Sinn's POV...
I've been standing outside her door for five minutes. Since I've been here, there wasn't any movement coming from the other side of it. She hasn't made a single sound, didn't even respond to my message.
I raised my hand and tapped my knuckles against the door, my wedding band lightly hitting the wood. I twisted it around my finger while waiting for her to come to open it, quickly becoming annoyed when about a minute passed and there was still no answer.
Grinding my teeth together, I contemplated just leaving and coming back when the jet would be here and she had no choice but to come out. After quickly realizing that I couldn't stand not looking at her face a moment longer, I threw the door open.
A part of me thought she was in the shower, the other assumed she jumped out of the window and ran away. The second one was more likely to happen considering how she tends to be.
Instead, she was in bed, huddled up in a fetal position with her back facing me. I came up behind her and looked down at her face which was mostly covered by her long, black hair. I couldn't beat the urge to reach out and brush it out of her face.
What laid beneath made me shake in anger. Not at her, but myself.
There were dried-up tears on her face, it was evident from the mascara smeared under her eyes and the puffy redness on her cheeks from her rubbing them away. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to refrain from lifting her into my arms and comforting her to make all of the pain I knowingly inflicted go away.
After putting the few things she'd taken out back into her suitcase and zipping it up, I took it outside and gave it to the driver who put it in the trunk beside mine. Leaving won't make her feel any better, she'll think the trip's being cut short because of what happened earlier. Even though it wasn't true, I wasn't going to tell her it was really for work.
She's better off hating me.
I don't want her answering my every beck and call, I don't want her connecting with me and thinking there's going to be a happy ending to this because there won't be. I'm not going to allow her to go with this false narrative that we're going to be different from others, we're not.
It'll never work. She's too chirpy, too happy, too loud and it irritates me so fucking much. I can't deal with her. We're on complete opposite sides of this invisible spectrum. She allows herself to look at life as a bunch of sunshine and rainbows while I look at it realistically, logically.
I let her believe in this fairytale for the past little while because she was dragging me into this fantasy with her. I've woken up and realized the truth and I knew the only way she would as well was if I gave her the reality check she needed.
But when I pushed the blanket off of her body and threw a hoodie as well as sweatpants on top of her bikini before lifting her up and feeling how her limbs automatically wrapped around me, I can't help how right it feels to me.
Though, the feeling didn't last long. I had to pretend they didn't exist on the outside to protect her. But no one said anything about basking in my feelings on the inside. I could live in it for as long as I wanted in my head, no one would know.
It wouldn't do any harm to her if I could manage to keep it to myself, right?
She was like a fragile glass in my arms as I walked out of the room with her, one arm respectfully tucked underneath her ass while the other fit around her waist. I remembered the way my father would make fun of her, and say she was all skin and bones.
She isn't. I've watched her, touched her, and I'm holding her right now. She may be on the skinnier side but she's all muscle. It's obvious she's trained, maybe I could keep her busy by getting a few men to take her to the warehouse and continue her training, maybe get her on a few jobs.
It'll keep her attention off of me. But the more I thought of it and realized how many eyes would be on her, how many of them would try to fuck with her and possibly hurt her didn't help. I didn't want to underestimate her but I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else being within three feet of her if I wasn't there, watching and protecting her.
She could go train with them when I was around. It would be enough for her.
She's an appreciative girl, the smaller gestures could make her happy for weeks. That's something I've learned to admire about her, the small things brighten her day while others focus on the big picture. One big problem will ruin someone's whole day, week or month while for her, a small indication of happiness will blur out all the bad in her life and let her live like she's the happiest being on earth.
"You're something else, princess," I murmured as she let out a little mewl in her sleep and snuggled closer to me when we stepped outside and the wind blew against us. "I'll give you that."
Oh yeah, the second she wakes up and realizes the person she despises most on the planet is anywhere near her, let alone holding her, she'll become something else. She's like the devil in disguise during moments like that, her attitude flips and she's unrecognizable.
It turns me on so fucking much.
I cleared my throat, adjusting her so that no part of her was touching my...area. My men finished putting away our luggage as I climbed into the front seat of the car with her in my lap and pressed the start button of the car.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I got a nod from one of my guards who closed the trunk and tapped the back of the car, allowing me to start driving. He and a few others followed in another car behind.
