Lucas was scribbling something on a paper in his office when the door opened. At first, he thought it was his secretary; Alice, but it wasn't.
When he looked up, he immediately became alarmed. It was the devil himself; Martin.
"What do you want?" Lucas watched him take a seat on the chair opposite him. "How did you get in here?"
"I had a quarrel with your brother, not you, right? I don't understand the look on your face"
"Are you going to tell me what you want, or do you want me to call the security?"
"No need for that" Martin waved it off. "I am not indulging in any violence, am I"
"What do you want?" Lucas was already getting impatient.
"Woah easy".he paused. "I came to give you an offer"
"I'm not interested"
"You haven't even heard what I have to say"
"Taking an offer from you is like taking an offer from the devil"
"I will take that as a compliment. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me"
"Leave this minute!" Lucas glared hard at him, but Martin only chuckled. It was certain he was going to leave until he got what he wanted.
"How badly do you want Hardik company?"
"What are you talking about? What do you even know about Hardik? "
"A lot. I know that any of you who inherits it is second to God"
"You don't know anything"
"Last time I checked the internet, I found out, Xavier has graduated from the seventh richest man to the fifth richest man in the world. What do you think will happen if he gets Hardik? He will be known everywhere, but you_ his brother will be back here, cleaning his shoes and doing whatever he asks you to do" The moment he finished saying those words, something flashed in Lucas' eyes, but he blinked it away almost immediately.
"I am not interested "
"I have not made the offer yet honey "
"Don't call me that!" Lucas snapped at him in anger.
"What do you want me to call you then? "
"I want you to leave my office before I commit first-degree murder!"
"I want you to bring Xavier down" he blurted out, ignoring Lucas'earlier statement.
Lucas erupted into laughter. "Xavier did say you were crazy, but I didn't know it was to this extent. You want me to bring my brother down? Think again"
"Trust me, I thought well before bringing up that proposal"
"Get the fuck out of my office!" this time Lucas had a serious look of contempt on his face.
"Think about what it would feel like being the richest man in the world. I can give you Hardik if you give me what I want. You don't have to stay behind Xavier. You can choose to be in front of him"
Martin stood up as he dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out his card. He slipped to where Lucas was.
"Once you make up your mind, call me, and I'll let you in on the full detail"
He smiled at Lucas who had a glare on his face. "Have a nice day honey,'' he added and left.
*****
Amelia tossed to the other side of her bed, her stomach hurt and her head banged. That was the time of the month when she hated being a woman. "Fuck" she groaned in frustration.
The door opened, revealing Mrs. Rebecca.
"Ma'am, what would you like to eat?"
"Nothing" Amelia managed to mutter, groaning in pain.
"But Sir Xavier...."
"Tell Sir Xavier to go fuck himself! I mean that" she snapped at her, not caring if she delivered her message or not. Amelia just wanted her to leave.
The pills she took weren't working. It was all thanks to her heavy sugar intake yesterday, now she had to face the consequence.
Rebecca left and soon after, the door opened. Even without looking at the door, she already knew it was Xavier. She wasn't ready to see his face. She didn't want to see anybody's face. Her period had a way of making me so cranky.
"Are you okay?" he asked, but she didn't give him a reply. If he wasn't blind, he would be able to tell she wasn't fine
"Amelia" he called out, walking into the room. From where she lay, she could already smell his cologne.
"I don't want to eat with you"
"Must we always quarrel every morning about breakfast?"
"And why can't you get the message that I don't... Fuck" She hit her stomach and lay back on her bed. Shouting at him was making her worse.
"You should have just told me to get you chocolate, like every reasonable lady". He said already realizing the cause of her mood swings. When he was much younger, he remembered how the house turned to hell when Daphne was on hers.
"Well why don't you be a kind gentleman and get me some"
"I will, but you have to know it's not my duty to get you chocolate every month"
"Why not?" she frowned at him
"We don't have to be affectionate to be each other"
"Because our marriage is fake huh?"
"The contract doesn't state I have to care about you and get you gifts"
"The contract also doesn't say you can boss me around"
"I don't boss you around" he stood his ground and Amelia gave him a "are you kidding" look.
"This has to be the funniest joke you have ever made" She sat up from her bed. "Since the contract doesn't say you can boss me around, but you still do, I think I have every right to ask for chocolates. Do get ready because you are going to be doing this every month until all this is over" she spat out and lay back on her bed.
"And don't keep me waiting" She muffled with my head dug inside her pillow.
She knew she had stained his ego, but didn't care. She watched him sigh as he left. He probably didn't expect such outbursts from her. He didn't know she was a different person during her time of the month.
*******
"You were so close to getting your lover girl," Martin said and Hardin didn't fail to sense the mockery his voice held. It got him even angrier.
