CHAPTER 4
1100 Words
The Devil's Rejection
Katrin Vogel smoothed the fabric of her gown and then stepped into the opulent sitting room in Der Schattenhof, the grand penthouse that loomed over the Schwarzwasser See. The smell of the air was that of high-end liquor, old leather, and a darker, distinct scent.
He was Alaric von Rothschild.
He sat in front of her, with his back turned, facing the window wall that overlooked the vast expanse of water. He didn't turn his back when she arrived; he had not recognized her at all.
She was irritated by how annoying he was.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," Katrin declared. Her voice was sweet and gentle.
Alaric eventually turned his back to look at her, with his eyes locked to hers. He was not readable and icy. His weight was enough to make her stomach turn, and she fought back to stand her ground, with a smile.
"If you think you're important enough to keep me waiting, you're mistaken, Miss Vogel," he stated with complete silence. After that, using a casual gesture, he pointed towards the seat in front of his. "Sit."
Katrin's jaw was clenched, but she complied and crossed her legs gracefully before settling into the chair.
"Thank you for taking the time to see me," she smiled softly, tilting her head to allow her golden locks to fall over her shoulder.
"Don't thank me," Alaric added. "You're here because I wanted you here."
The words sent a jolt through her body, but she was able to conceal it. She'd spent years navigating between the upper echelons of Ravensburg and playing the game of strength and ambition, yet nobody had ever captured her in the manner he did.
Then, tonight, she'd give him to her.
It was just necessary to take her time and play the game with care.
Alaric's eyes were fixed. "Did you come to my room that night?"
Katrin was breathless. He didn't meet her expectations of being direct and concise.
"I--" She tried to remain calm. "I did as requested."
"By my grandfather."
The inquiry was not based on factual information.
Katrin swallowed. "Yes."
The expression was still unreadable for Alaric; however, something else in the air changed, something potentially dangerous.
"And yet, you weren't the one in my bed."
Her pulse quickened.
"I--" She looked around, trying to find the correct words. "I was unsure if I ought to. Your grandfather was insistent; however, I... I wanted you not to be unhappy over me."
Alaric sat in his seat, his fingers rhythmically tapping the whiskey bottle in his hand. His silence made her uneasy.
His voice rang out, soft and sharp.
"So you're telling me I spent the night with you?"
Katrin's stomach turned.
Her fingers clenched against the armrest. "I--"
He shook his head in disbelief at her, staring at her as she squirmed. "What made you run away the next morning?"
She blinks and then slips by surprise. "I—I was scared. I worried that you might not be able to accept what had happened. I believed that you would be able to accept what has happened. Her voice began to fall, her eyes sparkling with unsettled tears. "I didn't want you to be angry with me."
Alaric smiled, putting his glass on the table.
"I see," he declared, rising up.
Katrin's heart was pounding when he walked towards her in a slow, determined manner.
He then knelt in front of her.
Her breath shook. What was going on?
For all her existence, she dreamt of this guy looking at her in this manner and kneeling in front of her.
Her eyes lowered, and she hid her face in a smug manner. "I don't need anything from you, Alaric," she said.
He leaned over to her and held it with a firm touch, non-sad. He gripped her hand firmly.
"I misjudged you," the man murmured, putting his face too tight. "I thought you were playing games, but maybe... maybe you were scared."
Katrin's lips split, her heart racing. "Alaric, I--"
He got towards him.
She shut her eyes and sat in anticipation of the flavor of his.
Thenand then
He retreated.
The air changed direction within a second and then turned to ice-cold.
Before she was able to react and comprehend what was happening, her body was pulled off the chair and then thrown onto the floor.
Her breath surged through her lungs while her knees struck the floor with marble.
She exclaimed. "Alaric--"
"Did you really think," his voice was as sharp as the sharp edge of a knife, inflexible, "that I wouldn't see through your pathetic little act?"
Katrin's hands were shaking against the floor as she stared at him in shock.
He stood tall over her with eyes that were dark with anger.
"You lied."
"I--"
"You're nothing but a pathetic fraud," said he with a pause to look at her as if she were disgusted. "You believed you were able to manipulate me? Did you think that you could deceive me?"
Katrin pushed herself up, her voice shaking. "You kissed me first!"
Alaric smiled and laughed with a snarky, unremarkable laugh.
"And you allowed me to. You were there trying to appear like something it's not. You thought that you'd be able to claim a spot with me." He was leaning into it with his voice, dropping down to a terrifying whisper. "But you're nothing. Nothing less than zero."
Katrin's body was shaken by humiliation and rage.
"Alaric, please, I--"
"Get out."
Eyes were burning with tears;; however, she was able to keep her head up. "Please, I--"
He left, ignoring her for being unimportant. "You should be grateful I'm letting you leave alive."
She caught her breath.
That was the way it went.
She'd lost.
Katrin balled her hands into fists. Her heart sounded like it was shattered into a thousand pieces.
However, she didn't want to plead.
No, not today. Not ever.
The woman lifted her chin, smiled, swallowed her tears, and turned towards the door.
Alaric was not watching her depart.
The woman paused for an instant, and her voice was barely an eerie whisper.
"You'll regret this."
She has left.
Alaric breathed, putting his hand on the glass while he gazed at the Black Blackwasser See's dark waters.
He clenched his jaw.
What was he contemplating about her?
The woman had vanished without leaving a trail.
The lady whose tastes were etched in his mind.
His grip tightened.
"Find her," he said into the darkness.
This time it is
He couldn't let her go.
- Writer
