‘You WILL marry me.’

His words were echoing in my mind, disturbing me. I knew he wouldn't leave me until I fulfilled his demand. He was selfish and too powerful, he will get what he wants.

Shit, shit, shit, what should I do?

“What happened? You look… frustrated.” My co-worker, Anne asked, noticing the scowl not leaving my face.

“Because I am, Anne.” I sighed, stopping my work and hiding my face in my hands.

“Is it about Jared? I thought you moved on from him. He cheated on you after all. Why shed tears for someone like him?” She mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.

My mind already shifted from him because of a certain man who was hell-bent on teaching me how to hate.

“It’s not about Jared.” I sighed, rubbing my temples.

“Then?”

“Anne, what would you do if you were given a chance to take revenge on the person who cheated on you? Would you take it?” I asked expectantly to get an answer on what to do.

“Of course. I would want their heart to break like mine… and I know you are not like this. You wouldn’t do this but you should.”

And her response pushed me into turmoil too. Should I accept his offer? Should I hate Jared? Can I do that?

“You think?”

“Hmm. Not everyone deserves forgiveness. Cheating shouldn’t be forgiven.” She nodded.

“I don’t know. Maybe we were never meant to be. And besides,”

Shaking my head in denial, I rose from my seat to get myself some coffee. Taking a deep breath so I could be my usual self and smiled.

“I cannot force myself to hate.”

That is right, I cannot hate anyone, never. No one can force me to feel that emotion for anyone, not him too.

After being determined he couldn’t change me, even if we got married, I returned from work. I was at the bus stop, tapping my foot with an empty stomach.

I wanted to go home and fill my stomach but a certain someone who adored ruining the peace of my mind came in his opulent BMW, stopping before me.

“Hey.”

Folding my arms at my chest, I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, “Are you following me?”

“This time, I am. Your car is gone for maintenance, the bus will take time. Come, I will drop you.” He offered nonchalantly.

I scoffed, not wanting to spend a second with him, “No. Thank you. I don’t need your so-called courtesy, Sir.”

“Do you think I will take no for an answer? I am not used to refusal, woman. Come…” He called sternly, turning his gaze towards the people who were whispering to see a rich man stopping for me.

“Unless you want to gain attention and act like an attention seeker.”

Shrugging his shoulders, he returned a teasing smirk. With a grimace, I stared at him for the next few seconds, knowing he wouldn’t be at peace.

“Call me an attention seeker then.” I rolled my eyes off and sat at the station, pissing him off at my stubbornness.

“You sure are stubborn, woman. You refused a chance to sit in a BMW.” He added, narrowing his eyes in irritation.

I began to use my phone while watching him from the corner of my eyes. My heart began to race when he refused to move an inch and to scare me, he honked at me, gaining attention deliberately.

“Ah!”

My mouth gaped, not believing how far he intended to go for his selfish purpose to convince me. Gulping, I tugged my hair behind timidly.

“Be grateful I am offering you politely to drop you off. I am not this generous to many people. Come.” He ordered and not wanting to create a scene, I got in the car as we drove off.

“I didn’t ask for it.” I muttered, bringing a silence between us but soon I noticed him staring intensely at me.

Hugging my sides, I looked down with a scarlet shading coming to my cheeks. My throat dried, not meeting his gaze accompanied with thumping heartbeats.

“What?”

Growing nervous by his keen eyes observing my body, I turned to him finally. Tightening my grip on my dress, I began to feel distressed by my choice to enter this car.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you looking at me like this?” I whispered worriedly.

“Doesn’t your heart hurt? Doesn’t it agonize you to find the man you once loved being someone else’s husband?” He asked in a serious resonance, stopping the car at the red signal.

Gritting his teeth, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, turning his head away as his large hand held his chest.

“Because my heart burns when I think about it,”

My lips parted, tilting my head to the side. Not expecting him to be this sensitive about them.

“No. I have accepted that we were never meant to be. Who knows if someone much better is written in my fate?” I breathed out, tone softening.

An eerie hint gleamed in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow temptingly. Before I could explore it, he concealed his disheartened emotions with his affectation.

“And that ‘better’ is me.” He whispered, starting the drive again.

“As if.” I scoffed.

“Excuse me, you are with your ex’s boss. I am rich, good looking and kind enough to give you a ride home.” He reminded me nonchalantly.

“With overwhelming arrogance and selfishness.”

“Not everyone is a saint.”

