Chapter 4 The Woman He Chose

The hush that ensued seemed like the dead of night.

Lucy's eyes widened in a flash.

The blonde woman was utterly astounded.

"What?" she whispered.

He created all this chaos and yet Hart Matthew was perfectly at ease by his side.

But Lucy was close to losing her heart!

Future wife?

Was he insane?

Suddenly the woman laughed, but it was not a laughing sound.

"Matthew," she whispered, "this is no joke."

"It just didn't work out.

Her face turned into a grimace in no time.

Now Lucy could sense the hatred emanating from him.

Sharp.

Burning.

Personal.

The woman folded her arms tightly tight before looking Lucy up and down with open disgust.

There was no question about it in her eyes.

Oversized hoodie.

Old sneakers.

Cheap bag.

Lucy was suddenly acutely conscious of how normal she felt with a figure like Hart Matthew.

The woman scoffed, "This?" "You're taking the place of a man like me with. this?"

Lucy's face turned as red as a beetroot.

She couldn't get her mind to think quickly enough, and Hart's tone was suddenly icy.

"Please speak with your voice, Vanessa."

So, Vanessa was this.

Lucy knew right away that something was wrong.

Vanessa was gorgeous and suitable for magazine covers.

Elegant blonde hair.

Perfect makeup.

Expensive designer clothes.

She exuded luxury and superiority in everything she did.

Lucy felt very small when she was standing next to him.

Vanessa looked at Hart in amazement. "You don't really expect this girl to mean anything to you?"

Hart's expression never changed.

"It's similar to your issue."

Vanessa's jaw tightened.

"You're embarrassing me."

Calmly, Hart corrected, "No." "You embarrass yourself."

Lucy felt she could hear Vanessa's heart break.

However, rather than sadness.

The woman's eyes slowly became poisonous.

And Lucy knew straight away:

Vanessa was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

"Yes, this was due to your granny, right?" Vanessa snapped. "You're going to make her mad again."

Hart's eyes turned a darker dark. "Leave."

Vanessa laughed bitterly. "Can this little caf‚ girl, survive your world?"

Lucy flinched a little at the insult.

Hart noticed immediately.

His face became cold.

" Vanessa, come on! "

Vanessa was on the verge of coming undone in front of everyone.

Then she gave her head a shake and smiled.

In Lucy's case it was the smile that scared her more than the anger.

Vanessa moved closer to her, moving slowly.

Very slowly.

Until she stood right in front of Lucy.

"Be sure to be careful," she whispered.

Lucy swallowed nervously.

"Matthew is a man that can break people."

The alarm was pervasive and salient.

Vanessa leaned further, closer.

"And girls like you don't live long."

Lucy shivered down her spine.

But before she could say anything, Vanessa walked away gracefully to her car.

But not before throwing one final hateful glance over her shoulder.

As soon as she was gone, Lucy breathed out with a shivering exhale.

"What the hell was that?"

Hart took a few moments to take his watch off, but did so quietly. "Vanessa."

"That, I got an idea for."

"She's the talker."

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. "You simply stated to your Ex-Fianc‚, that you are now my future wife."

He doesn't say that he's not engaged to her.

It is obvious that she has the opinion that she is".

"That's her mistake."

Slowly Lucy rubbed her forehead.

All of a sudden, it seemed like too much.

Too fast.

Too complicated.

Too dangerous.

You should have told me."

"Good job on your self-control.

It's not that point.

Hart gave her a close look, yet nothing more than a moment's worth.

His eyes grew a little kinder.

"She upset you."

Lucy immediately shook her head. "No."

"You're lying."

How he stated it gave her strange tightness in her chest.

Lucy turned her head away hastily. I don't go around feeling like I am less than people.

There was a slight tightening of Hart's jaw.

You're not lowly, you have nothing to lose."

It's easy for him to say.

He was surrounded by power and money.

Life was a struggle for Lucy to survive and survive she did, for most of her life.

You don't understand," she whispered softly.

He never took his eyes off her.

If you don't already know the answer, let me know how.

She was surprised by the sincerity in his voice.

For one moment he was no longer the bloodthirsty, feared CEO.

He only seemed like a man seeking her out.

That somehow seemed more risky.

Lucy moved a bit away.

"Nothing yet I haven't signed up for."

"You will."

She immediately furrowed her brow. "You're very confident."

"I am."

"And if I say no?"

Hart glared at her for a few long moments.

Then finally-

"You won't."

Lucy didn't care for the way he sounded so definite.

As if he knew her better than she knew herself.

As if he knew how desperate she was really.

She was very upset about that.

She grumbled, "I don't like men with an attitude.

There was a fleeting smile on his face.

"That's unfortunate."

Lucy promptly turned her head away.

Between them something almost normal passed for the first time since they met him.

A tiny spark.

Small.

But noticeable.

Then it was time to answer a phone call from Hart.

As soon as he saw the screen, his face grew colder.

He answered calmly. "What?"

Lucy studied his face carefully.

It was very clear that whatever he heard was disturbing him.

I will take care of it later," he coldly replied and hung up.

Then he was back wholeheartedly to her.

Completely focused.

Completely intense.

"You'll have 24 hours," he said.

Lucy blinked. "For what?"

"To decide."

She gripped the contract papers in her still held fingers.

"One year;" she whispered.

"One year."

"Then we leave and go somewhere else?"

"Yes."

This response didn't sit well with her.

Hart saw the hesitation in her eyes.

He then made a sudden move towards her.

Close enough to make her heart leap.

Close enough so that his voice can drop to a more subdued tone.

"But if you become my wife, Lucy."

He had golden brown eyes that pierced into her.

I will never let anybody hurt you."