The CEO'S Fake Bride: Loving My Best Friend's Husband

"Be my replacement Angelica."

"What?"

"I want you to replace me Angelica. I'm about to get married to the man of my dreams whom I've loved for so many years now, but his family want an heir and I'm unable to conceive but I don't want to lose this marriage if they're to find out that I can't provide the heir they want, so please replace me Angelica. Bear a child for my husband in my place, and in return I'll give you all the money you could ever ask for, but after that, you'll leave our lives for good as if you've never existed."

A cold wind howled into the hotel room from the open windows making Angelica come back to her senses with a shocked start. She looked up to catch sight of the streaks of lightening that flashed in the sky outside, it felt as if a storm was on its way.

Yes, a storm was indeed on it's way into her life. She looked down at the white wedding dress she was wearing and scoffed in a self derisive tone. Anyone who saw her would think today was her wedding day as she was donning a full bridal attire, however the truth was far from it, instead today was the day she would be replacing her old friend from her teenage years who was also her look alike as the bride of the country's famous CEO of the Stoll enterprises, Nicholas Stoll, a man she had never once seen before.

They said people were usually born with a double in this world, somewhere out there, is always someone who looks just like you with your every feature being the exact same, and for Angelica, that double was Diana Wilbert, a girl she had met years ago and had been astonished at their twin like resemblance. Back then Angelica and Diana had been friends for a while but inevitably, the difference in status kicked in as Diana was the daughter of a very wealthy family, while Angelica was just an ordinary girl whose mother left her and her father just a mechanic who owned a small repair shop in downtown Sylvannia. Slowly, Diana began to distance herself from Angelica and they eventually grew apart, before they both graduated and never saw each other again after that, well...until a few weeks ago.

Angelica's father had been laying sick in a hospital bed suffering from a critical heart attack, in her desperate moment where Angelica had nowhere to turn to, her boss refusing to give her a loan to pay for her father's surgery, Diana suddenly appeared at almost the right moment like an angel sent to help Angelica out of her trying times, however the price for saving her father proved to be something she couldn't believe when she'd heard it.

"Be my replacement Angelica."

Angelica could still remember Diana's request vividly in her mind, actually, it had been playing repetitively in her head right from the moment she had said yes to Diana just in order to save her father's life. Angelica was someone who was more than willing to do anything for the sake of her family, which was why she used to run two jobs just to pay the bills and her brother's college tuition until her father had a heart attack and things began to go terribly wrong.

The wind once again blew into the hotel room Angelica was sitting in waking her from her thoughts, she stood up and walked towards the windows about to pull them close to reduce the cold blowing in when her eyes sighted the beautiful celebration taking place in the distance.

Far in the hotel's exquisite garden, a wedding was currently taking place, all the guests were seated in their seats in a perfect order, looking towards the altar, Angelica could not spot the groom's face, all she could see was a tall and broad back from her point of view, however the bride's face was right in her sight, and it was a face completely identical to her own. Large doe like eyes with lovely glimmering hazel orbs, a small pin nose and heart shaped lips, which in Diana's case was curled up in a wide smile as she was beaming from ear to ear, and as for Angelica, her face only held an uncertainty and internal sadness.

Right now Diana was the bride, but just a few hours later they would switch places and to the world Angelica would now be known as Diana Stoll, the official wife of Nicholas Stoll for a duration of nine months which she would bear a child, a child that would officially belong to the real Diana and Nicholas Stoll. And as for her, she would exit their lives as if she had never been there, it would be as if she never existed.

Angelica stared for some time at the couple who officiated their marriage by sharing a kiss before she went back into the room again and shut the windows. She sat on the bed again, her hands curling nervously together, time slowly passed without her realizing until all of a sudden, the locks on the door twisted and it was pushed open, Angelica quickly swung her head up with a start, her heart beating faster.

It was an attractive looking woman with a thick and curvy body who'd walked in, Angelica recognized her as Shandra, Diana's personal assistant who seemed quite close with Diana, and was also the only one who knew about this secret exchange between them.

"It's time." Shandra informed with a straight face showing professionalism, knowing that Angelica was already aware of what she was talking about. Angelica got on her feet instinctively, her heart which was hammering loudly seemed to plunge into the pits of her stomach quickly picked up a faster pace again.

