DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON

DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON

HARMONYAERA

5.0
Comment(s)
84
View
21
Chapters

I never asked for this life. I was in love with someone else-someone I believed I'd grow old with. The jerk jilted me for another woman. Just when I thought I was going to take a break from love and heartbreak, my father had other plans. He begged me to marry a man I didn't know, Alexander McQueen, I'm exchange to pay off the company's debt and save us from bankruptcy. My sister was there but he chose me. He made me the sacrificial lamb without considering my sanity. When I refused, he said he would ex-communicate me from the family's wealth. I didn't want that in my conscience. So I accepted the crazy offer. Alexander didn't want me either. He emphasized that I wasn't good enough for him. From the first day of our marriage, he hated me. He humiliated me, pushed me aside, and had affairs right in front of me. I had no voice, no one to believe me-not even my father. The problem worsened when I found out that I would not be able to carry my child. I didn't want to lose my home, so I opted for a surrogacy. The decision almost ruined my life. How did I navigate from it? Find out in this remarkable story!

DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON Chapter 1 Forced Marriage

"Dad, no! I cannot marry him.

You cannot force this on me.

I have done absolutely everything you have asked of me, but this, this is too much.

My entire life is on the line here!" Diane responded nervously.

"Why are you being so unreasonable? You cannot have me asking Vanessa, your younger sister.

How the fuck do you want us to pay up the debt? Do you want us to lose the company?

You need to get your act together because you are marrying Alexander McQueen." Declan commanded in a placating tone. He didn't for once consider Diane's emotions.

To Declan, that was the best decision that Diane would ever think of.

"Please, Dad, do not do this.

I will work at the company day and night if it means paying off the debt," Diane vowed.

She scrubbed the ground with her knees and made it seem like she wanted to faint.

She looks sadly into her father's eyes, hoping to soften his hardened heart a bit.

Leaning forward, Declan rested his hand on Diane's shoulder as though he wanted to give her a listening ear. "Sweetheart, I love you, but you must do this for our family; you must not be selfish. All you have to do is marry the man and our problems are over,"

Upon hearing him speak, Diane tossed her Father's arms on her shoulder and shook her head disdainfully. She was lost for words at his attitude.

Ignoring her tears, he walked out of his office, leaving Diane kneeling on the floor in despair.

Diane stood up and dried her tears.

She knew her father too well.

She's damn certain that he won't listen to her even if she cried her eyes out.

She loved the company and would do anything to assist them in their financial crises, but was she willing to sacrifice her happiness for it? That's her most difficult challenge at the moment.

She sobs hard on the floor as she considers the number of workers who will lose their jobs, the vast majority of whom have families to support.

Amidst Diane's tears, her mother

Antonia walks into the office.

She called Diane's attention, but the latter failed to respond.

She was engrossed in deep thought and wasn't even aware that someone had walked inside.

It took another powerful yell to rejuvenate Diane's lost soul.

"Oh, mother.

You're here." Diane sighed in fatigue.

Antonia pats Diane on the back, and says, "I know it is hard, but try to heed your father's words

He wants the best for the company and will go to any length to achieve it."

Diana could not believe what she heard. She was disappointed in her mother.

She thought her mother was going to take her side. But clearly, she was mistaken.

She was stunned, and she realized it was time to follow in her father's footsteps.

______

"Where are you, Maggie? I have been calling your phone for over an hour now.

You need to get over to my house right away, I have a lot to tell you," Diane screamed her lungs out after pacing around her room.

She leaves yet another voicemail, hoping her best friend will come to her rescue with some knowledge of her current situation.

Suddenly, different cars drove through her driveway.

Glancing out the window to see what was going on, surveying the scene, her eye caught a sharp hazel eye staring intensely at her.

She jerked back, closing her curtains to avoid any interactions.

"Diane! Diane!" Vanessa called out after rushing into Diane's room. She seemed so excited as though she wanted to divulge important news.

"Hey, girl.

Take a chill pill.

If you keep acting this way, you're going to break your bones," Diane made an upraised arm to calm her sister's nerves.

She hasn't seen her sister before.

