CHAPTER FOUR

SCARLETT'S POV.

The sound of the knife hitting the floor echoed throughout the room, and next came the loud gasp from the old housekeeper.

I fell lifeless back onto the bed and then the horror of what I'd just been about to do dawned on me.

I had just been on the verge of stabbing myself because of this man. What the hell had come over me?

I felt disappointed in myself as I thought about how everything I'd worked for in life would have all gone to waste if I hadn't stopped myself. Not only that, Dad and Mum would have been disappointed in me too if they found out that I'd given up just like that.

I mean, there was still my dream of finishing college and then going to law school. Then there was my small cake business that had recently started blowing up, and there was Kevin. I couldn't take my life until I was certain that he was actually dead. And for some reason I just had faith in him still being life.

All in all, what I'm saying is it was very unlike me. Suicide? Hell no.

I was a survivor. I'd been told that since I was a kid by my parents and people around me. I couldn't let them all down by taking my life.

Luca's loud chuckle suddenly shook me out of my thoughts and I glared at him with hatred burning in my eyes.

"Why did you stop?" He rose a mocking eyebrow. "Lemme guess, you have big dreams that you don't want to give up on? You wanted to end your life because of your boyfriend right, silly girl?"

"You're a freak," I spat at him, feeling my body shake with the hatred I felt towards him. "You won't get away with this, I promise you."

"Oh, no Princess," he tsked. "I have already gotten away with it, you just don't wanna accept that." He turned towards the housekeeper and motioned for her to grab me and she did.

The woman was way older than me and definitely weaker, but in that moment I had zero energy left in me to fight back, so I just stayed silent as she tied my wrists back to the headboard. Thankfully it wasn't too tight this time.

"Make sure she eats something before her parents arrive," Luca said to her, placing his hands in his pocket and getting ready to leave. When he reached the door, he turned back and added, "and before I forget, make sure to get her into the dress. I want her down as fast as possible."

"The dress?" I questioned, confused. "What dress is he talking about?" I directed the question to the housekeeper when Luca left us.

The woman smiled at me like she hadn't just witnessed her boss act like a narcissistic asshole. Like his behaviour was perfectly fine. "It's your wedding dress, dear. I'm guessing he wants to speed up the process."

"What?" I yelled. "Why would I need a wedding dress? That is not how marriage works, how can I marry him so quickly?"

"I don't know my dear, that's how the big boss is," she looked kind of sorry as she said this. "He's a hard-headed man and when you piss him off, there's no limit to the things he can do."

Her words sent shivers down my spine and I realised that I must've indeed pissed Luca Nicholas off for him to be acting this way.

I felt pathetic. I couldn't bring myself to commit suicide and I also couldn't bear to imagine the kind of life that I was about to start living. A voice inside still kept telling me that this was not the end, and I was going to find a way out of this eventually, but as I thought back to Luca's harsh personality and actions, the voice kept getting smaller and smaller until it finally varnished and left me hopeless.

A few minutes later when I'd finally begrudgingly decided to eat the fruits, a bulky man came into the room and locked the door behind him. I was confused with why he was just standing there until I thought about all my attempts to escape and I understood why he was here.

Luca had sent him here to make sure I didn't try anything funny again. The truth was, I didn't even need anybody to watch over me at that moment, I literally had no more power in me to fight. He'd finally rendered me weak and hopeless and with the way things were looking, I didn't see myself ever getting back strong on my feet again.

"I'll go get the dress," the housekeeper said before getting up and making her way out of the room, leaving me in awkward silence with the bulky man.

Two minutes later she arrived with a plain white dress in her arms and dumped it on the bed, beside me.

"You need to get dressed quickly, dear."

I eyed the material, thinking about all the reasons why the situation was just wrong. I wanted to object and act stubborn but then I couldn't muster up the strength so I just let it be.

"I'm not changing while he's here though," I pointed towards the bulky man who had the most serious expression on his face, and the woman gestured for him to leave.

And so, ten minutes later I was dressed in the white dress with a white bow that the housekeeper whose name I'd found out to be Grace, had practically forced on my head. According to her it made me look less grumpy than I was.

I stared back at my reflection in the mirror and I felt nauseated. I looked like a train wreck. Who would've thought that I'd ever look like this on my wedding day?

My eyes were puffy from all the tears I'd shed and there was an ugly bruise on my forehead that I'd gotten when Luca's men had tripped me earlier. On the overall, I looked nothing like a bride.

"Fix up your expression and you'd be perfect," Grace whispered to my ear and hooked her arms around mine. Then she called out to the bulky man to come in and he wasted no time in coming over and grabbing me harshly.

"What is your problem, man? At least be gentle," I frowned, feeling the sting his palms left on my already sore wrists. Thankfully he softened his hold and pulled me out of the room, taking me down the extravagant looking stairs until we got to the living room.

I gasped when I saw my parents both seated on individual chairs, looking uncomfortable and scared as bulky men in black stood beside them.

"Mum, Dad are you alright?" I called, wanting to go over and hug them but the man stopped me from moving.

Dad let out a weak smile as he looked at me, seeming utterly embarassed and disappointed in himself. "Scarlett, I'm so so sorry my dear. I'm so sorry that they had to do this to you while we did nothing about it."

My heart crunched as I took in the tears in Mom's eyes as she stared at me. "No, Dad. You people did your best. You don't have to feel bad about anything, okay? We're a family and I understand that this wasn't your intention for me. The real culprit is that bastard..."

The room went dead silent and I immediately knew that Luca had entered the room. I turned around, to see his annoying face and to my surprise he'd really cleaned up nicely.

He was dressed in an expensive looking charcoal coloured suit and his wavy hair was styled to perfection, making him look like one of those models I used to like seeing in magazines. But despite how good looking he was it didn't change the fact that he was a literal piece of shit and an overall evil human being.

As usual he had this dark and cold expression on his face as he stared at me, and I reciprocated the energy with even more fire.

"Normally I'd want to take you on because of what you said, but right now," he paused, taking a look at his expensive looking wristwatch. "We have more important things to do."

"The lawyer says he would be here soon, so get yourself prepared everyone," he said like he was announcing something that everyone had been waiting for. He even had the nerve to clap his hands like he was excited.

"You're a psycho, Luca," I said through gritted teeth. "Honestly, what you need isn't a wife right now but a therapist. You're twisted and completely sick in the head," I made my voice so serious, hoping to convey how much I meant my words but Luca didn't even mind.

He was smirking instead. "Come on now, you shouldn't be saying that just a few minutes to becoming my wife, little girl. And you know I'm only being nice to you guys because I have a..." His phone started ringing in his pocket and he held his hand up as if telling everyone to shut up."

"Oh yes, he'll let you in," he said into the phone before hitting the end button and stuffing the phone back into his pocket.

"So, the lawyer is here," he jammed his hands together with a sick smirk on his face. "Now the fun can start. Bring him in boys," he snapped his fingers and to say I was shocked with who I saw next was an understatement.