Beatrice felt her time stop. She couldn’t find any words to say to him. It felt like her tongue was cut out and she didn’t know what to say anymore. ‘What was that thing?!’ Beatrice kept on asking herself. She was terrified and shocked at the same time. But this man with his big green eyes was just looking at her as if he was enjoying her expressions. She could see his eyes smiling while he was grinning too. Her heart skipped and her breathing became hard. She wanted to push him but her body was frozen too. Indeed, this man was gorgeous. His nose was pointed as if it was molded. He was like the paintings she had just looked at earlier. His hair was not long, but it was curly and was adding more of his strong features. Too gorgeous for a man to be real.
“You look tense, Miss Lichter? What are you worried about?” Mateo asked, not minding their situation. He even looked at Beatrice's lips and his eyes immediately twinkled. He immediately had the urge to kiss her, but he tried to stop himself as much as possible. That was why he almost pinched Beatrice’s back.
Feeling the pain, Beatrice went back to her senses. Her eyes widened when she saw Mateo looking at her lips. He even wet his lips with his tongue. ‘What was he thinking?!’ Beatrice panicked. She pushed Mateo and slapped him hard on the face.
“Pervert!” Beatrice shouted. She tried not to look down as much as possible.
Mateo was shocked. No woman had ever tried to hurt him like that. Most of them are crawling to his feet just to be noticed by him. And this woman slapped him? Mateo looked hard at Beatrice.
“Do you want to die?”
Beatrice was stunned. Because of her emotions, she forgot who this man was. Her mouth opened and her expression softened. She looked away. “I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t–”
“Of course. You didn’t,” Mateo cut Beatrice's words. “Let me remind you, Miss Lichter. Not because I wanted you, you have the right to do that to me. Try slapping me again and not only you will know what kind of a man I am, but your family too,” he said with full authority and vengeance.
Beatrice's knees trembled as she looked into his eyes. No. Not only her knees. She was terrified now to the point that her hands were trembling again. Suddenly, he had turned into something terrifying now. His eyes were like knives already cutting her. And his words were true and full of authority. Her breathing again became hard and her heart beat faster. She turned her back and held on tight to the skirt of her dress. She tried calming herself but Mateo touched her arms again and turned her around again.
“Why are you turning your back on me?!” Mateo roared.
Beatrice cried. “I-I’m sorry! Please! I didn’t mean to!” she begged. If only she had not been thinking that this man was naked, she would have kneeled on him for forgiveness. “I-I didn’t mean to hurt you! I’m sorry!”
Mateo frowned. His heart skipped when he saw Beatrice’s tears. He wiped her tears mindlessly using his right thumb. He couldn’t explain the excitement he felt. In his mind, he wanted to pull Beatrice into his room and tie her up while he was painting her in tears. Oh, what a sight it would be! Mateo’s grip tightened more on Beatrice's arms. He saw that she reacted just like he wanted. He grabbed her nape.
Beatrice felt her world had already fallen as Mateo’s face got near to her. He was about to kiss her! But she dared not to move because the man was like a monster when he shouted. She was used to her stepmother’s constant blabbing at her, but she was not like Mateo. This man was like he was about to kill her by just looking at her! Beatrice closed her eyes and waited. She waits even though she doesn’t want to. But she never felt anything stuck on her lips. Instead, she felt Mateo’s grip loosen on her arms. She opened her eyes and saw Mateo was turning his back on her. She immediately turned her back too, before she could see anything from him. She went near the window.
“Wait for me here,” Mateo said.
Beatrice did not answer. She waited until she heard a door open and closed. Then she let out a deep breath and sat down on the floor. She never felt any pain while she was at the hospital. But this time? She felt like a car overran her body. Beatrice cried herself out. She wanted to go home but she couldn’t. ‘This is for my father. This is for him.’
Not long ago, Mateo went back to the room. He was already wearing pants and a t-shirt. He saw Beatrice was already sitting on the floor, that's why he shook his head. He did not mean to terrify Beatrice earlier. He was just overwhelmed seeing her.
Mateo sat in the lounge area in his studio. “Come here,” he said. Beatrice looked at her with hesitation. He tried to be soft as much as possible. And he thinks it worked because she slowly stood up while drying her cheeks. She sat on the sofa in front of him. A small glass table with a glass of martini on the top was intercepting them. Mateo could see that Beatrice's hands were still shaking. He shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’
“I-I’m sorry again,” Beatrice said in a broken voice. Her head was looking down and not daring to look at him again.
