The interview

"Yes, but I was just a quiet, awkward guy hiding behind my hair back then, completely controlled by my strict father. He never allowed me to spend hours at late-night parties. But that night, I saw you. Later on, I saw you crying bitterly, but from where I stood, I couldn't tell what the matter was. Then suddenly, the police arrived, and everything became chaotic. I saw a guy called Jack being dragged out and arrested, but I didn't know what had actually happened to you. My friend and I had to hurry and leave the scene immediately because the police were involved."

Alex looked directly into my eyes, his expression softening.

"Since that very day, I grew a deep affection for you. I couldn't get you out of my head. I asked my friend if he knew your name, and he told me everything who you were and where you lived.

But right after that party, my dad found out I had sneaked out. He immediately packed my bags and sent me straight to military school."

He reached across the table, his hand hovering near mine. "I told my dad all about you.

I made him make me a promise: if I became the man he wanted me to be and focused entirely on my military training, he would help make you mine. I even asked my dad to systematically monitor your movements over the years to protect you and ensure no other man took you away from me. I wanted to be completely ready, before I make my move, That's why it took so long, and why I'm finally here now."

My breath hitched.

"You... you had your father track me?"

"I'm so sorry for monitoring you all those years, Charlotte," he said softly, a sudden fire entering his deep eyes.

"But when I recently heard that you had a baby, my heart shattered. I thought you had moved on and gotten married to someone else. It was only when I pressed my dad for the truth that he finally told me everything. He told me you were raped that night."

Alex’s jaw clenched, his knuckles turning white as a terrifying wave of anger washed over his handsome face.

"That’s when I finally connected the dots and realized it was Jack who did that to you. I swear to you, Charlotte, I promise you right now... if I ever see Jack, I will kill him with my own hands."

Seeing him get so intensely angry, panic flared in my chest. I quickly reached out, trying to calm him down, placing my hand over his trembling arm to control his rising fury. Sensing my fear, Alex closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to relax.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking vulnerable. "I just hate what he did to you."

Despite the heavy, shocking revelations, the rest of the dinner ended on a gentle note. But the fleeting peace completely shattered the moment I got home.

I unlocked the front door and found my dad lying completely unconscious on the sofa. I rushed over and touched him his body was burning hot with a terrifying fever. His chronic illness was back, and I didn't have enough money to refill his medication again.

Terrified, I called an ambulance and got him straight to the hospital.

An hour later, the doctor stepped out of the emergency room with a grim face. He delivered shocking medical news, diagnosing a massive, severe complication that required an immediate, specialized surgery the kind of astronomical expense a middle-class babysitter could never afford in a lifetime.

Sitting in the cold hallway, desperate and crying, I knew what I had to do. I called Alex. I promised him that if he helped save my father, I would marry him.

He didn't hesitate. The Vance wealth cleared the hospital bills instantly, and the top surgeons took over. When my father finally woke up in a private suite, stable and breathing easily, relief flooded through me. Alex was standing right there at the foot of the bed. To seal the deal I made, I walked over to Alex, leaned in, and I kissed.

I expected a polite, hesitant response, but the moment our lips met, he returned the kiss hungrily, his arms wrapping tightly around me with an intense, long-awaited passion.

When he finally pulled away, his eyes were dark with emotion.

"You're sweet," he murmured, his thumb brushing my cheek.

"I can't wait for u to be mine."

"I'm yours Alex," I said, forcing the words out, anchoring myself to the deal I had made to keep my dad alive.

"I love you, Charlotte," he said softly, leaning down to peck my forehead before leaving the hospital room.

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of him disappearing and appearing. Because of his military duties, Alex was always deployed, vanishing for weeks at a time. But his dad was always taking care of us, making sure my daughter and I were living fine while his son was away. Taylor Vance even bought a massive, beautiful house for my dad and I so we could live comfortably.

Sitting in that luxury, I remembered when my dad used to work and everything was normal. Our lives had been perfect, right up until the day he was framed by corporate rivals and fired. It was a long story, but the Vances had erased all our financial struggles with the stroke of a pen.

