SECRETS OF THE BILLIONAIRES: A brides revenge

"You are not serious," Darwin Martins said. His voice was sharp. He did not believe it. "Dead serious," Jeffrey replied. His voice was smooth. It made Elena's skin crawl. Darwin stood by the cold fireplace. He held a glass of scotch. His hand shook. The sound of ice in the glass was like a warning. The fire was not warm. It felt like a cruel sound. Elena Martins sat on a couch. It was velvet and worn. The fabric was old and thin. It showed her family’s money was gone. The Long Island mansion once had much life. Now it felt like a tomb. It was where her late father’s dreams had died. A big chandelier hung above her. Its crystals were dusty. They did not reflect the light well. The light was weak and flickered. This was like the Martins Tech company. The company was falling apart. Her blonde hair was in a neat bun. This was to look professional. But her deep brown eyes were haunted. They were fixed on the man who had just come in. She could not escape her past. The man was Jeffrey Wood. His name alone made her shiver. He moved like a predator. His suit fit him well. It fit his broad shoulders like a second skin. He stood in the middle of the room. It seemed he already owned the space. A smug smile was on his lips. His blue eyes locked onto hers. The air was thick with tension. The tension was about money and personal feelings. To him, this was a business meeting. To her, it was a living nightmare. Jeffrey sat back in a chair. He looked in control. "A marriage for us makes our business strong. Your company will get the money it needs to live." Elena stopped breathing. She dug her nails into her palms. The pain was sharp. It felt good. Marriage? To Jeffrey Wood? Her mind spun. It went back to a bad memory: college. The memories were not gone. They were as clear and painful as the day they happened. She saw herself then. She was a sophomore. She was hopeful and young. She was giving a project in class. Her voice was shaky. But she felt quiet pride. Jeffrey saw a weak person. He planned a cruel joke. He switched her slides with bad photos. They were photos of her tripping in the cafeteria. They showed her books on the floor. These were her weak moments. Everyone saw them. The room filled with loud laughter. It was a sound of her shame. His blue eyes were the same ones staring at her now. They gleamed with a mean happiness. He leaned back and whispered, "You'll never be enough." She ran out. Tears burned her cheeks. His taunts followed her for weeks. He never stopped. He always found new ways to make her feel small. Now he wanted her as his wife? The surprise was great. Darwin's face was flushed with anger. His face was usually calm. His fingers tightened on the glass. The ice rattled. "You think you can buy my niece? Like some thing?" he said. His voice was loud with anger. "It's a deal, Mr. Martins," Jeffrey said. His smile did not change. He had a lot of confidence. His eyes moved from Darwin to Elena. He looked at her graceful body. His eyes were like a possessive owner's. "Your debts go away. And Elena…" He stopped. The meaning hung in the air. His eyes showed a dangerous promise. "She gets me." The way he said "gets me" was a low growl. It was possessive. Elena felt a pure dislike for him. She wanted to yell. She wanted to tell him she would rather be homeless. But her uncle's silence stopped her. Darwin's jaw tightened. His eyes moved away from Jeffrey's. Why didn't he stop this? Her heart beat fast. It was a frantic beat of fear. "I need time," Darwin said finally. His voice was low and defeated. He gave in. This was a surrender Elena did not expect. Jeffrey's smile changed for a moment. It showed a strong will under his charm. His eyes became hard, like ice. "Not much to think about, Martins. Martins Tech lives, or it dies. You have until tomorrow." Jeffrey stood up. His large body filled the room with new power. He gave a final look to Elena. His smirk was sharp. "See you soon, Elena," he said. Then he walked out. The heavy smell of his expensive cologne stayed behind. To Elena, it smelled like a threat. The front door clicked shut. The sound echoed in the quiet. Elena turned to her uncle. Her heels clicked on the floor. She followed him to his study. The air in the room smelled of old paper and fear. Oak bookshelves were on every wall. A single lamp on his desk made long shadows. The shadows moved over his face. "You can't let this happen!" she said. Her voice shook with anger and fear. "There must be another way to save the company!" Darwin sat in his leather chair. He rubbed his temples. It was as if to stop a bad headache. "Elena, you don’t get it. The debts are crushing us. Your father’s company, this house, this history… it's all we have from him. If we lose it, we lose everything." Elena walked back and forth. Her mind was a mix of old pain and new fear. She saw that college classroom again. Jeffrey’s joke, the laughter, her shame, her burning tears. He had always been mean to her. He mocked her dreams of becoming a lawyer. He said she was too soft and weak. She had worked hard to rebuild herself. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to prove him wrong. And now, he was back. He was a ghost from her past. He wanted to control her future. "I can’t marry him, Uncle," she begged. Her voice broke. "You know what he did to me. That joke, the taunts—he made my life a living hell." Darwin's face became soft. A small feeling of guilt showed. But his eyes were heavy with a different worry. "I know, sweetheart. I hate this more than you can think. But the Woods' money is our only chance. Jeffrey wants you because you're a lawyer. You are smart, calm, and have a respected name. It's a business deal. Nothing more. A year or two, and you’ll be free. You can build your own law firm. He’ll get what he wants. And we’ll live." Elena's chest tightened. The words "business deal" hurt her. That’s all she was to Jeffrey. A tool, a way to an end. But she looked at Darwin. His face was full of worry and fear. A new thought came to her. It was sharp and cold. If she married Jeffrey, she would be in his world. She would be close. She could learn his secrets. She could find the truth about the powerful Wood family. She would be close enough to expose his family. She could make him pay for every laugh, every tear, every moment of shame. She would turn his game on him. She would use his pride and her own pain as a weapon. "There must be something else," she said. Her voice was quiet now. It was full of a desperate begging. "A loan, people to invest, anything." Darwin shook his head. His voice was firm. There was no room for talk. "I’ve tried everything, Elena. The banks won't help us. The Woods are our last chance. Your father would want you to do this. For his history. For his name." The weight of his words was heavy on her. It was a finality. It left no way out. She thought of her parents. Their warm smiles were in a photo on her dresser. She thought of Jeffrey’s smirk. His cruelty was endless. She had no choice. But she had a reason. She could handle Jeffrey. She could outsmart him. She would be his wife. But she would also be his ruin. She stopped walking. Her hands shook with a fierce resolve. "I don’t trust him," she said. She looked at Darwin. She had a new strength. "Or this deal. But I'll do it." "You will?" Darwin asked. A look of surprise and relief crossed his face. Elena held his gaze. Her heart beat fast. It was not from fear, but from a fierce, cold resolve. She was not the broken girl Jeffrey had hurt anymore. She was a woman with a plan. She would marry him. She would ruin him. And she would make him sorry for ever crossing her.