Bryce’s Offer

RANLEIGH

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I shouted in horror after hearing Bryce talk about something horrifying. Well, truthfully, I didn’t expect that he would actually consider his old man’s nerve-racking suggestion. He even planned to take it in action and I couldn’t help but complain.

Like hell! It even gave me goosebumps.

Isn’t it scary to hear from someone from a noble household to offer a marriage to a commoner? And Bryce, this fuckard, was indifferent while saying that.

Bryce just offered a marriage like he is just inviting someone over for dinner. Well, I understand that he was offering a marriage out of convenience but we just met and I am just another normal citizen of this country. What could I possibly do to help him with his ex? That’s why I couldn’t help but shout at him to wake him up from his delusions.

Anyway, who would want to marry a man who continually harassed his bride’s family the past few months anyway, right?! Who was insane enough to do that?

I took a deep breath and looked at Bryce’s cold eyes. “Offer that damn marriage to someone who’s insane enough to marry a man like yourself. I have problems of my own and have tons of it, and adding you to it would wear me out. So… no. I won’t marry you, Mr. Vergara,” I rejected.

I knew Bryce’s ex-fiancée. I heard about how awful her character was from the rumors that had been circulating among the employees where I was working at and I witnessed it myself when I attended a party on behalf of my boss. Every girl who tries to seduce Bryce Vergara will suffer from her wrath.

Acting as Bryce's bride-to-be had its disadvantages and one of those is facing Bryce’s awful ex. Not that I won’t be able to handle her, but imagining that I had to deal with Bryce with his awful temperance and his ex who is just downright awful with her superiority complex is somehow tiring so, no thanks. I will never accept it over my damn dead body. I will not sacrifice my mental health over a damn penny. Moreover, I won’t lie in front of the media. The consequences of doing so are just bothersome.

“Why?!” Bryce asked angrily. “I have money, and looks, and I am damn good in bed. Many ladies would beg me to fuck them. What could be the reason why you wouldn’t want me as your husband, Ranleigh? I am a good catch. You wouldn’t find a man better than me!”

I sighed, a bit annoyed at Bryce's useless persistence. “That’s exactly why, Mr. Vergara,” I said, trying to point out Bryce’s arrogance. “Please leave immediately so you can rest and we can make some ‘decent’ money and pay back the money we owe you as soon as possible. It seems that you’re tired of traveling from wherever the fuck you came from to our cramped apartment that you started spouting nonsense.”

Bryce smirked as he walked nearer to me. He held my chin using his left hand and caressed my cheeks using his right hand. His every touch against my skin felt like I was being electrocuted. “I ain’t giving you a choice, woman,” he declared. “Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to follow whatever I commanded you to do,” he added.

I clenched my jaws. “This is my life. I have the right to decline,” I declared before taking a deep breath and sighing. I look directly at Bryce’s piercing eyes. “Find someone more willing to pretend to be your little wife, Mr. Vergara, because I won’t do it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be me, does it?”

“The money your family owes us…”

I immediately interrupted what Bryce wanted to say. Damn! I am so fed up with people like him and I don't have the patience to listen to more of his nonsense anymore. “Just now… Are you trying to blackmail me?” I irritatedly asked.

“As what I am saying, you just have to pretend to be my bride-to-be and your debt will be paid together with its interests,” Bryce continued.

I stopped for a few moments after my father grabbed my hand and squeezed it a bit while his eyes were begging—telling me to accept the offer.

I knew—we knew that we couldn’t possibly pay our family’s debt based mainly on our family income. It would take us decades before we could pay it all. No matter how hard I work, I wouldn’t be able to pay our debt with its crazy and overwhelming interest. Paying our debt for decades also means that we have to starve ourselves for that range of time. And I couldn’t live any longer with this setup. If this continues, I might really lose my mind.

Bryce’s offer was the best choice for me and my family. It will also stop Bryce from coming over to our house and stop harassing my father. My younger siblings wouldn’t quiver at the thought that the loan sharks who they perceived as thugs would come and hit our father again.

By accepting the offer, we would be freed from my grandfather’s debt.

