Chapter Four

I felt the blood drain out of my face. I turned to him fully. “How do you know my name?”

“I should, technically, since you’re applying for a position that serves me. But that’s not how. You don’t mean to tell me that I’m the only one who remembers our history?”

I glared at him, blinking when I my eyes started getting heavy.

“After feeling so helpless the night my life changed forever, I made it a point to work hard, so I’d never be so defenceless again, so of course I’d know everything about you, about your family, your friends, where you live. Therefore, tell me, that you’re aware every decision in your life has led you to this point, that you remember our foundation, especially… with this reminder.”

His eyes lowered and I followed his gaze to my arm. I slapped his hand away from my face. Losing control, the tears started slipping. “You destroyed my peace and my entire life! Isn’t that enough for you?”

“I didn’t force you here. This is the only surprise, seeing you today. Don’t you think it’s a sign?” he continued taunting me.

“There’s no sign. The only thing I see is that you still hate me, for whatever reason. And I don’t care because I hate you with the same fervour. So, what’s best is for you to let me get the hell out of here, and then we never see each other again.”

My chest was heaving up and down when I was done, but it didn’t seem like he heard a thing I said. He still had a bemused look on his face, as if I had been speaking rubbish.

“Picture this Daniela. You spend your entire life thinking of how you can take revenge on your enemy, and one day, they suddenly appear in front of you, on a silver platter. Are you really, going to let them go?”

I shook my head hating myself for not being able to hold back the tears. “I am not your enemy. Just let me go.”

He shook his head slowly. “I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

“You hate me. You said so yourself, so what could you possibly want with me?”

“What I want first, is for you to understand that you really should not make me repeat myself.” The amusement was gone from his face now. “Sit. Down.”

I stepped away from him and my own knees betrayed me, making me fall into the chair in front of his desk.

“Good.” He walked around the desk and sat as well, leaning over to my side. “Second, you’re going to help me.”

“How?”

“You will be the perfect loophole for me to escape an obligation.”

I looked at him incredulously and wiped the tears off my face. “What makes you think I would help you?”

“You will, Stevens,” he said plainly. “You have no choice.”

“I always have a choice,” I bit back.

And yet you never speak up when it comes to Justin.

I lifted my chin up, pushing the thoughts away. Those sentiments weren’t needed now.

“Let’s see. You never finding a decent job, your aunt’s restaurant closing down… is that your choice?”

I clenched my fists yet again, knowing he was indeed capable of doing all that, and it aggravated me so much that I didn’t stand a chance wherever he was concerned.

“I get to choose not to help you. My aunt and I can get through anything. So yes, it’s a choice.” I was saying these things, but I didn’t believe them the slightest.

“No, it’s not. Becoming homeless is simply the consequence of your stupidity. So, you’re going to free me from having to marry someone.”

I blinked. I blinked again. “How can I do anything to stop that?”

He smiled, a genuine smile this time, and it threw me off completely. How could he look so innocent and have this mindset at the same time? “Put the pieces together. A married man, cannot legally have another wife.”

I narrowed my eyes.

No.

He couldn’t possibly be thinking of-

But I looked at him, and the answer was clear. He wanted me to marry him.

I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “You don’t mean…you can’t expect me to-”

“You’re going to be my wife. That’s that. No questions. This is what you’re going to do, for me.”

“I’m not…” I couldn’t even find the words. “I can’t.”

“So, you’re going to be selfish?” he asked, in a very relaxed tone, as if he wasn’t talking about something as serious as marriage. “And let Bertha suffer, because of your irrelevant desires?”

I couldn’t even digest the fact that he mentioned my aunt’s name, as my mind was in a frenzy. It didn’t make sense. He clearly wanted revenge, so why would he ask me to marry him? “Why would you want me to do that? How is me being your wife a good thing for you?”

The smirk came again. “The standards… I’ll have a partner for official matters. I get an heir. And then the perks… I have a gym at home for releasing pent up energy and frustrations, but now, I’ll have you.”

My brain almost exploded. “You’re going to use me as a physical punching bag?”

He couldn’t be serious.

He raised a brow. “Not exactly, but I love your imagination. You get to be my toy, Daniela. Your father felt he could dictate whether my parents lived or died. I now dictate the rest of your entire life. How’s the balance to you?”

My lips trembled. “You’re a monster.”

“No. You got it wrong. You should be saying this in the cemetery, in front a tombstone that reads ‘Gabriel Stevens’. He’s the real monster in our story. He made me this way, and you have to play your part too, Daniela.”

“You can’t do this,” I whispered, my nails digging into my palms as a lump formed in my throat. “You shouldn’t be able to do this!”

“I could say the same about your father. He shouldn’t be able to commit such a crime and get away with it,” he spat through his teeth. “But he did. I’ve learned the ropes, and I’ll get away with this too. So fine, let’s call them choices. Both leave you with no option but to suffer, but there’s always the lesser evil. I’m being generous, giving you an opportunity your father denied my family: choose.”

My heart dropped to my toes in defeat.

I hadn’t been an easy teenager to look after. With all the baggage I carried, I probably nearly pushed my aunt into depression with my constant screaming in the middle of the night, my panic attacks and odd behaviour. But she stayed with me through it all, and never made me feel like I was a bother even when I knew I was. She was the best thing that could ever happen to me after losing both parents tragically, and I let her know that every blessed day.

It didn’t matter what happened to me anymore. I was used to the misfortune that was my life, so it didn’t matter that I would sacrifice everything just so she’d be safe. She had done that, countless times for me. It was only fair that I reciprocate.

“I have a boyfriend,” I admitted, playing with my nails as a distraction from the turmoil growing inside me.

“I’m sorry?”

“If we’re supposed to be married, the timeline wouldn’t make sense.” I looked up at him. There was still no change in his expression. I desperately wanted to rip that arrogant look off his face.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. How many people know about this thing?”

I hated the condescending way he spoke about my relationship. And I knew I couldn’t be annoyed, because my situation with Justin was nothing to be proud of. “My friends.”

“How many?”

“Two,” I admitted. One actually, I couldn’t count Charlene as a friend anymore.

Even that didn’t earn a reaction from him. “Bertha?”

I lowered my head in shame and shook my head. I hadn’t been able to tell her that I had gotten back with him after he cheated on me for the first time. “She doesn’t know.”

“So, like a said, there’s no problem. We have a deal then.”

Still not looking at him, I nodded.

“Say it out, Stevens. I want to hear it from your mouth.”

I lifted my eyes to him in a challenge. He had won alright, but this wasn’t the end. “We have a deal. I’ll be your wife, Alexander.”