Mateo’s eyebrows arched and he sighed. “It’s okay. It was my fault too. It’s already midnight. We should start talking now.”
Beatrice looked at Mateo. “Yes.”
“You came here. Does that mean you are accepting my proposal?”
Beatrice nodded. She tried to calm herself now. She needed to do this for her father. “Y-Yes. I am. But I want you to help me first.”
Mateo smirked. He knew their family situation and he used her to get Beatrice. Yes. He has been adorning Beatrice for a while. He saw him only once at an event at their company. Beatrice was there and he was instantly smitten by her. It was because she looked entirely like his ex-wife. His dead wife.
“I heard what happened, Miss Lichter. But are you really sure now? You even ran away just not to accept me.”
Beatrice's lips curled up. Looked like this man knew everything. Everyone knew that Bruce’s family was filthy rich. But not many knew the master of the family, Mateo Bruce. This was the reason why her stepmother was eager to accept the proposal. Because by just being Beatrice as the wife of Mateo Bruce, their lavish life would never end.
“M-My father. He is my only family member now. I cannot afford to lose him. B-But we don’t have any money now for his medical bill.”
Mateo smirked. “Are you selling yourself to me now?”
Beatrice was stupefied. “H-Huh?”
“You are accepting my marriage proposal in exchange for money, right?” He grinned.
Beatrice's grip on her dress tightened as she realized what he meant. She looked down. Yes. She knew she could be compared to anyone who sells pleasure for money. But what can she do? It was true no matter how she wanted to deny it. She was comparable to them. Her eyes started to water again but she stopped them.
“I-I need this, Mister Bruce. Please,” Beatrice said. Leaving her ego away.
Mateo rested his back on the chair. “Your wish is my command.”
Beatrice took a deep breath. That night, she knew it was her end. She sold herself to the devil.
After Beatrice and Mateo talked, he immediately ordered Amadeus, his butler, to pay for David Lichter’s hospital bill. That night, David was sent to BMH and started his operation immediately. The surgery will be a long operation. It will take up to twelve hours. “Thank you, Mister. My husband will live!” Veronica said with tears in her eyes. Amadeus smiled. “You should thank your daughter.” Beatrice looked away. “I-I’ll go to the cafeteria.” “Hmph! Yes. You should. Bring mother some coffee!” Clementine's second. “Ah, you don’t have to, Miss Lichter. We have already provided a room for your family. You can rest there, Mrs. Lichter. As you wait for your husband,” Amadeus interrupted. BMH was not just a hospital. It also had hotel-like rooms for very important people waiting for their sick family. Having this, families are one building away from their loved ones. Clementine raised her eyebrows. She never liked it when someone was favoring Beatrice. Veronica noticed it and she stop
After the surgery, David was still unconscious. The Lichter's then never left the hospital for David. Beatrice was at least relieved because Mateo was not bothering her while she was still waiting for her father. It’s as if he was being considerate. And Beatrice was thankful for that because she was not yet ready again to face him. Beatrice was having her breakfast in the room that Amadeus provided her. She had never left the room since she came here. There was an hourly update for the nurses about her father. So, Veronica and Clementine decide to visit her in the room. Beatrice heard a loud knock on her door. She immediately stood up and opened the door. “Mother? Why are you–” “Oh, stop. Let us in,” Veronica said, and did not even wait for Beatrice to open the door. She let herself in and Clementine followed her. Beatrice stood up by her side while waiting for her stepmother's words. She was still holding the bread she was eating. She put her hands behind her to hide them from th
“Thank you for coming here, Javier,” Beatrice said as she took her bag from Javier. When her father woke up and her room was taken out from her, she asked Javier to come and get her clothes. Her father was still weak, so they still needed to stay in the hospital. Javier sighed. He could see the tiredness on Beatrice's face. “You should go home instead of staying here. Your father will be taken care of for sure.” “I can’t leave him.” “Then where will you sleep here? Your father still needs to stay in the ICU.” Beatrice looked around her. They are in the hospital’s waiting area. “I can. Here.” “You shouldn’t!” “Why? This is okay. Look.” Beatrice patted the chair. “It might be hard because it is made of steel, but that will be okay. I have my bag.” “Beatrice. You shouldn’t let them be hard on you. You might not be saying anything to me now. For sure, your mother said bad things to you again.” Beatrice looked away. Her friend knew him well and she couldn’t hide her true feelings f