Nevertheless, Angelica nodded her head silently before slowly following behind Shandra who had turned to lead the way. They walked through a shortcut door in the hotel, Angelica keeping her head down the whole time with the veil on her wedding dress let down to conceal her face, though it wasn't as if there was currently anyone walking along the path they were taking, in fact there wasn't a single soul, Diana must have made sure of that.

Angelica wasn't aware how long it took, but they finally arrived at the VVIP suite in the hotel, where she would be sitting waiting as Nicholas's newly wedded bride in place of Diana, this was where they'd switch places.

Shandra pushed the door open, then made a hand gesture for Angelica to go in. Angelica gulped hardly peering into the dark room she was brought into before looking over at Shandra's stern face, then took a step to go inside when Shandra's sudden voice stopped her in her tracks, "Just remember what you were hired to do, your only job is to bear a child and that's it, don't start to develop any ideas along the way or even grow selfish, because that will only incur dire consequences."

Angelica turned around, her gaze slightly bewildered as she stared at Shandra. The woman offered her a shallow smile, "Just a casual reminder, go on then. From this moment on, your countdown starts, do everything you can to conceive a child as soon as possible, and you'll get all the rewards Diana has promised you."

Angelica seemed distracted by her own thoughts at Shandra's reminder when the woman's voice travelled into her ears again. "For your own sake, I just hope you get the task done without any ulterior motives, otherwise..."

Darkness slowly concealed Angelica's bewildered face as Shandra finally closed the door then left.

"What did she mean by ulterior motives?" Angelica muttered to herself feeling slightly confused.

A thought fleeted into her mind as she slowly realized what Shandra had meant by that final warning she had given. Though Angelica had never seen the man before, she had heard that Nicholas Stoll was an incredibly handsome man. Could it be that what Shandra was trying to say was that she shouldn't end up falling in love with him along the way and just focus on her task of bearing him a child?

If that was the case then there was nothing to worry about, because she had absolutely no plans of developing any personal or emotional feelings, her goal was perfectly clear to her, all she had to do was get pregnant, bear a child, and leave after that.

At this exact moment, the room's door clicked and opened, Angelica whirled around to see a tall figure at the door, the light coming from behind him created a shadow around him where she couldn't make out his face due to the darkness inside the room. Angelica hadn't been able to look for the light switch yet because she had been lost in her own thoughts since she was brought into the room.

As that broad and tall figure wordlessly began to approach her, Angelica's heart which seemed to have taken a break began to beat faster again, she felt like she'd not been given enough time to prepare for the man's arrival until he just suddenly did.

As he got closer, she felt the strong urge to move backwards to avoid him, it was just something about the densely dangerous aura he exuded that made her instinctively want to back away, however recalling her mission, she forced herself to hold her ground, but just at the moment he was a foot's distance away from her, Angelica could no longer hold up her brave front anymore as she made to step back from him but it was already too late, as a strong palm suddenly circled her skinny arm holding her in a firm grasps.

"Aaah!" She let out a pained sound as the man suddenly began pulling her towards the bed in the room navigating through the darkness as if he had no interest in turning on the lights or getting to look at his own bride.

Angelica felt herself being flung harshly onto the bed, she sucked in a pained breath as she could still feel the painful sting of his grip around her arm. Confused she looked up at the tall shadow of the man looming over her by the bed.

"Congratulations Mrs. Stoll." A rich and deep resonating male voice suddenly sounded as the man spoke, though it was only a voice, but the sound of it was enough to seduce the senses out of a woman, but not at this moment as his voice held a frightening anger in them. "You finally got what you wanted, from this day on, you're officially Mrs. Stoll."

Angelica listened to his words, an anxious trepidation filling her heart at the infuriated tone in them, she couldn't understand why he seemed enraged at her. Could it be that he had figured out the little plan and trickery Diana was playing?

He suddenly leaned in, Angelica anxiously scooting backwards on the bed in fear of his nerve awakening presence, his voice sounded once again, "But don't mistake even for a second that this is your happily ever after. After manipulating my mother in forcing me to marry you, don't even think you have won in your plans. Yes you are my wife now, but for you this won't be a marriage, but your very own mistake of walking into hell on your own accord."

Lost and unable to understand the meaning behind what he was saying Angelica opened her mouth to ask in a small voice. "What do you mean?" She sounded extremely timid.

"I'm officially welcoming you into a lifetime of hell, my beloved wife." His tone sounded eerily sarcastic.

