Six

BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV 

Celine looked utterly terrified and she had every right to be after the stunt she pulled... She dared to lie using my name. God, she appeared so pure without a stain to her name but I was starting to see her for who she truly was. 

Celine jumped to her feet. "How the hell did you get into my house" she asked, her gaze darting from mine to the door as she tried to look for an escape while making sure that she was not within my reach. 

Cocking my head, I regarded her darkly. "Is that really the question you want to be asking right now, Celine Herrera" Gods! Even calling her name was making me mad. Every time I said her name I remembered Selene, and her blood-drenched face as she'd drew in her last breath in my arms.

Celine swallowed audibly, her right hand rubbing against her left arm. "I said what I did in the heat of the moment, You have to believe me, they were making all sorts of assumptions and my torn dress was not helping..." she said then jutted her chin at me, "But what would you have had me do... I was being slandered in every direction, I had no choice but to defend myself_"

" _ and lying that we were seeing each other was the only excuse you could come up with" I interrupted then scoffed, "How very convenient"

"I am sorry_"

“_You do not sound like you mean it" I stated and watched in surprise as the anger she was so desperately trying to hide within surged to the surface. Her face reddened, her hands fisting by her side as she tried to sound apologetic when we both knew she wasn't.

"You shouldn't have torn my dress" she gritted out, her eyes holding mine longer than anyone ever dared to.

I stared at her. She wanted to die alright. Maybe getting away with all her past crimes has made her bold, but she didn't know what sort of minefield she was stepping into.

No one used Belshar's name to lie, especially not when she was a major suspect in the case of my wife's death. 

I could still feel Selene sticky blood on my palm sometimes when I rubbed them together.

"And what If I denied your claim? Didn't you think that far in your lie" 

Her eyes filled up with tears and I felt a nasty squeeze in my chest that made breathing a bit difficult. 

"If you are going to kill me, you should just get it over with... Everyone knows what you represent anyway and my life has already gone down to shit" she said, her lips trembling as she tried her hardest to stop the tears from falling. 

My hand lashed out and I grabbed her by the arm and jerked her toward me so harshly, that she slammed into my chest with only a surprised gasp managing to escape her lip. 

But she'd blinked and I watched in satisfaction as drops of tears trailed down both her cheeks. 

"There, you should get used to crying because you are going to be doing a lot of that for the next two years," I said and watched as her eyes widened. 

"What?" She managed to get out as she subtly struggled to snatch her arms from my grip, but she was fighting a losing battle and she knew it. 

"It means exactly what you know it means. I signed your contract that you were so desperate for and I also did not deny your claim... Since you are so surprised, I guess you haven't seen the news" I said and let go of her. 

She stared at me, her lips agape as confusion shone through her teary eyes. "I thought you were here to kill me... Why would you sign the documents, you made it clear that you weren't interested in helping me"

"I wasn't interested, but it is either this or your death," I said and held her gaze."You see, I think it would be a shame if you get such an easy way out without properly paying for what you have done"

Her brows furrowed. "I am not the first person to lie, so why should I die because of that... I don't understand why you hate me so much, I have never done anything to you"

God, she was good, she said it with so much sincerity if I didn't know better I might have actually believed her. 

"Does it matter now? You got what you wanted, didn't you? You and I are going to get married and that too in two weeks" I informed and she flinched then took a step back as a look of dread crawled over her expression. 

"Two weeks?" She gasped out in disbelief. "Why would you_" she started to say I cut her off with a wave. 

"Do not argue with me Celine, I wasn't the one who came to my office crying and begging for me to marry them" 

She paled as if I'd hit her. "It was because I was desperate... I was on the verge of losing everything I have ever loved, and I still am, but if we rush this, my grandfather will find it suspicious, he'll suspect a contract marriage"

I scoffed. "The date has been fixed and nothing is going to change it, also I am pretty sure your grandfather knows that the only way you'd ever be able to get yourself a husband is through a contract marriage"

"Why" she asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears once more, "because I am ugly and no one would want to be with me unless I paid them to"

I wanted to say yes, I wanted to see her cry but something held my tongue and I couldn't get the words out of my throat no matter how much I tried to. 

What the hell! I wasn't one to pity. I thrived on people suffering so why was I keeping quiet when I should be ripping her to shreds until there was nothing left? 

Exhaling in anger, I shoved the document I'd brought into her hand and her gaze dropped to it. 

"My terms and conditions. Read through them thoroughly and sign" 

"And if I don't," she asked, her gaze darting to mine but not quite holding as they'd done earlier.

"You will sign even if you don't want to. This is all just a formality. You'll also be meeting the family this weekend, so prepare yourself" I said and turned to leave and saw from the corner of my eyes her exhale of relief. So she was relieved to see me go when she was the mastermind behind this whole mess.

Stopping sharply, I whipped around to face her and she jerked back, her eyes widening. 

"You didn't Include the fact that your grandfather's other condition to get the company was to have a child in two years," I said and watched as her eyes got so wide and her cheek turned pale I thought she was going to faint. 

"I was... I was..." She stuttered, her lithe frame trembling as she clutched the documents in her hand tighter.

"Were you planning on having the child outside our marriage or perhaps getting an artificial insemination seeing how you choose to exclude it from the contract" 

"That's not, that's not it... I was going to tell you about it, but.. but"

Feeling bored, I turned away from her. "Read the contract and sign. I included all the little things you forgot to add, and don't think you're going to be getting a penny of my wealth either" I said, turned away from her, and walked out of the room. 

The cool breeze outside of her mansion felt good against my burning skin but it didn't take away the fury that was making me burn in the first place. 

She'd lied to the press like it was nothing just in the same manner that she told me with a straight face that she had done nothing to harm me. 

I should have just killed her, but if I did then I would never find out the truth and I would not be able to torture her. 

She was going to confess one day. She was going to and when she did I was going to put a bullet through her head. 

Exhaling shakily, I fished out my pack of cigarettes, yanked one out, and put it to my lips. 

Then I took out a lighter and watched it for a while... I quit smoking for Selene, and now that she was gone, I couldn't help but feel as if I was on the fucking edge of a cliff, tethering dangerously... Smoking wasn't going to help but at least it was going to serve as a distraction. 

I brought the lighter up to the cigarettes then blinked as it was suddenly yanked from between my lips and then my gaze clashed with those of Celine Herrera's furious one. 

"You will not smoke on my property! I will not allow it!" She yelled, her eyes determined and I took a step back. 

"What did you say" I said, staring at her with the gaze I reserved for all those who dared to challenge me.

Celine didn't so much as flinched, instead, she stepped closer daringly and yanked the lighter from my hand. "I said you are not allowed to smoke on my property... You might not respect me, but you will respect the rule of this house!"