RELUCTANT BRIDE FOR THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

I thought my aunt had died or perhaps something bad had happened when I approached our house. From a distance, I could see a fleet of luxury cars with heavily armed men standing at different points; they looked terrifying. I felt my stomach grow cold as I drew closer. It was very recently that I noticed her pacing around the house, looking out of the window; sometimes she was very absent-minded. She had nearly dipped her hand in a frying pan with heated oil while she was deep in thought; if not for my timely intervention, when I asked her what the problem was, she looked me in the eyes and asked that we run away, that we moved to another city.“Tessa, we need to run; we need to leave this city,” she had said to me, her grip firm as ever.I could see fear in her eyes.“Aunty Norah,” I said softly, sitting next to her. “We moved here barely a year ago; I just got this new job that pays well, and I finally get to have friends; why do we need to go somewhere else?”“You won’t understand,

I could still perceive his strong masculine perfume and wondered perhaps I had inhaled too much of him at the office earlier. I could still hear his voice in my head. His raspy deep voice rambling in my head, calling me his wife! I am not your wife, damn it! I unknowingly yelled out my thoughts as I walked into the sitting soon, kicking my shoes to a corner and switching on the light! There he was! My tormentor! “Tada!” He said, but there was nothing pleasant about that! I was still in shock and at a loss for words; I first looked around for my aunt. “Where is my aunt?” I asked, my fist clenched! He noticed. “Easy with the first honey; your aunt is in safe hands.” “What do you mean?” I asked before scampering around, calling out to my aunt. But no response or vision of her in sight. I panicked. I began to wish I had listened to her when she asked us to run away. I prayed this monster had not done anything to her because I wouldn’t know what I would do. “What did you do

Don Pedro’s POV“Life would be so much easier if women reasoned like men,” I mumbled to myself as I adjusted my cufflinks in the rear-view mirror. Why are women so complicated, men are just very easy to come aroundIn my world, business was a chess game—calculated, strategic, ruthless, with no mercy. Dog eat dog; you either eat or be eaten.Men were built for such pursuits, their minds grounded for making decisions that built empires. Women, in my experience, were often led by stupid emotions, stubborn in their own ways, clinging to irrational sentiments. Love? Who believes in love in this day and time, such a joke!The whole infatuation irritates me.I smiled smugly at the thought of Tessa and how she was so determined, so infuriatingly headstrong. I wondered just how long her obstinacy would last under the weight of my plans to make her mine.I had orchestrated many plans in my life, each one executed with precision. Yet, nothing amused me more than watching a stubborn woman try

Tessa’s POV“Where is that bastard!” I yelled, “Let me through”I screamed at the security guy, pushing through him.“Don Pedro or whatever you call yourself, You can’t keep her from me!” I shouted as I burst through the wrought-iron gates.I slapped the foolish guard when he tried to touch me.“Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on me”I had come to the Lorenzo estate with one purpose—to see my dear Aunty Nora and get her the fuck out of there. But before I could reach the main entrance, two large men in dark suits stepped forward, blocking my path.“Miss Moretti,” one of them said in a flat tone, “you are not allowed beyond this point.”I was taking aback, trying to keep my voice steady, narrowing my eyes as I looked up at them. “I’m here to see my aunt. Now step aside.”They exchanged a look, one of them spoke into the wireless talkie he was holding, I could barely hear what he said, but he gave his colleague a signal and before I could protest further, one of the men seized my

The reception followed immediately after. Now and then he would pinch of nudge at me signaling me to smile. At that moment, I felt like grabbing a nearby glass and breaking it on his head. His whole demeanour irritated me to my core. The fact that I had to breathe the same air as him had me feeling sick to my stomach. Such a needless extravagant display of wealth and status was not necessary for this sham of a marriage but then, only Don Pedro Lorenzo could pull such moves. My eyes ached at the sight of tables adorned with gold-trimmed dinnerware, I preferred silver. The set-up, as grandiose as the foolish man I married intended it to be, still looked tacky. They should at least use silver. I said unknowingly. But Not loud to hide my obvious disgust “Sorry?” he asked “Did you say something?” “No, I did not “ Thank goodness, Regina stayed close, her presence a small comfort. “You should eat something,” she suggested, offering to make me a plate. I shook my hea