Confucius Ads Library: Ads

Id	Vlad	Saved	Scrape Time	Status	Scrape Result	Adarchiveid	Title	Body	Cta Type	Link Url	Pageid	Page Name	Page Profile Uri	Page Like Count	Collationcount	Collationid	Enddate	Entitytype	Gatedtype	Hidedatastatus	Isaaaeligible	Isactive	Isprofilepage	Cta Text	Pagename	Ad Creative	Caption	Dynamic Versions	Effective Authorization Category	Display Format	Link Description	Link Url	Page Welcome Message	Creation Time	Page Profile Picture Url	Page Entity Type	Page Is Profile Page	Instagram Actor Name	Instagram Profile Pic Url	Version	Current Page Name	Startdate	Actions
994,961	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	430492859385700	Shop Lavender Foam Cleanser	Clarify, brighten, and soothe your skin in one luxurious step with our Lavender Foaming Cleanser. Our sulfate-free formula features a Soy Protein Complex to gently yet effectively remove impurities.	LEARN_MORE	https://fb.com/canvas_doc/235005386071877	550115805496175	Irene Forte Skincare	https://facebook.com/ireneforteskincare	1,225	1	342,784,548,767,861	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn More	Irene Forte Skincare	120208397093300306	fb.com		NONE	dco		https://fb.com/canvas_doc/235005386071877		2024-04-03 10:51	https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434413194_379584301570007_4805282982408511460_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=xaDsrg34nOwAb7oxyZ3&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=00_AfDQrWieosEqayOj11lo43fbFuuh27M79u-Z6A4pUhVJzA&oe=6618F585	person_profile	0	Irene Forte \| Italian Skincare	https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434507194_1138205234196237_5283651144725439517_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=dsSuhJZ5AnYAb5ExNOJ&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAOXCxUnnbnzTMJB5cDPb-eLuWF7BskV22QkJHFI_32BQ&oe=6618E4D0	3	Irene Forte Skincare	2024-04-03 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,474	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	2090693171286285	One of Illinois' Top Anti-Aging Experts	Med spa located in Wheaton, IL - est. 2006.	LEARN_MORE	https://www.radiancemedspa-wheaton.com/	147589811952355	Radiance Skincare & Laser Medspa	https://facebook.com/RadianceMedspaWheaton	986	1	1,089,774,532,355,780	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	Radiance Skincare & Laser Medspa	6550534209258	www.radiancemedspa-wheaton.com		NONE	video	Located in Wheaton, IL	https://www.radiancemedspa-wheaton.com/		2024-03-08 15:10	https://scontent.ftpa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/429589701_407191541960284_8301560501467212322_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=kg-6a7GjAccAb7HwiKn&_nc_ht=scontent.ftpa1-1.fna&oh=00_AfDWO_UNWsZFp4ZrW0sqVDE32xpdMtqgnCQPYrVfuiYbWg&oe=6618CA4F	person_profile	0	Radiance Medspa	https://scontent.ftpa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/429580589_1806705043165736_724325067413046921_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=kBRIdQgwbi8Ab5sx9Re&_nc_oc=Adgth0KmOjahUdH57eIlwx7-MYaIxNJ0Zx2NZ6xxYMXp8931AbhKE8IqKVE4lyWW1WI&_nc_ht=scontent.ftpa1-1.fna&oh=00_AfA3ecGYD4OVAN9sx0jfjulWDePW2KODoV683TLTkhBLPw&oe=6618C66B	3	Radiance Skincare & Laser Medspa	2024-04-05 02:00	View Edit Delete
996,046	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":996045}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1906805449753146	How I applied Botox myself at home, without a needle, to look 20 years younger...	"How I finally got rid of the wrinkles and sagging skin that had been a nightmare for years..."<br /> <br /> Learn More:<br /> <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Folavita.co%2Fbotox-experience1&h=AT2xPYJYzM6LfEDQAXA-_8JdlrWccOzpvWdK8w5L7HQgltmslJk4gggQqBfOmhBPh0j980TKh-5h4AWT6XWBxDiXXLzGn4Rv7XMMAeR-BsBcOAq1bEd81Zi3MKQ8miai40u-dj3DtHi9ELCi8V40D6PBn39hMmNuspSVqQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy">https://olavita.co/botox-experience1</a>	LEARN_MORE	https://olavita.co/botox-experience1	162292286963421	Daily Skincare Insights	https://facebook.com/61552861023713	150	1	795,431,579,310,378	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	Daily Skincare Insights	120208053571870033	olavita.co		NONE	video		https://olavita.co/botox-experience1		2024-04-07 06:03	https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435564301_380100451560001_1175286397076069262_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=kvmZ5rgzOXYAb5sEpvC&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfBOdiZ1-XZcTxpAdveL0iG4oHZBecvnldhQxhtqu-G8Qw&oe=6618E034	person_profile	0	Daily Skincare Insights	https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/423716313_931082958711712_2523183074125267659_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=6OAj45VrLYUAb7wRPla&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCWSC584ev-o5CKiq7FL83Jmyi_ZXjA-BBdxDVCJYd0gg&oe=6618CC17	3	Daily Skincare Insights	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,268	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1637939553701882	Start seeing results in 7 days!	✨ Experience the CLEAR Difference! <br /> Anti-acne. <br /> Anti-aging.<br /> Gluten-free. <br /> Cruelty-free. <br /> Silicone-free. <br /> No toxins. <br /> No hormone disruptors.	LEARN_MORE	https://clearstem.com/collections/bundles	251982061949281	CLEARSTEM Skincare	https://facebook.com/clearstemskincare	7,722	1	3,305,897,453,045,276	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	CLEARSTEM Skincare	120208073135020071	clearstem.com		NONE	image	Explore curated skincare bundles that target acne, anti-aging, skin hydration, and more. Shop non-comedogenic products to restore your skin health.	https://clearstem.com/collections/bundles		2024-04-03 12:23	https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434560119_1536954630419736_4545029553921469715_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=I36lJNHkfLcAb5QVVBX&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=00_AfCU7rHYHB1kZUC-j20ll4sb87jhP0UWRwDeWphucep52g&oe=6618C997	person_profile	0	CLEARSTEM Skincare	https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434583077_3279148139058752_2198399875512640626_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=z2cWlApV-UgAb4Y4hZ0&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=00_AfCfNfu0WPTlcWfqJXMmZLaPNBO4FxUY-qBVd6tCV6XPBw&oe=6618D019	3	CLEARSTEM Skincare	2024-04-03 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,497	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1218913229068557	For the Driven	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I've gotten numerous comments about my skin in the weeks following the use of these products. They smell great, they are clean products, and they work. Don't think twice."<br /> <br /> ✔️ Vitamin C (SAP) - Lowers redness exacerbated by alcohol<br /> ✔️ Salicylic acid - Reduce acne magnified by alcohol<br /> ✔️ Retinol - Slows rapid aging amplified by alcohol<br /> <br /> Late nights 🌃 may leave you feeling worn out, but that doesn't mean you should show it. With GOA Skincare, maintain a fresh and energetic look that stays with you. 🔝💪	LEARN_MORE	https://goaskincare.com/pages/10-reasons-why-you-n	129773393728825	GOA Skincare	https://facebook.com/GOAskincare	4,938	2	965,484,175,017,599	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	GOA Skincare	120208890255960624	goaskincare.com		NONE	video		https://goaskincare.com/pages/10-reasons-why-you-need-this-serum		2024-04-03 11:32	https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435127497_746622430977144_8265223323214050087_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=GsinM6UJoWAAb6YWiGn&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfD2zfinFctdQYhdMIKaY9VlJfVoZTkbqDmKWuHbIgYfGw&oe=6618D7E9	person_profile	0	GOA Skincare	https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435206871_941666513918805_960937210903742217_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=2JbQWMj0eUEAb4GOQQt&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfBYNnjEmFfNtGDRTTDCjD18jH26i7swAtfjl4pzsm1WHQ&oe=6618EAF6	3	GOA Skincare	2024-04-06 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,672	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":994544}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	282350388145447	Here’s the secret to plump skin WITHOUT plump prices	Save THOUSANDS this year on skin clinics with this esthetician-tested NEW at-home microneedling “Infusion Method” (takes just 5 mins) <br /> <br /> I used to think the only way to get “clinic quality” skin was to pay a boatload of money to a beauty clinic…<br /> <br /> So I’d only spoil myself for “special occasions”.<br /> <br /> But now, with Qure’s Micro-Infusion System, it doesn’t have to cost you clinical prices to have “clinic quality” skin.<br /> <br /> Because now you can give yourself this glow-up at home with this new system.<br /> <br /> This technique uses painless hollow 24K gold-plated needles to “stamp” science-backed ingredient serums DIRECTLY into your skin…<br /> <br /> It works by using hollow 24K gold-plated needles to “stamp” youth-enhancing serums DIRECTLY into your skin…<br /> <br /> Resulting in increasing serum absorption… and VISIBLE RESULTS:<br /> <br /> ✅ glowing looking complexion<br /> ✅ smoother skin texture<br /> ✅ helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and hyperpigmentation!<br /> <br /> The needles are disposable so you use new needles for each treatment. This means there is NO risk of infection or irritation, with minimal to no downtime!<br /> <br /> You’re protected by Qure’ 90-Day Money Back Guarantee. <br /> <br /> Plus, you can buy now and pay later, and split payments over a couple months, interest-free!<br /> <br /> 🛒🛍 Get in quick as this system has sold out 3x already.<br /> <br /> Click the link below now to SAVE 43% with their limited-time offer <br /> <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qureskincare.com%2Fpages%2Fqure-microinfusion-offer&h=AT2pZTD8t5sRav9YgNzEU9wC_9z0QA8nW1Ml8y-pqjAYixKLDAT1jrUgiWfZqajUnMYJghHPgPeox1sKlqFN09UOU4un4PQX5rX1ZvAUlxYuYnwNSzUWs-fSMfBFR66sPsXJNggQZkLxZ2z_QocLndGiDjL-7lAfFCkvn0JgPkU" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy">https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfusion-offer</a>	SHOP_NOW	https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfus	100287688530295	Skincare Insights	https://facebook.com/SkincareInsights	322	1	965,213,901,734,164	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Shop now	Skincare Insights	120207570186930476	www.qureskincare.com		NONE	video	Dermatologist Approved. Clinically Proven. Fast Results. 100% Money Back Guarantee.	https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfusion-offer		2024-04-04 10:36	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434757341_990888889246124_2754454621585682638_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=OAFWmX7abkAAb41rWOH&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBVFrkOdmnWthSpGFpmTpVrsN16vfFLdre_H8fXC1FhpQ&oe=6618D838	person_profile	0	Skincare Insights	https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/436006927_955712889108235_8579971111137945530_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=Mp9Yq1DYpIQAb5dkpYi&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfBCywFkHpTbd60sXRA5__qN8xdsua-QYskmKoRSFf_9xw&oe=6618F768	3	Skincare Insights	2024-04-05 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,684	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":994544}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	946293973542917	Compliments Await, and Qure is Your Key	Showing you the actual stamping process with my Qure skincare micro-infusion device, my immediate post treatment skin then my skin two days after treatment! <br /> <br /> Micro-needling office treatments will be “stronger” and the results will be quicker but that’s not always an option for everyone as they can be expensive. <br /> <br /> However, this at-home infusion device is a fraction of the cost, safe to use, has minimal downtime and is effective! It makes skin care more attainable to everyone not just those with access to doctors and specialists!<br /> <br /> 💰 For less than $25 a treatment (as opposed to $300+ per office treatment) I think this at-home treatment with repeated use can definitely give you meaningful and lasting results!<br /> <br /> 🙌 I love that the downtime was just 15 minutes for me, that I don’t have to make an appointment, and can work around my schedule! <br /> <br /> 🌟 I personally think my products absorbed better, my skin looks a bit brighter, and that larger acne scar on my right cheek has started to fade after just TWO treatments!<br /> <br /> SAFETY TIPS: make sure your hands are clean, do not use each needle head more than once, don’t drag the needles (it’s a stamping device), don’t use overactive breakouts, and consult your dermatologist before use if you have sensitive skin or specific skin conditions. <br /> <br /> 🛒🛍 get in quick as they have sold out 3x already<br /> <br /> Click the link below now to SAVE 43% with their limited-time offer 👇<br /> <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qureskincare.com%2Fpages%2Fqure-microinfusion-offer&h=AT3dc60IAEFTTPyK79lbwpxte2FXn-uuXYb6YSfDOBNy7n0ONeav3dx_aIWsdZ3_pGw19HSUCdPQ6CTrcNzTzMfCDCAP-Clf3imwrkyGZ1Ggbpj41HfcB7kaKQ8n9-yVzcRpZiNxLpsZmlflmdMjWcAb_Ge3gr79K60XwEYNhOs" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy">https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfusion-offer</a>	LEARN_MORE	https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfus	104229891456069	Qure Skincare	https://facebook.com/Qureskincare	3,297	1	3,775,960,475,974,799	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	Qure Skincare	120207561475070476	www.qureskincare.com		NONE	video	The celebrity facial that works BETTER at home	https://www.qureskincare.com/pages/qure-microinfusion-offer		2024-04-04 06:09	https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434680331_943980857348876_3952315611631101892_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=Ub7UntyxR3wAb5p0F3z&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAJUoeYY35TxCY8Dp1egT-PEz6qOv94EOhG5GMMnjr_dQ&oe=6618F090	person_profile	0	Qure™ Skincare	https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434653400_952980396084246_4629880942887685303_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=4SA7YV7AILIAb4B15p0&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfCvsYm74Xty10g2llMzO4xWfgpB_I54fh-y34dluQbL_Q&oe=6618CCDA	3	Qure Skincare	2024-04-06 02:00	View Edit Delete
994,692	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":994621}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1136704661005326	Youthful, blemish-free skin in just 3 mins a day	Have you heard of this latest skincare trend?🌟<br /> <br /> Skincare clinics have been using it for decades, but now everyone can get the same clinical benefits at a fraction of the cost!<br /> <br /> What am I talking about?<br /> <br /> LED light therapy of course!<br /> <br /> Different wavelengths of light have been scientifically proven to help:<br /> ✅ Smooth facial wrinkles & fine lines by as much as 87%<br /> ✅ Improve skin tone & enhance smoothness by as much as 91%<br /> ✅ Reduce moderate acne by as much as 83%<br /> ✅ And help with other skin imperfections like rosacea, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, & dark spots.<br /> <br /> But what makes this so different from other skincare treatments?<br /> <br /> Well, LED light therapy works from the inside out.<br /> <br /> The light waves can reach deeper than any cream and serum and help kick start the production of collagen for healthier, bouncier, and glowing skin.<br /> <br /> Not every home light therapy device can lead to great results though! Make sure you get one that has:<br /> 1️⃣ Lights that have actually been clinically proven to work & wide range of light colors & wavelengths for helping treat a wide range of skin imperfections<br /> 2️⃣ A quick treatment time so using it daily isn't a complete hassle<br /> 3️⃣ And safety features like automatic shutoff & heat regulators so your skin stays safe.<br /> <br /> The good news is: Qure’s Light Therapy Mask has all of the above and so much more.<br /> <br /> Treatments take only 3 minutes, you can target specific areas of your face, and it even comes with a handy app to customize, schedule, and monitor treatments!<br /> <br /> 👉 Check it out here: <br /> <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qureskincare.com%2Fproducts%2Fq-rejuvalight-pro-facewear&h=AT1MpHHlCG2FaBRYe3EPM0Um0-64tZcSDHEjMOE8sfiwlowsKohMYPpF-rePY4coffftmE6LJOWFpl-X9wLyYx-bq3mWx-yNg-TcpWv6AuXd-GKutf6juy45CcW2ziejlXhzaMJfXqBprulyt9PWWLaD1KU" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank" data-lynx-mode="origin">https://www.qureskincare.com/products/q-rejuvalight-pro-facewear</a>	SHOP_NOW	https://www.qureskincare.com/products/q-rejuvaligh	104229891456069	Qure Skincare	https://facebook.com/Qureskincare	3,297	1	1,373,600,110,010,279	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Shop now	Qure Skincare	120207445648280476	www.qureskincare.com		NONE	video	Best skincare investment. ever.	https://www.qureskincare.com/products/q-rejuvalight-pro-facewear		2024-04-01 13:45	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434475752_434391812384859_5202827561349471865_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=mf9lbqbBAn0Ab65OH7V&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBr4GygG3EfO7LBYmzcOc36UtePwngya1VfNEYDfjD-og&oe=6618D02C	person_profile	0	Qure™ Skincare	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434733668_439880278488276_3025708319037924614_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=F_kGhAacznAAb5hCm_d&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfA2EozwhGVKXfF8sP7jBv2ADuODlx_LPonfgHHh07rhtA&oe=6618F38F	3	Qure Skincare	2024-04-06 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,531	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	3670137843247452		Seriously the best treatment, everybody could use a Hydrafacial Deluxe 🌀🔆🫧 cleanse, extract, & hydrate + your booster corrective serum, all with one amazing machine @hydrafacial 🫶🏻 books yours with me -Harrison, NY <br /> <br /> #skincare #skincareaddict #hydrafacial #glymed #maternityskin #hydratingfacial	BOOK_NOW	http://instagram.com/maternityskin	109250945411041	maternityskin	https://www.instagram.com/_u/maternityskin	0	1	1,901,560,720,282,310	2024-04-07 02:00	ig_ads_identity	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Book now	maternityskin	120209479674410221	instagram.com		NONE	video		http://instagram.com/maternityskin		2024-04-07 11:09	https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/435022106_1326538091348367_8595338107138149160_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s200x200&_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3fd06f&_nc_ohc=4QCXi6Nssk8Ab5jwe1z&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com&oh=00_AfCe9trlLyUOBJZIVWmw6zFidHzQFZZ0kd1tns4iZxin4w&oe=6618D30D	ig_ads_identity	1	Meygan’s Skin Studio	https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435159163_7601154269936345_5779907479786956518_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=qqh88gEsU0UAb5EixBL&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDJlUaVghin1mVaw89KHBNemx8dg6lj4Kq5lieLe94H-g&oe=6618CE4B	3	maternityskin	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,061	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	857346512815502	Goat Milk Duo	Our Gift To You 🎁 Recieve 15% off your first order sitewide with code KATE15	SHOP_NOW	https://www.katesomerville.com/products/goat-milk-	84742863108	Kate Somerville Skincare	https://facebook.com/katesomervilleskincare	112,497	0	0	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Shop Now	Kate Somerville Skincare	6541705344002	katesomerville.com	47	NONE	dpa	Kate Somerville	https://www.katesomerville.com/products/goat-milk-duo?variant=47300891214133&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=47300891214133		2024-02-22 16:03	https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/428623504_434791565558633_461018694937983087_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=uTLoeYQzwCcAb47Tmpi&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDHzbLsZO1udR-owPU89gPQeJ1QmO0jRI-9gVPgXh7Cng&oe=6618D531	person_profile	0	Kate Somerville Skincare	https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/428615744_1105393553982575_1961195071748683675_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=uDmwscXJzLMAb502E4b&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=00_AfCSmB2lpCAD9kIauKAnj7F0Mo-8axaUbuAtVvawJvQSfw&oe=6618F9EF	3	Kate Somerville Skincare	2024-04-02 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,292	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":994812}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	2037528833293408	25% Off Sitewide!	