As she was still trying to process his words, a force suddenly pulled her down on the bed, she flinched as he came over her body pressing her down on the bed, his actions were all too sudden that she frantically pushed at his chest, "What are you doing?" She murmured frantically while trying to push him away but he was pressing her down too strongly.

"What you've always wanted. Do you think I'll give you a chance to complain to my mother about not giving you the nuptials?" Without even giving her another chance to think, Nicholas pulled at the white dress on her body, a tearing sound filled the dark room.

"No!" Frightened Angelica frantically resisted pushing him away repeatedly.

Pinning her arms above her head, Nicholas pressed her down further, "You're quite the actress, but I'll not buy your little drama of pretending to resist me." He said roughly pressing her down with a tighter grip she squirmed.

But Angelica suddenly stopped stiff a second later.

'...your countdown starts now, do everything you can to conceive a child...'

'...after that, you'll walk out of our lives as if you never existed.'

Along with the frantic thumping of her heart in her chest, Angelica was suddenly reminded of why she was here at this moment, as the words rang in her head.

'The sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can leave this nightmare Angelica, after this, Dad and Josh would be waiting for you, and you can go back to living your life as if none of it ever happened.' She internally told herself then stopped resisting, she went still under him waiting for whatever was coming to her.

She could hear a derisive snort from him as she stopped resisting him, as if he had expected her to eventually give in, but that still didn't make him go gentle on her as he tore down the wedding dress without another care.

Angelica painfully shut her eyes as if not wanting to witness what was going to happen to her, though she had already resigned herself to her own fate prior to this, she still couldn't help but feel her heart break as she found herself under a strange man, she felt extremely dirty as if she was selling herself.

That night, supposed to be considered as a consummation between a newly wedded couple, he took her in the most excruciatingly painful way possible, he wasn't in the least bit gentle at all, she could feel a painful sting all over her skin from the merciless way he had her. Tears streamed from the corner of her eyes onto the pillow but there was nothing she could do. She was doing this for her father and for her brother, for the sake of her family, she would have to endure whatever came her way from now on until it ends.

Angelica lay motionless on the bed, streaks of sunlight illuminating her face from the corner of the curtains on the window. She hadn't gotten to sleep a wink through the night. The night before was the most painful and torturous of her whole life. She stared listlessly as the sound of the shower from the bathroom travelled into her ears but she didn't seem to be present at the moment until that dark voice sounded again making her feel as if the gong of hell had been sounded, it made her flinch in fright.

"I'm not surprised to find out that you're no longer a virgin, a woman like you who will force yourself onto a man by making calculative plans until he finally marries you can't possible remain pure."

Hearing that voice Angelica looked up slowly, listlessly as if her life had been drained out of her, but immediately her gaze landed on the face of the man standing in the room, her heart suddenly stopped, her breath catching in her throat at the familiar face of the man.

No, not just familiar, but it was the face of the man imprinted in her heart ever since her youth, the man she had loved right from the moment she first learned how to love, the man who had taken her virginity, the man who had always held her heart, the teenage boy she used to know as Nick.

He was Nicholas Stoll?

Angelica could hear the loud sound of her heart thudding frantically in her ears echoing the shock and confusion she felt upon seeing the man who had forcefully tortured her last night. A shiver ran down her spine as angelica recognized him, how could she ever forget that face. Her breath caught in her throat.

How could this be? How could it be him, no, not now, not here.

She had always envisioned seeing him again, but definitely not in such circumstances.

How could it be possible that the most unfortunate thing she'd ended up doing in her life brought her to the man she once loved more than anything?

Was fate toying with her?

Replacing Diana was something Angelica knew she would force herself to forget immediately she got it over with, she'd told herself she would do anything she could to get it done, then close that chapter of her life as if it never happened, but how could fate suddenly play this cruel joke on her? Diana' s husband, was none other than the man she had held in her heart a long time ago. The Nick she knew from the past, was Nicholas Stoll.

Nicholas no longer paid her any attention after making that crude comment about her no longer being a virgin, he began to dry his hair then swiftly got into a fresh set of clothes, all while acting as if there was no one else in the room.

Tears gleamed in Angelica's eyes as she watched his tall and broad back while he wore his shirt, distant memories from the past resurfacing in her head of a handsome looking teenage guy sitting under a Ginko tree with the cool autumn breeze ruffling his hair which was dyed with tinges of green in them as he casually played a redundant tune on his guitar, and she would always hide in a corner peeking at him in the school garden while hearing the song he was playing.

