“Who the fuck are you?”
I’d made some silly decisions before in my life – dangerous ones even – but for some reason, I’d never once regretted them. This time, it hit me instantly. Right now, ‘regret’ felt like an understatement for what I felt after blurting those words out, catching his attention. He turned slowly and my stomach dropped. The man in front of me looked dangerous. He was incredibly tall and bulky, well over six foot tall, with muscles I was sure could punch through walls and break skulls. A scar ran through his chin and tattoos peeked from under his perfectly tailored dark suit. He had piercings and his lips were set in a scowl as he watched me with a pinning gaze that left me weak and scared at the same time. “I… I hadn’t meant to overhear your conversation but you were a bit loud.” I finally replied, running out of breath at the sight of him. He was handsome. An understatement really, but he truly was. He was built perfectly in every way and gave every neon warning sign of danger but for another odd reason, I was drawn to him. He looked like the reason my mama used to tuck me at night with warnings to stay away from bad men. But here I was. “Well, piss off then,” he grunted, looking irritated. I’d come too far to back down. Clutching my bag, I forced my legs to move. Taking shaky steps down the stairs toward him. “You said you need a wife you’ll pay for. How much is ‘any damn amount’,” I said, looking straight at him. The stranger stared back too intensely and the need to cower and run away was overwhelming. I couldn’t back down though, not for him. I had to be stronger than this. “You want to be my wife?” he asked, giving me an incredulous look. “If you have three million, then I would.” I replied, not backing down. It was an audacious move, but right now I could barely think of what I had to lose. A smirk spread across his lips and I hadn’t thought of the possibility, but he looked much more breathtaking. Every move he made was graceful and calculated. “I have three million. But you won’t be my wife, so get out,” he ordered, turning to walk away. I don’t know what compelled me, but I rushed towards him, grabbing his firm, muscular hand. “Why?! You said you needed a wife. Do I not fit your taste?” I snapped, my words dripping with every bit of hopeless desperation I felt. He swiftly pulled his hand away, like I’d hurt him and in an instant, he wrapped it around my neck. My eyes widened in shock as I stared up at him. His grip didn’t hurt, but it was strong enough and right now, I was a hundred percent positive he could snap my neck with those fingers. “You don’t,” he sneered. “Did your parents not ever teach you about talking to strangers, you sweet thing?” “You look fragile, very breakable.” He continued, his face dangerously close to mine. My breath seized and I struggled to swallow. Breakable? Fragile? Something snapped in me. I don’t know why. Probably it was the look he gave me, or the way he spoke and undermined me but either way, I felt all the built up frustration and anger at myself rise up. Grabbing his wrist, I twisted it as hard as I could, then swung twice at his abdomen as fast and hard as I could. Surprisingly, he dodged the blows but that gave me enough space to wriggle from his fingers and away from him. “Marry me,” I said again, still determined, my voice shaky but unrelenting. Not minding how idiotic I sounded. He let out a dark chuckle that did things it shouldn’t do to me. Silence fell between us as he stared down at me. Refusing to back down, I matched his gaze, my chin raised in defiance. “Why would a pretty lady like you offer herself to some stranger?” He asked, a smirk still on his lips. “You said you’ll pay.” “Hmm. Well, no. I won’t marry you. I love destroying pretty things and believe me, I don’t know why, but for some fucking reason, I don’t wanna do that to you.” He said, his accent rich and different. “If I married you, I’d put you in a fucking glass and hang you up. You don’t want that, do you?” “I want three million. If you can give me that, then I won’t mind climbing into the smallest box for your pleasure. Or else, you were just being silly and actually don’t have the money.” I said, meeting his eyes with a daring look. He laughed. “Silly girl,” he raised his hand and patted my head. Just as quick as his smirk came, it disappeared. His face turned dangerously stoic and he looked at me with a frown. “Be careful of strangers, feisty girl, or you’ll be in that little box in pieces.” Turning away, he walked out and I’d lost enough courage to stop him. His words rang like a threat, warning and advice all at the same time. “What the fuck am I doing?” I muttered. My knees finally gave up from being that close to him. I fell to the floor and rested my head on the wall. I am so stupid. Beyond stupid for what I had just done. Once I gathered what was left of my dignity, I walked out of the hospital and headed straight home. Home? Laughable. More precisely, my coffee shop, where I lived. I have already lost everything dear to me. My family, home and friends. I had only two things left, one was in a bad shape with leaking roofs while the other was unconscious and on the brink of death. It wasn’t always like this and most times, my mind would drift back to days when smiles and laughter was all I knew. With my father struggling with stage 3 cancer, my mother dead and my friends almost non-existent, my past days felt like a fairytale I’d kept telling myself was true. With a sigh, I unlocked the shop and walked in before locking it back. Turning on the lights, I looked