Five years ago…
Ryleigh chose to stay in the University's Garden to keep an eye on her crush, Lucas Carter, on one particular morning. The man is three years older than her and has already in his final year in college. He is her childhood friend because their fathers were college buddies. Since then, she's had a crush on the guy and followed him to his institution. However, she initially had trouble getting in because Luke attended an Ivy League school, and she's not as smart as Luke, but she did her best to enroll. She is currently in her second semester as a freshman.
"Lucas will melt when you keep looking at him, Rye."
Ryleigh exhaled deeply and turned to face her friend Abby. It is their free time before their last subject for today.
"I simply cannot take my eyes off of him."
Abby's laughter causes her to scowl. "Dream on, young lady. Luke already had a girlfriend, and they had been together for four years. And you," Abby examined her from head to toe, "…are merely his childhood buddy and younger sister."
Ryleigh sighed deeply as she sipped her matcha milk tea.
"Accept that you will never get the opportunity. In a few months, he will graduate from college. Similarly, his girlfriend. They will marry each other in the future—"
Ryleigh raises her right hand in Abby's direction. She looked at Abby and said, "Stop!"
They have only been acquainted for a few months, yet Abby acts as if she already knows everything. She likes and treats her as her best friend, but Abby never supports her whenever she gushes about her love for Lucas. Despite their numerous shared interests, Abby never supports her when it comes to her thing about Luke.
"What type of companion are you?” Ryleigh asked.
"Rye... As much as I want to support you and your hopeless love, I cannot make the impossible possible. Consider how Luke regarded his girlfriend. He is passionately in love. And Luke never dated other women; he never attempted to cheat on his girlfriend."
"And where did you hear that? You were a freshman exactly like me,” Ryleigh inquired in confusion.
Abby rubbed her left brow. “Research. Okay, I questioned some of Luke's classmates," Abby groaned.
"Do you mean you flirted with one of them to obtain information?
Well, it’s Abby’s way. She will flirt as if she likes the guy, even though she uses him.
Abby averted her gaze and chomped on her sandwich.
"Gosh, Abby. You are not required to do that—"
"I only wish to help you, alright? Fine. I attempted to support you in your pursuit of Luke, but after discovering these facts, I felt it was futile. Therefore, bury anything you feel for him."
Ryleigh heaved a deep sigh and stared at Luke, who was currently French kissing his lover. "Maybe you’re right…” she nodded as if she was trying to accept the truth and before tears clouded her sight, she added, “—Luke can’t be mine."
…
Present, August 2022…
RYLEIGH Evans had a long infatuation with Lucas Carter. She simply cannot tell him how she feels since she would not want him to ignore her.
Luke is every woman's fantasy. He is a devoted son, companion, and now a devoted and faithful boyfriend to his longtime partner, Hannah. Last year, she met Hannah at the burial of her uncle William, Luke's father. Luke's company started to experience numerous issues after losing Mr. William Carter as all of their investors began backing out, and his mother, Charlotte, was unsure what to do.
She witnessed Luke's grief but was not there to console him. Given that he had Hannah.
As Ryleigh walked toward her father's office, she expelled a long sigh. She wonders what makes her father summon her. She knocked on the door before turning the knob. She peered and noticed her father turning the pages.
Noah Evans smiled when he saw her. "Ryleigh, come in."
Ryleigh smiled and walked inside her father’s office, and drew nearer to his table.
"Anything you want to say, Dad?" she asked as she strode towards her father’s direction.
"How is Luke's business doing?”
Ryleigh arched her brow, confused. Yet she still says, "I think Luke is attempting to find a solution, Dad.
Mr. Evans nodded his head. “Exactly and you were aware that your Aunt Charlotte could not assist because she is disabled.”
Ryleigh nodded.
Yes, her Aunt Charlotte, Luke's mother, had hypertension and a minor attack that weakened her nerves after the death of her husband.
"Do you think Luke can handle it?” Mr. Evans asked.
“W-What do you mean, Dad?”
Ryleigh’s father gazed at her. "Hmm... do you still have a crush on Luke?” It is too late for her to cover her face from her father's queries, as he has already laughed. “Oh, my daughter, you knew that Luke treated you as if you were his sister and he was already engaged. What exactly was her fiancé’s name again?”
