General POV
However, he soon heard screams emanating from the alleyway. What shocked him was that the screams weren't coming from the woman; they were from the men surrounding her.After finishing his business, he approached cautiously and watched from a distance as the woman fiercely fought off the men, yelling and cursing at them."If you mess with her again, I'll kill you! All of you!" he heard her threaten before she walked away.Ethan stood there for a moment, dumbfounded and amazed.What a woman!And it was at that moment he decided…***The convoy soon arrives at their destination, pulling into the mansion through the open, sturdy black iron gates.Ethan swiftly steps out of the car and strides gracefully to the back. He unlocks the trunk, but as it opens, a sudden kick meets his face, causing him to stagger backward."Fuck," he curses under his breath, chuckling as he wipes blood from his nose.He secretly enjoys this violence. He wonders if she'll still be this violent after spending a day in his house.He'll mold and shape her until she's calm and gentle by the time he's done with her."Easy now, Spitfire. Will you?" Ethan steps closer to the trunk."Only a fool like you would say that after kidnapping someone. Easy now, you say? How do you expect me to go easy on you?! Who the hell are you to mess with my human rights?!" Elizabeth isn't taking this lightly. In fact, she's starting to feel scared. She doesn't know this man or his people..."Where have you brought me?!" She demands angrily, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.Ethan's grin widens. "My house.""I feel like slapping that smile off your face," she snaps."Do it, then," he shrugs nonchalantly.Elizabeth glares at him. "Wait, why am I here?""Come with me and you'll find out," Ethan smiles at her before striding into the mansion.Elizabeth has never felt so exasperated in her entire life. How is this even happening, and why?Earlier in the day, Elizabeth Claire was standing alone by the roadside when a convoy of cars suddenly pulled up beside her.She couldn't help but notice an extremely tall man stepping out of the first car. She wouldn't deny it, he looked incredibly handsome. He had striking features...She was mesmerized as he approached and stood right in front of her, leaving only a few inches between them. Elizabeth found herself completely taken with him. She even wished she could bed him that instant.But the words that came out of his mouth the next second made her mentally slap herself: "Hi, I'm Ethan Moore. You're mine from this moment onward.""Who does that?" Elizabeth wondered if he had read the line in a book and decided to try it on her, but it wasn't so. He kidnapped her right then and there. Why?***"What do you want from me?" Elizabeth questions inwardly, regaining her composure.She scans her surroundings again, taking in every detail. They might come in handy later.There's only one way to find out the answer to her question.She follows Ethan quickly, and they soon step inside the mansion. Wow.Elizabeth is amazed by what she sees. The interior decor of the mansion is beautiful and exquisite; she can't deny it.‘This is beautiful,’ she nods thoughtfully, gawking at everything her eyes land on."Thank you," Ethan smiles at her.Oops, she actually just said that out loud. Pressing her lips together, she clears her throat awkwardly."Please, have a seat," Ethan gestures to an armchair while he settles on a couch.Elizabeth takes her seat but continues to look around, her eyes darting from one angle to another.Ethan stays quiet, observing her as she takes in every detail of his grand living room. He finds her pleasing to watch, but he knows he needs to get straight to business.Clearing his throat to get her attention, he begins, "Like I said earlier, I'm Ethan Moore. I'm the executive director of ENQ Company, I'm wealthy, as you can see—""What does that have to do with me? Why are you showing off?" Elizabeth cuts him off.She dislikes rich people, especially those who show off, and many wealthy individuals tend to do that all the time—just like the man before her is doing now.Elizabeth Claire is a middle-class citizen; she isn't rich, but she isn't poor either. She has never had to beg anyone for food because she is hardworking herself. Having no one to rely on since childhood has made her fiercely independent. So, for this man to sit in front of her and brag about being wealthy and whatnot... It irks her.Ethan stares at the woman helplessly. He isn't bragging; he's simply trying to set