His Notorious Wife

At Valdez Defenders law firm, V City...

A woman clad in a white crisp business suit with a dignified and authoritative aura stood in front of a French window gazing down at the wide streets with her greenish pair of contacts while deeply lost in her train of thoughts.

People who were busy walking on those roads were almost compared to mere ants in size meeting in one direction from her position. Valdez Defenders Building is located at the center of the urban community of V city.

It was one of the best law firms in NA state and its building measures 60 floors rendering its tower proudly higher than those of normal law firms. As the woman gazes out from her 50th office window, raindrops started to fall heavily slowly pouring down on every corner of the crowded streets.

People started to gallop their heels for someplace to shelter themselves to prevent getting wet, some unfolded their readied umbrellas in hand, and others took the rain as a hoax and just let themselves get damped.

Was getting damp by the rain certainly just a mere fun for them? Who wants to get wet by the sleet when it was freezing their muscles and bones to no end? It was a big torment yet they chose to ignore it and walked defiantly like a stoic humanoid and proceeded to fight nature's willpower heads on bravely.

Shivering on the streets helplessly wasn't a joke but others didn't put much thought into it. Perhaps they degraded such persons as stupid or fool for getting wet but what if those persons didn't have any choice but to go on? Those drenched individuals remind her of how helpless she was way back.

*********

8 years ago... It was raining cats and dogs and the 17-year-old Zane just had the dinner table ready for her family of four as she also felt famished after a long day of struggles.

"Suzy, where is Laira? Your father is coming from his business trip and he wants to have a talk with your sister..." her mom Lydia inquired and narrowed her eyes at her.

Suzzane shifted uncomfortably on her seat. She was in a pit of her dilemma as her sister's words lingered on her mind, "...don't you dare snitch on me or I'll ruin you myself!"

It was a clear threat and having grown up with Laira, she knows that she wasn't bluffing nor joking. She was capable of turning tables and she feared that she would end up starving the whole night! She still had a lot of assignments to answer and she couldn't think straight if her stomach is rumbling for food!

"Mom... she... she went to her classmates' house for a group project..." Caught up with her fear, she lied, her hands were sweating profusely and nervousness crept the hell out of her!

"Go! Find her at all costs! You must bring her back!" Her mom roared out angrily facing her with her blazing eyes.

"Y-yes mom..." she responded reluctantly as she stood up from her seat and took her lazy steps towards the main door. She was just about to hold the doorknob and give a twist when another nerve-wracking scream berated in her ears.

"You don't need to come back if you didn't find her! You better get lost!" Her mom added in a loud and furious irritating voice.

Suzy momentarily froze in her current spot. Her heart seemed to turn like a heavy stone however, she nodded her head vigorously and went out silently enduring the pang in her chest.

That wasn't the first time that she heard such heart-stabbing words from her mother and she was supposed to get accustomed to it nevertheless, she felt indescribable pain inside her chest. She took a sharp breath and pushed the pain aside and focused on her task at hand.

She walked and run down the streets towards her sister's location without paying attention to the heavy rain. Her feet were hurting so bad as well as her body was shivering in too much cold! She couldn't even ride in a taxi because her allowance was too limited for her. She needed to tighten her belts every day and make do with what she could afford to. Her pocket was almost empty as it was already the weekend and her little money was all consumed for her meals at school. It's always been like that, she looked like Laira's personal maid rather than a sister. But that doesn't matter to her, as long as she could go to school and study, everything was fine for her. She was determined to finish her senior year and grab a scholarship program. She wanted to be a successful lawyer someday! Stay independent and move away from her so-called family!

"Ughhh..." she groaned and shivered as she hasten her steps towards her designated location while wrapping her arms on her chest to shield the cold breeze that blew off her skin. Her clothes were drenched in rain as she had forgotten to take an umbrella due to her mother's heartbreaking words.

"Five minutes more... just five minutes more..." she reminded herself while gasping for her breath. She was desperate to find her sister or she might end up sleeping on the streets for the whole night shuddering under her wet clothes. She doubts if she is strong enough to sustain the cold along with the fever after showering in the rain for too long!

Up ahead in the distance, she could finally catch a glimpse of colorful bright lights. The bar where her sister went together with her so-called friends. She was overjoyed as she could finally find the person she was looking for and her miserable state would come to an end! She made her way to the bar's entrance but the two muscular men deprived her of entering the chaotic premises.

