Chapter Four: I'm fucking Rae Sinclair!

LUCAS

Threatening him wasn't going to work, he was as stubborn as I was and the only way to get him to marry Rae was to make him see reason.

"Dad, if you're going to push ahead with your plans to get me married to this rainbow girl then I guess I'll just have to leave," Gunner threatened in return, getting himself back.

I sighed in frustration, face-palming myself. "Gunner, please sit down and let's talk."

He reluctantly sat down on the chair across the table, frowning

"This is a business Gunner and in business, you have to make sacrifices. Marrying Rae even though you don't love her is one of those sacrifices."

"But dad?"

"No buts gunner I understand how you feel about it but I'm telling you that you're going to love her. She is not much different from you plus she is amusing as well." I smiled, remembering her.

Gunner sighed in frustration, but I could tell that I had convinced him to some level, and as long as it was business, Gunner would eventually cave in.

"So now that you're here tell me what's going on with you and how's the business on the other side going?"

"Well Dad, and there's been no casualties except if I can term suddenly getting engaged to some strange girl a casualty," he looked at me with a bored expression.

"And the painting business?" I asked, ignoring his remark

"See who is asking, I thought you never cared about it?"

"I care about it as long as it is bringing it money. Nevertheless, I don't want you to have missed priorities. Your main duty is within these walls and once it's time for you to take over, you will." I said, not smiling.

"Yes Dad, I remember our deal," he shrugged.

"I'll keep to my painting or whatever it is I want to do but I'm to return and take over once you retire," he explained and I nodded, impressed.

"Well I now have a new rival in the painting industry and he has slowly crept up to my level but he is still below me."

"In every business, there'll be a rival opponent, you just need to find their weakness," I advised him and he nodded. It wasn't something new to him, I guess he knew that much.

Gunner is good at whatever he lays his hand to do therefore I am not worried about some rookie coming to take his place.

Whoever it was would need extra practice and expertise to ever beat Gunner.

"Guess what old man?" He grinned.

"What?" I asked

"I won the award for the best painter in the industry!" He chirped happily.

"The son of a Lion is a Lion."

Gunner smiled.

"So what do you say about getting married to Rae?" I asked and his face morphed into a frown.

"Not that again," he huffed angrily.

"Trust me she is beautiful and feisty. I know you like them feisty," I smirked, watching him.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, looking a bit interested now that I mentioned feisty.

"Can I get to know her a little bit first before I get married to her, old man?" He asked and I stroked my jaw, thinking about it. It wasn't a bad idea. They might eventually fall in love within the period of getting to know themselves.

"Okay, I'll give you both just one month. At least I owe you this much and one month should be enough for you both to do all the knowing," I deadpanned and he nodded, satisfied.

"I hope she is as interesting as you say," Gunner stood up ready to leave.

"Trust me, she is," I smiled in assurance, puffing out another whiff of smoke.

I just had to let fate take its course and if it doesn't go the way I want, I step in and shape their fate to my taste.

************************

RAE

Not hearing the door opening, I climbed the window ready to escape. I didn't want to stay here and be treated like shit. I had to leave and go into hiding.

"What do you think you're trying to do little rabbit?" Lucas asked, startling me as I fell backward.

"Ouch," I winced in pain as I landed on my butts.

"The building is two stories high are you trying to kill yourself!"

"Maybe I should just do that and relieve myself of this misery," I said, getting up from the ground as I climbed through the window again.

He rushed towards me and dragged me back into the room caging me against the wall

"How dare you?"

"How dare me? You don't know who you're messing with," I broke into laughter, laughing like a maniac and coughing also.

"And who are you?"

"I'm fucking Rae Sinclair!" I replied fiercely.

He laughed at my confidence and suddenly everywhere grew silent, the wind from the window blowing my hair in my face and his eyes looking fierce, boring into mine. He pushed my hair from my face, pushing it to the back of my ears. We kept staring into each other's eyes, my stomach churning in excitement at his proximity. I could feel his breath on my skin and it made my skin tingle. My eyes moved down to his lips and I bit my lips, wishing it was his I was biting into.

"Get a grip on yourself, Rae," I screamed at myself mentally but I just couldn't break away from his hold. He seemed to have kept me in a spell and the crazy thing was that I didn't want to break out from the spell. I just simply wanted to grab him by his hair and crash my lips on his. His lips looked enticing and it felt like it was calling out to me.

I tried scolding myself but it seemed my whole body had a mind of its own, doing as it wished.

He leaned in towards me as the ray of light from the moonlight shone through the window, in the room. The atmosphere was tense and I could see the longing in his eyes. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. We both wanted nothing else than to rip our clothes off.

I involuntarily closed my eyes, anticipating the feel of his lips on mine.

"Dad?!" A voice called breaking us out of our trance

Dad? What's going on here?" We turned to look at him and I gasped in surprise. He was the younger version of Lucas but he was way younger and my age.

Is this the guy I'm supposed to marry?

"Dad what the fuck is going on here?!!!!"