The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Annabell Seto

5.0
Comment(s)
638
View
200
Chapters

I liquidated every asset I owned for a single gala ticket, convinced that after twenty years, Grafton Blanchard was finally going to ask me to be his partner. My husband, Kingston Riddle, even hinted that the diamond "Eternity Lock" bracelet I'd been eyeing was gone from the vault, and I was sure it was waiting for me. But when I reached the VIP suite, Grafton didn't look at me with love; he snapped that very bracelet onto the wrist of my rival, Bella Sterling. He stood before the crowd and announced their engagement, laughing as he called me his "little mascot" while I stood there in my best dress, feeling the entire world crumble beneath my feet. The betrayal went deeper when I overheard him telling his friends I was nothing more than a "burden" and a "puppy" he was too kind to kick to the curb. Desperate to fix his image, he lured me to a "peace offering" dinner where Bella theatrically threw herself down a flight of marble stairs. Within seconds, Grafton was looming over me, his face twisted in fury as he accused me of being a jealous, vicious monster. "I'm calling the cops. You want to play games? Let's see how you like a holding cell," Grafton roared, snatching my phone so I couldn't record his cruelty. The restaurant manager and the crowd sneered at me, ready to watch me be hauled away in handcuffs for a crime I didn't commit. I was a pariah, discarded by the man I'd spent my entire life protecting. I stood trembling against the wall, realizing that the man I loved was willing to ruin my life to protect a lie. I felt the weight of twenty years of devotion being thrown into the trash, and for the first time, I stopped wondering why I wasn't enough and started wondering how I could have been so blind. Just as the security guards moved in, the heavy doors swung open. My husband, Kingston-the man I thought was a cold stranger-stepped into the light and demanded the manager play the security footage on the big screen. As the video of Bella launching herself backward played for the entire restaurant, I didn't look at Grafton's pathetic apologies; I looked at the exit and realized my life was finally beginning.

The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows Chapter 1 No.1

The air inside the penthouse suite on Fifth Avenue was so cold it made the fine hairs on Isadora Dyer's arms stand up. It smelled of expensive leather and a floral perfume that probably cost more than her assistant's monthly salary. She pushed the heavy walnut door open, her heart doing a nervous rhythm against her ribs that she couldn't quite calm down.

Her husband, Kingston Riddle, looked up from a schematic laid out on the dining table. He was dressed in a simple grey Henley and jeans, a stark contrast to the opulence around them. The remnants of his law career, before the federal plea deal that had shackled him and, by extension, her. His face was neutral, unreadable. He walked over, his worn leather boots silent on the polished marble floor, holding a garment bag like it contained biohazard material.

"Isadora," Kingston said, his voice a low baritone that always seemed to scrape against her nerves. "You are going to look like you own the room tonight. The champagne silk is a strategic choice for your skin tone."

Isadora reached out and touched the garment bag. Her fingers trembled slightly. She had been liquidating personal assets for this gala ticket for months, skipping board meetings and dodging creditors, all for tonight. Tonight was the night. It had to be.

"Thank you, Kingston," Isadora said, her voice sounding breathless even to her own ears. "I just want everything to be perfect."

Kingston began to lay the dress out on the bed, smoothing the layers of tissue paper. He paused, looking up at Isadora with a look that was neither smug nor excited, but analytical.

"Speaking of perfect," Kingston said, leaning against the doorframe. "Grafton Blanchard was here yesterday."

Isadora felt her stomach drop and then soar, a physical sensation like missing a step on a staircase. She gripped the edge of the dresser, the lacquered wood cool under her sweating palms. Grafton was here.

"Oh?" Isadora tried to keep her voice casual, but she knew she was failing. "Did he find what he was looking for?"

Kingston's eyes held a flicker of something she couldn't name. "He certainly did. He bought the last Aurelia Eternity Lock bracelet we had in stock. The limited edition with the pavé diamonds."

The air left Isadora's lungs. She knew that bracelet. She had circled it in a magazine six months ago while sitting on Grafton's couch, watching a Knicks game. She had jokingly told him that the lock mechanism meant you were stuck with the person forever. He had laughed then, ruffling her hair.

"The Eternity Lock," Isadora repeated, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.

