Chapter 010

VALERIE 🎀

"Gareth Wellington... nice to meet you."

He stepped closer still he was standing right in front of me, invading my space.

He was so close that I could sniff his after shave.

"My apologies, I couldn't make it in time for the wedding." He murmured, his face close to mine.

I lifted my eyes to take a good look at him and a gasp escaped my lips.

He has a striking resemblance with Zachary. Same sharp-jawed and symmetrical face .

Same icy blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes, same arrogant aura.

They could pass off as twins but this one has a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

His hair was slicked back to perfection, no strand out of place. His skin was pale... too pale, like he avoided the sun on purpose.

There was something wrong in the way he carried himself, too still and that alone made my skin crawl.

My heart thundered behind my rib cage and I took a step back.

His lips curled into a smirk at my action but that didn't stop him from hitching closer like a predator stalking towards his prey.

"What's wrong, Valerie? you look like you've seen a ghost.

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

"Are you Zachary's twin? I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

He stopped walking, the silly smile playing at his lips.

"Wrong,". He leaned closer. "try again."

Another Wellington? Why haven't I heard of him.

"The media didn't lie when they called you the beauty of the business world."

His finger traced my jaw in a slow, sensual way. Disgusted, I slapped his hand but my action only earned a chuckle from him.

" With that red lips and flawless skin, I could see why they were crazy about you."

His eyes rounded as he took me in fully as if in surprise before they darkened.

" What the hell did that bastard do to deserve you." He muttered to himself.

" Erm, hello? I snapped my fingers in front of him to get his attention. "Why did you invite me here?

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes gleaming dangerously in all shades wrong and involuntarily, I stepped back.

"I thought you were smart, shouldn't you have figured it by now?

My brows knitted in confusion.

" What do you mean?

He let out a humorless dry laugh and I stared at him in confusion.

"Men more powerful would lined up for you at the snap of your finger, not minding if you were stood up at the altar just a day before and yet you chose Zachary?

Then it clicked. He wasn't a fan of Zachary.

" Men more powerful, do you mean yourself?

He shrugged, amused. "Did I catch your fancy?

I pinched the bridge of my nose. What the hell was wrong with the Wellingtons today? Dealing with one was enough hard work already and now there's another, more deranged.

" Listen..." I began, folding my arms. "I'm not really interested in whatever you are offering."

" Even if I told you, he is merely using you."

I stood there calmly, refusing to take the bait.

" Our marriage was a business arrangement between the two companies. I knew what I was getting into before I agreed to marry him."

" Agree? He scoffed. " You were left with no choice. He blackmailed you into marrying him. and you see nothing wrong with that?

Blood roared in my ears. How the hell did he know that?

I need to deal cautiously with him. He knows more than he let on. And I need to leave. Now.

I didn't reply him, instead I stepped aside to get the door.

He noticed and grabbed my arm in a tight grip.

I winced, ready to scream. "What are you—!"

"I'm disappointed, Valerie". He hissed. " I thought you were smarter. I didn’t expect you to be pushed around like a pawn."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm nobody's pawn."

" Yeah? Tell that to Zachary."

He twisted a strand of my hair around his finger and I immediately regretted letting my hair down.

"You could be mine." His breath fanned my cheek and the scent of his cologne suffocated me. " I would treat you like a queen."

I clenched my fists. What did the Wellingtons actually take me for? A chess piece.

"You underestimate me." I locked eyes with him, refusing to back down under the intensity of his gaze.

"I would rather be a pawn than someone's trophy wife." I spat.

His jaw ticked, and for a moment, something shifted behind his eyes. Something darker, less amused. But it was quickly masked.

He grabbed my chin, tilted my face to his and sniffed me like a freaking bloodhound.

" You smell nice." I stared at him like he had two heads.

" Does madness run in your family? I asked.

He chuckled and let go of me.

" Valerie... Valerie , I love that smart mouth of yours."

" I wonder what else it could do, when put to good use."

My face turned red in anger and I balled my fists.

" You bastard."

I thought Zachary was a nutcase but this man, standing right here in front of me was. ....I couldn't quite place it but there was something about him that seem off.

" You can go now, I'm done."

Just like that, I was dismissed.

I didn't wait for another word. I bolted out of the door, the second the words left his mouth.

My pride can come later but survival comes first.

I almost ran into Zachary who was coming from the other end.

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Where are you coming from?

Ignoring him, I brushed past him.

But he grabbed my wrist, the same wrist that was bruised and I winced.

His eyes went to the mark on my skin instantly.

The moment he saw the bruise, his entire demeanor shifted.

"What the hell is this?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous.

I yanked my hand free. "Don’t pretend like you care."

"Valerie—"

“I said, don’t!” I snapped, stepping back.

Zachary’s jaw ticked and his icy blue eyes scanned me.

"Who hurt you? He asked, quieter now.

I scoffed. " You seem to have forgotten what happened last night." I said bitterly. " Strip show, does it ring a bell?"

His brows furrowed, but I didn’t wait for a response.

I walked away, leaving him standing there.

I need to find out the reason I'm stuck in this marriage but first, I need scrub his touch off my skin.

I stormed into the guest bathroom just down the hall, slammed the door shut, and turned on the tap. Ice-cold water gushed out. I held my wrist under the stream, scrubbing furiously. I remembered how Gareth grabbed my chin and I almost puked.

I wasn't a possession and I was going to prove it to them.