"Young girl, you're not allowed to enter this establishment!" One of the guards informed her flatly and pointed out his finger at the warning sign with bold letters stating that 'MINORS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER'.

"Sir, please... I need to find my sister..." she pleaded desperately almost weeping as her purple lips quivered.

"Young girl, don't make these things difficult for us, why not call your sister out instead and let her fetch you from here?" Another guard suggested. He was kind enough to remind her.

"I... I don't have any mobile phone with me, sir..." she whispered pitifully while rubbing her palms to produce a little friction of heat.

The kind-hearted guard shoved his hand on his trouser's pocket and offered his phone to her while saying, "...here, you may call her using my phone."

Suzy smiled gratefully at the guard and took hold of the gadget with her trembling and numbing hands. She recalled her sister's phone number in her mind and dialed in a huff. The line rang and was immediately answered.

"Hello? This is Laira speaking..." came her sister's voice, seemingly drunk on the other end.

"Sister, it's me... please come out, I'm at the entrance I'm he-..." she wasn't even done with her words, and the line was directly hung up. She glared at mobile beeping phone and frowned. Her heart skipped a beat! Was Laira going to ignore her? What should she do?

"Young girl, how is it going?" The guard asked, looking concerned.

"She already knows I'm here sir, but she hanged up on me... here's your phone sir, thank you so much for your kindness..." she then handed the phone to its owner and took a seat at the foyer sulkily. She clutched her rumbling stomach to muffle its embarrassing sounds. She was drenched and hungry at the same time! 'How unfortunate!' her mind scowled in annoyance.

A half an hour later...

"Sir, was there any young girl who previously came here and tried to get inside?" Laira's concerned voice echoed through the entrance.

Suzy who was sulking for half an hour at the corner literally jumped up from where she had seated and scurried her way towards her sister. "Sister, I'm here..." she waved her hand at Laira cheerfully.

Laira stared daggers at her and whispered something to one of the guards and the latter nodded his head repeatedly.

"Come, you may now be allowed to go in..." Laira reached out for her hand and dragged her inside the noisy bar without caring for her current state. She lead her to their table and took hold of a glass filled with a bluish liquid in her hand taking a huge gulp of it.

"Sister, Mom ordered me to find you, she said dad is coming home tonight and wanted to talk with you..." Suzy explained, oblivious to her awful surroundings.

She wasn't aware that staying in the place with colorful lights, with dancing sweaty people in loud music and drunken strangers was a dangerous den for her!

"I'm not done yet..." Was Laira's annoyed response as she continued to gulp her liquor.

"She said, I must take you with me..." she added with a bit of uneasiness. She was doubting if she could talk to her sister into going home with her like this. She must have known that Laira is a hard nut to crack

Laira smiled wickedly and meaningfully towards her companions and handed the glass filled with bluish wine to her sister and started to bargain.

"Suzy, you have to drink this shot if you want me to go home with you..." her sister persuaded gently lulling her into something that she couldn't point out.

"I... I can't drink, Dad would beat me if he found out..." Zane reasoned out nervously as she glanced around with her curious eyes.

The mixed aroma of alcohol, sweat, and cigarettes smell wafted into her nostrils causing her to scrunch it in disgust. The dancing crowd made her feel dizzy but she tried to endure it for Laira's sake!

"Come on... it's just light with a little percentage of alcohol, it won't get you drunk..." Laira persuaded again in a soft tone like she was coaxing a little child to drink a glass of milk.

Her eyes revealed a sisterly affection that the teenage girl began to feel complicated. Zane eyed the glass carefully and curiously, then her gaze fell on her sister's flushed face. She couldn't say 'NO' and refused to follow her sister's request as the latter had promised to go home after drinking it, thus she finally gave in and grabbed the glass then gulped it in one go.

"Ughhh... Cough! Cough! Cough!" Her throat burns due to the sudden envision of alcohol in her dried throat and she began to cough hard.

"Woah!" Laira's companions cheered up towards her clapping their hands like she was one of their friends.

"Can we go now, sister? I've finished drinking the wine..." Zane reminded.