“Hannah.”
In addition, they had been together for about nine years. Last year, before her uncle William's death, Luke proposed to Hannah, and they were to marry after two months of engagement, but his father passed away.
“Right. Hannah, the daughter of William's secretary.”
Ryleigh nodded. “Anyway, Dad, why am I here? Do we need to talk about how Luke’s company—” she paused when her father raised his right hand and smiled. She frowned and felt uneasy. “W-Would you help Luke, Dad?”
The old man smiled. “Marry Luke.”
Two words. It was just two yet she seems not to process it. She was shocked. Her family knows her love for Luke but she never dreamed to ruin someone’s relationship. Luke was madly deeply in love with Hannah.
“B-But—you can’t do this, Dad. I knew Luke. He has a fiancé—”
“They’re not married yet, Rye. You still have the chance. Also, it will help Luke. You know how much they treasure that business—”
“But—”
“No buts. You will marry Luke and I will help him recover from his loss. You love him, do you?”
Ryleigh met her father’s gaze. “I do—”
“Then it settled. I will make the contract—”
Ryleigh clenched her fist. “You don’t understand, Dad!” She won’t regret to raised her voice. “Dad, please… I want to help Luke too but I don’t want to do things that will make Luke hate me—”
Mr. Evans stood up and slammed his wooden table. “Stop complaining and just be grateful, Ryleigh. You’re my only daughter and I only want you to be happy—”
“Forcing me to marry Luke won’t make me happy, Dad,” she said as she wiped the tears that streamed in her cheeks and left the room.
Mr. Evans was in a rage and tried to stop his daughter from leaving but Ryleigh didn’t listen.
"WHAT happened to your daughter, Noah?" Noah's wife's words echoed in all four corners of the room. "I will not forgive you if anything happens to my daughter!"Noah exhaled. "I am giving what is best for her—”"Can you hear yourself?" she stepped in front of him with her hands on her waist and said, "She was your only daughter. What you wanted is not appropriate. You can’t just force your daughter to marry someone, especially if it was Luke! We've been longtime friends with the Carters, but because of Ryleigh's obsession with Lucas, you will use it to destroy someone else's life. You know Lucas has a fiancé, right?"Noah pinched the bridge of his nose as he control his temper. "She will return. Just let her be—"“No! Noah, you will stop this nonsense. In case you were unaware, William and Charlotte were forced to marry, and despite the fact that Charlotte loves William, he continues to treat her like a puppet.”"However, William was born to be domineering, and Charlotte's submission
RYLEIGH spoke on the telephone with her best friend, Abby, who now resides in New York. She is an architect in the architecture firm owned by her uncle."I still find it hard to think Lucas will marry you. He has a fiancé, yet he will marry you," Abby, who appears perplexed, remarked.Ryleigh sighed. "Yeah. Tomorrow is the wedding," she said."I'm sorry, girl, but I cannot attend your wedding.""It's okay. It's only a civil ceremony. I wish to maintain secrecy as much as possible. You knew they were suffering an issue, and I don't want the media to use the situation for financial gain by publishing an article about it. My father informed me that the wedding must be private."Abby appears to perceive something in Ryleigh's comments."Rye…""Yes?""Will you be honest with me? Lucas will not marry you because he loves you, right?"Ryleigh exhaled deeply."Ryleigh… I want the truth. I have known you for many years. Luke will never love you or marry you if he is madly in love with Hannah."
