Married To My High School Bully

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my mother’s terrified face hovering above me.

For one horrifying second, I had no idea where I was. The last thing I remembered was standing in the dining room, staring into the face of the man I had spent years trying to forget, and then everything had gone black. My heart immediately began racing again, and I pushed myself upright so quickly that my mother had to grab my shoulders to keep me from falling back onto the couch.

“Easy, sweetheart,” she murmured, smoothing my hair away from my forehead. “You fainted, that’s all. Just breathe slowly and stay still for a moment.”

I blinked several times and looked around the room.

Then I saw him.

Damien stood several feet away, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest. He had changed out of the suit he had worn to dinner and was now wearing what looked like one of his father’s shirts, the sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows. He looked completely at ease, and the sight of him immediately reminded me that the nightmare I had hoped was nothing more than a bad dream was, in fact, very real.

His eyes met mine.

There was something almost amused in his expression, although confusion lingered beneath it.

“Did she faint because of me?” he asked, and there was just enough pride in his voice to make me want to throw the nearest pillow at his head. “I didn’t realize my arrival would have such an effect on her.”

I stared at him.

Of all the things he could have said, that was what he chose?

“No,” I muttered, my throat still dry. “I fainted because your cologne is terrible.”

His eyebrows rose.

Then that familiar smirk appeared.

“Oh, good. I was beginning to think you were impressed.” He pushed away from the doorframe and looked down at himself as though genuinely considering my complaint. “Although, if the smell is the problem, that’s easily fixed. I changed clothes, and I haven’t put any more on.”

Mrs. Kingsley, who had been hovering nearby, suddenly laughed. “Oh, darling, don’t tease her. The poor girl has only just regained consciousness.”

“She started it,” Damien replied, glancing at me.

I narrowed my eyes.

His mother shook her head, but there was an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. “If this is how she reacts to meeting you, perhaps I should keep some smelling salts nearby. We wouldn’t want my future daughter-in-law fainting every time you walk into a room.”

I groaned and grabbed the nearest pillow, pulling it over my face.

This couldn’t be happening. I wanted to disappear.

My mother gently tugged the pillow away from me. “Don’t hide your face, Avery. You’re all right now.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I fainted in front of my future in-laws.”

Mrs. Kingsley laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve done far more embarrassing things in front of mine.”

I lowered the pillow slightly and stared at her and… She winked at me.

I couldn’t help it as a tiny laugh escaped me.

Then my eyes moved back to Damien and the smile disappeared because, there he was.

Alive, healthy and successful.

Standing in front of me as though the years between us had never happened.

He didn’t recognize me.

That was the part I couldn’t understand.

I had spent years trying to erase him from my mind, while apparently I hadn’t even left enough of an impression on his.

The irony was almost cruel.

I stretched my lips into what I hoped passed for a convincing smile, then pushed myself to my feet. “I just need some air. Excuse me!” I announced to everyone before anyone could ask questions, and I headed for the nearest exit without waiting for permission.

I didn’t have a destination in mind. I only knew that I needed to put some distance between myself and the man who had somehow managed to irritate me within minutes of meeting him. The dining room suddenly felt too warm, the conversations too loud, and the fact that everyone seemed perfectly comfortable with the idea of me marrying this arrogant stranger made my skin crawl.

I walked farther into the estate until I spotted a large garden stretching along the far side of the property. It was beautiful, almost ridiculously so, with rows of carefully trimmed hedges, flowering bushes, tall trees, and winding stone paths disappearing beneath the moonlight. The fragrance of roses and several other flowers drifted through the air, filling my lungs with a sweetness I should have enjoyed, but my mind was too tangled to appreciate any of it.

Why hadn’t I asked who they were pairing me with before I agreed?

The question had been tormenting me ever since Damien walked into that dining room. I had said yes almost immediately when my parents told me marriage was the only solution left to save Wita, the furniture company my father had built from the ground up long before I was born. I hadn’t cared who the man was because, at that moment, all I could think about was my father.

I couldn’t stand watching him fail.

Wita wasn’t just a company to him. It was his life’s work, his pride, the result of decades of sleepless nights, sacrifices, and decisions that had slowly turned a small business into something our family could be proud of. I had watched him pour his blood, sweat, and every ounce of energy he had into that company, and now I was supposed to sit back and watch everything disappear because he couldn’t keep up with the debts anymore.

What was I supposed to do?

Sell myself into a marriage and hope it worked out?

Or watch my father lose everything he had spent his entire life building?

Neither option sounded like a choice.

I eventually found a quiet patch beneath a large tree where dry leaves had gathered over the grass. I lowered myself onto the ground without caring about the dress my mother had spent days choosing, stretching out beneath the tree as I stared up at the dark sky. She would probably have a heart attack if she knew I had ruined the expensive dress by sitting on the ground, but at that moment, the dress was the last thing I cared about.

I closed my eyes and began searching desperately for an escape route.

There had to be one.

Maybe I could convince my father to accept a smaller loan from someone else. Maybe I could find an investor. Maybe I could get a job and somehow make enough money to help him. It sounded impossible, but marrying a man I had known for half my life sounded impossible too, so perhaps impossible was simply the theme of my life tonight.

I must have been lying there longer than I realized because, when I finally opened my eyes, a familiar pair of expensive shoes stood a few feet from my face.

I slowly lifted my gaze.

Damien was standing over me.

Of course he was.

He looked far too pleased with himself, his hands tucked casually into his pockets and that irritating half-smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Under the moonlight, he looked every bit like the smug billionaire heir he probably was, and the fact that he had managed to find me so quickly only made me dislike him more.

“So, what’s on your mind?” he asked, his eyes narrowing with amusement as he looked down at me. “Let me guess. Me?”

I immediately sat up and shifted away from him, brushing a few dry leaves from my dress. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was trying to figure out how to escape this entire situation.”

His smile remained, although it seemed a little less confident than before. “That’s disappointing. I was hoping I’d made a stronger impression.”

“You did.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Just not a good one.”

He laughed softly, apparently amused rather than offended. “You’re certainly honest.”

“I can’t marry you.”

That wiped the amusement from his face.

For the first time since he’d arrived, Damien looked genuinely surprised. “What?”

“You heard me.” I lowered my eyes to my hands, suddenly finding the leaves beneath me fascinating. “This is a terrible idea. I don’t know you, you don’t know me, and judging from the short amount of time we’ve spent together, I already know you’re going to be impossible to live with.”

He stared at me.

And for the first time that evening, Damien had nothing clever to say.