I could still perceive his strong masculine perfume and wondered perhaps I had inhaled too much of him at the office earlier. I could still hear his voice in my head. His raspy deep voice rambling in my head, calling me his wife! I am not your wife, damn it! I unknowingly yelled out my thoughts as I walked into the sitting soon, kicking my shoes to a corner and switching on the light! There he was! My tormentor!
“Tada!” He said, but there was nothing pleasant about that! I was still in shock and at a loss for words; I first looked around for my aunt. “Where is my aunt?” I asked, my fist clenched! He noticed. “Easy with the first honey; your aunt is in safe hands.” “What do you mean?” I asked before scampering around, calling out to my aunt. But no response or vision of her in sight. I panicked. I began to wish I had listened to her when she asked us to run away. I prayed this monster had not done anything to her because I wouldn’t know what I would do. “What did you do to her?” I asked, my voice sharp and direct. “Simple. I moved her to your new house and told her you will join her there!” “You did what?” “Exactly what you heard” I fell weak to my before crawling to the couch. Nothing made sense. “Who the hell do you think you are to barge in here and evacuate my aunt without her consent?” “She was on my property, and moving to the new apartment was the only option on the menu or would you have preferred I let her out on the streets?” I was taken aback. “Your property?” “You heard right.” He said, tucking his hands into his suit pocket. “I tried to be cordial but I realised a stubborn woman like you understands only one thing—force.” He pulled out what looked like an official document and threw it at me. I caught it and quickly opened it. I could not believe my eyes. “So, Miss… sorry Mrs Lorenzo, you are standing on my property.” He dryly said. I could see the smirk on his face even though my eyes were focused on the paper. He had actually purchased the house; the world around me seemed to spin as I struggled to find balance. “I am a practical man, and I hate to be tested. You only have a few hours to either join your aunt at my house or be forced into the streets.” “You can’t do this!” “Sorry? I just did.” “I don’t know who you are, but you really just don’t get it! You don’t just walk into our lives out of the blue and own it!” “I currently own you; I own your life. I have only been decent enough to let you enjoy the natural gift of free will, but you are my wife, and the sooner you accept accordingly, the better for you and your dearly beloved aunt,” he said, adjusting his suit. Different emotions washed over me in the seconds that followed. Confusion and disillusionment stretched through the lengths and breadths of my being. I tried to mask the anger brewing inside of me when I spoke up. “Don’t you have a life? Or is your life so clouded with darkness that you enjoy sniffling the light out of people?” I asked, my eyes looking straight into his cold, unassuming eyes. “I love to take what’s mine,” he said, stepping close to me. I stepped back. “I have not been inside a woman for some time, and even though I can afford to have any woman in my bed, I have intentionally decided to stop seeing other women as I now have a wife.” He approached closer, his hands reaching for me but I slapped them off. “I will give you 24 hours to make up your mind. It’s either you join your aunt and resume your duty as my wife or stay locked out in the streets, but even that choice is still mine to make as your husband,” he said, his jaw clenching as he forcefully scooped me into his arms, squeezing my bum with the precision of a sex-starved bull. Slap! I slapped him and regretted doing so a few minutes later because it triggered him further. He held my hands above my head, against the door, and then kissed me with relish. I tried to fight him, but I was too weak and no match for him. “Stay still,” I heard him whisper softly. “If you keep running away from me and refusing to get in line, I will be forced to take you by virtue of force, and best believe, it will never be pleasant. As much as I love the innocence you exude, I will appreciate a little bit of submissiveness from that sharp tongue of yours. All I could do was stare as I searched my mind for words. Just in a space of how many days this man had appeared from nowhere, bought the company I work at, and now he bought the one thing that reminded me of my humble beginnings.”