SCARLETT'S POV.
The sound of the knife hitting the floor echoed throughout the room, and next came the loud gasp from the old housekeeper.I fell lifeless back onto the bed and then the horror of what I'd just been about to do dawned on me.I had just been on the verge of stabbing myself because of this man. What the hell had come over me?I felt disappointed in myself as I thought about how everything I'd worked for in life would have all gone to waste if I hadn't stopped myself. Not only that, Dad and Mum would have been disappointed in me too if they found out that I'd given up just like that.I mean, there was still my dream of finishing college and then going to law school. Then there was my small cake business that had recently started blowing up, and there was Kevin. I couldn't take my life until I was certain that he was actually dead. And for some reason I just had faith in him still being life.All in all, what I'm saying is it was very unlike me. Suicide? Hell no.I was a survivor. I'd been told that since I was a kid by my parents and people around me. I couldn't let them all down by taking my life.Luca's loud chuckle suddenly shook me out of my thoughts and I glared at him with hatred burning in my eyes."Why did you stop?" He rose a mocking eyebrow. "Lemme guess, you have big dreams that you don't want to give up on? You wanted to end your life because of your boyfriend right, silly girl?""You're a freak," I spat at him, feeling my body shake with the hatred I felt towards him. "You won't get away with this, I promise you.""Oh, no Princess," he tsked. "I have already gotten away with it, you just don't wanna accept that." He turned towards the housekeeper and motioned for her to grab me and she did.The woman was way older than me and definitely weaker, but in that moment I had zero energy left in me to fight back, so I just stayed silent as she tied my wrists back to the headboard. Thankfully it wasn't too tight this time."Make sure she eats something before her parents arrive," Luca said to her, placing his hands in his pocket and getting ready to leave. When he reached the door, he turned back and added, "and before I forget, make sure to get her into the dress. I want her down as fast as possible.""The dress?" I questioned, confused. "What dress is he talking about?" I directed the question to the housekeeper when Luca left us.The woman smiled at me like she hadn't just witnessed her boss act like a narcissistic asshole. Like his behaviour was perfectly fine. "It's your wedding dress, dear. I'm guessing he wants to speed up the process.""What?" I yelled. "Why would I need a wedding dress? That is not how marriage works, how can I marry him so quickly?""I don't know my dear, that's how the big boss is," she looked kind of sorry as she said this. "He's a hard-headed man and when you piss him off, there's no limit to the things he can do."Her words sent shivers down my spine and I realised that I must've indeed pissed Luca Nicholas off for him to be acting this way.I felt pathetic. I couldn't bring myself to commit suicide and I also couldn't bear to imagine the kind of life that I was about to start living. A voice inside still kept telling me that this was not the end, and I was going to find a way out of this eventually, but as I thought back to Luca's harsh personality and actions, the voice kept getting smaller and smaller until it finally varnished and left me hopeless.A few minutes later when I'd finally begrudgingly decided to eat the fruits, a bulky man came into the room and locked the door behind him. I was confused with why he was just standing there until I thought about all my attempts to escape and I understood why he was here.Luca had sent him here to make sure I didn't try anything funny again. The truth was, I didn't even need anybody to watch over me at that moment, I literally had no more power in me to fight. He'd finally rendered me weak and hopeless and with the way things were looking, I didn't see myself ever getting back strong on my feet again."I'll go get the dress," the housekeeper said before getting up and making her way out of the room, leaving me in awkward silence with the bulky man.Two minutes later she arrived with a plain white dress in her arms and dumped it on the bed, beside me."You need to get dressed quickly, dear."I eyed the material, thinking about all the reasons why the situation was just wrong. I wanted to object and act stubborn but then I couldn't muster up the strength so I just let it be."I'm not changing while he's here though," I pointed towards the bulky man who had the most serious expression on his face, and the woman gestured for him to leave.And so, ten minutes later I was dressed in the white dress with a white bow that the housekeeper whose name I'd found out to be Grace, had practically forced on my head. According to her it made me look less grumpy than I was.I stared back at my reflection in the mirror and I felt nauseated. I looked like a train wreck. Who would've thought that I'd ever look like this on my wedding day?My eyes were puffy from all the tears I'd shed and there was an ugly bruise on my forehead that I'd gotten when Luca's men had tripped me earlier. On the overall, I looked nothing like a bride."Fix up your expression and you'd be perfect," Grace whispered to my ear and hooked her arms around mine. Then she called out to the bulky man to come in and he wasted no