Chapter Three; Threats and Deals

“Pardon?”

Did I hear her correctly or were my ears deceiving me?

She answers me with a light chuckle, seemingly amused by my reaction.

“I said I want you to marry my brother,” she repeats casually, picking up her wine glass and letting it rest between her fingers. I blinked once then twice, trying to make sense of her statement, but my brain could only come up with one response.

What the hell?

“I don’t quite understand what you mean Miss.” I start carefully, and she takes a small sip of her wine before setting it back on the table.

My brows furrowed in confusion as she raised her hand slightly, and with a small flick of her fingers, a tall man emerged from the shadows, making my heart jump in my chest as I let out a shocked gasp. How long had he been standing there? I didn’t even sense his presence.

He was adorned in a raven-black suit, his expression unreadable, and his features hard as stone. The only notable thing about him was the silver tint of his brown hair and the scar that ran from his left brow to his jaw, barely missing his expressionless eyes in its precision.

Judging from his muscular build and the earpiece strapped around the shell of his right ear, I guessed he was her bodyguard, but something in the way he stared at her told me he was much more than that.

The man bows his head in greeting as he stands beside her, but she doesn’t even look his way. Her emerald eye remained trained on me, and with another elegant flick, he dug into his suit and pulled out a slim file. He hands it to her and she reaches out to take it, her gaze never leaving mine.

The mysterious woman sets the file on the table and slides it to me with a light push. I stare at the file warily, twiddling with my fingers on my lap as anxiety takes its toll on me.

“I don’t like talking too much. Open the file and read to see for yourself,” she orders, and I shoot a nervous glance her way before returning my gaze to the file.

“Go on.” she urges me, her tone impatient, and I reluctantly take the file and retrieve its contents. Nothing would have prepared me for what I saw next.

My eyes widened in shock as I came across a picture of a woman. A lady who looked just like me. But she wasn’t me. I didn’t own any fine jewelry, so the diamond-beaded earrings she wore in the photo rivaled against the cheap plastic that hung from my ears. It was evident that she was a totally different person, someone with obvious wealth akin to the woman sitting across from me, the only difference being that she had….my face.

She had my round face, my pouted pink lips, slim brows, and full eyelashes. The shade of her blue eyes also matched mine, along with the curve of my button-like nose. The only prominent feature that set us apart was our hair.

Hers was strawberry blonde, falling out into smooth waves and stopping at her waist. Mine was short and straight, stopping a little beyond my shoulders, the color being a soft blend of ginger brown. But still, how could we look so alike?

“What….” I trail off, my lips parting in awe. “Who is this?”

I received no response, so I took a deep breath and continued, putting the picture aside to give way for another. And in this photo, the lady was in the company of a man. She was laughing, her eyes shining brightly as the man was caught kissing her cheek with his arms wrapped lovingly around her waist. Although I didn’t know who he was, I immediately noticed the resemblance between him and my guest, but his features were softer and less intimidating.

“Is this your brother?” I question, my voice coming out in a whisper and she nods.

“You have a good eye.” she compliments, but I’m far from flattered.

“What does this have to do with me?” I press on, and she sighs softly before straightening up in her seat.

“That woman there…” she starts and I don’t miss the hint of spite in her tone. “...Is a fraud.” Signaling her bodyguard, he quickly adheres to her silent request, digging into his suit to fish out another file. “Her name is Verona Winfield, and she’s my brother’s fiance. They are supposed to wed in two weeks, and she’d stolen a substantial amount of money from his private account and fled with her alleged lover.”

Okay.. that was a lot of drama dumped all at once, but I still didn’t understand where I stood in this equation.

“And what does any of this have to do with me? Are you saying you want me to take her place?” I voice out my thoughts, and she grins, perfect rows of white teeth flashing.

“You’re catching on quickly.” she chimes, taking the other file and peeling it open. “Unfortunately, my brother has a rare heart condition, so telling him that the love of his life betrayed him would have negative effects on his health, and I fear for the worse. Even the slightest shock could be lethal.” she adds solemnly, her expression growing sad.

My chest tightens as I relate to her worry, but her offer is far too extreme. To me marriage was sacred, and I’ve spent most of my years daydreaming of the perfect wedding, with the man I loved dearly, even when I knew the chances of that were slim.

“I’m sorry Miss…”

“Laura Shield.” she corrects curtly and I nod in acknowledgment.

“I’m sorry Miss Laura but I’ll have to decline.”

“Oh but you haven’t heard my proposal yet,” she smirks, sliding the file in her hands across the table. I take a glance at it, it was a legal contract explaining the terms of the deal. “I’m only asking you to marry him for the time being until his condition is stable and he’s fit enough to accept the harsh truth without risks. I also don’t expect you to do this for free.”

Her words ignited a sudden rush of anger in me, one that made my blood sizzle and boil. Does she think I would stoop so low as to marry a man for money? Do I look that desperate? Is this what it has come to?

“You might not think much of people like me, but I would never sell myself for whatever price you name.” I bite out, my tone dripping with pent-up frustrations as I stand abruptly. “I hope that’ll be all. Miss Laura Shield.”

“That’s a shame.” Laura sighed, but I didn’t give her any more attention as I turned on my heels. “I was thinking we could understand each other. Since we both have something to protect.”

What?

I stop dead in my tracks, my heart skipping a beat as I whip my head in her direction.

Don’t tell me…..

“If we don’t work together, dear Briana Quin, we’ll both suffer a heavy loss.”