To pay for her mother's surgery, Samantha Alfonso, an eighteen-year old girl, agrees to enter into an arranged marriage with Bryx Lizbon, the CEO of Atlas Empire, who on the other hand, looks for a wife to introduce to his grandfather. Although their marriage is based solely on mutual agreement with specific rules to follow, Samantha can't help but fall in love with Bryx's demigod look and business wits. Bryx shows kindness with Samantha at first but suddenly becomes cold toward his dealings with her afterwards, garnering him the ruthless husband for Samantha. Sam finds out about her real identity when her mother passed away. She is an heir to wealthy family but her existence is unbeknownst to them. She vows to take vengeance upon the people whom she thinks are responsible for the hardships she and her foster mother have to deal with in life. Bryx accidentally finds out about her plans of vengeance. He asks her to stop. Since she has wittingly saves up enough resources and connections, there is no use for her to stay in the one-sided love marriage. When she is about to hand him the annulment paper, he tells her the truth. What else is the truth left for Samantha to find out? Will she be able to trust her ruthless husband?
Chapter 1 Cinderella
"Samantha, I'll be coming home late tonight." Said Brix, slowly standing from the dining table. We were having our first breakfast together. He did not wait for my reply. It was fine though. Seeing that he barely touched the meal the maidservants prepared, I also lost my appetite. We had just our wedding yesterday. Now that we were finally living together under the same roof, I should at least do my part in this marriage. A little later, I saw him rode on his red Ferrari and then left.
I met Bryx Lizbon last month in a restaurant where I was working. I was crying all alone inside the comfort room because I was so problematic about where on earth could I get some money for my mother's surgery. When I got out, I saw him gazing at me. He did not utter a single word and handed a white handkerchief instead. What happened next was what brought us here together, in this huge mansion at an exclusive village.
Touched by his kind gesture, I thoughtlessly talked about my desperate situation. I did not expect he would suddenly propose to me for marriage in return for him taking care of the bills for my mother's surgery and medication. As he read the perplexity on my face about his weird proposal, he explained that it would be an arranged marriage. He added that he was really looking for a woman suited to become a wife whom he should introduce to his grandfather. That he was also into a desperate situation because his grandfather withheld his inheritance and he could only get it by getting married. Judging it was a win-win solution for the both of us, I agreed. We made a written agreement then.
We held our marriage secretly, with only three people as our witnesses: my brother Andrew, his best friend Lucas and his Aunt Lucy. Of course, they did not know about our agreement. It was only between the two of us. To fool everyone that we really were a newlywed couple, we held a simple celebration in a cozy restaurant. We even had our photos taken. So everything was set.
It was my first time in this house. I walked around, familiarizing myself with every corner of it. I had never been in such a huge and elegant house before. I got to only see its kind on television. I never imagined that one day, I would be living in one. Its kitchen alone was twice our house. The modern appliances reflected the high status of the owner. Even the cookwares were high end. When I opened the refrigerator, it was filled with fruits, vegetables and some sort of foods which I was not familiar with. The living room was wide and the furniture in it were placed on the perfect spot creating a very relaxing ambiance. The interior design was really extraordinary. Did I just become a modern Cinderella? I thought.
Next, I went upstairs. I counted about a total of seven bedrooms, including the Master's where I slept last night. I did not dare open them unless Bryx tour me. I was reminded of one of the rules in the contract, number 3. Respect each other personal space including properties. I was totally mesmerized by everything I saw that I got startled by the ringtone of my cellphone. I ran towards the master's bedroom and looked for my cellphone. It was Bryx. I did not understand why my heart pounded a bit when I read his name on the screen. I waved my hair before I answered the phone, as if he could see me.
"Hello Sam, you did not forget about the family gathering tomorrow did you?" He asked as if to make sure.
"Oh, yes." I answered.
"Okay good." He already hung up the phone before I could even talk. I was about to ask him why would he be coming home late tonight. But I decided to just forget about it. Putting down my phone, I began to wonder why he would call me for such a trivial reason. He should have known that I would surely keep that in mind because it will be the first time I shall be meeting his family. Our marriage had taken place swiftly that neither of us formally introduced each other to our families.
Speaking of which, what should I wear? I forgot to bring my clothes with me. Should I go now to our house to get some or should I buy something new? I pondered. But then, something caught my attention. A sliding door. Why would a room need another door? It should not be the fire exit because it was located beside the comfort room. My jaw fell and my eyes got wide when I opened it.
It was actually a personalized built-in cabinet full of women's shoes, dresses and designer bags. There was also a life-size mirror inside. They seemed sparkling in my eyes. I entered and began fitting some clothing, mixing and matching them. The size of the shoes perfectly fit in me. Were these all mine? I excitedly thought. "Ahhh.. you don't have to do this for me Brix. We're not even a real couple!" I got thrilled as I thought of him. I got a plain white, above-the-knee dress and decided to wear it after I took a bath.
"Mrs. Lizbon, the food is ready." The maidservant who was in her late thirties politely called me. "Oh, is it already lunch?" I was so engrossed in the surrounding that I did not take notice of the time.
"Yes, Ma'am." I saw her took a glance in the dress I was wearing.
"Do I look good in this dress?" I teased her.
"Ahm.. Y-yes Ma'am" she replied awkwardly and timidly smiled.
"Please just call me Sam. I am not used to that name yet and I feel a little uncomfortable to be called "Ma'am" by someone who is older than me." I was trying to befriend her.
"You're too kind Ma---, I mean Sam." She answered. I laughed. Then I saw a car slowly parking in the garage area of the mansion.