CHAPTER THREE

MARRY ME 

The words echoed in my mind 

I blinked "Excuse me?" 

"Marry me," he repeated like this was a perfectly reasonable thing to say 

"You and I both know how this world works, Thalia. Power is everything. You want your legacy back. I want to secure mine. Together, we can rebuild what was taken from you and strengthen my position"

I stared at him He couldn't be serious. 

"You want me to marry you" I said slowly as if saying it that way would make the absurdity of it clear to him 

He didn't flinch "That's right" 

I crossed my arms, my face formed a scowl "You think I'd agree to that?" 

He tilted his head, that damn smile never leaving his face "Why not? 

You'll regain control of your family's wealth, I'll have a partner who understands, You've been left with almost nothing, Thalia, half of your company shares are already gone and as much as you hate to admit it, you can't fight this battle alone" 

I clenched my fists "I can fight just fine without you" 

"Really?" His voice dropped, teasing no mocking... no both 

"And how's that going for you so far? You've already been betrayed by one man. Do you think you can outmaneuver Brandon? Or the rest of the vultures circling what's left of your inheritance? You've gone AWOL on your own for two days now without security"

I hated how calm he sounded, and how reasonable he made his argument seem. I hated even more that on some level, he wasn't wrong. 

Brandon had already gutted me emotionally and financially, and if I wasn't careful, there wouldn't be anything left to salvage for myself 

"Let's say, for a second, I even considered this insane idea" I said 

"Why would I ever marry you? You're Croft. Your family is the reason my family's gone or have you forgotten that little detail?" 

His smile faltered slightly but his eyes never left mine

 "Rumors. That's all they are Thalia. Do you think if I had anything to hide, I'd invite you into my life like this? If you marry me you'll have access to everything. My business. My finances. My world" 

I laughed bitterly "So what, you think throwing open the doors to your empire makes you trustworthy? I don't need access to your world, Alexander I need a way to fix mine" 

"And you think you can do that without me?" His voice lowered 

"You'll be eaten alive You're currently vulnerable Thalia, whether you want to admit it or not. I'm offering you a way out Protection. Power"

I met his gaze, forcing myself to stay calm 

 "And in exchange, I just have to tie myself to you for life. Sounds like a bargain" I scoffed 

His smile returned, but there was something darker in his eyes now 

"It's not as bad as you're making it sound, think of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement you get back your fortune and I get a wife who strengthens my claim as CEO, Together, we'll be unstoppable." 

"Unstoppable?" I snorted "You think this is about business? About power? This is my life, Alexander My family's name. My future." 

"And that's exactly why you should consider my offer" he said

 "I'm giving you a chance to take back control or would you rather leave it in Brandon's hands?" 

I hated him at that moment I hated him for making sense "And what if I say no?" 

His smile didn't falter, but his eyes gleamed 

"Then you'll be alone and vulnerable, people like Brandon will keep taking from you until there's nothing left"

I narrowed my eyes leaning closer to him. "You might think you're calling the shots here, but make no mistake Alexander, if I agree to this, you'll be playing by my rules" 

His smile widened, and for the first time, I saw something that looked like admiration in his eyes

"That's the spirit I admire" 

"Fine" I said my voice barely above a whisper.

"I'll marry you" 

He smiled his eyes sparkling, he held my stare 

"Excellent, the engagement is in two days" he said as he reached for my hand and feathered a small kiss at the back of my hand.

"Wife" he concluded in a husky tone 

I swallowed hard as I watched him.

After a few minutes of our stare-down and his surprising attempts at seducing me, we parted ways, agreeing to meet tomorrow to choose the rings. The wedding will be a day after, with only the both of us and the officiant wedding us present. 

This wasn't just a business deal. This was war and in that moment, I realized that for better or worse, I had just allied myself with the devil but oh well there's a saying that goes enemies make the best allies. 

An hour later, I found myself standing at the entrance to the cemetery with flowers in my hand.

I navigated my way through the cemetery my muscle memory guiding me as I passed several headstones till my feet stopped in front of five simple yet elegant tombstones. The one thing in common with these tombstones, ASPLUNDH engraved on them, was my family, my parents, my grandmother, my brother and sister 

My heart clenched, I placed flowers on each of them and knelt in front of my mother's running my fingers over the cold stone 

"I failed Mother" I whispered "I miss you Mommy" I said again letting my tears fall.

The world seemed quieter more still as if it mourned with me, quiet sobs tacked through me.

"Why didn't I join you, mother?" 

"I miss you terribly" I said through sobs 

Footsteps crunched behind me and I tensed instantly, a voice said

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you came here, to play the part of the grieving daughter, how predictable Thalia" 

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. 

Brandon, my ex-husband the man who ruined me in a matter of seconds 

"Don't you think it's getting a bit old?" and of course with him was Bella my supposed best friend, up until two days ago I would have trusted her with my life. 

I wiped my tears away and stood up slowly 

"Brandon, Bella, how lovely to see you both" I said cooly meeting their smug gaze. 

"We can't say the same about meeting you" Brandon said 

"We need the passcodes to a few things" Bella said cutting right down to business 

"Yes write them down right now" Brandon said as he held a pen and paper in his outstretched hand

I collected the pen and paper and scribbled something down I let the paper fall on the floor then I turned on my heel and headed toward the exit of the cemetery 

"Over my dead body?" Brandon growled in frustration reading what I wrote 

"Foolish girl!!" Bella snarled 

And I couldn't help the small smile that found my lips as I left the cemetery and drove off.