The air was thick with the scent of jasmine as Karen stood on the veranda of the grand Marco estate, her heart heavy with the burden of her unspoken words. It had been months since Karen and Marco had truly spoken, and even longer since the incident in the train station. The tension between them was palpable, but Karen was ready to tire to adjust things with her husband.Karen had spent the last few weeks trying to reach out to Jason, who had distanced himself, retreating into the solitude of his apartment in the city.She had called, sent messages, even written him letters—each one filled with the hope that he would come back to her, back to the life in the estate.But Jason remained silent, his pain and doubts holding him back from returning to the place that held so many memories, both beautiful and painful.She knew the reasons for his hesitation. The Marco family was not just any family; the fighting, legacy, power, and expectations weighed heavily on Jason’s shoulders.But recen
Chapter One The streets of an open-air market bustled with a lot of activity as people bought and sold their wares. It wasn't quiet, but to an extent, beautiful. This market was one of the best in the state as they sold things that would normally be expensive in normal stores at cheaper rates here. While the quality might be slightly lower, its affordability was its true essence. In the middle of all these activities, stood a young man. His short black hair reflected the light of the sun and his silver-coloured eyes seemed like they could see through anything and everything. His build wasn’t particularly big, but he exuded a bit of a strong aura around him. Jason decided to take a stroll around this market and see if he could get some ingredients for lunch. ‘Those grocery stores be pissing me off. Can’t get a decent lunch without having to spend too much. Tsk… what a drag.’ he thought to himself as he walked through the road betwee
Chapter Two“Tsk… you fool. Don’t you dare call me that amongst these people?” She growled with a whisper but Jason didn’t stop. “Why shouldn’t I call my wife sweet names? Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed by it. I can see the redness on your cheeks.” He taunted and Karen could almost not take it anymore. “I am seriously not in the mood for your stupid games. I will not be lumped together with trash like you.” She bellowed and Jason was slightly displeased but didn’t voice it. Seeing this, Karen calmed down before returning to her cold expression, “So, what did you get my grandmother?” She asked. “You don’t want to be lumped with trash yet you speak to trash,” Jason replied with a cold expression too and one would notice a vein appear on Karen’s forehead.“You think you can just speak to me as you wish because I am married to you?! Are you courting death?!” She inched closer to him and squeezed his shirt by the collar. However, Jason remained indifferent.“What sor
Chapter Three “Aaaaah. What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Jared yelled with shock. His heart sank and not just him, even Karen was astounded. ‘I didn’t know he had such a bad temper.’ she thought to herself with a worried look on her face. However, when they all looked at the vase, they noticed something. The vase wasn’t smashed to pieces like they all expected. But it wasn’t undamaged either. “If it’s truly what you claim it to be, and it does come from the Ming Dynasty, then the vase should be in pieces by now.” Jason analyzed before picking up the vase that only seemed to have suffered a small breakage at the edge at which it made contact with the ground. “Also… for a vase made during the Ming dynasty era, don’t you think this vase’s designs are a little too… perfect? The carvings here are very intricate. No human can achieve this sort of precision without the modern tools we have today.” He pointed but the latter glared at him. “You… what… do
Chapter Four “Grandma… what’s going on?” Karen asked worriedly but got no response from her grandmother. Mrs. Jamie sighed after a while. It seemed like she was quite surprised about the authenticity of the vase and upon seeing that it was indeed a fake, she couldn’t help but sigh. ‘How good would it have been if it were the real thing.’ she thought to herself before looking at her granddaughter, who looked worried. “It’s all right my dear Karen. Even though it’s not authentic, it’s still a gift, and gifts aren’t meant to be rejected unless they are harmful,” she claimed and Karen couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, her grandmother’s wisdom left her marveling. She chatted with her before going to meet her brother. However, the latter was still fuming near the pool, thinking about what Jason had done to him that day. The embarrassment was too much for him to take. Not only that, but his father scolded him to a point and his allowances were going to be cut for a few month
Chapter Five Jason placed the breakfast brought by Karen on the kitchen counter before resuming his work. He was preparing breakfast before she came in, so he just had to continue with that. Karen watched him and she was confused. “What are you doing?” she asked and the latter looked at her. “Preparing breakfast,” he replied. “What happened to the one I brought you?” “Well, I was already preparing one before you came. Didn’t expect me to go to work with an empty stomach, did you?” Jason asked but Karen scoffed. “So you’re not going to eat it?” she questioned, her voice colder than normal and her eyes squinted. “Of course not. I don’t want a certain tigress yelling how useless I am.” Jason chortled before pouring the eggs into the frying pan. “What do you mean? Have I ever screamed about how useless you are before?” Karen asked and Jason looked at her with raised brows. He didn’t speak as he expected her to figure it out. ‘Silly
Chapter Six Jason couldn’t begin to fathom the reason for this person coming here but he sighed and regained his calm demeanor. However, the cold look didn’t leave his face and he kept his eyes on the man in a white suit. Mary noticed the sudden change in his expression and wondered what was going on. She traced his eyes and saw the man in a white suit, but she didn’t recognize him.“Hey… you okay man?” She asked but Jason sighed.“I’ll be right back.” He said before shifting the milkshake towards her.“What? Why don’t you just take this with you…” She uttered but the latter didn’t seem bothered. She pouted before grabbing his milkshake and wanted to place it inside the fridge, but she decided to take a sip.“Hmm… this tastes good,” she uttered before deciding against putting the milkshake inside the fridge and drinking it instead. Her mood had also brightened.Meanwhile, the man in the suit walked into the restaurant and took a seat. He ordered a few things from a good-looking w
Chapter SevenIt was a bit early in the morning as Jason was just about to go to work. He did not have breakfast he intended to grab brunch by afternoon. Just as he prepared to put on his shoes, he heard a knock on his door.“A visitor this early? I wonder who that is,” he said before walking towards the door and opening it. However, he saw a familiar but unexpected face looking at him coldly and standing by his front door.“May I come in?” Karen asked and Jason sighed. He wasn’t one to keep grudges, but he was no longer going to remain the same to her. He would normally want to invite her in and have a brief chat with her, even though he was already late for work, but not today.“Nope. I’m just about to go to work.” He said and the latter frowned. She simply groaned inside herself but didn’t complain.“I brought you breakfast again.” She said but Jason sighed.“Well, you’re gonna be eating it on your own because I’m not hungry,” he said before going back inside to pick up his bag and