6

Evelyn’s POV

“Why me, Zeke?” I began. “Why do you want me to marry you?” 

I narrowed my eyes into slits as I glared at him. There were over a hundred girls that he could’ve picked for this grand plan of his but he chose me. I wanted to know why, there had to be a pattern and I wanted it revealed to me.  

“My family has caused you pain the same way they’ve caused you pain and to sum it up, you’re different, Amore.”

“My name is—“

Zeke held up a hand to silence me. “You see? Only a few people would dare speak to me in that manner and you don’t even care about hierarchy or power, you speak your mind and that’s what I want in a wife not some dolled-up girl with half-wits. I’m not looking for love here, Evelyn. I need a revenge partner.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to turn you down, Zeke. I’m still married to Damien and I believe that we can fix things if I can talk to him,” I replied after a moment’s pause. 

I noticed Zeke slap his hand over his mouth to hide his laughter out of the corner of my eyes but I didn’t care right now. 

“You’re still as naive as you were when we were still teenagers, aren’t you?” Zeke smiled at me. 

“That’s not the point,” I wagged my finger at him.

“Also, if you want to get anything out of this mess my father and brother have created, you will do as I want and be mine.” 

He stared at me with a bored expression on his face. It was almost as if he knew how this would end and he couldn’t wait to get there. 

He was easily the most arrogant and the most annoying person I had ever come across in my life.

“You don’t want a wife, Zeke. You want a puppet and I don’t intend on being used again. I’ve had enough of it and I don’t want any more.”

“Are you a puppet, Amore?” Zeke drawled out lazily. 

“My name isn’t—“ I paused and took the time to regain my composure. He was riling me on purpose and I was fueling his excitement at this point. 

“I am not a puppet, Zeke and we can do whatever you want us to do together without getting married. No matter what you may think, you’re a famous actor and a billionaire, no one is going to bat an eye at you getting married but me? Do you know the field day the media would have with me for getting married to two brothers and what if they dig too hard and find our history?” 

I glared at him. I could feel a headache building up already. If I stayed one more second in here, I was going to lose it.

“There’s something I want to show you, Evelyn,” Zeke said. 

Zeke led me to what I assumed was his private study as we walked toward the end of the hallway. Even though I’ve spent the past couple of days here, I’ve never been down this hallway. 

He opened the door and ushered me in. 

The soft glow of the desk lamp cast a warm, golden light upon the rich, mahogany wood of the study's paneling. 

Shelves lined the walls, stretching from floor to ceiling. Behind the stately, carved table, made out of mahogany wood, a high-backed, leather chair stood sentinel. 

“Take a seat, Evelyn,” Zeke said as he walked around the large table to take his seat. 

There was a bottle of tequila on a corner of the table and he poured himself a healthy amount into a glass cup. 

“Do you care for some?” He asked. 

I shook my head. I had a lot more pressing issues to deal with at the moment, I could always drink later. 

Zeke nodded and poured the contents down his throat in one clean move. 

“As I’ve told you already, for some weird reason that I do not care about, my father and my brother are hellbent on ruining me for reasons best known to them.” He began, as he walked around the mahogany table and opened a drawer on it. 

“You may think I’m joking with my marriage proposal, but I’m not.”

He brought out a ledger book and tossed it to me, I caught it and opened it. 

“Look at the numbers in there and tell me you wouldn’t burn down everything until you get your revenge, look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t.”

I stared at him dumbfounded. I went through the ledger and he wasn’t exaggerating when he said he had lost billions as a result of his family. 

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I need to do what I want to do. Well, the truth is, I can easily have them dragged to court but that would bring about a lot of drama and I don’t want that.” He continued. 

“I’m not sure I have anything to offer you. Why did you choose me, Zeke?” I asked. 

“By some stroke of luck or whatever it was, I’m sure you’ve heard things even though you believe you’re not valuable, I know you are and I’m never wrong,” Zeke replied, pouring himself another glass of tequila. 

I didn’t know if that was a compliment or a statement borne out of desperation. But if I was going to do this, I needed to be certain about a lot of things. 

I was going to be sacrificing my whole life and I had to make sure I would be well compensated for it. 

“What would I be getting out of the deal, Zeke?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “You’re asking me to give you all of me, I need to be properly compensated.” 

“You’ll get more than being discarded and exiled, Evelyn” Zeke proposed. 

In an alternate universe, I would’ve gleefully accepted the terms of this proposal but not anymore. Damien had sidelined me for Genevieve and I was left with nothing. 

I had no power or investment to call my own and getting a pat on the back would mean nothing to me, not when Zeke could give me so much more and it was time for things to change.