"It's a feeling without a lid, of what you would do, physically, verbally, to protect the one thing that is your greatest love."
-Lena Headey-
***
Adonis barged into the restroom to calm himself down a bit. All the insults which had been thrown at him in the past hour was too much. He had no idea why they hated him so much, he had never done anything wrong or bad to them yet somehow they always treated him like he was not even a human being. Was it because he was poor? Don’t poor people deserve even the slightest bit of respect and human decency? Why were they so cruel?
He knew it was useless to question it because it would not change anything. That family was one of the worst he had ever seen. Prior to meeting them he had never believed that some wealthy people were arrogant bunch because the ones he had known before were all very kind and humble. Sometimes he would question himself on why he even got into the family. He should have never gone to that address that day. He loved Vian but sometimes he thought it would be better if he had never met her at all, not because he hated her, but her family was too insufferable.
The only family members beside Vian who treated him kindly were her biological parents because her mother came from a humble origin she could relate to him better and treated him like her own son whenever they met. It was only because the three of them existed did he have the strength to continue the marriage.
It was just sometimes, swallowing his pride was difficult. After all, he was still a man. Every man got a certain ego despite their financial status. He knew that something needed to change, he would not try to change the people around him, it was him who needed to change. Yes, he was not going to give up just yet.
Meanwhile Vian was walking around the room to greet everyone and ensured that their meals were already prepared when suddenly she felt a voice of someone she had wished to never meet again.
“Hello, Vian, it has been a while.” She turned around and saw her ex-boyfriend Carson standing there with a smug on his face. She had no idea who invited that man but whoever did must have been a complete douchebag because she was sure he was not listed in the guestbook. It must have been Cynthia who did, she was the only person besides her who had a deeper connection with this man.
A little background on their relationship, Carson August Norden was her ex-boyfriend of three years prior to meeting Adonis. Vian had not had a long history in dating so he was her first boyfriend and the one she wished she had never dated. As a family’s friend both of them had known each other for quite some time. They had met several times in the past but never truly became close until she was in college. They had gone to the same university and knew each other from there.
The beginning of their relationship was all sunshine and rainbow. At first Carson appeared to be the sweetest man she had ever met, he had always been polite and attentive, often bringing flowers and gifts on her doorsteps, inviting her out on dates to fancy restaurant and took her on trips during summer and winter break to some of the most sought out destination in the world. His family also came from the old money and had had some business with her own, which was the reason why when she was dating him they were paired up as the perfect couple, the joint of two affluent family of Houston.
However, falsehood never lasted long, because soon enough his gentleman façade wore off, revealing his true nature. He was far more awful and sinister than she had foreseen before. After knowing him for a year and a half, she had realized that he was a manipulative and abusive man who would often emotionally abuse her through little things he said or did, mixed with a bit of gas lighting. After a while she became emotionally and mentally drained with him, hence why she decided to cut off the relationship after enduring it for over a year.
After that she had tried to erase everything about him including any contact but for some strange reason the man kept on re appearing in her life like a virus. It was the second time she had met him after their breakup and just looking at his face made her want to curse him.
“You look extremely beautiful, darling. I think you have lost some weight? You also look much brighter and fresh now, Vian. You take my breath away.” He complimented her but she was definitely not falling for it. She knew it was just another one of his manipulative tactic to try to win her back. Of course she was not going to fall for it again.
“Don’t talk to me, Carson, you are clearly not welcomed here.” She sneered.
“Actually, your grandmother personally sent an invitation to my house so it’s pretty clear that I am quite welcome here. You don’t want to possibly tell her that you don’t want me here and question her decision do you?” Vian was a bit surprised when she heard it. Why would her grandmother do that when she knew the two of them had broken up? He seemed to notice her confusion and chuckled.
“It is purely for business purpose. Your grandma did not invite me here to get us together again, besides you are already married aren’t you? Ah, I forgot which company’s CEO he is again… let me think… oh yeah, he’s a nobody.” She was not going to listen to his nonsense any longer. She planned to walk away from there when he suddenly grabbed her arms.
