Slowly, she walked into Ryker's capacious bedroom. She looked around slowly, and memories of her wedding night saga flooded her head.

The door opened, and Ryker walked into the room boldly. Samantha gasped at his sight, and moved towards the king sized bed slowly.

She lowered her gaze from his face as she saw the dark stare he gave her. He made a few steps towards her and stopped right in front of her. Her feet began to tremble and her palm became sweaty.

His palm cupped around her chin and he lifted her face. She shut her eyes fearfully and he let out a cold breath which swept across her face.

"Look at me," he ordered with the coldest voice possible.

She opened her eyes at once and their eyes met. His grey fierce looking eyes burned deeply into her eyes and she felt like urinating on her underwear at the moment.

"Now that you've been pardoned, you've restored your glory as my wife. Now, look," he ordered calmly.

Her lips quivered as their eyes locked again.

"If I ever find you anywhere close to Ryan, I will deal with you mercilessly. Your journey as my wife begins from today," he declared and withdrew his palm slowly from her chin.

She began to pant heavily as she watched him walk to the door.

"You'll have dinner with me at the table tonight, be prepared and don't act silly out there," he said and walked out.

She sat on the bed as soon as he walked out and she began to gasp for breath. How long can she stand him? She thought and held her chest with both hands.

**

"I'm so happy you'd finally be at the table today," Anna said with excitement as she helped Samantha dress up in a red satin short dress.

"Thank you, Ann," Samantha responded with a smile while looking at her reflection in the large mirror.

She was looking so beautiful that night in her red dress, and her long pretty face which wore beautiful makeup was a sight to behold. Her brunette hair was styled in a side-part, which added to her outstanding look.

"Sir Ryan is gonna be mesmerized," Anna whispered to her ears.

"What?!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, no. I meant, Sir Ryker," Anna cut in sharply.

Samantha gave her a silly look.

"You meant that, Anna, it's no mistake," she said as she wore her gold earrings.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Anna apologized immediately.

"It's.. it's fine," she said sadly as she turned to Anna. "There is nothing going on between us, we just met by accident. I know there are rumors flying in the mansion that we both have something in common," she said with a smile.

Anna nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"The way he defended you added to our suspicions. We've never seen him stand up for someone in that manner," she said.

Samantha kept silent and her countenance changed into a somber one.

"He's a nice guy. Unfortunately, I've been asked to stay away from him. He won't be defending me any longer," she said sadly.

"And..and you're gonna stay away from him? Gosh, he really stood by you!" Anna said almost aloud.

"Shh!! Ann, I can't be found talking about him!" Samantha hushed her with her palm.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am," Anna apologized quickly.

"Come on, I need to be at the table, I don't wanna keep the family waiting," she said with a smile as she wore her black comfy slippers.

At the table was Ryker and Mrs Clyde, alongside Sophia and Claris. They all turned to look at Samantha who was walking to the table, and Mrs Clyde's face pulled into a satisfying smile.

"She's beautiful and would definitely make beautiful babies," she whispered to Ryker who sighed and looked away from Samantha quickly.

"You're looking great," Sophia complimented her as she joined them at the table.

"Thank you, sister in-law," Samantha replied and sat beside Ryker.

"I love your look for tonight, it shows how much you honor this family," Mrs Clyde added.

Samantha smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, mom. I owe this family a lot," she replied shyly.

"Enough of all these trash talks, when are we touching our food?!" Claris barked and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Ryan is yet to join us," Mrs Clyde said.

"Why is he still allowed at the table? He's not supposed to be here!" She slammed.

"That's not in your power to decide," Sophia countered her and she kept shut, fuming heavily.

"Mother, Ken and I will be going out on our first date tomorrow," Sophia continued.

"Aww... congrats my baby girl!" Mrs Clyde said excitedly.

"Congrats sister in-law," Samantha congratulated Sophia.

"Are you all congratulating her for stealing my man?!" Claris cried.

"Your man?! He doesn't want anything to do with you!" Sophia fired.

"Stop fooling, you both!" Ryker slammed his fist on the table and the girls kept mute.

Samantha swallowed hard and rubbed her palm on her forehead slightly.

"Mom, why do we have to wait for Ryan?!" He thundered, looking at his mother.

Mrs Clyde pulled an angry face. She was about to speak when Ryan showed up at the table. He was dressed in an ash coloured t-shirt and black jeans pants.

Samantha's heart skipped as she saw him walking to the table. She hasn't set her eyes on him since the night they kissed and she became nervous as she met his charming blue eyes gawking at her body.

"Oh, thank goodness," Claris said in relief as Ryan took his seat beside Sophia.

He couldn't take his eyes off Samantha who was seating directly opposite him. He wondered why she was here at the table, looking so beautiful tonight.

Her words last night really broke his heart, and he couldn't believe he would one day feel so broken for a woman, one he doesn't even know; his brother's wife, he thought as he continued staring at her.

