Noah's Pov:
That son of a bitch! He's just lucky I didn't want to create a scene; otherwise, I'd have punched him in the face that very instant, feeling my anger boil over.

I followed Dad to wherever it was he was taking me, and finally, we stopped in front of a room.

"What're you doing, Noah?" He turned and asked immediately.
"What do you mean you're getting married to Maxine?"

I scoffed in surprise. 

"Sorry, but I...don't get your point. What's wrong with getting married to Maxine?" I asked with my palms open. 

"Because she..."
He paused and sighed.
"What do you even know about her? I mean... you only met her a few days ago. So, how can you be so sure about getting married to her?"

"Well, if I can remember, Dad, you also imposed this marriage stuff on me a few days ago. So, what're you talking about? You made it urgent for me, and now, I also have to make a quick decision.

"Anyway, Maxine's a nice lady. I've studied her for some time now, and I might say...she'd make a good wife.

"Like you've told me - the feelings might not be there now, but as time goes on, they'd surface. So, please, don't go against my decision," I concluded with a huff and inserted my hands into my trouser pocket.

Gosh! I hate it when he tries to complicate things for me. 

He's been the one hell-bent on making me marry before gaining control of the company. And now, I've
gotten a wife. He's bringing up annoying assumptions.

"Okay, Noah. If you say so. I just hope it's the right decision. After all, she's one pretty lady", he said, and I muttered a "yeah" under my breath.

"Alright, then. Let's return to the dining room before everyone gets suspicious," he added and started walking away while I took in a deep breath and followed him.
*
*
Maxine's Pov:
I felt so anxious as I sat in the dining room.

Where could Noah be? And why's he taking so long with his dad?

Oh God!

I suddenly felt like running away - running far from them because I felt I didn't belong there.

Rex kept shooting me loathing looks. And Audrey - she had quite an inexpressible look.

But in my opinion, she looked really soft and kind.

After a while, Noah returned with his dad, and I suddenly felt relieved. 

"Hey, is everything okay?" His mum asked as they took their seats.

"Yes - of course. Just a father and son talk," Mr Sigmund replied with a light chuckle.

"So...you're Audrey, right?" He diverted his attention to the lady.

"Oh! Yes, sir," she replied with a polite smile.

"Ahh! I do recall your face a lot because I remember you coming frequently to the house back then with my boys".

"Yes - you know she was Noah's favourite," Rex chipped in with a smile, and my eyes dimmed.

Huh? Noah's favourite??

"Yeah...she was always around him back then", Mrs Sigmund also said, and they all chuckled, except for Noah, who didn't even smile.

O...kay.
What exactly is going on?

"But, I'm curious, you know? What happened between you two? I mean...you had seemed inseparable, you know?" Mrs Sigmund asked.

"Well, things changed, Mum. It wasn't meant to last forever, I guess," Noah replied, and a cold silence stepped in for a while.  

Hm.

Audrey's countenance suddenly changed as she stared down at her food.

"Um...Maxine," Mr Sigmund cleared his throat and said, and I looked at him.
"I actually want to use this medium to officially welcome you into the family. Since my son has decided to marry you, I want you to know the decision's highly welcomed by us all, and we're never gonna reject you.

"So, we'll set out to work now and in a week, the wedding should've taken place. Are you okay with it, dear?" He asked, and I felt my cheeks become hot.

"Y...Yes, sir. And...thanks a lot for accepting me. It's my pleasure," I replied with a shy smile, and suddenly, the Audrey lady stood up.

"Um...excuse me. I need to make use of the restroom", she said and left in a hurry before anyone would say anything. 

Huh?

What is wrong with her?
*
*
Ruby's Pov:
I sat next to Tammy on the floor as the cold breeze of the night made us shiver. 

"I'm tired, Ruby", Tammy squealed and gripped my hand, but I couldn't even do anything to console her. 

We've been out there for hours now, with nowhere to go.

We just felt devastated and stuck.

There was no single person we could go to for shelter. Our parents' wealth had made us so lazy and unfriendly, and now, we had no one we could turn to for urgent help.

"What do we do, Ruby? I'm so hungry and need a bed to sleep. We can't continue this way" Tammy wept on my shoulders, and I sighed.

"Right now, Tammy, there's nothing we can do. We'll need to go to Maxine for help. I think we'd need to beg her," I replied, and she flinched.

"Beg Maxine???" She shrieked.

"Yes. But right now, I don't think that alone would make her hand us the keys. Tammy, I think we might need to work as her maids," I replied ruefully, and she moved away from me.

"Are you kidding me???" She scoffed.
"You...you want us to work as Maxine's maids??? For real???"

"Yes, Tammy. At least, that way, we get to live in a house. And gradually, we earn her forgiveness".

"She doesn't deserve our forgiveness!"

"Of course, she does! Look carefully, Tammy. If the rumours are true, then Mum and Dad really killed her parents. So, she needs our forgiveness".

"But...she used to be a maid to us. How can we turn the tables around?"

Tears were already raining down her cheeks.

Gosh!
"Well, neither of us planned for this to happen. Now, if you really wanna get rid of this cold and hunger, you'd think wisely about it," I told her, and she looked at me and burst into more tears.