CHAPTER TWO

Vanessa paced up and down her mother's hospital room going through what transpired in the restaurant the day before.

The man, she later got to find out was Adrian Knight wants to marry her.

That's just absurd, right?

It must be a joke

A prank perhaps 

Whatever, she was here to take care of her ailing mother and not let the words of a sociopath disturb her, a handsome sociopath with his beautiful grey eyes and luscious lips

“No” she snapped,shaking her head to dismiss such thoughts away.

“Vanny!” she heard her name being called out and turned to see her father rushing towards her.

He enveloped her in a hug and they stayed like that for a minute.

She really needed it.

“I didn't find you when I got home, I was scared that something had happened “ her father said looking her through 

“I came here straight from the restaurant… I wanted to spend the night with mom, it was just all too much for me” vee said, looking over at her mother, machines of all kinds plugged into her.

Her mother was slowly dying by the day and the pictures of her father on his knees flashing before her eyes throughout the night didn't help her at all.

She looked back at her father and He looked like hell, his eyes still bloodshot and heavy eye bags beneath his eyes.

He looked so tired and sad.

“Mr Knight's secretary called me this morning and explained the terms of the …” he said and paused, not being able to continue 

“What terms?” She asked prompting her father to continue.

“The terms of the marriage” he said finally and stared at her.

“I don't want to hear it” she said shaking her head, pulling away from him and shifting to the far end of the room 

“ this is going to benefit us all” he said after her 

“I can’t do it “

“It's only for a year vanny and he's giving me the choice of paying back a particular percentage per year for as long as possible until the debt is paid up and he will pay for your mother's surgery as well”

“ I can't “ she repeated, replaying the scene from yesterday in her head.

“Look at your mother, Vanessa look at her, she's dying and I have tried my possible best to help her and I don't know what to do anymore… the restaurants are closing up. I owe so many people and he is offering us a way out”

Mr Davis cried pointing at the shell of a woman her mother has become

“how do you expect me to marry someone I don't know, he has the worst personality on earth… did you see how condescending he was, I can't dad, I can't do it, not after what he did to you!” she replied turning away from both her parents and exiting the ward, out of the hospital

She didn't need to hear any more of it

There was no way on earth she was going to marry him.

He was a monster

A narcissistic arrogant sociopath.

She had always dreamt of marrying someone sweet and kind and head over heels in love with her, not Mr arrogant and condescending.

She walked faster increasing her pace , she needed to clear her head.

As soon as she stepped outside the hospital, she was met with dozens of journalists and reporters taking pictures of her and throwing questions at her.

Are you really engaged to Mr knight?

How long have you been dating him?

Are you only after his money?

Will your wedding be this year?

How did you two meet?

Do you consider yourself a gold digger?

How were you able to get him to marry you?

The questions were crazy and they rushed after her as she made her way through the parking lot, trying her best to shield her face from the pictures being taken of her, before she finally entered her car and zoomed off.

 Her heart was beating so fast

 What was that all about?

Her phone rang beside her, giving her a scare for a second.

“Hello?”

“Vanessa oh my goodness, you are going to kill me one day, I almost had a panic attack, where have you been?” her sister Sarah asked from the other end. Worry evident in her voice.

“I was in the hospital with mom!”

“There's a problem vanny… you are viral, I mean like viral viral, the whole marriage thing with Mr knight,from yesterday plus the leaked news about his team making a statement this morning and now the media, they are calling it the wedding of the century and also dad has been looking everywhere for you…. Our restaurant is a total chaos, we haven't had this much people in a very long time” she said all at once before stopping to catch her breath.

“I don't understand?... What are you talking about Sarah?” She asked again, she could feel her long gone migraines coming back. 

She hardly had any rest last night and now this

What is actually going on??

“You haven't been online have you?”

“I left my phone in my car”

“Okay, so after the videos of his outburst last night went viral, coupled with the statement posted this morning by a blog claiming to have confirmed with Mr knight that he is infact getting married to you, it has just been insane ever since… I mean there are like a thousand people here right now waiting to meet you, I really advice you stay at home today… no, don't go home they will be there as well. Just disappear for the moment until everything cools off okayyy?” 

“Okayyyyy!” She said still confused but Sarah ended the call anyways.

***********

Vanessa stood in front of the KNIGHTS GROUP OF companies.

 she couldn't go in, she just watched the inflow of people, no one seemed to notice her.

She just stood there, heart beating fast, hands trembling, bile rising to the back of her throat.

After the call with her sister, she just drove and drove and drove and she found herself her.

She had so many questions to ask him, but she was scared of him, but then she needed to know.

Why all this ?

All of a sudden?

He just wants to get married, just like that and to someone he knows nothing about ?

And what was dad saying about “it's just for a year?

So many questions, she finally mustered up courage and went in.

She needs to know and she needs to know now!

She sat in Mr Adrian's office, after waiting in his reception for like half an hour and explaining her purpose of visiting to over a hundred people before she was cleared.

She sat in silence across from Adrian.

He didn't even notice her presence, and proceeded with what he was doing.

Her hands trembled and she held them together to stop the trembling.

She didn't know what to do now that she was seated in his office.

She thought of what to say but she came up blank.

Adrian studied the lady seating before him.

She had on the clothes from the day before and she was visibly trembling and looking at every other corner of the room except at him.

She seemed afraid.

That's good, it's best to keep them scared,then they do not cross their line.

“Have you gone through the contact sent to your father?” He asked finally, and she gave a little jump when she heard his voice, turning her full attention to him.

“No I haven't !” She replied after a brief silence”

“And why is that?” He asked and was met with silence.

He began to feel irritated.

“I just w-wanted to know why you chose me out of the blues” she asked 

“there’s nothing special about you trust me… I need to inherit this company and my father will trust me more as a family man, plus you look innocent enough to fool my mother, she loves poor, pitiful people like you “ he said

And also teach my brother a lesson or two he said to himself

“And if I refuse?” She asked in a tiny voice

“You have no choice, your father owes this company a lot of money and I do not play with my money, not when I'm on the verge of inheriting this company… you Either choose this deal or you face the consequences of being in in my black list and trust me, you do not want to see the bad side of me”

Vanessa studied the man standing across from her, the dominating aura around him so strong, she felt so small.

Poor pitiful people

He called them poor pitiful people and yet he wants to marry her.

How can she marry him, when she can't even formulate words properly to say to him.

And now he is talking about his bad side

So all along, what she had been experiencing was his good side?

His physique, his aura and everything about him scared her off her wits.

He felt so dark and so dangerous.

How can she live with someone like him.

He went over to the cabinet at the end of his office and poured himself a drink.

“My father said it's only for a year, I get to be married to you for only a year and you pay off my mom's medical bills and lay off my father for the mean time?”

“We get married for a year, a pretend marriage, I get what I want and you get what you want, then we part ways and you will be heavily compensated for your time” he said before downing the liquid in his glass. 

The doors to his office opened suddenly and in came a tall, extremely beautiful lady.

She was drop dead gorgeous

“Hey Handsome” she called out to him in a slurr, still standing by the door 

“The documents will be sent to your father for you to sign, other details will be convened to you there after is that clear? “ he asked

“But i-”

“I said, is that clear?” He asked again leaning towards her. Anger evident in his eyes.

She immediately responded with a nod.

He then went o

ver to his chair and picked up his suit jacket, and headed for the door. 

The beautiful lady planting a kiss on his lips before they both left the office leaving Vanessa alone horrified.