Chapter 6
For a moment, I just stare at Caesar, not sure I’ve heard right.
“You want in get married tomorrow?”
He shrugs.
“I don’t see any reason to keep delaying the inevitable. Let’s get married tomorrow. That’s my proposition”
I press my fingers against my eyes and heave a sigh.
“I need more time. 1.
“Mr. Manchester! I’m so glad I found you!” A nurse says urgently, hurrying towards us
Caesar’s expression morphs from cool, calm and collected to insanely anxious iti a heartbeat.
“Is it about my daughtert What’s wrong with her?”
“Her blood pressure just dropped drastically and the doctor has suggested that she be moved to the ICU. We need your signature on some documents, sir. Please come with me.”
Caesar does not hesitate. Without bothering to spare me a glance, he hurries after the nurse and I have no choice but to tag along
The next thirty minutes pass by in a blur. I’m relegated to the position of an outsider as I watch Ceaser speak to several doctors about his daughter’s welfare. Finally, Michaela is wheeled out of her private room and the sight of her fragile body and weak eyes has my heart breaking all over again.
“I’ll be fine, daddy.” She keeps whispering. “Please, don’t worry. Make sure you take care of my new mommy until I return”
My heart tightens painfully when I hear those words.
When all the dust and ruckus has finally settled and a semblance of calm has returned to the hospital, Caesar finally pays me a bit of attention.
He looks exhausted. His eyes are tired and his shoulders are slightly slumped. Even then, he still manages to radiate a powerful appeal that has my knees shaking as he walks towards me.
“You’re tired. You need to go home” He says, surprising me with his cold tone.
I clear my throat.
“You’re the tired one, Caesar and you need to rest. I can stay here and…”
“I don’t need your help with taking care of my daughter. He cuts in harshly. “You can leave. I’ll take care of her on my own.”
His words slash through my heart like a knife, but I’m done acting like a weak, love deprived damsel
I lift my chin and look him dead in the eyes.
“I have no idea if you’re so used to being alone or being distrustful that you couldn’t tell that was genuinely worried about you, Mr. Manchester.
I made that statement because
It’s very clear that you don’t want me here. Please alert the driver that I be leaving soon. I hope Michaela gets better.” That said, I turn around and walk away, silently congratulating myself for maintaining my composure,
15
Chapter 6
The old Amaya would’ve told Caesar how deeply his words hurt her.
Thankfully, the old Amaya was dead. And she was never coming back.
CAESAR
“Sir, are you sure you want to marry this woman?” My secretary asks for the umpteenth time.
He’d arrived at the hospital shortly before Amaya left and had witnessed our little… squabble.
“She dared to talk back at you, sir. She even raised her voice. I don’t think Miss Amaya is the kind of woman you need in your life. I know you like your women..”
“Weak?” I cut in. “Submissive? Easy to control?”
Henry purses his lips,
“I was going to say not sNbborn, but vou
I shake my head.
adjectives will suffice
What Henry doesn’t understand is that I’ve had enough of the weak, overly submissive women. I’ve had enough of the type of women who would lick my shoes just for monetary benefits.
He’s right though. No woman has ever dared to raise their voice at me. Amaya would be the first.
I know I should be running in the opposite direction, but why did the sight of her eyes sparking with annoyance make me want to strip her bare and devour her right there in the hospital’s waiting room?
Why does my wolf growl with approval whenever I set my eyes on her?
Why do I feel the strong, persistent urge to protect her and her babies for the rest of my life?
I know I’m doing this as a favour for my daughter, but why does my chest burn with the need to mark Amaya and make her
mine?
“…sir, are you listening yo me?” Henry asks, snapping me out of my reverie.
“Should I go ahead and inform Miss Amaya that you’re no longer interested in going through with this?
You know she has children and…”
“And what is wrong with her having children?” The question comes out more forcefully than I intended and my secretary seems taken aback by my harsh tone,
I silently curse myself.
Henry, however, recovers quickly.
“Sir, first of all, she’s the future Supreme Alpha’s ex–wife and her children belong to him. Second, your mother would never approve…
“Alistair Blackwell disowned his children when he threw Amaya out of his life.” I mutter, my fingers curling into fists.
“He will never return to claim them. Not while I’m alive.
As for my mother, leave her
r to me. I’ll handle her.
Chapter 6
Prepare the marriage contract and have it ready for Amaya to sin by tomorrow. If the marriage cannot happen tomorrow, it must happen within the week
That will be all You’re dismissed.”
THE NEXT DAY–THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT.
“Amaya, are you really gonna go through with this?” Jayla asks me for the one hundredth time.
“I mean, think about it. You just escaped a toxic marriage and you want to go into another potentially toxic one?”
I smooth my fingers over the hem of my short black dress and adjust my hair in the mirror.
“Yes, but there will be a difference this time. I got married up treating me like garbage.
Allair because I was blindly in love with him and he ended
Ceaser and I have an… understanding. I’ll marry him for the sake of his daughter and in exchange.be’ll give me his protection and help me tke revenge on Alistair. After the marriage, we’ll both go our separate ways. It’s that simple.”
