Wrath's Genesis

Chapter Seventeen

***

The sun was warm, beautiful and definitely reminiscent of a gorgeous day. Although Summer was absolute hell in New York, the views were certainly worth the suffering. Well, at least when you're in a stunning penthouse apartment, the world literally sprawled before you through the floor to ceiling windows.

The Air-con is also not a bad addition to this entire experience...

Although I had slept in the most comfortable bed ever, feather pillows and silk sheets surrounding me, I had still had a sleepless as hell night. Not only because of spending about an hour scrubbing my skin raw to rid myself of the blood spatter but also because of the nightmares that now plagued my night.

The demons I thought I had managed to deal with years ago were back and bad as ever. I was stuck in the toxic-literal sick to my stomach- space I had been in back then and it was all thanks to my infuriating bastard of a husband.

I was wary of him before but this...well, this is absolute hate... He has crossed the line...

I was ready to shove everything aside. All my plans of self preservation were shoved aside and replaced with the burning need to get revenge against the man who had been crowned King of the darkness. I wanted to drag him into the light and watch him burst into flames and disappear.

Getting pretty mediveal-esque, Emilia...

All the less than appealing names I had called my husband the entire night flooded my mind, reminding me of the rage I felt when he killed the man in front of me. He had provided a wake up call, reminding me of the dangerous man I had married and sold my soul to.

"The three conditions have to work for me. They are the only way for me to keep looking for Noah and break the dumb as hell decision I made."

I muttered, reflecting on the three conditions I had declared to my husband in the presence of his three silent and just as crazy brothers. The strength and tenacity that had come over me was unlike anything I had felt in a long time. I had wanted to walk away. I wanted to let it go and keep my head down.

But he killed him. Mercilessly and in cold blood, he killed the man and never flinched as he did it. His obsession was as chilling as it was enraging. Revealing my entire hand so soon was a worthy sacrifice if it means I can put an end to my husband and the reign of terror he possessed in this city.

My mind drifted to the three demands I made and the excitement that flashed in his eyes at my words. It was a misplaced emotion considering my words. The man was well and truly depraved and although the thought of taking him down excited me beyond measure, I was also wary of what he was capable of.

It would not be an easy battle but I was ready.

A knock sounding on the door brought me out of my thoughts, reminding me of my current predicament, ie, finding different ways to kill my husband.

Sitting up, I watched as Marie peaked her head through the open door before venturing into the room with a warm smile.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Alexander. I hope your night was great. Mr. Alexander requests your presence at breakfast. I shall begin to pack your bag as you have some much needed food."

Marie was chipper, a smile on her lips as she began her tidying duties. Watching her lifted my dark mood, albeit for a little bit until her words settled in the crevices of my mind. The mention of Soren was jarring enough to get me out of bed but not as much as her last statement.

"Pack a bag? And why, pray tell, would you do that?''

I inquired, genuinely confused and more so at the sight of Marie's confused turned sympathetic look. Now that was certainly not what I was expecting to see so early in the damn morning. The bastard was up to something and I would not let him upstage me in any way in this battle.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew...Mr. Alexander will be flying down to Fiji in a few hours and he has asked that I pack a bag for you to accompany him. I suspect it might be for your honeymoon."

A flush took over her features at her last statement, the sight making me chuckle in amusement and despair. The son of a b***h was changing the narrative. Promises of my desire overwhelming me and pushing me into his arms were not as certain as before, especially after what I witnessed last night.

So now he thinks he can take me, have me and I would not fight back? He has no idea what can of worms he just opened...

Furious and never sparing the alarmed young woman a glance, I stormed out of my room and down the stairs. Rage coursed through my veins, growing with every step I took towards the man who made my blood boil and set my heart ablaze with wild thoughts of revolution.

The delectable breakfast aroma was the first thing that greeted me at the threshold of the dining room before my husband and his guest came into view. I barely noticed the man, my glare levelled directly on the man who assessed me from head to toe with the blank as hell look he always granted me.

I didn't care that both men were now staring at the flimsy, two-piece, satin pajama set that consisted of a blue, strapless crop top and matching shorts. That I had forgotten my robe and was now fully exposed before the men before me whose eyes zeroed in on the tattoos scattered around the parts of my body that they could see.

No, I was blinded by absolute fury.

"I am NOT going to Fiji with you, you egotistical asshole. You may not know this, but the world does not revolve around your schedule, Soren Alexander. I have better things to do with my time than travel anywhere with you."

