Chapter 1 The devil in question
Chapter 1: The Devil in question
Niamh was clinging to the body of an unknown man when she floated into consciousness and the next minute, a pair of hands suddenly gripped her neck with fierce intensity. Her eyes flew open in panic. The man pinning her down was dignified and strikingly handsome, and the face she'd only ever seen on TV was contorted with a mix of rage, restraint, and a strange, uncontrollable emotion.
"You b***h! You think you've succeeded now huh? But let me tell you! I, Tye Diaz Russell , would rather die than ever love you!" he spat out.
He pressed her neck so hard, Niamh could feel herself leaving earth. She wailed her arms about trying to push away him but he was just too strong and she lost even more strength instead.
Just when she thought she was about to die, Tye abruptly released his grip. A sharp pain radiated through her body. Throughout their intimate encounter, he had remained unmoved, his eyes cold and filled with disgust.
Afterwards, as the dim light traced the contours of his tense back muscles, he stood up. Niamh hugged herself with the duvet, trembling in fear. Covering her bruises with her clothes, she asked, "You! How do you know me? Why did you drug me?"
"Me, drug you?" He grabbed her wrist, laughing bitterly. "That's rich. You’ve drugged me multiple times over the past three years to make me want you. You think I'd sink that low? And for you"
Niamh stared at him in shock. "You think I drugged you?" She'd never even met the man before!
Tye's clothes hung loosely on his lean, powerful frame. His mere presence radiated the aura of a Grim Reaper in the dead of night, his cold gaze fixed on her like she was a delusional insect.
"Nieve, do you believe that by orchestrating Ava's kidnapping and all this, I'll fall for you? You should be thankful Ava is unharmed. Otherwise, a hundred deaths wouldn’t suffice for you!"
Niamh felt like she was dealing with a madman, no the world was mad! She didn’t understand anything about Ava or a kidnapping. But the pain coursing through her body reminded her that she needed to call the police.
Before she could reach for the phone, Tye slammed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her close. "You want to call the police on your husband, Nieve? Is this your new tactic? Is that what a good wife does?"
Husband? Niamh was stunned. She was single. How had she suddenly become someone’s wife? And why did he keep calling her Nieve—that was her sister’s name. She was Niamh, not Nieve. Two very different names and people.
Ignoring her surprise, Tye dumped her and moved to the mirror, adjusted his collar and glanced disdainfully at the bloodstains on the sheets. "I never thought a woman like you would still be a virgin."
He snapped his fingers, and an elderly maid, Conchita, entered with a bowl of medicinal soup. "Sir, this abortifacient is strong, and Madam's body is weak—"
But he snatched the bowl, cutting her off. He roughly grabbed Niamh's chin, his sharp profile bathed in the warm light, yet devoid of any emotion. "Nieve, you’re unworthy of bearing my child."
He forced the medicine down her throat. Niamh choked, her hatred burning as she dug her nails into her palms. " You’re a scumbag. A mad scumbag!"
He frowned. "What did you say, wife?"
"Wife? I want a Divorce, damn you" Niamh muttered, pushing him away and fleeing from the estate in her torn nightgown.
Tye was momentarily taken aback. Not long ago, Nieve had begged him, begged him on her knees for his love. Now she wants a divorce?
Niamh ran all the way back to her family estate. Her father, Maverick Lane, was already waiting by the door. He immediately grabbed her arms. "Did he suspect anything?" he asked nervously as he looked her over. " You look f****d so he must have bought the act. I'm actually surprised, you have some use after all. Now, just keep up the act or else I'll kill you myself! The world doesn’t know you and your sister are twins. And you look exactly identical. Tye really must not have recognized you."
At that moment, everything clicked for Niamh. Two hours earlier, her father, whom she hadn’t heard from in five years, had suddenly sent someone to fetch her from the countryside. In the car, she had smelled a strange fragrance and lost consciousness. When she awoke, she was in the Russells's home, facing the madman who had just taken her virginity.
"Dad, d-did you drug me? Did you send me to that mad man on purpose? Why?"
Mr. Lane’s face darkened, his disdain for her evident. "For our family’s sake that's why you i***t! If your sister hadn’t disappeared, I wouldn’t have come to you so shut up and be useful for f*****g once. All our resources depend on that man you're calling a madman so you better shut up! Your stupid sister, Nieve, can go die if she wants, but Tye Diaz Russell 's wife must live and secure our benefits!"
A chill ran through Niamh. Her sister had been missing for three days, and her father didn’t even care. He only needed a pawn to benefit from Russells, and now that pawn was her.
"Let me spell it out for you Niamh. Your sister was supposed to do the one right thing in her life and that is to marry Mr. Tye so our company doesn't go under! But of course she vanishes mere hours to the wedding and that's where you,her identical twin sister that no one knows about,comes in. You have married Tye in her place and you will continue to be his wife. So until your sister returns from whatever ditch she's dumped herself in this time, You're not Niamh Lane. You're, Nieve Lane!"
"Father! You can't be seri–”
"You know Ethan’s company is struggling, right? Do you even know how many illegal activities he’s involved in?" He quickly cut in.
Niamh froze. Ethan was her boyfriend,her one true love. "What do you mean?"
"I mean your boyfriend is in s**t. And I have evidence of his crimes. Raw hard proof. If you play your role well and maintain our ties with the Russells by being an obedient wife, this evidence won’t reach the police and he will be safe. But if you don't... "
Niamh felt her heart drop to the floor and roll away. Her eyes pooled as she remembered Ethan’s promise to marry her once his business succeeded. If she refused to do this, he'd never get out of her father's clutches and truly establish.
After much hesitation, Niamh agreed. She took a deep breath. “But the Russells are one of the wealthiest people in New york. Tye is a genius himself, and the world’s ninth richest man at only 29. He’s ruthless and suspicious of everyone and everything. How could I deceive him and get away with it?"
Her father smirked looking at her slyly. "You’re smarter than you think,you i***t. But I don't really care how you do it, just don't fail me!"
Niamh felt like she'd wrapped her soul in silk and begged the devil to take it with him. Then she wondered if the devil in question was her father or ne
w husband.
What happened next really answered that question.