I say
that with so
so much confidence, but why is there a big ass seed of doubt growing somewhere in my mind.
I didn’t get any sleep last night because my babies kept fussing and I kept expecting a call from a certain stubborn billionaire to confirm that he and his daughter were okay,
never got the call but this morning, I received a message from his snobbish sounding secretary, and he said;
“The boss will be at the penthouse by ten AM to discuss your marriage formalities. A dress will be sent for you in the next thirty minutes. The boss demands that you wear it.”
And yes, that got on my nerves.
I’m not Caesar’s little pet. He will not be demanding anything from me.
I twirl in my obscenely short, thrift dress while eying the blood red Gucci dress that Caesar had sent through his personal shopper earlier. It probably cost thousands of dollars. I will not be wearing it
He seems to like me in red. Interesting.
“I cannot believe you disobeyed him. He’ll throw a fit.” Jayla says her eyes twinkling with glee.
An image of Caesar’s angry expression crosses my mind and I almost change into the Gucci dress. Almost.
Suddenly, one of the staff appears with an announcement.
“Miss Amaya, the boss has arrived. He’s already waiting downstairs.
My heart thuds in anticipation. Even if I wanted to change my dress, it’s already too late
“Come on, Jayla. It’s time to rumba.
My stomach is haywire with nerves as Jayla and I make our way downstairs.
The first person who sights us is Caesar’s secretary. The moment his eyes fall on my dress, they widen with shock and his lips twist with absolute disgust.
35
Chapter
His eyes scream, what the fuck do you think you’re doing!!!”
“Ugh. He just called us ghetto in a thousand different languages and he didn’t even utter a single word” jayla whispers to me.
We walk into the sitting room and my wandering eyes finally find Ceasar
He’s standing before the floor–to–ceiling windows, his shoulderstiff with tension as usual. Does he ever relax?
He’s dressed in a charcoal black suit and his hair has been swept out of the way in a tight ponytail.
He resembles a Greek god and I haven’t even seen his face yet.
Henry, his secretary, clears his throat.
“Miss, Amaya, what are you wearing?”
My stomach plummets as Caesar slowly turns around. The moment he sees my short dress and bare feet, a strange emotion crosses his eyes. An emotion that is quickly hidden with annoyance.
His eyes burn into my skin and my cheeks redden in response.
Thankfully, Jayla, the goddess bless her, speaks up:
“Amaya will wear whatever she wants. You don’t have the right to order her around.”
Henry gives her a disgusted look.
“I don’t… but my boss does.”
I wait silently for Caesar’s reaction. Ten tense seconds later, he growls;
“Didn’t you get the dress and shors I asked you to wear? I also ordered a glam team to get your makeup done. Why are you still barefaced?
Those questions and his harsh tone set off something deep inside of me. Something angry.
I take a very calming, deep breath.
“Just in case you did not understand what Jayla said, Mr. Manchester, your secretary informed me that you demanded that wear those outfits.
My simple answer is no. I will not be wearing them. I do appreciate your generosity but I feel more comfortable in my ow clothes. Also, I sent the glam team away.”
I hold my breath, expecting him to lash out and yell in anger. Instead, Caesar sinks into the nearest sofa and turns to his secretary, completely shutting me out once again,
I slowly register that I hate it when he does that. I really do.
His ice cold mask has slipped perfectly in place as usual. Now I wish he’d just shout and scream.
“Henry, I have a meeting in the next hour. I don’t have a lot of time to spend here. Please begin.”
Jayla taps the seat beside her and I quickly plant my arse on the edge.
The secretary hands me a sheaf of papers so heavy, I blink in surprise.
“What is this?”
12:51 Tue, Dec 3 G H
Chapter
“The marriage contract” Heury deadpans. “It contains every single feature of this marriage, as well as your do’s and don is You have to follow all of the boss‘ rules strictly if you want this to work.”
“Is this a marriage contract or a fucking geometry text book?” Jayla mutters as we flip through it together.
I can feel Caesar’s eyes burning into me but I pointedly ignore him.
“There are certain things you need to understand, Miss Amaya. First of all, you’re not doing this for free. My boss does not want you to think you’re doing him a favour,”
My head snaps upwards. “Excuse me?”
“In addition to helping you take revenge on your ex–husband, my boss will pay you the sum of five million dollars for the two–year duration of this marriage. But you can only claim the money after you’ve satisfactorily fulfilled all your obligations.
In addition, you’ll be required to attend public functions and family gatherings with the boss as his date. You will also be adequately compensated for this.
I keep staring at Caesar, expecting him to say something. But he doesn’t. His silence is becoming rather uncomfortable at this point. Is it because ofthe dress?
“We did not discuss any monetary compensation, Mr. Manchester.” I finally address him.
“We didn’t have to.” He replies, fixing me with a cold gaze. “Dont you want the money?”
I curl my fingers into fists as annoyance shoots through my bloodstream.
“You make me sound like a money hungry whore.”
His eyes darken with contempt.
“Isn’t that what you are, Amaya? Isn’t that why you’re here…?”
SEND GIFT
