Jackson was pissed to hear the kind of question Felix asked him. He turned to look at Felix and smirked.

“So I look like a child that doesn’t know what he’s doing?” Jackson asked. His tone was so scary that even Shirley shivered a little. Felix quickly turned his straight face into a smile.

“Uncle, I didn’t mean it that way, I was only wondering why you decided to rush the proposal, you don’t even know the kind of woman she is.” Shirley was fuming while listening to what Felix was saying to his uncle, she knew Jackson isn’t the type to be easily manipulated but words like that can put a seed of doubt in his mind, the only good thing is that the marriage isn’t real.

“Felix can you stop!” Shirley yelled at the top of her voice, getting the immediate attention of everyone. Amelia smirked sheepishly the moment she heard Shirley.

“Are you about to show everyone the real you?” Amelia asked.

“What? Haven’t you two done enough, you are married now, can you stay out of my life and my relationship!” Shirley yelled angrily. Jackson wasn’t happy to see her yelling that way because he could tell she was hurt from the way she was talking.

“Felix, I know what I’m doing, you don’t have to worry about me.” Jackson concluded ahd held Shirley’s hand as they both walked out of the house. Felix folded his hand angrily as he watched them leave, with his face and his body movement anyone could tell he was jealous seeing Jackson ahd Shirley together, Amelia couldn’t help but notice this because it was just too obvious.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Felix asked Amelia angrily.

“What are you angry about exactly?” Amelia asked Felix even though she already knew what the reply would be.

“Why are you asking such stupid question when you are obviously the reason why she’s getting married to him, if you had controlled your syupud temper a little it wouldn’t have gotten to this extent.” Felix scolded Amelia who was left dumbfounded as she listened to Felix.

“Ohh, so it’s my fault now? It’s now my fault that Shirley is getting married to Jackson?” Felix shook his head and walked away angrily.

“Argggg!” He screamed angrily, turning his study room into a complete mess.

“I can’t believe she thinks she can live happily, I will not let that happen.” Felix said angrily as he was looking into the mirror.

*******

Amelia couldn’t sit on the couch. She kept pacing around the room, she was thinking of how Shirley always ends up getting the best, how she did not get herself involved with Jackson instead of Felix.

“He’s known to be a very dangerous man that dislikes ladies, so how is it even possible….” Amelia was beating herself up in the sitting room as she was thinking of how they could have met in the first place.

“I have always known she’s a snake pretending to be a good person.” Amelia concluded and finally picked her phone to call her mother because her mother is the only one that always understands her.

Her dad was almost against her relationship with Felix under the excuse that Shirley was already engaged to him.

She never really got along well with her father, though he later succumbed because she is his only biological child. At the end of the day he will take her side and the adopted daughter’s.

“Mommy,” Amelia called childishly the moment her mom picked the call.

“What is it, my Angel?” Sharon asked as she was watering the flowers in the garden.

“Can you imagine, Shirley is getting married.” Sharon dropped the water she was holding so she could listen properly to what her daughter was saying.

“What?”

“She didn’t even tell you, that girl is so ungrateful, after everything you did for her, this is how she pays back?”

“Shirley is getting married? To whom? I mean who would get married to a girl without parents?” Sharon asked, she thought it would definitely be someone that doesn’t have a name, maybe one useless homeless boy. “My dear, it’s definitely nobody she’s getting married to,” Sharon said to Amelia with a bright smile on her face.

Just then she heard the doorbell ring.

“Mom, you don’t get me..”

“Hold on my love, let me get the door.” Sharon said and kept the phone on hold, she opened the door and there was a young man standing in front of the house.

“Ma’am this is for you.” The delivery guy said and handed an envelope to Sharon. She did the necessary things and removed the call from the hold.

“Mom, are you there?” Amelia asked.

“Yes my love. An envelope just came for me, I don’t know what it’s about.” Sharon explained to Amelia while she was opening it.

“Mom, don’t you get me? Shirley isn’t getting married to anybody she’s getting married to…”

“Jackson storm.” Amelia paused to hear her mom call her full name.

“Yes mom, how did you know?” Amelia asked curiously.

“The invitation just came in, I can’t believe this bastard still got the best.” Sharon said with her teeth clenched.

“You know Jackson well?” Amelia asked.

“Who doesn’t know the richest young man in this city, everyone bows to him here, who is this girl? Why does she always end up getting it.” Sharon said angrily, expressing her displeasure in the new relationship between Shirley and Jackson.

“Mom, I hate her so much.” Amelia said angrily.

“My dear, let’s forget about her, at least you got what she wanted badly, so you won too.” Sharon said with a smile on her face trying to make her daughter feel good.

“Mom, it’s different, I have to respect her because she’s Felix's uncle's wife, and that’s Yvonne’s son, don’t you get it?” Sharon was infuriated by her daughter’s worries. She didn’t want her daughter to worry about anything and just enjoy her union, but finding out about Jackson and Shirley has made her insecure.

“You won’t be living together so just forget it, focus on your relationship with your husband and make sure you give him a cold before she does.” Amelia was not interested in that part of the conversation; she could do anything to keep the marriage, but having a baby isn’t one of them.

“Mom, I don’t care about the baby, I just want my husband for me alone.” Amelia explained to her mom.

“So why are you worried? He’s yours alone.”

Amelia sat on the couch and looked upstairs staring at their room door. “Mom, I saw the way he was looking at her, I bet he’s not over her.” Sharon brushed her hair backwards with her hand when she heard what Amelia said to her.

“Amelia, hey, calm down…” She could tell from the way Amelia was talking that her insecurities were getting the best of her. She didn’t know what to say to her that would make her calm down, if only Shirley had stayed low all this wouldn’t be happening.

“Mom, you know what I’m talking about.” Amelia said as she was biting her finger nervously.

“Hey, you know he chose you, he left her for you. So don’t be like this, just focus on keeping your relationship solid, Amelia remember you are my daughter, don’t let an orphan keep you rattled,” Amelia took a breath in when she heard what her mother said to her. She raised her head up again when she heard another sound coming from the room,

“Mom, it’s not as easy as you think.” She said a little above a whisper and placed her hand on her head tiredly.

“Make it easy, because you are my daughter, you got him just as you wanted so keep him.” Amelia was relieved after speaking to her mom, her mom made her feel better after talking to her for a while.

“Thanks mom.” Amelia said and ended the call.

Sharon was still holding the envelope, she stared at Shirley's name for a while and remembered the day they adopted her. She was so cute that they couldn’t let her go.

*****Twenty Years Ago*****

“Come here little one.” Sharon said to younger Shirley with a bright smile on her face.

“What’s your name?” She asked her. Shirley was just five years old and she had lost her memory after a fatal accident that made her lose her family, she was the only one that survived.

“I don’t have a name yet, but they call me Sil here.” Sharon held her soft hand with a smile on her face, and decided to adopt her.

“From today your name is Shirley and I’m your mom.” Sharon said to Shirley and Shirley smiled, that was the first time she saw Shirley smile.

*****Back to present*****

“Life can be so cruel, I never imagined a day would come when I would hate her this much.” Sharon muttered and squeezed the invitation card angrily.