Chapter 2 A Twist
1159 Words
This was a dilemma Tanya couldn't solve easily.
Their first time had been on the couch.
The evidence of it was long gone—the blood had seeped into the fabric and dried.
He couldn't see, so she couldn't exactly let a blind man feel around for the proof, could she?
Besides, she'd only mentioned having a boyfriend to distance herself from him.
She could lie and say she hadn't been with anyone, but Aries wasn't the type to be fooled by that. His possessiveness was notorious.
If he wanted something, it didn't matter whether the "thing" was already taken—he would take it for himself, no hesitation.
So, that kind of lie wasn't an option.
To cover this up, she was going to have to sacrifice her dignity.
After a brief moment of thought, Tanya clenched her fists, forced herself to sound calm, and said, "I'm not a virgin."
Aries, his hand still casually resting on his waist, instinctively tightened his grip.
His chest—well-defined and solid—rose and fell with his shallow breathing.
From Tanya's perspective, he looked furious.
Not in a jealous way, but in a way that suggested disgust.
He was the kind of man with high standards, especially when it came to cleanliness.
Now that he'd crossed that line with her, it probably made him feel sick to his stomach.
Tanya actually felt a little sympathy for him. But Aries, with a cold expression, waved her off.
"Get out."
With his command, Tanya didn't care about his discomfort anymore.
She straightened up—her back sore from being pressed under him—and slid off the bed, picking up the remains of her dress from the floor and wrapping it around her body.
Barefoot, she stepped lightly across the soft carpet, planning to make a quiet escape.
But just as she was about to open the door, a large hand with defined knuckles grabbed her wrist.
She had no idea how he had gotten out of bed so quickly, let alone found her and caught her.
She was just staring at him in shock—this man, once youthful and brash, had grown into someone far more mature and intimidating.
"How... How did you know?"
"My hearing's fine."
He meant that while his eyes might be useless, his hearing was sharp enough to pick up her movements, and with his agility, he could easily catch her.
Once he had her trapped, he lowered his chin slightly, casting his gaze down at her with those hypnotic eyes, now filled with cold intensity.
"Not a virgin, and you slept with me? You've got some guts."
Wait, what?
He was the one who had taken her.
He couldn't just turn this around!
"Excuse me, sir," Tanya snapped, "but YOU dragged ME into the room."
Aries smirked, his lips curling in a cold, mocking smile.
"And before that, YOU grabbed MY hand and started feeling ME up."
"That wasn't feeling you up. I was trying to help you stand," she shot back.
Tanya was fuming, her fists clenched, but standing much shorter than him, her fiery response lost some of its power.
Aries, tall and imposing, narrowed his eyes, his stare cold enough to freeze anyone in their tracks.
"Then why did you even help me?"
She couldn't answer.
If she did, her cover would be blown.
Tanya took a deep breath to steady her pounding heart, forcing herself to appear calm.
"I thought you couldn't see, so I was just trying to be kind and help you. I never thought..."
Her soft, pouty lips quivered, and she added, acting all hurt, "I didn't know you were such a beast..."
This was the first time Aries had ever been called a "beast". His brows furrowed deeply, and a flicker of irritation passed through his eyes.
But then a scene flashed through his mind—the vivid memory of her pressed against the wall, his lips on hers as he claimed her in a way that made his blood boil.
He remembered how urgently he had lifted her hips to match his height and then driven into her.
His grip had been brutal, nearly numbing his own hands as he held her.
The memory of that pleasure rushed back, and Aries moved his long hand to brace above her head, his body encircling hers, controlling the space between them.
He lowered his face towards hers, his voice low and icy.
"No matter how you try to justify it, you took my virginity. Now, you're responsible for it."
His virginity?
Tanya's eyes widened.
She had assumed that, after four years, Aries—the perfect, untouchable man—had long since lost his virginity to his beloved girl.
But to her surprise... He hadn't?
She couldn't believe it.
Was this a stroke of luck for her, or was she just digging herself deeper into a mess?
But one thing was certain—Aries wasn't going to let this go.
If she stayed entangled with him, her identity would be exposed, and that would be disastrous. She had to pull away.
Swallowing hard, Tanya took a small step back, creating a bit of distance between them.
She lifted her chin and then spoke, her voice trembling slightly but trying to sound confident.
"Look, how about I give you ten thousand dollars, and we pretend tonight never happened?"
She hadn't found a job yet after coming back to the country, and this was all the money she had.
It hurt like hell to part with it, but it was her only option. But Aries, of course, wasn't impressed.
"Money? I've got plenty of that."
And it was true.
The Hawke family was one of the wealthiest and most influential in the country, with business interests all over the world.
Aries, as the heir, had more money than he could ever need. He could snap his fingers and have more cash than most people saw in a lifetime.
He had wealth, power, and status, and was good-looking to top it all off.
Hell, he could make a fortune just by stepping into the entertainment industry.
Her ten thousand bucks wasn't even a drop in the ocean to him, but to her, it was everything.
The difference in their wealth made her feel like she had no choice, but now he wanted her to take responsibility for this?
"Then what do you want from me?" she asked, her voice growing tense.
He didn't want money. What did he want?
"I want you," he said, his tone calm and final.
Tanya froze.
"W-What?"
Aries shifted, bracing one hand above her, while the other moved to her chin, gripping it firmly.
He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke in a low, throaty voice, his words full of dark allure.
"Even though you're not a virgin, I enjoy being with you. So you're staying with me—as my lover."
- Writer