. His eyes burnt with so much desire. That’s how I knew he wanted my body too. And it made me angrier. “I would rather sleep on the streets.” “And have these street rogues take turns fucking you and enriching you with their seed?” The graphic images flashed through my mind. I gagged. "I would rather be fed to the dogs on the streets and be ravished by rogues than become your wife." "It's very easy to say until they touch you" He saif softly, his fingers scratching my arm, "But best believe their touch will not be as soft or as gentle, neither will their strokes be coordinated or dignified, so you are willing to give all of these to the dogs on the streets?" His finger traced the curves on my face. I did not reply to him. "I have never met a woman so strong-willed, but best believe your stubbornness will be met with even more stubbornness." "I beg you to please let my aunt go, let the poor lady be, she would be worried sick about me." "And that will be all your fault." "How? You are basically trying to marry me against my will." "Point of correction, we are already married; you just need to get a few things and come live with me as my wife officially!" "First you bought the company." "Yes, I did, so you dont have to work under another man." "Now the house?" "So you don't have to live like a peasant." "I am comfortable here; I dont live like a peasant here." "Not to my taste. You have lived a life of suffering for most of your life. Allow me to give you a taste of the good life." "And I have clearly stated that I do not want anything from you, mister! Stay away from me!" 'Sadly I can't, and you will have to deal with me for as long as I please," he said, pulling at me and cupping my face in his palm. "You have to do as I say; right now you are on my property, trespassing. I will excuse it because you're my woman but like I said earlier, you have less than 24 hours to join your aunt at your quarters or be compelled to do so anyhow I deem fit." 'I will appreciate if you speak to me from a distance" I said, slipping away from his grasp. "Your body is so soft; you must be very fertile," He said. "Gross!" I yelled. 'In your dreams! Get out!!' I held the door open for him. I have never felt so disgusted in a while. who does he think he is to speak to me that way? "The clock is ticking!!"Go back to the hell you crawled from and pray not even a strand of hair on her head should be hurt." "I get to call the shots around here; you obey." "Now you listen to me!" "No you listen to me!" He interrupted, "Notice how I am not one for small talk? I just go ahead and do what's on my mind. Exactly, if you dont make up your mind to be my lawfully wedded wife, your aunt will pay the price for your insolence" I slammed the door behind him as soon as he stepped out. I needed some time to process all that had happened, but at the same time, I needed to speak to my aunt. I have thought of the countless ways we can escape this man, but he seems to be so highly connected that we can't escape him. My eyes settled on the black box on the locker with a note. It was an order. "Put the ring on"Finally, some peace and quiet!The only thing I hated was the strong smell of that man’s perfume in the sitting room and everywhere else. He was driving me nuts, and I could no longer bear it. I looked around for my phone; I had forgotten where I had put it.I barely had time to breathe after that monster had left when the door swung open with such force that it banged against the wall. I jumped, my heart racing. I thought Don Pedro was back again, but it was my boyfriend, Sergio.He stormed in, his face dark with rage. I was taken aback because, I knew, Sergio was a soft and kind man who always had a smile on his face whenever he came visiting.The man who just stormed in was not the Sergio I knew.He was furious. I was scared. I was really scared. “I knew it!” he spat, his eyes charring with accusation.My eyes flashed in confusion. “Sergio? What—”“Don’t even try to deny it, Tessa. I saw him! The man you’ve been sneaking around with just left your house.”I frowned. My boyfriend
Don Pedro’s POV“Life would be so much easier if women reasoned like men,” I mumbled to myself as I adjusted my cufflinks in the rear-view mirror. Why are women so complicated, men are just very easy to come aroundIn my world, business was a chess game—calculated, strategic, ruthless, with no mercy. Dog eat dog; you either eat or be eaten.Men were built for such pursuits, their minds grounded for making decisions that built empires. Women, in my experience, were often led by stupid emotions, stubborn in their own ways, clinging to irrational sentiments. Love? Who believes in love in this day and time, such a joke!The whole infatuation irritates me.I smiled smugly at the thought of Tessa and how she was so determined, so infuriatingly headstrong. I wondered just how long her obstinacy would last under the weight of my plans to make her mine.I had orchestrated many plans in my life, each one executed with precision. Yet, nothing amused me more than watching a stubborn woman try