“Let me go!” She struggled to get herself free while making as little noise as possible. In the midst of it, suddenly Adonis came and pushed away Carson’s hand from her. Both parties were surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Leave her alone. She clearly doesn’t want you.” Adonis spat. Vian had never seen him acted like that before but she could sense that Adonis was quite angry. He was able to endure all the insults thrown at him, but watching his wife being harassed boiled his blood. He could not just stand still and do nothing.
“Ah, is this the famous useless son in law. I see you decided to show up here, huh? I guess it’s not enough for you to come here and disgrace her family’s name. Now you also want to act like a hero I see.” Adonis was not trying to cause any trouble, but he stepped in between Vian and Carson and lifted his head up in defense.
“You may insult me but don’t you ever touch or hurt Vian. She is my wife now and if you mess with her means you mess with me.” Carson was not happy, he let out a snort and suddenly out of nowhere, he punched Adonis on the cheek. Adonis was about to punch him back but Vian quickly grabbed him by the shoulder, allowing his eyes to meet hers and he saw her shaking her head, shooting him a pleading look while mouthing ‘don’t’.
Everyone’s eyes were on them then, the grandmother immediately came and asked the three of them what the ruckus was all about. She saw the bruise on Adonis face and stared at Vian, asking for an explanation.
“Carson punched him because Adonis was defending me. This man nearly harassed me, grandma and my husband is trying to protect me.” Greta shot Carson a glare and the man lowered his head like a guilty puppy. Such power did she possess within her that even a grown man like him did not dare to defend himself.
“Now, whatever this is I want the three of you to quit it. Carson, I have personally invited you hear to maintain the relationship between our family and I would appreciate it if you do not cause any disturbance. As for Vian and Adonis, I think you two should take your seats. Dinner has started, our guests need to dine in peace. Now, get moving.” She demanded.
Carson shot Adonis one last glare before he left while Vian circled her arms around Adonis' and led him to their seats. She examined his face and asked him if he was okay. He nodded and turned his attention to the food, as if embarassed to be seen like that.
Vian did not know why he did that, but whatever it was, she was silently thankful for it.
Perhaps Adonis was not as shallow as she initially thought he was.
Yes, perhaps.
Perhaps he was actually a gentleman beyond anything.
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of others."-Charles Dickens-***Once they had arrived home, the first thing Vian did was to turn on all the lamp and rushed into the bathroom to take the first aid kit. She knew it might have been too long for her to start mending on his wound but she thought it was better than nothing. She pulled the drawer and took the box out of the shelf and brought it to their bedroom.Adonis was seated on the edge of their bed when she returned, he had taken off his suit and changed into a casual t-shirt and shorts for bed instead. His eyes were staring at the full length mirror right across him and saw the bruises on his lips and cheek from Carson’s punch earlier. He did not like how it looked because he knew they would only darken overtime, maybe turned a bit green and odd looking, but there was also a part in him that felt a bit proud of the bruise because it was a
"There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths,"-Mark Nepo-***He had just sent more resumes and CV to different companies and thought of making himself a lunch. Apparently the whole family members really did not want to have anything to do with their family because they even placed a separate kitchen and dining room, but for Adonis this was an advantage because he could do everything he wanted in peace without any disturbance from the others.Every day Adonis would prepare the breakfast, lunch and dinner for him and Vian. The household had some staffs to clean up their place but occasionally he would also clean up the place here and there. It had become his habit for almost a year. Besides, he would also schedule his day and that day his schedule was pretty darn empty.He thought of spending the day going out to the market to shop for groceries. Yes, he could have just asked one of the staff to do it for him but he mu
"Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever."-Paul Auster-***There was a time when Adonis thought he was born to struggle forever, yet it all changed in a snap of an eye. He slowly drove his car to the restaurant where he would meet the man who claimed he knew of his father. He did not wish to put so much expectation in just yet for he did not wish to be disappointed but he did have a bit of faith within him that told him to continue driving.Once he arrived he mentioned the man’s name to the staff and she led him right through the caller man. He had booked a quiet spot in the corner just for the two of them, where no one could disturb their lunch. For the first time ever he met the mysterious caller that made him lose his sleep. The man appeared to be in his sixties, with trimmed white beard and hair all over. His skin was wrinkly all over as proof of his life maturity. He wore a well-tailored black suit