Stock up on skincare essentials during our Friends & Family sale event. 🛍️	SHOP_NOW	https://www.katesomerville.com/collections/sales-a	84742863108	Kate Somerville Skincare	https://facebook.com/katesomervilleskincare	112,497	2	429,695,986,221,601	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Shop now	Kate Somerville Skincare	6550387606402	www.katesomerville.com		NONE	video		https://www.katesomerville.com/collections/sales-and-deals		2024-04-01 13:44	https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434748539_763858955716418_4014981116786102368_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=pfo8CViz3GUAb5xXM32&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=00_AfA0y32irgSn7yBCiGGfdPppXsMelyUK_iQ7MCGAIGYHSQ&oe=6618E94D	person_profile	0	Kate Somerville Skincare	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434737008_390230627182049_7005098720423171479_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=oIIeDkYPsDUAb6R32y6&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfC2wt_gWkXKx5jXlEZfb5xCWvBwSCdhaBhy0k6Dt-mTYQ&oe=6618E0F9	3	Kate Somerville Skincare	2024-04-02 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,403	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	794443585894316	Limited Time Only, Ends Mar 30	OLIVE DAY now returns with blossoming deals of up to US$30 off your entire purchase! 🌸💸<br /> <br /> ✔️US$30 Off on Orders US$190+ (Code: OLIVE30)<br /> ✔️US$20 Off on Orders US$150+ (Code: OLIVE20)<br /> ✔️US$15 Off on Orders US$120+ (Code: OLIVE15)<br /> <br /> Meet K-Beauty bestsellers, Anua, Round Lab, mediheal & more with the biggest benefits, including free K-beauty skincare items with purchase! 🎁<br /> <br /> Hurry, offer ends on Mar 30 ⏱<br /> <br /> New to OLIVE YOUNG? 👀 Sign up today and shop K-beauty skincare items at US$0.99 exclusively on our app ✨<br /> <br /> ✈ Free Shipping on Orders US$60+<br /> 🚚 3~7 Days Express Delivery	LEARN_MORE	https://fb.com/canvas_doc/428064122968660	423639434879237	OLIVE YOUNG Global	https://facebook.com/OY.GLOBAL	57,736	0	0	2024-03-27 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	1	0	0	Learn more	OLIVE YOUNG Global	120209809355250569	fb.com		NONE	image		https://fb.com/canvas_doc/428064122968660		2024-03-21 02:39	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/432737854_719462000392343_8588624293745533868_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=yGzqBfe4k_oAb4CPC2P&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCkjgYXSw-Ks5WgKZvrqc1n7gVS6jmFlCO7A2DjFieTew&oe=6618E169	person_profile	0	OLIVE YOUNG Global	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/432772803_2098064560561189_824833505332673041_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=6_ibhD2hS7oAb6ndRVe&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCFkAdJ7beXXQZSC24n86s9-MUYo85zsH5l5_FJvkD8iQ&oe=6618EFA7	3	OLIVE YOUNG Global	2024-03-27 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,420	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1413547862616193		Descubre el camino hacia el éxito empresarial: potencia tu negocio con estrategias creativas y diseño de contenido impactante. Las redes son el vehículo, pero la creatividad es el conductor. ¡Construye una marca que destaque y atraiga a tu audiencia con un contenido que hable por sí mismo! ✨🚀<br /> <br /> ➡️ para mayor info o asesoramiento ⬇️<br /> 📱3515952944<br /> ✉️ Kbvidadigital@gmail.com<br /> <br /> #CrecerConCreatividad #NegocioExitoso" #manejoderedes #creaciondecontenido #diseñografico #diseñodefeed #communitymanager #SocialMediaTips #negociosinternacionales #parati	WHATSAPP_MESSAGE	https://api.whatsapp.com/send	100614159267818	K.B Vida Digital	https://facebook.com/kbVidadigital	57	1	913,090,750,219,738	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	1	0	0	Send WhatsApp message	K.B Vida Digital	120207871459130510	WhatsApp		NONE	image		https://api.whatsapp.com/send		2024-04-07 13:28	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434540789_1065170424554635_6266873406729652509_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=DmS7NqTFPXIAb7k_pz6&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfD3FKUwRaLaoEcvi7We81zjUZHUk-EZBo6DYY-MvbSkhg&oe=6618F128	person_profile	0	Kb Vida Digital - Community Manager y Social Media Manager	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434415442_7342261272560883_874416639503303087_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=LfbzIArLqeQAb4e2nCW&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfC6qzsgY0JhFaLgsyCiIjSJrrO8pqMuqOKtf4EaOcIGNQ&oe=6618DDBB	3	K.B Vida Digital	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,441	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995440}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1608031923295398	Civant Skincare \| Trusted for Over 20 Years	Say goodbye to dark spots and hello to even-toned skin! 🌞✨ Meladerm® minimizes the appearance of imperfections, giving you a brighter complexion. Try it now!	SHOP_NOW	https://www.civantskincare.com/collections	133814366665208	Civant	https://facebook.com/Civant	2,643	1	812,300,910,922,802	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Shop now	Civant	6548329071025	www.civantskincare.com		NONE	video		https://www.civantskincare.com/collections		2024-04-07 13:06	https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435078156_1823557671452248_9222209105112762850_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=oPZL7DL10oIAb4CMAtb&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=00_AfC4iIyAMOqFVgArpD82bb04S6XmRj3lZ3P3KgNPjDNpXQ&oe=6618C5D7	person_profile	0	Civant	https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434757442_402915386025091_3052266695804619997_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=CKzkaXuh6GsAb6w0xKW&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=00_AfATlz004zDaedxg4OcfCuBR419NDRbM48zWhe2huxwSqw&oe=6618DC8F	3	Civant	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,475	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995621}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	434038842459164		Getting prepared for GRAND OPENİNG! Follow us for more information😊 .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> .<br /> #skincare #hydro #hairremovellaser #skinrejuvenate #skintighetening #hydrafacial #carbonpeel #chemicalpeel #microneedling #injection #imageskincare #hydrinity #rosesea #acnescar #sunspot #agespot #vessel #acne #sensetiveskin #collogenshot	MESSAGE_PAGE		170036022856559	DK Aesthetic Clinic	https://facebook.com/61553596525064	24	1	278,931,871,921,412	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Send message	DK Aesthetic Clinic	6587166266535			NONE	video			{"type":"VISUAL_EDITOR","version":2,"landing_screen_type":"welcome_message","media_type":"text","text_format":{"customer_action_type":"ice_breakers","message":{"ice_breakers":[{"title":"How much does this cost?"},{"title":"I'm interested. Can you tell me more?"},{"title":"Can you recommend something for me?"}],"text":"Hi {{user_first_name}}! Please let us know how we can help you."}},"user_edit":false,"autofill_message_edited":false,"ice_breakers_edited":false,"welcome_message_edited":false,"surface":"boosted_post"}	2024-04-07 12:14	https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435484700_958843312253581_8580501882410800315_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=EaHRrg1_hogAb5ECeMR&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfB6fS4l7Ifr-uS5HEenQ0MJw9Qt4gWO24Ccr8i8yEHeVQ&oe=6618D5CF	person_profile	0	DK Aesthetics Clinic	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435471505_389826647291070_2519208878423977000_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=xHmN-ZZsLtoAb5lhw_x&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfChWp185ds2UGtd5ntvV9tm0bknsCYM-7F5C63AHID66g&oe=6618CF7D	3	DK Aesthetic Clinic	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,542	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995543}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	391399173735017	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Where even is he?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients..."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> Sofia's PoV<br /> I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, hoping nobody saw me weep, and that the mascara didn't run because of my unending tears. I was miserable, still in disbelief believe that the first time I was going to see my husband-to-be was when I'd walk down the aisle, and he would be waiting for me at the end of it.<br /> At least, I hoped he would be there, and that he wouldn't elope. Not because I wanted to particularly marry him, but because being stood up at the altar in front of the whole world would be very humiliating.<br /> "Ms. Baker?" As I fixed the princess-y Versace wedding gown one last time, one of the three women who had followed me since the moment I had stepped into this mansion today called me, and I looked up at her.<br /> "Yes?"<br /> "Your grandfather is waiting for you outside. It's time."<br /> It's time. It's time to get married to a man you don't know.<br /> Nodding, I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time making sure no tear stained my make up, and then left the room and walked down the stairs to the long wooden doors from which I was supposed to walk out. The dress was trailing behind, and the four inch heels I was wearing were uncomfortable.<br /> I felt suffocated, as if I would breakdown again any moment.<br /> "Sofie!" My grandfather's eyes lit up when he saw me, and mine softened looking at him all decked in his blue tux. It's all for him, I reminded myself, he needed the money.<br /> "Grandpa," I smiled softly at him, hurrying to reach him before he walks to me. He used to be tall and fit once, but years of chemotherapy had sucked the strength the out of him.<br /> "Oh! You look beautiful!" Tears glistened in his eyes. "I wish your parents could see you like this."<br /> I gulped the lump forming at the back of my throat as I held his hand when I reached him. "Are you happy, grandpa?"<br /> "Very." He beamed, "You will be taken care of when I'm gone. Gabriel is a good man."<br /> I nodded. I wasn't happy, but he didn't need to know of that.<br /> "Are you ready?" He asked in a whisper as I wrapped my hands around his arm and we stood in front of the shut doors.<br /> "As ready as I'll ever be."<br /> On queue, the doors opened. People stood on both sides of me when I stepped out and onto the aisle, every eye on me. Some hushed whispers. Camera flashes.<br /> Deep breath in. Deep breath out.<br /> I looked up. Despite the meticulously planned extravagance all around me that the Whitlock family had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, the person that caught my eye was the man standing at the end of the aisle.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I had googled him. I knew of his brown eyes and dark hair, his lopsided smile, his broad, muscular shoulders and his graceful stance, but my heart still skipped a beat when our eyes met.<br /> Oh, I so wished for this to be a fairytale-come-true, not a nightmare of a marriage I was about to be trapped in.<br /> He was looking at his watch, and there was a frown on his face when he looked up, which changed when he saw me. An emotion I couldn't decipher flickered in them, and I squirmed under his scrutinising gaze.<br /> He stepped down when I reached the end, forwarding his hand towards me in a perfectly practiced gesture, and cameras flashed more than ever as my grandfather placed my hand in his as if traditionally entrusting me with him.<br /> His palm was rough and large, and mine felt so small in his. Oh, what a mismatch.<br /> "Hey," I mouthed over the priest's words, surprising myself. I hadn't planned on doing this. My voice was so little that I wasn't sure he heard me, but he did. His eyes flickered towards me, setting on me for a brief few seconds.<br /> His jaw clenched, and then he looked away.<br /> He didn't look back at me for the rest of the time, and my cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment when the dreaded words cut in: "Do you, Gabriel Whitlock, take Sofia Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"<br /> "I do." He finally turned to me, and I bit my lower lip.<br /> "And do you, Sofia Baker, take Gabriel Whitlock to be your lawfully wedded husband?"<br /> This was suffocating. The outfit I was wearing costed more than my apartment. "I do," I still answered.<br /> "Gabriel, you may buss your bride." The officiant announced, and the entire world faded when he stepped towards me, hovering over me despite the tall heels I was wearing. One of his hands brushed my lose locks away and held my cheek as he bent down to gently place his lips on me.<br /> It was barely a brush.<br /> And just as quickly, he moved away as if he wasn't supposed to buss me in the first place.<br /> * <br /> We didn't attend the reception of our own wedding.<br /> After the nuptials, I was ushered back inside by my grandfather.<br /> "Seems like Gabriel cannot wait to get to know you," My grandfather laughed quietly, and I contemplated the urge to roll my eyes.<br /> "I absolutely cannot." Gabriel's voice filled in from behind, a charming but formal smile on his lips.<br /> "You take good care of my Sofie, okay?"<br /> "She'll never have the chance to complain." He didn't even look at me. "But I'm going to steal her from you now."<br /> Grandpa smiled sadly, and I squeezed him tight. "I'll visit you tomorrow," I promised him, "Don't forget your medicines."<br /> He nodded. He was going to stay the next few days with Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be his friends from college. I had met them a few times before. They visited quite often after hearing about Grandpa's illness.<br /> "Smile." Gabriel whispered when we begin walking outside, getting me to look at him.<br /> "Huh?"<br /> "I said... smile."<br /> I knit my eyebrows furthermore, confused, but as soon as I stepped outside, tens of camera lights flashed in my eyes. There were reporters everywhere, throwing overlapping questions that I couldn't catch.<br /> "Is it true that this is an arranged marriage?"<br /> "Is it true that this is the first time you both are meeting each other?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock, what happened to your relationship with Ms. Grant?"<br /> I couldn't make much sense of anything, only Gabriel. He had wrapped one of his arms around my back, his body tilted sideways as if to shield me from the flash lights as he guided us to the limousine at the end of the path, and quickly helped me get inside.<br /> Once the door shut, the gentleness with which he had talked to my grandfather and showed in front of the cameras vanished, and his jaw tightened, his eyes falling on the watch again.<br /> I cleared my throat. "Is that normal for you?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> He looked outside as the driver drove away from the chaos, barely sparing me a glance.<br /> I spoke up again. "I'm Sofia... Baker."<br /> This time, he looked at me like I was stupid. "I know," he deadpanned.<br /> I shut up after that.<br /> He was clearly not interested in talking to me. I felt embarrassed for trying again and again, and the urge to cry returned. I always knew this wasn't going to be an unrealistic fairytale where he looks at me for the first time and falls in love with me madly, but I hoped he would at least look at me. And talk to me. Or agree to be a friend. Or something.<br /> But with the way he was behaving with me, I could have as well married a robot.<br /> After twenty minutes of silence, no music, windows rolled up and the scent of a light air freshener mixed with air conditioning of the car choking me, I spoke up again. "Have I offended you somehow?"<br /> "Well, yes," He cocked an eyebrow at me, "You married me."<br /> <br /> I believed in fairytales. I believed in true love like the one my parents had, and hoped to find that for myself someday. I knew my parents would have wanted that for me, and not for me to be trapped into a loveless and forced marriage done for my grandfather's sake.<br /> With every minute of silence I spent in that car, I could sense my own dreams of the future breaking and being left behind.<br /> The silent torture of an hour (that seemed like an eternity) ended when the limousine stood in front of a house so huge, it was a mansion.<br /> Housemaids and butlers stood at its entrance as if waiting for us, and Gabriel was out of the door the second the car stopped.<br /> Two housemaids helped me out of the car because of the size of the dress I was wearing, and I politely smiled at them.<br /> "Welcome home, Mrs. Whitlock," They both giggled like shy schoolgirls.<br /> "Thank you," I mumbled and when I looked ahead, Gabriel had already disappeared inside the house.<br /> I sighed sadly, trying to hide my disappointment as I held my head high and walked in by myself behind him, taking in the extravagance of the Polish floors and chandeliers and perfectly kept flowers in vases.<br /> Some people had a home. Gabriel Whitlock had taken a page out of a Vogue magazine and simply brought it to reality.<br /> It was so beautiful, I hated it.<br /> I could see Gabriel walk up the stairs, and shaking my head, I simply followed him while one of the housemaids carried my trail for me.<br /> At the end of the stairs, when I took the right behind him, he turned with his hands crossed in front of him, looking at me with irritation. "Where do you think you're going?"<br /> "I'm following you to our room."<br /> "Our room?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, "You think we're going to share rooms?"<br /> I blinked. "We're not?"<br /> "My room is at the end of this hallway. Yours is at the end of that." He pointed in the opposite direction.