Nelissa was facing with a tough decision; would she submit to Edward or Zayden?
Edward was the most powerful man in the city. His word was the law.
Zayden on the other hand was also a booming, wealthy young man. His authority was also unrivaled.
Both of them were not to be trifled with.
The key thing was, if she agreed to marry Zayden, she would need to work her fingers to the bone before being able to divorce him.
If she knuckled under to Edward…
Nelissa was looking at Edward but her mind was drifting somewhere else. Edward was completely mesmerized by her blank and innocent gaze.
He cupped Nelissa's cheek with one hand and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you ready to submit to me?"
Nelissa came back to her senses. She turned away immediately and blushed. If things went on like this, she would even have been dominated by him!
"Master Hales, you are a skillful and charming man. I must say that I am thoroughly impressed."
Edward raised his eyebrows. He was somehow turned on by Nelissa's sarcastic remarks.
If it wasn't for the fact that they were out in public, Edward would have pinned her against the wall right there and then so he could jam his tongue down her throat to silence her.
"If that's the case, there is so much more I want to do to you."
Edward leaned in and whispered into Nelissa's ear. His breath sent a tingling sensation coursing throughout her body.
Nelissa's ear started to boil and turned red. She was no match for this man when it came to flirting!
She inhaled deeply and came clean, "Master Hales, I need a lot of money. I need this job to provide for my kids. Yet, you blacklisted me. Now, all of my clients have avoided me. Without them, I'd not be able to get my salary too."
She looked at Edward in the eyes and added, "Are you trying to force me to do some dirty business? If that's the case, would you want to make the purchase?"
No woman would willingly walk down that road.
But after weighing out the pros and cons, that would still be better than choosing to play by Zayden's rules her entire life!
"Dirty business?" Edward's face stiffened. He didn't like the sound of that harsh word.
She shivered and proposed, "My relative is in dire need of medical expenses and I need fifty-five thousand dollars. Give me fifty-five thousand dollars and I will sleep with you once."
Edward let out a piercing gaze. His eyes rolled all over Nelissa's face and hissed, "For that price, I could get the most expensive escort in the world. Are you worth that much?"
Nelissa knew that she wasn't. She was taking a long shot at best.
Nelissa tried to remain calm. "I know that I am not but I do believe that I am of great interest to you. I believe that fifty-five thousand is a great bargain for you."
"I won't have you with money," Edward replied calmly. He really wanted to just seal Nelissa's lips with his own.
"I want you to submit to me willingly! Not through some kind of deal!"
Nelissa knew that her gig was up. The only thing left to do was leave and hope to never run into Edward again!
It was humiliating.
Edward grabbed Nelissa's arm before she could leave. He couldn't let her leave!
"Where are you going? Are you going to Zayden's place?"
Nelissa's face was red with embarrassment. She had nothing else to lose. She turned back and met with Edward's eyes.
"Since you aren't interested, Zayden will be!"
She had no other choice. No one else could give her fifty-five thousand dollars in three days.
Not even Penelope… she would definitely look for Zayden on her own accord and at the end of the day, the outcome would be the same.
Zayden was her only choice.
"So, it doesn't matter to you who you submit yourself to? Are you really going to stoop so low? It seems that you indeed regarded yourself as a cheap commodity!"
With that, Edward suddenly scooped her up and walked towards the parking lot.
Nelissa was stunned. She tried to free herself away. "What are you doing?!"
"You don't have to go to Zayden. I'll pay!" Edward held onto Nelissa tightly. His hands boldly groped her thighs.
Nelissa was paralyzed by his words. For a brief moment, she was unable to get a word out of her quivering lips.
Being in such proximity to him, she swore she could hear his powerful heart drumming against his chest. Yet, she couldn't wrap her head around his actions.
Why was the meaning of this? Was he angry, irked, or excited? He was taking his revenge on her, wasn't he? What was he going to do to her?
Edward opened the back door of the car and threw Nelissa onto the car seat. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all.
Edward then said, "How about a quickie in the car? It's more exciting to do it in public."
Nelissa leaned back against the door and her heart was racing. She chose this! She couldn't refuse him!
"Forget it, I have only one shot with you anyway. It's too cramped in the car. We'll have more fun back at my place. Make sure you satisfy me!"
