Kiara

"You hurt me"

"I made you see what you stood to lose"

"And if I say no?"

"Your sister remains with your father and the wedding gets called off which from the way everyone would see it, opens you to fewer options"

"And if I say yes, I'd be your pretty little wife for five years and when this is over, what story would we tell everyone?"

"Simple, a divorce. After which you would have your sister with you and properties to your name" He said, glancing down at me from his height. "Come on, sign the papers"

The clock struck eleven midnight as I sat on the tufted chair of the dining table. It was a dark and cold night, and the moonlight from the wide windows illuminated the room. In front of me were the papers displayed and a pen right beside it cause apparently, this was the right time to sign a contract for a man like Antonio Russel.

He stood behind me, hands on the edges of the chair as he gave me a slight push towards the table where the documents were displayed. Then I picked up the pen and signed the papers.

Just kidding.

Not before I get a few more petty advantages.

"I'd like an assistant that is not Luke"

"You don't make the rules"

"But I sign the papers"

"You don't need an assistant"

"You have Luke, don't you?"

"Because I work. As far as I'm concerned, you wouldn't be doing anything that requires an assistant"

"It's either you get me an assistant or nothing"

He hesitated for a while before finally giving in with a disapproving sigh, none of which I care about because there would be one more person in the house who would at least act like they cared about me. "Fine but whatever it is you're up to, this agreement is as confidential as it can get"

"Great"

And with that, the agreement that took a little over a day to conclude was finally signed and from that time, the change was effected as the new wife of a chucklehead.

"You'll have a copy of it tomorrow"

"That's it? No, thank you?"

"I think I'm the one who needs to be appreciated. The majority of this is for your good"

"Excuse me, I'm the one who's willing to give five years"

"And I'm the one who's willing to pay for those years. Your coffee shop wouldn't have done that, would it?"

"You're egotistic"

"And you're dramatic"

"You know what? I don't have the time for this, I have other important things to do"

"Like what?"

"To eat and sleep"




*
The next morning rolled in quickly. It was a bright and sunny one, the exact opposite of the heavy clouds of yesterday. I got the message we had somewhere to be that morning only a few minutes before we had to leave so getting ready took only a few minutes. I picked out the best outfit in the closet, one that wasn't too much and wasn't just an average dress and pair of slides either. I wore minimal makeup, nothing more than a swipe of eyeliner and lip gloss.

I had breakfast this time and it was delivered to me, Luke didn't come to tell me how I was going to make us late and I didn't have to take just a slice of toast either. It's safe to say it was a calm morning. Oh, and guess what? I stayed in the same car as my alleged husband today.

"So what are we seeing today? The good side of you or the bad side of you?" I asked once we were settled on the road. You're right if you think the good part is David and the bad side is Antonio.

"I don't have any sides"

"What I mean is, are we going to the normal office or your secluded warehouse?"

"It's a base"

"Same thing"

"Does it matter?"

"Great, so now I have to spend long hours in a room. You know I wonder why you take me there anyways, I can just stay in the house all day"

"The house isn't safe with just you in it"

"Oh yeah, the bad guys_ Wait, what do you mean?"

"What do you think?"

"If I'm going to stay in that house for the next five years, I'm not going to come with you to your base or whatever it is. Kindly respect my_"

"I've spoken with the attorney," He said, cutting my sentence short. If it wasn't something I needed to hear, I would've given a proper payback.

"And?"

"That's it, I've spoken with the attorney"

"Okay, so do I get the chance to speak with him too? It's my sister, you know"

"That's why we're meeting with him today"

"Oh, great. This one time you're doing something that doesn't take minutes long of arguments"

The drive went for an additional thirty minutes or so and there were only a few bickering here and there. I was doing most of the talking. You know, anything to remind him how much of a woman I can be. As I've come to notice, he didn't want to have any conversation with me if he was the one making the snarky comments and maybe he regrets having me in his car this time, I'll never know.

When we arrived, I jumped out of the vehicle in anticipation. It would be a dream come true, something I waited so long to accomplish now at the tip of my fingers. Thinking of it made me forget it was born out of a bad decision.

This time, everything was different. I wasn't kept in the usual secluded room, and there were a few faces I didn't see. Ones like Giovanni and the other men. People I would never understand, just as much as I didn't understand Antonio himself. From the things my curious eyes had seen, these men weren't ordinary men.

With their uniformed suits and luxury enough to finance a whole country, something about them was different and I couldn't place a finger on it. I never saw them together but every once in a while, I would notice the change in the atmosphere that showed someone important walked in. There were very few of them, maybe one or two besides Antonio, that I'd seen on papers. Those that were popularly known in one thing or the other but it always had me questioning, what's the point of the whole thing? Why would they come together in a place? What are they planning?

And most importantly, how long has it been going on? I'd seen stuff to prove their alliance wasn't the decision of one day. It's almost as if whatever they were doing had been happening long before.

I'd decided to spend five years of my life with this man and I needed all the questions answered. Hopefully, I won't get in trouble on my little quest.

"This meeting is official_"

"So I'll just sit like a doll, got it" I completed as we made our way through the double doors. It was a room like his office, only that this was a little bigger and the colors were velvet red and black.

The attorney sat on one of the couches, looking more like one of them than a lawyer but hey, I'll take anything I can get. With strands of grey hair and wrinkled skin, he looked like a man in his forties. He had a blue suit on with a matching tie and his feet were covered with shiny black shoes. If it wasn't for his skin and hair, he would've passed as a young man in his twenties.

"Mr Russel. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mrs Russel" His accent was laced with thick Italian origin, like most of them, as he stood up to lock hands with Antonio.

"Kevin" Antonio acknowledged "Let's get straight to business"

"As always Mr Russel"

While Antonio gave me the space to sit first, I couldn't help but lock gazes with Kevin. He had a smile on but there was this look in his eyes, like something hidden behind the expression but I couldn't tell what it was.

Before I could think much about it, I was on the couch with Antonio right beside me. There was only little space between us which was odd at the time, seeing he would never be so close even in public places. I assumed it to be a part of the act so my urge to move away was suppressed.

"The young lady in question, Scarlett Sky" He started and it was then my eyes caught something silvery. It happened while he took his seat, probably due to the movement of his clothes. I could've overlooked it, but I'd noticed the look on his face earlier and the dots were gradually getting connected.

Kevin had a blade with him.