<br /> The remaining shreds of any hope of a more cordial relationship between us died. "Good," I pretended to be relieved, "I was dreading sharing a room."<br /> "Like I said to your grandfather, you would have no complaints." The smile he drew to his lips was forced and sarcastic. "Luna is going to be with you at all times. She will escort you to your chamber."<br /> Escort? Chamber?<br /> What was he, royalty?<br /> Nonetheless, I just nodded.<br /> "Oh, and..." He added, "I was hoping I could come to your room in.." He paused, checked his watch, and then looked up. "...Thirty minutes. To talk."<br /> 'To talk.'<br /> Again, I nodded.<br /> As Gabriel turned around and left, I let Luna guide me to my room. He wasn't joking when he said my room is at the end of the hallway. I had to cross five other doors to reach mine.<br /> "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Luna said, "Just call for me."<br /> My eyebrows knit. "So you'll just be standing outside?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> "Doing what?"<br /> "Waiting, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Waiting for...what?"<br /> "For you to call me."<br /> I wondered if she was joking but her face didn't move a muscle. "But...why?"<br /> "So that you don't feel the need to go out of your way to do anything yourself."<br /> "Like get water for myself from the kitchen?" I joked.<br /> "Exactly." She agreed.<br /> I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then shut it again immediately. "Thanks." I just entered my room, leaving her outside in a guarding stance.<br /> Everything in this house was weird.<br /> This room was bigger than the apartment I struggled to pay rent of every month, but at least it was pretty. Like a show-piece.<br /> It took me ten minutes to get out of my wedding gown, and then I got in the tub to soak myself in hot water. I stayed there for an awfully long time, scrubbing out the expensive make-up from my face till the freckles they had spent so much time covering were visible again.<br /> I had promised myself I wouldn't think about how sad I was once I was already married, since what was already done couldn't be undone, but I couldn't help it. I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My mother was from a rich family in Seoul and my father was there on scholarship. She knew he didn't have a lot of money, but she loved him and left her family for him any way. They were the epitome of love for me growing up, and I was sure they'd be just in love today if a car crash hadn't stolen them from me years ago.<br /> I got my dark eyes, dark hair and Asian features from her.<br /> I liked money just as much as the next person, but I didn't use it as a driving force in life.<br /> As soon as that thought crossed my head, I felt like a hypocrite. I had married for money after all.<br /> When the steam in the bathroom felt suffocating, I got out wrapping one towel around my body, and another around my hair.<br /> My soul left my body when I opened the bathroom door, and found my new husband sitting on the edge of my bed.<br /> His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, but he remained unfazed at my half-undressed state.<br /> "You're late." He commented. "It's been forty-two minutes."<br /> I did not even remember he was going to come. It took me a moment to let go of my shock and glare at him. "Did nobody teach you how to knock before entering a woman's room?"<br /> "Technically, you're in my house. The room is mine."<br /> I rolled my eyes, holding the towel tight around me. "Would you have even entered the bathroom if it was unlocked?"<br /> Gabriel got up from the bed, unbuttoning the jacket of another crisp suit he had changed into. Conveniently ignoring what I asked, he placed a black card on the bed.<br /> "What is that?" I asked.<br /> "It's an Amex. No limit."<br /> I kept staring at him.<br /> He looked irritated. "It's for you."<br /> "I can take care of myself."<br /> I had married for money, yes, but so that his grandparents can cover the bill of my grandpa's cancer treatment. I didn't want anything from him, especially not the shiny black card with his name on it.<br /> "Can you buy a Chanel bag to gift my mother for the lunch we're supposed to have next week?"<br /> "She's your mother. You can buy it."<br /> "It's my money. Technically, I am buying it." He grumbled. "You're just the one choosing it."<br /> I ignored what he said the same way he had ignored me earlier. "If that's all, I would really like to change into something more appropriate than a towel."<br /> "You have a walk-in wardrobe, and you chose to get dressed in the room?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the outfit placed on my bed. "Old habits die hard, I guess. Or in your case, poor habits."<br /> "Excuse me?" My voice was loud as I took a step towards him. "I have been nothing but kind to you since the moment I met you. I was forced into this arrangement just as much as you were and if you can't-"<br /> "Were you though?" He cut me off.<br /> "What?"<br /> "Were you forced into it, Sofia?"<br /> He was being a jerk. "You better believe I wasn't dying to marry a man I didn't know, let alone an arrogant prick like you!"<br /> "You really want to pretend you're sad about marrying into money?" He snickered. "A house bigger than you could ever dream? Housemaids at one call? Anything you could ever wish for, you can buy with this card."<br /> "You are unbelievable." I shook my head, wanting not to cry at the assumptions he'd made about me without taking the effort to know me even a little.<br /> "I'm also a millionaire," he clarified, "So use that card when you need something."<br /> "If there's nothing else you want to say, leave." I spat out.<br /> He looked at me with a hatred I had done nothing to deserve before saying, "This arrangement will last for six months."<br /> "What arrangement?"<br /> "Our marriage."<br /> There was a silent pause on my end. "Oh."<br /> "After six months, I will divorce you and pay you a hefty sum in alumni so you can live comfortably on my money for the rest of your life." Gabriel's voice was bitter and full of a hatred I had done nothing to earn. "You will use my card till then. You will carry my name with grace. You will live in my house and smile with me in public when necessary. But inside, you may do as you please."<br /> "And why would I do that for you?" I fumed. "I can live without your money, so why would I make public appearances with you or not go embarrass you in front of the world? I. Owe. You. Nothing."<br /> "You don't want to play this game with me, freckles." One corner of his lips raised into a lopsided smile, "You don't want to know how low I can stoop to get what I want."<br /> I gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Are you threatening me?"<br /> "I am simply stating facts. When I threaten you, you'd know."<br /> "Leave." I seethed.<br /> He stared at me.<br /> "LEAVE!" I couldn't care less if my voice echoed the hollow walls of his mansion and his staff heard us arguing.<br /> All I wanted was him away from me.<br /> "Six months." He repeated, and left without looking at me again.<br /> Once he was gone, I stared at the bland white walls of my new room and they stared back at me just as blankly. The moment he was gone, I crippled to me knees and let the tears and tiredness I had been holding back wash over me. My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> <br /> Before the wedding, I had put a lot of thought into how my wedding night would be. I wondered if I would have to have intercourse with a man I hadn't known before that day, and in all the fear of that, I had forgotten staying alone in a huge room with nothing to do and no one to talk to as a possibility.<br /> I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep.<br /> The next morning, I wore one of the outfits that someone had stocked in the wardrobe for me to use. Growing up poor, I never got to splurge on myself. Any money I could save would only go into covering my grandpa's treatments, and we still fell short most times.<br /> Wandering alone in that big house, I wished I could confide in her about the fake marriage I was stuck in.<br /> But there I was, eating breakfast meant to feed twenty alone in the dining room.<br /> Luna stared at me.<br /> "Have you eaten?" I asked her.<br /> "After you, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Please call me Ms. Baker."<br /> "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs. Whitlock. Sir wouldn't like it."<br /> "I don't think Sir would know." I tell her, looking around. The house was huge, and the chances of running into the man that I wanted to actively try to avoid for the next six months was less. "Where even is he?"<br /> "He left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients who live abroad and he functions on their time."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Ms. Baker," I corrected her.<br /> "Ms. Baker." She nodded. "A parcel came for you earlier in the morning today though."<br /> I knit my eyebrows, leaving the food I did not have the appetite to eat as she disappeared for a moment to return with a box that I opened quickly to reveal a new phone inside. The latest model in my hand was a far stretch from the half broken one I had been using for the past five years, but I made it work since I couldn't afford a new phone despite juggling between two jobs and taking care of my grandpa.<br /> Until now, apparently.<br /> I unlocked the already set-up phone to see that there was no contact in it except one.<br /> 'Gabriel Whitlock.'<br /> <br /> In the afternoon, his lawyer arrived with a perfectly drafted agreement like he'd said yesterday. I'd gone over it for an hour by myself before signing it.<br /> I was tempted not to, but also afraid of how low Gabriel's 'stooping low' really was.<br /> I did nothing that day. I wandered around the house and saw all the paintings like I was in an art gallery, I tinkered with my new phone for a while, I checked in on my grandfather who insisted he was enjoying every moment of being reunited with his old friends and asked me to not visit him but instead enjoy my 'newly wed bliss', and napped more than I was used to.<br /> In the evening, I mailed my resume to companies around me. I needed to get a new job since I left my old one when I moved three hours away to marry an imperious man, but I was confident I could get another one without using the Whitlock name.<br /> I was always at the top of my class even in college, and had over two years of experience working as a financial analyst at my previous company. I earned well, but cancer cost more. So even after working a full time job as their financial analyst, and then working part time as a waitress in an overnight diner, I still struggled to make ends meet. With no health insurance, we were considering taking a loan or putting out small house on mortgage when Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be my grandpa's friends from school got in touch with him and again and offered to pay out his entire treatment with one simple condition: I had to marry their grandson. I was still convinced I could manage by myself and marrying a complete stranger was off the table but when my grandpa had to come out of retirement and take up a job for some extra cash, my heart broke looking at my sick grandfather work despite being in pain after treatments to unburden me. That is when I agreed to marry him: Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I didn't know what they did to convince their grandson to marry a nobody like me or why he agreed, but by his anger towards me, I could guess he was forced into it too.<br /> I wanted to sympathise with him, because at least I got something out of this wedlock. It seemed like he got nothing except losing his freedom and the title of the hottest bachelor in front of the world. But at the same time, I knew he was no saint. He was an arrogant man, self-centred, and had implied that I was a gold digger.<br /> At night, I ate dinner by myself while the housemaids looked over me like I was a child. Or royalty.<br /> I didn't see Gabriel at all for the next few days, and being alone turned into a habit. I spent my time getting pally with Luna and the others, learning how to cook the more refined dishes, swimming, and even reading books.<br /> On the fourth night, I checked my mails. I'd heard back from three out of seven places I had applied to, including Wales.<br /> Wales was a multibillion company that manufactured and distributed skincare, a direct competitor of the Whitlock company. They'd called me for an interview two days later, but I didn't send in my confirmation yet. Even though there wasn't a formal clause in the agreement we had signed, Gabriel had explicitly mentioned for me to not go about humiliating him publicly, and I wondered if his wife joining a rival company would go down well with him.<br /> Probably not.<br /> His number remained in my cell, and I went back and forth on the idea of calling him. But it was a quarter past twelve, and I hadn't seen him in the house for days. A part of my heart felt tighter wondering if he was staying with someone else... another woman perhaps.<br /> Sleep wasn't easy that night, and I woke up early by myself the next morning, eating breakfast in haste. It was around nine-thirty in the morning when I sat alone in my room and like a nervous school girl, dialled Gabriel.<br /> The phone rang, and on the fifth ring, it was picked up.<br /> "Hello?"<br /> I left the breath I didn't know I was holding. This wasn't Gabriel's voice. "Gabriel?"<br /> "Mrs. Whitlock? This is Peter, his personal assistant."<br /> "This is Gabriel's number, right?" He was probably in a meeting or something.<br /> "No, ma'am. This is my work number. Gabe Sir did mention that he had given you my number to call if you need to reach him."<br /> The anger for him that had managed to dissipate in the past few days was back, and the urge to punch something was stronger than ever. "I need to go through you to get to him?"<br /> "I believe so," Peter's voice was small. "Can I pass your message to him?"<br /> "No. No message." I replied, and without giving him the chance to say whatever he was about to, I disconnected.<br /> Here I was wondering if he'd mind me going for a job interview.<br /> And there he was, not even considering me important enough to have his own number.<br /> He actually had the audacity to feed his assistant's number under his name.<br /> Fuming, I opened my laptop and confirmed my interview for the next morning, without caring that it was with his rival company.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock could rot in underworld after this.	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995,549	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995550}'	No	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	453915573729757	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Where even is he?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients..."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> Sofia's PoV<br /> I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, hoping nobody saw me weep, and that the mascara didn't run because of my unending tears. I was miserable, still in disbelief believe that the first time I was going to see my husband-to-be was when I'd walk down the aisle, and he would be waiting for me at the end of it.<br /> At least, I hoped he would be there, and that he wouldn't elope. Not because I wanted to particularly marry him, but because being stood up at the altar in front of the whole world would be very humiliating.<br /> "Ms. Baker?" As I fixed the princess-y Versace wedding gown one last time, one of the three women who had followed me since the moment I had stepped into this mansion today called me, and I looked up at her.<br /> "Yes?"<br /> "Your grandfather is waiting for you outside. It's time."<br /> It's time. It's time to get married to a man you don't know.<br /> Nodding, I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time making sure no tear stained my make up, and then left the room and walked down the stairs to the long wooden doors from which I was supposed to walk out. The dress was trailing behind, and the four inch heels I was wearing were uncomfortable.<br /> I felt suffocated, as if I would breakdown again any moment.<br /> "Sofie!" My grandfather's eyes lit up when he saw me, and mine softened looking at him all decked in his blue tux. It's all for him, I reminded myself, he needed the money.<br /> "Grandpa," I smiled softly at him, hurrying to reach him before he walks to me. He used to be tall and fit once, but years of chemotherapy had sucked the strength the out of him.<br /> "Oh! You look beautiful!" Tears glistened in his eyes. "I wish your parents could see you like this."<br /> I gulped the lump forming at the back of my throat as I held his hand when I reached him. "Are you happy, grandpa?"<br /> "Very." He beamed, "You will be taken care of when I'm gone. Gabriel is a good man."<br /> I nodded. I wasn't happy, but he didn't need to know of that.<br /> "Are you ready?" He asked in a whisper as I wrapped my hands around his arm and we stood in front of the shut doors.<br /> "As ready as I'll ever be."<br /> On queue, the doors opened. People stood on both sides of me when I stepped out and onto the aisle, every eye on me. Some hushed whispers. Camera flashes.<br /> Deep breath in. Deep breath out.<br /> I looked up. Despite the meticulously planned extravagance all around me that the Whitlock family had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, the person that caught my eye was the man standing at the end of the aisle.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I had googled him. I knew of his brown eyes and dark hair, his lopsided smile, his broad, muscular shoulders and his graceful stance, but my heart still skipped a beat when our eyes met.<br /> Oh, I so wished for this to be a fairytale-come-true, not a nightmare of a marriage I was about to be trapped in.<br /> He was looking at his watch, and there was a frown on his face when he looked up, which changed when he saw me. An emotion I couldn't decipher flickered in them, and I squirmed under his scrutinising gaze.<br /> He stepped down when I reached the end, forwarding his hand towards me in a perfectly practiced gesture, and cameras flashed more than ever as my grandfather placed my hand in his as if traditionally entrusting me with him.<br /> His palm was rough and large, and mine felt so small in his. Oh, what a mismatch.<br /> "Hey," I mouthed over the priest's words, surprising myself. I hadn't planned on doing this. My voice was so little that I wasn't sure he heard me, but he did. His eyes flickered towards me, setting on me for a brief few seconds.<br /> His jaw clenched, and then he looked away.<br /> He didn't look back at me for the rest of the time, and my cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment when the dreaded words cut in: "Do you, Gabriel Whitlock, take Sofia Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"<br /> "I do." He finally turned to me, and I bit my lower lip.<br /> "And do you, Sofia Baker, take Gabriel Whitlock to be your lawfully wedded husband?"<br /> This was suffocating. The outfit I was wearing costed more than my apartment. "I do," I still answered.