Shaded-the Billionaire's Unwanted Wife | Read Free Preview

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Chapter 1 — The Proposal

Eleonora Sava was a 25 years old simple, ambitious Italian girl whose main goal in her life was to live happily without any regrets . She worked hard in her small Catering and Event Management company to support her family and herself.
She was born in Italy but moved to the USA for her higher studies and after graduating she opened her little business there with the help of her Nonna who lived in the USA. Her father Patrick Sava was Italian but her mother Adriana was an American. Eleonora also had a younger sister named Cara and a younger brother named Lorenzo.
After graduating Eleonora tried her best to provide everything to her little sister and brother because she loved them so much. Her world revolved around her family. All she ever wanted was her family to live in happiness. Her mother was her inspiration in life who was beside her in every ups and downs. Beside her mother there was another person who supported her mentally and financially. Her Nonna. She had a special bonding with her nonna since her childhood. She mostly spent her childhood in the care of her Nonna.
One could say Eleonora's life was going through the tranquility she herself had created. She worked hard, earned money, helped her father to take care of their family and travelled where her heart desired. She had a roof above her head, enough food to eat and clothes to wear. What else could she want from life?
But there's a saying nothing lasts forever. So how could the tranquility of her life last?
Everything had changed when her little brother became sick and needed an immediate surgery which would cost a lot of money. Eleonora's father was just a butler in a rich man's house.
She and her father tried a lot but couldn't arrange that much money in a short period of time. Even though she sold her small company but still couldn't arrange the money. She felt really helpless. Her siblings were her heartbeat. She couldn't imagine anything bad happening to them. Lorenzo was her mischief little sunshine. They had a ten years of age gap between them which made them really close siblings. She broke down thinking of the possibility of losing her little brother.
When all hopes were almost gone her father told her something that changed her whole life.
For good or worse? She didn't know that time.
She hadn't had the best relationship with her father. Her father didn't love nor care about her that much. For her father, his son was everything. Her father was a stereotypical person who valued son over daughter.
It's not like he didn't love her before. He used to care for her but that was until his son and her Brother Lorenzo was born. He gradually changed and gave all his love and care to his son while ignoring his two daughters.
But Eleonora never felt any grudge against her brother. She loved him with all her heart. She was the elder sister of her little sister and brother. She stood with them in every step of their life. She made sure to protect her sister from her father's stereotypical behavior. She made sure her brother grew up respecting women, starting from his own family.
She didn't want her brother to grow up gender discrimination. Eleonora made sure to teach her siblings about equality. It was a bliss that her siblings grew up with good moral values of human life.
Eleonora always longed for her father's love, care and attention but never got any. It made an empty feeling in her heart which grew by every passing day, months and years of her life.
A girl will always crave for her father's love. Every Father and daughter in the world always has a special bonding.
But unfortunately Nora's luck wasn't among them. She and her father hadn't even talked properly since her highschool days. But nevertheless Nora got used to it. She got her mother's love. Her mother loved her very much. Her mother always tried to sooth the empty feelings of her heart.
6While growing up Eleonora was really stubborn and sensitive. She couldn't control her tears even over small matters. Even her anger would turn into tears. Her happiness would turn into tears. Her sadness would turn into tears. But with every passing year her life changed so did her emotions.
A few days later Eleonora noticed her parents behaving unusually. Her parents would always argue and she knew she was the person they were arguing over. She tried asking her mother a few times but her mother didn't open her mouth. That day when she found her parents arguing again she entered the room.
Noticing her presence her parents quiet down. She looked at her mother who had tears streamed on her face and her father had an angry expression. She sighed.
"Papa, what's the matter? Why are you guys arguing about? What are you hiding from me? She asked her father while standing in front of him.
Patrick didn't look at Eleonora instead he glared at his wife. Eleonora then looked at her mother. Adriana avoided her eyes and looked away. Nora was sure something was wrong. She knew her parents were very worried about Lorenzo's treatment who was still at the hospital.
"Mama, please tell me. What are you guys hiding from me? Is Enzo alright?" She asked things but maybe her parents knew something more about Lorenzo's illness but weren't telling her.
"No. He's alright. We are not hiding anything. Go to your room Nora." Adriana commanded her daughter with a strict voice.
"But Mama-" Nora couldn't finish her sentence as Adriana cut her off.
"I said go to your room." Adriana raised her voice and Nora looked at her perplexed. She didn't understand why her mother was getting so angry.
