getting too attached to Luna and his unborn child but he is falling in love with them. Luna's ex- boyfriend(Seven) vows to get together with Luna again despite the fact that she's pregnant with another man's child not for genuine love but because in the past Ace always snatched his girls, he doesn't want to loose another girl to Ace. Asher, Luna's friend is madly in love with her and has sworn to only give up on her when he sees her walking down the isle to another man. How does this romantic entanglement unfold?
Traversing back to the ancient Prime Martial World from modern age, Austin finds himself in a younger body as he wakes up. Yet, the young man he possesses was a miserable dimwit, what a bummer! But it doesn’t matter as his mind is sound and clear. Possessing this younger and stronger body, he will fight his way to become the God of martial arts, and rule the whole Martial World!
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Scarlett was left betrayed and broken beyond repair when her best friend Megan set her up with the male escort who stole her virginity...Or at least, that's what she thought he was. There was something odd about the strong and strikingly beautiful man that she spent a night with. Despite the pure hatred she felt for him, the deals he ended up offering wasn't one she could refuse. Scarlett always thought she'd marry her soulmate but turns out, that won't be the case for her. But could her mysterious husband make his way through her broken heart and fix it? It's hard to imagine but love has funny ways to manifest in places where it's least expected....
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"