Astrid stiffened as she sat. She didn’t know which one to react to first—the chaste kiss, which set her heart on fire, or the fact that Darius would propose to her earlier than planned.
“I don’t get it. You said you would propose when we go out for dinner.” She finally chose which one to talk about.
“I know. But after this banquet, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere else, so let’s get this over with right here.” He gave her a smile. Through the smile, she found out that he had this planned. There was no way he would propose here if he didn't want to. She narrowed her eyes at him.
Their food was served at once, filling the table with colourful dishes of seafood, spaghetti, rice, all kinds of salad, and five bottles of wine and champagne. Astrid didn’t get to eat breakfast at the house, so she ate little portions of almost everything on the table. She just drank water, since she was a lightweight with alcohol.
She watched different people talk, make toasts and donate to various foundations. She started to realise how much she didn't fit in. It was a crowd of some of the most elite people out there.
Soon, curtains fell all over the place, making it almost impossible for the sunlight to penetrate. It no longer seemed like brunch as it looked like night had fallen. “What’s happening?” Astrid turned to look at Darius, but he was no longer on his seat.
The lights dimmed, and everyone turned to someone under the spotlight in the middle of the hall. It was Darius.
Astrid started to freak out. Surely he wasn’t serious about proposing to her then and there, was he? He started a long speech, welcoming everyone to the banquet. As he kept talking, Astrid wondered about her mother. Was she still angry at her? What would her father say?
“Astrid?” She flinched as Darius called out her name. Another spotlight brought her into focus as he gestured for her to come over to him.
She stood up slowly and walked toward him. It was happening. She couldn’t believe it. He smiled, watching her approach him. “You’ve been with me through all of the tough times and the good ones, as well. Would you like to continue this journey with me as wife, forever?” He went down on one knee and opened the small box in his hand containing a diamond ring.
Astrid’s face exploded in made-up elation as she nodded. He slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up. There was commotion as any and every paparazzo found a way to burst through the doors.
“What does this mean for the future, Mr Titan?!” One of them screamed, extremely happy to be getting some ground-breaking story first hand.
Darius didn’t answer any of their questions, as usual. He just placed his mouth against Astrid’s. All the butterflies in her stomach had turned into cavemen, destroying the walls. She didn’t expect a kiss. Especially one from Darius Titan. Who would have thought?
Screams and cheers from every place in the hall deafened them. “Let’s get out of here.” Darius told her as people rushed towards them in an attempt to congratulate them. It was a stampede.
They rushed out of the building, not without being pulled by people who wanted to touch them, especially Darius.
.
“What was that all about?” Astrid asked as she entered the living room with Darius. She made sure nobody was around to hear what they would be saying.
“What do you mean?” Darius asked, frowning.
“We agreed on a proposal, not a kiss.” She said, her cheeks turning red.
“Excuse me for trying to make it look real.” He scoffed, undoing the two top buttons on his shirt.
“You should have warned me beforehand. I wasn’t prepared. What if I had pushed you away?” She asked. He walked towards her, tired of the small talk.
“You didn’t push me away. That’s all there is to it.” He explained with finality.
“You don’t just go around kissing people like that. I never gave you my consent. Apologize.” She crossed her arms. She didn’t know where the confidence came from. It must have come with the ring and the proposal, for all she knew.
Darius tried to control himself, but this woman standing in front of him was loosening the strings without knowing it. If she undid his patience, there would be no going back.
“I’m sorry.” He managed to say for her to leave.
“Good.” She smiled triumphantly and walked upstairs. Darius found himself excited. He gave himself points for apologizing before things could get out of hand. What remained was taking care of his erected member.
He walked upstairs and passed his room to the last room further down the hall, which only he had the key to. He entered and locked the door, where he found his soft bed.
He wasn’t so proud of the number of women that had been in the room. That was the main reason why his mother had left his house to live alone. The reason why Astrid was there.
Astrid...
Darius didn’t understand how that woman had mesmerized him in just a day, but she had. He sat on the large bed and unbuckled his belt. He let his trousers slide down his legs, along with his boxer shorts.
He remembered how the dress she wore had accentuated her hourglass figure. With images of her pouring into his mind, he pleasured himself. He wanted her. Right then, he made a decision to have her no matter what.
He flexed his neck far back, staring at the ceiling. He had allowed himself to be enchanted by her. He knew the consequences of it. He would stop at nothing to have her for himself, without letting his mother know about it. Even she had to want him for herself, at least. He was quite sure about that.
.
Astrid sat in her room, watching the TV absent-mindedly. She was still recalling the kiss. His lips were so soft and warm against hers, she wanted to do things to him that she never thought she could.
He left her wanting more of that kiss and probably what followed after. It wasn't going to be easy living with him if she continued to have such thoughts.
She spent the remainder of the hours talking to her parents on the phone until they all got tired of the conversation, which all ended in them always asking her if she was okay and safe. It was like a back and forth discussion without any progress.