"Why are you shouting at her? She has the right to know. Let her decide what she wants." Patrick glared at Adriana while voicing out his words.
"No. She doesn't need to know. I wouldn't allow you to sell my precious daughter, Patrick." This time Adriana didn't hold her anger and yelled at her husband. She couldn't believe her husband would agree to something like that.
"I'm not selling her. It's just getting help. They didn't give any conditions. They just want her to make their daughter in law. She will have a good future and We also can save Enzo. Don't be foolish, Adriana." Patrick yelled. He had enough of this. He couldn't let his son die and do nothing. There was nothing bad with Mr. Williams' proposal.
Meanwhile Nora stood there motionless with a perplexed expression. She understood it's about her marriage but didn't understand who wanted her to make their daughter in law. Coming out of her shock she masked her true emotion and cleared her throat before speaking.
"Papa, tell me clearly about it. You don't need to hide anything. You are right. Let me decide what I want to do." She said while looking straight into her father's eyes.
"Mr. Williams heard about Lorenzo's illness and he said he will help us with the money. He said he will even arrange Lorenzo's treatment in the best hospital." Patrick began to explain but paused in the middle.
Nora listened attentively and didn't comment anything. But when Patrick paused in the middle of his sentence Nora understood what's next. Even though her heart was beating fast her expression didn't change. She still maintained a calm expression which made her parents worried.
"What's the condition?" Nora straight asked about the main point without beating around the bushes. Patrick cleared his voice before saying
"He wants you to marry his elder son. Zanvil." Patrick said and avoided looking at Nora. Nora already guessed it so she didn't react at first. Suddenly Adriana, who was standing quietly, started to sob. Nora looked at her mother and sighed.
"How much do we need?" Nora asked her father calmly.
"Almost 250K Euros." Patrick said. He was a little bit worried about his daughter's lack of response.
"We have 50K at this moment. So we only need 200K. I agree to marry Mr. Williams' son. But I have one condition. We will just borrow the money and I will return the money as soon as possible."Eleonora stated in a composed voice. Her father looked at her shocked. He didn't expect her to agree so easily. He didn't say anything just nodded.
"No. You don't have to do this Nora. Don't force yourself." Adriana tried to convince Nora but Nora didn't budge.
"Don't worry mom. I'm not forcing myself. We should be happy that we could save our Enzo. Marrying Mr. Williams won't be bad." She said to her mother softly instead. Adriana hugged Nora and sobbed at her daughter's misfortune. Nora didn't say anything and let her mother cry.
Nora was shocked to know that Mr. Williams wanted to make her his daughter in law. Mr. Harris Williams was a businessman. Her father worked in Mr. Harris Williams family house as a butler. She knew their family quite well.
She met him and his wife a few times in the past when she still lived in Italy. She got quite close to them when she had saved his wife from a road accident a few years back.
She also met Mr. William's younger son and daughter who were twins and were of her age. But she met his elder son only a few times and in this little time she got a huge crush on him. He didn't come to Italy that much when his family came for vacation or to meet their family.
When her father told her this proposal she didn't know what to say. Sure she would do anything to save her brother. She knew her father wanted her to agree with the proposal. He would do anything to save his son and even if it meant to sacrifice her daughter he still wouldn't hesitate. So Eleonora didn't think twice about the proposal and agreed. Because she would do anything to save her brother and make her father happy.
She knew that after hearing her decision her father was very pleased with her and she was happy that finally she made her father happy and even could save her brother. Because her family meant the world to her.

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Chapter 2 — Taking The Life Changing Decision

As promised Mr. Williams helped them with the money and arranged the surgery for her brother with the best treatments while Eleonora signed the prenuptial contract. According to the contract she had to stay married to his son for at least 5 years and provide an heir within 2 years. Eleonora was shocked but still didn't object. It didn't matter what she had to do till her family was fine.
Mr. Williams and his wife adored Nora from the moment they met her. They wanted her to marry their elder son. That's why when Nora's father came to him for help he proposed Nora's hand in marriage with his son. They knew they couldn't find a better bride for their son than Nora.
Zanvil was mad with his father's decision but Mr. Williams emotionally blackmailed him because he knew his son loved him a lot. He would do anything for him. He was guilty for forcing his son to marry someone against his will but he knew he wouldn't find any better match for his son than Eleonora. His wife and other children were very happy with his decision.
