CHAPTER 3: CONTROL

VINICIO POV

I knew striking a deal with this delicate young girl was a bad idea but she was fiery, as expected, as her father warned me two years back, in a party at her house, I guess she doesn’t recognize me. However, I was out of time and options; I needed to be able to access my inheritance and the family business but a wife was needed.

Teresa wouldn’t let me rest, I wondered why she hand-picked Laurabeth, when she hated the family.

That’s why she ensured Mr Voss was bankrupted before drawing my attention to him, and Laura, she's nothing but a child because who in the right mind seduces a man just to make sure the marriage is consummated on the wedding night, as seen in movies.

" I know what this is. You don’t need to deprive me of it." She snaps.

I was so scared of hurting her, but I did, her body ached by the last round and I needed to carry her to the bathroom myself, since she couldn’t walk. I never meant to take her, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be like that. For a while she made me see a woman, instead of a girl, and I gave in. 

As she laid to sleep by morning, I cleaned myself up, dressed in my work suit. I knew I couldn’t hold myself if she displayed that stunt again, so I had to leave. I avoided her for weeks, because I needed to be in control.

My working space was serene, the spotless glass ware always reminded me of the messy bed I had left behind that night, practically bathed in cum, and Laurabeth too.

I walked into my office, and as I sat, Alex followed immediately, given that he wasn’t present at the wedding, he took a seat opposite me. 

"Is everything on track? You look… stressed… and-"

"Where is Teresa?” I interrupted 

“Your sister said she’d be paying you a visit at home, where you should be…”

"Her family's a mess...and I still see a lot of mess in the future if we are not careful." I warned, flipping through our wedding contract document. There was no gain in marrying her, but Teresa offered her share of the company just to persuade me into this, with the lie about a rumour that I was gay. Which I later found out was false.

Alex huffed. "I too believe she's a risk…"

"I don't care what you think." I spatted. I tossed the document to him, even though he was my best friend, he didn’t know how I was feeling, how I had been spending the night in my office or a hotel, how I missed the comfort of my house.

"Then you should care about the charity event tonight and how Laura needs to attend, yes, I know… you haven’t been home since your wedding… actually your driver told me, but come on Vinicio.” He exhaled angrily. His words caught me by surprise, but it didn’t matter. 

“Laurabeth would be there, if you agree to tell my driver that any personal information of mine that he tells you again would get him fired.” I noticed him swallowing hard, because he knew I actually meant both of them would be laid off.

***

By the time I pulled into the driveway that evening, the estate felt like a graveyard. The silence was heavily unnatural. I stepped into the living room, my eyes impulsively scanning for a flash of her, but I only found the head maid, Mrs. Felicia, standing stiffly by the foyer.

"Welcome home, sir," she greeted, though her voice lacked its usual rhythm.

"Where is she?"

"In the bedroom, sir. She hasn't come out all day."

I gave a curt nod and trudged toward the stairs. As I approached our door, the faint, feeble sound of sobbing leaked through the wood and before I could even turn the handle, the distinct click of the lock echoed from the other side.

And her voice came thin but rash. “I have told you, I’m not hungry…”

"And why haven't you been eating?" I asked, my voice low, surprisingly. The news of her starving herself was new to me, but the thought of being cold was farther from my mind, and all I wanted was an answer.

“Vinicio…” As soon as she saw me, she scrambled out of the sheets and ran to embrace me like a frightened child. I could feel the panicky heat of her skin and the way her heart pounded against my chest. But this was enough, a little smile, spoken words. It meant she was fine.

“Get dressed,” I commanded, pulling back just for a final glance of her to make sure I was correct. “We have a party to attend in an hour. And please, Laurabeth... don't wear anything that’d…. draw attention.” I couldn’t handle another scene like the one at the cafeteria. She could be erratic, and I needed order tonight.

I moved to the mirror to undress, but I could feel her eyes on me, she stood still for a long while.

“Okay,” she finally muttered, drifting toward the bathroom while I waited. She looked pale, her movements sluggish, as though she were sick, I assumed she was still recovering from that night or maybe it was a ‘girl’s thing’; periods. Either way I had warned her.

When she returned, she was wearing a long black gown. It was more covered than I expected; I’d bought the clothes, but I didn’t think she’d actually wear them. She let her hair down, and as a man who appreciated the sharp lines of high fashion, I preferred it swept up, but I didn't have the energy to dictate her style tonight. I stopped asking questions when she sent the maids out with a sharp flick of her wrist. That was when I knew the silence in this house wasn't just quiet, something was wrong.