"I had it sent up from the vault myself," Kingston said, turning his attention back to the schematic on the table. "I have a feeling you're going to be very happy tonight. Good luck with the fundraiser, by the way."

Isadora watched him, this man who was legally her husband but functionally a stranger living in her home. She paid for his existence, and in return, he offered cryptic warnings and maintained the facade of their transactional marriage. She walked out of the bedroom hugging the dress to her chest, the noise of Fifth Avenue traffic fading into a dull buzz. She felt hollow, as if gravity had decided to stop working just for her.

She got back to her dressing room and hung the dress on the back of her door. It shimmered under the warm light of her vanity. Her phone lit up on the marble countertop.

Grafton.

Isadora took a deep breath, counting to three before she swiped the screen.

Meet me in the VIP box at Gilded Lily tonight. I have something important to tell you. This deal is ours for the taking, Izzy.

Important.

She read the word over and over again. Important meant the bracelet. Important meant the lock. Important meant that after twenty years of being his family friend, his shadow, his "little Izzy," he was finally going to ask her to be more. A partner. In business, and in life.

Her phone buzzed again. It was a FaceTime request from Zoe. Isadora answered, letting out a shaky breath that she had been holding in since Kingston's announcement.

"He bought the bracelet!" Isadora yelled before Zoe could even say hello.

Zoe's face appeared on the screen, pixelated but clearly skeptical. "Are you sure, Izzy? Did he actually say it was for you?"

"Kingston told me he bought it yesterday," Isadora said, pacing her small room. "And he just texted me to meet him at the club because he has something 'important' to tell me. What else could it be, Zoe? It's the Eternity Lock."

Zoe sighed, but she smiled. "Okay. Okay, maybe you're right. He's dense, but maybe he finally woke up. Just... keep your guard up, okay?"

"I don't need a guard," Isadora said, stopping in front of her mirror. She looked at her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. "I need to get ready."

She spent two hours getting ready. She did her makeup the way Grafton liked it-natural, soft, nothing too bold. She put on the champagne dress. It fit like a second skin, the silk cool against her heated body. She left her wrists bare. She wanted nothing to interfere with the bracelet.

The sun began to set over Manhattan, casting long, orange shadows across her floor. She remembered being ten years old, scraping her knee on the playground, and Grafton carrying her to the nurse's office. He had been her hero then. He was her hero now.

Her phone buzzed. Her Uber was downstairs.

Isadora grabbed her purse. Inside was a small velvet box containing vintage cufflinks she had bought for him. A gift to celebrate their new venture. She checked her reflection one last time, spritzed on the gardenia perfume he once said smelled like summer, and walked out the door.

Her neighbor, Mrs. Gable, was getting the mail. She stopped and stared. "You look like you're glowing, dear."

"I feel like it," Isadora said.

She sat in the back of the Uber, watching the city blur past. The car moved toward the Meatpacking District, the streets getting narrower, the cobblestones vibrating beneath the tires. Her palms were sweating. She wiped them on her thighs, hoping she wouldn't stain the silk.

The car pulled up to the curb near Gilded Lily. The line was already around the block. The bass from the club thumped against the car windows, a rhythmic heartbeat that matched her own.

Isadora stepped out. The humid night air hit her. She looked up at the neon sign buzzing above the heavy iron doors. This was it. She took a step forward, ready to walk into the rest of her life.

