The moment Benjamin left the rooftop, Uzza came there and asked Rye nervously, “What did he say?”“You were probably eavesdropping, so why are you still asking such a question?” Rye asked her back.“Haaah…” Uzza exhaled audibly. “I told him I wouldn’t meddle in his affairs, and I broke my word. I want to correct my mistakes, too, if possible.”“Don’t do anything stupid, alright. Rebecca doesn’t deserve Benjamin. Let’s wait a few more weeks, and then we’ll go back to Sciocidad. All of us.”Uzza sighed. “I must give credit where credit is due. Most of the women will not bother to be with a poor man, much less marry him. But Rebecca married Benjamin when he was working as a pizza delivery guy, so she’s better in that regard.”“She married him out of spite, not out of love,” Rebecca retorted.“Still, she married a poor guy. That’s not something just anyone would do. Most women I see fall for guys who lie they’re rich and what not just like how women are falling for women with makeup, wigs
In Rebecca’s room.Rebecca was writing words on a small board and kept erasing them and then wrote new words.Veronica was watching her while crunching on an apple. “What are you trying so hard for?”“My brand name.”“How about you just use Rebecca or Rebs?”“Nah, I want it to have a special meaning,” Rebecca kept thinking. “I can think of many names, but none of them are satisfying. It feels like something is missing.”“How about you put Veronica as your brand name then?” Veronica suggested. “I’m sure it will definitely bring you lots of success.”“Heh, yeah, if success can come just from the name, then I wouldn’t have had to work my ass off after finishing college.”“Having a company is quite risky, sis. Why don’t you just work like you used to? Weren’t you earning a million a month?” Veronica suggested. “I mean, you can demand more if you want.”“No, I’m not after money as much as I’m after success,” Rebecca said. “You can chase after money without end, or you can learn to find pea
In the evening, fluffy clouds drifted lazily through the cerulean sky. The scent of honeysuckle hung sweet in the air.Rebecca was on the balcony after the wind turned cold.Veronica came to meet her. “Mom hasn’t slept since last morning. She’s working so hard to become the ruler of Aurora Hills.”“The more gold and silver she has in her pockets, the less sleep she will get,” Rebecca replied.“Even though you said that you don’t seem worried for her,” Veronica asked.“I’m worried, but I have got many more things I’m worried about, though worrying doesn’t help with anything,” Rebecca said. “My mind used to be sharp until a couple of months back, but now, it feels like it has become dull. I can’t think of new designs, or even the name of my company.”“Too much thinking can make you feel congested and crazy,” Veronica said. “So, you should take your mind off all the burdens for a couple of months.”“Easier said than done,” Rebecca sadly smiled. She didn’t want to tell her sister that she
Benjamin was in the backyard, simply spending his time sitting next to the flower plants, taking in their different scents.He remembered the first night he met Rebecca. She sweetly called him Ben, a shortcut for Benjamin.“Ben sounds sweet, for sure, but about a month after marriage, there was a time when she called me Bunny because I was dumb enough to not take advantage of her even though we were sleeping in the same room. I didn’t quite get what she was saying at the time, but now that I’ve met and talked to more women of this world in the past year, I feel like Rebecca was waiting for me to make the first move? Or was she just trying to test me? It’s still hard to tell.”The women on Sciocidad weren't like this. They were all straightforward and meant what they said.So, why were the women in the outside world like this? Why would they think and speak so differently?Benjamin saw Rebecca coming in his direction, so he took out a mobile from his pocket. It resembled the old flip p
Selena came to Elizabeth’s room, when both Shawn and Elizabeth were present. She put a briefcase down on the bed and opened it.Elizabeth and her mother were shocked, as it was full of hundred dollar bills.“2 million dollars. Spend it carefully,” Selena told them. “Invest in some companies or buy some land if you want.”“Mother,” Elizabeth emotionally hugged Selena because she needed this money very much as she was planning on starting her accessory selling business. “Thank you so much!”Selena was a bit surprised because she knew how shameless Elizabeth could be, so she wasn’t expecting Elizabeth to get emotional like this. Still and all, Selena didn’t completely buy the emotions Elizabeth displayed right now.“Shawn, this money should also help you start a small insurance company,” Selena told him. “You don’t have to worry about finding a place for it because I can help you get a building next to Chen Complex.”“Chen Complex?” Shawn was quite surprised, whereas Elizabeth covered he
Veronica just finished bathing and was putting on one of those sexy outfits designed by her sister in the past. It revealed the entire midsection of the body, but hid everything else.Though Akash found it sexy, he said, “You really are not wearing that in the home, right?”“What’s wrong if I wear it?” Veronica retorted. “This isn’t even that revealing.”“Look at yourself in the mirror. It feels like I might catch a glimpse of your underboob if you were to raise your arms,” Akash said.Veronica squinted her eyes. “I’m wearing a bra underneath, you idiot. You know nothing about fashion. I’ve been bearing with your stupidity for a while now, but if I can’t even wear this type of clothing, then you should consider going back home and complaining to your parents about it! Because you need to really grow up!” After blurting out her anger through her words, she snorted and left the room.Standing by the balcony, she watched her father talking to guests downstairs.“This is meat tea, which D
