She laughed.
"Jealous? I do not think there is anything to be jealous about especially when it involves you," She replied.
He stopped talking and paused.
"Do you want to know what I have been up to these past months?" He asked her.
Mila looked at him in confusion.
"What did you find out?" She asked.
Vincent smiled.
"I looked at the contract and the date we were to be married. Something was not right," He spoke crossing his arms.
She mimicked his body movements.
"And?" She asked him.
He raised his brows thinking she would figure out what he was talking about.
"I remembered your family celebrating your birthday on the 12th of July but your family decided to deceive me. I did not think about it at first but I decided to go through the papers again," He spoke.
Mila was scared, now she was guilty of two things.
"Your family has looked down on me countless times because I was raised by them. Do they think I am so foolish? I know every damn thing about you and you cannot fool me," He was angry.
Mila took a step backward.
"It is just a few weeks away, you can wait until then. My family must have their reasons," She stammered.
Vincent smiled.
"Are you scared? Are you scared that I may kill your father for deceiving me?" He asked her.
"Please do not do that," She pleaded.
He took his seat.
"I do not give a damn about any fucken contract. When you turn eighteen, I will take you away and no one will be able to stop me, because the contract states that you are mine on your eighteenth birthday," He stroked his beard.
She sat beside him quietly, now he had something against her father, whatever punishments were only going to be her to bear but now her entire family was at stake.
"You may come in," He said out loud.
.
.
.
The jeweler brought the final engagement ring. It was a pink diamond.
"Do you not think this is too expensive for me to be carrying around?" She asked him.
Vincent avoided her talk and turned to talk to the head of the store.
"When will the wedding rings be ready?" He asked.
"Next week. We already designed it a month ago and it is left with a few diamonds. We will source it and make sure it is ready," He told her.
He shook his hand and turned to Mila.
"Did you not hear what I said? I cannot wear this around?" She spoke.
He held her wrist.
"Try not to misplace this before the wedding. Where do you want to go? You are grounded, or have you forgotten?" He asked her.
She removed her hand from his and got up to leave.
He drove to the store.
She walked into the store.
"Welcome, Mr. Vincent," The store attendants greeted her.
She was not surprised. He cleared out an entire designer store. She just wanted to be normal, marry a normal person, and live a normal life. Now that was not possible when they had paparazzi following them.
"I do not like Fendi products," She told him.
Vincent walked into the store.
"It is not about what you like," He replied.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Wesley. I have many beautiful dresses that will fit your lovely girlfriend here," She smiled.
"Please, Ms. Bennett."
Mila knew that she was not to annoy him. She sat quietly.
"I am hungry," She told Vincent after some time.
"We will eat after now," He replied.
"How long will it take? I cannot go hungry all in the name of shopping for clothes I already have," She sighed.
Vincent put his hand on her thigh.
"Behave yourself, Mila," He replied.
She sat up.
The shop attendant brought the clothes.
"Please follow me miss," She directed her.
Vincent stopped them.
"You can do it here," He was dead serious.
"Do what?" Mila asked him pretending not to understand.
She sighed.
"Please Vincent, I cannot do this," She pleaded.
Vincent laughed
"I was joking," He told her.
Mila sighed in relief and followed the attendant to the changing room.
She took a deep breath and looked at Vincent who was staring at her when she wore the first dress.
He was dissatisfied, she had to change until she found the perfect dress.
"Are you done?" She asked him.
"Wear the mini skirt and the silk blouse," He replied.
He got up and picked three heels and they were her exact size.
"I do not wear stilettoes, I will embarrass myself," She spoke.
She refused to wear it.
"You have no choice," He picked her up and took her to the chair.
He picked the shoes that matched her top perfectly.
"You should have been a fashion designer instead of… Oh, I forgot, you are next in line to be boss of the biggest not to forget illegal business," He spoke.
He held her neck tight.
"That same illegal business has sent you to school, fed you, and helped you live a luxurious life," He said loud enough for her to hear.
Mila was gasping for breath.
"You are hurting me," She cried. "Help" She managed to say.
He moved out.
"No one will help you here, Mila. I have tried to be patient with you but you are not giving me any reason to," He said.
"I am sorry. I will behave myself," She apologized.
"You better do that," He released her and wiped her teary eyes with his handkerchief.
She turned her face away. She was going to be married to a monster.
He pulled the band that was keeping her hair in place and let it fall.
"Now, you look like a woman," He smiled, impressed with his selections.
She waited in the car while he paid the bills.
"I want to go home," She tried to stop herself from crying but she could not.
"Not before we have lunch," He said and drove off.
He arrived at the restaurant.
As unusual, they greeted him when he arrived.
"I see you brought a woman today? What do you want to order?" He asked her when the waitress arrived.
"A salad. Can you give me a shot of martini if you have?" She asked.
Vincent looked in her direction but she looked away.
"You know my usual," He smiled at the waitress.
Mila knew something was going on between them.
"Can you make that a bottle please?" Mila asked.
The waitress turned her head waiting for Vincent's permission.
"Only bring the Salad, Georgia. I am sure my date wants nothing more," He told the woman.
Vincent opened the wine that was on the table and poured it into a glass for her.
"I needed that," She said in a low tone, she wanted to avoid a scene.
"I think you are too young to drink," He replied.
Mila laughed.
"Too young? Am I still speaking to Vincent Wesley?" She asked as if she was speaking to an invisible person.
Vincent laughed at her sense of humor.
"You know in the past, women were married by fifteen and those who were still unmarried above that age were called an abomination," He spoke.
Mila sighed.
"And where are you headed to with this dive into the past?" She asked him.
"I getting married to you when you turn eighteen is just a formality. The real truth is I can get married even now because the Society does not disapprove of it," He spoke.
She looked at him.
"I do not want to be in this useless society," She turned her head away.
"You do not have a choice because you were born into it," He drank from his glass.
Georgia came with the food.
"Bon appetite, Mila," He said and started eating.
She went back home in the evening.
"I was starting to get worried," Austin hugged her and helped her with the bags.
"I am fine," She replied.
"I thought he was going to escort you in," He spoke.
"You think highly of Vincent," She smiled faintly.
Austin saw the faint pink mark on her neck.
"What happened?" He asked her.
Mila sighed.
"I did something wrong and he got angry," She replied and moved to go back to her room.
Austin was about to lose it.
"Where are you going to? You need to apply something on that," He replied.
"He says I have to be in my room before he gets home," She almost cried again.
Austin cursed.
"We are sorry that you have to go through this," He apologized.