As those emotions filled her heart, Angelica subconsciously opened her mouth to utter the name forever etched in her heart, "Nick." She called in a soft voice filled with emotion.

Hearing what she just called him, Nicholas who was buttoning his shirt suddenly stopped his action, his deep eyes swung up evidently showing shock in them, he slowly turned around his gaze meeting her tear filled eyes as she sat with the sheets around her body on the bed. The surprise in his eyes seemed to turn into realization as he slowly began to approach her. Her heart pounded as he came to stand by the edge of the bed in front of her.

Angelia parted her lips to say something, however, before the words left her mouth she suddenly saw his hand move, a clicking sound came as he plopped a pill out of the pack of pills he was holding, it was then that she realized what he was doing as she saw the white pills in his hand which he extended to her. "Here, take these."

Bewildered, Angelica raised her eyes to meet his with a questioning look, there was a derisive curl on his lips as if she amounted to nothing in his eyes, those deep set eyes fixed chillingly on her, she couldn't see a single emotion In his gaze but derision, every feature on his face was immensely beautiful, placed together it became the heart jolting looks of this man whose cold aura made him seem unapproachable, as if he had an invincible wall that separated him from the rest of the world. He was so cold that despite hearing her address him by that familiar name, he showed no reaction.

"What's wrong, has this shattered your little plan to give me a child and secure your position as Mrs. Stoll?"

Hearing that, Angelica once again looked down at the pills in his hands and that was when she finally realized what kind of pills they were. Those were contraceptives!

Appalled, she swung her eyes up to look at him again looking immensely frightened.

She couldn't take contraceptives, she just couldn't, that would totally ruin her mission here, she wouldn't be able to get pregnant if she took the contraceptives, and that would leave her assignment incomplete.

Seeing her reaction, a cold sneer left his lips, "Just as I thought." He said as if to himself, confirming that she indeed wouldn't want to take the contraceptives because she wanted to give him an heir.

Angelica didn't say a word, she only lowered her head guiltily clutching the white sheets surrounding her even tighter. He added,

"Burt the thing is, I have no intentions of letting anymore of your plans succeed on me."

Angelica looked up once more but immediately regretted it when she saw the chilling light in his eyes, it almost made her shudder as her blood ran cold at the sight of the dark clouds in his eyes, he looked incredibly enraged as if her silent confirmation of wanting to get pregnant for him had infuriated him.

Nicholas lowered himself coming to her height where she sat, "Consider succeeding in your plot to marry me as a single win on your part. But from now on, I won't be allowing you get any more wins again, because every moment from now till the rest of your life which you've dedicated into being my wife according to the wedding vows, you'll only experience pain worse than hell." Completing his words, a dangerous smirk curled his lips, before he suddenly raised his palm that held the pills to his mouth.

Angelica's eyes widened in surprise when his other hand suddenly came behind her head pulling her face towards him, brusquely, her mouth was caught in his own. She felt a stinging pain when he bit down on her lips making her open her mouth releasing a pained sound that got muffled against his lips, but the pills got pushed into her mouth at this moment, along with the irresistible warmth of his tongue. Realizing what he was doing Angelica began to resist, she couldn't swallow those pills otherwise it would ruin all her plans.

However, with her slightest resistance, Nicholas put in more force, his mouth pressing hers in a painfully savage way, she could feel her breath getting used up in this struggle where if he didn't pull away any time soon, she could as well suffocate in his arms. But he didn't seem to care, his only goal was to make her swallow the pills, her life or death seemed to matter little to him.

Without another choice, Angelica gave in letting the pills successfully pass down her throat. Immediately he noticed that, Nicholas straightened himself and pulled away.

She was heaving and panting, tears gathered in her shimmering eyes as she looked up at him, but on his face was nothing but nonchalance as he wiped his lips with his hands as if they had encountered something dirty, the grim frown on his brows and the thin line of his lips told of how angry he was at the moment. He pinched her chin forcefully pulling up her face to look up at him, "Fighting and resisting will only make things worse for you, there's no escape from this." His thick voice rang like the gongs of hell by her ears, he wiped the small trails of blood by the side of her lips, she whimpered in pain as his coarse thumb brushed the wounded side of her lips from his painful bite, "And anytime you feel any pain like this, remind yourself that it was you who brought this upon yourself. I want you to regret ever scheming your way into becoming my wife."