"It's not funny"
"No, it's not. You just gave Xavier more reason to kill us now"
"He will do no such thing. She's only a mere contract wife. He doesn't care about her"
"That guy is very hard to read. Even though I dated him for 3 years, I still don't know much about him"
"You just didn't look deep enough"
"The thing is" he stood up from where he was seated and settled beside Hardin who had a tensed look on his face. "There is nothing there to look deep enough. He is empty, but he tries to convince himself otherwise.
"And you?" Hardin turned to look at Martin who only smirked.
"You know me well don't you?"
"No, I don't. You are just as hard to read"
"You can't call me hard to read when you went back to your ex"
"What does Amelia have to do with this?"
"You made it clear that you didn't love her anymore, but you still went back, and yet you call me hard to read"
"I don't love her," Hardin blurted out, but it was obvious he was lying. He couldn't bear to see her with another man, especially Xavier, contract or no contract.
"So why did you go back to her?"
"To teach her a lesson"
"I would gladly teach Xavier that lesson"
"What are you implying?"
"Stop hiding things from me"
Hardin scoffed. "Or else?"
Martin leaned closer, using his fingers to caress Hardin's chin. He brought his lips closer, but it wasn't for a kiss. "Do you want to find out what happens when I show my jealous side?"
"You still love Xavier and you don't fail to let me know that, so why do you act mad about me and Amelia?"
"I don't go running back to him. All I want to do is kill him and take his company"
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"You have started underestimating me again"
He was wrong, Hardin wasn't underestimating him. He knew if Martin wanted something, he was going to get it and that included killing the whole Davies family. He was a scary, powerful man who could get anything he wanted, and that scared Hardin.
****
"Sir Xavier said I should drop something for you" Amelia heard Rebecca's voice from the other side of the door. Even without asking, she already knew it was the chocolate. She had a feeling he was going to buy it, but had no idea he was actually going to. Xavier didn't just seem like a caring type.
"Come in," She said to Rebecca and she nodded, making her way into the room. The woman dumped a huge box on the bed. There was no way the box contained just chocolates. It was just so impossible. Amelia concluded inwardly
She realized how wrong she was when she opened the box and found it filled with different shapes and brands of chocolates. She breathed out sharply, not knowing if to call it the act, cute, or just basic cluelessness. It was cute because he went out of his way to make her happy.
"Why didn't he deliver it himself?" She asked. She knew she was being ungrateful, but she thought it would have been great and more thrilling if Xavier was the one who knocked and presented the chocolate to her.
But she was faced with reality. Even if she had started growing feelings for him. It was guaranteed he didn't feel the same way.
"He stepped out briefly. For work"
"Oh," she caressed the top of the box with a smile not leaving her face.
"He also said I should make sure you eat"
Amelia rolled her eyes. Just when she thought he was getting better. "Did he say anything about forcing the food down my throat?"
"No" she shook her head.
"That's the only way I will eat and I don't think you will do that"
"No ma'am"
She sighed. "I'm not just hungry. I will rather eat chocolates"
"It could make your stomach upset"
"Well, that's the only thing I crave. Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Rebecca"
"Oh ok ma'am, but...."
"It's fine" She groaned in frustration. The workers in the house just had a way of getting on her nerves.
"Ok ma'am" She finally left and Amelia breathed out in relief, explaining how Rebecca was exhausted.
******
"You had nothing to eat today?" That was the first thing that proceeded out of Xavier's mouth when he got inside her room.
"I wasn't hungry. I'm not in control of my body"
"Yes you are"
"What? You think I would just willingly starve myself?"
"That sounds like something Amelia would do to prove a point"
She faked a smile. "You know me well"
He stayed quiet for a while but she didn't care if he was pissed about her not eating. Her excuse was, she wasn't in control of her body and since it didn't crave food, she couldn't force herself to do otherwise
"Come" he beckoned. She was confused, but that didn't stop her from walking toward him. Her curiosity couldn't be tamed
"What?" she stood in front of him with furrowed eyebrows of confusion.
He grabbed her hand, holding it firmly and dragging her out of the room. He wasn't rough, but his grip was strong. He didn't let her go until they got to the dining table downstairs
"Sit" he ordered, but she only stared at him with a frown on her face to show how displeased she was with him for pulling her down against her will.
"You are not going to do this Amelia"
"Now I'm the one who's crazy? Who just dragged me down the stairs for me to have dinner?"
"And I don't regret doing it"
"You are unbelievable"
"Says a girl who would rather live on chocolate than actual food"
"I don't wanna eat, you can't force me to"
He sighed in frustration. He knew she wasn't going to comply, so he had to tell her something she needed to hear.
"Please Amelia" he groaned. With the way her eyes lit up, it was obvious she loved when he begged.
With her flushed cheek, she sat down. "I'll only eat under one condition"
"What?"
"You feed me"
Lucas👇