CHAPTER 3: JAKE

Annabelle was left alone in her room. She could not bring herself to believe her family was actually trying to push her into marriage, a marriage she would forbid even in her dreams. 

Jake was the only son of a very wealthy family . His father , Mr Clifford, was the chairman of a powerful group in the society, the Ford group of companies. One would easily think he was the owner of the electricals and electronics company that went by the trade name Ford. Being the only son of such a highly respected power broker, everyone tried to get on his good side, including Annabelle's family. 

James, she knew , was doing everything possible to get on the good side of Jake to boost his hopes of taking over the family business. The Royal Ark group of companies was founded by their father long before his passing. A group once a part of the top five had dropped to top ten. Pushing Annabelle to Jake would definitely be a pretty way to secure their grounds in the market once again. 

"Damn it! " Annabelle cursed under her breath. 

She walked to and fro in her room , her hands doing a good job in scattering her hair. 

"Am I some piece of wood or what? " She mused. "Damn this whole house. Damn you, Jake, for putting me in this messy situation. "

Walking over to a round table, she grabbed the whiskey on it and began to down its content. 

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

Someone was at the door. But who? 

"Who the hell is that? "

No response came . 

" What the heck? I am in no mood to entertain any sort of bullshit. Get away from my door, whoever you might be. "

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

The person knocked again. It was obvious whoever it was simply wanted to get on her nerves for real . 

But who could that be? 

" Are you dumb or something? Get the hell out of that place!!"

Just then, the door creaked open. Whoever it was was not pissed by her loud voice. 

" Hello, pretty," Jake said softly as he wedged himself at the entrance. 

"What nonsense is this supposed to mean , Jake? "

" Nonsense? " Jake smiled and found his way in , locking the door behind him . "By nonsense, what might you mean? "

" How did you get in here? Who allowed you into this part of the mansion?"

Jake grinned . "Well, it appears that you, Miss Annabelle, are the only one who does not want me around the house. "

" Get out. "

" Don't be so rude to a visitor. "

"If you are a visitor, then you should act like one. You don't go about invading the privacy of other people. What if I was changing? "

"Oops. If you were changing, that would have been better , you know. At least, I get to know that I really invaded your privacy. "

" Get out of this room right away. "

"Were you drinking? Wow. " 

"Leave this room, Jake. " 

Jake pretended not to have heard her . He walked closer to her. 

"Can I have a sip of the whiskey? Well, that is if you don't mind. "

"I mind! " She held her breath for sometime in a bid to be calm. "Jake, I am trying to be calm here. You had better leave this room before I am forced to break your head with this bottle. "

Jake chuckled loudly and walked closer , the distance becoming a bit too close for comfort. 

"What do you hate so much about this handsome young man standing before you? "

Annabelle scoffed,"Handsome, my foot. "

"I have everything, Annabelle. My father is a major power broker. Just accept me and your family's business will bounce back to the top. Would you not want to see that come to pass? "

"With or without your help, my family's business can bounce back to normal. " 

Jake smiled. "Well, it does not seem like that to me, though. Everyone in your home is pushing you to me . Why? That's basically because they all think the way I'm thinking right now. I am your only hope. Your father loved his business really well. Don't you think he will be pleased wherever he is if you make this business bounce back? "

Annabelle exhaled heavily and gulped at the whiskey. 

"Now, listen very carefully. My father will be very disappointed if he should see me get married to someone like you simply to save the business. Get this into your thick skull, a human being is not a business trash. The next day you walk into my room with this sort of stupid talk, I swear to the heavens, Jake, you might not live to tell the story. "

Jake kept mute for a while. He just smiled. The more Annabelle tried to prove tough , the more he wanted to bend her to his will. 

"Now, leave the room, " Annabelle said . 

She walked to the door and unlocked it. Jake seemed not to be flustered by her boldness. 

"You are mine, Annabelle. You are mine. "

Annabelle laughed mockingly, slamming her palms together. 

"Keep being delusional, young man. "

"You don't even have a man in your life. Why are you resisting me? "

"I owe you no explanation, Jake. You know what? You aren't my type. Nothing will ever work between us . Just snap out of it. "

With frustration and desperation oozing out of Jake's breath, he strode towards her , his hand finding their way to her waist. 

"What the— "

Her next words were cut off by a forceful kiss. She struggled for a couple of seconds and pulled herself away . 

"You son of a bitch! "

Her right hand went high enough before unleashing her fury through a dirty slap on Jake's smooth face. In that same instant, her palms formed a print on his face . 

"Aaah! " Jake let out a scream and bolted out of the room. 

" You will pay for this!!!" His voice traveled through the hallway. 

Almost at the same time, Annabelle heard footsteps. 

Who was it this time? 

"Annabelle!!! " Ms Eleanor's voice thundered.