Growing irritated because at a certain point, I had begun to think about his proposal too and I didn’t want to.

“Look, I have told you before, I don’t want to marry you.” I growled, curling my hands in a fist.

“Why?” He asked nonchalantly which increased my rage. Acting as if he had no idea why.

“We are different. We have different points of view on life. You and I can never live together, never be one.” I hissed.

“Who says I want to be with you? I only intend to break this facade of yours and teach them a lesson. I will make you hate them too and stop acting.” He remained calm.

At this point, I was infuriated, he couldn’t judge me, “I am not acting. Goodness exists in this world, not everyone is heartless like you.”

“Hmph, we will see.” He muttered, turning his head to the side as we stopped outside my place.

With my head fuming and overflowing with distress, I quickly held my bag close to my chest and got out of his comfortable vehicle.

“Now, thank you, Sir, for dropping me off but I am leaving now.” I muttered rudely, turning to leave.

The second, I took a few steps, his rough hand grabbed my arm before everyone, stopping me.

“Wait.”

My breaths hitched as I turned to him slowly, averting my eyes from his stern one.

“Leave me.” I whispered, breaths becoming heavy when he refused to leave and brought me close to the point I could feel his aura drowning into mine.

“Are you sure? I am giving you a golden chance, place your conditions but marry me. I would do anything, I repeat-”

My heart skipped a beat when he leaned down and whispered dominantly in my ears, “ ‘Anything’, to teach that woman a lesson.”

Controlling my feelings, I put my hand in between, hoping to escape the prison of his arms. Intimidated by his cruel intentions, I gulped.

“And then I will make you like mine.”

I gasped when he was almost touching me, not leaving me with a deadly eye-contact, revealing his intentions which were scaring me.

“What are you doing…?” I whispered as he let go of my arm finally, giving me a moment to regain my posture.

“No one should be this kind and forgiving in this cruel world.” He growled, bringing his hand to touch me but I pointed my finger at him to stop.

“Don’t touch me again.” I warned, converting my apprehension into rage.

Still I was intrigued- how could one be overwhelmed with corruption?

“You can’t force someone to feel how you want. Plus this would destroy us.” I hissed in a low tone so the people won’t create more rumors than they already would.

“That is exactly what I want. I want to destroy their lives and when they return from that point of ravage, return to us, they will realize they closed this path too.” He growled breaths becoming heavy, stilling me for a moment to register.

He was breathless from atrocity, standing too close and I failed to notice the distance because I was only bewildered.

“How hateful can a person be? What she did apart from cheating on you that you have gone ‘this’ blind for revenge?”

To my compassionate question, he scoffed, “You wouldn’t understand nor need to know.”

I took a deep breath to empty my mind and glanced at his large form. Narrowing my eyes, I pondered about his intentions and I had faith in myself.

“If you think you can corrupt me, then you are wrong. Now, before I do something, kindly leave. I have no intentions of marrying a man like you.” I enunciated strictly as I pointed at his car.

“You will marry me. You are entangled in this web now.” He also spoke in the same tone.

“I am not like you who is unaware of the term called ‘moving on’.” I taunted with a fake smile.

“She doesn’t deserve it.”

“Leave.”

“I won’t leave you this easily.”

He growled, sending daggering in my direction which I ignored and rolled my eyes but the fumes emitting from him indicated he won’t end this here.

“Hmph.”

The second I turned my head away, his husky voice reached me, stopping my whole being as he hissed in my ears before leaving.

“Deny all you want but soon you will enter my place as my bride, Saafia.”

After he left, a few weeks passed with no sign of him again. I knew he wouldn't leave my trails easily. He was not that type of man.

I was having a feeling the next time we will meet, I won’t have another choice but to marry him.

‘What he wanted to gain from it? It couldn’t be all revenge, was it? Why did he want me? All this sham? Ugh, why am I thinking about him!?’

I failed to shift my mind from his proposal. For a moment, I also thought about it- What could possibly go wrong?

‘No, no, no, stop thinking like this, Saafia.’

The next week, I went to work a little late and saw everyone was working furiously. My mouth gaped, blinking to perceive what I missed in thirty minutes.

“What the hell is happening?” I whispered, grabbing my friend, Anne’s arm.

“Did you hear? Boss is selling the company. We will work under a third party now. You missed his speech. I saved you by telling him you went to the bathroom.” She whispered back.

“What? Why?”

That was unforeseen. Things were going exceptionally great for us. Selling company was totally unexpected.