<br /> "Gabriel, you may buss your bride." The officiant announced, and the entire world faded when he stepped towards me, hovering over me despite the tall heels I was wearing. One of his hands brushed my lose locks away and held my cheek as he bent down to gently place his lips on me.<br /> It was barely a brush.<br /> And just as quickly, he moved away as if he wasn't supposed to buss me in the first place.<br /> * <br /> We didn't attend the reception of our own wedding.<br /> After the nuptials, I was ushered back inside by my grandfather.<br /> "Seems like Gabriel cannot wait to get to know you," My grandfather laughed quietly, and I contemplated the urge to roll my eyes.<br /> "I absolutely cannot." Gabriel's voice filled in from behind, a charming but formal smile on his lips.<br /> "You take good care of my Sofie, okay?"<br /> "She'll never have the chance to complain." He didn't even look at me. "But I'm going to steal her from you now."<br /> Grandpa smiled sadly, and I squeezed him tight. "I'll visit you tomorrow," I promised him, "Don't forget your medicines."<br /> He nodded. He was going to stay the next few days with Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be his friends from college. I had met them a few times before. They visited quite often after hearing about Grandpa's illness.<br /> "Smile." Gabriel whispered when we begin walking outside, getting me to look at him.<br /> "Huh?"<br /> "I said... smile."<br /> I knit my eyebrows furthermore, confused, but as soon as I stepped outside, tens of camera lights flashed in my eyes. There were reporters everywhere, throwing overlapping questions that I couldn't catch.<br /> "Is it true that this is an arranged marriage?"<br /> "Is it true that this is the first time you both are meeting each other?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock, what happened to your relationship with Ms. Grant?"<br /> I couldn't make much sense of anything, only Gabriel. He had wrapped one of his arms around my back, his body tilted sideways as if to shield me from the flash lights as he guided us to the limousine at the end of the path, and quickly helped me get inside.<br /> Once the door shut, the gentleness with which he had talked to my grandfather and showed in front of the cameras vanished, and his jaw tightened, his eyes falling on the watch again.<br /> I cleared my throat. "Is that normal for you?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> He looked outside as the driver drove away from the chaos, barely sparing me a glance.<br /> I spoke up again. "I'm Sofia... Baker."<br /> This time, he looked at me like I was stupid. "I know," he deadpanned.<br /> I shut up after that.<br /> He was clearly not interested in talking to me. I felt embarrassed for trying again and again, and the urge to cry returned. I always knew this wasn't going to be an unrealistic fairytale where he looks at me for the first time and falls in love with me madly, but I hoped he would at least look at me. And talk to me. Or agree to be a friend. Or something.<br /> But with the way he was behaving with me, I could have as well married a robot.<br /> After twenty minutes of silence, no music, windows rolled up and the scent of a light air freshener mixed with air conditioning of the car choking me, I spoke up again. "Have I offended you somehow?"<br /> "Well, yes," He cocked an eyebrow at me, "You married me."<br /> <br /> I believed in fairytales. I believed in true love like the one my parents had, and hoped to find that for myself someday. I knew my parents would have wanted that for me, and not for me to be trapped into a loveless and forced marriage done for my grandfather's sake.<br /> With every minute of silence I spent in that car, I could sense my own dreams of the future breaking and being left behind.<br /> The silent torture of an hour (that seemed like an eternity) ended when the limousine stood in front of a house so huge, it was a mansion.<br /> Housemaids and butlers stood at its entrance as if waiting for us, and Gabriel was out of the door the second the car stopped.<br /> Two housemaids helped me out of the car because of the size of the dress I was wearing, and I politely smiled at them.<br /> "Welcome home, Mrs. Whitlock," They both giggled like shy schoolgirls.<br /> "Thank you," I mumbled and when I looked ahead, Gabriel had already disappeared inside the house.<br /> I sighed sadly, trying to hide my disappointment as I held my head high and walked in by myself behind him, taking in the extravagance of the Polish floors and chandeliers and perfectly kept flowers in vases.<br /> Some people had a home. Gabriel Whitlock had taken a page out of a Vogue magazine and simply brought it to reality.<br /> It was so beautiful, I hated it.<br /> I could see Gabriel walk up the stairs, and shaking my head, I simply followed him while one of the housemaids carried my trail for me.<br /> At the end of the stairs, when I took the right behind him, he turned with his hands crossed in front of him, looking at me with irritation. "Where do you think you're going?"<br /> "I'm following you to our room."<br /> "Our room?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, "You think we're going to share rooms?"<br /> I blinked. "We're not?"<br /> "My room is at the end of this hallway. Yours is at the end of that." He pointed in the opposite direction.<br /> The remaining shreds of any hope of a more cordial relationship between us died. "Good," I pretended to be relieved, "I was dreading sharing a room."<br /> "Like I said to your grandfather, you would have no complaints." The smile he drew to his lips was forced and sarcastic. "Luna is going to be with you at all times. She will escort you to your chamber."<br /> Escort? Chamber?<br /> What was he, royalty?<br /> Nonetheless, I just nodded.<br /> "Oh, and..." He added, "I was hoping I could come to your room in.." He paused, checked his watch, and then looked up. "...Thirty minutes. To talk."<br /> 'To talk.'<br /> Again, I nodded.<br /> As Gabriel turned around and left, I let Luna guide me to my room. He wasn't joking when he said my room is at the end of the hallway. I had to cross five other doors to reach mine.<br /> "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Luna said, "Just call for me."<br /> My eyebrows knit. "So you'll just be standing outside?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> "Doing what?"<br /> "Waiting, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Waiting for...what?"<br /> "For you to call me."<br /> I wondered if she was joking but her face didn't move a muscle. "But...why?"<br /> "So that you don't feel the need to go out of your way to do anything yourself."<br /> "Like get water for myself from the kitchen?" I joked.<br /> "Exactly." She agreed.<br /> I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then shut it again immediately. "Thanks." I just entered my room, leaving her outside in a guarding stance.<br /> Everything in this house was weird.<br /> This room was bigger than the apartment I struggled to pay rent of every month, but at least it was pretty. Like a show-piece.<br /> It took me ten minutes to get out of my wedding gown, and then I got in the tub to soak myself in hot water. I stayed there for an awfully long time, scrubbing out the expensive make-up from my face till the freckles they had spent so much time covering were visible again.<br /> I had promised myself I wouldn't think about how sad I was once I was already married, since what was already done couldn't be undone, but I couldn't help it. I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My mother was from a rich family in Seoul and my father was there on scholarship. She knew he didn't have a lot of money, but she loved him and left her family for him any way. They were the epitome of love for me growing up, and I was sure they'd be just in love today if a car crash hadn't stolen them from me years ago.<br /> I got my dark eyes, dark hair and Asian features from her.<br /> I liked money just as much as the next person, but I didn't use it as a driving force in life.<br /> As soon as that thought crossed my head, I felt like a hypocrite. I had married for money after all.<br /> When the steam in the bathroom felt suffocating, I got out wrapping one towel around my body, and another around my hair.<br /> My soul left my body when I opened the bathroom door, and found my new husband sitting on the edge of my bed.<br /> His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, but he remained unfazed at my half-undressed state.<br /> "You're late." He commented. "It's been forty-two minutes."<br /> I did not even remember he was going to come. It took me a moment to let go of my shock and glare at him. "Did nobody teach you how to knock before entering a woman's room?"<br /> "Technically, you're in my house. The room is mine."<br /> I rolled my eyes, holding the towel tight around me. "Would you have even entered the bathroom if it was unlocked?"<br /> Gabriel got up from the bed, unbuttoning the jacket of another crisp suit he had changed into. Conveniently ignoring what I asked, he placed a black card on the bed.<br /> "What is that?" I asked.<br /> "It's an Amex. No limit."<br /> I kept staring at him.<br /> He looked irritated. "It's for you."<br /> "I can take care of myself."<br /> I had married for money, yes, but so that his grandparents can cover the bill of my grandpa's cancer treatment. I didn't want anything from him, especially not the shiny black card with his name on it.<br /> "Can you buy a Chanel bag to gift my mother for the lunch we're supposed to have next week?"<br /> "She's your mother. You can buy it."<br /> "It's my money. Technically, I am buying it." He grumbled. "You're just the one choosing it."<br /> I ignored what he said the same way he had ignored me earlier. "If that's all, I would really like to change into something more appropriate than a towel."<br /> "You have a walk-in wardrobe, and you chose to get dressed in the room?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the outfit placed on my bed. "Old habits die hard, I guess. Or in your case, poor habits."<br /> "Excuse me?" My voice was loud as I took a step towards him. "I have been nothing but kind to you since the moment I met you. I was forced into this arrangement just as much as you were and if you can't-"<br /> "Were you though?" He cut me off.<br /> "What?"<br /> "Were you forced into it, Sofia?"<br /> He was being a jerk. "You better believe I wasn't dying to marry a man I didn't know, let alone an arrogant prick like you!"<br /> "You really want to pretend you're sad about marrying into money?" He snickered. "A house bigger than you could ever dream? Housemaids at one call? Anything you could ever wish for, you can buy with this card."<br /> "You are unbelievable." I shook my head, wanting not to cry at the assumptions he'd made about me without taking the effort to know me even a little.<br /> "I'm also a millionaire," he clarified, "So use that card when you need something."<br /> "If there's nothing else you want to say, leave." I spat out.<br /> He looked at me with a hatred I had done nothing to deserve before saying, "This arrangement will last for six months."<br /> "What arrangement?"<br /> "Our marriage."<br /> There was a silent pause on my end. "Oh."<br /> "After six months, I will divorce you and pay you a hefty sum in alumni so you can live comfortably on my money for the rest of your life." Gabriel's voice was bitter and full of a hatred I had done nothing to earn. "You will use my card till then. You will carry my name with grace. You will live in my house and smile with me in public when necessary. But inside, you may do as you please."<br /> "And why would I do that for you?" I fumed. "I can live without your money, so why would I make public appearances with you or not go embarrass you in front of the world? I. Owe. You. Nothing."<br /> "You don't want to play this game with me, freckles." One corner of his lips raised into a lopsided smile, "You don't want to know how low I can stoop to get what I want."<br /> I gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Are you threatening me?"<br /> "I am simply stating facts. When I threaten you, you'd know."<br /> "Leave." I seethed.<br /> He stared at me.<br /> "LEAVE!" I couldn't care less if my voice echoed the hollow walls of his mansion and his staff heard us arguing.<br /> All I wanted was him away from me.<br /> "Six months." He repeated, and left without looking at me again.<br /> Once he was gone, I stared at the bland white walls of my new room and they stared back at me just as blankly. The moment he was gone, I crippled to me knees and let the tears and tiredness I had been holding back wash over me. My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> <br /> Before the wedding, I had put a lot of thought into how my wedding night would be. I wondered if I would have to have intercourse with a man I hadn't known before that day, and in all the fear of that, I had forgotten staying alone in a huge room with nothing to do and no one to talk to as a possibility.<br /> I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep.<br /> The next morning, I wore one of the outfits that someone had stocked in the wardrobe for me to use. Growing up poor, I never got to splurge on myself. Any money I could save would only go into covering my grandpa's treatments, and we still fell short most times.<br /> Wandering alone in that big house, I wished I could confide in her about the fake marriage I was stuck in.<br /> But there I was, eating breakfast meant to feed twenty alone in the dining room.<br /> Luna stared at me.<br /> "Have you eaten?" I asked her.<br /> "After you, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Please call me Ms. Baker."<br /> "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs. Whitlock. Sir wouldn't like it."<br /> "I don't think Sir would know." I tell her, looking around. The house was huge, and the chances of running into the man that I wanted to actively try to avoid for the next six months was less. "Where even is he?"<br /> "He left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients who live abroad and he functions on their time."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Ms. Baker," I corrected her.<br /> "Ms. Baker." She nodded. "A parcel came for you earlier in the morning today though."<br /> I knit my eyebrows, leaving the food I did not have the appetite to eat as she disappeared for a moment to return with a box that I opened quickly to reveal a new phone inside. The latest model in my hand was a far stretch from the half broken one I had been using for the past five years, but I made it work since I couldn't afford a new phone despite juggling between two jobs and taking care of my grandpa.<br /> Until now, apparently.<br /> I unlocked the already set-up phone to see that there was no contact in it except one.<br /> 'Gabriel Whitlock.'<br /> <br /> In the afternoon, his lawyer arrived with a perfectly drafted agreement like he'd said yesterday. I'd gone over it for an hour by myself before signing it.<br /> I was tempted not to, but also afraid of how low Gabriel's 'stooping low' really was.<br /> I did nothing that day. I wandered around the house and saw all the paintings like I was in an art gallery, I tinkered with my new phone for a while, I checked in on my grandfather who insisted he was enjoying every moment of being reunited with his old friends and asked me to not visit him but instead enjoy my 'newly wed bliss', and napped more than I was used to.<br /> In the evening, I mailed my resume to companies around me. I needed to get a new job since I left my old one when I moved three hours away to marry an imperious man, but I was confident I could get another one without using the Whitlock name.<br /> I was always at the top of my class even in college, and had over two years of experience working as a financial analyst at my previous company. I earned well, but cancer cost more. So even after working a full time job as their financial analyst, and then working part time as a waitress in an overnight diner, I still struggled to make ends meet. With no health insurance, we were considering taking a loan or putting out small house on mortgage when Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be my grandpa's friends from school got in touch with him and again and offered to pay out his entire treatment with one simple condition: I had to marry their grandson. I was still convinced I could manage by myself and marrying a complete stranger was off the table but when my grandpa had to come out of retirement and take up a job for some extra cash, my heart broke looking at my sick grandfather work despite being in pain after treatments to unburden me. That is when I agreed to marry him: Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I didn't know what they did to convince their grandson to marry a nobody like me or why he agreed, but by his anger towards me, I could guess he was forced into it too.<br /> I wanted to sympathise with him, because at least I got something out of this wedlock. It seemed like he got nothing except losing his freedom and the title of the hottest bachelor in front of the world. But at the same time, I knew he was no saint. He was an arrogant man, self-centred, and had implied that I was a gold digger.<br /> At night, I ate dinner by myself while the housemaids looked over me like I was a child. Or royalty.<br /> I didn't see Gabriel at all for the next few days, and being alone turned into a habit. I spent my time getting pally with Luna and the others, learning how to cook the more refined dishes, swimming, and even reading books.<br /> On the fourth night, I checked my mails. I'd heard back from three out of seven places I had applied to, including Wales.<br /> Wales was a multibillion company that manufactured and distributed skincare, a direct competitor of the Whitlock company. They'd called me for an interview two days later, but I didn't send in my confirmation yet. Even though there wasn't a formal clause in the agreement we had signed, Gabriel had explicitly mentioned for me to not go about humiliating him publicly, and I wondered if his wife joining a rival company would go down well with him.<br /> Probably not.<br /> His number remained in my cell, and I went back and forth on the idea of calling him. But it was a quarter past twelve, and I hadn't seen him in the house for days. A part of my heart felt tighter wondering if he was staying with someone else... another woman perhaps.<br /> Sleep wasn't easy that night, and I woke up early by myself the next morning, eating breakfast in haste. It was around nine-thirty in the morning when I sat alone in my room and like a nervous school girl, dialled Gabriel.<br /> The phone rang, and on the fifth ring, it was picked up.<br /> "Hello?"<br /> I left the breath I didn't know I was holding. This wasn't Gabriel's voice. "Gabriel?"<br /> "Mrs. Whitlock? This is Peter, his personal assistant."<br /> "This is Gabriel's number, right?" He was probably in a meeting or something.<br /> "No, ma'am. This is my work number. Gabe Sir did mention that he had given you my number to call if you need to reach him."<br /> The anger for him that had managed to dissipate in the past few days was back, and the urge to punch something was stronger than ever. "I need to go through you to get to him?"