"All discarded lovers should be given a second chance, but with somebody else."-Mae West-***Vivianne arrived at work that day and she was immediately greeted by the receptionist who had informed her that she received a gift that day from a mysterious sender. She walked over to the desk and the woman handed her over a box and a bouquet of pink and white tulip which was one of her favorite flower. She looked a bit confused, who could possibly send her that kind of gift, she already knew it could not possibly come from Adonis. That man barely gifted her anything before just because of his financial situation.She brought it back to her office desk and checked the card which came along with it which wrote, ‘for my dear Vivianne, I love you.’ She had no idea who sent it because there was no sender’s name. Opening up the gift, she found a velvet jewelry box with an Italian private jewelry brand embossed on it. She
"Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood."-Oscar Wilde-***Adonis could not really sleep well that night for various of reasons, the first one being that he was too excited to start his new training at the company which legally belonged to him. Second reason was he kept on thinking about Ana and felt a deep and dark sense of jealousy and possessiveness he had never felt before when she told him that her ex wanted her back, even sending over some flowers and gift for her, because he knew Adonis was not a man who would often send her such gifts due to his circumstance. He tried sleeping soundly but each time he closed his eyes, those two things clashed and haunted him. He ended up tossing himself back and forth on the bed. Until he turned himself to her and decided to ease away his fear of the newfound competitiveness by staring into her face. He did not know why but each time he saw her sleeping like that he felt a strange se
"An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more."-Mark Barrowcliffe-***Carson had just finished taking a shower when he looked at himself in the mirror and out of nowhere recalled the memory of what had happened in the lobby that evening. He could still remember how angry Vian looked when she saw him, her eyes had radiated such a strong hatred for him which he did not quite understand why. It was such a strange sight for him because in his vision and in his mind, he had done nothing but good to her and sure there were some days when he was a bit rougher with her but it was her own fault for making him jealous.Had she been a good girl with him and obeyed everything he said and wanted from her, he would definitely treat her like a queen, it was her own mistake for being bad so she had to be punished. In his mind, Carson did not understand why she saw him as such a villain, he had even bought her gift of the
"There is safety in small beginnings and there is unlimited capital in the experience gained by growing."-Henry Ford-***The room felt rather cold and empty that morning for some strange reason. No, it was not one of those supernatural things which Vian did not believe in, she thought it might be the winter air that had gotten inside the room. She opened the window curtain to let some sunlight inside and turned to her bed to find Adonis gone from there. It was a rather usual sight, he always woke up earlier than her to make breakfast for the two of them. It had been a week since his first day at work and she had found he had woken up even earlier so he could make breakfast and get ready at the same time. She had suggested to him several times they could hire or bring on of the existing house staff to cook for them but Adonis refused. He found joy in cooking and making meals for her and so far had continued to do so despite his busy sc
"Seduction is always more singular and sublime than sex and it commands the higher price."-Jean Baudrillard-***Tamara batted her lashes as she put the paper down and purposely leaned in closer to Adonis while doing it so her breast was hanging right in front of him. Her soft feminine floral scent lingered in the air and she was sure he could smell it as well. Whenever she was with him, she moved her body in ways that accentuate her curves even more. Due to the professional setting she was unable to show her cleavage as a competitive advantage so she needed to do it very subtly through other ways, from playing with her hair, to smiling flirtatiously at him, but she had not received the desire response throughout the entire week and this was one of her more advanced move.She thought it would surely rouse something within him but when she saw that he was just looking down on the paper underneath him without paying any attention