Her stomach began to stir up and she began to feel awful nonetheless she endure it and coaxed her sister tenderly.

"Not so fast my dear sister, I left my bag in the room upstairs, could you please get it for me?" Laira pleaded tenderly, she was holding her head as to let the latter show that she was already drunk.

"Yes! Yes!" One of Laira's friends urged enthusiastically showing her sly smirk and Zane wasn't paying attention to it!

"Okay, which room?" Zane didn't give it too much thought as she trusted her sister that much and stood up from her seat unbalanced. She took a step back and shook her head to get rid of her dizziness.

"1234!" Laira mumbled dazedly clutching her head. Suzy nodded innocently.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." She assured and staggered her way towards the stairs. She wasn't aware that she was just being lulled to her sister's evil trap!

With every step, she makes her dizziness begin to hit her making her sight blurry in an instant. She paused in her tracks and leaned on the wall for support. She rubbed her temples with her fingers to soothe her throbbing head temporarily.

"Damn it!" she cursed lowly as she blinked her eyes to clear her sight. She has to get Laira's bag and go home!

After a few minutes of walking in the hallway in difficulty, she caught a glimpse of the room number that her sister had told her! Her eyes slightly lit up as she sauntered towards door 1234.

She twisted the doorknob and pushed the door half-open carelessly. As she entered the cozy and dimly lit room, her eyelids started to feel heavy as she stumbled into a soft bed. Her legs wobbled like jelly and she control of them. Dizziness came over rolling like a whirlwind and black finally enveloped her entire system. And that's it! She fell on a soft bed unconscious leaving everything behind to oblivion.

Morning finally came in a blink of an eye and Zane was deeply buried in her deep slumber. She shifted on her position to seek a comfortable posture and decided to sleep a little more. She roamed her hand to search for the blanket towards her but she touched something sturdy! Her hand froze and began to tremble. Her eyes shot wide open in fright.

"Ahhh!!!" She shrieked in so much horror when she tilted her head. She was terrified when she caught sight of someone beside her!

'A man! There's a freaking muscular man in her bed!' her mind shouted. She began to blink her eyes to clear her sight and gazed at the stranger's figure beside her. Her eyes widened like saucers in shock again!

The stranger was... Was naked and only wearing a piece of fabric wrapping his private part.

"Jesus! What happened?" she gasped in shock as she covered her mouth in fear.

Her hands were shaking immensely! She raised her shaky hand and was about to punch the stranger's face but she stopped midway. She realized that something wasn't right! Her room is narrow especially her bed!

So, how on earth someone would fit in without feeling crowded? And how did it feel so soft and bouncy?

'Wait! Calm down!' her mind yelled. She finally roamed her gaze around and the realization hit her right in the head. She wasn't in her room at all, she was in a stranger's room!

"What the hell?" The muscular man was awakened from his deep slumber by Zane's shrieks. He tilted his head lazily to his other side and found a trembling teenage girl.

Startled, the stranger jolted up from his bed and stared at her sharply, "...you, who are you? what are you exactly doing in my bed, huh?"

"I... I don't know... I was just... I was instructed to take my sister's bag last night in this room and... " She stammered as she defended herself truthfully.

The guy narrowed his eyes at the teenage girl. "And what?" he asked as his muscles began to tick. He looked so damned angry.

"I... I can't remember anything..." Zane lowered her head in shame.

"I must have fallen asleep in your bed last night, Sir. I'm so sorry..." she apologized sincerely as she had thought that asking for an apology would solve her situation that fast!

"What's your sister's name?" The guy questioned and narrowed his eyes at her dangerously.

"L-Laira Brooks..." Zane whispered shakily. She didn't know what to do with her current situation.

It never occurred to her that taking her sister's bag in the stranger's room could end her sleeping on a guy's bed! What should she do? What should she do? She started to panic and her anxiety started to hit her.

Just then...

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Loud slamming from the door thundered in the whole room followed by a woman's loud shouts.

"Open this door, Max! Open this goddamned door!" Zane was so frightened.

She trembled intensely in her spot as her heart thudded loudly inside her chest! What if her sister misunderstood her and refused to listen to her explanation?

The thought of being accused broke her into a cold sweat. She clearly recognized the furious voice, it belongs exactly to her sister! She examined herself carefully and breathed a deep sigh in relief. Her drenched clothes last night were still intact and already dried.