Eleonora was sitting beside Lorenzo in the hospital. It's been a few days since Lorenzo's surgery. He was recovering faster than expected. Eleonora ran her fingers through Lorenzo's hair since he was sleeping. The day when Lorenzo was brought into the surgery room Nora was so scared. She thought what if Lorenzo couldn't make it out of the surgery room? What if something bad happened to him?. She prayed days and nights for her brother's recovery. Thanks to God that Lorenzo made it safely.
Lorenzo woke up and looked at Nora. He would forever be grateful to his sister. His sister sacrificed her happiness for him. He felt guilty that Nora had to marry some stranger for his sake.
When Nora noticed Lorenzo was awake, she smiled at him brightly. He also smiled back.
"Come on, Get up. I brought you lunch. Come on come on. Eat it." Nora said in a cheerful voice.
Lorenzo chuckled and tried to sit back. Nora helped him by raising the bed in a seating style. Though Lorenzo was recovering, he was still weak. Nora brought the food and gradually started to feed him.
"Do you hate me, Nora?" Lorenzo suddenly asked in a sad voice. He thought maybe Nora would hate him someday. Because of him she was going to get married to a stranger.
"Why are you asking such a stupid question? Why would I hate my cutie pie?" Nora was perplexed at first but soon recovered and understood why he was saying such a thing. She then answered him with another question of hers.
"You have to marry that guy because of me. If I hadn't fallen sick you wouldn't have to marry a stranger. I know you hate arranged marriage." Lorenzo said and looked away. He felt awful for putting his sister in that situation. He wished he could do something.
"Life is unpredictable, Enzo. What we think does not always happen. But we need to accept and move on with a smile. Sometimes it's hard but all we can do is hope. Hope for better and then hope for the best. And I could never blame you for those things. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. You and Cara are my Sunshine. I love you both so much that there's no place for hate. I would forever be grateful to Mr. Williams for helping us. So in future never thing something stupid like this, okay?" Nora explained in a soft voice to Lorenzo. When she finished she smiled softly which melted Lorenzo's heart. He would forever be grateful to God for giving her an elder sister like Nora.
He nodded with a smile. Nora made his bed flat again and covered him with a blanket. She kissed Lorenzo's forehead and Lorenzo closed his eyes.
"I love you, Nora." Lorenzo mumbled.
"I love you more. Now rest for a while. I will come back later." Nora said and picked up her belongings. Lorenzo nodded. Nora smiled at him before exiting his room.
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After Eleonora's brother recovered from the surgery the wedding took place in Italy. It was a simple wedding with only family and close friends present. Eleonora didn't get to meet her husband until the wedding day.
When she walked down the aisle with her father and her eyes met with his, her breath stopped. He was really Handsome with a sharp jaw, full pink lips, golden tanned skin, straight nose and brown hair which were nicely combed.
He was like six feet tall and muscular. She only saw this type of man on TV or read about in books. She had last seen him maybe 3 years ago. Since then he has changed a lot. He had a pair of ocean blue eyes which bore holes in her coldly. He was a walking Adonis.
When her father gave her hands in his he took it with a nod. He didn't smile at her. He made her feel cold and she was worried for her future with him.
Everything happened in a blur. She didn't even realise when she had said I do.
Never had she thought she would someday marry the man she once liked so much. After she had moved to the USA, she didn't think about him. She was focused on her family and herself. And now suddenly she was married. Lorenzo was right. She hated arranged marriage. She once thought she would marry because of love. When she heard people marry for money she had felt disgusted. She had always prioritized love above everything. But what happened in the end? She was also among those people.
Life is truly unpredictable.
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After her wedding she moved to the USA with her husband. Her husband! Mr. Zanvil Williams. Now she was Mrs. Eleonora Sava Williams.
When she moved to the USA she got another two biggest shocks. First she didn't know her husband was a billionaire and second he didn't want her. She knew The Williams were quite rich but she didn't expect they were a billionaire family. She never did any investigation on them. She was always in her little world away from the outer world.
She was always inside the four walls which she had built over those heartbreaking years. That's the reason why she got the shock.
When she moved in with her husband in his house or it's better to say mansion he immediately cleared everything that he didn't want her. He wouldn't love her and she should not expect anything from him.
She could remember every word that he had spoken to her.
It was almost evening when they had reached the mansion. The butler came and helped them carry their things inside. Zanvil had already left her there with the butler. She didn't mind though.
