Chapter 3
Three
Persia
Iwant to raise my hand and land my palm across the smug look on this man’s face, but the permanent sting of the scars on my back remind me of who I am supposed to be.
Obedient. In control. Never show emotions.
I inhale and exhale slowly. The obedient daughter would smile and accept her future being dictated to her.
Magnus looks down and I know he sees the horrified expression on my face. A sob rises up my throat, but I force it back down. I refuse to let this man see me cry.
I lean back and stare up blankly into his dead eyes.“Did you not hear my question?” My voice comes out steadier than I feel. “I think there has been some kind of misunderstanding.”
His brow pinches with what looks like sadistic amusement.“Your father hasn’t told you?” Magnus’ laugh makes the acid in my stomach churn with unease.“Barret is a man of dark humor, indeed.”
Magnus releases his tight grip on my chin and he steps back with the composure of a man returning to normal conversation.“We reached an arrangement this evening. You and I are to be married within the week, my new bride. Your father will explain the details. What did you think this party was for?”
My head shakes before he finishes speaking.“No, you’re wrong. This is my mother’s summer party. She throws it every year.”
The corner of his mouth moves in something that resembles a wolfish smile.
“How naive you are. Haven’t you learned by now?
Daughters like you are pawns in the games their fathers play.
Born only to forge alliances and bear heirs.
You’ll understand soon enough. You’ve been mine for a long time.
Only you didn’t know it until this minute. ”
He taps the end of my nose earning him a growl of resistance from me. He looms over me and brushes a thumb down the side of my face.“I’ve thought of this moment for a long time, my little pussy cat. A long time. He’s promised me you are untouched. For your sake, I hope that is true.”
The acid that rises in my stomach has nothing to do with the champagne.
I pull my hand out of his grip, my heart tumbling over itself.
Magnus reaches a hand out to stroke the pad of his thumb over the scar running along the top of my shoulder that is barely noticeable under the thick straps of my dress.
I brush his hand away.
“This can’t be. My father is low, but this? He wouldn’t.”
I am sure of it. I turn on my heel and I don’t stop until I find my mother among a gaggle of her Country Club friends all sipping on cocktails and gossiping about who the fuck cares.
“Where is he?” I cut in, uncaring of the stares and gasps. How dare I be so rude, right? Screw them.
My mother lets out an exasperated sigh.“Who dear?”
I can barely breathe let alone speak, but I manage to squeeze out my words and not sound as weak in the knees as I feel. “My father.”
Perfect brows rise, but my mother answers despite the worry lines that appear across her forehead.“In his study dear, but he’s not to be…”
I dismiss her next words and turn toward my father’s study. It’s at the end of the east corridor with its dark wood paneling and its smell of pipe tobacco and power. Far from the onlookers who can’t seem to get enough of our little family drama.
I push the door open unceremoniously.
My father is behind the desk and he is not alone. A man I don’t recognize sits across from him, with a stack of papers on the desk between them.
“Persia.” He glances up with the expression he wears when I have arrived at an inconvenient moment, which is the same expression he wears when I arrive at any moment.“You need to wait outside. Mr. Coleman and I have business. I’ll beckon you when you are needed.”
“Is it true?” For the first time in my life, I demand an answer from my father.
“Did you arrange a marriage with Magnus Sterling without speaking to me? Without asking me. Without thinking…“what would Persia want”?” Angry tears swell along the rim of my eyes, blurring my vision.
I let them slide down the swell of my cheeks, uncaring.
Let the man see the pain he causes others.
The man across from my father closes his briefcase with a quiet click, unspeaking.
My father takes his glasses off and sets them on the desk and looks at me with the measured patience I do not know him for.
“Sometimes arrangements have to be made. You are twenty-four years old. Not a child. Magnus is a sound choice for a husband and this was always the direction things were heading.”
“So he said. How long have you been planning using me as a pawn? Did you have any sense of telling me?”
“Why should I?”
I swallow hard at the harsh, lifeless almost uncaring abruptness to his tone. I never mattered to this man. Ever.