time in coming over and grabbing me harshly."What is your problem, man? At least be gentle," I frowned, feeling the sting his palms left on my already sore wrists. Thankfully he softened his hold and pulled me out of the room, taking me down the extravagant looking stairs until we got to the living room.I gasped when I saw my parents both seated on individual chairs, looking uncomfortable and scared as bulky men in black stood beside them."Mum, Dad are you alright?" I called, wanting to go over and hug them but the man stopped me from moving.Dad let out a weak smile as he looked at me, seeming utterly embarassed and disappointed in himself. "Scarlett, I'm so so sorry my dear. I'm so sorry that they had to do this to you while we did nothing about it."My heart crunched as I took in the tears in Mom's eyes as she stared at me. "No, Dad. You people did your best. You don't have to feel bad about anything, okay? We're a family and I understand that this wasn't your intention for me. The real culprit is that bastard..."The room went dead silent and I immediately knew that Luca had entered the room. I turned around, to see his annoying face and to my surprise he'd really cleaned up nicely.He was dressed in an expensive looking charcoal coloured suit and his wavy hair was styled to perfection, making him look like one of those models I used to like seeing in magazines. But despite how good looking he was it didn't change the fact that he was a literal piece of shit and an overall evil human being.As usual he had this dark and cold expression on his face as he stared at me, and I reciprocated the energy with even more fire."Normally I'd want to take you on because of what you said, but right now," he paused, taking a look at his expensive looking wristwatch. "We have more important things to do.""The lawyer says he would be here soon, so get yourself prepared everyone," he said like he was announcing something that everyone had been waiting for. He even had the nerve to clap his hands like he was excited."You're a psycho, Luca," I said through gritted teeth. "Honestly, what you need isn't a wife right now but a therapist. You're twisted and completely sick in the head," I made my voice so serious, hoping to convey how much I meant my words but Luca didn't even mind.He was smirking instead. "Come on now, you shouldn't be saying that just a few minutes to becoming my wife, little girl. And you know I'm only being nice to you guys because I have a..." His phone started ringing in his pocket and he held his hand up as if telling everyone to shut up.""Oh yes, he'll let you in," he said into the phone before hitting the end button and stuffing the phone back into his pocket."So, the lawyer is here," he jammed his hands together with a sick smirk on his face. "Now the fun can start. Bring him in boys," he snapped his fingers and to say I was shocked with who I saw next was an understatement.LUCA'S POV. I was having the most fun I'd ever had in my entire life, and it was all thanks to the Damiens. Call me crazy but the looks on their faces as I tormented them made my heart swell with pride and satisfaction.It was funny to me, how dumb they thought I was. Did they really think they could hide their daughter away from me and I would just watch them—doing nothing? No way. From the moment I'd called Ramson and informed him that I'd be visiting their house to talk about the marriage, I'd known that he'd try to act smart. And I was very ready for anything they tried to do. A smirk formed on my face as I watched Scarlett's eyes widen when my boys brought her boyfriend in. She looked beyond shocked at first but then she sighed, relieved that he was still alive. She'd really believed I'd killed him, huh? She was completely wrong though, I knew I was a ruthless man but never in my life would I have thought of killing someone. Even when I'd pointed the gun at her back then, I h
SCARLETT'S POV.The deal had been sealed in the end. And now there was no going back. I was going to be Luca's wife until my dad could afford to pay back the shit load of money he owned him. At least that part, I'd seen very clearly stated in the contract. The rest of it, I hadn't paid attention because I really wasn't interested.All I'd been thinking about while signing those papers was how my life had gone to this, and how I could no longer be with the one I loved. Kevin and I had met at a coffee shop back in my neighbourhood, and I didn't like to believe in connections and all that but I could swear that from the moment we locked eyes, we'd immediately developed a connection.I wasn't one who liked dating and all that, so I'd been single since middle school, but then there was something about Kevin that I hadn't seen in other guys. He was cute, funny, romantic, and overally just a nice guy—just everything I'd wanted in a man. And so it didn't take time for me to accept him as my
LUCA'S POV.I got up the next morning with a large smile on my face, feeling satisfied with the events of yesterday. However when I got to the shower, the loud music I heard had my lips curving into a frown. What the fuck? Who the hell was playing such loud music?I quickly brushed my teeth and put on some decent clothes before making my way out of the room and following the sound of the music. I finally traced the sound to the room I'd designated to Scarlett and immediately I felt my blood boil.I knew there was no way she'd known, but I hated music with a burning passion. It had been ever since I was fifteen and my dad died. My father used to love music so much that he'd once attempted to go into it professionally, but sadly when he got to meet some people in the industry, he changed his mind. And finally the music buddies he'd made ended up being the reason why he was gone.They'd all ganged up on him and ended his life by putting some harsh chemicals in his drink at a party he'd
