I don't want anything from you

Sitting at the dining table, Nina tried to pretend that everything was fine like her father didn't slap her yesterday after she caught her half-sister in bed with her man.

"Stop playing with your food, Nina. It's not healthy." Her father said in a stern tone, causing her to aggressively drop her fork into her plate.

"Can I get a break?!" Nina snapped, standing up abruptly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at her father, trying hard not to cry again. "I'm just having a hard time dealing with the fact that I am supposed to put on a show with Charles, know that she and him-"

"Edward, your daughter is trying to ruin our Dana reputation and I will not have that. What happened in the past is the  past, we have to move on." Mrs. Simone spoke softly but firmly.

Like an obedient puppet, Mr. Simone looked at his daughter and said, "Do not get on my last nerve, Nina, and know your place in this house. Dana is your sister, and you should know what such scandalous words could do to her reputation. So shut up and never say such things again."

As Nina moved her lips to speak, her ringtone went off, and she quickly snatched it off the table and snorted at Charles name.

Knowing that he will report her to her father if she plays stubbornly, she reluctantly answered the call and asked, "What?!"

"Good morning, sweetie..." Charles  soft voice said through the phone, making Nina scoff, guessing that he was around his parents. "Jeff Rider is having his party tonight and you are my plus one."

A snort escaped Nina's lips as she narrowed her eyes and thought, 'What about your cheating partner, huh?!'

The sound of a phone buzzing made Nina look at Dana, watching her grab the device and scroll through it for a while before mumbling, "Savannah Rider just invited me to her oldest brother's party."

At twelve on the dot, The sound of a knock on her door made Nina scowl, hating the thought of leaving her bed since heartbreak had her in a bad mood, and she turned around and said, “Enter,” 

The door opened slowly and revealed Charles standing in front of her, a sheepish grin appearing on his face.

“The party is tonight, so what are you doing here?” Nina coldly asked, glaring up at him.

Slowly, Charles’ smile disappeared, and then he answered, “I came to pick you up.”

“To what?” She demanded, narrowing her eyes at him.

“To get you a dress,”

“I have enough clothes already. Your generosity is not needed. So get out.”

Annoyed by the mere sight of his face, Nina frowned, and after a moment of him just standing there, staring at her, she got off the bed, walked past him, and then opened the door.

“Get out, Charles,” Nina said with disgust and anger on her face. “I don't want anything from you.”

His brows snapped together in a frown as he silently watched her, and then he walked over to the door.

Immediately, Nina's heart sank when he shut and locked it before turning to face her, his eyes dark and hard as they met hers.

“Charles, I am being serious,” Nina shouted, feeling a sense of panic starting to build up in her chest.

“I know,” Charles growled.

When he took a step toward her, Nina slowly backed away from him and started to feel herself shaking from head to toe. 

“Nina,” Charles said firmly, “I love you.”

“Please, just leave,” Nina begged him, trying to keep herself together.

“Honestly, you are the reason I fell into Dana's trap... I am a man, Nina, and I have needs... But you want to wait until your marriage, but I can't wait any longer.”

“Can you leave, please,”

Ignoring her questions, Charles took another step forward, and he gently cupped her cheeks, forcing her eyes to focus on him. 

“You need to know that Dana and I happened because of you. You neglected my needs for your studies abroad and your so-called wish to be married first... Do you understand? You don't get to act like I did something wrong when you are at fault too,” Charles harshly whispered, making her flinch and try to pull herself free from his grip.

“If Dana has given you all you ever wanted then go ahead and marry her, and please leave my room.” Nina softly ordered, trying to avoid the tears building up in her eyes.

A frown appeared on his lips, and before she could stop him, he leaned over and placed his lips on hers, pushing them open without hesitating as he kissed her.

Immediately, Nina pulled back, raising her hand, but she didn’t even make it two inches before Charles grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer to him, and pressing her against his chest, his grip firm on her waist.

“Dana is not the one chosen by my father to be my wife... You are, and I need you to start playing the role and doing your duty as my soon-to-be wife.” Charles whispered, kissing her neck.

“Stop!” Nina shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping that someone would hear her. “Let go of me, Charles!”

Her desperate screams only spurred on Charles, causing him to bite down more firmly on her skin, licking the spot slowly as his hands tightened around her.

“Let go of me!!” Nina demanded again, trying to push him off.

Just then a knock on Nina's door got both their attention, and then Mr. Simone's voice sounded through the door, “Nina, what's going on in there?!”

“Dad!! Dad!” Nina screamed, struggling in Charles's hold until finally, he released his  grasp and stepped aside, anger burning in his face.

Instantly, Nina ran for the door, her hand trembling as she struggled to  get it open.

When she finally did, she rushed straight out of the bedroom and ran to her father's side, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Simone asked her, noticing the distress on her face. “Is everything okay? Why are you crying?”

Too shaking to explain, Nina couldn't reply, and then her father noticed the red mark on her neck, and when he reached his hand to touch it, Nina's body immediately reacted, and she stepped back.

“What bit you on your skin?” Mr. Simone asked, looking at her curiously.

“I kissed her there... it's a hickey.” Charles finally spoke calmly. “I thought being romantic with her would help ease the tension between us, but she started screaming like I was  trying to eat her alive.” 

“Dad, it's not like that...” Nina managed to choke out, tears still rolling down her cheeks as Mr. Simone turned to stare at her.

Frowning slightly at his daughter, Mr. Simone met her eyes and asked coldly, “Nina, how old are you?”

A look of shock and uneasiness filled her eyes and then she responded in confusion, “I am twenty five, dad.”

