Ch 2: He is...

The car stops in front of a large, Italian styled mansion. Scarlett stares at the place, quite impressed by its asymmetric massing of the towers which are standing high, looking elegant. The garden is luscious with exotic flowers and a marbled pavement is snaking towards the front door which is made of posh mahogany wood.

“This way,” the driver respectfully tells her. Scarlett hesitates but follows him into the mansion. 

She’s led to a beautiful hallway which is illuminated with golden lights. A staircase spirals its way from the upper floors to the lower one while a magnificent fountain is placed in the middle of it. The walls are painted in light silver color and there are matching furniture sets around her. Scarlett has been to many mansions but this one has a warm touch to it as if the owner has intricately detailed them on his own.

Before she can marvel at the beauty, she hears a pair of footsteps approaching. To her surprise, a girl of around eighteen is ascending the stairs. She has long dark hair which is tied into a ponytail and her eyes are dark hazel. The girl has snowy skin with a cute demeanor which gives her an angelic look but Scarlett can feel a strong charisma oozing from the teenager.

She’s wearing a high school uniform and is on her way to school. The girl pauses and glances at Scarlett.

“You must be Scarlett,” the girl says. She has a slight southern accent. 

“Who are you?” Scarlett asks.

“Katerina Rochester,” the girl reveals. 

“Rochester…”

Realization dawns on Scarlett and she realizes where she is. This is the Rochester mansion!

Tap! Tap!

Another pair of footsteps climb down the stairs. Scarlett slowly looks up only for her breath to stop.

Standing in front of her is the most handsome man she has ever seen. He’s a foot taller than her but his muscular build makes him look even larger. His hazel eyes are looking at her with interest, his lips curled into a smile. The man is in his late twenties with a sharp, manly look. His hair is flaming red and his aura intimidating. But he’s staring at her as if he can look directly into her soul, something which starts to make Scarlett fidget.

She knows who he is. After all, he’s the most fearsome man in the country, rivaling the Hawkins family. Outwardly, he’s a businessman but Scarlett knows who he truly is.

After all, they had met long ago and not under the best circumstances either.

“Ryder Rochester,” she whispers. “The country’s top mafia.”

“I see you remember me,” he grins. He elegantly walks down the last steps and approaches her. “I thought the great Scarlett D’arcy never even looked my way!”

Scarlett is defensive. She knows that he’s her enemy. They’ve been business rivals for a long time and they ran in the same circles. Ryder saw her a few times at business meetings or at parties but unbeknownst to him, Scarlett remembers him for a different reason. The memory of it makes her cringe. If only she had not saved him that day!

But he doesn’t know that and she prefers it that way.

“You’re the one who helped me in prison?” She demands. “Why? We’re rivals! Why did you help me?”

“I invested in you,” Ryder corrects her. Behind them, Katerina scoffs.

“Showing off too much, brother?” She says in a wary tone. “I’m off to school.”

She turns on her heels and leaves. Ryder waits for his sister to disappear before turning to his guest.

“What do you mean that you ‘invested in me’?” Scarlett scowls. “I was sent to prison because of you!”

Ryder doesn’t reply but simply stares at her in amusement.

“You attacked my stepfather, paralyzed my sister-in-law, and conspired with my step sister against me!” Scarlett accuses. “You were the one with Elle that night, right? Didn’t she approach you to get rid of me? But my stepfather and sister-in-law were in the car that night so you mistakenly attacked them! To save herself from the scandal, Elle staged the attack on herself! Those men who attacked her were from your gang!”

Scarlett may have been in prison but she made contacts there. The inmates knew who the men were and told her they belonged to the Rochester family.

“Those men were not from my gang and if they were, I wouldn’t have helped you,” Ryder points out, still smiling. “Besides, your step sister isn’t worth my time. She has no usefulness for me. She’s directly linked to Hector and is his mistress but has no information which will help me bring that family down.”

“How do you expect me to believe you?” She snaps. “The inmates told me-”

“You really think that the enemy of the Hawkins’ family will collude with their mistress?”

Scarlett hesitates.

“Those inmates were lying,” Ryder goes on. “Besides, I need you for my grand plans…”

He steps closer. Scarlett is a little scared and steps backwards until her back is up against a wall. Ryder slams his palms against the wall, caging her between his muscular arms. She can feel her heart beat fast, but his musky scent is addictive. Their faces are only inches apart and up close, he’s even more handsome. 

But beneath that handsome exterior, is a deadly man.

“You know their secrets,” he whispers. “You have access to their information and even if you’ve fallen, I know that you’re aware of all their activities. And now, both of us have a vendetta against them. So why should we remain rivals, little kitten?”

Kitten? A nerve twitches on Scarlett’s head.

“Don’t call me a kitten,” she grits. 

Their eyes are locked together, the intensity between them growing. Scarlett can feel that he’s inching closer and she’s ready to attack him if needed but he stops short.

“I can help you with your revenge,” he murmurs. His hand moves to slightly touch her cheek. Scarlett squirms but remains rooted to her spot, waiting for him to finish.

“If you can help me with mine,” he goes on. “We have a common enemy kitten. And I know how to get into that house. After all, I’ve acquired part of their properties including the Hawkins’ mansion. As part of the deal, I can live with them.”

“WHAT?” Scarlett exclaims. “How is this possible-”

“We entered into a mutual agreement,” Ryder simply says and releases her. He retreats towards a bar to pour himself a drink. Scarlett is trying to process the information.

The Hawkins mansion is partly owned by Ryder now? How is this possible?

“So let’s make a deal, shall we?” He offers. “If you want revenge, you’ll need to get into that mansion and only I can help you do so.”

“What are you proposing?” Scarlett slowly asks.

Ryder points at a document on a coffee table. Scarlett picks it up and gapes.

“A-A marriage contract?” She yelps. “ARE YOU INSANE?”

She can’t believe it. He’s proposing a marriage contract? That too for one year?

“I need to get married as soon as possible but I don’t want it to be a long term thing,” Ryder shrugs. “You see, I love my freedom. But certain circumstances are forcing me to consider marriage for a while. You’re the perfect candidate. You need revenge on the Hawkins and there’s no chance of us falling in love. Think of it as a mutually beneficial contract-”

Scarlett balls up the document and throws it at him. Ryder is unaffected by it but she’s furious.

“I am Scarlett D’arcy!” she snaps. “I don’t need you to take my revenge on the Hawkins family! I can do it myself!”

Ryder is amused by her feisty nature but Scarlett isn’t joking. She will take down the Hawkins by all means.

With that, she storms off. Once she’s gone, Ryder can only sigh.

“She’s gonna eat her words,” he predicts. He picks up the marriage document and smoothens it. 

“I’m gonna need a new contract,” he mumbles.

…

Scarlett storms out of the mansion, feeling furious. Did he take her as a cheap woman? 

“I’ll throttle his throat the next time I see him!” She curses out loud. “F*CK!”