SCARLETT'S POV.I was convinced. Luca was a complete narcissistic asshole and this conclusion was made after spending a week living with him. As I groggily pulled myself out of bed, a familiar sense of confinement engulfed me like a suffocating embrace. The weight of the marriage pressed heavily against my chest, leaving me feeling trapped and frustrated. Step by step, I made my way downstairs, my movements sluggish with a mix of exhaustion and discontent.Exhaustion because it was physically and mentally draining to live in Luca's mansion. He was obnoxious, authoritative and overbearing, and to add to that, a complete ruthless businessman. I'd heard him on my third day here threatening a man with how he was going to take his family house if he didn't pay back the money he owed him before the end of the year. It was when I witnessed how ruthless he was being with the debtor, that I realised why my Dad had been so hopeless with him. I wouldn't have know what to do with him also if I w
LUCA'S POV.The last thing I'd have ever expected this morning was to see Scarlett in the gym. I'd specifically isolated the room from the rest all because it was the only place in the mansion that didn't make me feel choked. As much as I loved the extravagant lifestyle and everything I had, sometimes it got a little overwhelming, and working out all alone in this place gave me a sense of peace. It made me feel more human. I hated the fact that she'd found my favourite hiding place, and even more I hated what she was currently asking of me. Her eyes went soft and pleading as she stared up at me and I wondered why her eyes were suddenly standing out so much to me. They were a deep green colour that made her look so interesting—like someone whose eyes held so much secrets. I hated them. I hated that she had beautiful eyes, I needed to look away. "I'm not letting you out of this house and that's final," I said, dragging my eyes away from her orbs and focusing on the treadmill. The sw
SCARLETT'S POV.There was a skip in my step as I made my way back to my room. For the first time since I'd been here, I felt happy—ecstatic even. The thought of going back to what I loved the most in the world had my heart swelling with excitement and relief, so much so that I didn't even have the time to feel bad about the perks that came with the new arrangement.I was going to be followed all around like I was a celebrity or the president of some freaking country or something. And that was in no way cool especially since I was someone who hated attention so much, I tried my hardest to be invisible. It didn't mean I was some introverted, weak woman that could get bullied and tossed over, because no I wasn't. I just really preferred a low-key life to the lavish one—the type of my life that my Dad liked. My father was the kind of man who loved the extravagant lifestyle and I guess my Mum had just had to shape herself into the kind of woman he wanted her to be, because she too acted l
LUCA'S POV.If I heard one more word about somebody wanting to see me, I might've just punched myself square in the face. It was on days like these that I hated the choice I made to be a money lender, everybody wanted to beg for mercy once they couldn't pay, and I couldn't handle those much meetings. I'd just finished with an Indian CEO who I'd lent fifty thousand dollars two months ago to fund his startup, and I must say I was completely spent. At first I'd been very confident in him and his business, because I had a thing for startups, but he'd eventually started to prove me wrong with all the wrong business decisions he'd been making, and now he had been here to beg me for more time just like the rest of them. So disappointing.I took a deep breath and massaged my temples before my phone started ringing, cutting me off from my thoughts. I snagged the device from the table and scrunched my brows when I saw the contact name. Matt freaking Hawkins.I picked up immediately. "Look who
SCARLETT'S POV. After the best shower I'd taken since I'd been in this house, I got out of the shower feeling all clean and pampered like a new born . I would've taken sometime to admire my fresh face in the mirror, but I got reminded that I didn't have enough time for admiring when I had a two hour long drive ahead of me. I quickly got my hair styled into a sleek ponytail and got dressed in some school friendly clothes. After a forced conversation with Luca yesterday evening when he'd got back, he'd agreed to allow me get my school things from the house.I'd been happy at first at the possibility of seeing my parents, but then he'd killed my excitement by letting me know that his men were going to get them for me, and I was going to have my materials ready in the morning when I was ready to go. I didn't know what was his problem with cutting me off from my family though, it was just so weird. The whole thing was still weird to me, why would a man of his age and looks want to buy a