Fay could not believe what had just happened. One second, she was being kicked to the ground like a ragdoll, the next, she was in the arms of this giant of a man that smelled like sweet dreams on a winter solstice.
And he called her his love.
That memory jerked her into the present, and she began to kick. "Let me go!" She cried out, only just realizing the danger of the situation.
"Be still!" The bass of his voice pierced through her resolve to get herself off him, silencing her at once.
She could tell by the honks, and screeches they were outside now. She closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer. There was no point trying to fight him off. She had seen his hands. The only thing she prayed for was a quick death if he was a murderer, or a kidnapper.
As if a kidnapper will kidnap someone as broke as you.
She froze behind the mocking voice in her head. It was actually not wrong.
"Open up Cam."
Ace knocked in his car, grateful for the gift of foresight. This one night, Grant didn't drive him all the way here.
"I'm going to put you down. Act normal." He said as the car doors opened up.
Carefully, he lowered her into the backseat, and shut the door.
I knew it! They're kidnappers. It's over for me. Please lord, don't let him take me away.
She prayed silently, before opening her eyes. A shudder ran through her the minute she did. She had never seen or even been in such an exotic car. Her eyes were taking in the details, when the other side of the door opened, and he came in.
She quickly lowered her gaze, and held her breath. These next few seconds could be the determining factor of her safety.
"What are you doing?" He asked, noticing her trembling fingers twisting against each other.
Releasing the breath she was holding, her eyes shot up, and so did her hands joined together in a prayer gesture. "Please don't kidnap me. I'm from a very poor family. My aunt will kill me if she finds out I let myself be kidnapped." She pleaded, a single tear dropping down her face.
Ace's lashes flickered, bewildered and a little bit amused by her reaction. It was already established she loved to cry, but what was with the kidnapping theory? He silently wondered if he looked like a kidnapper.
"I'm not a kidnapper." He said, putting her out of her misery.
One brow raised, her hands coming apart. "You're not? So why did you carry me out like that?" She asked, wiping the tears off her eyes.
"I told you why already."
"You did?" She scratched her head, as if it would automatically sharpen her memory.
"Yes," He nodded. "You're my wife, and I have a proposal for you."
"Me?" She placed her hands on her chest, her face crinkled with a mix of curiosity and doubt.
"You're Fay right?"
She gasped. "I am. How do you know that?"
"Shouldn't a husband know his wife's name."
"Uhmm, you keep saying that, but I'm not married. I don't even know you. I've never seen you before." A look of puzzlement adorned her face.
"Sure, but before the night is over, you will." He raised a confident chin.
She didn't know if she should take his words as a threat or not. All she knew was the closer she was to him, the more intoxicating his scent was. He smelled so expensive in comparison to what she was used to.
"What's your proposal?" She asked.
"Simple," He shrugged. "Be my wife."
"What?" She shifted uncomfortably.
"For just a year. I need a wife for a year. I'm not going to go into the details because it's not a concern of yours. All you need to know is that for every month of the one year you're married to me, you'll be earning a million dollars. At the end of the year, you'll be given an additional twenty million dollars outside of what you earn monthly."
She had stopped listening after the first amount he mentioned. There was no way he was serious. In fact, this was definitely a dream.
"Why me?" She finally asked.
"You're not my type. There's no possibility of falling for you, or even being attracted to you." His answer was brusque and straight to the point.
For some weird reason, her heart sank. It wasn't like she was expecting a total stranger to be head over heels for a girl like her at first sight. A man as gorgeous, and rich as he was with a girl like her? Never going to happen. It also didn't help that she was in a committed relationship.
She suddenly gaped, her eyes widening. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself notice how attractive another man was, when she was in a loving relationship. Gabriel would be so disappointed in her.
"What is it?" He asked, surprised by her outburst.
"I have a boyfriend." She confessed.
"No you don't." He said dismissively.
"What do you mean? I really do have a boyfriend. We've been together for ten years now. Granted he's been out of the country for most of these years, but I assure you we're pretty solid." She nodded confidently.
"Are you sure about that?" His eyes squinted.
"Absolutely sure."
"Fine," He reached into his jacket, and pulled out his phone. "Give me his number." He said.
"What?" She let out a small, nervous laughter. "Why would I do that?"
"Why not? Let's test how loyal your boyfriend of ten years who doesn't even stay in the same City with you is. Or are you not confident anymore?" He gave her a pointed look, daring her.
She scoffed. "Of course I am. We're solid as a rock. You'll see."
She reached into her pocket, but stopped midway realizing she didn't have any pockets on her waitress uniform. "I left my phone in the changing room." She said, raising her head up.
"So? It's a solid relationship right? Shouldn't you know his number by heart?" He leaned to the side, carefully observing her.
"Fine." She threw her face to the side, feeling too warm under the scrutiny of those piercing gaze of his.
Her reaction almost made him chuckle. "Ready whenever you are." He said instead.
She rushed through the number, going silent at the end. As he dialled, she held her thumping chest. The anticipation was killing her, but she trusted Gabriel enough to see right through whatever game this stranger was playing.
"Hello." He picked up by the third ring.
"Good evening sir. Am I on to Gabriel?" He asked, putting the phone loud speaker.
"Yes you are. Who is this?"
"Doesn't matter. I have one important question for you though. Can I go ahead?"
"Errrhmm, I guess."
Ace's eyes instantly twinkled with mischief. "Would you accept a one million dollar cheque in exchange for your girlfriend marrying me?"
Fay who had her head turned, whipped it to the side, anticipating his response.
"Is this a prank call?"
"No it's not. If you send me a valid account, I'll transfer the money to you right away."
"Don't do it." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head.
"Fine, she's all yours. I was planning on breaking up with her anyway. She's such a crybaby. Always whining as if the world is a bed of roses for the rest of us. You don't know what you're getting yourself into bro."
Her breath caught against her chest, completely stunned by his response. She couldn't stop the glisten in her eyes, no matter how much she sniffed. It was like a sword had been thrust right in the middle of her chest.
"Thanks for the info."
"Can I still sen---"
Ace cutoff the call before he could go any further. He turned to her, just as she broke into a feat of tears.
"How could he say that about me? I thought he loved me? We've been together for so long. How--- how could he betray me this way?" She wailed into her hands.
"For one million dollars, half of the world will do worse. For what I'm offering you, a carnage would occur. Forget about him, and take the money. I won't be giving him a dime, but if you take my deal, you could get back at him sooner than you think. What do you say?"
Her heart had been thumped, pummeled, and shattered into tiny pieces. She couldn't see past her tears. The future seemed bleak, the present, blurry. Even the past dissolved into nothingness. All she had was the ache in her heart, and a blinding need for revenge.
Life had dealt her a horrible hand from the day she lost her parents. Her aunt despised her, and so did her children. She was the laughing stock at work. And now the one person that made her believe she was not totally a mistake, had just betrayed her.
There were only two options left. Give up, or fight. For the first time in her life, she chose to fight..
Raising her head up,
she wiped off the tears with the back of her hands, and said, "I'm in."