The three ladies (his daughter, maid and lover) want a half of him, but seriously, who divides a half into three? * * * Athena has given her words to her father that Vulcan, the mortal is better than every god, Zeus, her father formed and proposed that she marry. Because of that, she can't return to her father with shame and regret. She stands her ground, she will fight for who she loves. The Nymph will not back down, because all her life, she had only been a puppet to Athena's will, and taking her man will be the best comeback. Prium will not let Vulcan off her hook because she had left every thing she was and had back in the village because of him. Returning to the village is a 'NO'. And Vulcan? He holds them all in same regard because all of them have been useful in one way or the other. But deep down, the memories he has shared sexually and emotionally with Athena back in fantasy keeps reminding him of his love for her.
"Ma, father is awake."
His weary eyelids flickered firstly then flipped open like the pages of a book. He closed his eyes again after that call had waned out. Then the voice came again. Twas a wonder how the gentle, still, small and feminine voice persisted and kept the call coming.
He opened his eyes again. He couldn't confide in the sleep again. That was what it seemed like to him.
The last thing he remembered was that he was standing by the sea and was waiting for Athena. Then not long after, he had seen a lady standing in the waves, her back to him, few metres into the waters.
He had gone after the lady, calling at the name, ATHENA but the lady didn't look back at him. Then he had kept on walking till he got into the waves. He had kept walking on and fighting his way through the waves. The water had swallowed him up to his chest.
But as soon as he got behind the lady and touched her from behind, she had melted into a warm and salted water which disappeared into the length of the crashing waves.
He had stood there smothered by surprise but hadn't seen a huge wave coming before him. Before he could run out, he was hit and had sank into the depth of the water. That was all.
Then he had opened his eyes to see a lady seated on the bed not far from him. She had her back to him and seemed to be reading from a book.
He had touched his hand to her back and caressed her thinking that twas one of the encounters with Athena or a Nymph or probably the lady he had seen in the water the previous day.
But then the lady had called at a mother and had referred to him as a father. He remembered vividly that he didn't in no wise impregnate any Nymph back in the depth of the ocean. He was as confused.
Then came rushing in, was a middle aged but beautiful woman dressed in a long milk gown with hair braided stylishly. He could hardly remember her. Beside the woman was another lady who was almost the size of the one sitting on the bed.
As soon as the lady seated on the bed saw the woman and the other lady, she stood up and intended to hide the book.
"What's that, sister?"
The other lady hurried to the first lady.
"It's nothing. Father is awake."
The first lady seemed to had fought her way round the trick. The second lady ignored the book and went rushing to the head of the bed and sat close to Vulcan.
The middle aged woman too was already by the bed to the left.
"Oh, goodness! You didn't want to wake up, Vulcan? Everyone's been here wanting to see you after the scene you made at the cave of Myclops yesterday."
The second lady helped Vulcan sit up as he watched the middle aged woman in surprise. He had no faintest idea what she was talking about.
"What scene?"
Vulcan shot, sitting up. He wanted his voice deep and fierce but all he got was a mild and unseasoned counterpart.
"I told you that he didn't do it."
The second lady shot in Vulcan's defense. Vulcan looked from her to the middle aged woman who glared at the lady and looked back at Vulcan, more determinedly.
"Now you don't want us to start with an early morning quarrel again."
The middle aged woman shot. Vulcan didn't know what to say to the three. It seemed as though he was in another phase of Fantasy. He didn't know what to believe.
"And by the way, how'd you get this robe. We all know that you're poor and can't even afford the food for your own livestocks. Plus we didn't see you dressed in this last night."
The woman kept reeling. It seemed as though she was a barrel of words. Before Vulcan could say a thing, the second lady had had her take,
"We can't be sure, ma. We could barely see him amidst the dark yesterday. Plus he was drunk. Like dead drunk."
"He's our father, watch it."
The first lady, who had been silent all along hurled. She seemed to have a hidden beast in her though she seemed reserved.
In that short period of time, Vulcan had made hypotheses but he was still smothered by confusion and didn't know if he would survive.
