FOR YOU

A War of Words

THIRD PERSON POV

​It was well past seven that evening when Chloe and Edward's parents finally returned home—or from wherever they'd been. The maid who had sorted things out earlier had already gone, leaving Chloe completely in Edward's care. Oblivious to their parents’ return, Chloe and Edward remained on the bed.

​Chloe was curled up against Edward's body, her head and right arm resting on his chest. Edward’s hand was on her upper back, his fingers tracing slow circles. Her eyes were fixed on the wall, looking at nothing in particular.

​"Does it still hurt?" Edward's voice broke the comfortable silence they had been maintaining since she had finished eating.

​"It continues to hurt until I'm done for the month," Chloe replied. Edward hummed in understanding. "Only the last day seems to be painless for me," she continued.

​"And you cry every time?" Edward asked. He didn't know why he was so curious, but he wanted to keep talking to her. This was the first time they had been this close, this intimate, and the first time he had come to her aid. He wanted to cherish the moment for as long as it lasted.

​"Sort of. But I'm good at hiding the tears sometimes," she replied, and he looked at her head rather than her face.

​"So why didn't you hide them this time?" His attempt to bond with her through conversation felt stronger than ever.

​"I don't know. Maybe it was because of you. Maybe I wanted you to feel sorry for me. Or maybe I wanted you to empty your bank account on junk food for me," she teased. Edward smiled.

​" You know if I buy all the junks in the world for you, my money won't finish, right? But I would gladly do that for you. Or, should I buy each company that produces your favourite for you?" he asked, and Chloe just blinked her eyes in awe. "Now I know when the next one will be. It's always twenty-eight days for humans, isn't it?"

​"Yes. How did you know that? Is it different for your kind?" Chloe's question was the first she had asked about werewolves since Edward had shifted in front of her.

​"I know everything about humans, love. And it is different for werewolves, but there's nothing for you to worry yourself about," Edward replied, deciding that not giving her the exact answer was the best choice, as she would have no use for the information.

​"Should I kiss your stomach to make the pain lessen?" Edward asked unexpectedly. Chloe immediately lifted her head from his chest and looked at him, dumbfounded and speechless. It wasn't until Edward said something even more shocking that she finally found her voice.

​"You know I can make it stop completely? Well, maybe not completely, but for a while," he said, sounding like he was asking a question. He took Chloe’s silence as the question 'how'.

​"If we have s*x now, you won't have to go through this pain next month, as you would already be with my child," he said. Chloe coughed loudly, the motion making her stomach hurt a little more as she immediately clutched it with her hand.

​"Ed!" she yelled his name. He shrugged, knowing he had caught her by surprise, but he meant every word—until his thoughts drifted to her school. Getting pregnant now would be a source of shame for her, but not for him.

​"You seem to be in a lot more pain when you cough or talk. Lie back down, love," he said. At the word 'love', Chloe blushed. She had blushed twice already when he had called her that, but he had been too concerned with her discomfort to notice. This time, he saw it but decided not to mention it.

​Without saying a word, Chloe returned to her position. "I like your room," she said.

​"You're welcome here anytime. Even though you didn't show me yours the first day," he replied. Chloe smiled, and a moment of silence followed, disrupted only by the ringing of her phone.

​"Don't answer it," Edward said. Chloe replied, "It's my dad."

​"I'll answer it for you and tell him you're ill. Just stay here and rest." By the time Edward finished speaking, the phone had stopped ringing. A second later, his own phone started ringing, showing his mother as the caller. He answered it.

​He waited for a moment, listening to his mother on the other end, and said, "Tell him she's ill. Whatever he has to say can wait until she feels better." He hung up.

​"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, seeing the angry look on Edward's face.

​"Mother said your father has something to say to you, and I told her to inform him that you're unwell," he answered, all in one breath. Chloe sighed heavily.

​"This isn't the first time I've had my period, Ed. And it definitely won't be the last."

​"It can be the last for this year if you let me," Edward retorted. Chloe gave him a silly look.

​"Let me answer his call. We can go together if you want and hear what he wants to say that can't wait any longer," she urged him. After a moment, he agreed on one condition: he would carry her all the way to the living room.

​"No. You can't do that."

