Chapter 5

Stella's POV

I considered it.

That was the lowest blow to my pride yet. I considered following a man who was my stepson, regardless of age, to his bedroom.

"I'm going to say this one last time, after which I will be screaming my head off. Get. Lost."

He sighed heavily before pulling his palm off the wall. "I see."

I turned back to the door, then down the hall, dread washing over me.

"The way I see it, you have three options. Follow me. Stand here like a moron." His hand shifted to point back in the direction he'd come from. "Or go back to the lion's den."

My arm ached from how hard it pulled at the doorknob, and Anya's voice echoing down the hall completely removed the last option. "Fine."

"I knew you'd agree. Come on."

He turned, walking in front of me without glancing back to see if I was even following.

Till now, I wasn't sure what to think of him.

I'd thought his whole personality was being childishly persistent, but the way everyone had stared when he'd gotten between me and Anya, and even his father, this man already controlled everyone in this house.

Which made him untouchable. If I was by his side, I would have been as well.

"Alright, you can get settled. I'll be back in a few minutes. I just have to deal with something first." He shoved open a tall hardwood door.

The room inside was about the same size as his father's. Only everything, from the curtains to the carpets, was grey.

"Do you have a problem with color?"

His face, which I didn't know had blended into a frown, went right back to normal, a smile blooming on it. "If you want something different, I can change it."

My cheeks flushed slightly. "Why would you change your room because of me?"

I covered my embarrassment with a pointed cough at the end of my words.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket before crashing onto the bed. "What's your favourite color?"

I tried to form a full sentence, but my eyes couldn't tear away from his stomach.

His shirt had ridden up, revealing his lower abs and toned stomach.

His eyes finally trailed mine, and he noticed where my eyes were fixed. "And here I was thinking you weren't interested."

"I'm not." My teeth clenched. "There's nothing about you that even remotely interests me."

"Yet here you are, standing in my bedroom." His smirk widened.

"I'm only here because your father thought it was a good idea to abandon his bride on the day of her wedding. I'm sure you must be just as much of a gentleman as he is." I huffed, stepping off the cold tiles onto the carpet.

"I could call him and let him know just how eager you are to spend tonight with him. But you and I know you couldn't possibly want to share a bed with him."

"You know nothing about me, Eli. Absolutely nothing."

"I know that you don't want to sleep with my father." He said, suddenly serious. "You looked just about ready to stab him this afternoon at the altar. So why? Why give your life for a man who'll suck you dry and leave you with nothing?"

My feet shuffled beneath me, caught completely off guard by the sudden gravity of our conversation.

His voice didn't come off as accusing like most had. It was more of a genuine curiosity of someone who would never understand.

"My parents."

His eyebrow shot up, his body leaning forward. "Your parents?"

I hummed, tracing my finger above the large bronze dresser next to the door to avoid looking at him.

"Well, now you're going to have to give me a little more than that. You married him because of them?"

"More like I was sold to your father by them. It's a long story." My throat closed up.

The memory wasn't exactly pretty. My mother had come in first, weaving around the topic but bringing it up subtly while asking me questions.

What did I think of marriage, my duty to my family, and whether I was courting someone. The usual questions parents asked their children before selling them off.

A sharp knock behind me made me flinch.

Anya's voice carried in right after, sharp and cold. "Eli! I know you're in there. Dinner's ready."

I gasped audibly, the sound swallowed by his palm crashing against my face. Then he pressed a finger to his lips.

"Is someone in there with you? Did that slut follow you to your bedroom?" she demanded, probably after she heard my gasp.

"That's my stepmom you're talking about."

"I'll head back down. There's a surprise waiting for you there." She retreated.

The lack of Anya's presence made me dangerously aware of my position.

My back was pressed against the wall, and Eli was right on top of me.