Criminally Insane

Silent Treatment

I don't know if my question threw him off guard or the fact that I spoke back to him did.

"What are you talking about?" he asked me.

"You heard me, what am I to you? What do you see me as?"

Double question. Burn!

He scoffed. "You're Scarlett," he said.

I shrugged. "And, what is Scarlett," I asked, propping my hand under my chin as I awaited his answer.

"Why are you asking me this?" he asked.

"Because you're letting your men spread rumors about me saying that I'm your housewife," I snapped in a loud tone.

His face stilled over and his body froze.

His face had grown colder than the diamonds in his watch. "Why is that a problem?"

I scoffed, wiping my mouth before I threw down the cloth and stood up.

"Because I didn't ask to be here," I responded loudly. "You brought me here and my first task was to throw you a fucking party."

"Language, Scarlett," he spat.

"Fuck you and your language," I spat at him.

Why was he the one in an uproar in the first place? I wasn't half as angry as he presented himself to be right now.

"Scarlett," he said in a warning tone.

I saw his jaw tick and his hands kept clenching and unclenching themselves.

"No," I said, holding up a finger. "You don't run me, Rowan. You are not in charge of me. I should not be locked up in your fucking house, being just as crazy as your sorry ass is in some goddamn shit-pieced mansion," I yelled.

OK, the shitty house part was a lie.

I heard the crack echo in the air before I felt the pain.

I gasped.

Rowan slapped me.

He didn't slap me as hard as Colton did which made me fall back when he did it. He slapped me hard enough so that I would shut up and feel the pain.

"What the he-"

"Don't you ever raise your voice or curse at me again, Scarlett," he said in a low voice. His face was angry, and his eyes darkened. The storm.

I swallowed as I looked at him with wide eyes.

He actually put his hand on me. Something he said he would never do.

I mean, it didn't hurt as bad as Colton's did, but pain was pain. This hit wouldn't leave a handprint behind though.

Why did he get mad over a few curse words?

I felt the tears form in my eyes and I didn't want to be seen as weaker than I already was.

I turned away from him as my tears betrayed me. One strayed down my cheek.

"Scarlett," he said in a much softer tone than when this whole conversation started.

I felt his presence closer to me, so I moved away until I couldn't feel his body heat. "Don't touch me," I whispered, glad that my hair could hide my face.

I'm pretty sure my cheek was red as hell.

I heard the door open and I turned my head even more so that José could not see my face.

"Solo dejalos alli, gracias," Rowan commanded.

"Si."

There was swift movement and the sound of clattering plates before the door opened and closed and the room was silent again.

"Scarlett, I'm sorry that I lead people to thinking that you were a housewife. I never did it to say you were weak," Rowan spoke.

I rolled my eyes and sniffed, wiping tears that were coming.

"I only did it because here, men have respect for housewives," he continued.

I turned around to face him. His face softened even more once he gave me a look over.

"You expect us to lick your shoe and clean your house," I spat. "There is no respect there."

He scoffed. "One, that is partially true," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I would never make you lick my shoe or clean the house," he said. "That is what we have maids and butlers for."

We?

I didn't speak, just rubbed my cheek and continued to glare at him.

"Grace would be cleaning the floors with a toothbrush before I ever made you lift a finger."

Well, that's just disrespectful to her, then. She's still a woman. He didn't seem to get the point.

"A housewife is a woman who may be seen as weak, but when the husband is away, she will be protected."

A look of confusion crossed my face. "What?" I asked.

He took a step towards me. "I have enough authority over my workers that they will merely respect you out of fear of me."

"That only benefits you, not me," I said.

He shook his head. "If we have another party as to where you are seen as a housewife, not one man will try to land a hand on you. It's just how we do things here."

"Shouldn't fear of you be enough?" I asked. "I don't want to be seen as some weakling excuse of a housewife. It's just stereotypical."

He nodded. "Then, I will clear it up with my men that they are to call you Ms. Keating," he said.

"What do they call me now?" I asked.

"Mrs. Hanse," he said, followed my a stupid boyish grin.

Why must he be so adorable? Damn him.

"Very well," I said. Ms. Keating would be respectful enough since it is my name.

He nodded his head and went back to our table.

"And Rowan?"

He looked up at me from where he was sitting.

"If you ever lay a hand on me again, I will cut you up into tiny pieces and send your parts to all the people who hate you all over the world," I said in a serious tone.

I really could kill him right now because the pain was still there. But, I decided to put it to rest.

He swallowed, eyes wide.

"Are we clear?" I asked him.

To be clear, I had no idea how I could actually kill someone from sheer pleasure. I was not him.

"Fiji," he replied.

I sat down on the seat, but as far away as the seat would allow me.

"Now you're speaking my language," he muttered with a sadistic smirk.

I looked at him, disgust evident on my face, but he just sipped his drink as if he hadn't said anything.

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Another unedited chapter because I am antieditor queen. What did you guys think of this chapter? I didn't want to draw it out this long because I need to wrap this book up and there is a whole lot of character development I have to figure out.

VOTE, COMMENT, AND tell a friend!

~djdiamondmind1738