Chapter 3

My chest was thundering while I was examining his face, his features. The magazines and billboards didn't lie. He was a drop-dead gorgeous man with his hair neatly brushed yet some strands were falling on her forehead. Our eyes met and it crumbled knees yet I was trying to maintain my posture. His emerald eyes were deep and alluring which gave me a bad sense about him. His kind of guy was a total womaniser and he was gonna be my husband? Fuck, it was just for his surname, it shouldn't be a big deal actually.

"Mayor Kenneth and Misis Walker." He shook hands with my parents until his gaze went back to me. His eyes travelled from my head to toe then his lips rose like an insulting smirk! 

"Oh Pierre, this is my daughter, Katiana."

"Katiana. Wow!" His sarcastic baritone voice irritated me to hell. "Finally I met my fiancé, now may I excuse myself, please."

My lips parted as I watched him walk away. He greeted some of his friends on the way to a direction far from us. My brows crossed; arrogant, sarcastic man! I also excused myself to breathe far from my parents and also to calm myself down.

I saw some familiar faces from my previous school so I catch up with them just so I wouldn't get that bored. I was just somehow conscious that they were thinking about my current scandal while they were smiling at my face. 

A former friend, Lander greeted me and asked what was up. We laughed with silly, little awkward jokes until someone stood beside me. From that rich scent, I already figured it was Pierre. I looked up to see his face but he was just staring at Lander with no emotions at all. My brows crossed at him while my eyes were admiring his good-looking jaw. Admiring? No, that wasn't the right word. I was just looking, that was it.

Lander smiled awkwardly before he excused himself. I then faced Pierre with my furrowed face. 

"What do you want?" I raised my right brow.

"Not to marry you." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

"And you think I wanna marry you?" I looked at him from head to toe. "Hell no."

The side of his lips rose in amusement. "I highly doubt your statement but okay."

"See? You're just like every other bachelor." I rolled my eyes.

"What are we like, miss Katiana?" 

"Boastful. Arrogant. Narcissist. Everything that I hate about a man. A walking red flag."

His jaw dropped still with amused eyes. "I see. You hate men that much? Stereotype."

"Whatever." Goodness, this man was a trigger to me.

"Let's talk somewhere more private."

My lips parted. "What do you want? Fuck me on our bullshit engagement day?" 

"Calm down, lady. You're sounding just like the attitude you hate; boastful, arrogant, narcissist. A walking red flag."

My face turned like crumpled paper. "Asshole." I hissed.

"I get that often." He smirked.

"As expected." 

"Come, let's talk privately---"

"No way. If you think you can have sex with me just like that. No," I whispered with gritted teeth.

He chuckled with his face still glittering in amusement. "Calm down, lady. I just wanna talk about our arrangement. Your mind is too corrupted just like your dad."

"Excuse me?" 

"What? You're gonna deny that your dad is a corrupt politician?" 

My lips thinned. I looked away, feeling ashamed. I never wanted my dad to be like that but he was like that even before I was born.

"I see." He crossed his arm. "Let's go outside. I just wanna talk." He walked passed by me.

I gasped and followed him towards the exit of the venue. We reached the garden area; finally, a quiet place where no one would stare and judge me except for the man who brought me here, Pierre.

He stopped in front of a well. It was evening so I couldn't actually appreciate the beauty of the garden cause everything was dark. I stood beside him. It was a moment of silence until we faced each other.

"I hate this arrangement." He glared.

"And you think I don't?" I laughed sarcastically.

"I didn't say that." He rolled his eyes.

"You just said you're doubting my statement about that. Why? Because women swoon over you?"

"Wow." He laughed in amusement. "I didn't say women swoon over me. It came out of your mouth." He shrugged. "Tells a lot about your idea of me."

"My idea of you is you are a fucking asshole. Goodness, you're gonna be my husband? Fuck, just send me to hell."

"Aren't you in hell already?" 

My jaw dropped. I raised my right brow and pushed him; oh, his chest was hard.

"Yes. I'm in hell because of you." I pointed his face.

"Me? Or because of your scandal?"

My chest dropped. The stones filled my throat. Did he see the video? Fuck my life.

"Don't you dare mention that scandal." I hissed.

"Why? You're asha---"

"I said don't you dare!" My tone raised high. I looked around as I gasped. Glad there were no people except us. 

He raised both of his hands in surrender. A moment of silence hugged us.

We stared at each other intently like our eyes were shooting bullets at each other. Then his stares went down on my lips, down to my body, his gaze froze right directly on my boob part where my cleavage was showing off. My brows crossed. He licked his lower lip before looking away.

I cleared my throat. "I don't wanna marry you."

"Really?" He looked back at me sarcastically. "Then why did you agree on this? You should have said no to your dad."

"You think I didn't try?" I gasped. "I'm gonna lose everything if I contradict him again. Think of me as a black sheep child. I failed to make my own savings, I dropped out of college, and I'm still dependent on my parents so yeah, I left myself with no choice but to follow them. It's my last chance to redeem myself." My brows crossed when I realized I was saying too much. "What about you? Why did you accept the offer anyway? You should have said no!"

"I'm not gonna explain myself to you."

I rolled my eyes. "Usual asshole."

"Yeah? You still haven't met me personally and you already built an image of me. Wow!" He formed his lips in an 'o' in a very sarcastic way.

"I don't have to know you personally. It's obvious."

He stepped closer to me. "You have no idea."

"Huh. Trust me, I have so many ideas in my mind about who you are."

"Then come on, prove yourself wrong."

I looked away when I felt his eyes were like melting me. I swallowed deeply not knowing what to say. In my peripheral view, he was also looking at the well, thinking so deeply about something. I didn't mean to act so rudely in front of him. I was just frustrated. He was also saying words that were hitting my pride so talking back was my way of coping.

I sighed before looking at him. "What are you thinking now?"

"They want us to live together." He rolled his eyes. "They think we're gonna fall in love after one year of living together but I doubt that." He shrugged. "But we need to pretend as if we're developing feelings for each other. Just to show off."

"I can do that." I shrugged.

"Let's not think of our marriage too much since we still have one year before that. I'm quite thankful they decided to make our engagement one year before tying the knot. At least I have more time to think about the wedding and for sure we're gonna find chances along the way, to cancel the arrangement. I'm looking forward to that."

"So we're just gonna pretend for now? I'm gonna pretend that I'm actually liking you?"

"Or you can stop pretending that you don't like me." He shrugged. "It's okay. I totally understand. It's not that hard to like me."

I chuckled sarcastically. "You're a total clown, aren't you?"

"And so is your dad." 

My brows crossed but I couldn't think of a way to protect my dad from that. I was guilty. 

"Let's go back inside." He turned his back on me as he walked towards the backdoor of the house.

I just stood for a minute, blinking multiple times, and sinking into my mind what just happened. I gasped before walking to go back inside.

I was right in front of the glass door when he opened it for me. My brows crossed as he offered his hand. 

"Don't be shy, lady in red." He smirked.