Marry Me.

I lick my lips, “And you are the same arrogant son of a bitch that turned our lives upside down!” My nostrils flare as I fight to keep my tears at bay and my voice even.

Something dark flickers in his eyes as he straightens, he removes his suit jacket and tosses it on the leather sofa stationed against the glass wall. I watch him as he rolls his sleeves up, showcasing his strong forearms that are sprinkled with thin dark hair.

“Have you come to say something worth my while, Keri, or did you truly travel all this way to tell me how much of an arsehole I am?”  His endless blue eyes draw me in as they turn a gloomy shade of grey.

I brush the loose strands of hair away from my face, “Yes.” I hiss, “I came all this way to tell you to stay the fuck away from my bakery, Landry. It is mine and until the ink dries on the paper stating otherwise, I don’t ever want to see you or your contractors hanging outside my establishment.”

Tobias scoffs, rubbing the stubble along his jawline. “You are on the verge of going bankrupt, you cannot keep your business afloat by donating your goods to charity organizations. The ink will be dry by the end of next week, Keri.” He points out grimly.

“I refuse to sell day-old goods.”

“Then make less.”

I tilt my head, looking at him with a fire raging in my soul. “No.” I snap, shaking my head. “I’ve said what I needed to say to you, and I don’t recall asking you for advice to help my business blossom. Stay away, Landry, and that goes for me too. I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

I spin around, turning the handle on the door, “I know you heard my mother.”

My body stills as I look down at my hand grasping the brass door handle.

“Marry me and I will leave your bakery alone.” The tone of his voice sounds strained but desperate.

I cannot stop the outburst of laughter that departs between my lips and I turn around to face him. “I would rather eat my weight in horse shit than marry you, Landry.” I sneer with animosity.

One side of his mouth twitches as if he is trying to stop himself from laughing at my response. He sits on the edge of his desk, folding his arms across his wide chest, displaying the muscle that hides beneath the straining fabric around his arms.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” He says carelessly, shrugging his shoulders as if he were testing me, waiting to see if I’d drop to my knees agreeing to be his wife for the sake of his inheritance.

I don’t bat an eye, “You make me sick, Landry and there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that will see me bearing your surname like a damn plague sucking the life out of me.” I snarl, on the verge of tears.

Everything is a game to him.

Everything has always been handed to him on a gold-plated platter decorated in diamonds.

Even after he robbed us, the justice system still went easy on him…

“And I wouldn’t touch you if my life depended on it, Keri. You are too hot-headed, and you have no idea what happened that night. If I could go back and change time, I wou-”

I march up to Tobias, drawing my hand back, and I swing it forward, slapping him across the face. His eyes widen with shock before they narrow into thin slits, and he abruptly stands up, towering over me as he reaches up and touches his cheek.

“I don’t want to hear it, you are never to mention his name, or what happened that night!” I yell at him, losing my shit. “You stole him from me, you stole the life I should have had, and a brighter future I was entitled to.” I sniffle, letting the torrent of tears flow down my cheeks, “You coming back into my life hurts, Tobias. You have no idea how your actions tore my family apart, how you…” I stop myself from saying more than I already have.

He reaches out to touch me, and I take two steps back, wiping the tears from my face. As I look into his eyes, I see a glimpse of sorrow and pain engulfing them.

But it vanishes just as quickly as it came, and he grinds his teeth.

“As I said, you have no idea what happened that night. But you can bet your sorry little ass that I will be like a stain in your life until I get what I want; Appleton Bakery, and I want it more than my next breath, spitfire.”

I spin around, I have nothing more to say to him because it’s like talking to a brick with his damn face painted on it, and I exit his office quicker than a buttered bullet.

The moment I exit the building through the revolving door, I inhale a razor-sharp breath and curse every star under the moon. How is it possible that my life is falling apart at the seams, and I’m barely hanging onto the threads of my sanity?

First the letter, then Chase with Ava, and now Tobias?

They say: bad things come in threes, but I have a feeling that my luck has gone on vacation and shit’s about to hit the fan.

I look at my wrist, “Shit!”

It’s well after nine, and I’ve missed the morning rush, meaning my profit for the day has taken a plunge into the deep end, which also means I won’t be able to cover the cost of my car this week.

Looking up and down the street, I see a taxi stand with two parked up, and I quickly make my way over to the stand with the hopes that no one comes through and takes them.