Two men, One Vow

Chapter four

ANGEL'S POV

I sat on the edge of the pool, soaking my legs in the warm water. The sunscreen on my skin was already wearing off, and I was just about to stand when Larry came out.

“You’re not going on any honeymoon. You must stick to the plan,” he growled.

“What plan?” I snapped. “You told me to marry him, and I did. What else do you want from me? My soul?”

“Well, he doesn’t know the whole thing yet.” His voice lowered. “And that's your job too.”

“I genuinely hope you know what you're doing.” I responded sharply.

He looked at me gravely, but I simply continued splashing my feet in the water. For once, I was finding a little courage, because I have access to what he wants and Larry was slowly losing his grip on me.

“We didn’t go on a honeymoon when we got married,” he said.

“You never mentioned one. You didn’t even like me, remember?”

“Well, I do now.” He paused. “Can we go on a honeymoon?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Why so suddenly?”

He gave me a knowing look.

“Well, you know it.” He pulled off his shirt. “You talk to him, and I’ll send your stepfather back to where he’s coming from.”

“He hasn’t done anything yet,” I said.

Larry suddenly dove into the pool, disappearing beneath the water. I watched as he swam to the far end, then turned and made his way back toward me.

He surfaced, breathing heavily.

“Do you really think he’s a changed man?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

Larry stared at me.

“You sound like Zoe. Stupid.” His voice hardened. “I can’t be sitting here bargaining with you. You’ve forgotten who I am?”

I was taken aback for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure.

“I’m going inside.”

“Not while I’m still talking to you.” Larry growled and grabbed my leg firmly.

His fingers tightened around my skin, squeezing hard enough for pain to shoot through me.

“Stop. You’re hurting me,” I whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

“I know.” His grip tightened.

“And I’m reminding you that your stepfather will do worse.” The pressure increased.

“Stop!” I screamed, the pain finally breaking through my restraint.

“This is just a tip,” Larry said coldly. “Your stepfather is really evil. Imagine him doing this to you every day. He’s cruel.”

His fingers tightened again.

I cried out.

“Get your f*****g hands off her!”

Before Larry could react, Matteo lunged forward and yanked his hand away with so much force that Larry lost his balance.

They both toppled sideways.

And then… Splash! They fell straight into the pool.

“I can’t swim! I can’t swim!”

Matteo immediately began thrashing around, splashing water everywhere as though he were drowning. I rushed toward him.

“Matteo!”

I reached for him, trying to pull him up, but he was heavier than I expected.

“Help us!” I screamed at Larry, who had already climbed out of the pool. He simply stood there, staring at us.

My strength was fading, and Matteo’s splashing was becoming weaker too.

“Larry!” I screamed again.

Finally, he moved. He jumped back into the pool and shoved Matteo toward the railing.

Matteo grabbed it immediately and pulled himself out, collapsing onto the floor on his back as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Are you okay?” I asked, barely able to breathe myself. I looked around. Larry was already gone.

Then Matteo grinned.

“That was good acting.”

I immediately moved a few steps away from him.

“Why did you do that?”

“You mean pretending I can’t swim?” He stood up, brushing the water from his clothes.

“You’ll find out later.”

He reached for my hand and pulled me gently to my feet.

.

MATTEO’S POV

The contract.

What I saw on the isolated paper stuck in my head.

It was a clause. A crazy one at that. I immediately grabbed my phone and dialed the number I needed.

“Hello, this is the office of Parker Blace. How may I help you?”

“I need to speak to Mr. Blace. I’m Terrence Wallace.”

“Okay, sir. I’ll redirect you to Mr. Blace.”

I waited nervously for a few seconds, my fingers tapping against the table.

“Hello, Mr. Wallace. How may I help you?” A cheerful voice came through the phone.

“I need a defense attorney, and you were recommended to me.”

“Yes, sir. Why do you need to be defended?” he asked, followed by a quick laugh.

“Please treat this as a serious matter.”

There was a brief silence.

“Wait. You’re Terrence Wallace? The real estate mogul?”

“I said that earlier. Now answer my question before I hang up.”

“Uhmmm... depends. My major client is in your field, and I believe you could be competing with him in business. I can’t defend two opposing clients. I’d rather stay with one.”

“How much does he pay?” I paused. “I’ll triple it.”

“Consider it done,” he responded immediately.

I smiled. Money could solve almost anything. And right now, I was willing to spend whatever it took.

.

I made my way out, searching for Angel so I could tell her to prepare for our honeymoon. But I ran into Zoe in the corridor. She had a suitcase in her hand.

I thought she was going to talk to me, but she simply snubbed me and kept walking. I caught up with her and grabbed her hand just as we walked side by side.

“Don’t! Leave me alone,” she flared up.

“I didn’t apologize. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” She scoffed. “You did what you had to do. I wasn’t giving you enough, so you went for someone who could. It’s totally fine.”

“No, it’s not about money. There’s a bigger picture, and I want you in it.”

Her body relaxed, and I could tell I had caught her attention.

“I can’t tell you now, but I will. First, you need to leave this house, which I’m glad you’re already doing.” I smiled.

“I never told you I was leaving.” She lifted the suitcase slightly. “I’m trashing this.”

“Oh.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“What? You’re trying to remove me from my brother’s house now? You’re just a gold digger with no self-worth.”

She hissed and started walking away.

“I’m sorry,” I called after her. “But I can remove Angel from your brother’s life and give you all the time you want with him.”

She stopped. Slowly, she turned back.

“Can you?”

“Of course.”

“And what do you want in return?”

I smiled in triumph.

“We’ll talk about that later. When are you leaving?”

“Zoe!” Larry’s voice echoed from the end of the hallway.

Zoe hesitated. She looked at me, and I gave her a little nod. I wanted to walk away, but doing so would only make things suspicious.

Larry approached us. He looked at me first before turning his attention to Zoe.

“I just want to apologize for what happened at the dining table. I’m really sorry. It just had to be done.”

His eyes dropped to her suitcase.

“We’re siblings, and siblings fight. It doesn’t mean you should leave.”

His voice softened.

“I love your company a lot. Besides, I promised mother that I would absolutely take care of you, and that’s exactly what I’m trying my best to do.”

Zoe’s eyes filled with tears. I tried to keep a straight face. It was almost as if Larry knew what I was planning and was intentionally sabotaging it.

“Come on,” Larry said gently. “I’ll help take your suitcase back to your room.”

“She wasn’t le—”

“Don’t interfere in our business,” Zoe cut me off.

Together, they walked away, leaving me standing there. I watched them disappear down the hallway, my jaw tightening. My plan had just become a lot harder.