Shadow's Decree

He slipped away the covers covering his muscled body with a simple flex and walked to the washroom attached to the room, completely nude with not even a trace of reticence.

Safia did not know till then she was holding her breath. Her shivering hands reached the mobile beside the bed on the side table before she dialed her father.

Soren Jose Blacksmith was spontaneous attending to his daughter on the second ring. Before she could speak he started, “I'm sorry princess. Whatever happened, please consider it as a part of destiny. It was unavoidable. We needed to save our company. Sion Canes was the most prosperous investor who had applied for our company shares. And I had to accept his offer to save our business.”

Safia was shocked by the act of her father. “What do you mean? Dad! Did you just sell me to an alien without my knowledge by drugging me to save our company?”

Soren was about to speak but before he could do so, Safia cut the call. Sion walked out of the washroom with his towel hanging low and water droplets passing through his sturdy sternum. He was surely a man to impress. “Get ready within half an hour. You don't have the time to gawk at me like a bloody hawk. We need to sign the contract. The lawyer is waiting downstairs.”

“What contract?” Safia was perturbed, which was an understatement. But before she could finish her sentence the door closed with a bang.

The bath took more than the time planned for it because the tears in the eyes of Safia wouldn't dry up! She felt her entire life shattered just within a fortnight. Who is this man?

Ten minutes later Safia walked down the stairs in a sky blue floral gown which was placed on the bed after she came out of the shower. Her eyes were red but she did little to cover the sorrow leaping out of them.

“Good Morning ma'am, I'm Brad Pearson, the lawyer of Wellcrow Vineyards. Here is your marriage contract with Sion Canes. Please read it and sign the contract.” He shook hands with Safia and handed the document to her.

Sion was comfortably seated in the executive couch before her. He was sipping his morning coffee, guarding her emotions carefully. “You have no excuse but to sign it. Otherwise I withdraw my shares in your family company and your firm will be sealed. I think you are smart enough to save that humiliation. Your creditors are already waiting on when that happens so that they could get their share from the bank for the firm’s insolvency.”

Thankfully her brain was still functioning. “Why would you want to buy a company which is on the verge of insolvency? Wellcrow Vineyards is a big name.”

Sion extended his hands on the couch’s backrest and with one leg above the other in all his ascendency like a king. He looked at Safia with contempt as if she was some old piece of rag. “Because taking over seemingly white elephants, studying the mysterious gains hidden in them from the world is my profession and is what is called smart business.”

“I will never allow you to take over my company.” Safia yelled angrily but Sion was not the person to get his hackles rise over petty issues.

He shrugged and pointed to the document in her hands. “Sign it. I don't have all day to argue with you.”

“The contract says that Safia Jose Blacksmith will be the lawfully wedded wife of Sion Canes for the next two years. After the expiry of the term both the individuals have the choice to continue on the marriage or opt out. But as long as the wedding is alive, Safia can't be in a relationship with anybody or have sex.” The lawyer stated the contents in the document to Safia.

“Why is the condition only for me and not him?” She asked the lawyer?

“Why do you want to marry me? You could have simply bought the shares of my company.” Safia wanted clarity about her wedding.

Sion allowed his head back and left a loud conceited laugh. “Because killing is single time suffering for the person you hate. But if you marry, every day is a living hell!”

“What?” Safia's face turned pale with uncensored fright in her eyes. “Why do you hate me so much? We did not even meet each other before.”

Before she could realize she felt a sharp sting on her cheek and the composed man before her till moments ago was like a ferocious monster with vile in his cool blue eyes.

No words were found in her brain and neither were they required. She was clueless about his unlimited hatred for her and the man before her wouldn’t give away any reason. Safia’s hands shook with shiver while she signed the contract and ran back through the stairs to her room crying.

He just married her out of vengeance. But why?