The Bride He Lured

A high profile party 1

She blinked as she stared through the high ceilings of what she suspected to be a guest house.

“Rich people are nothing but evil!” She kicked the air aggressively as the wall clock ticked.

“Does he think he owns me?!” Rosa expressed her frustration tearing the note that came with some shopping bags, dress and jewelry.

“His scary sister seems to be kinder than him, kind enough to bring me to a humane place," she thought out loud, flinging the dress away.

If it were left to Zayn, Rosa knew she'd be back in a dirty dark cell room, especially after the expensive stunt she pulled yesterday.

“f**k me, f**k the dumb police, f**k Zayn Sterling!” Rosa cursed out, kicking the air again out of frustration.

Dressed in a white cotton t-shirt and panties, she retired to hug her legs while her lips quivered .

Almost immediately she felt a twist on the doorknob to her room.

Her breath hitched in her throat, and she clenched both her fists.

“I told you I am not going to wear any of these; go and tell your boss that!” She ranted all in one breath with her eyes shut.

The smell of a familiar exotic perfume made her mind float. “Did you not receive my orders?” His voice rang in the air.

Rosa dared to open an eye, and from the side of it, she could see his figure approaching her in a white t-shirt and grey joggers.

“Go away, you evil, pathetic, wicked liar!” She buried her head on the pillow, refusing to look at him.

Zayn got distracted for a while seeing her well-rounded butt arch.

“You will not turn your back on me!” He stopped in his tracks and placed his hand on his hips.

“Why won't you just leave me alone? Kill me if you want to!” Rosa begged now, sitting on her butt before throwing her pillow at his feet.

“I will. It's not just time yet,” Zayn answered coldly.

“Now what you're going to do is sit up and eat.” He began pacing around the room.

“I will not do any of that; I'd just starve and die.” Rosa spat bitterly, cracking her dried lips.

“Take a bath, dress up, and a makeup artist will be here in two hours. You have a high-profile party to attend with me.” Zayn continued like he wasn't interrupted.

“I will not be attending any party with you!”

“Lila is in Zara’s custody.”

“You will not do anything to Lila.”

“Oh, I have your father too.”

“You will not hurt Mr. Langford!”

“And yes, John. Poor guy, all he does is cry.”

“Zayn Sterling, kill me if you want to, leave my family out of this!” She charged at him.

Immediately as she reached a close range, he grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her back away from his frame.

With Zayn four inches taller than her, she had to look up at him as she struggled in his grip.

“If you took my men to Zeror yesterday, all of these would be over! You left me with no choice.” He spat on her face agitated.

There was something about Zayn’s blue eyes that made her green ones lost in them.

“Don't look at my eyes like that!” He pushed her away defensively. Maybe he felt it too.

“Please spare my family, I will do anything you ask of me,” Rosa begged, crawling hurriedly to his feet before putting her palms together.

Zayn angrily walked up to a table setting with two chairs around it in the room.

“Not even a drop of water,” he hissed underneath his breath as he sat on one of the chairs.

Rosa sniffled, making him bang his hands on the table.

“Can you just stop that?” He asked, and immediately she began to suppress her cries, making her choke on her breath.

“Come here,” he ordered.

It took him with a bit of surprise as she began to crawl towards him instead.

“You love being a miserable b***h, don’t you? Why did you decide to starve yourself?” He questioned to mask the desires in his mind.

A moment of silence passed as Rosa knelt beside him; with her face glued to his booth now, she says,

“I'd do everything you ask of me; please spare my family and leave Lila out of this, please.”

“Okay, sit.” Zayn let out a deep sigh as he tore a cold flatbread in front of him.

He pushed towards her a cup of water, which she stared at reluctantly.

“You said you were going to do what I wanted.” He reminded, stuffing the bread in his mouth.

“Is it poisoned?” Rosa asked, her weak voice filled with uncertainty.

“What are you scared of? I thought you wanted to die.”

Rosa gulped hard as she shakily grabbed the glass while watching him chew.

“It’s salty,” she complained after taking a quick, slow gulp.

“Because of the electrolytes in it, eat now.” Zayn instructed.

