Marriage by Blackmail - Book 1

Chapter Eleven

Damian

One week later Lia was still avoiding the topic of our upcoming wedding and time was running out. She only spoke to me when it was absolutely necessary. This was not going as planned, I needed her to get on board willingly for this to work, or at least as willingly as possible given the original bargaining chip I'd used to get her in the first place.

Naia on the other hand was around more often than not after our eventful first meeting. I think she was trying to be a buffer between Lia and I to ensure I don't put any additional pressure on her...or to serve as an alibi in case Lia snapped and killed me or something. Either way, not knowing where I stood with Lia was starting to make me worry, I had way too much riding on this marriage to be patient and give her the time she needed. Not to mention that my traitorous brother ratted me out to my family and they all wanted to come for the wedding which I wasn't even sure was happening since my bride-to-be refused to speak to me.

I got up and paced around my study for a few minutes, racking my brain for possible ways out of this rut. At some point the doorbell rang and was answered, I figured it was Naia since no one had come to get me. I had just sat down again when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called.

Lia barely opened the door and slipped through then closed it and turned the lock, isolating us. She leaned against the door for a second allowing her head to fall back as she took deep breaths. I would be less of a man if I didn't notice the way her full breasts pushed up and out against her thin t-shirt with each breath she drew.

"My eyes are up here, in case you're having trouble finding them," She said with the feisty flare I had come to miss in it's absence.

I was slightly embarrassed at being caught ogling her assets but now was not the time to act like I'd gone soft.

"No, I'm good with this view," I replied with a smirk.

She glared at me before coming over to sit in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Well, I don't think your mother would be pleased by such a rude gesture, you know seeing that she and your father are outside," She stated casually.

"Wait, what?" I asked in disbelief.

"And both sets of grandparents, and your Aunt, and your cousins Philipe and Marco, and your uncle Lorenzo with his wife and two children and your brother, I still don't like him by the way, oh yea and my parents and don't forget the mastermind behind it all, my ex-best friend Naia who also decided to invite some of your work buddies so we would have a nice round number for the wedding this evening."

By the end of her tirade she looked just as distressed as I felt. While this wasn't exactly a bad thing I was not happy about not having a say in what was being planned, how ironic right? I rubbed my now throbbing temples to alleviate the pressure, I severely disliked not being in control of matters concerning my personal and professional life which is what started this whole fiasco; me scrambling to find a wife in the face of possible deportation and ending up with the most stubborn woman of all.

"Do they know the details of our arrangement?"

She shook her head, understanding that I meant my family because of course hers knew.

"No only the persons originally involved know."

I sighed, grateful for the verbal confirmation not wanting my mother to stress about what was really going on or my father to try and "fix" anything since his shorthanded methods put me in the predicament to begin with. I stood up and walked around my desk to stand before my bride.