I declared, not backing down despite the chilling look my husband granted me. I refused to look away from him and back down from the battle of wits we were now engaged in.

"Well, good morning to you too, my darling wife. You seem to have slept on the wrong side of the f*****g bed with that f*****g attitude and this little show you're putting on for us."

Soren stated, his expression sour as he glared not only at me but at my body. His face contorted to displeasure as it latched on certain parts of me and I struggled hard to hide my shattering self esteen with every single unsatisfied look he gave me. I refused to let this man shatter my self esteem more than it was already.

He would not break me like this.

I rolled my eyes at his words, glaring at him and his companion who was struggling and failing to keep himself from glancing at me momentarily. It was only under the assault of my husband's deathly calm glare-which was scarier than anything I have seen on him yet-that he interested himself with the blueberry pie on his plate.

"You f*****g heard me. I am not going to Fiji with you."

I stated once more, finality lining my voice as we continued to glare at each other.

"You seem to have misunderstood Marie so I'll relay it in a way that your stubborn ass will f*****g comprehend. This was not a request. And the sooner you understand that, the better so that we can move onto other things, like you going back to your room to get dressed."

He was pissed, showcasing fragments of his rage in his stormy sea eyes. Gone was the ocean blue. This was a tsunami and I was deathly scared of being taken off the board by it. I was also incredibly stubborn and finding strength in the anger I still felt in him for his actions the previous night.

He has the gall to act like nothing happened...Also, how dare he command me like I'm some f*****g commodity?!

"And you need to understand that you do not own me. Not in the way that you think you do. I can wear what I want, do what I want and no matter what you do, I will never stop being an autonomous human being. The sooner you understand that, the easier it will be for you to stow away the 'asshole' persona that has been ingrained in you and replace it with something worthy of my f*****g time."

Soren got to his feet so abruptly, I found myself slightly backing away and hating myself for showcasing just how much he affected me.

Those damn nightmares are messing me up! My demons have left me a little more raw than I was last night...

Soren paused at the sight of my action, those unnerving and clouded eyes showing nothing of what he thought of my weakness.

"Now...now, let's all calm down please."

His companion broke the silence, prompting both of us to turn to the nervous looking individual who seemed to somewhat shrink at the sight of both our stares. The handsome man was in a three piece suit, looking absolutely dapper and weirdly not as much a part of our world as I would expect him to be for being here in this apartment.

"Shut the hell up, Warner..."

"Who the hell are you?"

We turned to glare at each other once more, annoyed at the interruption we had caused to each other.

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, Mrs. Alexander. My name is Warren and I will be handling the contract agreement that is to exist between you and Mr. Alexander for the period of the 'wager' that you have began. Now, I strongly advise against trying to kill each other..."

I drifted away after his introductions, my eyes settling on the set of documents he had in front of him and the pen that was beside said papers. My eyes flittered over to my husband who was clearly not listening either, his gaze instead on me as he tried to understand my thought process, no doubt.

"Last chance to back out, Emilia. What will it be?"

Soren looked confident and somewhat cocky as he raised a brow at my glare at his challenge. Warren looked less than pleased at being interrupted but he said nothing, choosing instead to watch the tug of war that we were still engaged in.

Saying nothing to counter him, I chose action and proceeded towards the table. After a rough skimming through the document that contained everything I wanted, I grabbed the pen and signed it albeit Warren's shock and Soren's deep, rumbling laugh that was as unsettling as it was sexy.

"Three stipulations;- If I should come close to killing you or actually succeed in ending your life before we find Noah, your people will still help me find him no matter what. If you end up on the brink of death or somehow manage to survive then you will grant me a divorce, no questions asked or obligations. You will stay out of my life. Finally, no one should hunt me down in the event that we separate or I do manage to kill you. I will be a free woman. Do you accept the terms of this contract, Mr. Alexander, or are you scared that I might actually end your miserable life and destroy your empire?"

Soren and I stared at each other, his face blank of emotion despite my goading smile. I knew he would not take my bait but it felt damn good to be on the other side of the fray.

Soren chose action, just as I had.

His natural scent-spice and rain- surrounded me as he took the pen from my hand and scrawled one of the most infuriatingly elegant signatures I had ever seen.

The wager was sealed.

The deal was struck.

The war between my husband and I had well and truly began...

***