There was definitely something off with her.
It was as though she was lacking something or maybe she wanted something so bad.
Whatever it was, Charles wondered what it could be.
Sitting back into the leather chair he had specifically had constructed to his taste, he wondered when she exactly was going to walk into that room and ask what his proposition was with attitude.
He smirked to himself. She sure acted like she did not break his heart six years ago. And he knew her so well, it was sure that she would keep up with that attitude for a while until he decides to break it. Smiling even more, he could totally picture the defiant look on her face once he does kill that attitude.
Charles groaned inwardly.
She was driving him crazy.
So, so crazy.
And that was wrong to him. He should be the one making her regret. He was meant to be driving her crazy. All she had to do was show up, Charles was sure he would do that perfectly.
Almost absent-mindedly, he checked his watch, something was telling him that the woman he was waiting impatiently for was nearby. And he really hoped his guts were right.
"Sir?"
Charles turned his attention to the men seated opposite him.
"What?"
"We asked if you are okay with the plan," the man clothed in a grey suit carefully said, his low bangs bobbing as he peered at his boss who had suddenly arranged for his and his colleague's arrival in the States for certain business issues.
Charles adjusted his silk robe which he hadn't bothered to change out of since he was in his residence. "I gave a response didn't I?"
"Uh... no sir. You actually just smirked... smiled actually." Even the man was surprised at what he just said.
"I did?" His famous stone look was back in a jiffy.
"Uh... sir? The plan?"
Charles ringtone filled the anxious air.
"Excuse me." He majestically crossed his legs which were clothed in matching blue silk pants.
" Yes?" He prompted Miss Kane to talk without wasting his precious time.
"Isabella Shade is here to see you sir."
He wanted to smirk again, well actually grin, but a look at the gentlemen in front of him, he kept it in and disguised it with a low throat clear.
"Let her in." Charles also hoped he was doing a good job of hiding how much his chest was beating.
"But you are in a meeting sir."
"Did I stutter Miss Kane?"
"I'll let her in right away."
"Mr. Wade, Mr. Blunt," he faced the men who turned their attention fully to him. "I like the plan, but I want to know more about this business. Have the owners properly prepare a presentation and..."
"Good evening." His knees fell so weak, his legs had to disentangle, her voice did that much to him. But like the strong man he was, he was quick to regain composure.
"Miss Shade. Have a seat." Charles pointed at the seat that was close to his huge neatly dressed bed. As he watched her take a seat, he suddenly wished that the chair was not there. Seeing her on his bed was a sight he missed. And a sight he would love to see again and again.
"Sir... you were saying something."
"Yeah... Have them prepare a presentation and meet me sometime next week. I want to know more." Charles also wanted to know what had Isabella glued to her phone. His eyes didn't just stop at staring at her slender, cute and quite sexy hands.
Slowly, as he half-listened to what Mr. Wade was saying, he traced her entire body. From her slightly opened lips that she hardly adorned to her sleek hair that kept calling him to run his hands through them, he noticed every single thing. That look he could not decipher was present too.
"Mr. Oxford?"
Charles realized he had zoned them out. A very unusual thing for a man of focus like him. He was sure the men would be so confused to be seeing him acting that way.
"Just let me know how everything goes."
"Okay sir."
After they had packed their stuff and left, Charles just had to let out that smirk he had been hiding. "Miss Shade."
Her head came up finally. "Mr. Oxford."
Charles's smile widened. She was trying to act professional. The next few minutes sure was going to be fun. He got up and made for where she was seated.
"It is good that you showed up." She gave a short shrug as her eyes followed him- as they should. But as his robe came off suddenly, her eyes which bore a grim look suddenly widened.
"I was starting to think you had given up on your suffering company." His pants came off next as he made for his small wardrobe, her eyes swiftly darted elsewhere.
"You said you have a proposition." Isabella said, her head obviously trying not to look back. Charles wondered how much her body reacted to him at that moment. Years ago, that sexy body of hers melted on just seeing him.
"I don't start my meeting that way Miss Shade." He walked back into the other room, fully clothed in a casual tee shirt and sweatpants.
"Why exactly are you here Miss Shade?" His legs crossed again.
"My company is in a lot of debt." It was ridiculous that she was seated so far from him, but he wasn't going to stress on that. She definitely would move closer at a point.
"So I gathered when I did my research."
Isabella scoffed. "I see you are still nosy."
"It is habit. So, what do you want me to do?"
Her eyes became a shade of pity, it was like she was sorry for herself. "I would actually appreciate it if we could reach an agreement that will benefit you and pull me out of the debts."
"Hmm." Charles sat back.
"Well, like I said when we met, I have a proposition that would benefit you extremely."
"What is that?"
Charles smirked as he knew what he was about to say would force her to come sit closer to him.
"All you have to do is marry me."