With that he flung her face away and decisively strode out of the hotel room, but before he exited the doors he suddenly paused, with his tall and proud back facing her he said, "And bear this in mind..." his voice was biting cold, anyone would feel fear instantly engulf them hearing it, "...don't you dare call me by that name ever again." She couldn't see it, but his expression looked like one that had suddenly recalled something, like a distant memory that had resurfaced in his mind but only brought about a feeling of rage in him. After sternly delivering his warning to her, Nicholas promptly left the room, the door shut with a bang behind him.

Feeling overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events, Angelica sat on the bed pulling her knees closer to her body. The situation had completely shifted from her initial expectations. She could still feel the painful sensation on the corner of her mouth as a result of him aggressively forcing the contraceptives into her mouth. Meanwhile her entire body continued to ache from the distressing ordeal of their intimate encounter the previous night.

But more than the pain or torture she had been subjected to, the main cause of the pain in her heart was the fact that the man doing this to her turned out to be no one else but the person whose image in her heart had always been pure and clean, the man she had always secretly adored but never got to tell him about it.

The tears finally streamed down her face, "How? How am I going to do this with you being here? Why did it have to be you, why?" Angelica cried to herself feeling defeat eating at her heart. She wasn't surprised that he had become this cold and heartless, after all he had also heartlessly turned his back on the innocent teenaged her back then.

Perhaps her fate was this terrible, not only would she have to sell herself just to ensure her family's safety, but she would also have to accept hatred and torture from the man she once loved.

Her fate was cruel indeed.

Angelica was smart enough to have figured out that it wasn't a love marriage between Diana and Nicholas, rather, Diana had perhaps worked her way into making the marriage happen using the help of his mother who probably wanted nothing but an heir, and for that, Nicholas must have despised Diana, which Angelica would now have to bear the brunt of. But with him despising her this way, then how would she be able to bear him a child? And how would she bring herself to do it knowing it was him?

Angelica was suddenly plunged into a painful dilemma.

***

Hours later, when the sunset had already cast it's golden glow upon the earth, a knock sounded on the door of the hotel suite.

Angelica had never left the room the whole day, after sitting for hours in the warm shower that burned her skin, the water slightly warmer than normal, but she couldn't feel it, letting it pour down on her as if it could wash away the pain in her heart. She had stayed in the room the whole day without getting anything to eat, she knew her fate now was no longer in her control, and she would have to live according to someone else's rule, and her only concern at the moment was getting pregnant, but even that proved to be an almost impossible task.

After her shower, she had promptly worn her black wig that was made to look exactly like Diana's hair to cover up her own golden blonde hair. That was one of the differences between them both, their hair color. Which was why Angelica would have to wear a wig and cover up her own real hair.

After checking her appearance in the mirror to make sure nothing was off, Angelica got up to answer the door, a middle aged man in a dark suit stood at the door of the hotel suite, the minute he saw angelica he bowed his head slightly in respect, "Good day madam Stoll. I've been asked to bring you to the mansion, please come with me." The man beckoned respectfully.

Angelica didn't argue, she nodded and obediently went with him remaining silent throughout the way, she didn't feel the urge to speak plus there was a painful hoarseness in her throat due to having cried so much.

The man who had come to pick her up opened the door of the glistening white Range Rover as he did a hand gesture for her to get in the car.

After a ridiculously long drive where Angelica felt her eyes slowly closing due to exhaustion and the amazingly comfortable interior of the car, she felt the car slightly swerve, Angelica opened her eyes to a clear and smooth drive through into a majestic building.

The car smoothly drove into the estate that looked like a modern day European castle, the car drove around a large fountain that held a beautiful and sophisticated figurine from which the water spewed in showers. Angelica's mind had still not been pulled back to reality at the fantastical looking home in front of her when the car door opened, the man in a dark suit respectfully bowed, "We're here madam."

"Thank you." Angelica muttered absentmindedly as she stepped down from the paradise like vehicle only to step her feet into another paradise. It wouldn't be an exaggeration If she were to say she had never seen a house as large and beautiful as this one even in her dreams, not to mention stepping into one.