By three o’clock that afternoon, Thelma had announced to Astrid that Darius wanted to have lunch with her. Her heart raced fast in her chest as she put on a silk flower-print dress, reaching the middle of her thighs. “I see you’ve started to have your meal.” She said as she was led to the garden at the back of the house. She saw an array of different flowers, even the ones she never thought she could see in real life. Butterflies hovered above them in different colours, along with birds. It gave the place a serene feel. She sat on the picnic bench, beside him. He said nothing as he downed his orange juice. “Why are we having lunch together? It's not really necessary.” She mumbled. “Let’s just go by my rules.” He responded. “I have rules that you need to follow, too.” She turned to look at him. “Oh,” he seemed taken aback by her statement. “And what rules are those?” He asked, suddenly interested. “I should be allowed do whatever I want
Astrid couldn’t make it for dinner later that night. Her monthly period would soon visit, so she had early cramps to show for it. Thelma had made herbal tea to help ease the pain. . Darius ate downstairs, worried. Astrid had not told him why she was in so much pain. He just knew her stomach ached, and that she could barely eat. He was considering going to bed early when his phone rang. “What do you want?” He spoke into the phone immediately he picked it up. “You know what I want.” A young woman's voice spoke slowly and seductively to him. “I really don't have time for this right now, Selene.” He sighed tiredly. “Why didn't you tell me you had a woman in your life that you were serious about? What’s so special about this particular woman?” Her voice held anger, this time. “Is that what this is about?” He asked. “Of course, it is! You have no idea how ridiculous I feel right now. If you had marriage in mind all along, why
Darius was frozen in place, too deep in his own thoughts to see that Selene had opened the door. At least, she was smart enough to not open it fully and expose her naked body. “Hi, who are you?” Selene asked, acting like she didn't know who Astrid was. “Have you seen Darius around? I need to speak with him.” Astrid said, playing calm. A little too calm for someone who found another woman in her fiancé's room. What could she do, really? Her stomach still had a mild ache. Besides, why would she want to start a random fight over a man? “I think he went out.” Selene lied smoothly. There was silence as the two women stared at each other for a long time. “I'm sorry, do I... know you?” Selene frowned, exerting a form of dominance to intimidate Astrid. “I don't think we've met. Do you work here?” Astrid asked, having every idea how insulted it would make Selene feel. She was no idiot to know that Selene was having an intimate relationship with Darius.
As Astrid pulled Darius in for a kiss, he didn't hesitate to return the gesture. He had wanted to kiss her first, but he remembered how she disapproved of it when he did it before. Now that she had done it herself, there was nothing to feel bad for. In fact, he had never felt that relieved in a long time. Finally realizing what she was doing, Astrid pulled away and looked at him with her eyes wide open. “I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was doing. This is horrible.” She walked to the balcony to get fresh air, mortified. “Good night!” Astrid could hear the laughter in Darius's voice as he said it. She had totally embarrassed herself. What was she thinking, kissing him out of the blue? What would he think of her now? As she heard the slam of the door, she relaxed on the recliner that faced the outside world and gave a perfect view of the plain lands surrounding the house. Astrid always loved to look at the night sky. Something about the stars
Astrid sat alone in the garden until nightfall. Her parents would arrive anytime soon, and she had to be there to make sure nothing went wrong. She walked to the dining hall, where she found Darius, Joaquin, Derek, and Ki-woo sleeping with their heads on the table. Joaquin had a pencil stuck to his face, and Astrid couldn't help but laugh at the cuteness of all of them combined. Darius was a good-looking man. Nobody could deny that he sure had good-looking friends. Darius's eyes shot open immediately and he sat up, looking around. Astrid noticed that his tousled hair made him look quite the opposite of his usual self. He was always so put together, one would think he slept and woke up in a perfect state. Astrid giggled at the look of his hair. He looked at her in confusion before flexing his neck and stretching. “What's so funny?” He questioned, the thickness of voice doubling since he just woke up. “You should see your hair.” She replied.
Waking up the next morning, Astrid found Darius sitting on his desk and writing swiftly in a large book, a phone placed between his ear and his shoulder. “I just told you, Joaquin! Call the architects and the civil engineers today. I'll pay any amount. Cancel all my meetings.” He instructed. His voice seemed shaky. “I don't have time for jokes, dammit!” He shouted over the phone. “She's not doing too well, you know that. I have to see her now.” He stood up and closed the book. “Yes. I'll call you when I see her. Take care of the office for me.” He hung up and took deep, shaky breaths. Astrid saw that his hands were having serious tremors. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and turned to the bed. “What's wrong?” Astrid frowned, standing up. “My mother. She's sick. I have to go now.” He answered, walking out of the room. “Let me come with you.” She offered, wanting to see Nikoleta. “No. Stay right here. I'll be back.” He opened the
Darius and Astrid managed to sneak out of the dining hall, while their parents talked and laughed together. Darius stopped in front of his play room and turned to Astrid. “You can’t tell anyone about this.” He told her. “Who would I tell?” She shrugged, highly curious to know what would happen behind the door. He opened the door and let her walk in first. Cautiously, Astrid entered the room and frowned. “This is where you torture women.” She said like it was a major discovery. It was, at least to her. “I don’t torture. I give them what they need. They just don't know that they need it” He corrected her, locking the door. “You inflict pain on them. Seems like torture to me. I'm sure the walls in here are not even soundproof.” She argued. “Well, the pain works hand in hand with the pleasure. You see, pain in the most pleasurable way makes you question your life choices. Do you want to broaden your sexual exp
Darius remained dazed, not knowing how to react. Didn't she want him? He had never been rejected before. It was a new feeling, a strike to his ego. Now that he knew how it felt, he didn't like any moment of it. Especially because of the fact that he wanted—no, he needed—Astrid. He walked out of the room and locked it, walking towards her room. “Astrid?” He knocked on her door. “Go away.” She replied. “This is my house.” He snapped, quite aggravated that she was ordering him around. “Well, maybe I'll go away.” The door swung open and she walked past him, heading to the staircase. “Why do you think I came here in the first place? I need you to communicate your feelings with me.” He followed her down the stairs. Astrid turned to face him and sighed. “That's the problem with this whole thing, Darius. Feelings. Am I supposed to even feel something? Why did we just do that? It's been thr