"Are you joking right now?" Charles was impressed. He wasn't sure why- it might partly because she still maintained a cool look- but he was."You heard me Miss Shade. Marry me and your debts will disappear, I assure you."Isabella let out a bitter chuckle as she got up. "You must be joking.""I most certainly am not.""So, you just want me to marry you." She moved dangerously yet graciously towards Charles."Be my wife and that's all you need to do.""Did you hit your head? Or don't you know that it is stupid to tell a married woman such nonsense?"Charles's eyes narrowed as he thought confusedly, 'She is married?'He checked her ring finger for both hands but there was no sign of her being married. He wondered if she was lying. The man who had her situation checked didn't mention anything about a husband and truthful
AUTHOR'S NOTEHey guys, before you go on with this chapter, you should know that there is a bit of violence towards the end. Even though I tried to make it less graphic, if you do not roll well with reading stuff like that, you can always skip it. Thanks for reading :)~Isabella violently adjusted the neck of her gown which felt like it was growing into the length of her neck to suffocate her more and more. But she was just harming the poor gown whose neckline did a good job of giving her chest breathing space.Her hands leaving the almost mutilated material, Isabella found a nearby bench to sit on to gather her thoughts properly.At that moment, the only source of help at that moment was putting her in a spot. A spot she definitely did not see coming.Recalling his proposition which he said with all seriousness, Isabella wondered why her of all people.
Like every other human on earth, Claire Oxford had her past sins.And typical of such sins, it was back to haunt her and take grasp of her son, Charles. Wondering what he was doing at that moment, she took another second to silently pray that he did not stray or fall into wrong hands.As she took a seat on one of the cushions in her tailoring room, Claire wondered if it would be safe to let her husband know of the situation.She certainly did not hide her previous shameful marriage with Ordinaz from her husband. And she appreciated that he did not judge her based on the fact that she was sold to Ordianz, he even accepted her son with whom she had run away with when troubles kept mounting troubles in Ordinaz's home.No.She shook her head as her eyes wearily wandered the huge room that reeked of lavender and was a sight to anyone who loved expensive garments. Telling her
Isabella felt dirty.She did when Gabriel first slept with her. Hours she spent under the shower trying to console herself, trying to assure herself that things would be okay. She had told herself she wouldn't regret her decisions.Years after, nothing was okay. No amount of days spent under the shower could assure her of better days in Gabriel Manifold's house.As she gathered the mattress into a corner of her office, Isabella immediately cringed. The pain was still screaming into her head, her whole being was crying for help.But she was tired. Fighting was a ridiculous thing to her at that moment. She just wanted to give up or maybe give in. She was sold off to her husband anyway, she might as well let him finally use her the way he wanted.She could give up the company and become a sit-at-home wife who does nothing but follow her husband words. Occasionally, she could visit h
"Tell me you are making some kind of stupid joke," Isabella said as she felt her bones shake."It is no joke. Your father is-""I heard you already!" she exclaimed as she took another step back, her eyes darting in confusion. Without seeing his proof, she sort of believed him. It made sense a bit. Her father being dead explained his silence. But... why?"Here." Her legs totally failed her and she hit the floor before Charles could help her. As she flipped the photos which revealed it all- her father's body, his death certificate, his funeral- she wondered why she was kept in the dark.According to the pictures, he died a year ago. Uncle Ben had been lying to her. According to the pictures, he also attended the funeral. But he said nothing to her, he just kept assuring that her father would someday call.Like heck he would. Isabella was resisting the urge to laugh at her life. Her
As soon as Isabella parked Charles's car in the scanty car park of her sorry excuse of a company, she suddenly figured that he was probably still waiting upstairs for her to come with his car.And... waiting for her response. Which she had no idea what it really was till that moment.Now that she had freed herself from Gabriel's suffocating hold, she had a chance to start things all over again. But the question was how?Isabella sat back into the driver's seat and pondered.She could let the bank take possession of her almost ruined company and she could start a life somewhere far from her hell.Or... the other option that kept dangling in her face, she could agree to become Charles's wife, save her company and remain close to her hell.Isabella shuddered for some reason.The second option sounded scary. Not only because she would be clos
It was crazy. The way her heart was banging.She had just taken a shower and all she thought about was the last time Gabriel was in her. Actually she could still feel him forcing his way into her and it made her scared.To make it worse, Isabella's mind could not help but replay Uncle Ben's advice about leaving Gabriel and Charles's words about the same matter.That she might not be safe after all from Gabriel made her even more scared.She took a deep sigh.Something at the back of her mind told her to maintain her calm. She was doing a good job at scaring herself and that was not a good thing. At that rate, she could begin to hallucinate and give herself unnecessary heart issues.So, Isabella took in another deep breath and after releasing it, she reached for her robe and walked out of the shower into her office. Humming a tune, she made for behind her desk
Charles smirked to himself. Then as he looked out his car window, his face fell. Isabella was toying with his heart and she had no idea.Damn! That woman had no idea she was torturing him. Marriage aside, all he wanted at that moment was to hold her in his arms, tight. He would love, protect her with his hold. But she was being reluctant.Charles wondered what she really faced while she was married to the Manifold guy. It sure was something ugly. It definitely was something that put some kind of fear inside her. Her question earlier sort of gave that out.That was more reason he wanted her by his side. Charles no longer cared about revenge, he just wanted her to be safe.In no time, his car stopped and his driver announced their arrival at the hotel."Thank you David." The latter nodded as he waited for Charles to alight so he could go and pack the car properly.