Deceptive Vows

Untitled Episode

CHAPTER 3

QUENTIN POV

I finally took a deep breath as I sank into the plush leather seat of my black SUV. If there was a hell on earth, it was definitely in that cursed home with Marcus Prescott and his daughter, Victoria.

The evening had been a test of endurance, filled with fake smiles and meaningless conversations.

Victoria had requested to follow me out, but I had quickly denied her, fabricating an excuse about needing to take a detour. There was no way in hell I was sharing my car space with Marcus's daughter right now.

"Damn you, Marcus. Well played," I muttered to myself, my voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. Even though he had orchestrated the entire arrangement, he acted like he was completely innocent, even going so far as to apologize to me.

What the hell did he even need those pictures for? And the f*****g audio files?

"f**k," I whispered to myself. I looked at the driver who watched me through the rearview mirror and commanded him, "Drive."

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"Home," I replied.

But then again, if Marcus only wants a marriage using that evidence, then he's a fool. He could achieve so much more. Five months, huh? Well, five months is all I need to find the evidence and smash this fake marriage.

A smile crossed my lips. This was going to be fun. My phone rang, displaying my elder sister's name, Ember Steelhart. I answered without hesitation.

"How did it go with the Prescotts?" she asked.

I sighed tiredly, not in the mood to sugarcoat the evening. "As expected. Tense and awkward. Marcus is playing his usual games," I replied.

"Hang in there. We knew it wouldn't be easy. But think of the bigger picture," Ember said, her tone both hard and gentle.

The big picture, huh?

"You need to go along with this marriage, at least for now, until we can find a way to solve the problem," she advised.

"Yeah, but we need to finish before five months because there is no way in hell I am marrying his daughter," I said, almost angrily.

Ember's sigh was barely audible over the phone. "Quentin, I know this is tough. But you have to keep your cool. Marcus is banking on you losing your temper. Don’t give him that satisfaction."

I clenched my jaw, staring out the window as the city lights blurred past. "I'm not worried about keeping my temper in check. I'm worried about the lengths Marcus will go to maintain this charade. He's too dangerous to underestimate."

"That's why we have to be smarter. We have to find a way to turn this around without getting caught in his web," Ember said, her voice steely with resolve.

The thought of being trapped in a marriage with Victoria Prescott was infuriating. She was as much a pawn in her father's game as I was, yet that did little to endear her to me. I couldn't afford to think of her as an ally or a victim. She was part of the problem, even if she didn't realize it.

"I understand, but all this because of her mistakes... It annoys me that I have to pay deeply for it," I said, deeply annoyed. Ember sighed.

"We don't have a choice. Just do it for Mom, okay?" Ember said.

"Fine," I said, ending the call with Ember. My thoughts drifted to Victoria.

She was very clumsy but cute. Her bright, captivating brown eyes coupled with her soft skin... I felt my hands tingle again at the memory of her touch when she tried to comfort me.

"f**k," I whispered softly. What was I thinking? She is Marcus's daughter. I can't be having feelings for her.

The car pulled up to the Steelhart estate, and I stepped out, my mind still racing with thoughts and strategies.

I entered the family's living room and saw my mother, nearly finished with a bottle of vodka, clearly drunk and rough-looking.

"You took so long. What were you doing?" she asked, her speech slurred, alcohol dripping from her words.

My face twisted with disgust. "Cleaning up your mess," I answered rudely. She stood up from the couch.

"Is that how you speak to your mother?" She raised her hand to slap me but lost her balance and fell to the ground.

I looked at her pitifully, filled with disgust. I walked past her, heading to my study before I heard her crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Quentin. B-Because of me, you have to go through all this. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," she sobbed on the ground.

"Your apology won't fix anything," I said, scratching my hair vigorously. "It's fine. I will fix this. Just sober up and stop crying." I entered my study, sighing heavily.

I walked over to a small fridge and took out a can of beer. I savored the taste before taking out my phone to listen to the audio tape again. This was the piece of evidence sent by an unknown number, but I knew it was Marcus.

The incriminating audio contained my mother suggesting that they maximize their oil profits by drilling more holes beyond their jurisdiction in the sss's islands, displacing hundreds to thousands of people, and inevitably killing them as their water supply got polluted.

If the authorities or rival companies found out about this, it would spell the end for Steelhart Enterprises.

"f**k," I whispered softly, finishing the can of beer.

A lot was on my mind. The first was how to get a hold of the evidence, and the second was the engagement with Victoria.

If I was going to get the evidence, I had to use Victoria. That meant I had to get close to her.

I hated the idea of being engaged to someone under false pretenses, but I had to do it. But how was I going to do it?

My phone lit up, showing a message. I replied with a grin on my face.

This was going to be interesting.