"Does my wife look so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off her?" Ryker said calmly as soon as they began to eat.

Samantha shifted uncomfortably and she buried her gaze on her food, praying there is no outburst between the brothers at the table.

An outburst might lead to Ryan spilling the truth about them having a fling a night to her wedding. He might decide to taunt Ryker and thereby hurt her for rejecting him, she thought as her heart continued to skip.

Ryan didn't respond and he looked away from Samantha and continued eating.

"Your brother and his wife look good together, don't they?" Mrs Clyde asked.

Ryan didn't respond, he was getting provoked at the moment but he tried to maintain his cool.

Ryker smirked, seeing the look on his brother's face. He turned to Samantha and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Samantha shrieked as she felt cold lips on her cheek. She turned to look at Ryker who had kissed her cheek and she tried to maintain calmness, wondering what he was up to. She looked at Ryan whose eyes were on them and she felt pity for him at the moment.

"You're so beautiful," Ryker commented and caressed Samantha's cheek while Mrs Clyde giggled.

"This public display of affection is for what exactly?" Sophia asked, looking irritated.

" Ryker is finally finding favor in his wife," Mrs Clyde said to Sophia who rolled her eyes.

"Oh, really? I hope she can give him a child, unlike Essa," Claris put in.

"Why not? Sam and Ryker are going to make beautiful kids. Isn't that sweet?" Mrs Clyde awed, her eyes on Samantha.

Samantha nodded uncomfortably and her gaze trailed towards Ryan. Their eyes met and she could see the emotions written all over his face.

He stood up immediately and left the table while they all kept calling after him.

"Is he in love with Sam, or what?" Sophia chuckled.

"I thought they don't know each other. Why is Ryan jealous? Is there something you're not telling us?" Claris asked immediately.

"I..I..," Samantha stammered.

"Let the girl be, continue with your meal," Mrs Clyde ordered and they all continued eating.

Ryker smirked and turned to his mother who made a nod of satisfaction.

**

Pissed by what happened during dinner, he rushed into his room and grabbed his car keys. He began to pant in front of his large mirror as the scene of Ryker kissing Samantha flashed in his head. Without a word, he marched out of his room.

From the balcony where he stood, Ryker watched Ryan drive out in the white Ferrari. He quickly reached for his phone and dialled a contact.

"Feed him enough of his drugs, and make sure he loses himself," he said on the phone and hung up.

He looked around carefully and stepped back into his room.

Walking into his room, he was taken aback, seeing Samantha on the bed.

"What are you doing here?! Is dinner over yet?!" He thundered from where he stood.

"Oh.. I was done with my meal," she explained quickly.

"Hmph," he fumed and walked out of the room.

She wondered why he was so angry about everything. After changing into her red nightie, she laid on the bed and pulled the brown duvet over her body.

All she could think of right now was Ryan. She tossed on her bed, trying to wade him off her thoughts. In no due time, sleep crept her away.

It was 12:30.am when she heard loud voices outside her room. She opened her eyes and looked at the bed in hopes of finding Ryker beside her. He wasn't there, and she stood up at once.

She heard footsteps at the stairs leading down to the foyer and she walked out of her room gently. As she walked out of the passage, she bumped into Anna, Betty and Hailey who were running to the foyer.

"What's going on?" She asked anxiously.

Anna and Hailey stopped, while Betty zoomed past them. She became curious as she saw the anxious looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" She asked again.

"It's sir Ryan," Hailey cried.

"Ryan? What happened to Ryan?!" She cried and ran away from the ladies.

The girls ran after her and she stopped right away at the balcony. She watched in disbelief as three of the guards held Ryan to the floor. He was wearing only shorts over his unclad chest.

Mrs Clyde, alongside Ryker and his sisters were gathered around him and she watched in displeasure as Ryker kicked him over and over on the floor while he winced in pain.

"Where is the water?!!" Mrs Clyde yelled.

Betty hurried down the stairs with a pail of water which was splashed over on Ryan's body. Ryker continued to hit him while he cried and groaned in pain.

Samantha broke into tears and Anna and Hailey placed their hands around her shoulders.

"We asked you to return to rehab didn't we?!!" Ryker yelled, slapping his face.

"Ryker, that's enough!!" Sophia yelled, pushing Ryker away from him.

"Are you in support of how he embarrasses us every time?!!" Claris shot at Sophia.

"This is not the best way to handle this!" Sophia fired.

"It's the only way he can return to his senses. If he doesn't experience torture, he might die from the drug's impact," Mrs Clyde said and Sophia broke into tears immediately.

"Get me the whips!!" Ryker ordered.

Samantha couldn't take it any longer. She broke free from the girls as she watched Ryker lashed Ryan's unclad body severally.

"I'm going down there, I can't stand this any more!!" She cried and tried to run down the stairs.

The girls held her back and pulled her into the balcony.

"You can't do this, you don't want to get on their nerves again!" Hailey whispered in her face.