Rebecca knocked on a door.“Who is it?” Roshan asked from the inside, a hint of anxiety in his voice.“It’s me,” Rebecca replied. “Open the door. I’ll just have a quick few words with you, that’s all.”“A-Aunt, I don’t want to talk to you right now,” Roshan replied. “Please go.”“I’ll talk with him,” Benjamin told her in a low voice. Rebecca then walked away and stopped at a certain distance.A minute later, Benjamin knocked on the door.“Hey, I’m Benjamin,” he said. “Can I talk to you?”“No, I’m busy right now,” Roshan answered.“It’ll only take a minute,” Benjamin persisted. “I won’t bother you afterward.”“Tsk,” Roshan, annoyed, walked over to the door.Benjamin knocked on the door again.Roshan quickly opened the door with a hostile look. “What?”Benjamin smiled and stepped closer and put his arm around Roshans’s shoulder. He then shut the door from behind him and even locked it without looking back.“W-What are you doing?” Roshan nervously asked.Even Rebecca, who was outside, co
George saw Rebecca alone, waiting outside Roshan’s room. He used this opportunity to come up to her.“What are you doing here, Rebecca? Did Roshan cause some trouble again?” George was folding his sleeves. “Let me teach him a lesson.”“Stop!” Rebecca hit his shin bone with her foot. Because of her footwear, he cringed in pain. “Why do you assume things? I’m standing here just because I want to. Nothing else.”“You expect me to believe that?” George harrumphed. “You are such a bad liar. The day you brought some random guy into the house and said you loved him and married him, everyone else might have believed your words but I didn’t. There’s no way someone like you who’s so capable can fall in love, much less marry a pizza-delivery guy. Compared to him, I’m so much better!”“You are wrong, George,” Rebecca calmly and confidently replied. “Benjamin…” she lightly smacked her own head. “Ahem, I mean, Benyamin is a billion times better than you. He doesn’t bend his spine for money like you
“How are things with your family, brother?” Fiona asked.Selena raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a family that deals with real-estate, so you should already know how we’re doing.”“Haha, I do, but outside information can only be trusted so much,” Fiona responded. “Recently, we’ve worked hard on getting a marriage deal for Fiona. Her fiance owns a reputed sports agency that deals with covering all the popular international sports. He earns hundreds of millions every year, but his father is a tycoon in the alcohol industry. Their net worth is in tens of billions.”“Good for you and your daughter,” Jacob smiled.“By the way, Brother,” Fiona glanced at Veronica and Akash. “What does Veronica’s husband do?”Jacob’s expression slightly changed.Veronica frowned and looked at her mother who was looking back at her with a rather poker face.“He is staying at home for now,” Veronica said openly.“Pfft, he’s jobless?” Riley snorted. “Your taste is so bad, Veronica, not just in terms of finding a pa
Benjamin went to the first floor and waited in the hall until Rebecca left her room.Then he went to her room. The door was locked, but he solidified his energy in the keyhole and opened the door.He entered the room quietly and saw the water bottle on the table next to her desk. It was half-full.Benjamin took out the vial and poured a drop of water into the bottle while saying ‘I love you, Rebecca.’He entered the bathroom and poured a couple of drops in the bathtub while once more uttering the three words ‘I love you, Rebecca.”He was about to come out of the room, but then he stopped and then ended up leaking another drop of water on the pillow, and another on the blanket. “I love you, Rebecca.”“Hopefully, this will help,” he thought.Benjamin then hurriedly left the room and then went to the rooftop. He mixed a few more drops in each of the four water tanks, while saying the words out, “I love you, Rebecca.”He looked at the vial.Three fourths of it was finished.He put the via
Despite Uzza, Rye, and Benjamin living in separate rooms, there were many guest rooms still available in the mighty Sterling villa, the best property on Rachel Hill.So, the families of Jacob’s siblings stayed in those rooms without any issue.But the problem was with the cousins, who were trying to show off. They acted arrogant and haughty with Veronica and even mocked Rebecca for the little hair she had on her head, not even bothering to wonder why exactly her hair was like that.Rebecca didn’t even bother talking to them, or sparing a word with them because she knew how selfish and self-centered these people were.Jacob and Shawn might have forgiven these people, but Rebecca couldn’t just act like nothing ever happened.She didn’t treat them badly, either. She just ignored them and minded her business.However, her cousin sisters got their eyes on Benyamin who was quite good-looking. Her cousin brothers were also unable to avert their eyes from Rye.Rye looked more like an exotic f
