Chapter 4

“Excuse me?” I said, regaining my strength, and I was going to make sure he knew how I felt.

Alexander released a sigh, his eyes glancing at the watch on his wrist. “I don’t have time for this, Ruby. You were already aware of the recent developments. You are to be my wife, so you have to start living there.”

"No, that is not going to happen. Not under my watch." I don’t care if I sounded childish, but I wasn’t going to follow him home. “I am not following you home; I didn’t sign my name in any contract, so it doesn’t hold.”

“I don’t have time for this.” He said under his breath, and with a snap of his fingers, people began to come in. They were all dressed in black, like they were in a cult, and I shifted to the wall, trying to defend myself.

The men marched into the room, taking up my personal effects, and began to haul them out.

“You can’t do this. It is against the law.” I threatened, clutching my pillow for defense, but he simply looked at me and smiled.

And for the first time, I was afraid.

The door parted this time to reveal the elderly doctor that had been on my case and some nurses behind him. “Ruby, you seemed to be doing better. We are sure going to miss you.” He remarked as he looked at the case note, and I flashed my teeth, not missing the sarcasm.

Everyone knew I was a bitch, and all the nurses had been on the other side of my temper. Something I wasn’t proud of. But it wasn't my fault; I get snappy when bored.

“Alright, you are good to go. But you have to make sure you exercise regularly and avoid strenuous work. It is good to see you go, and I hope we never meet again.”

“Likewise. Thank you all for your hard work, and I hope we never see each other again.” I said, and Alex looked at me, shocked to see I could be like this, and I glared at him. I wasn’t always a troublesome person.

One of the men from before came in, wheeling a wheelchair, and he stopped in front of me. "No." I shook my head in protest. “I am not going to be getting on the thing. I can walk just fine.”

Thanks to him, the physical therapy had done a lot of good, and I was getting better on my feet.

“I know, baby, just humor me. Where we parked the car is a bit far, and trust me on this, you would want to sit down.” I don’t know if it was his soothing voice or the fact that he called me a baby. But I found myself being wheeled around.

And I was glad I agreed. The distance was far and tiring, but we were finally at the car park, and Alex assisted me in getting up. He was so close to me that I got a whiff of his cologne, and it was drawing me in.

His car was a Honda Palisade; quite unlike what I had imagined about him, he looked like a Lamborghini type of guy, with different girls in his car.

But I guess I was wrong.

He helped me into the back seat, and he came and sat beside me. I froze for a moment, not used to having a companion so close by.

I was more of a loner at school back then, and guys didn’t find me attractive enough to talk to me. I was content with it because it meant I didn’t have to start trying to get the right type of clothes to seduce them.

Apart from the initial hostile attitude, I didn’t know how to treat guys. But I was spared all that when the driver entered and turned on the music to an opera.

Alex must have been so tired because he dozed off not even 2 minutes into the journey.

With him asleep, my mind could finally rest, and I decided to feed my eyes on the road. We were entering the rich part of the city, and it was all fascinating.

I had spent most of my life shuffling from foster homes to foster homes because I had no parents. It wasn’t every day I got to be in this part of town. It was nice getting to see a lot of nice buildings, but I soon got tired of that.

I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable on the journey, but my eyes landed on Alexander dozing off in his sleep.

Even in his sleep, he still looked serious; his eyebrows were knit so tight and his lips were set in a thin line. I settled in my seat, angling my body so I could see better.

He had such nice eyebrows that any lady would be jealous of and such perfect lashes. He had lost the suit in the car, so he was only wearing a light-blue shirt, and as he took in breath, I could see his biceps raise and fall.

The car took a sudden turn that shook us, and when I looked at Alexander, he was still sleeping fine, but a lock of hair had fallen to his face.

It was so tempting to tuck it away behind his ears, and I tried to resist the urge. But I couldn’t any longer, and I reached out, holding my breath as I was about to tuck it behind his ears.

He had such thick and full hair that was so dark and lush. Here is someone who has made their barbers their friends.

I wanted to touch it and feel it; I was sure they were as soft as it was. After a few seconds of contemplation, I said, Fuck it, and I was reaching out.

I held my hands above his head, gently lowering it down, and I ran my hands through his hair. And fuck, I was right; it was as soft as I had imagined, maybe even softer.

I couldn’t help it, and I continued stroking his hair, smiling at the sheer audacity. But I stilled as he shifted in his seat, and I made to withdraw my hand, but his firm hands gripped mine.

“Continue. Who asked you to stop?” He growled in that low, sleep-laden voice that had me weak on my knees, and I was a stuttering mess trying to find my voice.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” I managed to say after finding my voice.

"Well, you did harass a sleeping man, so that can’t hold.”

I turned my head to look at him sharply, almost spraining my neck. “That wasn’t harassment!” My voice may have been louder than I intended, because the driver angled his head slightly to look at me before returning his gaze to the road.

Geez, I wish I could just sink to the ground.

“Alright, what do you call touching someone without their consent?" Alex asked, his lips pulling upwards to reveal a smirk, and I have never wanted to wipe it off so badly.

He was right, though; it was harassment, and I had the decency to apologize. “I am sorry.”

“It is alright. You can touch me any way you like. I am yours as well as you are mine.” He said, and as much as I hated to admit it, I love the personal pronouns.

“Yea, yea. Whatever.” I tried to dismiss it like it was nothing, even though I was feeling giddy. Instead, I folded my arms and was content with watching the moving houses.

Finally, we entered the gate of what was the most beautiful house I had ever entered. My mouth hung open as I took in the beauty and marvel of this place.

Alright, this man is rich.

There was a saying that every lady had an inner gold digger, and maybe it was true. Because right at that moment, I made a resolution that I was going to marry him, but only for his money.

The car was parked in his garage, and while I was still observing the place, Alex came down from the vehicle and came towards my side.

He opened the door on my side.

“Oh my God!” I shrieked like a banshee as he picked me up in bridal style. “Put me down this every minute.” I had a fear of height, and I hated to be carried around.

He paid no attention to my words, and he continued carrying me inside the house. I locked my hands on his shoulder in a death grip, too busy holding on to my dear life to admire the view.

He began taking me up the stairs, and only then did I quiet down and let him do as he pleased. He wasn’t going to drop me, so it was best if I enjoyed the ride. And I could feel his muscles on me and his firm hands as he carried me.

We stopped at a door, and he opened it, carrying me into the dimly lit room, and before I could tell what was going on, he dumped me on the bed gently.

“What are you doing?” I said as I saw him coming closer to me while his other hands worked on his tie, loosening it.

“What do you think I am doing?” He said it with a smirk as he moved to unbutton his clothes.

I looked around the room, my brain in overdrive, as I put two and two together.

And my eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do.