What would she do if she were naked? Heaven knows how much she would suffer if it went that way. However, she grabbed the man's duvet and covered herself with it.

"Hey, don't be afraid! I didn't do anything to you, did I?" the man spoke flatly to her as he walked towards the door to welcome the raging woman when he finished putting on his bathrobe.

The door swung open and emerged the mad-looking Laira with her parents Lydia and Roland in tow.

Their eyes roamed around curiously and stopped exactly on her figure covered with the guy's gray duvet. Zane's fearful eyes lit up seeing her parents and sister in tow. She jumped out of the bed and scurried her way towards her parents hoping that they were worried about her but...

"Sister I-..."

SLAP!

SLAP!

A crisp sound of a slap echoed in the whole room. Zane was caught off guard by the sudden strike that fell heavily on her face. She staggered backward and went out of balanced. She was about to fall to the marble floor but a pair of strong arms caught her just on time!

"Are you okay?" The guy asked, concern was apparent in his voice as he steadied the teenage girl beside him.

He darted his gaze back to Laira who looked eveqqn angrier at the sight unfolding under her steaming nose.

Zane went totally dumbfounded. Her mind didn't work for a long time. Her face went blank and her sight blurred with tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes. Her face stung but she didn't dare pay attention to it! She blinked hard and stared at her mother defiantly who had slapped her hard without asking the reasons behind the chaos. What did she do? What had she done to deserve such kind of treatment?

"You little bitch! How could you sleep with him? He was your sister's boyfriend for christ's sake!" Lydia shouted in full rage with her body shaking due to her unreasonable anger.

Zane was stunned and her face turned deathly pale. What?! Sister's boyfriend? Sleep with him? How come it went this way? It's a big misunderstanding! She opened her mouth in an attempt to defend herself but the guy beat her to it.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, we didn't do anything wrong... and I'm not your daughter's boyfriend." The guy explained clearly word by word as to clear himself from being misunderstood.

Laira's face fell instantly when she heard the man's remarks. She was framing her sister into sleeping with him but she hadn't seen it coming. They had been having sexual intercourse several times and she assumed that he would acknowledge her as one of his girlfriends. She wants him to marry her to have a good future.

"No! No! We're in a relationship remember? We... we already did it several times..." Laira insinuated shamelessly as she grabbed his hand but he only shook her off from him.

Zane went numb, her cheek was burning from the hard slap as she could feel her face go swollen. She couldn't even bring herself to speak. Her hands trembled slightly in fear. She will be punished later at home and she couldn't even do anything about it. She was so scared at the thought of it!

Roland, Zane's father stared at her indignantly. His eyes were full of resentment towards her. Same as Lydia, and Laira. The trio shared the same hateful eyes towards the teenager but why? What's going on with them? Aren't families loved each other? Her family looked at her like she had grown a pair of horns on her head. It has been frigid before and now it went even more solitary this time. They were so close to her grasp but she couldn't catch up with them like they were miles away from her. For a family member, she felt strange about it!

Zane went forward in difficulty and tried her luck. She faced her parents bravely, "...Mom, Dad, it's not what you think it is..." she tried to explain herself that she didn't sleep with the guy and that she was just instructed to get something according to her sister and had fallen unconscious in the process but the Brooks couple wasn't buying it!

Her words went all in deaf ears!

"Shut up your filthy mouth!" Roland interjected furiously. He grabbed his daughter's hair and slap her hard on the cheek refusing to believe the latter.

THUD!

"Ahhh!" Zane shrieked and fell on the marble floor heavily again the second time around and it was her father's doing this time!

"Don't fucking hurt her!" The guy defended the beaten girl and caught Ronald's hand but he was too late as Zane had already suffered the heavy blows.

Laira hates her younger sister even more. She hated Zane so much ever since then! Her parents had told her something that made her blood boils! She was hell-bent to make the girl suffer until she would end up killing herself!

"Let go of me young man, I had the right to teach my daughter a good lesson!" Roland hissed angrily as he struggled to get away from the man's tight grip. "She must know her specific place and who to messed up!" he added gritting his teeth.

"Sir, why don't you check on your daughter's condition first before you go on hurting her?" The guy suggested thoughtfully.