"Well you were not responding to your name, so I had to scream," Vanessa shrugged and itched her head.

"Daddy asked you to dress up and come downstairs immediately. He has guests he wants you to meet. Please hurry. Don't keep him waiting for too long," Vanessa disclosed after scanning the four corners of Diane's room.

She left afterward and slammed the door so hard that it nearly got pulled off the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Diane wonders why she is being summoned. "I just hope it's worth it. Because right now, I just want to be left alone."

Her instincts continue to irritate her.

They keep telling her that it has to do with the damn arranged marriage.

It didn't take too long for her to debunk its possibility wholeheartedly. Although, it thugs her heart.

No matter how hard she tries to deny it, the truth still comes back to haunt her.

"Why cannot he simply reject me and say no to the marriage?" Diane thought loudly to herself!

"Or should I make him hate me at first sight? Oh, no, I can't, my family and father's company depend on this," Diane soliloquized to herself. She's almost choking on her words,

She did not notice she was crying until the tears melted on her tongue, tasting the salty liquid.

She immediately wiped it away and went into her small, white tiled, three-quarter bathroom.

She always wondered why her room was compacted, and every other room was airy.

She was getting dressed when she heard a loud bang on her door.

"Coming, I will be right there!"

She lied just to avoid getting into more trouble.

"No need to dress up Diane, our guest is gone. He doesn't have the luxury of time or keep waiting for you anymore," Declan yelled at the door. He demonstrated his rage as though Diane could hear him.

In normal circumstances, it could have been one of the next news ever. She never wanted to entertain the guests anyway.

But after a thorough observation, she realized how agitated it would make her Father Feel.

She couldn't utter a word as she waited for her Father to be gone. Slowly, she peeped through the tiny hole at the door to satisfy her curiosity.

Luckily for her, her father was nowhere to be found.

Diane slowly unlocks the door, looking down at the floor; she suddenly sees her Father.

It turned out that he was hiding behind the door because he knew she was gonna show up.

All she had to do was remain silent and let him vent his rage on her. She could feel her father's gaze all over her.

Suddenly, he brought her head up with his finger, softly grazing her cheeks, and said in a low tone, "You made it difficult for me to love you."

"You know, sometimes you are just too difficult, but it is all good because you will not be my problem anymore.

Your wedding date is set.

In the next couple of days, you'd be married off to Alexander McQueen.

So get ready, do not worry about anything, just be good and ready for a husband."

After disseminating the information, Declan turned around and walked away as though nothing happened.

Diane was taken aback.

She stood at the door for long enough after her father had left her horrifying sight.

Diane jolted as she felt a presence beside her on the bed. "Oh, wonderful heavens! Maggie, I am glad you are here." She embraced her best friend while whimpering on her shoulder.

"Oh, my darling, what is the difficulty?

Sorry I took so long to show up.

I'm here now. You can tell me anything." Maggie asked nicely after wiping off Diane's tears.

Devastated and broken, Diane wept like a child. It became too difficult for her to speak. The words became too heavy to come out of her lips.

-------

"It is not that bad, Diane.

Alexander might be a good catch.

I heard he is stinking rich and good-looking.

I guess that's a plus for you," Maggie teases Diane after listening to her explanation.

"That wasn't funny, girl,"

Diane smirked. She wondered why Maggie would decide to joke with a delicate situation like that.

"I guess I should just do this for my family and everyone goes home happy.

But what about my happiness? Why is no one even putting that into consideration?" Diane lamented again. She raised her voice at Maggie even when she shouldn't have.

"So, what are you going to do about it anyway? Have you decided yet?" Maggie asked. She looked more clueless than Diane.

"Like seriously, girl?

If I had a solution, you wouldn't be here.

Don't you have any ideas in your head? Fucking think of something,"

Diane raged. She was disappointed that her best friend couldn't come through for her.

Chewing her nails to rack her brain, Maggie faced the ground a thousand times and stared at the ceiling to count its invisible stars.

"If I want to be honest with you, this may seem a bit too difficult for you. You know why?

You are practically being monitored by your Dad.

I bet he won't leave you until your wedding day. I heard him discuss that with your mother," Maggie made the shocking news.