things straight before he gets to the point."If only you don't interrupt me a second time, you'll know why I'm saying all of this.""Oh, okay," Elizabeth replies, irritated."As I was saying, I have everything I want. But there's something I need your help with, and that is why you're here.""You mean that's why you kidnapped me—because you have something you need me to help you with?"Ethan is speechless. The brat just won't stop interrupting him. It's even surprising that she doesn't seem to know who he is.Ethan Moore is a name known by the young, old, men, and women. Even children can spell that name in their sleep. E T H A N M O O R E.So how come the woman in front of him... Ethan is suddenly torn between being happy and being sad.A part of Ethan likes that she isn't some fanatic obsessed with his fame, but another part of him feels mixed feelings of disappointment that she doesn't recognize him."Fine, I'll stop interrupting," Elizabeth mutters after noticing a change in Ethan's expression.She knows she shouldn't act gullible. She's in the lion's den. She doesn't know this man at all—he could be extremely dangerous. She needs to tread carefully.General POV "Thanks," Ethan continues. "There are plenty of girls at my beck and call who wouldn't hesitate to be my wife... but I want you."Elizabeth blinks rapidly for a moment, suddenly at a loss for words."It seems like you've started speaking a different language entirely. Please, speak to me in English. I don't understand Portuguese," she looks keenly into his eyes.Ethan chuckles. ‘She's witty.’"Here's the thing: I need you to pretend to be my wife," he replies calmly.Elizabeth almost snaps her neck as she swiftly turns to look behind her, making sure he's indeed referring to her and not someone else. ‘…’ There's no one behind her."I still don't quite understand you. Do you mean figuratively—""The exact literal meaning," Ethan cuts in.Elizabeth falls silent for a couple of seconds, processing his words. Then she bursts out, "Are you insane? Have you lost your mind? Wait, are you a con artist? Is this some kind of joke?!""Those are a lot of questions, Spitfire. Easy," E
Elizabeth’s POVSlapping my head mentally, I regain my senses and start to follow Moana into the room. It’s so huge and gorgeous.I have to admit, this man is indeed damn rich, because why not?“If you need anything else, please let us know.” Moana smiles politely at me. I tear my gaze away from the queen size bed that’s right in the middle of the room and look at her. “Nothi—” I’m about to reply when I hear my stomach growl loudly. My face flush with embarrassment and I bite on the corner of my bottom lip.I don’t blame my poor stomach, I haven’t had any proper meal since morning. “What would you like to eat?” Moana asks, smiling politely. She heard my stomach growl. Even the deaf would have heard it.I return her smile with an awkward one, slightly gritting my teeth in embarrassment. “Anything will do.” She nods her head knowingly. “We’ll be right back.”I smile thankfully as I watch her and the two other maids walk out. After the last one closes the door behind them, I heave
Elizabeth’s POVStifling a yawn, I head downstairs, running my eyes quickly, over the numerous doors in the hallway. I wonder which room belongs to Ethan. The one next to mine? Wait, why am I even concerned? Shaking sense back into my head, I hop down the stairs. The maids are up already. Wow. I presume most of them don’t know who I am since I got here very late last night. However, the kinds of looks I’m receiving right now are making me think otherwise. I think they’ve all been informed about me. Ignoring the gazes, I help myself into the kitchen—it’s easy to locate, it doesn't even have a door. “Good morning, Lizzy.” Moana smiles politely as soon as I walk in. I hear her giving instructions to the cook and I return her smile with a sweet one. “Morning, Moana.”I’m glad she isn’t referring to me as ‘ma’am’. Nice. “Let me help you with that.” She collects the tray from my hand and moves to drop it in the sink. “Did you sleep well, Lizzy?” She pulls back to read my face. “You