He had... had enough of this family drama and he wasn't that interested to witness any of it. He was a busy person and wasting his time on such irrelevant persons isn't his style at all especially Laira's family! Her scheming family!

"Young man, my daughter was only 17 years old and she had the guts to sleep with you? And you are Laira's boyfriend, you must marry my daughter, or else this scandal will circulate the city!" Roland threatened maliciously.

He gaze back at his daughter and nodded slightly but his hand motioned her to keep silent.

Laira's greedy eyes started to sparkle with so much joy. She was picturing herself wearing a snow-white wedding gown while walking on the aisle with him!

The guy squinted his eyes towards the middle-aged man. He eyed him viciously and give out his cold chuckle. "Do you think, you can threaten me with that shit old man?" He asked and glanced in Laira's direction. He caught sight of her joyous expression and decided to cut it off cruelly.

"I'm accustomed to any scandals in the business circle and threatening me with it is just a waste of your time," he added nonchalantly.

Laira's face contorted into a deep shade of ugly purple. She clenched her fist and didn't mind her long nails digging into her flesh as she tried to absorb the guy's state of reasoning. She was going crazy as she pictured out his rejection of marrying her! The guy glared at Laira sharply wishing that he could strangle the woman for being such a scheming bitch but he chose to restrain himself. He also threw a sideways glance at the young teenager and noticed that she was trembling in fear while crouching helplessly on the floor. His eyes flashed a sudden sympathy for her. He gathered his thoughts and made a sudden decision without contemplating too much.

"But if I went directly to the police authorities and sue you for harassment, what should you do?" Ronald flashed a devious smirk thinking that he was only threatening a mere business guy with no powerful background.

"Well, if you really insist then... I'm going to marry your daughter. And it should be..." he trailed off his words and pointed his slender finger towards the teenage girl and blurted out his choice. "I want to marry her!"

Now it was Laira's turn to be dumbfounded. What the heck? Had she made the wrong move and failed to calculate the results? Based on how the guy ravished her body, she was confident that he would choose her instead of a mere teenager! What's going on with the horny guy that she pleasured so much a couple of hours ago? Suzy? He couldn't marry her younger sister, could he? She should be his choice and not that little bitch! Even if he was seen staying in one room with her younger sister, she didn't give a damn as long as she would get the opportunity to be with him in the end! She would deal with Suzy after their marriage and let the latter be her punching bag!

"Maxwell Davis! Suzy is still a minor! You can't marry her, you should choose me instead!" She insisted hysterically. She was going to be crazy if he wasn't marrying her! Her efforts in framing her sister would end up wasted if that's the case!

Maxwell cocked his brow and took a good look at Laira, "...why should I need to marry you? He sneered. "I'm not the first man that you slept with! I don't have any responsibilities on you but your sister is way too young, and I'm her first..." he then threw a playful wink at the stunned Zane and smiled fondly at her.

"Maxwell Davis! You pervert!" Laira rushed towards him and was about to slap him hard but the man caught her wrist and held it tightly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, please restrain your daughter, she's having a very bad temper," Max stated playfully as he loosened his grip on Laira's wrist and throw her carelessly at the nearby sofa.

Roland and Lydia began to exchange weird glances towards each other. They were stupefied by the truth revealed under their foolish noses. They gazed at their daughter with questioning eyes and then to the young man, then back and forth.

Maxwell Davis?

The young CEO of the Davis Textile Corporation? Was it really him? They had heard a lot of gossips circling the city about that name but they didn't pay any heed to familiarize his face as it wasn't their business anyway. The man was rumored to be famous for dating in some hotels in their city with different women now and then!

Roland broke into a cold sweat! He couldn't let his baby Laira marry such a rogue person! He wouldn't let his favorite daughter suffer in this man's hand! No way! He glanced in Zane's direction and finally made his decision after having a little irrelevant contemplation.

Lydia also glanced at her with a firm resolve. She nodded to her husband meaningfully and finally opened her mouth.

Laira's heart skipped a beat. She felt rather uneasy as she watched her parents nodding their heads in understanding towards each other. She also broke into a cold sweat and she regretted that she failed to inform her parents about the man's status. What should she do?

Zane on the other hand stared back at her father while praying silently. She was hoping to hear him considering her situation firsthand but her hope was abruptly shattered in a flash!