It took a hot while for Angelica to be brought back to her senses by the realization that she wasn't supposed to act too stunned in order not to give herself away. Though Diana's family were quite influential themselves, their wealth absolutely couldn't be compared to this, nevertheless, such luxury wasn't something that Diana hadn't seen before, so Angelica schooled her expression while still being internally stunned.

The man bowed once more beckoning Angelica to the grand entrance that had towering doors, with majestic and intricate detailing on it's designs. However, before Angelica could even attempt to knock, the doors pulled open to reveal a jaw dropping interior. It took a lot for Angelica to not physically show her awe and surprise on her face, but her eyes still wandered. She was shocked at the line of people that stood in a straight line inside the large hall of the mansion, all welcoming her respectfully, "Welcome madam Stoll." All the maids echoed in unison.

"Welcome to the mansion madam Stoll, elder madam asked us to take good care of you upon your arrival. My name is Tessa, the head maid of the Golden gate villa." A decent looking woman seeming to be in her thirties stepped forward and introduced herself nicely.

"Hello, I'm Ange..." she was quick to stop herself before she said her real name, the woman had nicely introduced herself, so she had politely done the same by instinct and almost said her real name but good thing she timely stopped herself.

However the woman smiled, "We all know who you are madam Diana."

Angelica nodded giving a slight smile while telling herself not to say anything anymore before she ended up exposing herself.

"Would you like a bath first before dinner?" Tessa asked politely.

Angelica returned her polite smile and nodded in agreement, before something crossed her mind and her heart jolted, she wasn't able to stop herself from asking.

"Will he... will he be here for dinner as well?"

Tessa was quick to understand who the he she was referring to was, she replied, "Ah, master might not be home in time enough for dinner."

Tessa had taken care not to reveal the fact that Nicholas barely stayed home, and even if he would return, it was usually late into the night because he had always been a workaholic person by nature, though it wasn't certain if this habit of his would change now once he was married.

Angelica was led into the majestic bedroom whose interior glistened with beautiful golden lights, the double king sized bed looked like one befitting a monarch.

The maids prepared a bath for her, which relaxed her significantly. It took a long time for Angelica to find a casual pair of sweatshirt and pants inside the huge walk in closet where Diana's clothes alone made it look like a mini boutique itself.

After getting dressed, Angelica went back downstairs where she was met with a sumptuous dinner at the dining room. Her jaw was dropping a lot in the span of a single day that she almost could no longer control herself. She felt like a bunny brought out of it's little burrow into the vast and beautiful world.

She felt uncomfortable to eat due to the line of maids waiting on her in the dining room who would rush to serve her a dish the moment she set her eyes on it, "It's alright, I can do that myself." Angelica had to voice to the maids before they finally backed away. She almost thought they would feed her themselves because of how overly attentive they were being with her.

As she ate, she savored the taste of each dish, she knew full well that it wasn't just her hunger for the whole day that made the food taste like the best thing she'd ever eaten but because the food indeed was tasty. After having a few bites, Angelica stopped abruptly as her mind drifted off to her family, she wondered if her brother had also gotten something good to eat, she wondered how her father's surgery was going at the moment.

She had told her brother that she had gotten a high paying job in another city and she wouldn't be able to come back home because she would be living there for some months, she had also given him a good enough sum of money that would be enough not only for their father's surgery, but would also pay for Josh's tuition along with enough expenses to keep them going for some time. That was all the advance money Diana had given her, she would receive another half when she gets pregnant, and the rest when the child is safely delivered.

All Angelica cared about was her family's wellbeing, and for that she was willing to do anything it takes.

Recalling how Nicholas was part of this, Angelica sighed. Perhaps this was a sign that whatever feelings she used to have for Nicholas should be completely over right from years ago, he was married now and his life would continue after she left when she completed her mission. She shouldn't dwell on his identity or her feelings and focus on her mission here. That was most important.

After her meal, Angelica returned to the bedroom upstairs, she remained awake deep into the night patiently waiting for his return, this time if something were to happen between them again, she didn't care how painful the torture would be this time, she would endure it, and make sure she wouldn't take the contraceptives, her mission was to get pregnant.

It was about two AM when the doors to the bedroom was pushed open, Angelica quickly sat up on the bed seeing that tall figure walk into the room, his strides were long and elegant.

