BLACK spots spun in Stella's vision, inking away at Valeric's emotionless golden eyes.
"Let. Go. Of. Me!" She kicked against his knees, but the man simply shifted his leg away and pushed his face closer to hers.
He lowered his head, choking his expensive cologne and forcing his gaze through every tiny breath of fear she took. "I'll be back tommorrow."
He let go, turned and left the office.
Stella crashed to the floor on her bottom and her chest tightened. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and sought for every possible air she could take into her lungs. The man's cologne still lingered around her nose and his words didn't cease repeating in her head.
But she didn't have time to process all this because her father had stormed towards her and gripped her by the collar of her suit. He pulled her to her knees and slapped her hard across her face.
"What in the world is wrong with you?!" he yelled, seething.
Pain rippled through Stella's cheek and hot bubbles of tears welled up in her eyes, her nose immediately bloody. "Dad, you can't…you can't give me to him."
"And why not?" Mr. Ferguson questioned. "You are lucky that I haven't kicked you out of this house. I'm doing you a favor and for once in your life, you're going to be useful!"
He gripped her jaw and his lips cracked into a brutal smile. "Whether you like it or not, you're marrying him and that shares will be mine."
"Behave yourself around him, else…"
Stella gripped his leg, begging, "Please, don't do this to me. Call it off, you have to call it off! He said he'll come back for me, so just give me a little time and-"
"Vincent? You mean Vincent, your teenage lover?" Mr. Ferguosn burst into laughter at her stupidity. "You are so naive, do you know that?"
Stella couldn't say a word.
"You don't know men, especially alphas. He told you that he would come back for you and you believed him?" he asked. "You think a standard alpha like him, an heir to his family's empire, would want you? A recessive omega like you?"
"Inferior, impure, low fertility, weak, you have nothing! You are useless and your entire existence is trash. Your only worth is being born into the Ferguson family, but even that is not enough. And you think, Vincent would come back for you?"
"How many years has it been now? Two years, it's been two years now and you are twenty! Stop wasting your life or you'll eventually die alone. Don't you see your sisters? Aren't you ashamed?"
"Do you think anyone would want you? Not even the useless betas want you. They want the likes of your sisters, pure omegas and that is something you're not!" he was mocking her to her face and made sure to draw every single one of those words into her brain. "You will be alone forever and Vincent is nothing more than a fleeting dream."
"This isn't a wonderland and the sooner you wake up from that delusion, the better it will be for you. While you waste your time over here, I'm sure your Vincent already has a wife and probably a kid too. There is no reason a successful man, an heir to an empire, would want something like you. you aren't even worthy to be called trash."
"Calling you a trash is a compliment," he spat in her face.
Stella breathed shakily, hot tears dropping from her eyes. She was weak and all too suddenly exhausted. "It's only been two years. I-I can wait more. Vincent loved me and he said he would come back. He promised me and he even gave me a ring, you saw it."
"A-all I have to do is wait. J-just a little bit more, dad and I know he will come for me. Please, let me-"
"Never you call me 'Dad' again. It's Mr. Ferguson to you!" The old man snatched her by her short white hair. "You will marry that man tomorrow whether you like it or not. There are no ifs and buts with me and the sooner you learn that, the easier it'll be for you."
"I'm not going to be giving any of my precious daughters to him. This is an opportunity for you to be useful for once in your pathetic life and you'll thank me later."
"You don't have a choice and you don't have the right to decide, not in this house." He turned and left the office, slamming the door shut.
Blood trickled down Stella's nose and she lifted her hazy teary eyes to hatefully stare at the cream colored wall. A stubborn glint burned in her eyes and she mumbled,
"I won't do it!"