I never understood why I was so enamored with talking to that boy or why I was so attracted to him. Maybe I wished for my life to be as simple as his seemed to be. Maybe I wished for a father like his instead of mine, who would rather slap me and give me away than love me.
Or maybe I wished for that same boy to whisk me away into a prettier life.
But I never expected any of those wishes to come to fruition.
Now I’m stuck in a restaurant with that same boy who’s now a full-fledged man, complete with a chiseled body and a smirk that makes girls’ knees buckle.
It does nothing for me. Taken against my will, I was just a pawn in a grand scheme to destroy my father’s empire. And now he expects me to marry him too as a payment toward my father’s debt.
No freaking way.
I can’t believe I ever fawned over this guy or even liked him as a boy. Look at what he’s become. All rich men are the same. Once they have cash, they behave like animals, devouring anything they come across. And now it’s my turn.
I don’t intend to become his wife. But I can’t run away from him either because I don’t want to have the murder of my father on my conscience. My father may be a giant asshole, but he’s still my father, and I still care about him. Despite him treating me badly all my life, I don’t want him to die.
My father would never risk his life for money. Did my father go to him, or was it the other way around? Maybe Easton was after me all this time. “Tell me, honestly, did you give my father that loan just to get to me?”
The wicked grin that spreads on his face speaks volumes. “Not only a pretty fucking princess but a smart one too.”
My skin crawls. I don’t want to believe it, but I have to. All these years after the wedding, he was still obsessed with me. Why, I don’t know because we barely spoke and only on a handful of occasions. But my father forbade it in an instant, and that was that. But I guess Easton didn’t take it so well.
“So you wanted his business to fail. Did you set him up?”
“No, that was all on him,” he replies.
“How much did you offer him?” I ask, feeling resentful of the price tag on my head.
“Twenty million.”
My jaw drops, and I try my hardest not to let him see, but I’m already too late, judging from the devilish gleam in his eyes.
“And you’d be worth far more than that, but I didn’t want to give your father more cash than he deserved,” he muses, trying to grab my hand, but I remove it from the table. “I’ll give you the world if you let me.”
“No way,” I hiss.
“You’re only saying that because you’re overwhelmed. But you’ll change your mind soon enough,” he says, getting up from his chair.
“I doubt that,” I say, but he clears his throat as if he doesn’t wanna hear me.
“C’mon. We’re leaving,” he says.
I make a face. “Where are you taking me now? Another fancy trip? Wanna flaunt me like some goddamn prize?”
He pulls me out of my seat and wraps his arm firmly around my waist, forcing me to leave with him.
“My home … and I promise, you’ll love it there. You won’t ever want to go back once you’re there.”
“There?” That sounds far. “Back from where?” I ask as he drags me outside where the car waits.
He opens the door, and growls, “The Netherlands.” And before I can say another word, he pushes me into the car and shuts the door.
Chapter 4
Charlotte
I’ve thought of escaping. At every turn, every time I stepped out of a car, moved through a hallway, walked into a new door … I’ve thought about running away.
But then that image of my father’s dead body in a casket pops up, and I hesitate. And then the moment passes.
That’s how it’s been for the past few hours as I was escorted to the airstrip.
Within minutes, we’re in a private jet that lifts off and flies over the horizon. Everything happens faster than I can process. How did I let all of this happen?
Easton threatened my father’s life … but would he really do it? Would he honestly have my father killed just to prove his point? Who would be that cruel?
This man staring at me from his seat right across from me. This man keeping me as a hostage for his pleasure.
Why does he want me so badly? We barely know each other, and we’ve only seen each other a couple of times.
“What are you thinking about?” he suddenly asks, interrupting my train of thought.