“Are you even a Langford?” he asked, irritation evident on his face.

“Why do you ask?”

“Zero etiquette. You're cutting and shoving everything your hand can reach inside your mouth.”

Rosa looked up with both her hands messy, like a child caught doing mischief with foodstuff.

“You ripped me off of every Langford personality in a week.” She replied and continued to eat.

“Mr. Langford will rip his head off knowing I knelt at the feet of a man.” Rosa added.

The silence was loud as she continued to eat.

Zayn found her appealing to look at. Her skin, her jawline as she chewed, her hands, and her puppy-tired face.

“You don't like egg whites?”

“Umm,” she hinted at a yes with her mouth filled with egg yolk.

“I'd be back to pick you up; you should take a bath after that.” Zayn excused himself.

Watching him leave, Rosa stopped chewing, and a small smirk appeared on her lip.

“Maybe I could charm my way out of this place,”

“Or maybe not.” A new figure appeared in the room, making Rosa dazed.

*****************

The drive was not a long one, so she thought at first.

That was till she stepped out and her eyes hit an endless field surrounded by streetlights.

“All this drama for nothing,” she hissed underneath her breath.

“Where are we traveling to?” She asked now, appalled by the sight of a chopper.

“No idea, madam,” The old man who drove her answered, leading her ahead to her flight.

Dressed in a bronzy gold dress, Rosa walked like a goddess in her evening gown.

The sound of her heels commanded attention as her hips swayed like a siren.

“You look sculpted.” Zayn appeared from inside the chopper, giving her a hand now.

“You told the make-up artist what to do; now I look like a clay doll.”

“Exactly. Beautifully sculpted. You'd be in the midst of the most prominent people in the world today; I have to make an impression.”

“I am already an impression.”

“Here is the phone you'd be using for the occasion. My men will have eyes on you, so don't try to act funny. He warned.

Rosa nodded, looking away after putting on her headphones. She knew the phone was as useless as it could be.

“Is Lila going to be there?” She asked.

“She will not. No more questions.” Zayn commanded, looking away.

“You look sculpted yourself.” She gave him a brief smile, which he ignored.

Rosa looked on quietly as sweat spurted out at the back of her hand.

As the chopper began to rise, her hand shook uncontrollably and her breath became louder.

She couldn't clutch her hand to her lap because of how tight her dress was.

“It's okay, you're good.” Zayn reached out to her shoulders.

He pushed her towards his chest, where she instinctively placed both hands on his torso and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Her mouth slightly parted, she breathed loudly, and Zayn found himself patting her bare back with a straight face.

“I hate flying,” she whispered with her head now on his chest while hugging him.

Zayn looked away. If Rosa was conscious enough to listen to his heartbeat, she'd have noticed how it synced with hers.

From the air, they could see a very beautiful setting on the hilltop surrounded by water.

“We are at the island, boss,” the pilot announced, and Rosa stirred a bit.

Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked slowly before letting out a small yawn. That was when she noticed the warmth that lulled her to sleep.

“You woke up at the right time, welcome to mountain imperio.” Zayn announced huskily on top of her head.

“I am sorry.” She apologized, seeing his displeased face before he stepped out of the chopper and left her by herself.

“Well, should I congratulate you, man?” A random person began a conversation with Zayn outside the chopper.

“Can I help you out?” A Black bouncer appeared, lending Rosa a hand. She hesitated a bit, afraid of what was waiting for her next.

“No, she will be gone by next week.” Zayn’s voice made her stomach tremble, and she looked at the bouncer's eyes for sympathy; there was none.

“You two get a room.”

This made Rosa raise her head to see Zayn hungrily kissing a familiar woman.

“Well, that will work,” the lady, Amira, in black dress smiled into the kiss.

“Hey Rosa,” James appeared at the scene in a purple suit and signature red heels.

“Where is Mum?” Zayn questioned, holding Amira by the waist.

James bulged his eyes questionably at Zayn.

Reading James' tense reaction, Rosa asked, ”What is going on?”

“You didn't hear that Mrs. Sterling suffered a heart attack on her way here?”