As the medical team busied about, Evelyn stared fixedly at the man standing at the foot of her bed. He looked familiar, frighteningly familiar. Suddenly, the memories of a dim hotel room and a crushing, feverish night began to claw their way back to the surface.
The doctor who headed the team was the definition of "coldly handsome." He had very sharp features and pale skin, probably from spending his life in a laboratory. "She is stable!" He spoke, his eyes finally shifting from the monitors to meet Evelyn's gaze. He frowned slightly at her scrutiny. The man nodded, and the doctor left the room with his team, leaving the room heavy with silence. When the door closed behind the last member of the medical team, the man turned away and walked back to his desk, he sat down and flipped open his laptop, then began reviewing documents as if she wasn't there. Evelyn fidgeted, her throat dry. "Um... hello?"
He didn't look up. He just let the silence stretch on until her skin prickled. "Uhm, can I have water? My throat feels so dry". The man responded by fetching a glass and a table from somewhere in the room. He walked in front of her and poured the water into the glass, then handed the glass to her.
Evelyn took the water and gulped down while the man stared fixedly at her face. He watched as her Adam's apple bobbed each time she gulped the water, and it went down her throat. She drained the glass and returned it to the man in front of her. "Do you need more?" Evelyn shook her head and the man walked back to return the glass.
Another stretch of silence flowed as the man went back to looking at his screen and focusing on his work.
Evelyn stared at his back for a long while before clearing her throat and trying again.
"What's wrong with me?" "Did you... did you bring me here?"
"Pneumonia and exhaustion," he answered concisely, his eyes not leaving the screen for a second. "And yes, I brought you."
"Oh. Thank you!" She heaved in relief. "But, when can I leave?"
"Tomorrow." came the curt response from the man. 'Tomorrow'. The word hit her like a physical weight. Where would she go? The family mansion was sealed, her father was gone, and her grandmother was dead.
She could try her friend Merci, but Merci's apartment was a tiny studio. "Can I use your phone, sir?" she asked softly. "Mine was lost at the... at the party."
"Michael!" " Call me Michael," and she blinked and went quiet. The man closed the laptop with a thud, stood and crossed the room in three predatory strides, and stood in front of her.
"Evelyn Meyers graduated from college last month. Gemini, turned twenty-two last week, and on the night of your Debutante, in Room 408 of the Le Meridian Hotel, you spent every single minute tangled in the sheets with me." Evelyn's jaw dropped. She wanted to scream, to deny it, but the details were too precise.
"Stop! How do you know that? Were you spying on me?" she cried, her face flushing a deep crimson. "I don't need to spy on what I've already felt," he countered, his gaze dropping to her lips. "I know you have a twenty-two-inch waist, and a tiny mole right on your...."
"Shut up!" She screamed and lunged forward, but was restrained by the needle connected to her hand. He looked down at her small face, red from anger and embarrassment, and turned away, his expression unreadable. He walked back to the desk and returned with a leather folder and placed it on the bed.
Evelyn reached for the folder and opened it, only to be hit by the letters in headings.
'MARRIAGE AGREEMENT.'
The bold letters danced before her eyes, and her stomach dropped. "What?" She muttered.
"Well, you took my 'first time,'" he said casually, dropping the bomb with a perfectly straight face.
"You need to take responsibility." Evelyn couldn't believe her ears and nearly choked on her own breath.
"Your first time? I was a virgin too! If anyone should take responsibility, it's the guy who didn't use a.." She stopped, her face turning even redder.
"Well, we don't have to waste our time, sign the papers." He held out a pen to her.
"No way!"
Evelyn rasped.
"I don't know you, I'm currently homeless and grieving, and for all I know, you might be a human trafficker!"
The man rubbed his temples. For the first time in his life, a woman was saying no to him, and to a marriage proposal, no less. "I can give you revenge," he said, his voice turning cold and professional. "The Watson's, The Bank's, I can crush them like insects. I can free your father, and I can find your biological parents. I can give you back everything you lost." Evelyn froze. She looked him up and down. He sounded like a god, but he looked like a devil. "And who are you to be able to do all this things?" she spoke cautiously. Her stare fixed on his prominent face.
"Michael! I told you, Michael Thorn."
And the name finally clicked. The mysterious magnet who controlled half the global market. She observed him slowly this time and measured her words carefully.
"How do I know that you are him?" she challenged
And a slow, predatory smirk spread across his face. He moved closer, and took her face in his palms, then stared directly into her eyes. "If you don't believe me, I'd be happy to re-enact our first night right here in this hospital bed. Shall we?" Evelyn scrambled back against the headboard, her heart thumping against her ribs. He was terrifying, arrogant, and undeniably powerful. And right now, he was her only lifeline. Seeing this, the man smirked and straightened up, then took a few steps backwards to give her space.
" You can sign it now, since we are done with these."
"I... I have conditions," she stuttered, biting her lip, and the man raised his brow in attention. "If I sign this, we have to keep to rules, and you must abide by them."
"Rules?" The man looked amused. Then a slow smile came to play on his lips and he moved closer to her again. "Fine. Let's hear your 'rules,' Mrs. Thorn!"
#vote#! #Lovelies#