His reaction was immediate and intense. His nose flared, his eyes narrowed at me, his jaw clenched, and his hold on my waist tightened so much that his nails dug sharply into my waist. I wanted to tell and tell him that he was hurting me but I saw no point in it.
He was raging in a fire of anger and I was responsible for it. But was it going to stop me from saying what I wanted?
No!
I hesitated for a moment, gathering my courage once again.
“I need you to promise, Ansell” I continued, my voice carrying the weight of my plea. “Promise that you will release my brother today. It’s all I’m asking, and I swear he’s Inn….”
Before I could even completely my words, he pushed me back. His reaction was swift and brutal. A violent push sent me sprawling backward, the edge of the bathub colliding harshly with my body, and the pain shot through me.
“You never miss a chance to ruin my mood, do you?” He asked while I was still trying to sit up properly, my back throbbing from the violent crash.
‘And you never miss any chance to hurt me’.
“Don’t you ever take the name of that pig when we are close? It always reminds me of the things he did to Desy and then all i want you to do is ruin you and torture him in ways you both can’t even imagine, ” he growled, his teeth clenched so tightly that it seemed like they might shatter.
I wanted to say a lot but couldn’t muster to even part my lips. His gaze was so intense and hot that it pinned me to my place.
Abruptly, he stood up and stepped out of the tub. This is when I released my breath and my body relaxed a bit. He picked up the towel and started walking out.
“Ansell, at least listen to me”
But he didn’t, not even turn his head to spare a glance at me. He walked out leaving me alone in the bathub, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.
Frustration and anger build up inside me. He is not ready to listen and things would not work in my way if he will not listen to me. The image of my brother in that horrifying situation is still haunting me. If he had actually commited the crime, perhaps I could have accepted it, but now, the injustice of it all was unbearable.
Now when I have put forward my desire then I have to talk to Ansell. It is not like that he could do anything more dangerous than he has already done.
The only fear that I had is gone and now I have nothing to lose. The worst he could do had already been done.
With a determination to make him hear me out and persuade him to see things from my perspective, I stepped out of the bath. I quickly cleaned myself off, grabbing a fresh towel to dry myself before wrapping a robe around me because there were no clothes for me to wear.
When I came out of the room, I found it empty. I could see light coming out of his closet and I am sure that he had gone inside to get dressed for the day. I don’t think I would get a chance to talk to him after he returns from his works so I would have to keep aside my fear and talk to him right now.
I quickly made my way to the wardrobe and picked out a random dress. My hands moved in haste as I wore it. I was running short of time so instead of taking the comb, I just ran my fingers through my curls.
Taking a deep breath, I made my way towards the closet where I go daily to help him get ready but today was different because it was the first time that I was going there willingly, with a purpose in my head.
Though I was a bit surprised that he went to get ready without asking my assistant because he he always likes to keep me around even if he could do things on his own but I shrugged the thought away.
My feet stopped at the entrance and as expected, I found him dressed in his black suit, ready to go to work. The expression on his face was stoic and form the way his hands were moving, it was quite clear that he was dissatisfied by something that was not unknown to me.
He was about to make the knot of the tie when his hand came to a sudden halt and his eyes flicked to me through the mirror.
I felt my body stiffen involuntarily, my posture rigid as his gaze bore into me. Our gaze remained locked for a few seconds before he decided to avert his eyes and made himself busy with his tie.
Taking it as an opportunity I walked to him, my heart pounding in my chest. My fingers found the ribbon of his tie, holding it delicately between them. His eyes bore into mine as I did that and his hands dropped to his side. It is one of the many things that he likes me to do for him.
My fingers fumbled with his intense gaze and the heat which his body was emitting but I tried my best to stay focused on my work.
Y heart pounded so loudly in my chest that it seemed to echo in my ears. I was almost done knotting the tie and finding an appropriate moment to open my mouth when he broke the silence.
“I understand your motivation behind this, but let me make something clear, you won’t succeed” he declared, extinguishing my budding hopes before I even had the chance to utter a word.
He was about to turn back when my plans moved to his shoulder to hold him in place. “Ansell please… ”
Though he possessed enough strength to push me away, he stayed, which gave me a small ray of hope and energy to say myself.
“I understand that what you are doing is out of rage” I began, my voice gentle as I struggled to convey my perspective. “No brother could see his sister suffering but.. but.. the real culprit is someone else. William is innocent” I tried to keep my words as soft as I could.
“No, he is not” he retorted. “I have seen him with my own eyes”
“Please, Ansell, let me listen to him once. let me know exactly what happened that day caught him in such a comprising situation with Desy. I promise, if he turns out to be guilty, I’ll leave him to you to do as you wish, but please..”
His gaze darkened, and his fingers momentarily gripped my wrists, moving them down his shoulders.
. “You’re treading on thin ice, Nara” he warned, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.
“I know” I replied, licking my lips, which were going dry out of fear, and keeping my voice steady. “”But if you truly believe that I am yours, then show it by letting him go. I will do whatever you want, but my brother is innocent in all of this”
The air around us thickened with such tension that it became hard to breathe. I blinked and was looking forward to his response, to see what he had to say in this with bated breath.
. He studied my face for a long moment, his expression unreasonable. I held his gaze, hoping that the shred if humanity I glimpse in him could extend to leave my brother free from the mess I had become entangled in.
“Will you do whatever I want you to do?”. He asked.
I nodded quickly without even thinking about that.
“Marry me”
My eyes widened in shock, a gasp escaping my lips before I could stop it.
“Be mine forever”
His words hung heavy in the air, each syllable charged with an intensity that made my heart race. His grip on my wrist tightened, emphasizing his possessive declaration.
“I want to possess every inch of you. Your heart, and soul, along with your body and life” his grip on my wrists tightened as he spoke. “I want to make sure that you will not try running away from me again”
The breath caught in my throat and I was too shocked to say anything.
“I could keep you as my mistress as well but someday I would have to settle and thought of being with someone else repulses me as much as the idea of sharing you with someone else” his eyes held honesty and intensity.
“Marry me willingly, and I will release your brother unharmed”
His last words hung in the air as he freed my wrist, turned around on his heel, and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
The story that started with revenge has now taken a turn to claiming but the person who is still suffering in all this is me and my family.