NIRELLE - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

THIS IS A DUAL POV CHAPTER! THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE OF THIS IN THIS BOOK, SO ENJOY!
I laugh, not the deep kind, but one that is very shallow because this has to be a joke. I can't remember the last time I heard myself laughing so even the sound of it felt shallow to me. He looks at me and I expect him to join me, but he crosses his hand over his body as if he were waiting for me to stop making a fool out of myself first.
"Wait," I stop and wipe the tear that had somehow found its way to the corner of my eye. "You are serious?" I gasp, and he nods.
"Dead serious"
"It has to be some kind of joke," I say, and he shakes his head.
"You are here as a scapegoat, as rightly said, because I need to take revenge on your father."
"On my father? And you asked for me?" he frowns, but it's not in confusion. "You think I am valuable to that man?" I ask because that is one of the words that can be used to describe my relationship with him. 'That man, a complete stranger.' My hands shook as I touched one of the open bruises on the corner of my mouth. I could be dead tomorrow, and he would not even try to find me.
"You are his daughter after all," he says, and I shake my head.
"With a brain like that, how did you manage to lead your company to success?" I ask, and he does not seem to like my comment. I don't like it either, but I would have thought he was smart enough.
"How dare you try to..."
"Mr. Vexley," I cut him off. I am yet to know the right way to address him, but I think this would suffice for now. He does not look too pleased to hear me address him as that, or maybe he does not like that I have cut him off from ranting. "If you wanted someone precious to my father, then you should have married my brother instead."
"Why would I..." he realises what I mean and stops himself.
"No one would judge you for that; they'd just think you swing for the other team, and once he is here, he would be the perfect tool for that," I say. I had never once thought that Enoch's words would have a real impact on me, but suddenly I am beginning to think that I am really nothing but just a tool. "He would betray his father in a heartbeat for just the right amount of freedom and money," I comment.
Cory had never truly been free; he could party all he wanted, but Enoch still had rules for him, and I could see in his eyes that he wanted more since he already had a taste.
"But he won't be as smart as you'd be to help me." his comment makes me freeze. He does not know me, yet he thinks I would be smarter than Cory? "You are the perfect candidate for this, and you have to help me because I am granting you a wish, and it is part of our deal."
I want that wish so badly, but I do not want to be caught up in anything that has to do with Enoch any further, so I blink and take a step forward. "And if I want to go back on the deal?"
"Are you saying I could sleep with you? You'd allow it? Just to get out of helping me?"
LUCIEN
I look at her face gently, and I can see the discomfort on it. She does not want to help me, and she still wants her end of the deal. I had been so sure that after all the Thamore family put her through, she'd jump at my offer. "Are you sure you don't want to help me?" I ask, and she smiles; it's too sad to look at.
"And what am I going to gain by helping you take revenge on him? Am I going to be able to survive?" Her question seems useless, but I can sense the weight. She is asking me if she helps me, then we would go down with Enoch, since he is her father.
"You have such a poetic way of talking," I say, and she nods gently. "Of course you would. You might not believe this, but you are mine now."
"Your snow? Like some property you bought off my father?" she pressed her lips into a thin line, and I could sense annoyance coming from her. She did not like the way I spoke? I thought women liked that? "How much did you buy me for? The price of a deal? Let me guess, free because the deal is going to be the beginning of the Thamore family downfall?" she asks, her voice laced with intense anger.
"I did not mean it that way; I was just saying that..."
"I don't care," she said loudly, cutting me off. She had cut me off so many times today that I should be the angry one, but I do not feel that way. I am surprisingly patient. If Theo were here, I am sure he would have been extremely shocked by it. "I don't care about anything between you and my father; I don't want anything to do with him ever."
"I am going to give you a little more time to think it over."
"My answer would still be no, so look for someone else to do it," she says as she turns back and begins to walk to the door.
"I guess you should be prepared then; I will be visiting your room this night." I see her body tense up, and she stops midtrack. "You are my wife after all." I never thought I would use such tactics on her, but I am not even interested in her or her body. All I am doing this for is to take Enoch Thamore and all he has down.
"You can come then; let's see if you would get what you want." Her sudden courage was surprising. She was shocking me in all ways she could. I had thought for sure that she was going to turn back and beg me not to do so. "I am sure we will have so much fun," she says, stepping out of the room and slamming the door loudly.
"What the hell is happening?" I ask as I run my hand through my overgrown hair. This is not how I expected this to go; it's becoming a bit too messy now.