I still can’t believe my ears.“Since when, Father? Answer me! He is three years older than you.” My voice cracks along the edges, but I don’t let my fear hold me back from speaking the truth. Not this time.
“You gave him my hand in marriage. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
“I gave him a great deal more than that and I don’t owe you a goddamn thing, little girl.” My father glances at the man with the briefcase and then back to me.
“A marriage to Magnus Sterling solves a significant financial problem for this family. Problems that would…”
He stops himself, jaw tightening.
“Magnus has agreed to absorb a few problems for me. The price of that agreement is you. It’s an easy fix and one you will gladly take on for the wellness of this family.”
I take a step in his direction, drawing his full attention.“What kind of trouble have you gotten into? What is worth sacrificing your only child over?” I truly want this man to love me and see me for who I can be in his life. He simply refuses.
A dark smile curls the edges of his lips, telling me I’ve gotten all the answers I’m going to get out of him.
“So that is how you think this works? I won’t sign anything. I refuse.”
My father pushes to his feet, planting his hands on the large mahogany desk in front of him. This whole time the lawyer sits there with his head bowed like he would rather sink into the floor than be drawn into this conversation.
Pathetic.
My father levels me with the coldness of his black eyes.“Persia,” he drawls out in a way that tells me I am about to feel the sting and pain living in this man’s soul on my body again.
His fingers curl into fists where he has them on the desk.
“You foolish child. You don’t get to decide your life.
I gave you life. I gave you this life. You owe me for the air in your lungs, for the blood in your veins.
I own you and I will do with you as I please.
Be lucky I picked a man like Magnus. If you treat him right he will do the same.
” Vileness drenches my father’s hateful words and sends me curling into myself.
“He will rape me and use me as a breeder. I will never put my name on anything!” I hurl back vehemently and point my finger at the contract on the desk. “Never.”
His low hum of laughter pushes my blood pressure into new heights.“I thought you might fight me on this.”
You think?
The door behind me opens and I turn to see Magnus with two husky men flanking him enter. Three long strides and he’s at my side, his goons manhandling me closer to my father’s desk. Magnus takes out a pen and places it on the desk in front of me, flips to the signature line, and points.
“Sign it,” he barks.
I shake my head.“Fuck no.” It feels good to finally find my backbone.
His eyes move to the two men with silent orders. They step forward and take my arms with brutal strength.
I cringe but hold the shock of pain as Magnus closes my fingers around the pen and guides my hand to the paper.
Across the desk, my father slips his hand into his trouser pocket, his gaze locked onto the contract on the desk. The gleam of happiness in his eyes makes my blood boil with rage.
Something in me rises to the surface and I lash out. Since I only have my legs free, I use all my force to raise my knee and drive it into balls of the asshole holding my left arm.
“I hope you didn’t have plans on being a daddy, bitch.” The sound of his squeal is heartwarming if only for a split second.
I don’t know where all the brass balls attitude is coming from but I like it. Flying high on adrenaline, I turn to the next asshole and use my newly freed arm to push the base of my palm into the bridge of his nose.
Too bad he saw it coming and caught my attempt at giving him permanent sinus problems mid-air.
“Not happening.” He twists my wrist to the point I think it’s going to snap and holds it there until all I can do is stand on the tips of my toes and go anywhere he tells me.
“Careful, Elija. I need her unharmed for the wedding day.”
I snap my teeth at the asshole Elija who only chuckles like he’s practiced sounding evil in the mirror at night before bedtime.
But he doesn’t twist anymore and I’ll take that as a win because it is true.
If I do make it down the aisle on this forced marriage crap, I’m going to need the use of both hands when I try to bury a hatchet in Magnus’ chest.
The guy on my left lets out a few heavy breaths, clutching at his smashed balls.“You fucking, bitch,” he wheezes. He falls to his knees with a howl of pain ripping from his lips.
Magnus laughs and signals for another enforcer to take his place. No matter how hard I fight, and thrash there’s no use.
“The second I’m in your wedding bed I’ll bite your dick off.” I seethe toward Magnus.
