Chapter 238 CHAPTER 0238

Chapter 238 CHAPTER 0238
ROMAN'S POV

I slowly turned back around, my brows raised as I didn’t expect to hear what I thought I just heard. There was a pause, a fraction of a second where the words seemed to echo in my mind, forcing me to refocus.

“What did you just call me?” I asked, my voice firm, yet holding just enough incredulity to let her know that what she had said was entirely out of line.

“Daddy, is it wrong to call you daddy?” she asked, her tone laced with an almost deliberate innocence, like she had rehearsed the question in her mind to gauge my reaction.

“Why would you even call me daddy, when I’m not your father?” I asked, my tone sharpening slightly. It was a simple question, but it carried a weight, an edge I didn’t bother hiding.

“Well, I just wanted to see what Aria feels when she calls you that,” Elizabeth said, her words falling carefully into the space between us, precise and calculated.

“What? Aria is a child, my child, which last I checked you’re a grown adult,” I said, my voice rising just a touch, though I tried to keep it steady. I couldn’t believe the audacity of what I was hearing.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she bit her lower lip again, the same subtle, deliberate gesture she had been repeating all day. I couldn’t believe it, this was the second time she had done this in just a matter of minutes, and I was already tired of it. My patience had limits, and I was fast approaching mine.

I am not going to take this anymore. This was my house. I was about to marry her sister, and I wasn’t about to let Elizabeth’s little games continue unchecked.

“That’s it,” I said, my voice snapping slightly, sharper than I had intended, though perfectly justified.

“What’s your problem?” I added, keeping my tone steady but firm, my arms crossed as I tried to project control over the situation.

“My problem? I don’t have a problem,” she said, tilting her head slightly, her voice innocent, trying to dismiss the tension in the room.

“So why are you doing all this? What do you plan on gaining from all this?” I asked, keeping my voice level but with an unmistakable edge.

“Sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elizabeth said, shrugging slightly, her eyes wide and deceptively naïve.

“You don’t know what I’m talking about? You think I haven’t noticed all your little attempts to seduce me from the very first day we met?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest, the firmness of my stance leaving no room for argument.

“So you did notice. I’m glad,” she said with a smile, as if she had been waiting for the confirmation, expecting some reaction from me.

“Glad? I’m your sister’s fiancé. Why would you even think of something like this?” I asked, my voice rising higher than I had intended, the frustration in me unmistakable.

“Because I want you. I want to feel what it’s like to have you for a night, to have you as a lover, to enjoy all the perks that come with you being my lover,” she said, emphasizing the wealth and luxury around us as if that were a part of the seduction itself.

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head, more out of disbelief than amusement.

“I’m very disappointed in this. Just barely a week, and you’re already doing this to your only flesh and blood,” I said, letting the words linger in the air, the disappointment clear in my tone.

“You’re disappointed? I thought you would be happy. Does this mean that you’re going to tell Lauren?” she asked, leaning slightly closer, testing the waters to see how I would respond.

“I’m not telling her anything. That’s up to her to find out, and it will be sooner than you think,” I said firmly, letting the words cut through the tension like steel.

“Yes, so I’m right after all. You do want me, Daddy Roman,” she said, her hands slowly rubbing from her neck down to her waist, her movements deliberate, designed to provoke a reaction.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling her because I want anything to do with you. I love Lauren, and there’s nothing that would make me leave her for a photocopy,” I said, letting the words hang in the air, sharp and unyielding, leaving no ambiguity about my stance.

I saw her fists clench at her sides, a subtle sign of frustration and annoyance, but I just let out a small smirk. I had no intention of having any further conversation with her. The games, the provocations, they were over as far as I was concerned.

I wasn’t against her staying in the house. She could stay all she wanted. But she had better avoid me at all costs, or else there would be problems — problems she wouldn’t like.

I turned and walked out of the room, letting the door swing gently behind me. My steps were measured, deliberate, each one a reminder that I controlled this house, this situation, and nothing she did could change that.

I walked into my room and stretched out slightly, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease just a fraction. After a moment, I headed toward the shower, letting the hot water wash away the irritation and frustration of the conversation.

Minutes later, I was done, stepping out of the shower and beginning to put on my dress. The rhythm of getting dressed was grounding, a familiar pattern that helped steady my mind. I wasn’t really in the mood for breakfast; I had told the chefs not to bring anything today. I had drunk a bit too much the night before, and food was the last thing I wanted.

Then, a small knock on the door caught my attention. I frowned, slightly annoyed, wondering who it could be 

I walked over and pulled the door open, expecting perhaps one of the staff or a minor interruption.

My eyes widened at what I saw. My mouth opened slightly, just enough for disbelief to register on my face, and my brows knitted together in a mixture of confusion and incredulity.

“Hey, Daddy boo, you didn’t honestly think that speech was going to get me off you, did you? So how do I look.”