Deacon Roth wanted to stay married to her because the alternative was getting married to Ashely Greene. Now, Haley Slater was not one of those people who enjoyed bad mouthing others. She really hated that.
That being said, Haley Slater did not like Ashely Greene.
Back when they had been in high school, the other woman had locked Haley in a broom closet, just for the fun of it. They had not argued, there had been no misunderstandings. All that Haley had felt was somebody just suddenly dragging her by her hair and tossing her into the broom closet.
She had only been let out when the custodian had come in for the evening. The next day when Haley had approached Ashely about it, the other girl had laughed it off.
"Come now, Slater. It was a joke. Can't you take a joke?"
Ashely had been all smiles, looking innocent when she'd said it. But there had been such malice in her eyes, and Haley had never forgotten that look even though she and Ashely had not had any run-ins after that.
It had not helped that a little later on, she had learned that the girl had gone out of her way to sabotage one of Erin's essays…also unprovoked.
It was odd behavior, and also scary.
She and Erin had not done anything, but Ashely had picked them out to bully.
As much as the Roths and the Slaters were enemies, Ashely Greene was a kind of awful that Haley would not wish even on her worst enemy.
As a teenager there had been something seriously wrong with Ashely, and Haley highly doubted that it had gotten better as Ashely Greene had grown.
Roth was right to be wary of an arranged marriage with her.
He did not wish to be forced into a relationship, he did not want, and she also did not wish to be reunited with Prince Victor.
The two of them really were quite a pair.
"Before I give you an answer on this, I want to share something with you just so you are aware,"
Roth nodded and Haley took that as a cue to continue, unconsciously bringing her hand up to toy with the little rose that she'd tucked behind her ear.
"A few years back I was dating Prince Victor of Aria,"
Roth made a sound very similar to the one that she had made when he'd mentioned Ashely Greene and Haley's eyes sharpened on him. Letting go of the flower she carried on with her story.
"There's really not much to tell. All that I can say is, by the end of it, it was not a good separation. Anyways, he's back in town, and my grandfather is convinced that the two of us are much made in heaven. I have no doubt in my mind that, not only does my grandfather want us back together, but that Prince Victor wants to pick up where we left off, but I want absolutely nothing to do with that man,"
Roth nodded.
It was clear to see that he realised there was more to the story. But Haley was glad that he did not push, instead he stretched out his legs and gave her a considering look.
"You and I seem to be having the same problem. You do realise that it would be best for us to stick together and help each other deal with our burden,"
Not even bothering to deny the logic behind his words, Haley nodded.
"Yes, it would be very helpful for the two of us to join forces, but that does not mean that I will simply agree to carry on being your wife," Roth's brow furrowed.
"Why make this difficult Slater ? You have a problem, I have a problem. The two of us staying together is the solution, there is no need to make things complicated. Just say yes and we will be done with everything,"
He was right.
Just agreeing to be his wife would mean that most of her issues would go away. Being married to a Roth would still be a problem for her family. But she would at least be safe from Victor's clutches, but even so, Haley knew better than to just agree.
Before being a photographer, she had been a CEO and if there was one thing that she knew. It was that you never got into any deal without outlining the details first and knowing exactly what you were getting into.
She had made that mistake only once in her personal life(with prince Victor), and she had sworn to herself that she would never repeat it again.
"Before I can give you an answer as to whether or not I will be staying in this marriage with you Deacon Roth. I have a few questions to ask you. How you answer them will determine my decision at the end of this,"
"Are you willing to hear them?"
There was silence for a few long seconds. And Haley worried that Roth would decide that it just was not worth the effort to sit around and listen to her. That he would get up and walk away deciding to resign himself to becoming Ashley Greene's husband. But instead the man ran a hand through his hair a nervous habit that Haley was now very familiar with.
"Very well then, I will hear you out and I will answer the questions that you have to the best of my abilities, fire away Haley Slater"
Haley could not even hide the relief on her face. There was still a chance Roth was willing to hear her out. He was not just going to try and force the situation simply because he knew that like him she too was desperate.
It bode well for the future. Now Haley just had to decide on the first question to hit him with in order to determine if she could get into a partnership with him.