around still contemplating on what I could do. I’d already sold everything valuable to me. I can’t be too sure how much I’ll sell this shop for but I’m positive it won’t scratch the surface of my dads bills. My debts were already piled up and I knew deep within I’d exhausted my every means. Maybe it was time to let go. Maybe… My legs gave up and I fell to the ground, hopeless and devastated. Crying every day has left my tear glands empty. I could only look down in pure defeat and fury at the cards the world played me. For some sick reason, even as I tried to think about what else I could do, his face wouldn’t leave my mind. That scar. That scowl. Those hands that could’ve snapped my next, but didn’t.KAYLA’S POV: The afternoon air was beyond scorching. I pulled my shades up before running into the hospital building in order to avoid getting sunburned. I hadn’t bothered greeting anyone and went straight for the elevators, up to my father’s floor. I’d gotten news that he’d woken and rushed to the hospital before he became too weak to keep his eyes open. The moment I reached his room, I turned the knob without hesitation. And there he lay. My father’s chest rose and fell slowly, his arms and body thin and frail. A shadow of his former bulky build. “Kayla?” He called out, his voice barely over a whisper. My chest tightened as I looked at my dying father. “I’m here,” I rushed to him, grabbing his hands and tears threatened to fall out again. I’d told myself I wouldn’t cry anymore. I had to be strong for him. “Oh my baby. Have you been eating well?” He asked, barely able to turn his head to look at me. “Yes dad, yes I have. Don’t worry, you’ll get better soon,” I
ROBERT’S POV: The city lights blurred past as I drove as fast as I could back home. The day had been beyond exhausting and I couldn’t wait to hop on my couch with wine in my hand. It was a wonder how I’d still not grown tired of wine despite it being a major business I ran. Finally, the building to my penthouse gradually appeared and I could’ve howled with satisfaction. Once I reached, I parked the car before taking the elevator to my suite. “Welcome home, Mr Moore,” a voice called out. Not a lot of things shocked me in the life I live, but I almost jumped in fear. “Who are you?” A young blonde woman sat on my couch, a drink in her hand and she stared at me like I’d invaded her home and not the other way round. “Catelyn. You can call me Cat.” I looked around, observing her badge and carefully walking towards her. “What is a fucking investigator doing in my house?” Catelyn laughed, probably already sensing my caution. “I came to speak with you, Rob. Relax.” “Ge
“Who the fuck are you?” I’d made some silly decisions before in my life – dangerous ones even – but for some reason, I’d never once regretted them. This time, it hit me instantly. Right now, ‘regret’ felt like an understatement for what I felt after blurting those words out, catching his attention. He turned slowly and my stomach dropped. The man in front of me looked dangerous. He was incredibly tall and bulky, well over six foot tall, with muscles I was sure could punch through walls and break skulls. A scar ran through his chin and tattoos peeked from under his perfectly tailored dark suit. He had piercings and his lips were set in a scowl as he watched me with a pinning gaze that left me weak and scared at the same time. “I… I hadn’t meant to overhear your conversation but you were a bit loud.” I finally replied, running out of breath at the sight of him. He was handsome. An understatement really, but he truly was. He was built perfectly in every way and gave eve
KAYLA’S POV: A shiver ran down my spine and for the first time, it wasn’t just from the cold. It was because of the name that flashed on the screen as my phone vibrated. I picked it up, staring at the caller ID, trying to find the words I’d say once I finally answered. Letting out a sigh, I hit the green button before pressing the phone to my ear. “How is he?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Whenever Dr Wright called, it was rarely for a good reason. He was my father’s doctor and with my father’s health declining everyday, his calls almost never brought good news. “Ms. Levins,” he greeted, his gruff but gentle voice alarming me. “You’ll need to come over to the hospital as soon as you can. Preferably tonight.” “I will be there in fifteen minutes.” I answered immediately, not missing a bit. Yep, something was definitely wrong. “I’ll be expecting you.” The beep sounded, signaling he had ended the call. My eyes darted to the wall clock in the small coff
ROBERT’S POV The sound of pen on paper unnerved and irritated me at the same time. I sat in a dimly lit office with dark furniture that gave the otherwise extravagant space a gloomy feel. My eyes fixed on the man opposite me, his fingers around a pen as he concentrated on his task of writing on paper. It was eerily quiet and calm, the silence rivaling my beating heart. “I’m sure you didn’t call me here to watch you write, father,” I finally said, narrowing my eyes at him. We sat in his office, opposite each other and since I arrived, he’d completely ignored me even though he had requested my presence. Finally, the sound stopped. He dropped his pen before looking up at me, his gaze intense. “Right. Do you know what today is?” he asked, his voice calm. My brows shot up as I thought, trying to recall if I had missed anything important. My frown deepened and I let out an irritated sigh. “All I know is, it’s past midnight and I’ve been sitting here for too long, father,” I f