The ocean's waves became violent underneath the moonlight and the trees shook wildly as we drove to the airstrip. I took my time with getting there, driving just below the speed limit so that I could bask in the moments of Jasmine's body on mine.
Fuck, I'm so attached. Too attached.
Taking advantage of our time alone together wasn't a good idea. I'm making this harder on myself and her. She's getting mixed signals, I can't keep doing this to her.
But one more time won't hurt. Her thick, black hair tickling the skin on my neck was harmless. Her small, even breaths and slight snores were peaceful. The feeling of possessiveness that was rapidly growing with each passing second of her near me, however, was not.
I picked up speed as my breathing grew heavy and I reminded myself that this is not what our marriage was done for. That's the last thing I should be feeling. It can't continue.
Why's it so fucking hard? Why did it have to be her? Fuck. She's stuck in the middle of this chaos that surrounds her, yet she's got no idea it's even happening.
Jasmine's POV...
"I'm not going to tell you again, quiet down or I'll break your fucking fingers off. Can you not see, you dickhead?"
"I apologize, sir."
"Your apologies don't do shit for me. You not existing would do loads more, get out of my sight."
I woke up in a daze as a muffled, irritated voice filled my ears. My limbs felt tired, and my body drained while my head pounded as if I'd just woken up from an exhausting, middle-of-the-day nap. I always wake up feeling weird from those.
My throat felt dry and scrappy before I cleared it and rubbed my eyes before finally noticing the rumbling sound of Sinn's jet flying through the sky. I stretched out my limbs, my legs shaking in delight.
"Good sleep?" That muffled voice was clear as day now. I didn't respond to it, just hesitantly unbuckled my seat belt and tried to muster up the courage to stand up and grab water from the fridge sitting a few metres away.
But the second I stood, a wave of nausea and dizziness passed over me and I squealed, sitting my butt back down and hurriedly buckling the belt up again. I took deep breaths to calm my nerves while resting my head against the seat with closed eyes.
When I opened them again, he was pulling out the mini table attached to my chair in order to place a water bottle and fruit tray on top of it. I didn't acknowledge him as his hands lingered on the two things as if he was waiting for my thank you.
When he realized he wasn't getting a single thing out of me, he let go of them and sat down in the seat across from me even though there were plenty more to choose from them. I took the water bottle and twisted the cap off, realizing I was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants on top of the bathing suit I'd fallen asleep in.
I took down some water, angry tears threatening my eyes at the thought of him laying a hand on me in my sleep, even if it was innocent. I don't want him anywhere near me, the thought of his finger on my skin makes me feel sick to my stomach.
"There was no one else who-"
"Don't," I stopped him, "just never put your hands on me again. Ever."
"You're acting like I haven't seen any of it before," he chuckled, "and you still got your bikini on. Stop fussing like a little brat and eat your food."
"That's not the point, Sinn, I-" I looked up to see his eyes gleaming in amusement as a satisfied look passed over his face. I'm giving him what he wants, a reaction and acknowledgment. So I stopped mid-sentence and started eating the fruit in front of me.
"Smart girl," he muttered, mostly to himself. I didn't respond, the more I ate, the more my stomach craved for more. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now. Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten the whole day besides breakfast.
I couldn't help but think about whether Sinn had eaten while I was asleep. Did he make himself something? Have someone go get him something? What if he didn't eat at all and was starving as well while I ate up all of the fruit?
No. He can take care of himself. He's not some helpless child that won't eat if food isn't given to him.
For once, I was able to stop myself from putting him first and ate to my heart's content. Until I felt full, and there was some fruit left. Then, I just left the fork there and pushed the table away so he'd know. Nothing was stopping him from taking the rest of it for himself if he was hungry.
"Is that for me?" He asked, gesturing to the leftover fruit with his chin.
"If you want it," I mumbled, looking out the jet window beside my seat and getting comfy in my seat again. I heard him sigh and drag the tray over to himself. He ate as I looked out the window to complete darkness.