So many people started visiting Sterling villa ever since Selena herself had leaked the news of her buying a lot of land and buildings in Aurora Hills.Selena was sitting on the balcony, with Veronica next to her.“Why has the traffic increased so much?” Veronica said, “I’m seeing so many cars come and go recently.”Selena somewhat smiled and sipped on cream coffee. “I wasn’t born rich, Veronica. My relatives didn’t even let my parents into their homes or invite us to their functions because we were poor as church mice.”“Stop joking, Mom,” Veronica smirked with amusement. “You look like a million dollars. I’m sure our relatives’ sons back then would have wanted to marry you.”“You’re not entirely wrong, but they didn’t want to marry me as much as they wanted to mess with me,” Selena said. “I still remember one guy telling me, ‘I may look ugly as hell, but I can show you heaven in bed.’”Veronica went silent in shock. She didn’t think her mother’s beauty would have brought such terrib
Delle was bringing food, three varieties, on a big plate.Rye intercepted and took the plate from her. She brought it to Benjamin and sat by him under the tree.The grass was cool, even though the breeze was warm.“You think I haven’t noticed that you weren’t eating anything since you made that 40-day promise?” Rye said. “You were just acting like you’re eating.”She broke the bread mixed with fruit and brought it closer to his mouth.He didn’t open his mouth.“Do you want me to stop eating just like you are doing?” Rye said.Benjamin, who was staring into the distance, glanced at her. “Is it possible to love and hate at the same time?”Rye pursed her lips together, not quite understanding why he asked such a question. “I was angry with the things you did. I am still angry, but I don’t hate you. So, if you really love someone, I don’t think you can hate them.”“If there is no hatred in his heart, then how is Neel able to do this to me?” Benjamin asked, a hint of pain laced through his
Rebecca and Benyamin had breakfast together.This nearly made Selena’s eyes bleed. She didn’t think she’d live a day like this.Watching them eating happily was like injecting poison into her body.While she loved seeing her daughter happy, she couldn’t spare any mercy on the man who tricked her daughter into marrying him.Even now, she was thinking in her heart, devising plans on how to separate her daughter and her husband.Having lost the mood to eat breakfast, she came to the backyard.Amber was preparing the background setting needed for the interview.“Where’s Kathy?” Selena asked.“S-She’s with Samuel Sehla, ma’am,” Amber hesitantly said.Selena’s gaze turned a little icy, but then she smiled. “I knew Kathy had it in her, but I didn’t think she’d be able to grab the attention of someone like Samuel Sehla.” She looked at Amber. “What about you?”“I-I don’t plan on grabbing anybody’s attention,” Amber quickly replied.“Tsk, tsk,” Selena shook her head. “Try to grab Benyamin’s att
The next morning.Rebecca came out of her room fast and reached the dorms just to check on Benyamin. She found him brushing his teeth with his finger. And he was using salt.“Don’t you have a brush and toothpaste?” Rebecca quickly asked. “You should have asked me then.”“No, I’m fine with this,” Benyamin replied. “The smell of the chemicals in the toothpaste just makes me feel nauseous, so I’m fine with just this sea salt.”“But… will salt be enough?”“It’s enough,” Benyamin gave a thumbs-up. “In fact, I’m worried about you because you’re using that chemical-ridden toothpaste which dullens your brain.”“If they dullen the brain, then why would they promote toothpastes so much on television?”“They will promote everything that will make them money while keeping the people sick, so that they will not be able to think clearly and would rather depend on the government to think for themselves,” Benyamin smiled.“That’s not funny,” Rebecca hissed. “I have to go and brush my teeth. And I’m f
Later that night.Benjamin was out in the garden, sitting under a tree, doing nothing as hours went by.“He’s been like that since dinner,” Rye was watching him from the first floor’s window. “It’s not good.”“What can I say?” Uzza was feeling heavy-hearted. “It feels like the story of Abel and Cain altogether, though in a different way. The brothers that represent the duality of current man. The devil sure knows how to mock us and make us angry. I’m certain now. It’s his plan. He put the sworn brothers against each other.”“But how did he get Shadow?” Rye frowned. “I don’t sense any demonic energy in him.”“Considering Shadow’s abilities, it’s easy for him to hide the demonic energy,” Uzza opined. “He’s a perfect place for demons to hide, though I don’t know how they got hold of him. He must have been caught by surprise. I just hope that this won’t lead to something disastrous.” She was looking at Benjamin. “The longer this goes, the more likely that someone among those is going to b
Veronica brought Akash with her to dinner. Almost everybody was present at the dinner table after a very long time.New tables were arranged because there were more people now.Veronica could see that Akash was not taking his eyes off Benyamin. “Why are you staring at him nonstop?” she asked in a low voice.“He’s tall, handsome, and so fair. Even his hands are so shiny. How’s that possible for a man?” Akash sounded quite envious. “Men are not supposed to look so good-looking, right?”“Mm…” Veronica looked at Benyamin and felt the same. “He does look like a million bucks, but he doesn’t seem to have much muscle on his body. What’s the point of being tall when you don’t have enough muscle? You only look like you have inadequate genes.”“Not every man can be built heavy like the men in your family.”“Haha, you’re right,” Veronica was proud of her brothers and dad because they were tall and big and good-looking. Their jaws alone would melt the gazes of many women, after all.Rye and Benjam