THEIR families had returned home, leaving them as the only ones inside. She huddled to get Lucas’s attention, who was typing on his phone. He was seated across from her on the couch.To clear her throat, she breathed and hemmed. “Where is our room?” she inquired, causing Lucas to pause and stare at her.He laughed. “Our room? You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you think I’ll share a room with you now that you’ve done this?” Ryleigh noticed how he clutched his fist as he rose. “Keep dreaming, Rye. There is no way I will share a room with you. Why not, if it was Hannah?” He moved closer to her. Because the male is much taller than she is, being roughly six feet three inches tall while she is five feet eight inches tall. She then raised her head to meet his angry gaze. “Listen, selfish bitch,” he said as he grabbed her arm and drew her closer. She almost cursed as she felt the warmth of his heavy breathing. “File for divorce, or I will make your life a living hell.”Because she was Ryleigh,
RYLEIGH was wearing her clothing late at night when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find Lucas standing in front of her. The man instructed her to see him in his office as if nothing had happened. She can still feel the pain in her scalp, but she agreed to put up with it if it meant staying at Lucas’s side. If punishing her is the only way he knows how to deal with what she has done to him, she will do it no matter how painful it is... because she will continue to hope that Lucas will comprehend all she has given and sacrificed. She checked herself in the mirror before leaving her room. She was dressed in a black sleeveless top and cotton shorts. Simultaneously, she let her long hair fall to her waist.It's been a long time since her previous haircut, and she might be able to get another one in a month.Lucas’s workplace is on the opposite side of the second level from his room. She walks down the dim hallway and comes to a halt beside the black door, where Lucas dragg
RYLEIGH awoke with a tinge of discomfort in her scalp and cheeks. Even her arm, where Lucas dragged her roughly, had marks from his tight grip. Lucas’s slap left a tiny swelled bruise. In front of the mirror, she sighed. Lucas had been hard on her since the beginning of their marriage, but she knew that he still had a loving heart. Lucas was the one who took her into her room after she had passed out. Even though she is naked, the man covers her with the comforter. And she's content with it. Perhaps she needs some time to tame him. She will do anything to please him, even if it means accepting all of his penalties. She came out of the shower and dressed before heading downstairs to prepare their breakfast. Even though Lucas despises her, he eats everything she has prepared. And she appreciates it. It may be difficult for her to accept that Lucas knows how to cause hurt to others, but she will do her best to tolerate everything. He may be inflicting pain on her, but she feels he canno
RYLEIGH braced herself for her punishment after Keith's departure. Whatever it is, she must remain strong... and try not to faint. Unfortunately, she lost consciousness on that particular night. Luke may now believe that she is a weak woman. This time, though, she will ensure that she endures everything. She is aware that if the man is obeyed, he will not harm her. Ryleigh's only obligation is to obey him, she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs. She was also perplexed because Luke had instructed her to prepare a snack for them, but when he approached her as she was placing the snacks on the tray, he informed her that Keith had departed and that he would see her in his playroom. She paused at the door and exhaled deeply before knocking three times. Her heart began to beat quicker than normal, and her palms began to sweat despite the breezy air. When the door opened, her knees began to shake, and if she hadn't gripped the door jamb, she would have fallen to the floor. Whe
She kicked his leg, causing him to pause, in response to her adrenaline rush and the desperation to escape his grasp.As soon as she saw his enraged eyes, she began to look in every direction. She regarded him. She apologized, fearing that the man might slap her again. She observed Luke wince as he straightened his posture and headed towards the door. He is holding the knob, but he has stopped. "See you at ten in that room," he said before opening the door. "Go downstairs and prepare something for me and Hannah," he added as he left the room. Rye slumped to the ground, and the tears she had been attempting to hold back began to fall. ‘Why can't he just be considerate and treat me as he did before?’ She questioned herself. Luke was kind and considerate to her. However, he now appears to treat her as a pet. AFTER she fixed her items, she went downstairs to cook dinner—an early dinner as it was just 4:30. When she descended, she did not observe the two. She reasoned that perhaps the
Rye simply nodded because she did not know how the game was played, but she had an idea because Luke had spanked her and given her thirty blows to the butt.When Luke got a closer look at Rye's butt, he mentally swore when he noticed a small bruise on her left butt. Luke lacks a compelling explanation for why he wanted to spank Rye. When Rye felt Luke's hands rubbing her left butt, where she could still feel pain, she closed her eyes. She simply grimaced and bit her lip to stop complaining. Her spouse then massaged her other globe gently, warming her entire body. His soft, soothing touch seems to ignite something she is unfamiliar with within her tummy. "There is a safe phrase for every game I present, Rye," he murmured as he stroked her left breast. Luke smiles as he realizes that he has effectively triggered Rye's arousal with her audible moan. "Each time we play a game, we must use a safe phrase," continued Lucas. "Green for go, yellow for stop, and red if things are becoming