"Madam, please give those to me." Bill the butler said and tried to take Nora's luggage from her. Nora shook her head and said.
"Thank you but I got it. You can help me with those. And please call me Nora." She said with a kind smile which could melt anyone's heart."
"Yes." The old man said with a smile and helped Nora to carry her things inside.
When love entered the living room she heard Zanvil shouting on someone over the phone. She kept her things aside and stood there awkwardly. She didn't know what else to do or what to ask him. They haven't really talked since they got married 2 days ago. Nora sighed.
Zanvil finished his phone call and turned around to go to his room. He was in a terrible mood. The construction project he was working on got some issues which made his mood more sour. When he turned around and found Nora standing there looking at something, his mood worsened. Everything was her fault. If she didn't agree to this fucking marriage then everything would have been good.
He was about to go upstairs when Nora called him from behind. Her voice was so soft that almost didn't hear. He turned around and glared at her.
"Which one is our room?" Nora asked him. She didn't know the direction or anything there was no one in the house and Bill just left.
" There's no our room. You can take whichever room you want except mine." He said in a cold voice. Nora looked at him perplexed. She thought they would share a room since they were husband and wife.
"Husband and wife? Share a room? You must be crazy to think that I will live in the same room as you." Zanvil said with a sarcastic chuckle.
Nora was a bit shocked. She didn't realise she had said that aloud. Before she could say or answer Zanvil had cut her in.
"Listen carefully, I don't love you nor I want you. You are nothing to me. You will never interfere in my life and never enter my room or in my study. Get that in the thick head of yours. And of course stay away from me. I never wanted any of this. If it wasn't for my parents I wouldn't have married a girl like you."
He spat those venomous words and left her there. She stayed there shocked to the core. She didn't expect him to love her either but still he could have shown her some respect. She knew he didn't want to marry her. He did it because his parents forced him to. That exact moment She realised she was nothing more than a Shaded Woman. It seemed like she would always be a mare shadow . She was just a shadow in her father's eyes and then she was the same in her husband's eyes. She was a shadow that only showed in the dark.
Why was life so unfair with her? Why did she always have to suffer? Wasn't God tired of punishing for the sin she didn't know she had committed?
It is true. Human proposes and God disposes.
She should stop expecting things from others. No one was paid off to fulfill her expectation. But she couldn't help. She was a human after all. She had her expectations which served her hurt and sadness on a golden plate. But still in the end all she could do is hope. Hope for the better.
Eleonora came out of her zone and moved towards the staircase. She met the housemaid and gave her a smile.
"Mrs. Williams. Do you need any help?" The maid Rose asked her with a sad smile. Eleoanora was sure she heard everything which Zanvil had said. But didn't say anything.
"Please call me Nora. I thought no one was present in the house. Could you please show me a room where I can stay?" Nora asked with a small smile.
"Yes sure dear. Come on, I will show you around the house then you can choose the room you want." The elderly woman said with a smile. She felt bad for the poor woman. No one deserved such treatments from their newly wed husband. But she wasn't someone to interfere.
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"I will take this room." Eleonora said with a smile. She liked the room very much. Though it wasn't a big fancy room, she still loved it because of the huge window and wide balcony. The room didn't have much furniture either. But she didn't mind. She loved tiny rooms.
"Are you sure dear? There's many other big rooms with more decorations." Rose said in a worried voice. She was shocked that Nora wanted that small and less fancy room.
"Yes, Rose. I like this room very much. Could you please tell someone to bring my things here?" Nora said with a smile.
"Yes. Sure. You must be tired. Take some rest." Rose said with a kind smile and exited the room.
Nora slowly moved and went to the balcony. She looked at the beautiful sky which was reaching twilight. Soon there would be millions of twinkling stars and a bright moon.
Orange and reddish. Sure the sky was beautiful and happy. Unlike her unhappy soul.
Not everyone was born to be happy and she was, unfortunately, one of them.
Happiness was the unicorn she chased in her dreams and reality was the ugly monster of her nightmare from which she tried to run away. Ran as far as possible. But she didn't know how far she could go.

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Chapter 3 — Something Unexpected

It's been nine months since Eleonora was staying with Zanvil. Nothing had changed in those months except one thing. Eleonora fell head over heels in love with her husband. Wasn't it normal? He was her husband, she had a crush on him and they were living together so she was bound to fall for him. The more she saw him the harder she fell. She had liked a boy in her highschool but the boy had played her and broke her heart by dating her cousin behind her back. She didn't love that boy but she really liked him.