Elizabeth’s POVNarrowing my eyes, I study his face keenly. “It’s hard to tell.” It’s indeed hard to tell. He looks cute, like a modest man—but he also has this regal side to him… this look of an extremely dangerous man. I don’t know what to think or believe. His mouth widens in a smile and he takes a peek at the gold Versace wrist watch strapped on his wrist. “We’ll continue this conversation when I get back, I’m running late for work.” He spins around on his heels. “No.” I respond adamantly. He pauses in his steps and twists the upper part of his body to look at me. “No, what?” “No, you’re not going anywhere.” A corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk. “Okay then.”As if he changed his mind, he turns and then walks around the car front and gets in the driver’s seat. What’s he doing?He starts the car and revs it. What in heaven’s name is he trying to do? My brows furrow as I stare at him through the windscreen, and he returns my look with a smirk on his face. Does that smirk
Elizabeth’s POV My stomach growls. I chuckle, rubbing my hand on my tummy. “I know, baby.”I step back into my—the—room and close the door behind me. I head into the bathroom, brush my teeth, and soak myself in the bath for about fifteen minutes. I then walk into the room, dry my body, sit before the dresser and rub cream all over. After I’m done, I walk into the closet and choose a set of comfy Burberry sweatshirts and joggers. I smile to myself in the mirror and head downstairs. The aroma coming from the dining table fills my lungs as soon as I reach the foot of the staircase. My stomach growls in response to the enticing invite and I shuffle my feet into the dining area. The dining table is long—the longest I’ve seen in my over twenty years on earth. Is this a common room or something? Or a palace? Damn.Right above the long dining table is a stunning crystal chandelier. I ogle at it—it’s so mesmerizing. The moment I tear my gaze away from it, my eyes land on the breakfast o
Elizabeth’s POV I’m not concerned about my safety here, I want to get out. Dammit!“You shouldn’t worry about your safety here.” Alexa adds, with a note of pride. “The men are also top tiers. You should come see them sometime when they train.” She blushes and resumes walking.Damn. There’s no way for me to escape from this hell.“But how come… are we in a jungle?” I drag my feet after her.She giggles. “It’s an estate. A veryyyyy big one. And Mr. Ethan owns the estate.” She lays emphasis on ‘very’.It must indeed be verryyyy big. After showing me around a little while longer, Alexa leads me back into the house.“Oh! Meet AI.” She grins, gesturing at a lovely looking robot.What in hell?! It’s so lovely. How come I haven’t come in contact with it since I got here?“Hello!” I wave my hand in the robot’s face.Immediately, I feel a red horizontal line project from my head to my feet, as if scanning me.Then, I hear a beep. “Stranger. Alert.” Wait, what? Did the robot just say that? Wow
Elizabeth’s POVI bite on my bottom lip, immediately hating myself for snapping at her. Alexa’s friendly, but I have to do what I have to do. That man can’t just kidnap me and expect things to be alright. Never.Since I only want to do some retouching, there’s no harm in it. Right?“I’ll get the paints.” Alexa speaks, breaking my chain of thoughts. “Good! I love that.” I grin at her.Alexa turns to head downstairs to go do as she’s instructed, but my next words make her stop in her tracks, abruptly.“You’ll be getting fifteen buckets, each of wine and black paints.“ I watched her turn around and stare blankly at me, question marks written all over her face.“You heard me right. Those two colors will make everywhere spicy.” I giggle. “Hum, I don’t think that’s a good idea ma’am. Mr. Ethan wouldn’t like that at all.”I’m irritated again. “And who the hell are you to tell me what he’ll like or not?” Alexa looks down at her feet, biting on the corner of her lips. My heart throbs. I kn
Ethan’s POV“Sir, isn’t it a bit too early today?” Arthur asks with widened eyes. He’s obviously shocked that I’m leaving the office at this time. I take a peek at the Rolex wristwatch strapped around my wrist, it’s a quarter to eight.My mouth presses into a thin line. “What’s too early about this time?” Come to think of it, I’m always overworking. The first to get to work, and the last to leave—me.I own this office, as well as many others in the state. I’m the boss but I work my butt off tirelessly—even more than my employees—everyday. Why? Something must be done about this. As I step out of the elevator with Arthur right behind me, an image of that girl’s face flashes through my eyes for the umpteenth time today. I shake my head, chuckling. While in the conference room, her face kept popping out of nowhere. Even while I was working in my office. To be candid, I think she’s the reason I’m going home early right now. I want, badly, to see her face. The way she looks with that