ONLY LIGHT IN MY DARKNESS

CHAPTER 4:ONLY LIGHT IN MY DARKNESS.

*SOPHIA*

I'm equally shocked as Raul was and after taking a few minutes to convince him that I know nothing of this....he believed me.

Thank God we had deep trust for each other.

He could move mountains for me and I'm prepared to do anything for him too.

I'm presently on my way to know about this marriage nonsense from my father.

There is no way I'm getting married to Mr O'Connell.... someone whom I don't know.

Someone whom the press had tagged as some cold hearted billionaire or some shit.

How could my father do something like this without confronting me first?

Moments later,I strode through the door of his office.

It seems like he was already prepared to face me.

He wore an expensively tailored suit and his short black hair was wisped with gray at the temples.

His face was broad,with shrewd dark eyes and a square chin.

When I deliberately didn't greet him,he sat up.

"What the hell is going on?"I asked, coldly.

He gave me a chiding smile that made my skin crawl. "You're getting married,querido(dear)You should be all over the mood with excitement by now"

My jaw dropped."All over the moon with excitement?How can I feel overjoyed? What's the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of this, young lady is that I just gave you a ticket to a good life"

"I don't even know him...."

"Well...he seems to know you very well, Sophia.Three years ago,when I almost went bankrupt, I had to cut off your expenses but Mr O'Connell approached me,he gave me the helping hand I was desperately looking for. I became ten times richer than I was before but he wouldn't let me continue sponsoring your education,he took over from me....you were pretty stupid to think I'll get you a luxurious apartment,a posh car.....more than enough cash to make you go shopping every month if you want to.Mr O'Connell did all that not me...he wanted nothing in return until now"

I met his icy glare,his eyes raking over my face before he glanced away.

"Why...why would he do all that for me?"

"I don't know the answer to that but I must say you're extreme lucky, Sophia. I would want Esme to bring me a man like that too when she's old enough"

Esme is my step sister.

I don't even know what to say.

A certain man had made life comfortable for me throughout the past three years of my life.

I feel indebted to him and at the same time, I'm angry as fuck.

My dad could have told me that he wasn't the one.

I wouldn't have accepted anything from that stranger.

And how come Mr O'Connell has known me for three years....

Why would he want to marry me?

He could have any woman he wants.

Why me!

"I'm grateful for all he's done for me but even so,I can't marry him"

"You're just as senseless and stupid as your mother"He remarked,lips thinning in distaste.

"Don't you dare speak ill of my mother!The only one who has done a very stupid thing here is you...agreeing to a marriage that I wasn't even aware of"

"You should thank me,young lady.You should be grateful a wealthy man like Damien wants to marry you...if you ain't happy about that... well I am... I figured you might be stubborn so I had something done so that Mr O'Connell wouldn't give up on you"

I swallowed. "What did you do?"

He reached for a drawer and brought out some files.

"He had the marriage documents prepared already and asked me to convince you to sign them"

He passed the documents over to me and I saw my signature.

My heart fell.

"I never signed anything!"

"It's fake actually...I had your signature falsified.He doesn't know that though. I figured you would put up a fight so I had to do this."

"You're out of your mind!"I thundered.

"No.You'll be out of your mind if you try anything silly like trying to call off the marriage.I stand to gain a lot more by being his father in-law...more wealth...more Fame and if you ruin that...I will ruin you.... I'll forget the fact that you are my child... I never wanted you anyway but this is a chance for you to prove to me that you ain't a worthless child"

I fought against crying.

Was there anything more painful than hearing your own father say these words to you.

I was treated like an object...it appears I had supposedly signed my marriage certificate... I had a marriage coming up next week and my opinion doesn't matter.

This is bullshit.

There's no use talking to my dad.

I would have to face Mr O'Connell myself!

I decided there was only one thing worse than having to see Mr O'Connell was being made to wait to see him.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Not a couple of minutes.

Not ten or fifteen or even twenty but a whole stomach-knotting,nerve-jangling hour that crawled by like a wet century.

I pretended to read every glossy magazine Mr O'Connell young and impossibly glamorous receptionist had artfully fanned on the handcrafted coffee table in front of me.

I drank the perfectly brewed coffee and then the sparkling lemon-infused mineral water.

I ignored the bowl of breath mints and chewed my nails instead.

"Mr O'Connell will see you now"The receptionist's voice made my eyes spring open and my heart stuttered like a lawnower running over rocks.

I had stopped by the restroom earlier and washed off every sign of make up from my face.

I wanted to look super unattractive so that once he see me, he'll change his mind about the marriage.

I rose from the butter-soft leather sofa but I had been sitting for so long my legs gave a credible impression of belonging to a newborn foal.

A premature newborn foal.

I smoothed my damp hands down the front of my skirt.

Approaching the still closed office door with anger bubbling like a boiling post in my belly.

I stood in front of his office door and aligned my shoulders as if I was preparing for battle.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and stepped over the threshold to find him standing with his back to me at the window overlooking the bustling streets of Rio.He was seemingly engrossed in a conversation on his phone.