Continue Reading

Other books by Annabell Seto

More
When A Date Becomes A Downfall

When A Date Becomes A Downfall

Sci-fi

5.0

My dad, a retired intelligence officer, had an unusual request: come home and meet someone. "This is critical, Ava. His name is Liam Vance. His father is Senator Vance. It's a good match." I sighed; I knew this was a setup, a potential alliance between old money and new power. I agreed, but only if I could bring my "project"-a prototype armored vehicle, Red Flag H-1-a sleek, unassuming black sedan that was also a two-hundred-million-dollar government asset. Driving the most technologically advanced vehicle on the planet to a blind date for marriage felt ironic. As I neared the restaurant, I signaled for a parking spot, but a red Ferrari screamed in, cutting me off. With a sickening crunch, the Ferrari slammed into my fender. Its front end crumpled like a cheap can, while my prototype barely shuddered. A woman in an expensive dress stumbled out, pointing at my car. "Are you blind? Did you not see me coming? What the hell is wrong with you?" She reeked of perfume and alcohol, accusing me of damaging her "one-hundred-thousand-dollar car." She pulled out her phone, hysterically claiming I' d pay for everything, including her emotional distress. Thinking she was Liam Vance's employee, I calmly mentioned meeting him. "You? Meet Mr. Vance?" she sneered, introducing herself as Tiffany Hayes, his executive assistant. "He doesn't meet with trash like you." My patience thin, I called Liam directly, explaining the situation. His tone turned cold, echoing Tiffany' s twisted version of events. "My assistant just told me some woman in a piece of junk sedan crashed into her. Now she\'s trying to scam her way into a dinner with me. Tiff handles these things, pay her what you owe for the damages and get lost." He hung up, the sheer arrogance stunning. Tiffany, victorious, demanded one hundred thousand dollars, then the crowd started whispering, "That's Tiff Hayes, Liam Vance's girl. She's ruthless. That poor woman is screwed." Something inside me shifted. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Modern

5.0

A crisp white envelope, starkly blank save for my name, Ashley Carter, typed neatly, lay on my kitchen counter. Inside, a single sheet: a confidential lab report. Tiffany Bellweather. HIV Positive. My heart hammered with a sickening dread as I drove to the new house, the future home Mark and I had planned to fill with our life. I bypassed the door, stepping in to find him, my fiancé Mark, and his high school flame, Tiff, brazenly entangled on the floor of what was supposed to be our master bedroom. The air left my lungs, a horrifyingly familiar scene echoing from a nightmare I had already lived through. Last time, I' d stumbled upon Tiff' s secrets, tried desperately to warn Mark, only for Tiff to "accidentally" fall, and him to blame me. The true horror followed: standing at Tiff' s grave, Mark, a mask of cold fury, watching as his hired thugs tortured, violated, and ultimately ended me, all live-streamed to the world. My mother, heartbroken, suffered a fatal stroke, and my strong father, David, was financially ruined and then silenced forever by those same brutes. All of it, because I tried to warn him about Tiff. Now, the lab report, undeniable proof, was in my purse. But when Mark called later, his voice accusing, "Are you trying to slander Tiff with fake medical reports again?", my blood ran cold. Again? That single word shattered my world. He remembered. He was reborn too. The game had just changed, becoming unimaginably more dangerous. This time, I wouldn't warn him. This time, I wouldn' t say a single word. My revenge would be silent, precise, and absolute.

You'll also like

Betrayed Bride: Claimed By The Brother

Betrayed Bride: Claimed By The Brother

Reilly Mcardle

I arrived at the hotel with Julian's favorite takeout, ready to surprise my fiancé before our big merger. But the moment I swiped the keycard, the silence of the hallway felt heavy and wrong. Inside, a red-soled stiletto lay on the marble floor-the same one I'd watched my best friend Lila try on at Saks last week. Through the cracked bedroom door, I watched Julian's back arch as Lila looked me straight in the eye and smiled, wrapping her legs tighter around him to mock my heartbreak. I fled to the penthouse to hide, only to find Grafton, Julian's "crippled" brother, waiting in the dark. To my horror, the man who was supposed to be paralyzed stood up from his wheelchair, gripped my chin with cold fingers, and forced me to sign a contract that gave him control of my family's shares. He knew about my mother's secret medical bills and used them to buy my silence, effectively turning my life into a calculated game of corporate chess. The betrayal tasted like acid, and the injustice of it all burned in my throat. My fiancé was a liar, my best friend was a thief, and the man now controlling my fate was a predator who had been faking his disability for years. I couldn't understand how everyone I trusted had turned out to be a monster. I was trapped between a man who cheated on me and a man who wanted to own me, with no way out and no one to turn to. But when Julian came looking for me, Grafton didn't hide; he stood tall, looming over me with a possessive glint in his eyes. "Help me destroy Julian," I rasped, realizing that to survive the Faulkner men, I had to become the most dangerous player of them all.

