Chapter 5

I watched as Samuel was led out of the mansion, and I could not do anything. This was not America, my last name did not have as much power here in London as it did there. So the only thing that I decided to do was find Sterling and get more information as to what the hell was going on. 

I released a sigh and then walked in the direction that he took off in. I could smell his cologne as I headed for the living room. When I reached there, I saw him sitting on the couch with a bottle of beer in his hand. 

“Excuse me? We need to talk.” I was polite. “Please…” 

He barely looked at me. He kept his eyes trained on the show that was playing on the huge TV as he took sips of his beer. 

“Sterling, we need to talk,” I said a bit louder as I folded my arms on my chest. Again, he ignored me. I knew that he was hearing me clearly and was aware of my presence, so the fact that he was pretending that I was not there started to annoy me. 

I unfolded my arms, huffed, and reached for the remote control on the coffee table. I then pointed it at the TV and proceeded to turn it off. That seemed to get his attention because he finally looked at me.

“Why the hell did you do that?” His voice was calm but at the same time, venomous. 

“I was talking to you and you were ignoring me. What did you expect me to do?”

“I expected you to take the hint that I don’t want to talk with you right now.” He rolled his eyes and then drank more of his beer. The bottle was now almost empty. A hard look sat on his face. 

I placed the remote back on the coffee table and proceeded to sit on the couch next to him. “We need to talk. Samuel’s your brother, you can not just kick him out like that.” 

Sterling scoffed. “I don’t know if you're blind but I already did. He has been kicked out and no matter what sob story he had fed you to get you to forgive him, you’re not getting out of the contract marriage.” 

“You mean arranged marriage,” I tried to correct him but he shook his head slowly. 

“No, contract marriage. We have been using the wrong term, Heather. I looked it up.” He pursed his lips. 

“Okay, yeah, whatever. But as for Samuel, he is the love of my life. He has treated me like a princess for as long as I can remember. He has been perfect.” I defended Samuel. “And so what if he made a mistake with that breakup note? That still does not change our love for each other.” 

Sterling scoffed rudely and drank the last of his beer. “I–I really don’t care if you two screw five times a day. All I’m saying is that you’re going to sign the contract for the marriage tomorrow and you’re going to be my wife until after the four years.” 

His words now reminded me of what he said previously when Samuel was here. He told me that he owned my parents; therefore meaning that he owned me. 

“And if I don’t sign those papers and decide to go back to America with Samuel?” I challenged him.

He chuckled and played with the empty beer bottle in his hand. “Darling, Samuel does not want to go back to America. Why do you think he wrote that breakup note in the first place? Why do you think he’s in London as we speak?” 

“Okay, it has become clear to me that he wants to assume the position as heir that he left. That was shown clearly but that does not mean that he does not love me.” 

“No, he does love you. I did not say that he did not.” Sterling chuckled dryly. “That’s the messed up part. He’s the only one that literally forsakes his family and responsibilities and finds real love while being seen still as the golden boy by our grandparents.” He clicked his tongue. 

Before I could speak, he chirped in. “But all that is going to change. Samuel is going to get what he deserves. By tomorrow, you would be my wife by that contract and that would give me that avenue to finally be heir and get all that I have worked for my whole life.” 

I let a few seconds pass before asking him. “What did you mean by you own my parents?” 

Sterling placed the empty bottle on the marble floor and crossed his legs. He had a powerful presence. “Your parents really should have filled you in on why you’re really doing this contract marriage.” He chuckled. “Then at least you wouldn’t have been so oblivious about it all.” 

“My parents and I don’t have the most healthy relationship,” I confessed. “But they tell me everything. So the fact that they did not tell me a lick about this contract marriage scares me.” 

“It should.” He smirked. “You’re your parent’s lifeline. You’re their lifejacket in a vast raging ocean. You’re their last hope.” 

His words made me nervous. I was still lost. But I was getting more information than I ever had. From the looks of things, it seemed like my parents were in trouble and I was their only way out. But how did that involve the Williams family? 

Were my parents low on money? I did not notice that. When I was at home, everything seemed the same. If they were truly low on money and using this contract marriage thing to get ahead of things financially then they did not really have to do that.

They really did not. Because I could literally finally introduce them to Samuel, the man that I had been with for the past two years. I could get back with Samuel and he could take back his position as the heir of the Willimas fortune. 

That way, everything would fall into place. My parents’ money trouble would be gone, I would be able to get them to like and accept Samuel, and finally, I would be with the love of my life! 

It was going to be a win-win. But that would require me not signing that contract, because signing it would shove Samuel out from the position as heir; it would destroy any future that we might have. 

“You know what? I’m not signing those papers,” I said to Sterling bravely. 

He uncrossed his legs and laughed lowly. “Yes, you are.”

I stood to my feet. “No, I’m not. If I don’t sign them, Samuel remains heir and I could introduce him to my parents and get married to him; ending their money troubles. So, no, Sterling Williams, you don’t own me or my parents.

Sterling looked at me blankly for a few seconds and then stood to his feet too. “So you really are oblivious to it all.” He began to laugh. “Do you think it’s about money? Oh, honey, you are so far from reality that it’s not even comical anymore, it’s just sad.” 

“It’s not about money, Heather. If you don’t sign those papers tomorrow, your parents would be spending the rest of their fancy lives in prison. So when I tell you that I own you, I mean it. You’re my property.”