"Have you heard from the foreign investors?" His thick deep voice seemed to be speaking on the phone as he strode into the bedroom, he was about to say something again to reply to the person he was talking to on the phone when his sights suddenly landed on her where she was sitting on the bed, he momentarily froze for a single second as if he had completely forgotten about her existence in his home.

Angelica quickly lowered her head as their gazes met, after registering her presence, Nicholas gritted his teeth in slight annoyance before he also looked away from her then resumed talking on the phone, "Yes, check the files and report back to me in ten minutes." He dropped his phone casually on a side table and headed into the bathroom as he pulled off his neck tie and his suit jacket.

Angelica took in a deep breath finally relaxing the moment he went into the bathroom as if she had received relief from having to be in his strict and cold presence. The cool night wind blew in through the window making Angelica get on her feet and walked to shut the windows, however the moment she turned back around, Nicholas was also leaving the bathroom at the same time, and they were both forced to come face to face with each other.

Angelica stood stunned, his dark eyes casting a fleeting gaze on her before he walked away, she could perceive the whiff of the masculine body wash on him the moment he passed her. Angelica felt her face heat up just by his presence, but she slowly dragged her feet towards the bed just to make her presence less felt however suddenly stopped her steps a second later.

No matter what, she had to get pregnant, that was everything she should be focused on at the moment, and she had to even if she would have to seduce Nicholas. Though she knew about his dislike for Diana, she still hesitantly turned towards his direction, she slowly approached him coming to stand behind him towering before her where he was rummaging in the drawers for something to wear.

"Yes David, I'll need those papers on my desk first thing tomorrow." He seemed to have resumed his phone call again.

Angelica swallowed hard before she slowly moved her hand, her fair soft palm slowly touched his back, but when she felt the coldness of his skin, her fear quickly overcame her and she hurriedly pulled her hand away as if being electrocuted.

But Nicholas had suddenly gone stiff felling her touch on his back. Slowly he turned around to face her, she looked up at him with wide frightened eyes as his dark orbs glared dangerously down at her.

He looked like a devil unleashed and undoubtedly enraged.

"How dare you touch me!" his voice sounded like a dangerous growl from a beast.

Angelica felt overwhelming terror as she observed the menacing expression in his dark gaze prompting her to take a fearful step back. She couldn't find the source of bravery she had mustered in herself anymore the minute she saw that look in his eyes.

"I... I was just..."

But before she could explain, Nicholas had taken a frightening step towards her, his voice ripe with annoyance, "I asked you a question, how dare you think you have the liberty to touch me?"

Rendered speechless, her first instinct was to back away from him but he continued to approach her, his aura menacingly cold. She couldn't escape from the trap of his broad body when he finally walked her back to a wall.

"How many times should I tell you this Diana Wilbert, you will never have another chance to pull me into any more of your traps. You are my wife now, but only in name, and the rest of the world might know you as Diana Stoll, but to me you're just a lowlife pathetic woman who stoops as low as to force herself into a man's life. Do you know something else people address a woman like yourself? A pathetic gold digging slut."

Nicholas's words rang in her ears like a ringing bell, like a dagger they pierced into her heart even if she knew these insults were only addressed to someone else, the anger in his eyes and the hatred in his tone formed a jagged arrow that bit into her chest painfully tears gathered in her hazel eyes.

For some reason, seeing the deep hurt in her eyes he sneered, as if even her tears were not enough to move him, he turned around about to walk away again when a soft bunny like voice that sounded like the softest note played on a violin spoke up In front of him for the first time, "You might not accept me, but I am still your wife."

Nicholas froze, the windows Angelica had stood up to close earlier were blown open causing the wind to drift into the room again. He felt chilled by the rainy wind as sparks of lightening glimmered in the distant sky.

Nicholas seemed to have fallen into a trance for some time after that voice drifted into his ears, seconds turned into minutes before he finally seemed to come back to his senses, he slowly turned around to face the frail woman he had earlier backed up into the wall to meet her determined hazel eyes looking steadily at him with forced courage, but she seemed like she wasn't ready to back down. His voice was low when he asked, "What did you just say?"

The intimidating look in his eyes didn't make her cower this time, she seemed determined to stand up for herself so she didn't break away from his gaze despite how frightened she looked earlier.

"I... I said that no matter how much you dislike me, I am still your wife, we were legally married in front of the world and..." she lowered her head, nervously biting her lips. Nicholas's eyes stayed on her face and he frowned subtly seeing that gesture. "...and you have made a vow to spend the rest of your life with me, you can be angry at me because you never wanted to marry me, but you can't seal me away from your life."