Silent Vows: Protected By The Billionaire

Silent Vows: Protected By The Billionaire

Yi Ye

The $50 million lawsuit notice on my phone screen was a violent, pulsing red. My father’s corporate espionage had finally caught up to us, and he was ready to throw me to the wolves to save his own skin. To survive, I signed a contract marriage with the predator himself—Alaric Hunter, the very man currently dismantling my family’s legacy. But the moment we left City Hall, my father turned into a monster. He called the hospital and canceled the private care for my dying mother, moving her to a miserable state ward just to break my spirit for "disobeying" him. "I will find the money," I hissed, even as my throat threatened to close from the paralyzing stress. "You’ll come crawling back when that monster dumps you!" my father roared, leaving me standing in the rain with nothing but a battered suitcase. My ex-boyfriend, the man who actually falsified the documents that framed me, mocked me from his Ferrari, while Alaric’s own business rivals planted hidden cameras in our new penthouse to watch our every move. I was a legal shield, a corporate asset, and a target all at once. I didn't understand why Alaric was suddenly paying my mother’s medical bills in secret or why he looked at me with such chilling intensity. Was I just a tool for his voting shares, or was he the only person in this city who actually wanted me safe? I looked at the files Alaric left on the marble counter, filled with evidence against everyone who had ever hurt me. I was done being the victim of a hostile takeover; it was time to show them what happens when a Hunter’s wife decides to start hunting.

My Heiress Life, My System

My Heiress Life, My System

Yixi Yuhuan

Chapter 1 of my life was a fairy tale: Jocelyn Todd, orphan no more, adopted by the wealthy Scott family and about to marry a charming scion. My engagement party was a lavish spectacle, a testament to the love and affection I' d finally found. Standing beside my "protective" older brother, Andrew, watching my fiancé Ethan across the lawn, I finally felt loved, complete. But then, as I took my first step towards my future, my world fractured. Bright, glowing text flooded my vision, overlaying the perfect scene: "LOL, she' s actually crying. A few worthless stock certificates and she' s totally fooled. So naive." My family' s affectionate smiles transformed into chilling masks as I read on, discovering their monstrous plan. The year of love was a performance, and I was merely a prop to boost their "Likeability Score." Once official, they'd frame me for a corporate crime, strip me of everything, and dispose of me, all to benefit Gabby, their real "daughter." The warmth in my chest turned to ice. They weren't just betraying me; they were orchestrating my destruction. My "parents," "brother," and fiancé-all in on it. They saw me as a disposable pawn, intended for a tragic, convenient "accident." The thought of facing this chilling reality, alone and betrayed, was paralyzing. But then, a defiant spark ignited. My tears weren't of gratitude anymore, but of cold, hard resolve. I still clutched the portfolio of "worthless" stock, and a new comment flashed: "The certificates are fakes!..." It was all a lie. I took a deep breath, the trembling in my voice purely intentional. "Before we make it official," I smiled sweetly, holding up the portfolio, "could we have the family lawyer notarize this transfer right now?" The panic on their faces, the sudden plummet of their "score," confirmed everything. My supposed doom was their control. This wasn't merely survival; it was war.