Once I got bored, I looked around, my eyes finding the overhead compartments. I had work to get done and the silence on top of not doing anything beat my fear of being inside an airplane so I got up and decided to pull out my bag so I could use my laptop. I held the armrest of my seat for as long as I could until the top got within an inch of reach.
I opened it up and pulled out my bag when a wave of turbulence caused me to lose balance. I gasped as the jet tipped to the right, making me fall backwards. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for my body to hit the floor or my head to slam against something only for two large arms to wrap around my body as I fell into Sinn's lap.
The turbulence didn't stop, it only got worse so his hold tightened and I didn't put up a fight against it. Instead, I held onto him as he placed his head on top of mine and used an arm to conceal us from the suitcases slipping out of the compartment and falling to the floor.
A bottle of scotch on top of the bar fell to the floor and shattered, and the fruit tray was nowhere to be found. Pillows, blankets and random objects flew around the plane. My heart felt heavy in my chest as the thought of us not coming out of this alive came to mind.
"Sinn-"
"It's okay," he cut me off, "we're going to be okay."
As if on cue, the turbulence calmed down seconds after he spoke. The plane still shook unevenly but it seemed we'd gotten through the worst of it. But he didn't let me go until he was sure it was safe.
When he felt that it was okay, he stood up with me in his arms and placed me back in my seat, pulling the belt over my lap and tightening it as far as it'd go. The sound of the pilot's cabin door opening caught our attention.
Sinn looked towards whoever was at the door in anger, "what the hell was that?"
"I'm sorry, sir, the wind-"
"I don't give a fuck about the wind," he cut the air hostess off.
"Sinn, it's out of their control-"
"Shh, baby, don't talk back," his thumb and index finger pressed my lips shut, making me look like a duck. He barely even stopped to look at me, instead, he pointed a threatening finger at the poor lady, "tell the idiot pilot he should've just let us crash. Dying from that would've been a lot easier than what he's going to face the second he lands this damned jet."
"Ye-Yes, sir," She stuttered as I pushed his fingers off of my mouth and rolled my eyes at his dramatics.
When she didn't move for a moment, it angered him even more, "well? Are you just going to stand there like an idiot? Leave!"
"Oh-" she whimpered, the door opening once again and closing.
"You're unbelievable," I shook my head at him.
"I expect the best from everyone who works for me," he shrugged, "if their actions aren't performed to the level of satisfaction that's expected from them, they're gone. I don't give second chances."
"That's typical coming from an ignorant, spoiled egotistical man like you," I muttered.
"Thank you," he smiled, giving my cheek a little caress from his knuckles. I slapped his hand away and he chuckled.
"It's not hard to have enough decency to treat the people that bend over backwards for you with a little bit of respect," I snapped. I'd be lying if I said I was still speaking for just his employees.
"If my pilots are being paid over a million to do a job that thousands of others do for a tenth of that, then they don't need respect. They just need to get me where I need to be without causing a fucking ruckus so shut your mouth, you brat, that's enough out of you."
He walked over to the bar and I shot up, following after him. When I got close enough, I grabbed onto the back of his shirt and twisted him around, poking him in the chest when he faced me, "you do not tell me when I can and can't open my damn mouth, Hyde, do you understand me?"
"I'm going to say this once and only once so you'd better listen real close because I have had it with you," I sneered through my clenched jaw as he stared down at me, "you will never, ever have control over me."
He didn't respond so I elaborated, "I will speak when I want, not only when I'm spoken to. I will do what I want, with or without your useless permission and I will sure as hell enjoy the look on your face when you realize that unlike everybody else who's been forced to cater to your every need, I'm not scared to live my life the way I want to while fulfilling my promise to be the best wife you'll have the blessing to call yours."
"How would your father feel hearing you say all that, princess?"
"He's never going to find out, my dear husband, because whether you like it or not," I raised my hand and gripped onto his chin, shaking it playfully, "you're too attached to throw me under the bus and risk me getting hurt."
His amusement was quickly replaced with anger as he chuckled and shook his head, clenching his jaw while looking away from me, "sit your ass back in that fucking chair, Jasmine."
I smirked, "gladly."
He may have power over everyone else but I know for a fact I've got some over him as well. Let the games begin, Sinn.