He barely gave me a glance over his shoulder,just cursorily waved his hand towards one of the chairs opposite his desk and turned back to the view and continued his conversation as if I was some anonymous blow in whom he had graciously shoehorned into his incredibly busy day.

How could he act as if I was a nobody when he had just thrown me off-balance?

His conversation was in Portuguese and I tried not to listen because his voice sounded awfully familiar.

Of course it would sound familiar.... I have met a lot of men with deep baritones so it's quite hard to tell if I had ever met him or not.

Every now and again,he would move slightly so I could see a little bit more of his face.

It was as if he was rationing my vision of him...which was annoying in itself.

I wanted to look him in the eye,to see if he would have any bit of sympathy for me and call off this cursed wedding.

He changed the phone to his other hand and turned to the computer on his desk,his brows frowning in concentration as he clicked on the mouse.

Why wasn't he looking at me?

Surely,he could show a bit more interest in the woman he wanted to marry?

He moved something on the computer screen and then continued with his conversation.

I was starting to wonder if I should hit the table or something.

I need him to talk about this so called marriage agreement right now!.

Honestly,the man was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

And if I hadn't been grinding my teeth to powder,my jaw would be embedded in the plush ankle-deep carpet right then and there.

His jet-black hair was neither long nor short nor straight nor curly but somewhere sexily in the middle.

He was clean-shaven but with rich dark stubble surrounding his nose and mouth and along his chiselled jaw.

Would they leave stubble rashes on my soft skin?

Would it be a sexy brand on my face,on my breasts, between my thighs?

A shudder ran through me.... I shouldn't be thinking this way.

I ignored the chair he'd offer and threw him a look that would have frozen lava.

"I want a word with you.Now!"I leaned on the word "now" like a school teacher addressing a disrespectful pupil.

The corners of his mouth flickered as if he was trying to stop a smile.

He ended his phone call and after another few moments,he placed the phone on his desk with unnerving precision.

"If you had made an appointment like everyone else then I would have plenty of time to talk to you"

"I'm not everyone else"I flashed him another glare."I'm someone whom you had just flew into her life and now she has decided that you have to fly back to wherever you came from"

A dark light gleamed in his espresso-brown gaze like the flick of a dangerous match.

"Was the money I gave to your father not enough for the wedding dress?"

"What stupid wedding dress! I won't marry you"

"Won't?"He sneered."You already signed the marriage certificate"

"It's fake"I announced expecting that he would be annoyed that my father tricked him but he shrugged.

"It doesn't matter,Princesa"

"Don't call me that!"I said through gritted teeth, lifting my eyes to his.

My bottom lip trembled and I glanced around feeling his eyes pierced through mine.

"I have questions for you....when did you even know someone like me existed?Where did you meet me?Why did you make sure I lack nothing?Why do you think I can be a good wife to you?"

"That's a lot of questions,Nene...first off,I met you three years ago.. Second,I can't tell you where but very soon, you'll get to know...third,you deserve every good thing in life.And lastly.... I don't care to know if you'll make a good wife but I need you, you're the only light in my darkness"

I frowned so hard I could almost hear my eyebrows saying ouch at the collision.

"Everything you've said doesn't make any sense to me... I don't even love you and I know someone like you doesn't know any shit about love"

His mouth curved in a mocking smile."Forget about love,Nene. I care about you... I can give you anything you want...I would make your dreams come true....you could own the biggest art gallery in Brazil.... Every one would desire to own an art work from you.... I could make all that happen"

Woah!

Raul could never do all that for me.

But I love him.

I can't hurt him.

"I have someone I love,Mr O'Connell. I just can't do this with you. I never pictured myself getting into a marriage of convenient"

"C'mon....there are many marriages of convenient in Brazil....even all over the world.... this isn't the first and it certainly won't be the last...stop fighting this and don't push your luck...I could go any miles to make you mine.....if you refuse this marriage.... everything your father worked for would go down the drain...I know the two of you aren't quite in a good relationship but I'm sure you know what he would do to you if he loses everything because of you.... don't make me set to a war between father and daughter"

He leaned back in his leather chair with indolent grace, reminding me of a lion pausing before he pounce on his prey.

I felt dangerously close to tears which annoyed me because I wasn't a crier....I was a fighter not a crier.

I gave as good as I got and never showed my vulnerability.

I hate this man for this.

He stood up from his chair and strode over to me.

When he stood before me...I realized how short I am...or he's the one extremely huge.

"Three months,Nene....three months and if you still haven't come to terms with being my wife... I'll let you go."

"What makes you so confident that I would be okay being your wife?"

"I am.Maybe when you see that I'm ready to do anything for you then you'll stay with me forever"

I scoffed.

There is no way that is happening.

He reached across the space between us and put a hand to the nape of my neck where it seemed every nerve in my body had gathered to welcome his touch.

"Feel the way all your nerve endings come alive? How your breath quickens and your heart races?Feel the way a part of you is yearning for a good life"

God he's good.

Straight access to my brain.

Is he some kind of seducer?