<br /> "I believe so," Peter's voice was small. "Can I pass your message to him?"<br /> "No. No message." I replied, and without giving him the chance to say whatever he was about to, I disconnected.<br /> Here I was wondering if he'd mind me going for a job interview.<br /> And there he was, not even considering me important enough to have his own number.<br /> He actually had the audacity to feed his assistant's number under his name.<br /> Fuming, I opened my laptop and confirmed my interview for the next morning, without caring that it was with his rival company.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock could rot in underworld after this.	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995,564	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995556}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	1174197243607118	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Where even is he?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients..."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> Sofia's PoV<br /> I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, hoping nobody saw me weep, and that the mascara didn't run because of my unending tears. I was miserable, still in disbelief believe that the first time I was going to see my husband-to-be was when I'd walk down the aisle, and he would be waiting for me at the end of it.<br /> At least, I hoped he would be there, and that he wouldn't elope. Not because I wanted to particularly marry him, but because being stood up at the altar in front of the whole world would be very humiliating.<br /> "Ms. Baker?" As I fixed the princess-y Versace wedding gown one last time, one of the three women who had followed me since the moment I had stepped into this mansion today called me, and I looked up at her.<br /> "Yes?"<br /> "Your grandfather is waiting for you outside. It's time."<br /> It's time. It's time to get married to a man you don't know.<br /> Nodding, I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time making sure no tear stained my make up, and then left the room and walked down the stairs to the long wooden doors from which I was supposed to walk out. The dress was trailing behind, and the four inch heels I was wearing were uncomfortable.<br /> I felt suffocated, as if I would breakdown again any moment.<br /> "Sofie!" My grandfather's eyes lit up when he saw me, and mine softened looking at him all decked in his blue tux. It's all for him, I reminded myself, he needed the money.<br /> "Grandpa," I smiled softly at him, hurrying to reach him before he walks to me. He used to be tall and fit once, but years of chemotherapy had sucked the strength the out of him.<br /> "Oh! You look beautiful!" Tears glistened in his eyes. "I wish your parents could see you like this."<br /> I gulped the lump forming at the back of my throat as I held his hand when I reached him. "Are you happy, grandpa?"<br /> "Very." He beamed, "You will be taken care of when I'm gone. Gabriel is a good man."<br /> I nodded. I wasn't happy, but he didn't need to know of that.<br /> "Are you ready?" He asked in a whisper as I wrapped my hands around his arm and we stood in front of the shut doors.<br /> "As ready as I'll ever be."<br /> On queue, the doors opened. People stood on both sides of me when I stepped out and onto the aisle, every eye on me. Some hushed whispers. Camera flashes.<br /> Deep breath in. Deep breath out.<br /> I looked up. Despite the meticulously planned extravagance all around me that the Whitlock family had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, the person that caught my eye was the man standing at the end of the aisle.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I had googled him. I knew of his brown eyes and dark hair, his lopsided smile, his broad, muscular shoulders and his graceful stance, but my heart still skipped a beat when our eyes met.<br /> Oh, I so wished for this to be a fairytale-come-true, not a nightmare of a marriage I was about to be trapped in.<br /> He was looking at his watch, and there was a frown on his face when he looked up, which changed when he saw me. An emotion I couldn't decipher flickered in them, and I squirmed under his scrutinising gaze.<br /> He stepped down when I reached the end, forwarding his hand towards me in a perfectly practiced gesture, and cameras flashed more than ever as my grandfather placed my hand in his as if traditionally entrusting me with him.<br /> His palm was rough and large, and mine felt so small in his. Oh, what a mismatch.<br /> "Hey," I mouthed over the priest's words, surprising myself. I hadn't planned on doing this. My voice was so little that I wasn't sure he heard me, but he did. His eyes flickered towards me, setting on me for a brief few seconds.<br /> His jaw clenched, and then he looked away.<br /> He didn't look back at me for the rest of the time, and my cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment when the dreaded words cut in: "Do you, Gabriel Whitlock, take Sofia Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"<br /> "I do." He finally turned to me, and I bit my lower lip.<br /> "And do you, Sofia Baker, take Gabriel Whitlock to be your lawfully wedded husband?"<br /> This was suffocating. The outfit I was wearing costed more than my apartment. "I do," I still answered.<br /> "Gabriel, you may buss your bride." The officiant announced, and the entire world faded when he stepped towards me, hovering over me despite the tall heels I was wearing. One of his hands brushed my lose locks away and held my cheek as he bent down to gently place his lips on me.<br /> It was barely a brush.<br /> And just as quickly, he moved away as if he wasn't supposed to buss me in the first place.<br /> * <br /> We didn't attend the reception of our own wedding.<br /> After the nuptials, I was ushered back inside by my grandfather.<br /> "Seems like Gabriel cannot wait to get to know you," My grandfather laughed quietly, and I contemplated the urge to roll my eyes.<br /> "I absolutely cannot." Gabriel's voice filled in from behind, a charming but formal smile on his lips.<br /> "You take good care of my Sofie, okay?"<br /> "She'll never have the chance to complain." He didn't even look at me. "But I'm going to steal her from you now."<br /> Grandpa smiled sadly, and I squeezed him tight. "I'll visit you tomorrow," I promised him, "Don't forget your medicines."<br /> He nodded. He was going to stay the next few days with Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be his friends from college. I had met them a few times before. They visited quite often after hearing about Grandpa's illness.<br /> "Smile." Gabriel whispered when we begin walking outside, getting me to look at him.<br /> "Huh?"<br /> "I said... smile."<br /> I knit my eyebrows furthermore, confused, but as soon as I stepped outside, tens of camera lights flashed in my eyes. There were reporters everywhere, throwing overlapping questions that I couldn't catch.<br /> "Is it true that this is an arranged marriage?"<br /> "Is it true that this is the first time you both are meeting each other?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock, what happened to your relationship with Ms. Grant?"<br /> I couldn't make much sense of anything, only Gabriel. He had wrapped one of his arms around my back, his body tilted sideways as if to shield me from the flash lights as he guided us to the limousine at the end of the path, and quickly helped me get inside.<br /> Once the door shut, the gentleness with which he had talked to my grandfather and showed in front of the cameras vanished, and his jaw tightened, his eyes falling on the watch again.<br /> I cleared my throat. "Is that normal for you?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> He looked outside as the driver drove away from the chaos, barely sparing me a glance.<br /> I spoke up again. "I'm Sofia... Baker."<br /> This time, he looked at me like I was stupid. "I know," he deadpanned.<br /> I shut up after that.<br /> He was clearly not interested in talking to me. I felt embarrassed for trying again and again, and the urge to cry returned. I always knew this wasn't going to be an unrealistic fairytale where he looks at me for the first time and falls in love with me madly, but I hoped he would at least look at me. And talk to me. Or agree to be a friend. Or something.<br /> But with the way he was behaving with me, I could have as well married a robot.<br /> After twenty minutes of silence, no music, windows rolled up and the scent of a light air freshener mixed with air conditioning of the car choking me, I spoke up again. "Have I offended you somehow?"<br /> "Well, yes," He cocked an eyebrow at me, "You married me."<br /> <br /> I believed in fairytales. I believed in true love like the one my parents had, and hoped to find that for myself someday. I knew my parents would have wanted that for me, and not for me to be trapped into a loveless and forced marriage done for my grandfather's sake.<br /> With every minute of silence I spent in that car, I could sense my own dreams of the future breaking and being left behind.<br /> The silent torture of an hour (that seemed like an eternity) ended when the limousine stood in front of a house so huge, it was a mansion.<br /> Housemaids and butlers stood at its entrance as if waiting for us, and Gabriel was out of the door the second the car stopped.<br /> Two housemaids helped me out of the car because of the size of the dress I was wearing, and I politely smiled at them.<br /> "Welcome home, Mrs. Whitlock," They both giggled like shy schoolgirls.<br /> "Thank you," I mumbled and when I looked ahead, Gabriel had already disappeared inside the house.<br /> I sighed sadly, trying to hide my disappointment as I held my head high and walked in by myself behind him, taking in the extravagance of the Polish floors and chandeliers and perfectly kept flowers in vases.<br /> Some people had a home. Gabriel Whitlock had taken a page out of a Vogue magazine and simply brought it to reality.<br /> It was so beautiful, I hated it.<br /> I could see Gabriel walk up the stairs, and shaking my head, I simply followed him while one of the housemaids carried my trail for me.<br /> At the end of the stairs, when I took the right behind him, he turned with his hands crossed in front of him, looking at me with irritation. "Where do you think you're going?"<br /> "I'm following you to our room."<br /> "Our room?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, "You think we're going to share rooms?"<br /> I blinked. "We're not?"<br /> "My room is at the end of this hallway. Yours is at the end of that." He pointed in the opposite direction.<br /> The remaining shreds of any hope of a more cordial relationship between us died. "Good," I pretended to be relieved, "I was dreading sharing a room."<br /> "Like I said to your grandfather, you would have no complaints." The smile he drew to his lips was forced and sarcastic. "Luna is going to be with you at all times. She will escort you to your chamber."<br /> Escort? Chamber?<br /> What was he, royalty?<br /> Nonetheless, I just nodded.<br /> "Oh, and..." He added, "I was hoping I could come to your room in.." He paused, checked his watch, and then looked up. "...Thirty minutes. To talk."<br /> 'To talk.'<br /> Again, I nodded.<br /> As Gabriel turned around and left, I let Luna guide me to my room. He wasn't joking when he said my room is at the end of the hallway. I had to cross five other doors to reach mine.<br /> "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Luna said, "Just call for me."<br /> My eyebrows knit. "So you'll just be standing outside?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> "Doing what?"<br /> "Waiting, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Waiting for...what?"<br /> "For you to call me."<br /> I wondered if she was joking but her face didn't move a muscle. "But...why?"<br /> "So that you don't feel the need to go out of your way to do anything yourself."<br /> "Like get water for myself from the kitchen?" I joked.<br /> "Exactly." She agreed.<br /> I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then shut it again immediately. "Thanks." I just entered my room, leaving her outside in a guarding stance.<br /> Everything in this house was weird.<br /> This room was bigger than the apartment I struggled to pay rent of every month, but at least it was pretty. Like a show-piece.<br /> It took me ten minutes to get out of my wedding gown, and then I got in the tub to soak myself in hot water. I stayed there for an awfully long time, scrubbing out the expensive make-up from my face till the freckles they had spent so much time covering were visible again.<br /> I had promised myself I wouldn't think about how sad I was once I was already married, since what was already done couldn't be undone, but I couldn't help it. I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My mother was from a rich family in Seoul and my father was there on scholarship. She knew he didn't have a lot of money, but she loved him and left her family for him any way. They were the epitome of love for me growing up, and I was sure they'd be just in love today if a car crash hadn't stolen them from me years ago.<br /> I got my dark eyes, dark hair and Asian features from her.<br /> I liked money just as much as the next person, but I didn't use it as a driving force in life.<br /> As soon as that thought crossed my head, I felt like a hypocrite. I had married for money after all.<br /> When the steam in the bathroom felt suffocating, I got out wrapping one towel around my body, and another around my hair.<br /> My soul left my body when I opened the bathroom door, and found my new husband sitting on the edge of my bed.<br /> His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, but he remained unfazed at my half-undressed state.<br /> "You're late." He commented. "It's been forty-two minutes."<br /> I did not even remember he was going to come. It took me a moment to let go of my shock and glare at him. "Did nobody teach you how to knock before entering a woman's room?"<br /> "Technically, you're in my house. The room is mine."<br /> I rolled my eyes, holding the towel tight around me. "Would you have even entered the bathroom if it was unlocked?"<br /> Gabriel got up from the bed, unbuttoning the jacket of another crisp suit he had changed into. Conveniently ignoring what I asked, he placed a black card on the bed.<br /> "What is that?" I asked.<br /> "It's an Amex. No limit."<br /> I kept staring at him.<br /> He looked irritated. "It's for you."<br /> "I can take care of myself."<br /> I had married for money, yes, but so that his grandparents can cover the bill of my grandpa's cancer treatment. I didn't want anything from him, especially not the shiny black card with his name on it.<br /> "Can you buy a Chanel bag to gift my mother for the lunch we're supposed to have next week?"<br /> "She's your mother. You can buy it."<br /> "It's my money. Technically, I am buying it." He grumbled. "You're just the one choosing it."<br /> I ignored what he said the same way he had ignored me earlier. "If that's all, I would really like to change into something more appropriate than a towel."<br /> "You have a walk-in wardrobe, and you chose to get dressed in the room?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the outfit placed on my bed. "Old habits die hard, I guess. Or in your case, poor habits."<br /> "Excuse me?" My voice was loud as I took a step towards him. "I have been nothing but kind to you since the moment I met you. I was forced into this arrangement just as much as you were and if you can't-"<br /> "Were you though?" He cut me off.<br /> "What?"<br /> "Were you forced into it, Sofia?"<br /> He was being a jerk. "You better believe I wasn't dying to marry a man I didn't know, let alone an arrogant prick like you!"<br /> "You really want to pretend you're sad about marrying into money?" He snickered. "A house bigger than you could ever dream? Housemaids at one call? Anything you could ever wish for, you can buy with this card."<br /> "You are unbelievable." I shook my head, wanting not to cry at the assumptions he'd made about me without taking the effort to know me even a little.<br /> "I'm also a millionaire," he clarified, "So use that card when you need something."<br /> "If there's nothing else you want to say, leave." I spat out.<br /> He looked at me with a hatred I had done nothing to deserve before saying, "This arrangement will last for six months."<br /> "What arrangement?"<br /> "Our marriage."<br /> There was a silent pause on my end. "Oh."<br /> "After six months, I will divorce you and pay you a hefty sum in alumni so you can live comfortably on my money for the rest of your life." Gabriel's voice was bitter and full of a hatred I had done nothing to earn. "You will use my card till then. You will carry my name with grace. You will live in my house and smile with me in public when necessary. But inside, you may do as you please."<br /> "And why would I do that for you?" I fumed. "I can live without your money, so why would I make public appearances with you or not go embarrass you in front of the world? I. Owe. You. Nothing."<br /> "You don't want to play this game with me, freckles." One corner of his lips raised into a lopsided smile, "You don't want to know how low I can stoop to get what I want."<br /> I gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Are you threatening me?"<br /> "I am simply stating facts. When I threaten you, you'd know."<br /> "Leave." I seethed.<br /> He stared at me.<br /> "LEAVE!" I couldn't care less if my voice echoed the hollow walls of his mansion and his staff heard us arguing.<br /> All I wanted was him away from me.<br /> "Six months." He repeated, and left without looking at me again.<br /> Once he was gone, I stared at the bland white walls of my new room and they stared back at me just as blankly. The moment he was gone, I crippled to me knees and let the tears and tiredness I had been holding back wash over me. My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> <br /> Before the wedding, I had put a lot of thought into how my wedding night would be. I wondered if I would have to have intercourse with a man I hadn't known before that day, and in all the fear of that, I had forgotten staying alone in a huge room with nothing to do and no one to talk to as a possibility.<br /> I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep.<br /> The next morning, I wore one of the outfits that someone had stocked in the wardrobe for me to use. Growing up poor, I never got to splurge on myself. Any money I could save would only go into covering my grandpa's treatments, and we still fell short most times.<br /> Wandering alone in that big house, I wished I could confide in her about the fake marriage I was stuck in.<br /> But there I was, eating breakfast meant to feed twenty alone in the dining room.<br /> Luna stared at me.<br /> "Have you eaten?" I asked her.<br /> "After you, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Please call me Ms. Baker."<br /> "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs. Whitlock. Sir wouldn't like it."