Eventually, Alex returned, the wedding date was fixed, and we got married.

On the wedding day, as I stood at the altar in my white dress, I found myself dragging my vows out, the words feeling heavy, slow, and forced. I didn't love him. I never wanted to marry someone like him, knowing the power and control his family held.

When we arrived at the massive Vance estate after the reception, the reality of my new life finally set in. The bedroom was enormous, draped in luxury, but it felt like a gilded cage. I stood near the edge of the bed, my arms wrapped around myself, still wearing my heavy wedding gown.

Alex walked in, closing the door softly behind him. He looked at me, taking in my rigid posture and the sheer anxiety radiating from my body.

"Why ain't you happy?" Alex asked, his deep voice carrying a mix of concern and confusion.

"Who said I'm not?" I replied quickly, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor, unable to look at him.

"I can read it in your face, u weren't happy at all," Alex said, walking closer to me. "I know everything is new to you, but just accept it that we are married. Your dad, it's been taken care of, and ur daughter too. She will come stay with us tomorrow. We just have to spend tonight together, wifey. Forget about the past, I can make you happy."

As he stepped directly into my personal space, a cold wave of fear washed over me. The memory of my eighteenth birthday flashed violently behind my eyes.

I remembered how Jack had pinned me, how rough he had been on me when he tore away my innocence. It was my first time, and it had been a living nightmare. I thought it was going to be exactly that way again.

"Alex, I don't want this. I don't think I would ever want it," I said, my voice trembling as I backed away a step.

Alex looked at me, a strange, dark look passing through his eyes. A slow smirk played on his handsome lips.

"I would make sure I make you ready."

"What?" I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat as panic flooded my chest.

Seeing the sheer terror in my expression, Alex’s demeanor completely shifted. The smirk vanished, and he let out a soft, genuine laugh, holding his hands up defensively.

"I'm just kidding," he chuckled, shaking his head. He didn't force me. He respected my space, letting me sleep on my side of the bed without pushing further.

It was so weird, though. To be married to this absolute maniac. I always found myself wanting to keep him at a distance, yet strangely, I knew I would always miss him the moment he was gone.

And true to his word, he left again soon after, Alex would spend weeks or even months away, leaving joane and I alone in the massive house, sometimes joan would want to see my father, I would just take her there for her to spend few days with him.

I couldn't just sit around doing nothing. I wanted to build something of my own and look for a better job, maybe at a corporate company.

After searching for a while, I heard about a major firm in the city. I applied for an opening, and to my surprise, I was called in for an interview.

On the morning of the interview, I walked into the top-floor executive suite, smoothing down my blazer. But the moment I stepped into the main office, the atmosphere shifted. The boss a sharp, well-dressed man looked up from his desk.

The exact second his eyes landed on my face, his entire expression warped. A look of sudden joy flashed across his features, instantly followed by pure, unadulterated terror. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Oh... you're Mrs. Charlotte?" he asked, his voice shaking as he stared at me. "I mean... you? You're married?"

He asked the question with a desperate intensity, as if he deeply wished I weren't.

"Oh, yes, sir. I'm married," I replied, watching him closely. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out if I could remember him from somewhere, but I couldn't place his face. His voice, however, sounded incredibly familiar, echoing in the back of my mind, but I just couldn't trace where I had heard it before.

"Umm... I thought I've met you somewhere. Umm..." He shifted in his leather chair, sweating, looking completely uncomfortable under my gaze.

"Are you okay, sir?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Ummm... Mrs. Charlotte, I had to attend a very important meeting right now," he said abruptly, practically throwing himself out of his chair and standing up. He wouldn't even meet my eyes. "You can come back tomorrow morning."

"But, sir..." I started, holding up my folder of certifications, completely confused.

"I understand, but I'm sorry, it's important," he said quickly, rushing past me toward the door.

I left the building completely disappointed and bewildered. Walking down the bustling city street, I pulled out my phone and looked at my face on the screen to see if I looked horrible or messy. But I looked perfectly fine. He was acting so strangely, as if something catastrophic had just happened.

As I stared at my reflection, a chilling thought crossed my mind. Why was he terrified to see me?