Chapter 2
480 Words
The man who walked in was Rex. It was our first meeting.
Before this, my father had only mentioned that Rex's father Alistair Cresswell had spent six months pushing for the alliance before finally getting his approval. Even then, my father still wanted more time to evaluate the Cresswell family, so Rex and I had never met in person.
I had assumed he would clear things up the moment he arrived. Instead, he shoved me aside and pulled Yara behind him protectively.
"So you're Stella Carlisle?" His gaze was openly contemptuous. "Don't mistake an arranged marriage for something it's not. Just because the old man wants this alliance doesn't mean you get to act like the future Mrs. Cresswell."
"The woman I love is Yara. The only person I'll ever marry is Yara." He looked me over coldly. "Women like you will never make it into the Cresswell family, no matter how hard you try."
I almost laughed. In Kingsport, everyone knew exactly where the Carlisle family stood. If we claimed second place, nobody dared claim first. And yet somehow, according to Rex, I was the one desperately trying to marry above my station.
The moment Yara saw him, her eyes immediately reddened. She threw herself into his arms, her voice shaking with grievance. "Rex, thank God you're here. If you'd come any later, who knows what she would've done to me?"
"She came in demanding money from your account and even tried to hit me in front of everyone." She clung tightly to him. "I've never been humiliated like this before. You have to stand up for me."
Rex shot me a freezing look while gently comforting her. "As long as I'm here, nobody's laying a finger on you."
Then he turned fully toward me, hostility written all over his face. "Stella, apologize to Yara and leave. Right now."
His voice hardened. "Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next. With the Cresswell family behind me, dealing with someone like you would be easy."
The whispers around us immediately started up again.
"Mr. Cresswell is seriously protective of her."
"Miss Nixon really is his favorite. She's practically already part of the Cresswell family."
"If I were Stella Carlisle, I'd leave before embarrassing myself any further."
At that moment, a message from my father popped up on my phone.
Father: The funds are needed immediately. The project is about to begin.
I had no interest in wasting another second on these people. Ignoring them completely, I walked back toward the counter.
"Withdraw all the money from my account."
The moment the words left my mouth, Rex's expression darkened. He strode over and grabbed my collar.
"Your account?" he said sharply. "That money belongs to me. Stella, if you keep trying to get your hands on Cresswell family money, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."
- Writer