<br /> "I don't think Sir would know." I tell her, looking around. The house was huge, and the chances of running into the man that I wanted to actively try to avoid for the next six months was less. "Where even is he?"<br /> "He left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients who live abroad and he functions on their time."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Ms. Baker," I corrected her.<br /> "Ms. Baker." She nodded. "A parcel came for you earlier in the morning today though."<br /> I knit my eyebrows, leaving the food I did not have the appetite to eat as she disappeared for a moment to return with a box that I opened quickly to reveal a new phone inside. The latest model in my hand was a far stretch from the half broken one I had been using for the past five years, but I made it work since I couldn't afford a new phone despite juggling between two jobs and taking care of my grandpa.<br /> Until now, apparently.<br /> I unlocked the already set-up phone to see that there was no contact in it except one.<br /> 'Gabriel Whitlock.'<br /> <br /> In the afternoon, his lawyer arrived with a perfectly drafted agreement like he'd said yesterday. I'd gone over it for an hour by myself before signing it.<br /> I was tempted not to, but also afraid of how low Gabriel's 'stooping low' really was.<br /> I did nothing that day. I wandered around the house and saw all the paintings like I was in an art gallery, I tinkered with my new phone for a while, I checked in on my grandfather who insisted he was enjoying every moment of being reunited with his old friends and asked me to not visit him but instead enjoy my 'newly wed bliss', and napped more than I was used to.<br /> In the evening, I mailed my resume to companies around me. I needed to get a new job since I left my old one when I moved three hours away to marry an imperious man, but I was confident I could get another one without using the Whitlock name.<br /> I was always at the top of my class even in college, and had over two years of experience working as a financial analyst at my previous company. I earned well, but cancer cost more. So even after working a full time job as their financial analyst, and then working part time as a waitress in an overnight diner, I still struggled to make ends meet. With no health insurance, we were considering taking a loan or putting out small house on mortgage when Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be my grandpa's friends from school got in touch with him and again and offered to pay out his entire treatment with one simple condition: I had to marry their grandson. I was still convinced I could manage by myself and marrying a complete stranger was off the table but when my grandpa had to come out of retirement and take up a job for some extra cash, my heart broke looking at my sick grandfather work despite being in pain after treatments to unburden me. That is when I agreed to marry him: Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I didn't know what they did to convince their grandson to marry a nobody like me or why he agreed, but by his anger towards me, I could guess he was forced into it too.<br /> I wanted to sympathise with him, because at least I got something out of this wedlock. It seemed like he got nothing except losing his freedom and the title of the hottest bachelor in front of the world. But at the same time, I knew he was no saint. He was an arrogant man, self-centred, and had implied that I was a gold digger.<br /> At night, I ate dinner by myself while the housemaids looked over me like I was a child. Or royalty.<br /> I didn't see Gabriel at all for the next few days, and being alone turned into a habit. I spent my time getting pally with Luna and the others, learning how to cook the more refined dishes, swimming, and even reading books.<br /> On the fourth night, I checked my mails. I'd heard back from three out of seven places I had applied to, including Wales.<br /> Wales was a multibillion company that manufactured and distributed skincare, a direct competitor of the Whitlock company. They'd called me for an interview two days later, but I didn't send in my confirmation yet. Even though there wasn't a formal clause in the agreement we had signed, Gabriel had explicitly mentioned for me to not go about humiliating him publicly, and I wondered if his wife joining a rival company would go down well with him.<br /> Probably not.<br /> His number remained in my cell, and I went back and forth on the idea of calling him. But it was a quarter past twelve, and I hadn't seen him in the house for days. A part of my heart felt tighter wondering if he was staying with someone else... another woman perhaps.<br /> Sleep wasn't easy that night, and I woke up early by myself the next morning, eating breakfast in haste. It was around nine-thirty in the morning when I sat alone in my room and like a nervous school girl, dialled Gabriel.<br /> The phone rang, and on the fifth ring, it was picked up.<br /> "Hello?"<br /> I left the breath I didn't know I was holding. This wasn't Gabriel's voice. "Gabriel?"<br /> "Mrs. Whitlock? This is Peter, his personal assistant."<br /> "This is Gabriel's number, right?" He was probably in a meeting or something.<br /> "No, ma'am. This is my work number. Gabe Sir did mention that he had given you my number to call if you need to reach him."<br /> The anger for him that had managed to dissipate in the past few days was back, and the urge to punch something was stronger than ever. "I need to go through you to get to him?"<br /> "I believe so," Peter's voice was small. "Can I pass your message to him?"<br /> "No. No message." I replied, and without giving him the chance to say whatever he was about to, I disconnected.<br /> Here I was wondering if he'd mind me going for a job interview.<br /> And there he was, not even considering me important enough to have his own number.<br /> He actually had the audacity to feed his assistant's number under his name.<br /> Fuming, I opened my laptop and confirmed my interview for the next morning, without caring that it was with his rival company.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock could rot in underworld after this.	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995,571	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995550}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	2119049128429085	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Where even is he?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients..."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> Sofia's PoV<br /> I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, hoping nobody saw me weep, and that the mascara didn't run because of my unending tears. I was miserable, still in disbelief believe that the first time I was going to see my husband-to-be was when I'd walk down the aisle, and he would be waiting for me at the end of it.<br /> At least, I hoped he would be there, and that he wouldn't elope. Not because I wanted to particularly marry him, but because being stood up at the altar in front of the whole world would be very humiliating.<br /> "Ms. Baker?" As I fixed the princess-y Versace wedding gown one last time, one of the three women who had followed me since the moment I had stepped into this mansion today called me, and I looked up at her.<br /> "Yes?"<br /> "Your grandfather is waiting for you outside. It's time."<br /> It's time. It's time to get married to a man you don't know.<br /> Nodding, I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time making sure no tear stained my make up, and then left the room and walked down the stairs to the long wooden doors from which I was supposed to walk out. The dress was trailing behind, and the four inch heels I was wearing were uncomfortable.<br /> I felt suffocated, as if I would breakdown again any moment.<br /> "Sofie!" My grandfather's eyes lit up when he saw me, and mine softened looking at him all decked in his blue tux. It's all for him, I reminded myself, he needed the money.<br /> "Grandpa," I smiled softly at him, hurrying to reach him before he walks to me. He used to be tall and fit once, but years of chemotherapy had sucked the strength the out of him.<br /> "Oh! You look beautiful!" Tears glistened in his eyes. "I wish your parents could see you like this."<br /> I gulped the lump forming at the back of my throat as I held his hand when I reached him. "Are you happy, grandpa?"<br /> "Very." He beamed, "You will be taken care of when I'm gone. Gabriel is a good man."<br /> I nodded. I wasn't happy, but he didn't need to know of that.<br /> "Are you ready?" He asked in a whisper as I wrapped my hands around his arm and we stood in front of the shut doors.<br /> "As ready as I'll ever be."<br /> On queue, the doors opened. People stood on both sides of me when I stepped out and onto the aisle, every eye on me. Some hushed whispers. Camera flashes.<br /> Deep breath in. Deep breath out.<br /> I looked up. Despite the meticulously planned extravagance all around me that the Whitlock family had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, the person that caught my eye was the man standing at the end of the aisle.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I had googled him. I knew of his brown eyes and dark hair, his lopsided smile, his broad, muscular shoulders and his graceful stance, but my heart still skipped a beat when our eyes met.<br /> Oh, I so wished for this to be a fairytale-come-true, not a nightmare of a marriage I was about to be trapped in.<br /> He was looking at his watch, and there was a frown on his face when he looked up, which changed when he saw me. An emotion I couldn't decipher flickered in them, and I squirmed under his scrutinising gaze.<br /> He stepped down when I reached the end, forwarding his hand towards me in a perfectly practiced gesture, and cameras flashed more than ever as my grandfather placed my hand in his as if traditionally entrusting me with him.<br /> His palm was rough and large, and mine felt so small in his. Oh, what a mismatch.<br /> "Hey," I mouthed over the priest's words, surprising myself. I hadn't planned on doing this. My voice was so little that I wasn't sure he heard me, but he did. His eyes flickered towards me, setting on me for a brief few seconds.<br /> His jaw clenched, and then he looked away.<br /> He didn't look back at me for the rest of the time, and my cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment when the dreaded words cut in: "Do you, Gabriel Whitlock, take Sofia Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"<br /> "I do." He finally turned to me, and I bit my lower lip.<br /> "And do you, Sofia Baker, take Gabriel Whitlock to be your lawfully wedded husband?"<br /> This was suffocating. The outfit I was wearing costed more than my apartment. "I do," I still answered.<br /> "Gabriel, you may buss your bride." The officiant announced, and the entire world faded when he stepped towards me, hovering over me despite the tall heels I was wearing. One of his hands brushed my lose locks away and held my cheek as he bent down to gently place his lips on me.<br /> It was barely a brush.<br /> And just as quickly, he moved away as if he wasn't supposed to buss me in the first place.<br /> * <br /> We didn't attend the reception of our own wedding.<br /> After the nuptials, I was ushered back inside by my grandfather.<br /> "Seems like Gabriel cannot wait to get to know you," My grandfather laughed quietly, and I contemplated the urge to roll my eyes.<br /> "I absolutely cannot." Gabriel's voice filled in from behind, a charming but formal smile on his lips.<br /> "You take good care of my Sofie, okay?"<br /> "She'll never have the chance to complain." He didn't even look at me. "But I'm going to steal her from you now."<br /> Grandpa smiled sadly, and I squeezed him tight. "I'll visit you tomorrow," I promised him, "Don't forget your medicines."<br /> He nodded. He was going to stay the next few days with Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be his friends from college. I had met them a few times before. They visited quite often after hearing about Grandpa's illness.<br /> "Smile." Gabriel whispered when we begin walking outside, getting me to look at him.<br /> "Huh?"<br /> "I said... smile."<br /> I knit my eyebrows furthermore, confused, but as soon as I stepped outside, tens of camera lights flashed in my eyes. There were reporters everywhere, throwing overlapping questions that I couldn't catch.<br /> "Is it true that this is an arranged marriage?"<br /> "Is it true that this is the first time you both are meeting each other?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock, what happened to your relationship with Ms. Grant?"<br /> I couldn't make much sense of anything, only Gabriel. He had wrapped one of his arms around my back, his body tilted sideways as if to shield me from the flash lights as he guided us to the limousine at the end of the path, and quickly helped me get inside.<br /> Once the door shut, the gentleness with which he had talked to my grandfather and showed in front of the cameras vanished, and his jaw tightened, his eyes falling on the watch again.<br /> I cleared my throat. "Is that normal for you?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> He looked outside as the driver drove away from the chaos, barely sparing me a glance.<br /> I spoke up again. "I'm Sofia... Baker."<br /> This time, he looked at me like I was stupid. "I know," he deadpanned.<br /> I shut up after that.<br /> He was clearly not interested in talking to me. I felt embarrassed for trying again and again, and the urge to cry returned. I always knew this wasn't going to be an unrealistic fairytale where he looks at me for the first time and falls in love with me madly, but I hoped he would at least look at me. And talk to me. Or agree to be a friend. Or something.<br /> But with the way he was behaving with me, I could have as well married a robot.<br /> After twenty minutes of silence, no music, windows rolled up and the scent of a light air freshener mixed with air conditioning of the car choking me, I spoke up again. "Have I offended you somehow?"<br /> "Well, yes," He cocked an eyebrow at me, "You married me."<br /> <br /> I believed in fairytales. I believed in true love like the one my parents had, and hoped to find that for myself someday. I knew my parents would have wanted that for me, and not for me to be trapped into a loveless and forced marriage done for my grandfather's sake.<br /> With every minute of silence I spent in that car, I could sense my own dreams of the future breaking and being left behind.<br /> The silent torture of an hour (that seemed like an eternity) ended when the limousine stood in front of a house so huge, it was a mansion.<br /> Housemaids and butlers stood at its entrance as if waiting for us, and Gabriel was out of the door the second the car stopped.<br /> Two housemaids helped me out of the car because of the size of the dress I was wearing, and I politely smiled at them.<br /> "Welcome home, Mrs. Whitlock," They both giggled like shy schoolgirls.<br /> "Thank you," I mumbled and when I looked ahead, Gabriel had already disappeared inside the house.<br /> I sighed sadly, trying to hide my disappointment as I held my head high and walked in by myself behind him, taking in the extravagance of the Polish floors and chandeliers and perfectly kept flowers in vases.<br /> Some people had a home. Gabriel Whitlock had taken a page out of a Vogue magazine and simply brought it to reality.<br /> It was so beautiful, I hated it.<br /> I could see Gabriel walk up the stairs, and shaking my head, I simply followed him while one of the housemaids carried my trail for me.<br /> At the end of the stairs, when I took the right behind him, he turned with his hands crossed in front of him, looking at me with irritation. "Where do you think you're going?"<br /> "I'm following you to our room."<br /> "Our room?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, "You think we're going to share rooms?"<br /> I blinked. "We're not?"<br /> "My room is at the end of this hallway. Yours is at the end of that." He pointed in the opposite direction.<br /> The remaining shreds of any hope of a more cordial relationship between us died. "Good," I pretended to be relieved, "I was dreading sharing a room."<br /> "Like I said to your grandfather, you would have no complaints." The smile he drew to his lips was forced and sarcastic. "Luna is going to be with you at all times. She will escort you to your chamber."<br /> Escort? Chamber?<br /> What was he, royalty?<br /> Nonetheless, I just nodded.<br /> "Oh, and..." He added, "I was hoping I could come to your room in.." He paused, checked his watch, and then looked up. "...Thirty minutes. To talk."<br /> 'To talk.'<br /> Again, I nodded.<br /> As Gabriel turned around and left, I let Luna guide me to my room. He wasn't joking when he said my room is at the end of the hallway. I had to cross five other doors to reach mine.<br /> "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Luna said, "Just call for me."<br /> My eyebrows knit. "So you'll just be standing outside?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> "Doing what?"<br /> "Waiting, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Waiting for...what?"<br /> "For you to call me."<br /> I wondered if she was joking but her face didn't move a muscle. "But...why?"<br /> "So that you don't feel the need to go out of your way to do anything yourself."<br /> "Like get water for myself from the kitchen?" I joked.<br /> "Exactly." She agreed.<br /> I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then shut it again immediately. "Thanks." I just entered my room, leaving her outside in a guarding stance.<br /> Everything in this house was weird.<br /> This room was bigger than the apartment I struggled to pay rent of every month, but at least it was pretty. Like a show-piece.<br /> It took me ten minutes to get out of my wedding gown, and then I got in the tub to soak myself in hot water. I stayed there for an awfully long time, scrubbing out the expensive make-up from my face till the freckles they had spent so much time covering were visible again.<br /> I had promised myself I wouldn't think about how sad I was once I was already married, since what was already done couldn't be undone, but I couldn't help it. I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My mother was from a rich family in Seoul and my father was there on scholarship. She knew he didn't have a lot of money, but she loved him and left her family for him any way. They were the epitome of love for me growing up, and I was sure they'd be just in love today if a car crash hadn't stolen them from me years ago.<br /> I got my dark eyes, dark hair and Asian features from her.<br /> I liked money just as much as the next person, but I didn't use it as a driving force in life.<br /> As soon as that thought crossed my head, I felt like a hypocrite. I had married for money after all.<br /> When the steam in the bathroom felt suffocating, I got out wrapping one towel around my body, and another around my hair.<br /> My soul left my body when I opened the bathroom door, and found my new husband sitting on the edge of my bed.<br /> His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, but he remained unfazed at my half-undressed state.