Edward slammed the door shut.
Bang! The entire car vibrated from the tremor. Nelissa had never seen Edward so worked up before.
There was a fleeting moment where Nelissa contemplated leaving the car but, what would she do after that? She didn't have any money for Mary's bills. Although her current job paid her decently, Edward was making things difficult for her too. What about her twins?
Nelissa bit her lips habitually. Blood began to ooze out of her cracked lips again.
Edward got in the car and called Andrew. He wasn't going to visit Mikaelson anymore.
Edward looked in the rear mirror and saw Nelissa sitting there helplessly. She seemed devoid of spirit while embracing her fate.
Edward was irate. "Stop biting your lips. You belong to me now and I hate the taste of blood."
Nelissa relaxed her jaw and looked at Edward. All she saw was degradation and humiliation...
Edward started driving. Funnily enough, Nelissa's submission didn't satisfy him but angered him.
He kept on driving but his mind wasn't on the road. He thought of how reluctant Nelissa looked. How teary her eyes were and how sad she seemed to be.
His mind continued to be in a mess. He didn't even realize when he ran two redlights.
They finally reached Edward's home after forty minutes. Edward parked the car in the garage and carried Nelissa out the car. Nelissa gently leaned against his shoulder like a docile rabbit.
Edward didn't waste any time. He sweeped Nelissa all the way up the stairs in the dark.
Next thing she knew she was already on Edward's bed. She curled up slightly near the end of the bed and closed her eyes while breathing slowly. She wasn't ready for it but she knew it was coming.
The room was dim and Edward's muscular physique was vaguely visible. Its appeal was amplified by the penetrating light from outside the window.
Edward pressed his red hot lips against Nelissa's. Their tongues tangled with each other.
Nelissa couldn't help realizing that Edward was unusually rough this time around. His advances were much more ferocious and aggressive. He put his knees on her thighs to nail her down in bed.
Nelissa tried to avoid it. She pushed her hands against Edward's chest powerlessly. However, Edward just grabbed them and pressed them on top of her head.
"Ouch…" Nelissa strained her face. Her wrist was injured and her lips were wounded. She was in pain.
"Are you hurt?" Edward let go of her hand and got up, panting.
Nelissa closed her eyes in anticipation for what was coming next. Nonetheless, she grabbed this opportunity to catch her breath.
She thought that Edward was unclothing himself but he didn't come back after some time.
Then, she heard a lighter go off.
Startled, Nelissa slowly opened her eyes. As her eyes acclimated to the dark atmosphere, she saw Edward sitting on a couch and smoking a cigar.
Nelissa was dumbfounded. The golden light from the streetlamps outside pierced through the smoke rings and smeared his face. His emotions were unreadable.
"After today, are you going to avoid me and hide?"
Edward exhaled a puff of smoke and growled deeply, "Nelissa, if we are going to strike a deal, I should be the one making the rules. I want you to submit to me forever!"
"I can give you however much money you want!"
For her entire life!
Nelissa was upset. That was one she was trying to avoid! She only wanted to do this once and be done with it!
All of the humiliation she endured earlier was for naught. He had not even paid anything yet and now he demanded more!
"I only want fifty-five thousand dollars once!" Nelissa got down from the bed and picked up her clothes that were scattered around the floor.
Edward was silent. Nelissa knew that the deal was off.
She wanted to leave. She didn't want to stay and reap his wrath!
She was afraid that Edward would take her by force. Nelissa swiftly ran to the door and down the stairs.
She reached the entrance of the villa and realized that the door was locked. She needed the key and the password.
Nelissa froze on the spot. The last time she was here, Eliza opened the door for her so she didn't notice it. Nelissa walked to the garage but she didn't know how to unlock the door as well.
She had nowhere to go!
Nelissa took a few deep breaths. She was at the end of the road. She couldn't leave without the password and the only man that knew was upstairs in the room waiting for her.
She hauled herself up the flight of stairs when suddenly, the doorbell rang.
That was odd. Out of curiosity, Nelissa peered out the window to take a look. Was it Eliza? But she must know the password, right?
She took a closer look and a nervous shock cruised through her body. It was Sophie, Edward's girlfriend!