“Nina, you are a full-grown woman, and you are behaving like a spoiled child!” Mr. Simone raised his voice, becoming increasingly irritated.

“Dad!”

“You and Charles have kissed before, so why are you disturbing the whole house like he's murdering you... Do you was to create scandals for our family name and reputation... is that it?! Huh, Nina?!” 

“You must be kidding me right now,”

Feeling disgusted, she couldn't even look at the man that she called, “father,” and she slightly shook her head, aggressively wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, wanting to disappear from his presence forever.

Then she looked at Charles with a deadpan expression and let out coldly, “The very next time you force yourself on me, I will create a slanderous story so nasty and ravaging that your father will disown the shit out of you immediately!”

“Nina! What has gotten into you?!” Mr. Simone yelled, but Nina paid no mind to him.

“Keep your filthy paws off my body! I can accept a lot of things, but don't touch me, Charles! It's disgusting!” 

“Nina!”

Hardening her face into a frown, she glared at her father with a look that says, 'Don't test my patience.' then she heard Dana's voice from behind them, “What’s going on here?”

“I am sorry,” Charles mumbled, meeting Nina's mad eyes.

Subconsciously, Dana noticed the hickey on Nina's neck, and anger blossomed through her like wildfire as she whispered, “Did you two-”

“So are you still coming to the party?” Charles asked, his eyes glued to Nina, knowing he had to keep up the appearance for his father.

Looking at Mr. Simone mad face, Nina knew pushing his patience would have severe consequences, so she let out reluctantly, “Just keep your hands off me, and we are good.”

The look of raw hate settled in Dana's eyes as she watched her half-sister walk back into her room and slammed the door shut.

‘The only way you are going to be the daughter-in-law of such a powerful family, instead of me, is if I am dead. But since I am not, that's not going to happen. I will make sure of it!’ Dana thought angrily as she stared at the closed doors, fury surging within her.

Frowning at the number nine-fifty-five on her phone, Nina sighed, wishing she was home, instead of sitting in a car with Charles, in a cute white dress when all she wanted was to be back in her bed.

“You should behave when we get in there. A lot of influential guests are going to show up.” Charles coldly told her, not sparing her a glance as he brought the car to a stop.

“If you are so worried about your reputation, then I don't mind getting an Uber now and going back home,” Nina replied, turning toward him with irritation laced within her voice. “After all, that's better than being near you.”

“Don’t start now, Nina?!” 

“What?!”

Suddenly a mirthless laugh escaped Charles as he faced Nina with a glare, and then he said, “Don’t act all righteous with me. I am gaining nothing from this marriage except your body and you producing my heirs, but you know what it means to get married into my family... the respect and possibilities that come with the title of my wife?”

Even though Nina wanted to tell Charles to shove his title up his ass, she held back her words when she heard someone call, “Charles, dude!”

“Trevon,” Charles called out, opening the car door and getting out, leaving her alone in the vehicle.

Nina sighed heavily, watching him from the windshield hugging his friend and smiling with him as they chatted. 

Then she pushed the door open when Trevon asked, “Is that Nina?”

Stepping out of the car, she forced a smile and slammed the door shut, cheerfully saying, “Hey, Trevon!”

When she reached them, Charles grabbed her by her waist, and even though she felt sick in her stomach, she still tried to smile for Trevon when he said, “You are back!.. Congratulations on getting your master's degree.

Then Trevon looked at Charles saying with a smile, “I know you were a proud fiancee, standing in the crowd and watching your woman get her degree.”

Tears suddenly settled in Nina’s eyes, and she sniffed them back quickly, laughing out, “Why am I getting emotional.”

Just then she felt Charles squeeze her side a bit tighter, and she knew that was a warning and a sense of disgust overcame her when he laughed and said, “Yeah, I am proud of her.”

“Well, I can see that... You are lucky, man.” Trevon said, giving Charles a playful punch on the shoulder. “We should head inside before Jeff murders us for coming to his party late.”

Both men shared a laugh while Nina forced a stiff smile, fighting back her tears.

“Babe, let's go.” Charles's soft voice sent a shiver down her spine as she snapped out of her daze.

A moment later, the sound of loud music blasted their ears as Charles led her into the hall, and the sight of so many people made her uneasy.

The Rider family was closer to her stepmother than her father, so being here made her feel out of place and  anxious, although she tried to hide her uneasiness from Charles, who had been holding onto her hand the entire time

They were making their way through the room and then they got to the front table. Nina slightly frowned at the sight of Savannah and Dana together, laughing, but lost their smile when they saw her.

“Charles, Trevon,” Jeff called out, ignoring the sight of Nina.

Immediately, Charles left her hand, walking over to his buddy with Trevon, and Nina stood there, her palm slowly rubbing against her arm.

“They are still together?” Savannah whispered to Dana. “What are you doing, D. You are way prettier than her, so why is it taking you forever to snatch Charles from her?” 

“He wouldn't break up the engagement because of his father,” Dana murmured back.

When Savannah locked eyes with Nina, she snarled, sizing her with her eyes, and mumbling to Dana without breaking eye contact with Nina, “Then create a scandal so unforgivable about her that not even Charles or his father can look past.”

“Babe,” Charles called out, causing Nina to snap out of her trance.

Darting her gaze towards him, she saw Charles pat the space beside him, and Nina forced a smile as she thought, ‘Why play pretend for your friends when they all seem like they know you are screwing Dana.’

As Dana watched her half-sister walk over to Charles, taking a seat beside him as he snuggled her into his arm, she felt anger welling up inside her, but she forced herself to calm down as she looked at Savannah, mumbling, “You are right.”