Despite speaking in a low tone, she ensured that she rushed to peep outside to be certain that no one was approaching in their direction.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

Katie Oettgen

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Too Late For Regret: My Billionaire Husband

Too Late For Regret: My Billionaire Husband

Chang An

I was twenty-five weeks pregnant, sitting on a cracked plastic chair at the hospital, when my billionaire husband looked me right in the eye and called me "it." Ellsworth didn't recognize his own wife in my tight coat and swollen ankles; he was too busy shielding his mistress, Jolie, from the "messy cleaning lady" in the hallway. "Just ignore it," he told his assistant as I struggled to stand. "Close the doors. We’re running late for the gala." He left me there with a high-risk pregnancy diagnosis and a prescription I couldn't afford, while he drove off in a Maybach with a woman who had meticulously stolen my entire identity. When I returned to our cold mansion, the nightmare continued. His grandmother treated me like a breeding animal, and the housekeeper tried to starve me because Ellsworth said my weight gain was "embarrassing" to the family name. I soon realized the sick truth: Jolie wasn't just his lover; she was a mimic, wearing my old clothes and using my old hair tutorials to play the role of the woman I was before the Banks family broke me. How could a man who once promised to love me now treat me like a stain on his perfect life? Why was he keeping me trapped in a guest room while parading a fake version of me around the city? They thought I was a broken, penniless ghost with nowhere to go, but they forgot I was once the sharpest financial mind of my generation. While Ellsworth was busy playing house with a replica, I was secretly accepting a fully funded PhD and auditing his illegal shell companies from the shadows of his own home. He thinks he can keep me trapped in this marriage just to secure his trust fund. He has no idea that I’m not just leaving—I’m going to burn his empire to the ground before the baby is even born.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON HARMONYAERA Billionaires
“I never asked for this life. I was in love with someone else-someone I believed I'd grow old with. The jerk jilted me for another woman. Just when I thought I was going to take a break from love and heartbreak, my father had other plans. He begged me to marry a man I didn't know, Alexander McQueen, I'm exchange to pay off the company's debt and save us from bankruptcy. My sister was there but he chose me. He made me the sacrificial lamb without considering my sanity. When I refused, he said he would ex-communicate me from the family's wealth. I didn't want that in my conscience. So I accepted the crazy offer. Alexander didn't want me either. He emphasized that I wasn't good enough for him. From the first day of our marriage, he hated me. He humiliated me, pushed me aside, and had affairs right in front of me. I had no voice, no one to believe me-not even my father. The problem worsened when I found out that I would not be able to carry my child. I didn't want to lose my home, so I opted for a surrogacy. The decision almost ruined my life. How did I navigate from it? Find out in this remarkable story!”
1

Chapter 1 Forced Marriage

23/06/2025

2

Chapter 2 The Rich Also Cry

23/06/2025

3

Chapter 3 Wedding Fever

23/06/2025

4

Chapter 4 It's Us Against The World

23/06/2025

5

Chapter 5 It's Her Day

23/06/2025

6

Chapter 6 The Conflicted Union

23/06/2025

7

Chapter 7 Happily Never After

23/06/2025

8

Chapter 8 Diane's Point of View The Bitter-Sweet Honeymoon

23/06/2025

9

Chapter 9 Diane's Point Of View

24/06/2025

10

Chapter 10 Diane's Point of View

24/06/2025

11

Chapter 11 Alexander's Point of View

24/06/2025

12

Chapter 12 Establishing The Bond That Never Existed.

24/06/2025

13

Chapter 13 Web Of Confusion.

24/06/2025

14

Chapter 14 Being A McQueen

24/06/2025

15

Chapter 15 Chronicles Of Marriage

24/06/2025

16

Chapter 16 The New Acquaintance

24/06/2025

17

Chapter 17 Break From the Norm

24/06/2025

18

Chapter 18 Club Lights and Shadowed Truths

30/07/2025

19

Chapter 19 A DEBT IN BLOOD

30/07/2025

20

Chapter 20 The Return Clause

30/07/2025

21

Chapter 21 Inheritance Games

30/07/2025