04

04

Bella Reyes

“Let me go, you asshole!” I thrashed against his grip. “Do you have any idea that I can report you for assault?”

He shoved me onto the bed and let out a dark, quiet laugh. “Yeah. Go right ahead. I'm so scared.”

My eyes widened in shock as I nearly hit the edge of the headboard. I scrambled right back up onto my feet.

“Sit.”

“No. Let me go.”

“The door is wide open.”

I glanced toward the doorway. It was completely open, and I knew I should just turn around and run. Even without Tyler's laptop, I could make up some excuse for why I came back empty-handed. Yet, something inside me kept me rooted to the spot when he ordered me to sit again.

“What?” I sat down.

I didn't believe a word he had said downstairs. If he thought bringing me up here to feed me more lies was going to brainwash me, he was dead wrong. This was obviously a setup on his end. This was clearly why Tyler couldn't stand him.

I glared at him, and he gave me a slow once-over before grabbing his phone off the nightstand. He tapped the screen a few times and held it up in front of my face.

“See for yourself.”

I glared at him and didn't take it right away, so he tossed the phone directly onto my lap, screen facing up.

At the top of the chat window was a contact saved as Keith. I shook my head, failing to see what any of this had to do with me.

“What is this? Who even is Keith, and what does this have to do with anything?”

He snatched the phone off my lap and tossed it back onto the nightstand. “Since you're too illiterate to read, I'll just explain it to you.”

“Hey!” I thrust a finger up in the air. “Don't even go there. I am not illiterate, got it? I got into Terraria University on a full-ride scholarship through my own hard work.”

He let out a short laugh. “You sure look like a nerd.”

I followed his eyes as he skimmed over my clothes, and I gritted my teeth. “And what about my appearance gives off that vibe? I don't even wear glasses or braces or any of those cliché things that make someone a—”

“We're not in high school, little miss talkative. Now shut up and listen to me.”

I snapped to my feet. “I will not listen to you until you learn how to speak to me with some respect!”

He let out another mocking scoff. I was tempted to roll my eyes, but I wasn't going to waste any more energy on him.

“Where is Tyler's laptop? Hand it over.” I held my hand out toward him.

Aries grabbed me by the wrist and shoved me back down onto the mattress. He leaned over me, pinning me in place until the air rushed out of my lungs.

“Listen to me, Tyler's girl,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous against my ear. “You were paid to be here, like the good little thing you are, and you're only leaving when I say so. Now stay put and listen to every word out of my mouth.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I squirmed and thrashed underneath him. Did he really think he could pull a stunt like this with me? If he dared bring his face any closer, I was going to spit on him.

When he lifted his head to look at me, the harsh truth came spilling out instead paused my breath.

“Keith paid Tyler to lure you here. To sleep with me.”

“What?” The word came out breathless and disbelieving. I almost laughed. Almost.

“I was having a rough patch with hockey, and my coach reminded me to handle it.” He gestured vaguely with one hand. “Get with a girl, blow off some steam. Keith promised he'd take care of it.”

That conversation I had overheard outside my uncle's office flashed through my mind in an instant: “You can't keep doing this to yourself. All this shit you're pumping into your system isn't going to help, especially with the championship right around the corner.”

“And with the championship right around the corner, I wasn't in a position to refuse,” Aries continued coldly. “So basically, I paid Keith to find someone, and your boyfriend took the money and sent you over under some bullshit lie about a forgotten laptop.”

My lips parted, then closed. This had to be the sickest joke of the year.

“Tyler sent me here to get his laptop,” I insisted, my voice trembling. “He said you two got into a fight and he couldn't come pick it up himself.”

Aries laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. “Tyler and I aren't even friends.”

“He didn't say you were friends!” I shot back. “He said you were an arrogant jerk, and I can clearly see that now. I don't know what kind of twisted game you're playing, but I'm not buying any of it. Hand me the laptop so I can leave, or I'll just have him pick it up himself.”

I pushed against his chest to get him off me and tried to stand up, but he yanked me right back down by the arm.

“He doesn't love you, Bella.”

“And you do?” I let out a sharp laugh. “And don't you ever say my name again.”

Aries stood up effortlessly and picked his phone back up off the table. “You really aren't allowed to leave until you fulfill the service I paid for.”

The sarcastic remark forming on my tongue died instantly when he thrust the phone screen right in front of my face.

It was a bank transaction receipt. I snatched the phone out of his hand, my eyes locking onto the recipient's name and the massive amount of money wired into the account.

My blood ran ice cold.

Tyler Morgan.

No. No, no, no. Tyler wouldn't do this...

“Still not convinced?” Aries swiped his thumb across the screen to the next screenshot.

My eyes greedily consumed the text message exchange between Keith and Tyler. I swiped to the next image, and the next, until I reached the final text message.

My hands began to shake. The chilly air in the room suddenly felt like ice, freezing my limbs and rooting me completely to the floor.

It took every ounce of strength I had left to raise my eyes to look up at Aries.

He stood over me with a dark smirk playing on his lips. “So, who's the bad guy now?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked, tears blurring my vision.

“Because he doesn't deserve you,” he murmured. Like he knew any better. God, he was unbelievable!

“And how do you know that?” I shouted, fighting back a sob. “How do you know enough to ruin something so perfect? Why?”

I felt like shoving him backward with everything I had, but instead, I turned on my heel and stormed toward the exit of the room.