Chapter 4
“No but I’m sure that you will tell me.”
“He’s here to discuss wedding arrangements. Ivan made a promise to us, you see. My father only agreed to sign a business deal with him if we get married. That
ins he has a choice to sacrifice you or his family empire. Which one do you think will matter more to him?”
I can’t help but laugh at her face.
“I’m sorry but this is so embarrassing. You have to ask your father to bully someone into marrying you.”
This finally does it. Martha screams in rage and slaps me across the face. I gasp in shock, holding my cheek. Without an ounce of hesitation, I jump on her and start hitting her too. We begin a messy tight of hair pulling and cat scratches. The fact that I grew up in a slum gives me quite an advantage. I have seen girls fight. countless times and I’ve participated myself.
1 pull her hair so hard that I get it out of its ponytail Martha yells like someone who’s being murdered. Ivan, Valentino and her father in out of the living room and find us kicking each other.
Ivan takes the stairs up and manages to separate us, holding us by the arms.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Ifrown when I see that his eyes are directed toward me as he asks this question. Martha escapes from his hold and run to hug her father. The latter is throwing the death stare toward Ivan:
“Remember what we talked about.” He simply says.
I watch them head out with a scowl on my face. I don’t give the time to Ivan to say anything to me, I’m already rumming to lockmyself in our bedroom.
Chapter 47
for tiuse alone to think about what Marthatrwaled teine. Thongli I denot
Ivankock relentlessly at our bedroom door bijt Liefuse to aclonowledge him. I need: want to believe it, it still raises some questions. What it he’s really playing with e and that I’ve been falling into his trap all along.
“Open this door right now, Catalina!”
“I need to think?” I yell back through the closed door
“Whateweit is, let us talk about
Ugh, why is it so hard to resist? His pleading voice has got to me and is now bigging at the strings at my heart. I groan before heading back to the door and opening. bean makes his way in He closes the door and presses me apalım İL
“What did Martha say to upset you?” Heads
His hand is already reaching, up to hold my chin. I see sell standing op ons tippy toes and kissing his loviting lips but thankbally, I stop myself before I get into actions. This is not a time for romance 1 push his hand back and see the contusion build up in his eyes.
“My problem is not with Mantha Hrilham. “It’s with you.”
“Withme
“Yes, You defended her earlier, when you broke our fight”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t detend her ”
“Yes, you did. You looked me straight in the eyes and asked what is wrong with me. You instantly assumed that I started all that shit.”
Ivan’s jaw tightens and his breathing increases. He’s started to get a little upset..
“I didn’t assume anything, Catalina.” He says through gritted teeth. “I didn’t even realize that I was only looking at you
“well that makes it even worse, doesn’t it? You didn’t even have to think about it. It was that easy to put all the blame on me,”
I let out a squeak when suddenly, Ivan punches the door right next to my face. It he’d gone a few centimeters to the right, he’d have smacked me and certainly would have broken my nose. I pant heavily, staring at him with horror in my eyes. I’d forgotten how monstrous he could get…
“I’m sony,” He says quiddy as tears start to trickle down my cheeks. “I didn’t mean to scare
ean to scare you….”
“You d–didn’t mean to scare me, you didn’t mean to b–blame me.There are so many things that you don’t mean but that you do anyways, Ivan
I push past him and walk to the other side of the room where there is the wide window. I stare out with my arms crossed over my chest. The guards are patrolling on the garden and the sun is shining beautifully. I think I wouldn’t mind a little walk outside this attemoon…
Ivan comes behind me, his hand resting on my hip. I don’t acknowledge his presence, even though he is literally glued to me right now. He pushes my hair back and reveals my shoulder and the crook of my neck. My body betrays me by leaning against him and my head tilts further to the side. Ivan uses his thumb to wipe away the tears on my cheek.
“I’m really sorry, Catalinate to see you like this and I hate it more, knowing that I’m the cause of it.”
I remain silent. Ivan turns me around so I’m facing him and looking at him reluctantly. He puts a timid smile on his face, which kind of erase a little bit of the anger
“I’m trying my best.” He says softly. “All I want is to take care of you and I’m sorry that I get a little clumsy with it. Don’t give up on me yet, okay? I love you so mudi. I can’t imagine what it will be like to lour you
He leans down and our foreheads meet. I take in the sight of his wel eyes, the bridge of his nose and the little fish of his sidus. My hand travels up his chest and i pull him closer by tugging at his shirt. Our lips finally meet in a kiss of forgiveness. I realize that we just had our first couple argument.
I smile through the loss and so he does tranburies his hand in my thick culs, deepening our commection. We are both out of breath when wei
You better not take the side of another woman again, you hear me?”
finally p
* I promise it wasnot my intention, Catalina. I will always be on your side.
Minum Well, Marthata that her father was here to arrange a manage between the boot you
“What else dui die tell you
Holi. Plenty of things, actually Apparently, Ehrer fall for you and then break tharja |
“You didn’t believe ilas, dat
H
‘m not the only poor girl you seduced in your life. It’s one of your habits and you do it for the sole purpose of sering
ing to see what’s so funny about this story brandowns
“That’s insane, Catalina. You know very well that you’re the first wasthat my father i adventures but it was never with a manip
thought into this house for me. Sur, Luinot going to say that I didn’t have lative purpose. Mattha is just jealunos quil trying to get belwerin is. ” *…What about her father? Did he really want you guys to get married?
His face fall and I can already tell what’s about to come.
“He did.” Ivan admits. “Either I get married to Martha or 1 lose our business deal. He knows he’s one of the major shareholders in our company,
Inod solemnly. This was expected anyway. What I don’t know is how Ivan will react to this
“What have you decided?”
“Nothing.” He responds instantly. “I didn’t promise anything to her father. He gave me a week to think about it but no matter what, you can rest assured, Catalina. I’m not giving up on you, not even for the sake of the company…I’ll find a way to preserve both“.
Do you really need to preserve the company?
“What do you mean
“You family made fortune in crime, Ivan. Your money is dripping with the blood of people you sold and the others you killed with drugs. Is it really worth holding on to?”
Ivanfrowns.
“That is my legacy, Catalina.” He says in a serious tone. “You might not understand but this is part of me and I can’t let it go either. I want to secure a good, sate lite for my brothers and my future family.It can’t happen without the money.”
“There are so many other ways to make money, Ivan… You don’t have to carry on this legacy if you don’t believe in it.”
“…I don’t want to talk about this anymore. All you need to low is that I’m not marrying another woman.”
He might not be aware of it right now but tvan is living indelusion. A time will come when he will need to choose between me and this legacy of his and I’m certain that it’s coming faster than we expect.
Can be still choose me when he risks putting everything he knows at stake?
