Chapter 7

Mr Liam was seated on the cushion, busy with the television as he was listening to the news when Anna stumbled into the room. The expression on her face revealed that everything wasn't okay.

She headed to the staircase, but the deep voice of her father paused her movement.

"Is everything alright with your visit? Your face doesn't look bright?"

"I'm just tired dad, I only need a rest." She brushed it off immediately and began climbing up, but her father called out her name in such a manner that it ached her heart. "I already assured you that I'm okay. Just a little rest will resolve everything."

"If you persist, I'll come over to hear from you on how the meeting went through." Mr Liam remarked, focusing on the television again.

Gosh! This old man won't stop pestering around her.

She climbed the staircase and made use of her room, then fell to the bed. "This is just a mess. Everything in my life is just a mess. I can't hold up to relationships, not my company, not my marriage." She gritted her teeth. "Is this a curse or something?"

The beep of her phone sent shivers down her spine, she was totally scared of seeing what the message was about. But at a time, she decided to gather courage and open the message.

To her greatest surprise, the message was from Reid.

"Come around or I'll do that."

She almost smacked her cellphone on the ground. "Is he that deaf? When did marriage lose the choice of both partners?" She swallowed bitterly.

The idea of turning off the tone of her phone hit her mind and she did that instantly.

Laid on the bed, she dozed off still having both her clothes and footwear on. But the heavy and steady knock on the door woke her up.

"Anna, it's dad."

"Come in…" she replied feeling tired and sleepy.

Mr Liam walked in to see his daughter lying on the bed with her clothes on. "Are you that tired to pull off? That's why you need a husband that would always help."

Hearing the word 'husband', she flew up from the bed. "Enough with that dad, I'm no longer interested in that marriage. I'll have to work on the contract I got and return everything I lost with it." She slammed angrily.

"You must be out of your senses. After all my efforts to put you back to your place, you had the guts to spill nonsense in my presence." Mr Liam got infuriated.

She got seated on the bed. "Dad, if I had known that he's the brother of my ex-boyfriend, I wouldn't have given in. How do you think I'll cope with that?"

"That's arrant nonsense, I had thought you had a reasonable excuse. You just said your ex-boyfriend and not your boyfriend…so tell me the big deal here?" Mr Liam couldn't believe his daughter would quit a marriage because of that.

She licked her lips. "I am the one getting married and not you. This marriage is canceled."

"Anastasia, I don't mind disowning you if you cancel this marriage. This is the only way to bring back the good reputation of you after messing yourself up in public…or aren't you ashamed of yourself?" He yelled at her and stood up. "Come to think of it, aren't you old enough to get married?"

Anna watched her father shriek at her, but that doesn't mean she will change her mind.

"Having a spouse is just a liability, not a blessing." She sparked.

The sudden knock on the door brought silence in the room.

"Ms. Anna, you have a visitor." One of the maids announced to her.

By this time? Was she expecting a visitor? Not at all.

"Isn't that your phone blinking?" Mr Liam pointed at his daughter's cell phone.

She stared at the screen, behold it was Reid calling continuously. "I just hope he isn't a visitor or I'll jump through the fence." She turned and walked out of the room without saying a word to her dad.

She walked down the stairs to the sitting room only to come in sight with whom she's dodging.

"I'm sure you still have your knots complete. Why would you visit me?" She snapped, her face chiseled.

Reid stood on her feet. "Do you think you can pull out my leg and go scot free? I never wanted a woman but you agreed to face the hell right?" He walked closer to her. "Tell me why you canceled the marriage all of a sudden, if it has something to do with me, then I'll look into it."

She transfixed her palms on her waist. "I'm not just interested anymore, take it that way."

"Does it have anything to do with Felix?" He mentioned.

She froze at that instant. Was he already aware? What did Felix tell him about her? The look on her face revealed shock.

She shook her head. "It has nothing to do with Felix, it was a self decision." She stated, faking a smile, believing that Felix won't reveal such a thing quickly to his brother, if he had done that, his brother wouldn't come after her again. Or, was he already aware but decided to feign ignorance?

He nodded and took another step closer while Anna stepped backwards. For the sake of his father, he wouldn't want to let the marriage go. If not for anything, the contract and his father's position. He needs to avenge just like his father wishes. That was the reason he arranged the marriage, nothing else—although, he's already a strong attraction to Anna.

"Uhmm! Since you've signed out willingly from the marriage, I think it's right to tell you this…" He uttered and paused.

She was so eager to hear him out, hoping that he wasn't suspecting her still dating Felix.

"I heard everything about your past life, how you were a slut. I hope you'll find someone who can tolerate a bitch like you." He revealed everything, just to drain her blood for trying to kick his ass and get away with it.

He had just a few days to get a bride, and here, Anna had wasted his time.

Her feet glued to the floor after hearing him, she couldn't believe it at first but had to afterwards.

"Who the heck said that about me?" She queried him but in a polite voice.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You don't need to know, just think about losing a whole CEO like me who's ready to welcome you despite knowing your dirty past life—or continue being single because no famous multi billionaire will take you in…" he jabbered and walked out of the sitting room after taking a last glance at her while at the doorpost. Within him, he was so glad for making such a statement to her, with her looks before he left…he believes that she will have a change of heart.

Anna couldn't believe her ears. "No one but Felix, he must be looking for a way to change his brother's heart. But why tarnish my image this way?" Her mind flooded in anger.

The cell phone she was holding beeped and she disclosed the message. It was Felix.

"The best for you is to stick with canceling the marriage."

She bit her lower lips, grimacing. "Is this a threat or what? Is this jealousy or hatred?" She murmured, licking her lips repeatedly….knowing fully well that he was responsible for what Reid just said.

She won't just sit back and watch him.

He hurt her deeply by cheating on her, and here he's trying to act calm or rather fierce by saying lies about her past.

"For that, I'm getting married to your brother. I'm giving in to marriage—you can go to hell for all I care…" she concluded, her eyes shut as she kept holding back the tears that gathered in her eyes.