CHAPTER 5

SCARLET

I woke up the next morning feeling odd. Not bad or dejected as I had been last night. But odd in a way that I knew things were changing.

With a sigh, I got out of bed and quickly freshened up, getting ready for the day. 

As soon as I left the room, the first place my eyes wandered to was the master’s bedroom. Julian’s room.

I’d known this marriage was a sham all along, but I didn’t think we’d stay in separate rooms. Of course, this was only expected. Since it was all a ploy.

“Maybe I should make breakfast…” I mumbled to myself.

It hadn’t been up to two days, but this was the best I had ever lived in my life. No shared space with my stepmother and stepsister, who never hesitated to make me feel like I was a waste of space.

Nothing of that sort. 

I was left to my own devices here. With a small sigh, I made my way to the kitchen, only to find the maid there already working on breakfast. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.

“Good day, my lady.” She bowed a little.

I returned the smile. “Hello there. Mind if I help out?”

The blood in her face instantly drained. She tried to shake her head and refuse, but I was already washing my hands before she could say anything else.

Despite her protests, I worked with her in getting the breakfast ready. By the time we were rounding up, the sound of footsteps echoed from Julian’s room.

He was awake.

The maid was already laying out the food when he finally made his appearance. 

His face looked…oddly perfect for someone that just got out of bed. And his bed head was nonexistent. Looking at him now, it was hard to deny how attractive he was.

His masculinity oozed out enough sexiness that made it hard to resist him. 

“What’s going on?”

The illusion in my head shattered at the irritated sound of his voice. The maid looked scared for her life, her body already trembling.

I quickly chipped in. “Oh, I—I just decided to help out with breakfast.”

His gaze lingered over the food spread on the table. When his eyes finally turned back to me, the irritation was undeniable.

“That’s not your job, and it certainly shouldn’t be any of your concern.”

Everything else I was going to say died in my throat. I slowly nodded, a piercing pain hitting my chest repeatedly. It wasn’t like I had expected any kindness from him, but his words still stung nonetheless.

His gaze turned to the maid. “Give us a moment.”

She nodded her head and disappeared into one of the rooms. As soon as she was out of earshot, Julian focused on me once again.

“I’ve decided on what we’re going to do.”

I blinked. “About what?”

“My mother.” He paused, eyeing me carefully. “And your family, of course.”

Right…

It was always about that at the end of the day. Nothing else mattered.

“I know what my mother wants, and that’s absolute power. In due time, she’ll make this marriage out to be a scandal. The backlash will be heavy, and I will get voted out of my own company as a result of that.”

My frown came unbidden. It was hard to wrap my head around why a mother could hate her own son as much as she did. 

His face was emotionless as it always was, making it harder to even understand how he was truly feeling about it.

“We’ve already decided on this alliance. What we’re going to start with is making her think she’s winning.”

I folded my arms, letting his words sink in. “And then what?”

“We destroy her plans together.” He answered simply. “That’s all that would follow.”

It was hard not to fix him with a hard look. It sounded plausible, but once again, I really didn’t see how it would benefit me.

“And what’s the plan for my step-sister?”

Julian leaned his weight on one of the chairs. “We’ll make sure both she and her mother are caught in the backlash. None of them gets spared.”

His eyes remained stuck on me, and for the first time that day, I felt uncomfortable. He always had that effect on him.

And it wasn’t just because he was so beautiful.

His gaze alone could instantly unearth you wherever you stood. No wonder he could be so intimidating without muttering so much as a word.

“Any objections?”

I paused, the words stirring in my throat. His eyes remained expectant, almost impatient, as he watched me.

“Yes,” I started. “The money for my father’s treatment.”

Seconds of silence passed between us. Then he let out an unexpected laugh. It was dry, devoid of any humor whatsoever. 

When he finally stopped, the amusement in his eyes was gone. Replaced by something else I couldn’t quite explain.

“You’ll get your money. I know that’s all there is to you.”

I nodded, ignoring the searing sting of his words. That was one thing that would always remain. The harshness with which he said how he truly felt about things.

The sound of his ringtone cut through the thick tension in the room. He turned away from me to answer it.

“Yeah, come in.”

I stared eagerly as he turned back to me. 

Who could the other person on the line be? 

Just as soon as those words had passed my lips, there was a knock on the door.

Wordlessly, Julian made his way there. There was a bit of an exchange between him and the person. It sounded like a man…

“Over here.”

I froze when the visitor entered. He had a tall frame, nearly reaching Julian’s height. Dirty blonde hair and enough confidence to fill a room. That, and he had a briefcase with him.

“This is Cameron,” Julian gestured at the man. “My best friend and lawyer. I had him forge a formal agreement for the alliance. To avoid any…discrepancies moving forward.”

A weight tightened around my chest. 

Right…

This was in both our interests. It was better to be safe than sorry. Cameron held out a hand, which I warmly accepted.

“Please go through this, and make it clear that you understand all the stipulations of this agreement.”

He handed me a fine print document, and then placed a pen beside it. I took my seat, pushing aside the plate of breakfast I was no longer hungry for.

My eyes read through each line of the document for anything I would have otherwise missed. It took a while, but I eventually finished up with the whole thing.

One year. That was how long we had to keep up this alliance. I would play the part of a perfect wife, and he would make sure all my finances were handled.

In return, my loyalty and unending obedience were his. 

It sounded like the worst mistake I could make. But I was tired. Tired of all the hurt and betrayal I had faced by the two people I had sacrificed so much for. Tired of being used as a pawn by a woman I had never even wronged.

If this was the only way I could gain retribution…

I reached for the pen and drew out my signature. The ink was dry and the agreement finalized.

“Good job.”

Julian’s eyes finally glinted, and once again, I was reminded of why people had referred to him as a monster.

I was starting to wonder if I had made the right decision.