The so-called 72hrs that monster gave me had elapsed. I stood fixed in front of the mirror. My head replayed in slides, scenes of despair from two nights ago. There is something shame does to a person; it strips you of your worthiness; that small voice whispering in your head and telling you how unworthy you are—that's how I felt as I walked all the way back from Sergio's house. I felt so small and insignificant. I recalled how I had stood outside Sergio’s apartment, banging on the door. “Sergio! Open up!” Only to be met with silence. I had been here three times, loitering around and looking out for a shadow of him; he was the man I loved. I needed to know why he said all those things to me. By my third visit, I had met the caretaker, who informed me that the house had been sold and the occupant had evacuated earlier. It did not make sense to me. It was as if he had vanished. Something was wrong. I just knew. I swallowed the lump in my throat, hot bile heating up in the
Tessa’s POV“Where is that bastard!” I yelled, “Let me through”I screamed at the security guy, pushing through him.“Don Pedro or whatever you call yourself, You can’t keep her from me!” I shouted as I burst through the wrought-iron gates.I slapped the foolish guard when he tried to touch me.“Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on me”I had come to the Lorenzo estate with one purpose—to see my dear Aunty Nora and get her the fuck out of there. But before I could reach the main entrance, two large men in dark suits stepped forward, blocking my path.“Miss Moretti,” one of them said in a flat tone, “you are not allowed beyond this point.”I was taking aback, trying to keep my voice steady, narrowing my eyes as I looked up at them. “I’m here to see my aunt. Now step aside.”They exchanged a look, one of them spoke into the wireless talkie he was holding, I could barely hear what he said, but he gave his colleague a signal and before I could protest further, one of the men seized my
“I’m sorry I didn’t quite grasp your name” she had said as she led me into the rest room.“Tessa” I said softly. “And yours?”“Regina” she said with a bright smile. “Let me help you with that”She moved to help me take off my clothes.Regina’s voice was soft, almost soothing. There was this calm reassurance in her carriage. In a way, her presence helped me cope with the madness in my mind.“Tessa, I know this isn’t easy,” she said as she carefully help me slip into my dress, adjusting the dress on my shoulders. “But everything will be fine. My brother… he can be difficult, I won’t deny that. But he has his sweet side too.”I forced a small smile, pretending I was okay when I felt like I was drowning. Because I was actually drowning. “Difficult?” I let out a light laugh. “That’s one politeway to put it.”If only she knew the devil she has for a brother.I loved her innocence. It meant, she was different from him.Regina giggled, shaking her head. “Trust me, I know him better than anyon
The reception followed immediately after. Now and then he would pinch of nudge at me signaling me to smile. At that moment, I felt like grabbing a nearby glass and breaking it on his head. His whole demeanour irritated me to my core. The fact that I had to breathe the same air as him had me feeling sick to my stomach. Such a needless extravagant display of wealth and status was not necessary for this sham of a marriage but then, only Don Pedro Lorenzo could pull such moves. My eyes ached at the sight of tables adorned with gold-trimmed dinnerware, I preferred silver. The set-up, as grandiose as the foolish man I married intended it to be, still looked tacky. They should at least use silver. I said unknowingly. But Not loud to hide my obvious disgust “Sorry?” he asked “Did you say something?” “No, I did not “ Thank goodness, Regina stayed close, her presence a small comfort. “You should eat something,” she suggested, offering to make me a plate. I shook my hea
As we re-entered the wedding hall, I managed to force a smile on my face when two ladies walked up to me to say they loved my dress and clear skin. A couple followed afterwards. They were friends of Don Pedro.I need to run away from her, slip out of this clothes and soak myself in hot water.Pedro squeezed my hand slightly, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.And the worst part?He was enjoying every second of it.***THIRD PERSON POV.The drive home was silent, Tessa was more or less a mannequin at this point because she was almost numb and suffocating in silence.Pedro didn’t speak. He didn’t even glance her way or act like she was sitting next to him. His focus remained on the road, while he typed away on his phone, and at intervals he would ask the driver to drive faster.Tessa sat rigid in her seat, her mind racing with everything that had happened. She was deep in thoughts about The wedding. The vows. Her Aunt’s well-being.She wasn’t his wife.She was his prisoner at th