His name was Daniel. They had just started dating when she found out he was double crossing her with her own cousin slash best friend, Lara whom she had trusted blindly.
It broke her heart.
She never thought her sworn sister would betray her. But it had happened anyway and left a ugly mark in her heart for which she stayed away from boys. Even the people she considered her friends betrayed her and attacked her from behind.
They left her when she needed them the most.
Betrayal is an ugly feeling and is really bitter. It's the one common thing we, the humans are most afraid of. When we try to trust we fear betrayal. When we try to commit we fear betrayal. Even when we try to love all we fear is betrayal.
Unfortunately for Eleonora she tasted it at a very young age. How could she trust any other man when she didn't trust her own father?
She had expected her father to protect her but he betrayed her feelings.
Those feelings captured her in a cage and she built four walls around her to protect herself. But it seemed like those walls crumbled down the moment she got tied with Zanvil.
Even though Nora fell for Zanvil, he was, however, the same. He was always cold towards Eleonora and ignored her like she didn't exist at all. He didn't behave badly with her, which for her was a relief. He simply treated her as air. And guess what could hurt more than that?
He never talked to her nor acknowledged her. But Nora tried to talk to him. She cooked food for him everyday, made his things and did his other necessary work. She waited for him at night with dinner. Though he didn't tell her to do any of those she still did. Unlike her Zanvil always minded his own business.
Sometimes Zanvil came home but most of the time didn't. In those months Nora's relationship with her in-laws became stronger. They loved her so much and she too loved them. They made her feel wanted and welcomed which she craved.
No one wants to feel unwanted in their life. Everyone hopes to be loved and cared for. She too was no exception.
So when her in-laws welcomed her with open arms she couldn't help but ran in their arms.
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On a fine day Nora was working on her laptop doing some outsourcing. She did that to support her family. She also started her little business of catering and event management there. She didn't want to be a burden on Zanvil. She wanted to live on her own and take care of her family on her own. She wanted to take responsibility for her siblings wholly. She wanted to be the son her father craved.
She felt lonely in that house. Though she was used to it. Most of the time when she didn't have any work she spent it by cooking, gardening or collecting seashells. Those were her favorite pastimes. She also loved to read books and watch movies. But loneliness is such a feeling that you could feel among your favorite people or favorite things. In the past whenever she felt lonely she went traveling. But that wasn't the case anymore. She couldn't go traveling. All she could do was stay in the four walls.
Sometimes she felt like going crazy with loneliness. Though she was used to it still she felt like it had worsened since she had moved in with Zanvil. In all her works and thoughts she would expect him to come home and talk to her. He would cure her loneliness. But she knew it wasn't going to happen.
Sighing Nora opened the book she had half read. She mostly read love and romance books.Suddenly she remembered the time she used to watch movies with her siblings. Cuddling with them , fighting with them, crying and laughing with them. She missed those days. She missed them. She missed her home.
Eleonora came out of her thoughts when she heard some noises from the front door. She knew it was her husband so she quickly put her book aside and stood up.
Zanvil came into the living room stumbling. Nora noticed something off with his behavior
"You freshen up, I will heat and serve dinner." She said and was about to go to the kitchen when his voice stopped her.
"No, I am not h-ungry. I don't want to eat anything." he slurred. He tried to take a step in the front but again stumbled back. Nora quickly went near him and held him. She smelled alcohol. Then it clicked in her brain. He was drunk. He never came home drunk before.
"Are you drunk Zanvil?" She asked him dumbly. Of course he was drunk.
"N-no."
He was definitely drunk. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and held him from falling. She quickly guided him to his room. The whole time Zanvil was staring at her intensely. He was watching her every move. She looked so beautiful. She was beautiful. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
When she came in front of his room she debated with herself if she should enter his room or not. He had warned her not to enter his room. What if he got angry? She thought worriedly.
She was so busy with her thoughts she didn't even notice Zanvil looking at her intensely. She looked breathtakingly beautiful. She was always beautiful. She always bewitched him with her beauty and calm nature. But he didn't want to admit that. He didn't want to admit that he wanted her. He craved her.
Suddenly Zanvil didn't know what had gotten into him. He opened the door and in a blink of a second he pushed her inside and pinned her to the nearest wall. Before Nora could say anything or react he crashed his lips on hers.

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