Beatrice let out a deep long breath when she turned on the left hallway. She rested her back and head on the wall, then closed her eyes. ‘What just happened?!’ Beatrice touched her chest. She could feel her heart throbbing as if someone was chasing her. She tried taking a deep breath again and slowly until she calmed down. “He is crazy,” she whispered. Then she touched her neck, still feeling the goosebump she felt earlier. Why did she have a weird feeling when Mateo blew on her neck? It was like something was crawling from her neck and going through her chest. To her tummy and her… “Urgh!” she groaned and started walking again. She shouldn’t let Mateo get into her system. Into her mind. She must not be scared of a psycho man. Yet what he said was true. She needed him as much as he wanted her. They liked using each other. Thinking about it, they were like partners, so Beatrice hadn’t been scared of the man. “What are you doing here?” Beatrice noticed her stepmother and sister wer
At that moment, Beatrice didn’t know what to say. They were all shocked when Clementine started her tantrums. Well, it was not really that shocking for Beatrice because Clementine was always like that. Every time Clementine saw that Beatrice was being favored over her, she would do anything just to have more than Beatrice. “Is there something wrong, Miss Lichter?” Mateo asked confusedly. Veronica hemmed. “Ahm. I think Mister Bruce should come at another time.” She went to Mateo’s side and touched his arm. “Come. I will guide you through the door.” But Mateo removed her hand and did not move. He sighed. “Okay. I will come back again when Mister Lichter is really okay.” He looked at David again. “You should probably talk with your daughter, Mister Lichter. And I want to remain on what’s on our deal. You wouldn't disappoint me, right?” he said with a tone of menace. David gulped. He knew exactly what Mateo meant. His grip on Beatrice's hand tightened and he then didn’t say any words.
David Lichter’s recovery was fast. After another week in the hospital, he was finally discharged by his doctors. But Mateo still sent them personal nurses for him to be checked 24/7. As the day passed, Beatrice could feel the tension in their house. Clementine and Veronica kept on asking David if Clementine would marry Mateo instead. But Mateo only wanted Beatrice. “You!” Clementine faced Beatrice with tears in her eyes. She had just left David's room. Beatrice was going there to give him juice. “What?”“What did you do to Mateo Bruce, huh?! Did you really fuck him already? That's why he only wants you?!”Beatrice gasped. “Watch your words, Clementine! I would never do that! If only I could stop this, I would!”Clementine smirked in disbelief. “Then prove it. Prove that you didn't want to marry Mateo. Tell him that you will not marry him anymore!”Beatrice was taken aback. She knew it was impossible because Mateo was firm in his decision. Her hands trembled and she looked away from
In the morning, all the staff of Lichter’s resort were busy. They were installing decorations in the hall where the party would be held. They also stopped accepting tourists because they reserved rooms for guests. The Lichter's might be facing bankruptcy, but they were still the most prominent resort in the province. No one could compete in their hospitality and luxurious rooms. The receiving area was a big mansion and it could be used for special events. There were rooms for the guests too. Then there are a lot of recreational activities for rich people. Yes, because a night at Lichter's resort would cost someone fifty thousand dollars. And it could cost up to half a million if someone rented a villa and personal staff. The resort was located on a small island not that far from the city. It was owned by the Lichters since the grandfather of David. It was like their family heirloom. But David was ready to take the risk by selling it just to save his daughter. “Is everything okay?”
“M-Mister Bruce! What are you doing here?” Beatrice asked. She stood up and was about to wipe her tears but Mateo stopped her. She looked at her in confusion. Mateo was just looking at her eyes while holding her arms. She gulped as she felt her heart start to thump again. ‘What is wrong with me?’ she asked herself. As the day passed, she was always affected by him. Mateo did not answer Beatrice. He was just looking at her eyes mindlessly. He loved the way her tears fell down from her eyes through her cheeks. Mateo wiped her tears using his thumb. It immediately caused him to feel excited but worried at the same time. “Why are you crying?” he asked. “It’s nothing.” Beatrice tried to take back her arms but he was much stronger than her. “Let me go!” Mateo’s face turned blank. But it was just for a second. Enough to make Beatrice tremble as she remembered when she angered him. Mateo let her go and she stepped back. Mateo sighed and looked at the ocean. He doesn’t know why he cannot