THIRD PERSON POVRegina stormed into her room, almost in tears, her emotions barely contained beneath light make up, her face had turned red as she packed her hair in front of her mirror. The conversation with Tessa had had her feeling a type of way. It had reminded her of how unrewarding being Pedro’s sweet and obedient little sister has been. The door hadn’t even closed properly before Franco followed, shoving it shut behind him with a force that vibrated the walls.At first she flinched at the sound of the banged door, she turned to face him, crossing her arms, her chest rising and falling, struggled with controlled breaths.“My love, This is the only time I could come,” Franco said, his voice low, urgent. “Any moment now, I’ll be leaving with Don Pedro and Tessa for their honeymoon.” “And you expect me to be fine with that?” Regina fired, taking of her ear ring and jewelries.Franco sighed, stepping closer to her. “It’s not like I have a choice, Regina.”She scoffed, shaking he
AUTHORS POV Tessa was making her way down the quiet hall way when she nearly collided with Franco. Whatever she was thinking was rudely interrupted as she became aware of her consciousness, and she barely managed to steady herself as she met his eyes. “Franco,” she said, her voice edged with irritation yet curious to know where he was heading to, “where are you hurrying off to?” Franco paused, looking around as if expecting prying eyes. “I’ve got a few errands to run for Don Pedro,” he replied. His eyes held a tinge of emergency, and for a moment Tessa wondered what could be so pressing that he’d nearly bump and crashed into her. “Errands?” Tessa asked, narrowing her eyes. “Then could you at least point me to the kitchen? I need to sort out something” Franco frowned slightly, a hint of surprise passing over his initial features. “The kitchen?” he repeated. “What exactly do you need there?” Tessa hesitated before speaking. “Dame Rossa has asked me to cook dinner,” she said in a
AUTHOR’S POV Dame Rossa had gone downstairs by the time Regina came out of Don Pedro’s room. She was making her way to the staircase when she spotted Franco in the hallway. Without wasting a second, she caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Franco, we need to talk—now,” she said hurriedly Franco tried to pull away, glancing nervously over his shoulder. “Regina, please, not here. Someone might see us,” he protested, his voice several notes lower and urgent. Before he could finish his sentence, Regina yanked him into a small, empty room off the main corridor, it was the store room. The door closed behind them with a soft lock. T The air in the room was cool and still, although it smelt like old newspapers and decaying books, nobody had been in there for days if not weeks. “Why do you always make me chase you like this?” Regina demanded, her voice mid-high as frustration and something that bordered on desperation trailed it. “How do you mean?” “My call’s you fool, you are not
AUTHORS POVIt was on days like this that she missed Sergio. It was as if the long travelling hours had dried up the blood flowing through different parts of her body.Sergio would have given her a therapeutic body massage to ease the tension coursing through her, but then the thought of him as she sat alone in the bedroom—angered her. He had no place in her thoughts.She would rather think of her job instead, she thought to herself, surrounded by stacks of unattended work files.She missed the life she had before Pedro, before the wedding and more so, before the so‐called cursed honeymoon on the Virgin Atlantic Island. The soft rustle of papers as she schemed through them, and the steady ticking clock filled the quiet atmosphere as she worked through the backlog, trying in vain to regain some sense of normality, but it did not work one bit, there was just so much work to do.Her mind, however, was not on the files. She searched her mind for what could be missing as she remained re
I straightened, trying to maintain my composure. “Medlin, this is not the right environment,” I replied briskly. “You’re about to be married to Rodolfo, and here, at a club meeting, such matters are best left unspoken.” Her eyes were devilishly lusting, undeterred. “Married or not, you always had a way of drawing me in. I insist we talk, moreover, your dick is saying otherwise.” Before I could protest further, the noise of the club’s lively chatter filtered through the corridor. Reluctantly, I stepped aside, gesturing for her to follow me into one of the private rooms. We entered a well furnished office looking room off the corridor, the room was quiet with the blinds covering the large windows. I closed the door, leaning against it as I tried to regain a semblance of control. “Medlin, listen,” I began, my voice was even but firm. “This isn’t the time or place. We have obligations—especially with the tournament coming up and everything else to be sorted for Monterrey.” She