“I have no idea. He came out of the blue and announced. Though it won’t affect our work, he says. I have no idea what caused him to do it. Probably profit.” She explained.

“Hmm. I guess we are growing. So, who bought the company? Who is going to be the boss of our boss?” I asked nonchalantly, reaching my desk only to find a file filled with too much work for me to do.

“You won’t believe it, the business tycoon, Dariel Cannedy!”

“Huh?”

This has to be a joke.

A quiver surged through my skin as I was frozen in horror to hear. Immediately understanding the reasoning behind these sudden actions.

“Pardon?” I asked in pure appall.

Okay, now he was going too far with his demand.

“Dariel Cannedy! He will come next week after we are done with the new changes. We are going to become robots now.” She sighed in frustration.

We all knew how he was at work. High wages and extreme work. He ensured if he was paying higher than other companies, he would make you work double.

From directors to janitors- everyone.

“I wonder what that man saw in the insurance company. He owns a variety of businesses anyways.”

Anne continued as I stood with heavy breaths and slightly dizziness, turning my hands blood cold.

“Next week?” I asked, gulping hard, making a frightened face.

“Too early, isn’t it? He should have given us a month but because of his order, we have to overwork this week. We all know he is a workaholic.” She hummed, leaning on the table.

“Your ex also works in his company, right? He must be one hell of a boss. Is he as dangerous as they say?”

‘He is.’

Due to my lack of reaction, Anne snapped her fingers to bring me to my reality.

“Saafia? Where are you lost? We have a lot of work to do.”

“Let’s get back to work.” I spoke instantly, getting the file to focus on work but from inside my stomach curling into a tense feeling.

A strange numbness began to steal my strength and I was worried where this might lead. He had sworn that he won’t stop.

“You are right, we are already going to overwork.”

“Hmm.”

This action of his made it clear that he won’t sit quietly until he marries me…

Before I knew it, a week passed and the time to meet the man who literally bought our company only to prove his power came.

With a scowl lingering on my face, I was holding a bouquet. Of course the head staff was greeting him one by one.

My hands were icy, my mind was in a state of turmoil to fathom his intentions to convince me to marry for a measly and pathetic reason.

“Welcome, Sir.” I greeted him with a fake smile, giving him the flowers.

“She is Saafia Blooms, The head of marketing-”

And when my turn to be introduced came, he deliberately didn’t take my flower and turned his head away, putting his hand dominantly in the air to pissed me off.

“I know. I have gone through the list. Instead of wasting our time on introductions, let's complete our pending work. I need to leave for a meeting in two hours.”

My frown deepened. He was fine when everyone was greeting him and at my turn, he stopped instantly, walking away.

“Sure, Sir. Please, this way.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned to leave for my work and shifted my mind, to pretend I had no connections with him but he called me.

“Miss Blooms.”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Send me the past annual reports in my office.” He ordered.

“Yes, Sir.”

Judging his sore focus on work and ethics, I doubt he would bring the topic of his proposal here.

“Here are the files, Sir. I have put them in order.” I spoke coldly, placing them. As far as I heard from Jared, I had no intentions of losing my job by enraging him.

But, I won’t sit quietly too.

He didn’t react as I stood on the other side of the desk, folding my arms at my chest. He was engrossed in work, checking things and reports with focus.

When he was focused, his features were enhanced and made them strict yet arresting. He noticed I was not leaving and arched an eyebrow handsomely.

“Hmm? Why are you still here?”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked sternly.

“I believe you are aware of the fact I don't fancy interruptions during work.” He replied in the same tone.

“We both know why you are doing this. Stop acting.” I added, inclining my hands on the table which caused him to stop.

Lifting his mysterious eyes, he locked them with mine with an energy that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Really?” He asked seductively.

My heart skipped a beat when his lips curled into a devilish smirk. Clearly using his overwhelming power.

“Don’t.” I whispered, rolling my tongue over my lips, becoming nervous slightly.

Resting his elbow on the table and leaning forward to look dead into my soul with his one demand.

“Then marry me. Don’t make me do this.”

“What? What the hell is your problem?”

My mouth was gaped, staring at him with surprise. I couldn’t believe him, he wouldn't stop until he would convince me.

“You.”

The determination in his eyes was disturbing me.

“Burn your fatuous desires, Mr Cannedy. I won’t marry you. In fact, you are the last man I would prefer.”

Hissing, I slammed my hands. Determined to not marry this man as I turned to leave. Before he could continue his mindless wish, I walked out.

