CHAPTER 4

Lyla pov.

Jace karev had been my rival right from Harvard days. He always wanted to be ahead of me. I think a part of him hated that I was the best in the Accounting department, considering the fact that he was the best graduating student in the medical department.

History has it that he genuinely loved medicine. In fact, he was the best cardiologist student, but his father sent him back to school to study accounting.

Given our history, I was meant to be quiet and let him do the talking, but curiosity took over me. “Aren’t you meant to be in jail?” I asked.

The Karev Company has been the best ceramic and steel company for the past hundred years.

When my husband said he wanted to go into the same niche, his friends advised him to go against it.

The Karev’s owned the entire steel and ceramic niche, but with my aid and guide, he managed to become the best, superseding their own company.

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “I had always known that you were not as smart as they thought you were. So you think Chad could send me to jail?” he asked.

I nodded. “You sent boys after him,” I responded.

An eerie smile crept onto his face. “Well, contrary to your opinion, your husband set me up and I think he thought he had gotten to me. That is why he stopped coming after me”. 

Chad trying to get me killed was understandable. He hated me because I could not give birth, but he was not capable of killing anyone else.

In fact, I was pretty sure that Becky was the one who sent him. She had some thugs as friends.

“Chad can’t send someone to kill you”

I replied with firm assurance.

An amused smile crept on his face, then he started laughing. I furrowed my eyebrows. Seeing my expression, he bursts into laughter again.

His laughter caressed my skin, sending warmth to replace the chills that had crept in since his arrival.

His laughter stopped, and the bitter expression came back. He pointed at the dead man there. “Your husband sent this man to kill you and he thinks he can’t send someone to kill me”?.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words refused to come out.

To cover up for my speechlessness, I asked, “Why are you here?” I asked.

It was obvious he wanted something that was why he had rescued me.

He cleared his throat. “To strike a deal,” he said, his deep blue eyes pinned on me, waiting for my reaction.

I hated Jace. Everybody knows we are rivals and to make it even worse, he was a very dangerous person. I mean, he could do anything and get away with it.

To make a deal with him was to make a deal with the devil, but he saved my life. I owed him.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He brought out a small red box from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“Marry me”

My jaw dropped. Silence hung in the air for a while. A chuckle escaped my lips.

“Are you joking?” I asked.

“I am a billionaire. I don’t have time to waste. Marry me and I will help you clean up the mess your husband has created” he said, his voice laced with pride.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He always wore his family wealth like a gold crown.

“No. As much as I need help, I refuse to get married to a man I hate,” I stated. He glared at me.

“It’s just business wise. I figured your husband’s company grew because he had a genius for a wife. He tossed it aside and I am ready to take up the genius,” he explained.

Another raw pain burst within me. Everyone wanted me because of my intelligence. No one wanted me for who I was.

If I was not intelligent, Chad would have dumped me ever since and here was his rival, asking me to marry him for this same reason.

God! Was there something wrong with me? Something that made me unworthy of love.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke “I can work for you not marry you”

He nodded with a bored expression. “I knew before I asked you to marry me. You are too valuable for a staff”

“And you think marrying you makes me more valuable?” I asked, anger laced my voice.

Who the hell did he think he was? A trophy? Or a gold medal that was an honour to anyone who wore it?.

He cursed under his breath, the veins on his forehead throbbed. He sat upright and placed the gun on the table.

“I am trying to be human and save you. Your husband just planned an accident and faked your death. The whole world thinks that you are dead. You think you would survive if I allowed you out without any protection? Do you know the damage your carelessness caused?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. His voice lacked patience.

My eyebrows lowered. “I had an accident. I did not die, and I certainly was not careless!” I shouted at him.

How the hell would he say he was trying to save me? Trying to save me from what?

“Oh, really?” he asked. He scoffed and brought out his phone and clicked on the news headlines.

“Popular blogger and wife of the billionaire Mr Chad karma has been confined to death. According to our investigation. She had engaged in drunk driving. She had run her car into Miss Benita Bentely, the eight-year-old daughter of the prime minister. 

Though she did not suffer any major injury. She was rushed to the hospital where she was confirmed dead because of a brain injury caused by the car. Also, Mrs. Karma could not survive as her car caught fire, trapping her inside. The fire fighters tried their best but could not save her. Our condolences are with the family,” it read.

My jaw dropped at the news as I tried to process what was happening. How the hell would they accuse me of drunk driving?

And how the hell did my car hit the prime minister’s car? My heart dropped at the implication of what would happen if I came out on my own.

I would be imprisoned for drunk driving.

I stared at the news and then at him. “What's all this” I muttered with a trembling voice.

An eerie smile crept on his face as he played the video of my husband and Becky crying uncontrollably.

I watched as they feigned their tears with amusement. Then it dawn

ed on me. The accident, the kidnapping, everything was set up by my husband.