<br /> "You're late." He commented. "It's been forty-two minutes."<br /> I did not even remember he was going to come. It took me a moment to let go of my shock and glare at him. "Did nobody teach you how to knock before entering a woman's room?"<br /> "Technically, you're in my house. The room is mine."<br /> I rolled my eyes, holding the towel tight around me. "Would you have even entered the bathroom if it was unlocked?"<br /> Gabriel got up from the bed, unbuttoning the jacket of another crisp suit he had changed into. Conveniently ignoring what I asked, he placed a black card on the bed.<br /> "What is that?" I asked.<br /> "It's an Amex. No limit."<br /> I kept staring at him.<br /> He looked irritated. "It's for you."<br /> "I can take care of myself."<br /> I had married for money, yes, but so that his grandparents can cover the bill of my grandpa's cancer treatment. I didn't want anything from him, especially not the shiny black card with his name on it.<br /> "Can you buy a Chanel bag to gift my mother for the lunch we're supposed to have next week?"<br /> "She's your mother. You can buy it."<br /> "It's my money. Technically, I am buying it." He grumbled. "You're just the one choosing it."<br /> I ignored what he said the same way he had ignored me earlier. "If that's all, I would really like to change into something more appropriate than a towel."<br /> "You have a walk-in wardrobe, and you chose to get dressed in the room?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the outfit placed on my bed. "Old habits die hard, I guess. Or in your case, poor habits."<br /> "Excuse me?" My voice was loud as I took a step towards him. "I have been nothing but kind to you since the moment I met you. I was forced into this arrangement just as much as you were and if you can't-"<br /> "Were you though?" He cut me off.<br /> "What?"<br /> "Were you forced into it, Sofia?"<br /> He was being a jerk. "You better believe I wasn't dying to marry a man I didn't know, let alone an arrogant prick like you!"<br /> "You really want to pretend you're sad about marrying into money?" He snickered. "A house bigger than you could ever dream? Housemaids at one call? Anything you could ever wish for, you can buy with this card."<br /> "You are unbelievable." I shook my head, wanting not to cry at the assumptions he'd made about me without taking the effort to know me even a little.<br /> "I'm also a millionaire," he clarified, "So use that card when you need something."<br /> "If there's nothing else you want to say, leave." I spat out.<br /> He looked at me with a hatred I had done nothing to deserve before saying, "This arrangement will last for six months."<br /> "What arrangement?"<br /> "Our marriage."<br /> There was a silent pause on my end. "Oh."<br /> "After six months, I will divorce you and pay you a hefty sum in alumni so you can live comfortably on my money for the rest of your life." Gabriel's voice was bitter and full of a hatred I had done nothing to earn. "You will use my card till then. You will carry my name with grace. You will live in my house and smile with me in public when necessary. But inside, you may do as you please."<br /> "And why would I do that for you?" I fumed. "I can live without your money, so why would I make public appearances with you or not go embarrass you in front of the world? I. Owe. You. Nothing."<br /> "You don't want to play this game with me, freckles." One corner of his lips raised into a lopsided smile, "You don't want to know how low I can stoop to get what I want."<br /> I gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Are you threatening me?"<br /> "I am simply stating facts. When I threaten you, you'd know."<br /> "Leave." I seethed.<br /> He stared at me.<br /> "LEAVE!" I couldn't care less if my voice echoed the hollow walls of his mansion and his staff heard us arguing.<br /> All I wanted was him away from me.<br /> "Six months." He repeated, and left without looking at me again.<br /> Once he was gone, I stared at the bland white walls of my new room and they stared back at me just as blankly. The moment he was gone, I crippled to me knees and let the tears and tiredness I had been holding back wash over me. My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> <br /> Before the wedding, I had put a lot of thought into how my wedding night would be. I wondered if I would have to have intercourse with a man I hadn't known before that day, and in all the fear of that, I had forgotten staying alone in a huge room with nothing to do and no one to talk to as a possibility.<br /> I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep.<br /> The next morning, I wore one of the outfits that someone had stocked in the wardrobe for me to use. Growing up poor, I never got to splurge on myself. Any money I could save would only go into covering my grandpa's treatments, and we still fell short most times.<br /> Wandering alone in that big house, I wished I could confide in her about the fake marriage I was stuck in.<br /> But there I was, eating breakfast meant to feed twenty alone in the dining room.<br /> Luna stared at me.<br /> "Have you eaten?" I asked her.<br /> "After you, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Please call me Ms. Baker."<br /> "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs. Whitlock. Sir wouldn't like it."<br /> "I don't think Sir would know." I tell her, looking around. The house was huge, and the chances of running into the man that I wanted to actively try to avoid for the next six months was less. "Where even is he?"<br /> "He left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients who live abroad and he functions on their time."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Ms. Baker," I corrected her.<br /> "Ms. Baker." She nodded. "A parcel came for you earlier in the morning today though."<br /> I knit my eyebrows, leaving the food I did not have the appetite to eat as she disappeared for a moment to return with a box that I opened quickly to reveal a new phone inside. The latest model in my hand was a far stretch from the half broken one I had been using for the past five years, but I made it work since I couldn't afford a new phone despite juggling between two jobs and taking care of my grandpa.<br /> Until now, apparently.<br /> I unlocked the already set-up phone to see that there was no contact in it except one.<br /> 'Gabriel Whitlock.'<br /> <br /> In the afternoon, his lawyer arrived with a perfectly drafted agreement like he'd said yesterday. I'd gone over it for an hour by myself before signing it.<br /> I was tempted not to, but also afraid of how low Gabriel's 'stooping low' really was.<br /> I did nothing that day. I wandered around the house and saw all the paintings like I was in an art gallery, I tinkered with my new phone for a while, I checked in on my grandfather who insisted he was enjoying every moment of being reunited with his old friends and asked me to not visit him but instead enjoy my 'newly wed bliss', and napped more than I was used to.<br /> In the evening, I mailed my resume to companies around me. I needed to get a new job since I left my old one when I moved three hours away to marry an imperious man, but I was confident I could get another one without using the Whitlock name.<br /> I was always at the top of my class even in college, and had over two years of experience working as a financial analyst at my previous company. I earned well, but cancer cost more. So even after working a full time job as their financial analyst, and then working part time as a waitress in an overnight diner, I still struggled to make ends meet. With no health insurance, we were considering taking a loan or putting out small house on mortgage when Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be my grandpa's friends from school got in touch with him and again and offered to pay out his entire treatment with one simple condition: I had to marry their grandson. I was still convinced I could manage by myself and marrying a complete stranger was off the table but when my grandpa had to come out of retirement and take up a job for some extra cash, my heart broke looking at my sick grandfather work despite being in pain after treatments to unburden me. That is when I agreed to marry him: Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I didn't know what they did to convince their grandson to marry a nobody like me or why he agreed, but by his anger towards me, I could guess he was forced into it too.<br /> I wanted to sympathise with him, because at least I got something out of this wedlock. It seemed like he got nothing except losing his freedom and the title of the hottest bachelor in front of the world. But at the same time, I knew he was no saint. He was an arrogant man, self-centred, and had implied that I was a gold digger.<br /> At night, I ate dinner by myself while the housemaids looked over me like I was a child. Or royalty.<br /> I didn't see Gabriel at all for the next few days, and being alone turned into a habit. I spent my time getting pally with Luna and the others, learning how to cook the more refined dishes, swimming, and even reading books.<br /> On the fourth night, I checked my mails. I'd heard back from three out of seven places I had applied to, including Wales.<br /> Wales was a multibillion company that manufactured and distributed skincare, a direct competitor of the Whitlock company. They'd called me for an interview two days later, but I didn't send in my confirmation yet. Even though there wasn't a formal clause in the agreement we had signed, Gabriel had explicitly mentioned for me to not go about humiliating him publicly, and I wondered if his wife joining a rival company would go down well with him.<br /> Probably not.<br /> His number remained in my cell, and I went back and forth on the idea of calling him. But it was a quarter past twelve, and I hadn't seen him in the house for days. A part of my heart felt tighter wondering if he was staying with someone else... another woman perhaps.<br /> Sleep wasn't easy that night, and I woke up early by myself the next morning, eating breakfast in haste. It was around nine-thirty in the morning when I sat alone in my room and like a nervous school girl, dialled Gabriel.<br /> The phone rang, and on the fifth ring, it was picked up.<br /> "Hello?"<br /> I left the breath I didn't know I was holding. This wasn't Gabriel's voice. "Gabriel?"<br /> "Mrs. Whitlock? This is Peter, his personal assistant."<br /> "This is Gabriel's number, right?" He was probably in a meeting or something.<br /> "No, ma'am. This is my work number. Gabe Sir did mention that he had given you my number to call if you need to reach him."<br /> The anger for him that had managed to dissipate in the past few days was back, and the urge to punch something was stronger than ever. "I need to go through you to get to him?"<br /> "I believe so," Peter's voice was small. "Can I pass your message to him?"<br /> "No. No message." I replied, and without giving him the chance to say whatever he was about to, I disconnected.<br /> Here I was wondering if he'd mind me going for a job interview.<br /> And there he was, not even considering me important enough to have his own number.<br /> He actually had the audacity to feed his assistant's number under his name.<br /> Fuming, I opened my laptop and confirmed my interview for the next morning, without caring that it was with his rival company.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock could rot in underworld after this.	LEARN_MORE	https://a.read4funs.com/ad/ZmFuY3lOb3ZlbC8xNDM5MzU	123823310705302	ForFun-100	https://facebook.com/100094441775812	89	1	429,960,612,864,452	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	ForFun-100	120209498425200361	a.read4funs.com		NONE	video		https://a.read4funs.com/ad/ZmFuY3lOb3ZlbC8xNDM5MzUvMjAyNDA0MDcxNzE5MjcvcGFnZQ==?adid={{ad.id}}		2024-04-07 04:23	https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/434644775_945054526912424_5123557502887900320_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=4ueOOzO2cs4Ab5OklFJ&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfChGR0b9TKXgo9vPF1D3C5zP-MKGxNMsANabPc56AIvlQ&oe=6618F04F	person_profile	0	ForFun-100	https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/423715917_1816355942211833_6840355217570118919_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=0ZrIbSASVkAAb4q8DO-&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfAcmfx-zR0kdr0vAa_8Deun4QtstIa6Q5L5zmdBBSgk1g&oe=6618E8AF	3	ForFun-100	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete
995,578	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":995556}'	Yes	2024-04-07 16:34	active	450	7263911467060496	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Where even is he?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients..."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> Sofia's PoV<br /> I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, hoping nobody saw me weep, and that the mascara didn't run because of my unending tears. I was miserable, still in disbelief believe that the first time I was going to see my husband-to-be was when I'd walk down the aisle, and he would be waiting for me at the end of it.<br /> At least, I hoped he would be there, and that he wouldn't elope. Not because I wanted to particularly marry him, but because being stood up at the altar in front of the whole world would be very humiliating.<br /> "Ms. Baker?" As I fixed the princess-y Versace wedding gown one last time, one of the three women who had followed me since the moment I had stepped into this mansion today called me, and I looked up at her.<br /> "Yes?"<br /> "Your grandfather is waiting for you outside. It's time."<br /> It's time. It's time to get married to a man you don't know.<br /> Nodding, I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time making sure no tear stained my make up, and then left the room and walked down the stairs to the long wooden doors from which I was supposed to walk out. The dress was trailing behind, and the four inch heels I was wearing were uncomfortable.<br /> I felt suffocated, as if I would breakdown again any moment.<br /> "Sofie!" My grandfather's eyes lit up when he saw me, and mine softened looking at him all decked in his blue tux. It's all for him, I reminded myself, he needed the money.<br /> "Grandpa," I smiled softly at him, hurrying to reach him before he walks to me. He used to be tall and fit once, but years of chemotherapy had sucked the strength the out of him.<br /> "Oh! You look beautiful!" Tears glistened in his eyes. "I wish your parents could see you like this."<br /> I gulped the lump forming at the back of my throat as I held his hand when I reached him. "Are you happy, grandpa?"<br /> "Very." He beamed, "You will be taken care of when I'm gone. Gabriel is a good man."<br /> I nodded. I wasn't happy, but he didn't need to know of that.<br /> "Are you ready?" He asked in a whisper as I wrapped my hands around his arm and we stood in front of the shut doors.<br /> "As ready as I'll ever be."<br /> On queue, the doors opened. People stood on both sides of me when I stepped out and onto the aisle, every eye on me. Some hushed whispers. Camera flashes.<br /> Deep breath in. Deep breath out.<br /> I looked up. Despite the meticulously planned extravagance all around me that the Whitlock family had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, the person that caught my eye was the man standing at the end of the aisle.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I had googled him. I knew of his brown eyes and dark hair, his lopsided smile, his broad, muscular shoulders and his graceful stance, but my heart still skipped a beat when our eyes met.<br /> Oh, I so wished for this to be a fairytale-come-true, not a nightmare of a marriage I was about to be trapped in.<br /> He was looking at his watch, and there was a frown on his face when he looked up, which changed when he saw me. An emotion I couldn't decipher flickered in them, and I squirmed under his scrutinising gaze.<br /> He stepped down when I reached the end, forwarding his hand towards me in a perfectly practiced gesture, and cameras flashed more than ever as my grandfather placed my hand in his as if traditionally entrusting me with him.<br /> His palm was rough and large, and mine felt so small in his. Oh, what a mismatch.<br /> "Hey," I mouthed over the priest's words, surprising myself. I hadn't planned on doing this. My voice was so little that I wasn't sure he heard me, but he did. His eyes flickered towards me, setting on me for a brief few seconds.<br /> His jaw clenched, and then he looked away.<br /> He didn't look back at me for the rest of the time, and my cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment when the dreaded words cut in: "Do you, Gabriel Whitlock, take Sofia Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"<br /> "I do." He finally turned to me, and I bit my lower lip.<br /> "And do you, Sofia Baker, take Gabriel Whitlock to be your lawfully wedded husband?"<br /> This was suffocating. The outfit I was wearing costed more than my apartment. "I do," I still answered.<br /> "Gabriel, you may buss your bride." The officiant announced, and the entire world faded when he stepped towards me, hovering over me despite the tall heels I was wearing. One of his hands brushed my lose locks away and held my cheek as he bent down to gently place his lips on me.<br /> It was barely a brush.<br /> And just as quickly, he moved away as if he wasn't supposed to buss me in the first place.<br /> * <br /> We didn't attend the reception of our own wedding.<br /> After the nuptials, I was ushered back inside by my grandfather.<br /> "Seems like Gabriel cannot wait to get to know you," My grandfather laughed quietly, and I contemplated the urge to roll my eyes.<br /> "I absolutely cannot." Gabriel's voice filled in from behind, a charming but formal smile on his lips.<br /> "You take good care of my Sofie, okay?"<br /> "She'll never have the chance to complain." He didn't even look at me. "But I'm going to steal her from you now."<br /> Grandpa smiled sadly, and I squeezed him tight. "I'll visit you tomorrow," I promised him, "Don't forget your medicines."<br /> He nodded. He was going to stay the next few days with Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be his friends from college. I had met them a few times before. They visited quite often after hearing about Grandpa's illness.<br /> "Smile." Gabriel whispered when we begin walking outside, getting me to look at him.<br /> "Huh?"<br /> "I said... smile."<br /> I knit my eyebrows furthermore, confused, but as soon as I stepped outside, tens of camera lights flashed in my eyes. There were reporters everywhere, throwing overlapping questions that I couldn't catch.<br /> "Is it true that this is an arranged marriage?"<br /> "Is it true that this is the first time you both are meeting each other?"<br /> "Mr. Whitlock, what happened to your relationship with Ms. Grant?"<br /> I couldn't make much sense of anything, only Gabriel. He had wrapped one of his arms around my back, his body tilted sideways as if to shield me from the flash lights as he guided us to the limousine at the end of the path, and quickly helped me get inside.