I've always felt the weird demeanor Benedict has all those years of him acting loyal to my father. He's handsome, quiet, I think the quietest man I've ever met, he's most of the time serious, and he never looked at any girl in our pack. He was either training the men or handling the pack's affairs.
I didn't have casual conversations with him even though he was often invited to our house for dinners and parties. I'd always seen him in the town, and back when I was still studying, we went to the same school. I didn't give him much attention then, but I knew he was good at academics. Well, he's good at everything he does if my memory serves me right.
Although his beta father died early, with his contributions, everyone believed that he was the only man worthy of my hand. They said we were perfect for each other. I couldn't disagree more. I had never pictured myself marrying Benedict Allen. I could stomach Tyler, his geek cousin who couldn't even throw a punch, but not him.
Even though he hadn't done anything yet, I felt that he had something I didn't want for a husband. He's too dark. Brooding. Too manly. Looks too powerful. Just like this man named Lucius Voss.
And I guess the real reason why I don't fancy a man like that for a husband is the fear of being controlled. I don't want to be inferior in a marriage.
"Feel free to call for servants if you need anything," Lucius said before he left the room he's given me.
After I agreed, he brought me to his residence in the most secluded part of Seattle. I have nowhere to stay so I've got no choice but to accept his offer of living with him in his house. With how rich he is, I should have assumed that the "house" he was referring to was actually a palace-like mansion. He was being modest and I was a fool to assume anything less from him.
The room he gave me was quite spacious. It has its own living room, a large bathroom, a walk-in closet, a Victorian styled queen-sized four-poster bed, even an elegant kitchenette. My family isn't as rich as Lucius Voss but we're well-off. My father ran a textile business in Vancouver and owned several properties. We lived in a mansion, but not as big and grand as this.
Later at the dinner, Lucius and I talked about how we'll do the fake engagement thing. Honestly, I'm not sure if it will work, but Lucius seems very confident that it will. He looks like someone whose judgment never fails him. He's that sure of himself and I guess it's kind of contagious since I'm starting to believe that once he thinks it will work, it really will.
"I asked someone to buy you clothes. The maids are putting it in your room now," Lucius said.
The dining hall is incredibly huge and the table is long enough for more than two dozen people, yet we're sitting there just by the two of us. There's that thick air surrounding us, or maybe it's just me feeling uneasy, but I tried to shrug it off and just eat. I've been starving myself for days, the reason why I passed out in the woods and got caught by human traffickers. I should know better than to starve myself in the future. I don't want to stand in a stadium in front of a crowd of jerks again.
"Are you a regular in underground society? Is that where you get women to serve you?" I asked casually while chewing a piece of meat.
I glanced at him. He stared at me while drinking wine. I went back to my plate.
"If I want a woman to serve me, I won't need to toss a single coin in the air. Buying a whore in an auction is not my thing. I knew you were there so I went to see."
My eyes narrowed a little. He could have gotten me out without spending a dime considering how influential he is, but he chose to buy me to show that he's powerful. To show how he can hold my neck. What a smart ass he is.
"Why do you hate Benedict?"
"Do you really want to know?" he asked, his eyes turned to a darker shade of amber, more like closer to brown, or even almost black.
I didn't say anything and just looked at him.
"Let's just say we are something like rivals and he stole something from me. And I hate it when I lose a possession no matter how worthless it seems. I have this one rule in life. What's mine is mine. I don't share anything I own with anyone."
He was finishing his food. But before he could stand up and leave, I spoke.
"You said my father owes you a debt. What had he done?"
He smiled. The kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes. It only made him look morbid. "He's done nothing. I just don't like him because he's an asshole."
With how he talked about my father, I forgot where I was or who I was talking to. The knife I was holding flew to the opposite direction, right where Lucius was sitting. I bared my teeth and gripped on the fork at my other hand so tight it was about to break.
"How dare you disrespect my father," I said, my body burning.
Lucius chuckled, holding the knife I threw at him. He was fast enough to catch it before it could hit his stone face.
"How feisty you are, Madeline. But you have to know the truth. Lawrence Voss is no saint like how you perceive him to be. He's evil-"
"Shut up!"
Now I'm standing. I don't care if I kill myself but one more rude word from him and I'll forget the deal we just had or the vengeance I'm fighting for. I can't just stand and listen to him spurting disrespectful words to my father!
"You sound like evil yourself. Who are you to judge a person?"
He threw the napkin and stood. He walked toward me slowly with an unreadable expression on his face. Then the next second, he was an inch away. He pushed me hard and my back hit the cold wall. I groaned in pain but before I could recover, he was pinning me with his body.
"Remember what I told you, Madeline Voss? You're living at my mercy. You can't just do as you please." He shook his head and touched my jaw with his rough knuckles that sent shivers down my spine. "You can't disrespect your master, lady. Do this next time and you won't like what I will do to you."