"I can't let them do this to him!" Samantha cried, wiping the tears off her face as Ryan's groans filled her ears.

"He's an addict, and this is the only way to bring him back to his senses," Anna said.

"No, this is not! This is torture, I'm going after them!" She cried and tried to break free from them.

"Stop," a familiar voice said to her.

She turned and saw madam Kate standing behind her, wearing a long face.

"Don't," she said in a commanding tone.

"You can't tell me what to do! I'm not your slave any longer," Samantha said firmly and the girls looked at her in surprise.

Madam Kate sighed and looked away.

"He'll be fine, don't ruin your second chance in this marriage," she said firmly to Samantha who was looking astonished.

Before she could speak further, Madam Kate walked away. She gulped and turned back to the foyer. She could see Sophia crying as the men dragged Ryan's body from the floor.

"Take him to the open field, let him spend the rest of the night in the cold," Mrs Clyde ordered.

Samantha watched in tears as the men took him out.

"I'm going after him," she said to the girls.

"Sir Ryker will come looking for you," they said in unison.

She paused for a moment, and just then, they heard footsteps approaching the stairs. Samantha fled to her room, and the girls ran away too.

As she laid on the bed, her whole body trembled, anticipating Ryker's presence. Not long, she felt his presence in the room, and she shut her eyes in fear. She felt his presence close to the bed and she wondered if he was coming to bed already.

She opened her eyes as she heard his footsteps approaching the door. She heard the sound of the door shutting and she knew he was out.

She sat up on the bed and began to pant heavily. She thought of Ryan and how he was faring at the moment. She couldn't wade the scene of him being tortured off her head and she burst into tears immediately.

Was she crying because of him? She thought and wiped her tears off at once. She doesn't feel anything for him, but she couldn't forget how he had defended her in the past. How he was willing to give up his family just to help her escape this place. How he had continued to conceal her secret despite that she betrayed him.

He was a nice person, despite his flaws. How he ended up as a junkie was what she didn't understand.

She wasn't going to abandon him now that he needed her most, she thought as she wiped her tears.

She stood up from the bed and grabbed her jacket from the closet. Walking out of the room, she looked around the passage carefully and headed for the stairs.

She met the guards stationed at the entrance door.

"Where are you going, Ma'am?" They asked respectfully.

"I was asked to give this to Ryan, I'll need company," she said.

One of the guards accompanied her to the open field where Ryan was lying motionlessly. Her heart cringed at the sight and she ran over to the field and knelt before him.

"You can leave," she ordered and the guard walked away.

Cold breeze sliced through her skin as she touched his cold body on the green grass. She wanted to cry, but held back the tears from falling. She spread the jacket over his bare chest and she watched him move a bit.

Caressing his brown messy hair, she sniffed and wiped her nose.

"I'm sorry I let this happen," she whispered to him.

She stood up from the grass and tried to walk away; but a hand grabbed her ankle. She stood and turned to see Ryan's cold palm wrapped around her ankle.

"Stay," she heard soft whispers from his lips and her heart broke.

She looked at him as the light from the building reflected on his charming face. Without a word, she sat on the grass and laid beside him.

She felt his hands pulling her closer and she placed her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she shut her eyes deeply.

The heat from her body made him warm and she spread her arm across his chest.

The connection she felt with him was so deep, and she felt like a force was pulling her closer to him.

She thought of Ryker and his mom, but right now, she wasn't scared. Being with Ryan took her fears away and she felt hot tears escaping her cheek as she realized they can never be together, no matter what.

**

"You made sure she was asleep?" Mrs Clyde asked, making rooms on the bed for Ryker to step in.

"Yes, she was asleep," Ryker said as he moved into the bed.

"Good. Now that Ryan is back to default, he'll see every reason to return to rehab," she said with a smile.

"And what if he resists?" He asked, taking a sip from his glass of wine.

"The rest of the Clyde's family would be involved, and he won't resist them even if he resists us. As long as there is evidence against him, he'll surely return," she assured him.

He nodded and dropped his glass of wine.

"Tomorrow, doctor Jean will arrive for the insemination process," she said.

"I hope it works out," he said.

"You're supposed to be with her tonight, you need to make her feel like you made love to her," she suggested.

"I really can't stand her, mother," he said angrily.

"Because she has something to do with Ryan?" She asked.

He shook his head in disapproval.

"There is something about her that doesn't feel right," he said, looking at his mother.

"Something like?" Mrs Clyde asked with interest.

"I can't put the pieces of the puzzles together, mother," he explained with a sigh.

"She's only a tool in our hands. By the time we're done using her, we'll dump her where we picked her. But for now, you ought to play your part," she advised.

"I'll try, mother," he said and she smiled and pecked his cheek.

"You don't wanna go back to your wife tonight?" She chuckled.

"I can't do without you, mother, I want you tonight, mother," he said with pleasure as he took off his pajamas top while she giggled with excitement.

NOTE; THIS BOOK DOESN'T SUPPORT INCEST.