Bound to my Scarred CEO

Professor Daniels glared at me from across his desk, his fingers drumming against a stack of unmarked papers. I stood near the door, my bag still slung over my shoulder, waiting for his verdict. "Miss Vincenta, this is the third time this month," he said, voice was sharp and somewhat clipped. "You walk into my class, sit for twenty minutes, and then leave. Do you think I don't notice?" "I'm sorry, Professor. My brother just called me and it sounded urgent." "Your brother." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "And what about your education? What about the final exam in two weeks?" I swallowed hard, forcing myself to hold his gaze. "I know. I wouldn't leave if it wasn't serious. We don't have a mother, and our father... he remarried. His wife isn't kind to us. Lucein is only sixteen. Sometimes he needs me and I have to help." Professor Daniels studied me for a long moment, his expression softening just slightly. He exhaled through his nose and waved a hand toward the door. "Fine, you can go. But Vincenta, if this continues, it will affect your final grade. I mean it." "Thank you, Professor. I won't let you down." I didn't wait for a response. I turned and walked out, my heart pounding as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I dialed Lucein's number while weaving through the crowded hallway. It rang once, twice, then three times. But he didn't answer. I called again thinking he would have left his phone somewhere. Still nothing. Panic tightened in my chest. I pushed through the main doors and broke into a jog toward the bus stop. My hands shook as I checked my messages. Nothing. The bus ride felt endless. I stared out the window, my leg bouncing, my mind racing through possibilities. An accident while at school? But he was in the boarding house, and it was only during the holidays that they gave students their phones back. So how is he able to call me from home? Was it an argument with that creature that calls himself our father? Or it could be something worse. By the time I reached the suburbs, my nerves were fried. I sprinted the last two blocks to the house, my breath coming in short bursts. The large iron gate was already open. I ran through it and stopped abruptly. Lucein sat on the front steps, his face buried in his hands. His shoulders shook violently as sobs racked his body. "Lucein." His cute chubby face looked up. His eyes were red, his cheeks wet. "Sister," he whispered. I dropped my bag and knelt in front of him, gripping his shoulders. "What happened? Why didn't you answer my calls?" "They sent me home." His voice cracked. "The school called me into the office this morning. They said Dad withdrew me. They said I had to leave immediately." I froze. "What? That doesn't make sense. Why would he do that?" "I don't know." He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "I tried calling him. He didn't answer. I came here, and he won't even talk to me." Rage surged through me, hot and sudden. "How dare he do this? It wasn't enough that he played with our lives. Now he is playing with your education?" I stood, my fists clenched, and pushed past him into the house. "Mr Hale!" My voice echoed through the foyer. I stormed down the hallway toward his office, ignoring the startled look of our stepmother as she emerged from the sitting room. I shoved the door open without knocking. My father sat behind his desk, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He didn't flinch. He didn't even look surprised. "Why did you pull Lucein out of school?" I demanded. He took a slow sip of his drink, his gaze fixed on me. "Close the door, Vincenta." "Answer me." "Close the door." I slammed it shut and stepped closer to his desk. "What is wrong with you? He's your son. Do you even care about him?" "Sit down." "I'm not sitting." He set his glass down with deliberate care, his eyes cold. "You disobeyed me." I blinked. "What are you talking about?" "The last time we spoke, I gave you an instruction, and you refused." My stomach dropped. "You told me to get married. To some stranger. I'm not doing that." He laughed. The sound was low, bitter, laced with something darker. "You think you have a choice?" "This is insane. You can't just—" "I can do whatever I want, Vincenta. Do you forget that your brother's entire future is in my hands? His education. His opportunities. Everything." He leaned forward, his smile cruel. "Without me, he has nothing." "You're his father," I said, my voice shaking. "You're supposed to protect him, not use him as leverage." "I am protecting this family. You're the one being selfish." "Selfish?" I stepped closer, my hands gripping the edge of his desk. "You're destroying his life because I won't obey you. That's not protection. That's cruelty." "Then obey." "Like a servant? It seems you have forgotten that I am your daughter. Or has that information flown away the moment you brought in your mistress and her love child into this house just two days after my mother died." "Enough," he roared, veins pulsing at his temple. "You don't get to say anything about what I do and who I bring into my own house. Your mother was nothing to me and some goes for you and your brother." I just stood silent. I didn't understand why my heart was breaking at his words. I had been hearing them for the last ten years of my life. Heard how much he loathed my mom and how she was a crazy woman who finally decided to end her own life. On one day I thought it was special to her. I stared at him, my breath coming fast. "Who is this man you want me to marry?" "Amaro De Luca." The name hit me like a slap. I stepped back, shaking my head. "No. That's impossible." "It's already arranged." "The De Luca family is one of the wealthiest in the country. They're powerful. They wouldn't come down here to marry someone like me unless something was wrong." My father's expression didn't change. I turned toward my stepmother, who was standing in the doorway now, her arms crossed. "If this was such a good opportunity, you'd be pushing your own daughter into it. Or his sister. Why me?" She said nothing. Just rolled her eyes muttering something about how dare I compare myself to her daughter. I looked back at my father. "What's wrong with him?" "Nothing that concerns you." "Everything about this concerns me if you're forcing me into it." He stood, his voice rising. "You will marry him, Vincenta. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. You will attend, and you will agree." "And if I don't?" He smiled again, colder this time. "Then Lucein's education ends. Permanently. I've already sent the withdrawal notice to the school board. It takes effect at the end of the week." I felt the ground shift beneath me. "You're lying." "Try me." I looked toward the door where Lucein stood now, his face pale. He'd heard everything. "Vincenta, don't," he said quietly. "It's not worth it." "Yes, it is." I sighed, feeling my entire world tumbling before me. I know I should have pushed my father off the balcony when I had the chance. "No." His voice broke. "I don't want you to do this for me." I crossed the room and took his hands. "You're going to finish school. You're going to have the future you deserve." "Not like this." "It's already decided." My father's voice cut through the moment. "The meeting is at noon tomorrow. So you need to wear something appropriate. Something befitting our status." I turned back to him, my jaw tight. "Fine. I'll go. But if this man is as terrible as I think he is, you'll regret this." "I doubt that." I grabbed Lucein's arm and pulled him out of the office. My stepmother stepped aside, her expression unreadable. We walked outside in silence. Lucein sat back down on the steps, and I sat beside him. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. His body shaking with anxiety. "Don't apologize. This isn't your fault." "I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me." "I'm not sacrificing anything," I put my arm around his shoulders. "I'm making a choice. And I'll figure out a way to survive it." He leaned his head against my shoulder, and I stared out at the street, my mind already turning over what tomorrow would bring. Amaro De Luca. I didn't know him. I didn't know what he wanted. But I would meet him, and I would agree to whatever he asked if everything would go well. For Lucein, I would do anything.