The Stoic Nurse's Obsession: My Secret Queen

The Stoic Nurse's Obsession: My Secret Queen

Little Pink Lace

At St. Jude’s Prep, I was the "scholarship waste" in a sea of navy blue blazers and old money. I purposely handed in a blank placement exam, accepting a spot in the remedial track just to gain access to the school's high-speed server backbone. While my teachers mocked my "inevitable failure," I was secretly fighting a digital war. I intercepted a high-level breach by the notorious hacker Black Eagle, bricking his hardware and neutralizing the threat before he could touch the school’s financial records. But at home, the victory tasted like ash. My socialite mother, Inger, called me a "useless stain" and a "waste of space" over a dinner of roast beef and expensive wine. My stepsister Erika mocked my lack of talent, never realizing that the "freak" she despised had just earned a $50,000 bounty for a single hour of work. I lived as a ghost, hiding my genius behind a frayed gray hoodie and a mask of indifference. I thought I was invisible, but the school nurse, Fielding Pickett, saw through my cover, tracing my pulse and my code with predatory precision. "Nice code, Ruiz," he whispered, a warning that my sanctuary was crumbling. The pressure finally broke me. I collapsed in the infirmary with a 103-degree fever, my secret identity hanging by a thread. As I lay half-conscious on the cot, the IT administrator burst in, screaming that the Dark Web had just put a million-dollar bounty on the head of a hacker named "Q." Fielding leaned over me, his eyes dark and knowing, as the world outside began hunting for my life. "I've got you, Q," he whispered, just as the darkness took me.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows Annabell Seto Modern
“I liquidated every asset I owned for a single gala ticket, convinced that after twenty years, Grafton Blanchard was finally going to ask me to be his partner. My husband, Kingston Riddle, even hinted that the diamond "Eternity Lock" bracelet I'd been eyeing was gone from the vault, and I was sure it was waiting for me. But when I reached the VIP suite, Grafton didn't look at me with love; he snapped that very bracelet onto the wrist of my rival, Bella Sterling. He stood before the crowd and announced their engagement, laughing as he called me his "little mascot" while I stood there in my best dress, feeling the entire world crumble beneath my feet. The betrayal went deeper when I overheard him telling his friends I was nothing more than a "burden" and a "puppy" he was too kind to kick to the curb. Desperate to fix his image, he lured me to a "peace offering" dinner where Bella theatrically threw herself down a flight of marble stairs. Within seconds, Grafton was looming over me, his face twisted in fury as he accused me of being a jealous, vicious monster. "I'm calling the cops. You want to play games? Let's see how you like a holding cell," Grafton roared, snatching my phone so I couldn't record his cruelty. The restaurant manager and the crowd sneered at me, ready to watch me be hauled away in handcuffs for a crime I didn't commit. I was a pariah, discarded by the man I'd spent my entire life protecting. I stood trembling against the wall, realizing that the man I loved was willing to ruin my life to protect a lie. I felt the weight of twenty years of devotion being thrown into the trash, and for the first time, I stopped wondering why I wasn't enough and started wondering how I could have been so blind. Just as the security guards moved in, the heavy doors swung open. My husband, Kingston-the man I thought was a cold stranger-stepped into the light and demanded the manager play the security footage on the big screen. As the video of Bella launching herself backward played for the entire restaurant, I didn't look at Grafton's pathetic apologies; I looked at the exit and realized my life was finally beginning.”
1

Chapter 1 No.1

04/02/2026

2

Chapter 2 No.2

04/02/2026

3

Chapter 3 No.3

04/02/2026

4

Chapter 4 No.4

04/02/2026

5

Chapter 5 No.5

04/02/2026

6

Chapter 6 No.6

04/02/2026

7

Chapter 7 No.7

04/02/2026

8

Chapter 8 No.8

04/02/2026

9

Chapter 9 No.9

04/02/2026

10

Chapter 10 No.10

04/02/2026

11

Chapter 11 No.11

04/02/2026

12

Chapter 12 No.12

04/02/2026

13

Chapter 13 No.13

04/02/2026

14

Chapter 14 No.14

04/02/2026

15

Chapter 15 No.15

04/02/2026

16

Chapter 16 No.16

04/02/2026

17

Chapter 17 No.17

04/02/2026

18

Chapter 18 No.18

04/02/2026

19

Chapter 19 No.19

04/02/2026

20

Chapter 20 No.20

04/02/2026

21

Chapter 21 No.21

04/02/2026

22

Chapter 22 No.22

04/02/2026

23

Chapter 23 No.23

04/02/2026

24

Chapter 24 No.24

04/02/2026

25

Chapter 25 No.25

04/02/2026

26

Chapter 26 No.26

04/02/2026

27

Chapter 27 No.27

04/02/2026

28

Chapter 28 No.28

04/02/2026

29

Chapter 29 No.29

04/02/2026

30

Chapter 30 No.30

04/02/2026

31

Chapter 31 No.31

04/02/2026

32

Chapter 32 No.32

04/02/2026

33

Chapter 33 No.33

04/02/2026

34

Chapter 34 No.34

04/02/2026

35

Chapter 35 No.35

04/02/2026

36

Chapter 36 No.36

04/02/2026

37

Chapter 37 No.37

04/02/2026

38

Chapter 38 No.38

04/02/2026

39

Chapter 39 No.39

04/02/2026

40

Chapter 40 No.40

04/02/2026