He looked quickly around the room. Twas like a shithole, though there were few items necessary for a family. He was fed up with the view. He ignored and looked back at the three, sharing his worried gaze.
There was only one question wielding at the base of his consciousness. He couldn't help but ask,
"Who are you guys?"
He watched as the surprise which had been seated in his face all along switched its place, and was spread across the faces of the three.
But why did they seem that surprised? He had asked the right question, he didn't know them.
"Is this some game, Vulcan? Is this your own new trick of running away from responsibilities? We are caught in the claws of whether to call off the wedding ceremony of our first daughter and now you're asking who we are. I'm sure you're about to ask what her name is."
The woman scoffed. But Vulcan was in the darkness of it all. He needed light and he seemed helpless. He couldn't ignite it on his own.
"But sorry, What's her name?"
Vulcan meant it, though he could see disappointment on the face of the second lady. But the first lady whose name he had asked for, didn't seem moved.
"Ok! Now I'm done here. You either stop playing this dimwitted games or leave the home for us."
The middle aged woman stomped off as the second lady followed but the first lady stayed.
She watched her mother and sister walked out then walked closer to the bed and sat near Vulcan.
"My name is Prium. I'm your first daughter. I don't know what happened to you in your sleep after yesterday. But one thing I'm sure of is that you're not doing this on purpose."
She said, her small lips canvasing the strength of her beauty, and the life in her round face.
Vulcan still didn't understand, but he felt deeply within him that he could trust Prium.
Then, soon noise started coming from outside the hut. Twas more of commotion.
"What's that?"
He asked, his face melting into concern.
"You raped the daughter of the King yesternight. Protest is being made before the judgement of the King. We all knew you were drunk and didn't do it on purpose."
Vulcan just watched her speak. He had no faintest idea what to think. He didn't know which sucked more, reality or fantasy.
Why should he believe that he did that? Well that didn't stop the noise from coming.
Suddenly, the door was broken open.
Kie is only a poor fellow who works at a stable, where he strives to make ends meet - to feed himself and his dying mother. He has no faith in the gods who had found no delight in healing his mother. He thinks to lead such life on (as a groom) till death takes his mother and he be gone from the land which had turned a blind eye on them. To live a solitary life in some cave and die with his celibacy. But little did he know fate was yet to begin its games. Soon did he discover what fate has in stock for him when he met an Alan in the woods; A prophecy which sets his life rolling was given. The implication of the prophecy were thus; ✓ He was a sworn heir of the gods to the throne of his land. But by Horus, he believes in no god, why have they chosen him? ✓ His wife, his to-be queen, was the personal maid of the obnoxious princess of the land. And unknown to the both of them, the maid has no faintest idea that she would be a great witch. ✓ And they both would conceive the greatest Warlock who had ever lived. "A warlock with the heart of the gods, mind of men." The words of the Alan. A warlock who would bring about a new era. An era where neither would the gods be greater than men nor men lesser than the gods. Yet, both unequal. But Kie has a BIG problem. He keeps misinterpreting the Alan's prophecy; His bane.
Lailah, a beautiful Nymph, was spat out by the sea after angering the great Poseidon. Luckily, she was rescued by the cunning Ja Lia, who of course, immediately felt a strong sexual attraction to her. He made advances, and she submitted, wanting to repay him for his kindness. But she liked the sex a little much. Transforming into an insatiable seductress, she proceeded to test will of other men, who unknown to her were Ja Lia's siblings. Angered by this betrayal, Ja Lia sets sail on the open sea but met with new fate. Poseidon would recruit him against Lailah, who already carries his child.
He was hunted by some Centuars and Satyrs after he'd breached the orders of the underworld. Then they pursued him till he lost them to a forest. He was found by some of the creatures who he killed. He stayed in the forest for a while till a lady came to the forest. He was surprised to realize that other creatures existed and stole after her till he found a voluptuous village. He returned to his stead (the trunk of a tree) and would go to steal the babies of the inhabitants of the village. He kept on this and travelled to other parts of sewn villages whenever there was no baby to steal anymore. Nemesis caught up with him when it was time for him to be stolen. Ah! He who steal will be stolen.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"