Magnus turns and drinks in my shock and misery like the fear rolling off me is the finest bourbon ever distilled. His gaze turns glacial and my blood runs cold. “Then I’ll stuff those pretty lips as I spill my seed into your womb. You can take me with pleasure or pain… it’s your choice.”
Blood drains from my face.
Bile rises into my mouth. This man means every word he utters.
My father always prided himself on making the best business decisions.
Everyone here knew this was happening. All the stares I got.
The dress my mother picked out. The earrings.
This is an engagement party and they intend for me to sign and then go out there and show a farce of happiness to their friends.
Fuck that and fuck them.
My throat turns dry and my palms turn clammy. My heart rate hasn’t calmed since the second Magnus put his hands on me.
I look to my father one last time. “Please, don’t do this. There’s so much I want to do. I went to school. Let me leave. I’ll never show up in your life again. Please, Father.”
My father’s jaw tightens like this is all an inconvenience for him.
“Shut up, girl. Magnus, make sure it matches her passport. We can’t have any issues when it’s time to register these with Genesis and the city.
” My father’s tone is laced with casual irritation.
Like selling me off to his friend is just another problem to resolve.
His coldness erases the very last drop of possible respect I could have for the man.
“Done.”
Still keeping my hand captive, Magnus drags me into his arms and presses my body into his. My heart seizes in my chest, and breathing suddenly becomes impossible. The harder I try to pull air in the more difficult it becomes.
He leans in, presses a kiss to the edge of my lips. “Mine.”
My mouth cannot hinge open wider when my chin drops to my chest. I cannot believe this is my life now.
I jerk free of Magnus and I am no fool. I know he lets me go versus me fighting back and winning my freedom.
My body suddenly has a mind of its own and thinks that I should run.
I bolt for the door. Surprisingly, no one tries to stop me.
I manage to get nearly to the base of the stairs when I feel the presence of the devil’s sidekick coming up on me and fast.
I turn to see Magnus following me, because of course the fucker can’t simply let me go.
I reach the bottom of the grand staircase before his body heat slams into mine.
I grab the heaping material of my dress, but it’s too much and he’s faster than me.
I whirl around to tell him what? I don’t know.
Fuck off bounces on the end of my tongue.
But I don’t get a word out because a hand tightens around my throat, cutting off my ability to speak.
He squeezes until the force of my blood being cut off shoots pounding pressure into my head. I can breathe, but just barely. He leans in, his mouth is close to my ear.
“One week, Persia,” he reminds me with malicious intent written all over his deceptively handsome face. “My ring. My bed. And my child in your womb. I’ll chain you to the headboard and fuck you every day if that is what it takes. Sounds fun.”
My eyes shudder closed and I try to tell myself this isn’t real. All I am experiencing is a nightmare and I’ll wake up any second.
He releases me so suddenly that I stumble forward, falling to my knees. “I suggest you spend this week coming to terms with your new life and being on your knees will be part of that.”
My mother stands at the top of the stairs, one hand pressed to her mouth, the other gripping the railing, her diamonds catching the light and her eyes very bright and not moving toward me.
Magnus walks back to my father’s study without a backward glance and then suddenly I’m all alone.
Everyone is in the ballroom enjoying their evening with drinks living lives they control.
The guards don’t care about me anymore. Why should they?
My signature is on the contract and I’m an asset that will be picked up in a week.
It’s a done deal in their eyes. Fuckers.
All of them. How the hell do they sleep at night?
A clock chimes the hour. I have eight minutes while the guards change out and the camera feeds reboot.
I hear a gasp from the top of the stairs. “Persia, dear. Are you alright?”
I look up to find my mother watching.
I flick away her feigned concern. “Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?” I can’t keep the hurt out of my voice.
The betrayal she has committed against me stings far further than anything my father has done against me.
I clench my teeth and force myself to stop talking.
It’s a waste of time without someone who only worries about her social standing among her socialite friends.
Undeniable truth sinks into my bones, heavy and unforgiving. Dread steals my soul as she does nothing but stare down at me like I’ve ruined her life.
I look at her for one long moment and then turn for the front door, my shawl firmly in place like a shield against the hatred burning into my back as I flee.