​"Yes, I can. I'm sure my mother will understand if I tell her that you're my mate, and even if she doesn't, it's not as if she can object to it. And then, we would find out if your father has any idea who his wife is by the time I explain to him that you're my mate," he blurted out. There was no way Chloe would allow him to carry her downstairs.

​She argued no further. Getting up from the bed, she attempted to walk toward the door, but before she could open it, Edward was beside her. He was now wearing a round grey top. Without a word, he lifted Chloe from her feet and carried her bridal style.

​"This is the only condition I gave you, or your father would have to come to my room to tell you whatever he has to say. You choose," he said. The cat had gotten Chloe's tongue for the second time that day. Without another word, he twisted the doorknob, and the door sprang open as he exited the room.

​When he got downstairs, Chloe's father was sitting on the couch with Edward's mother beside him. The sight that unfolded before him left him dumbfounded. His daughter was in his stepson's arms. He wanted to scold them, to chastise them, to yell, but he couldn't say a word. He watched as Edward gently placed Chloe on the three-seater couch.

​Edward looked at the parents and said, "I told you she was unwell." Chloe's father decided to accept that reason—his daughter was too unwell to walk, so Edward had helped her.

​"She can't talk a lot either, so what do you want to tell her?" Edward said again. Chloe's father finally found his voice.

​"It's so nice that you two are this caring towards each other. My dear, isn't it a good thing?" Ellis said, facing Kate, who simply smiled slyly.

​"I wanted to tell her about the son of one of my business allies. I'd like them to meet, and perhaps things would progress further for them," Ellis said.

​"Why should she meet the son of your ally?" Edward asked, his arms folded across his chest. He looked at Chloe's father, whose unspoken intentions were already getting the best of him.

​"You're the son of a businessman, a flourishing one at that. You know the reason."

​"You want to use her for your business. Isn't your business enough for you? Not to mention my father's. Are you this greedy?"

​"Edward! Stop it!" Kate snapped, trying to stop her angry son, but she knew that a simple order wouldn't work on him.

​"If my father's business, which is my business, isn't enough for you, maybe I should take control of it myself, as I should have done in the first place," Edward said. Ellis had not uttered a word. He had no idea his stepson had so much dominance and authority until today.

​"Chloe, you will do exactly as I said. No wealth is too much for a person," Ellis said after he found his voice. Edward smirked.

​"You would be surprised at the lengths Chloe is willing to go for me. She's not meeting with anyone," Edward said definitively.

​"Ellis, I think you should take this matter up later. It's late," Kate said, trying to diffuse the rising tension.

​"There is no 'later', Mother! Tell your husband not to get on my nerves. Chloe is not meeting with anyone," Edward said. With that, he moved to Chloe and picked her up again.

​"Why are you carrying her? Can't she walk? Kate, talk to your son, I don't like his relationship with my daughter. Are they dating or something?" Ellis blurted out, forgetting his initial reason for being there.

​"Ellis, calm down. As you heard, he said she's unwell. He's just trying to help," Kate tried to explain.

​"If she's unwell, why isn't she at the hospital?" Ellis asked again, but he received no reply as Edward headed toward the stairs with Chloe, who had decided to remain silent throughout the entire conversation.

​"Just calm down, Ellis. Calm down."

​"Don't tell me to calm down, Kate!" Ellis yelled at Edward's mother. The outburst made Edward stop and turn his head to look at the two adults.

​"Whatever you do, don't you dare raise your voice or your hand at my mother, or else you will regret the very day you were born," Edward threatened.

Ellis faced Kate and said​"Why...why is he talking to me like that?" And then turned back to Edward and yelled,"She's my wife, and I can and will do anything I want to her," Ellis, who had become even more agitated, said.

​"Try it and see. I'm sure she won't take it easy on you either. She's more of an Alpha than you are," Edward retorted before continuing on his way.

​When he reached the last step, he said in a loud voice, "And also, I'm here for Chloe. She doesn't need anything or anyone else, and you don't need to expand your business. Just keep on maintaining what my father and you have already done. Don't let your bloody greed take over and ruin everything."

​Mother, if he dares to lay a finger on you, rip him to pieces. If you can't, I'll gladly do it, for you and for her, he mind-linked his mother. His message made her giggle, and Ellis looked at her in surprise.

​"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Let's just go to our room and rest for the day," Kate said, leading her husband away.