After acting as Bryce’s fiancee, we would be finally free from paying the debt that our grandfather left us to pay. It wasn’t a bad offer, to begin with, but my pride was the problem.

I looked at my father again. His eyes were begging me to agree with the setup.

I massaged my forehead in frustration. I looked at Bryce and gave off a wry amusement. Acting as his bride-to-be would also mean that I had to see Bryce’s face every single day.

One thing I will have to sacrifice after accepting the offer was my peace of mind. Once I start acting as Bryce’s fiancee, I will have to face the everyday chaos brought on by Bryce himself and his ex.

I closed her eyes and opened them again. Bryce was looking at me intensely. As if examining me, his eyes moved up and down, staring at my whole body. And when Bryce looked at my face, our eyes met. I felt her heart skip a beat.

It was always those cold blue eyes.

Bryce’s piercing blue eyes were undeniably dangerous. His eyes were cold that they could force someone into submission and they would never dare to look at it again. Yet, for me, his eyes were drawing me to stare at him again as if it was luring me into a trap that I couldn’t ever refuse.

I took a deep breath. “Promise me that if I ever want it to end, you’ll set me free and give me the freedom that I want,” I stated without batting an eye.

Bryce smiled before nodding. Yet, I saw how his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “That was very simple. It’s a deal then,” he said as he extended his hand.

I forced a smile before accepting Bryce’s hand. He stared at me and I did the same. But I was the first one to withdraw. I didn’t know why but those pairs of blue eyes were hypnotizing me and it’s drawing me in like a magnet. I am damn attracted to those pairs of eyes like how I was hypnotized that damn night. But the two people were different. I had to admit that Bryce’s eyes were beautiful.

Henry Vergara then cleared his throat. “Then, how about we discuss the prepositions for both parties at a restaurant? I know a restaurant near this area. Good food for a good talk,” Henry stated.

~°`°~°`°~°`°~°`°~°`°~°`°~

THIRD PERSON POV

Bryce and Ranleigh looked at Henry and nodded in agreement. Ranleigh hadn't eaten yet for the day. She was trying to save money by declining her office co-workers' invitations and eating at their homes instead.

Bryce was the first one to walk out of the apartment followed by Ranleigh. The rest of Bryce’s men followed their boss not too long after Bryce got out.

Meanwhile, Tommy Asmodeus, Ranleigh’s father, grabbed Henry’s hand. He squeezed it a bit before staring at Henry’s eyes. Henry is a cold-blooded man and Tommy knew about it. Yet, Tommy couldn’t just stand by knowing his daughter might be in danger. Tommy stared at Henry for a few moments. “Please take care of my daughter,” he pleaded.

Henry looked at Tommy and smirked, making Tommy gulp. “You don’t have to worry about her. I know my son, Mr. Asmodeus. Bryce might be an asshole but he couldn’t be worse than that. I raised him after all,” Henry said in assurance before giving Tommy a wink.

Tommy sighed. Henry’s words were meant to assure him that his daughter will be okay but hearing that Henry raised Bryce by himself didn’t stand well with him. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Tommy knew that Henry and Bryce were very much alike.

Henry looked at Tommy again before he added, “If you’re worried about your daughter, why did you beg her to marry my bastard son?”

“My father is the elephant in the room,” Tommy confessed. “As long as Leigh is here, my bastard father will fritter away and would resort to loan sharks whilst my daughter would be the one who would do all the work to pay for it.” He wiped the blood on his lips before chuckling humorlessly. “Believe it or not, this is for the best.”

“Your daughter might think you sold her off,” Henry stated.

“I just did.”

“But you said—”

Tommy immediately cut Henry off. “My reason as to why I begged her to do it doesn’t matter, does it? Your son offered an agreement about the debt and I persuaded her to do it. If it wasn’t selling her off, what could it be?”

“I didn’t know that you were this desperate, Tommy,” Henry smirked. “Then again it's her choice,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Henry turned his back before saying, “A piece of advice for the father of my daughter-in-law, stop finding a solution to someone’s problem. Cut that motherfucker off.”

Henry turned his head and looked at Tommy again. “After all, a stitch in time saves nine.”