NEW EDITED VERSON OF THE REPLACEMENT "Strip..." I looked at him, not believing what he just said. "I said strip." His voice held authority not to ignore his order. I started discarding my clothes one by one, shivering in fear. His gaze pierces my skin from head to toe, while disgust was loud and clear on his face. "You don't interest me anymore. Get out."
AZAR'S POV
It was a long drive that ended at a mansion, much like the estate of Grandpa who we address as Grandfather all. He does command it with his title and his stature.
As soon as the car came to a halt, I hopped out and opened the door for Grandfather.
Suddenly I felt someone's gaze. My eyes searched and stopped at a place. I looked up and notice a beautiful girl looking at us.
'Beautiful, and that too, a girl?" My mind tripped over the jokes in my head. However, my eyes stayed stuck on her.
As soon as our eyes met, she hid behind a wall.
I smirked at her childishness. Shaking my head, we walked towards the main door before we rang the bell; Grand pa, my grandfather's best friend, welcomed us with his son- and daughter-in-law.
They welcomed us and Grandfather with a warm embrace.
We all sat in the living room as the conversations began to flow. While the atmosphere was light, I was torn trying to find a way out of this alliance without hurting anyone's emotions. I could see my grandfather was emotionally invested in this relationship. Hence, I tread cautiously.
My chain of thought broke when I heard someone with a lyrical voice saying Hello. I was both drawn and excited by that greeting. The greeting somehow brought about a sense of calm. Maybe it was because of the lack of a guiding female figure in my life. The only one I could count on was my Aunt Nina. (I was a little perplexed as the thought propped up. Counting on Grandfather and the nanny)
As my eyes drew towards the sound, I notice the same beautiful girl who hid herself not too long ago. To my surprise, she ran towards Grandfather and gave him a tight squeeze. She started blabbering with Grandfather, and he chuckled at her and with her. The warmth she showed towards Grandfather and the Child-like excitement in her had a bit of an irritating effect on me. I had to remain cordial and restrained myself from doing anything untoward. Meanwhile, I noticed that she was very close to Grandfather, and did care about him a lot and not only him, but she knew Aunt Nina (nanny) as well.
As far as I know my grandfather is not the person whole; mingles with world. He is staying far so he can live his life peacefully without any people's drama. But I can see this girl seems close to them. Her statement is clear indication she is close to even my granny too.
I could sense that she was good at heart. 'Have you ever known a woman was good? Have You? Have You?' My mind mocked me. What was the reason she was nice to Grandfather? What does she want? What has she set her eyes on?
Oh, yes, how could I forget? She knows why we are here. She wants Sanya to get married to me. By now, Grandfather had already spoken about Sanya, who I was to wed to keep the lineage going and bind the houses together, stronger than ever.
'Well, Princess, that is not going to happen.' With that thought, I chuckled.
But there was this one thing I couldn't deny. She had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen in my life. And those dimples were to die for.
Of course, not me, but any other guy would surely die. Would I though? Of course not. But?
'Huh, this is so irritating. Why am I even thinking about her like that?' I clutch my phone tightly in my hand as my jaw clenched in frustration.
When I was lost in my thoughts, I heard her mom ask Ara to call Sanya, which I assumed was the girl we were here to meet.
So, she is Ara, and the other girl's name is Sanya.
After some time, both girls came. Ara sat on the sofa near Grandfather, and Sanya greeted him warmly.
During their conversation, I observed this girl is extremely practical, like no strings attached type. And so far, I had never, and I mean never, ever been wrong in my observation. However, I would want to know a little more about her before I drew a conclusion. So, I decided to wait and watch.
My chain of thought broke when Ara asked me a few questions, which I hesitantly replied with the minimum possible words I could use, but I guess she had gotten what she wanted to know out of me.
She gave me a smile as she turned away to talk to the others present.
Sanya's Mom asked her to go outside to talk, so we could get further acquainted with each other. Now this I was really up for. I wanted to know who she really was without the mask of warmth and kindness she had on. It was a nice day. The Sun peeked through the clouds as we walked towards the lawns of this impressive manor which seemed to be falling apart at its seams.
We sat on the chair. The green blades of grass and the warm sun calmed my nerves and brought a small smile to my face. Is this not perfect? Apart from the company, of course.
Then I heard Sanya's voice asking me my thoughts about the marriage, but I wanted to know hers. Hence, I gave her a look like I didn't have an answer.
Girl, you want to play, then let us play.
So, she started talking about her thoughts, which I was keen to know.
Once she was done, I confirmed my previous reading about her that she was a self-centred person who was only focused on luxury in her life. She did not have a care about anyone's feelings or wellbeing. She wanted the best of everything and did not pay heed to how and where it came from. But what she needs to know is that each title comes with their own set of responsibilities, which I could see she could never fulfil.
"Don't do something you will regret later, baby doll." His breath was fanning against my neck. As if some electricity run down to my spine, I shudder to his touch. But he did not touch me all. "I have reggaretted way to much due to my stupidity. Now I want to think wisely." Contolling my running heartbeat I spoke without cracking my voice. "Fair enough then. I will be waiting for your wise and right decision." Saying he detached his body as he look into my eyes. The eyes held warmth for me has something else which I can't pinpoint. Why am I getting feeling something is terribly off?
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. Still, Sylvia never lost hope. As the future lycan king of all werewolves, Rufus Duncan possessed great power and status, but he had an inexplicable reputation for being cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had been cursed long ago to transform into a killer monster on every full moon. Even though fate did not always look upon the two, it brought Sylvia and Rufus together as each other's destined mates. Will justice be served for Sylvia's mother? What about Rufus' secret? Can Sylvia and Rufus defy all societal norms and stay together? Will these two unlucky souls have their happy ending?
"Leonard Bryant is a man of the hour in Sea City. He has won the Pritzker Prize at a young age, which is considered as Nobel Prize in the architecture field. An architectural drawing of his can be auctioned to hundreds of millions yuan. Everyone takes him as an architectural design talent. But everyone also thinks he is gay because of his frequent refusal of women. Ashley Powell has been taking Leonard as her idol and loving Leonard for several years. For him, Ashley chooses to learn architectural design during university. As the saying goes, "when there is a will, there is a way", she finally gets the chance to work in Bryant Group after her graduation. At the graduation ceremony, Ashley was coaxed by her classmates to test if Leonard is gay. A little drunk Ashley came to Leonard's room, then .... 'Who says this man is gay? He is not gay but a beast!' Ashley thinks."
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"