“What is his problem? Is that how people should marry? Why should ‘I’ marry him? Why bind my life with a stone?”

I was constantly muttering those questions under my breath while walking as far as possible from him.

Sadly, he had decided to become my shadow and followed my trails, also resolved to convince me to marry him.

“What more do you want me to do for you, Saafia?!”

He shouted before the whole office. I gasped, my body was stiff suddenly at his call which gained the attention of everyone.

“What the hell?”

Mumbling, I pressed my hand over my heart, sensing how abnormally my sensations were augmenting.

I didn’t dare to move an inch and at my lack of reaction, the sound of his expensive heels approached me. Standing behind me, I trembled at his addictive scent and muscular body behind me.

“Stop running away from me.”

His tone went lowest and smoothest in could go, acting proficiently. He tugged my sleeves carefully to not touch me and made me turn to him.

“Marry me,”

Everyone’s jaw dropped when he proposed to me in my office on the very first day. Making it OBVIOUS that he bought the company because of me.

My face was red from embarrassment, my breaths became heavy at his unbelievable proposal.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?”

My voice was lower than a whisper so no one could hear, leaning forward and unintentionally closing our gap.

“I am selfish to the core and I want you, I will get you. Don’t worry, I am not an abusive monster… or a serial killer- at least.”

He smirked darkly. His one hand was in his pocket dominantly and offered his other hand to me.

“Please marry me.”

He spoke loudly to ensure this echoed everywhere, making sure I won’t be able to return here.

“Say yes! Say yes!”

Shit, shit, shit.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.” I blurted out abruptly, putting my hand in the air, moving away from him, earning disappointment from everyone.

“Sure. Come.” He shrugged his shoulders and we went back to the cabin.

The second we entered and closed the door, I burst my fury, “What the hell is your problem?! What are you doing?!” I whisper-yelled.

He had no reaction. As if it meant nothing to him.

“If you have conditions, tell me. We can make a fair deal, I need you to make them feel horrible. If there is anything you want me to do then tell me, like prepare the best medical care for your father…? Anything.” He suggested calmly.

“What type of stone are you? Do you think you can buy relationships?” I growled.

No one had frustrated me to this point in my entire life- not even those bratty kids of your relatives.

“Yes, I can. I can do anything for my purpose and you have seen it now too. Place your price.” He offered in a low, husky tone, standing right before me.

I swallowed hard, narrowing my eyes with a hint of rage flickering in them but he discarded them and brought his hand closer to my cheek.

“I know you are a delusional and dreamy woman, probably waiting for a charming prince- drop that dream. That won’t happen. Enter my life.”

Stunned, I put my hand in between to stop him from touching me which earned a tempting chuckle from him. How wicked.

He was all beauty, no soul.

His voice went deeper, taking a strand of my hair, leading to my ear.

“Let me show you the dark side of this world.” He murmured, causing my skin to crawl.

“A world where people like you can never survive.” He enunciated, pushing me to the edge before pulling away. I knew he would use all methods to make me marry him.

Deep down, I felt like it was more than revenge.

A strong desire he was concealing professionally and using our cheater partners as an excuse to hide the ‘real’ reason.

‘How hard and dark his world could be? Does he truly believe he could change me?’ I thought.

Gathering my thoughts, I mentally prepared myself and called him, “You know what?”

Arching an eyebrow, he looked from his shoulder, “I am ready.”

“What?” He blinked, turning fully to me with an eerie yet ominous excitement creeping on his features.

“I said I am ready to marry you. I am giving you one year to change my thoughts, to change me.” I declared, taking a step forward.

If he was resolved to change me then I was too, to not bulge my personality. I won’t change myself.

“One year?”

“Not Enough?”

“More than enough.” He smirked devilishly.

Closing our distance, I pressed my index finger over his heart, feeling the expensive fabric of his coat. Staring dead into his eyes.

He also became serious, holding my collar to incline our faces dangerously closer. The hint of no emotions, no attachment.

“Let me make this ‘very’ clear- You can never change me, Dariel Cannedy.”

“We will see who will change in the end, Saafia Blooms. I am sure one day this altruistic demeanor will drown you.” He declared.

Ripping us apart and setting his tie to assert his superiority to which I scoffed in return.

“Worry about your heartless soul first,”

With this, he returned to our work to prepare for the worst marriage where two entirely different souls were about to meet-

A worthless relationship was about to begin.