<br /> Once the door shut, the gentleness with which he had talked to my grandfather and showed in front of the cameras vanished, and his jaw tightened, his eyes falling on the watch again.<br /> I cleared my throat. "Is that normal for you?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> He looked outside as the driver drove away from the chaos, barely sparing me a glance.<br /> I spoke up again. "I'm Sofia... Baker."<br /> This time, he looked at me like I was stupid. "I know," he deadpanned.<br /> I shut up after that.<br /> He was clearly not interested in talking to me. I felt embarrassed for trying again and again, and the urge to cry returned. I always knew this wasn't going to be an unrealistic fairytale where he looks at me for the first time and falls in love with me madly, but I hoped he would at least look at me. And talk to me. Or agree to be a friend. Or something.<br /> But with the way he was behaving with me, I could have as well married a robot.<br /> After twenty minutes of silence, no music, windows rolled up and the scent of a light air freshener mixed with air conditioning of the car choking me, I spoke up again. "Have I offended you somehow?"<br /> "Well, yes," He cocked an eyebrow at me, "You married me."<br /> <br /> I believed in fairytales. I believed in true love like the one my parents had, and hoped to find that for myself someday. I knew my parents would have wanted that for me, and not for me to be trapped into a loveless and forced marriage done for my grandfather's sake.<br /> With every minute of silence I spent in that car, I could sense my own dreams of the future breaking and being left behind.<br /> The silent torture of an hour (that seemed like an eternity) ended when the limousine stood in front of a house so huge, it was a mansion.<br /> Housemaids and butlers stood at its entrance as if waiting for us, and Gabriel was out of the door the second the car stopped.<br /> Two housemaids helped me out of the car because of the size of the dress I was wearing, and I politely smiled at them.<br /> "Welcome home, Mrs. Whitlock," They both giggled like shy schoolgirls.<br /> "Thank you," I mumbled and when I looked ahead, Gabriel had already disappeared inside the house.<br /> I sighed sadly, trying to hide my disappointment as I held my head high and walked in by myself behind him, taking in the extravagance of the Polish floors and chandeliers and perfectly kept flowers in vases.<br /> Some people had a home. Gabriel Whitlock had taken a page out of a Vogue magazine and simply brought it to reality.<br /> It was so beautiful, I hated it.<br /> I could see Gabriel walk up the stairs, and shaking my head, I simply followed him while one of the housemaids carried my trail for me.<br /> At the end of the stairs, when I took the right behind him, he turned with his hands crossed in front of him, looking at me with irritation. "Where do you think you're going?"<br /> "I'm following you to our room."<br /> "Our room?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, "You think we're going to share rooms?"<br /> I blinked. "We're not?"<br /> "My room is at the end of this hallway. Yours is at the end of that." He pointed in the opposite direction.<br /> The remaining shreds of any hope of a more cordial relationship between us died. "Good," I pretended to be relieved, "I was dreading sharing a room."<br /> "Like I said to your grandfather, you would have no complaints." The smile he drew to his lips was forced and sarcastic. "Luna is going to be with you at all times. She will escort you to your chamber."<br /> Escort? Chamber?<br /> What was he, royalty?<br /> Nonetheless, I just nodded.<br /> "Oh, and..." He added, "I was hoping I could come to your room in.." He paused, checked his watch, and then looked up. "...Thirty minutes. To talk."<br /> 'To talk.'<br /> Again, I nodded.<br /> As Gabriel turned around and left, I let Luna guide me to my room. He wasn't joking when he said my room is at the end of the hallway. I had to cross five other doors to reach mine.<br /> "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Luna said, "Just call for me."<br /> My eyebrows knit. "So you'll just be standing outside?"<br /> "Yes."<br /> "Doing what?"<br /> "Waiting, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Waiting for...what?"<br /> "For you to call me."<br /> I wondered if she was joking but her face didn't move a muscle. "But...why?"<br /> "So that you don't feel the need to go out of your way to do anything yourself."<br /> "Like get water for myself from the kitchen?" I joked.<br /> "Exactly." She agreed.<br /> I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then shut it again immediately. "Thanks." I just entered my room, leaving her outside in a guarding stance.<br /> Everything in this house was weird.<br /> This room was bigger than the apartment I struggled to pay rent of every month, but at least it was pretty. Like a show-piece.<br /> It took me ten minutes to get out of my wedding gown, and then I got in the tub to soak myself in hot water. I stayed there for an awfully long time, scrubbing out the expensive make-up from my face till the freckles they had spent so much time covering were visible again.<br /> I had promised myself I wouldn't think about how sad I was once I was already married, since what was already done couldn't be undone, but I couldn't help it. I knew a lot of girls wouldn't consider marrying a man as rich as handsome as Gabriel as torture, but I did.<br /> My mother was from a rich family in Seoul and my father was there on scholarship. She knew he didn't have a lot of money, but she loved him and left her family for him any way. They were the epitome of love for me growing up, and I was sure they'd be just in love today if a car crash hadn't stolen them from me years ago.<br /> I got my dark eyes, dark hair and Asian features from her.<br /> I liked money just as much as the next person, but I didn't use it as a driving force in life.<br /> As soon as that thought crossed my head, I felt like a hypocrite. I had married for money after all.<br /> When the steam in the bathroom felt suffocating, I got out wrapping one towel around my body, and another around my hair.<br /> My soul left my body when I opened the bathroom door, and found my new husband sitting on the edge of my bed.<br /> His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, but he remained unfazed at my half-undressed state.<br /> "You're late." He commented. "It's been forty-two minutes."<br /> I did not even remember he was going to come. It took me a moment to let go of my shock and glare at him. "Did nobody teach you how to knock before entering a woman's room?"<br /> "Technically, you're in my house. The room is mine."<br /> I rolled my eyes, holding the towel tight around me. "Would you have even entered the bathroom if it was unlocked?"<br /> Gabriel got up from the bed, unbuttoning the jacket of another crisp suit he had changed into. Conveniently ignoring what I asked, he placed a black card on the bed.<br /> "What is that?" I asked.<br /> "It's an Amex. No limit."<br /> I kept staring at him.<br /> He looked irritated. "It's for you."<br /> "I can take care of myself."<br /> I had married for money, yes, but so that his grandparents can cover the bill of my grandpa's cancer treatment. I didn't want anything from him, especially not the shiny black card with his name on it.<br /> "Can you buy a Chanel bag to gift my mother for the lunch we're supposed to have next week?"<br /> "She's your mother. You can buy it."<br /> "It's my money. Technically, I am buying it." He grumbled. "You're just the one choosing it."<br /> I ignored what he said the same way he had ignored me earlier. "If that's all, I would really like to change into something more appropriate than a towel."<br /> "You have a walk-in wardrobe, and you chose to get dressed in the room?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at the outfit placed on my bed. "Old habits die hard, I guess. Or in your case, poor habits."<br /> "Excuse me?" My voice was loud as I took a step towards him. "I have been nothing but kind to you since the moment I met you. I was forced into this arrangement just as much as you were and if you can't-"<br /> "Were you though?" He cut me off.<br /> "What?"<br /> "Were you forced into it, Sofia?"<br /> He was being a jerk. "You better believe I wasn't dying to marry a man I didn't know, let alone an arrogant prick like you!"<br /> "You really want to pretend you're sad about marrying into money?" He snickered. "A house bigger than you could ever dream? Housemaids at one call? Anything you could ever wish for, you can buy with this card."<br /> "You are unbelievable." I shook my head, wanting not to cry at the assumptions he'd made about me without taking the effort to know me even a little.<br /> "I'm also a millionaire," he clarified, "So use that card when you need something."<br /> "If there's nothing else you want to say, leave." I spat out.<br /> He looked at me with a hatred I had done nothing to deserve before saying, "This arrangement will last for six months."<br /> "What arrangement?"<br /> "Our marriage."<br /> There was a silent pause on my end. "Oh."<br /> "After six months, I will divorce you and pay you a hefty sum in alumni so you can live comfortably on my money for the rest of your life." Gabriel's voice was bitter and full of a hatred I had done nothing to earn. "You will use my card till then. You will carry my name with grace. You will live in my house and smile with me in public when necessary. But inside, you may do as you please."<br /> "And why would I do that for you?" I fumed. "I can live without your money, so why would I make public appearances with you or not go embarrass you in front of the world? I. Owe. You. Nothing."<br /> "You don't want to play this game with me, freckles." One corner of his lips raised into a lopsided smile, "You don't want to know how low I can stoop to get what I want."<br /> I gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Are you threatening me?"<br /> "I am simply stating facts. When I threaten you, you'd know."<br /> "Leave." I seethed.<br /> He stared at me.<br /> "LEAVE!" I couldn't care less if my voice echoed the hollow walls of his mansion and his staff heard us arguing.<br /> All I wanted was him away from me.<br /> "Six months." He repeated, and left without looking at me again.<br /> Once he was gone, I stared at the bland white walls of my new room and they stared back at me just as blankly. The moment he was gone, I crippled to me knees and let the tears and tiredness I had been holding back wash over me. My house might be just the size of the room allotted to me in this mansion, but it was at least a home.<br /> Unlike the beautiful golden cage I was trapped in for the next six months.<br /> <br /> Before the wedding, I had put a lot of thought into how my wedding night would be. I wondered if I would have to have intercourse with a man I hadn't known before that day, and in all the fear of that, I had forgotten staying alone in a huge room with nothing to do and no one to talk to as a possibility.<br /> I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep.<br /> The next morning, I wore one of the outfits that someone had stocked in the wardrobe for me to use. Growing up poor, I never got to splurge on myself. Any money I could save would only go into covering my grandpa's treatments, and we still fell short most times.<br /> Wandering alone in that big house, I wished I could confide in her about the fake marriage I was stuck in.<br /> But there I was, eating breakfast meant to feed twenty alone in the dining room.<br /> Luna stared at me.<br /> "Have you eaten?" I asked her.<br /> "After you, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Please call me Ms. Baker."<br /> "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs. Whitlock. Sir wouldn't like it."<br /> "I don't think Sir would know." I tell her, looking around. The house was huge, and the chances of running into the man that I wanted to actively try to avoid for the next six months was less. "Where even is he?"<br /> "He left home last night after talking to you, and he hasn't returned since."<br /> "Oh." I felt a pang in me. I knew our marriage was just for the sake of it, but I didn't expect him to sleep with another lady on the night of our wedding at least.<br /> "Sir works overnight all the time," Luna quickly added. "He has a lot of meetings with clients who live abroad and he functions on their time."<br /> "Luna, it's okay."<br /> "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whitlock."<br /> "Ms. Baker," I corrected her.<br /> "Ms. Baker." She nodded. "A parcel came for you earlier in the morning today though."<br /> I knit my eyebrows, leaving the food I did not have the appetite to eat as she disappeared for a moment to return with a box that I opened quickly to reveal a new phone inside. The latest model in my hand was a far stretch from the half broken one I had been using for the past five years, but I made it work since I couldn't afford a new phone despite juggling between two jobs and taking care of my grandpa.<br /> Until now, apparently.<br /> I unlocked the already set-up phone to see that there was no contact in it except one.<br /> 'Gabriel Whitlock.'<br /> <br /> In the afternoon, his lawyer arrived with a perfectly drafted agreement like he'd said yesterday. I'd gone over it for an hour by myself before signing it.<br /> I was tempted not to, but also afraid of how low Gabriel's 'stooping low' really was.<br /> I did nothing that day. I wandered around the house and saw all the paintings like I was in an art gallery, I tinkered with my new phone for a while, I checked in on my grandfather who insisted he was enjoying every moment of being reunited with his old friends and asked me to not visit him but instead enjoy my 'newly wed bliss', and napped more than I was used to.<br /> In the evening, I mailed my resume to companies around me. I needed to get a new job since I left my old one when I moved three hours away to marry an imperious man, but I was confident I could get another one without using the Whitlock name.<br /> I was always at the top of my class even in college, and had over two years of experience working as a financial analyst at my previous company. I earned well, but cancer cost more. So even after working a full time job as their financial analyst, and then working part time as a waitress in an overnight diner, I still struggled to make ends meet. With no health insurance, we were considering taking a loan or putting out small house on mortgage when Gabriel's grandparents, who happened to be my grandpa's friends from school got in touch with him and again and offered to pay out his entire treatment with one simple condition: I had to marry their grandson. I was still convinced I could manage by myself and marrying a complete stranger was off the table but when my grandpa had to come out of retirement and take up a job for some extra cash, my heart broke looking at my sick grandfather work despite being in pain after treatments to unburden me. That is when I agreed to marry him: Gabriel Whitlock.<br /> I didn't know what they did to convince their grandson to marry a nobody like me or why he agreed, but by his anger towards me, I could guess he was forced into it too.<br /> I wanted to sympathise with him, because at least I got something out of this wedlock. It seemed like he got nothing except losing his freedom and the title of the hottest bachelor in front of the world. But at the same time, I knew he was no saint. He was an arrogant man, self-centred, and had implied that I was a gold digger.<br /> At night, I ate dinner by myself while the housemaids looked over me like I was a child. Or royalty.<br /> I didn't see Gabriel at all for the next few days, and being alone turned into a habit. I spent my time getting pally with Luna and the others, learning how to cook the more refined dishes, swimming, and even reading books.<br /> On the fourth night, I checked my mails. I'd heard back from three out of seven places I had applied to, including Wales.<br /> Wales was a multibillion company that manufactured and distributed skincare, a direct competitor of the Whitlock company. They'd called me for an interview two days later, but I didn't send in my confirmation yet. Even though there wasn't a formal clause in the agreement we had signed, Gabriel had explicitly mentioned for me to not go about humiliating him publicly, and I wondered if his wife joining a rival company would go down well with him.<br /> Probably not.<br /> His number remained in my cell, and I went back and forth on the idea of calling him. But it was a quarter past twelve, and I hadn't seen him in the house for days. A part of my heart felt tighter wondering if he was staying with someone else... another woman perhaps.<br /> Sleep wasn't easy that night, and I woke up early by myself the next morning, eating breakfast in haste. It was around nine-thirty in the morning when I sat alone in my room and like a nervous school girl, dialled Gabriel.<br /> The phone rang, and on the fifth ring, it was picked up.<br /> "Hello?"<br /> I left the breath I didn't know I was holding. This wasn't Gabriel's voice. "Gabriel?"<br /> "Mrs. Whitlock? This is Peter, his personal assistant."<br /> "This is Gabriel's number, right?" He was probably in a meeting or something.<br /> "No, ma'am. This is my work number. Gabe Sir did mention that he had given you my number to call if you need to reach him."<br /> The anger for him that had managed to dissipate in the past few days was back, and the urge to punch something was stronger than ever. "I need to go through you to get to him?"<br /> "I believe so," Peter's voice was small. "Can I pass your message to him?"<br /> "No. No message." I replied, and without giving him the chance to say whatever he was about to, I disconnected.<br /> Here I was wondering if he'd mind me going for a job interview.<br /> And there he was, not even considering me important enough to have his own number.<br /> He actually had the audacity to feed his assistant's number under his name.<br /> Fuming, I opened my laptop and confirmed my interview for the next morning, without caring that it was with his rival company.<br /> Gabriel Whitlock could rot in underworld after this.	LEARN_MORE	https://b.ficsworld.com/ad/Zmljd29ybGQvMTQzOTk1LzI	140046759187543	World003	https://facebook.com/61551640813531	206	1	1,459,389,164,660,350	2024-04-07 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	0	Learn more	World003	120210078654430288	b.ficsworld.com		NONE	video		https://b.ficsworld.com/ad/Zmljd29ybGQvMTQzOTk1LzIwMjQwNDA3MTcyMDU0L3BhZ2U=?adid={{ad.id}}		2024-04-07 04:27	https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/435549781_734489731870435_8042401173071673806_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=AMLVPG6NkcUAb7TuP_q&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfCngCHLO8HR6lOvl80p3W4DAP4WyusEhIPb6sylaIwDwg&oe=6618FDCA	person_profile	0	World003	https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/436151403_744732564313423_8988356356050201483_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=Rc32HbdMH84Ab7Ca_QH&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfBHoOmPICN5GS4153Zdwt7nTqUDNKVL_StqcPtxKzXOVw&oe=6618EE6D	3	World003	2024-04-07 02:00	View Edit Delete

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