She looked up at him again, her doe like eyes showed a sense of wisdom and maturity he had never once seen in her before because every impression he had of her was her acting spoiled and coquettish in front of him, trying to gain his attention, however this time, she looked sensible and gentle, traits that Nicholas had never associated with her before. Her sweet voice continued to speak again, and for some reason the sound felt pleasant to his ears, his frown deepened as if he hated associating the woman in front of him with anything positive.

"Whether you like it or not, we are tied to each other as a married couple, and marriage isn't just a game played between two people, it's a responsibility, a relationship that can't be broken willfully, nor can you just put a distance between us just because you dislike me. It is a bond that will tie us from now, until forever." There seemed to be traces of pain in her tone as she spoke those words.

However, hearing what she just said, something in him suddenly snapped, he grabbed her arm pulling her roughly towards him, Angelica let out a pained sound, flinching in his arms as his angered voice sounded again.

"Don't try to fool me by playing innocent in front of me, and if you put the impossible thought in your mind that I'll be with you forever then you're sorely mistaken, I know exactly what you're after and that is the one thing you can never get from me. I will never give you the status of my wife, nor will I ever let you have peace for barging into my life. If your mission is to become madam Stoll entitled to a fortune a million times larger than what your family owns, then my mission is to torture you for every single moment of your life until you've had enough...!" pinching her thin arms in his large palms she was pulled towards him, her eyes gazing directly into his dark ones that held nothing but rage, while hers held pure sorrow as a tear slid down her cheeks.

"If you dislike me so much, why did you marry me?" she voiced the curious question which she couldn't really understand or find the answer to. He seemed to despise Diana, but then he had married her, why?

That question seemed to have stunned him, he didn't reply falling silent, his palms pinching her arms loosened a bit. "If you hate me this much, why did you agree to the marriage? Why didn't you refuse instead of subjecting me to your torture?" Angelica felt sympathetic towards Diana, had Diana been the one here at the moment, she would have also had to be the one to face his hatred in this manner and she was sure it would break her heart, just as much as she was feeling hurt and heartbroken at his torturous actions and words. She wondered why he agreed to the marriage when all he felt for Diana was hate, but his reply was something that further confused her.

"Because I wanted you to feel what pain and hell feels like."

Bewildered, she stared at him with a frown, he seemed calmer now, but the rage in his eyes hadn't disappeared at all.

"You want to bear my child don't you? You want to give the Stoll empire it's heir so you can rule as it's queen right?" he pulled her arms even tighter and she sucked in a pained breath, "But I won't let you, I'm going to make sure you never get to acquire this ambition of yours, no matter what you do, you'll always be stuck in this marriage, living a life like hell until you beg to leave on your own accord." With his eyes glimmering dangerously he suddenly dragged her along with him without warning, holding her by an arm he pulled her towards the tall glass doors that opened up into the balcony, pushing the glass door open he unhesitantly flung Angelica outside where the cold biting wind seeped into her skin painfully. Nicholas turned and went back into the bedroom returning a second later, he flung over a pillow and a single blanket to her which fell right in front of her by her feet.

She stared at him with a bewildered and pained gaze.

"I hope you didn't make the assumption that I will be sharing a room with you. You are not worthy to share the same space as I do." His handsome face looked unwaveringly stern, not a single ripple could be seen on his rigid expression as he turned around shutting the doors on her face and pulling the curtains close.

Standing on the vast open space of the balcony, Angelica's feet were glued to the spot until the chilly wind woke her from her stupor. No matter how professional she had tried to make herself, hearing such hurtful words from the mouth of a man she had feelings for hurt her deeply.

'You'll always be stuck in this marriage living a life like hell until you beg to leave on your own accord.'

Nicholas's words were an evident promise that he would torture her enough that she would be the one to ask for a divorce from this marriage, and he seemed to have no plans of ever getting intimate with her anymore after he'd thrown her out of the bedroom.

If she had her way, Angelica would rather leave, she wouldn't want to stay and experience such pain of seeing and hearing him despise her like this, Angelica knew that Nick had never liked her in the past, and she had accepted that, but receiving his hate was even more painful than his rejection.

And with his constant hatred, how was she ever going to get pregnant without ruining Diana's marriage?