"Young man, if... if you want to marry my younger daughter, you can take her away now... you can do anything you desired to do with her! Just stay away from us!" Lydia mumbled shakily chiming in. She seemed to be shaking in fear as she spoke.

"Take her! You can do whatever you want! Just stay away from us!" her father declared openly with all his might! His face revealed a stern and determined expression.

"Please, dad... I beg you... Don't dump me like this..." the 17-year-old teenage girl pleaded desperately bowing her head on the floor with her swollen eyes and cheeks.

"Don't call me dad! You're not my daughter!" her father shouted furiously and raised his hand to slap the teenage girl again.

THUD!

Zane had suffered another slap again from her father. The corners of her mouth were bleeding due to the strong intensity of the slap. She pursed her lips tightly and closed her eyes hiding all the pain that she felt. Tears started to pour down her cheeks as she lowered her head helplessly.

"Think of this day as your engagement or whatever but for sure won't be taking her with us!" He added hastily as he dragged his wife and daughter towards the door and decided to leave the teenage girl behind. He didn't even bother to spare a glance at his younger daughter and proceeded to walk ahead.

"Dad, what are you doing? He can't marry Suzy, it should be me!" Laira protested crazily.

Lydia stood at the door defiantly, look behind her, and pointed her finger towards Suzy, "...from now on, you can't go home and stay away from us!"

And with that, the Brooks couple finally took their leave and dragged the hysterical Laira with them.

Suzy was frozen in shock on her spot. Everything happened so fast that she wasn't ready to absorb it! Her mind was in turmoil. Her mother's words lingered on her mind and brought her back to her senses.

Did they just give her to a man that easily? What's going on? What was she to them? Was she only a thing for them? He was a stranger to her for god sake!

She was about to run after them and beg to take her with them but a pair of strong arms caught her by the waist. She went stiff on his arms and uneasiness settled in her heart! She felt so heavy!

"Young girl, don't bother to run after them, they were desperate to dispose of you away..." Max gathered himself then spoke softly as he could to avoid scaring the young girl.

"But... but... how about me? I... I have nowhere to go..." she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Maxwell hugged the crying girl and patted her back in a gentle manner, "...shhh. I'm here remember? I'll be the one to take good care of you..." he sighed deeply and started to stroke the young girl's long black hair.

He had just turned 24 years old last night and now he had a 17 years old fiancée? What was he thinking? He released out a long sigh again. He couldn't even put himself in the right place and yet he managed to add another responsibility on his shoulder.

What's wrong with him? He questioned himself with uncertainty. But he was relieved to take care of this young girl than to marry a scheming bitch! He was baffled on why the young girl's parents seemed to hate her so much and were desperate to sell her out. Whatever the reason is, he was determined to protect the young girl with his entire life.

"Are you okay now?" He asked. His eyes looked at her tenderly.

"I'm... I'm fine Mr..." Suzy stammered nervously. She was baffled by the man's strange behavior towards her.

"What's your name, little girl?"

"S-Suzzane Brooks..."

"Well, hello Suzzane... I'm Maxwell Davis, can we start as friends?" He reached out his large palm towards the young girl for a handshake and Suzy reluctantly took his gesture with a shy smile.

"Hello, sir..." she shook his hand in a friendly manner.

"You shouldn't call your fiancée that way, you can call me Max or whatever you want..." he joked to lighten their moods.

Suzy was stunned. She wasn't seeing this fiancé thing coming! What?! Fiancé? Does it mean that she... she would sleep with him if he wanted to? Her eyes went wide in horror as she stepped back a step from him. She was scared as she could see that the man has a perfect muscular body, what would happen to her?

"Little Zae, come on... I'm just kidding..." he released out a soft chuckle and stepped forward towards her. He then patted her head fondly as if he was taming a little pet. The young girl then relaxed with his touch and nodded her head shyly. Still, she was confused as to why he was so good to her when they had just introduced themselves a few seconds ago.

"Come, let's have breakfast together and I'll bring you to my home..." he then lead her towards the table and dialed the room service.

Ten minutes later, there was a cautious knock on their door. Max stood up from his seat and walked towards the door gracefully. He then welcomed the room service carrying their breakfast in a trolley and gestured his hand towards their table.