Thorns Of the Heart

CHAPTER 4

Jessica

This was a mistake. It was the second time since my return that I knew how stupid something was, but I couldn't stop myself from heading into it. Heaven knows I shouldn't be here; maybe I should have ignored the text. Yet here I was, seated in the backseat of a cab in front of the restaurant building.

Alfred Marshal was the last person I wanted to be associated with, and I should never have crawled into his arms the last time. I was seriously hating myself for it. My palms were sweaty, so I wiped them on my blue floral dress as I got out of the car.

With each step I took into the building, my heart raced even louder against my chest. When I spotted him seated at our table with a glass of wine in hand, my insides froze. From this distance, he was a picture of perfection and charisma, with firm broad shoulders and the most beautiful brown hair.

My gaze drifted to his lips, and I remembered the wonders they worked on my skin, and how each flick of his tongue felt like hot embers, driving me wild with pleasure. However, that wasn't why I was here. I was here to correct a mistake that should never have been made in the first place.

"Glad you could make it," he said with a small smile when I arrived at the table and he pulled out a chair for me.

"How about we go straight to why you invited me here? I'm certain you didn't invite me here for small talk," I answered with seriousness in my voice as the waiter poured me a glass of wine as well.

"This is why I like you; you're always quick to cut through the chase, and that makes you a really smart woman, Jessy," he smiled, leaning back in his seat and watching me carefully with his eyes.

It was the same look he had in them last night, and I hated how his eyes felt on my skin. It made me feel hot on my cheeks and in places I didn't even think were possible.

"Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Marshal, but if that's all, I'd prefer to take my leave," I responded with a tight smile.

Instead of speaking, he simply smiled and continued to drink his wine with his gaze still fixed on me. It was hard to say which was more torturous; the memory of the s*x from last night or the way his eyes left imprints on my skin.

"You know what, I'm outta here," I groaned in frustration, rising to my feet when he finally spoke.

"I want you to marry me."

"What!! Are you drunk or mad?" I sputtered in confusion, feeling my cheeks turn red.

"I'm not. I'm just asking. Trust me, it's not because I'm in love with you, but because I think we both have a lot to gain," he clarified with amusement in his eyes.

"Screw you, Alfred. What makes you think I'd be interested in marrying you?" I barked in full-blown fury.

"Because your father's business is struggling, and I seem to be the only one willing to help," he answered with sudden seriousness in his voice.

"And how do you plan to do that? I don't see you making any investments," I asked as the anger slowly began to dissipate.

"Being my wife guarantees your business recovery. In case you haven't heard, I own one of the biggest Hedge funds in the city," he said, his eyes gleaming with pride.

Alfred's proposal was just what she wanted and served even better on a platter of gold. The business world must have no doubt caught a whiff of the recent struggle in her family's business, but she couldn't tell them that it was worse than that; especially not Alfred.

"What do you stand to gain from this arrangement?" I asked carefully, settling back into my seat.

"For now, I can't think of anything more than getting free from my parents' scheming of an arranged marriage," he responded with obvious anger in his voice.

"This is also going to be an arranged marriage, Alfred, in case you haven't realized," I sighed in defeat.

"I know, but at least in this case, I made the choice for myself; we are in charge. Say yes, and we'll sign the contract right now," he whispered calmly, pushing a contract agreement across the table.

Maybe love had dealt me a fatal blow a couple of times, but I had also never envisioned an arranged marriage for myself. Heaven knows I hated Alfred, and he certainly wasn't the kind of man I wanted to build my future with, but right now, he was the only hope of any kind of future at all.

My hands tapped nervously against the table as I stared at the agreement, wondering if I should just get up and run without looking back. This was madness; there was no better word to describe it.

"It's a foolish decision," I could almost hear my mother say in my head, and indeed, it was. But I didn't have a choice.

"If we do this, we are only married on paper and nothing else," I mumbled, as if to ensure that we are on the same page.

"Certainly, I would hate to be tied down by the selfish obligations that come with marriage," he reassured. Even though I could tell that this was a huge mistake, I agreed to it anyway.

"Let's do this," I breathed, picking up the pen and signing at the bottom before I had enough time to rethink my decision.

I would do anything to keep Leonard Byers from taking over my father's company, and if it involves this crazy idea of marriage, I'll do it over and over again. This was the only way to save my family, and I couldn't afford to think about myself.

"We're going to need to tell my brother and maybe my younger sister as well. I was supposed to meet up with them at the club," I said, feeling the dread slowly begin to rise inside of me again.

"Isn't your sister supposed to be 16?" he asked in confusion.

"Of course, but I might as well get my family prepped before someone breaks the news to my mum unexpectedly and gives her a heart attack," I said in annoyance.

"Great. I also need to inform my best friend; he owns Rebel Wolves," he said with a sigh. For the first time, I could swear I saw panic in his eyes.

As we drove to the club in silence, I wondered if there was another way to salvage the situation without involving Alfred, but I couldn't think of any other possible solution.

"Will your parents approve of this?" I queried, breaking the ice, and the dread in his eyes intensified.

"Trust me, they're going to be super mad, but I can't think about that right now," he answered with a straight face, bringing out his phone to text his friend.

I could see the shock on his face when he saw me as he threw a questioning gaze at Alfred, but the atmosphere was too tense to explain; it would be better to explain the situation with everyone in the room.

"Hi, I'm Jessica," I said with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," he responded, still looking confused. Alfred didn't try to explain things to him, at least not yet.

When we arrived, Andy, Sofie, and Gemina had three drinks in front of them. His face lit up with surprise when he saw Alfred walking beside me. This wasn't going to play out well, I could tell, and for a minute, I wished I could disappear.

"Hey, Jessy, I didn't know you were coming with him," he whispered into my ear as he ordered more drinks.

"Uhm, I have to tell you something, Andy, and everyone else, so please don't freak out," I pleaded cautiously. He stared at me with concern in his eyes.

"What's going on, Jessy?" he queried, and I fought down a lump of tears that was forming in my throat as they all had their gaze fixed on me.

I tried to form the words in my mouth, but my tongue was tied. Maybe I should try talking about it when we were home and away from the watchful eyes of his girlfriend or Alfred's friend.

"I can't do this," I groaned in frustration, turning my head away from them.

"Yes, you can. We got married, Andrew; that's what she's trying to tell you," Alfred spoke instead, and Andy choked on the glass of whiskey in his mouth.

"What the heck!" he cursed, his eyes blazing with tears as he continued to choke.

"I'm so sorry, Andy," I choked, my eyes welling up with tears at the look of disgust he gave me before storming out of the club in rage.

Even Gemina had the look of pure horror on her face, and I wished the ground would just open up and swallow me at that moment. The air in the room was slowly draining off, and it was getting more difficult to breathe.

"Please, let me explain, Gem," I pleaded, tears falling from my eyes now.

"There's nothing to explain, Jessy, this is crazy. You are crazy, and Mom is definitely going to lose her mind," she yelled, shoving her drink aside and storming out of the room as well.

I glared at Alfred, but he didn't look the least bit remorseful for what he had done.

"It's better now than later," he said in his defense, and I knew right then that I hated him.

Unsure of what to do, I ran after my brother, hoping he was still in the parking lot and praying he didn't hate me. My family was all I had right now, and I could not afford to lose them.

Alfred Marshal was the biggest jerk ever.