Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen
ARA
For the one millionth time since the day began, I reminded myself that Thayne was a man of motives.
He had all of everything planned, and all he was after was my compliance.
“I should have known all along that this was your real motive all along. You planned our engagement party already before heading down into the streets to find me. I was such a fool to have thought otherwise.” I was in an arrangement with a man who had a motive for every single thing.
“Ara, look at me." Thayne's voice was calm, and I hated that.
My emotions were roaring in my head, but the very person who had triggered them was standing right in front of me.
I tried to rise from the tub but then I looked down at myself and discovered that the gown I was wearing was soaked and transparent.
It was no different from me sitting in the tub naked.
“Ara, look at me." Thayne commanded.
I lifted my head to look at him.
"I retired my father because I wanted to assert my control. He promised me years ago that if I got married before the age of thirty, he would step down for me to take over Slade Corps.” I'd never heard Thayne sound this troubled.
I always imagined he was a man of steel and iron.
"I recently started suspecting he had other plans for me. He wanted to use and dump me, and I knew it was because he felt that one day the world would know the truth about my birth. He forgot that five years ago, he made me sign a deal that gave me complete control over the Slade legacy once I was twenty-nine.” He chuckled darkly, an unfriendly smile lighting up his face.
One that made him look devastatingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
"And now you have all the control,” I said slowly, remembering that Thayne was twenty-nine years.
“I called the lawyer and gave him all the details. There was nothing my father could do about it because he'd made the deal official by preparing documents for it and inviting a lawyer to oversee everything.”
“This was why you immediately came for me after my post on Instagram. What about Madison? You could have made the arrangement with her, still.” I wanted to know exactly why he'd come to me for the second time.
"Madison is not who I want, Ara. If I wanted her, I would have had her a long time ago.” His response didn't do justice to my question but I ignored it.
“If you've retired your father, why are you rushing everything, then? I need some time to process all of this. Call it off. I need -”
"No. Everything has been set in motion. There are new sets of rules in this new arrangement, and I will not tolerate going against any one."
“New rules. Of course. To think that I'm to be your wife when in fact I'm a glorified prisoner.” I said dryly.
Thayne continued, ignoring my dry joke. "You're not to leave the penthouse without prior permission. You're not allowed to seek pleasure outside our marriage. If you need pleasure, come to me."
“Never." I snarled.
He frowned. "You're to give me an heir, Ara. You seem to have forgotten.”
"We can arrange that and it will be over in less than one minute.”
"Don't test me.” He warned.
"What's the last rule?” I asked impatiently, wanting him to get it over with and leave so I could have some time to think over everything without him staring at me.
"Don't fall in love with me.”
I burst into laughter. "Me? Fall in love with you?”
"You'll only end up hurting yourself if you do. I'm emotionally unavailable, and our marriage won't change that.” He thought I didn't know this?
“Can you leave me alone for a moment? I need some time to process everything." Any other girl would want to impress Thayne, but not me.
This was exhausting.
Thayne stayed where he was, unmoving.
"I need some space, Thayne.” I said, louder this time.
When he didn't move, I rose from the tub and undressed.
“You're testing my patience, Ara." He growled, looking torn between pouncing on me and leaving.
Finally, he left, but not without giving me a look that promised dangerous things to my body.
After washing myself in the tub, Claudia served me dinner in bed because I'd declined Thayne's request to join him for dinner.
I begged Claudia to take me to my sisters, and I spent three hours with them before I reluctantly bid them goodnight.
Finally, everything was falling in place. But I had the feeling that there was something lurking in the shadows, waiting to spring up on me.
Eight hours later, I was sitting in front of the mirror with my eyes closed while a makeup artist performed his magic on my face.
He'd styled my hair first, and because the first thing he'd asked me to do was close my eyes the very moment he set out his things to start work, I couldn't tell what I looked like.
Just when I was starting to doze, his voice startled me awake. “You may open your eyes now."
Slowly, I opened my eyes, and opened my mouth next because I couldn't believe it was my reflection in the mirror.
This was nothing like Nina's work.
This was utterly magnificent. My hair was styled into a crown that sat atop my head, with loose curls framing my face.
The makeover highlighted my facial features instead of overemphasizing everything. I couldn't look away from my reflection.
“Your dress is here, Miss Irvington." Claudia's voice at the door had me spinning around.
I hadn't heard the door open.
She walked over to us and asked the makeup artist to excuse us.
She opened the box containing the dress, and my eyes widened when she lifted the dress.
It was midnight black, and the dress spilled to the floor when Claudia held it out.
I took it and eyed it. “This probably cost more than some of the companies out there in the suburbs." I whispered.
“He loves you, Miss Irvington. He's outside your door as we speak, pacing the hallway. Don't tell him I told you, but he is worried you might not like the dress.” Claudia's voice was soft and calm, nothing like Nina's tone of irritation.
“I really doubt it. He doesn't care what I like or dislike as long as I do as he says." I told her bluntly.
She said nothing to that. She helped me slip on the dress. Then the heels next.
She guided me to the full length mirror and I stopped in my tracks, unable to believe the transformation.
“You look stunning, Miss Irvington." Claudia said from behind me.
“Thank you."
When it was time to meet Thayne, I sucked in a breath as the door slid open.
Thayne was leaning against the wall, absorbed in a phone conversation.
He lifted his head, his green eyes holding mine for what felt like minutes. He hung up on the person on the other end of the call and began walking over.
He stopped in front of me and tucked away one curly strand behind my ear.
“I couldn't leave without seeing you. I needed to be sure that -”
"I loved the dress.” I blurted out, finishing his sentence for him. Claudia had been right, after all.
My honesty took us both by surprise, and Thayne surprised me more when he leaned down and claimed my lips.