DON PEDRO’S POV Inside the club’s main hall, the president of the Golf club, a dignified gentleman in just a pair t-shirt and shorts, cleared his throat and began the roll call. “Don Pedro?” he called. “Don Rodolfo?” “Sir Princeton?” “Miss Medlin?” “Sir Renato” “Sir Vince” “Don Nathan” and continued to mention others, each name was met with a firm “Present!” from the assembled members. I offered a short nod as my name was pronounced. “Thank you all for coming on time,” the president continued, his was laid back and formal. “I do apologise for my lateness this evening; I assure you it will not become a habit.” He paused to laugh, a few others joined, I did not. “Now, the purpose of today’s meeting is to finalise the arrangements for the upcoming Monterrey Golf Club International Tournament. This event will, I believe, bring about significant development in our region, and we must ensure that all aspects of our proposal are watertight in terms of collaborations, sponsorships and
AUTHOR’S POV Don Pedro led the way and Tessa followed in sheepishly, stepping aside as he slammed the door short. “Which way is the bathroom?” she asked impatiently. “That way” he pointed. Tessa barely had time to admire the braggadociousness of Don Pedro’s master suite before the call of nature hit her with a reverberating kind of urgency. The long flight, the delay at the airport, and the insufferable formalities with his aunt had left her holding it in for way too long and she only just realised her bladder would burst open if she did not ease herself. Now, as they stepped into the room, all she wanted was to relieve herself and catch her breath, she had been still for too long. Pedro was right beside her, loosening his belt as he made a beeline for the bathroom. Tessa’s eyes widened in alarm. “This way” he motioned. “Wait, wait, wait! I need to go first,” she announced, already moving toward the bathroom door. Pedro stopped in his tracks, turned to her, and raised a br
AUTHOR’S POVTessa sat stiffly in the car as it rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Lorenzo mansion. She first muttered ‘Thank You Jesus’ under her breath. Her stomach rumbled, and her bladder was full but despite that, she felt empty, absolutely empty.The jet lag was hitting her so hard, her entire body aching from the long flight, the internal clocks in her body were ticking off an alarm signalling she needed to shut down and rest a bit, but she barely had a moment to process her exhaustion before she caught sight of the people waiting at the grand entrance.What the hell is going on now? She asked.A line of guards, perfectly aligned, stood in silence, their black uniforms dashingly smart and intimidating, they were like giant towers, all with bald heads. Beside them, the house staff—maids in immaculate pink uniforms, their heads slightly bowed—as though they awaited orders.While they were in the car, the chauffeur exited first, walking around to open the passenger door. Don
It was midday by the time they finally stepped out of the arrival gates, the surrounding outside wet, as it had rained earlier. Inside was cold The airport was busy with travellers moving here and there, airport staff and patrols roaming around, and the air smelt of jet fuel. Tessa barely noticed any of this, she just wanted to get home and get some sleep too. She was exhausted. Six hours of delay, followed by a long-haul flight, had drained every ounce of patience from her body. Her back ached, her feet throbbed in her heels, and the bright sun glaring down on the tarmac only made her crankier.She could count how many times she blanked out or assumed her brain had stopped working. It was difficult to keep her eyes open for a few minutes because her eyes were burning so much. Pedro, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected. Not a single wrinkle on his brown shirt, not a trace of exhaustion in his sharp stares or the way he shot glances at any lady he found attractive. He w
This man has got to be insane, dear lord. My head throbbed—the air had gotten thinner and I found myself struggling to take in more air. I really did not recall most of the things I said to him earlier but I know I had made a fool of myself, and now he had every intention of rubbing it in. “Why so tense, querida?” he asked, his voice smooth, teasing. I exhaled sharply. “I wonder why. Perhaps if you back off a little bit, I won’t be.” Pedro smiled a silly kind of smile, his gaze dragging over me like a slow burn. “Nice dress,” he murmured, looking down at my hands. “You have not even seen it on me yet” I muffled. I didn’t acknowledge the comment, I felt it was backhanded. It was the first piece of clothing I had grabbed from the closet—a simple black dress with thin straps—and I wasn’t about to let him turn it into something else or make it seem like I intended to wear it for his satisfaction or to please him. I would have appreciated it if he kept his compliments to himsel