Married To My High School Bully

Chapter 4

I stared at him as though he had somehow managed to become even more ridiculous since the last time I had seen him back in school. I honestly couldn’t believe this was the same man who had once made my life miserable and was now sitting across from me, calmly discussing marriage as though we were negotiating a business contract.

“We get married for a year,” he said, completely serious.

I blinked at him. “The business school you attended should seriously consider refunding your tuition if this is the best business proposal you can come up with.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head, wondering whether he had lost his mind somewhere between graduation and becoming a businessman.

He rubbed his forehead and let out a long, frustrated breath. “Girl, can you give me one damn second? I’m not finished!” The exhaustion in his voice almost made me smile, because apparently annoying him was one of the few enjoyable things I could get out of this situation.

He leaned back in his chair and continued before I could interrupt again. “One year, Avery. That’s all I’m asking for. You play the devoted wife in public, I play the perfect husband, and when that year is over, we walk away from each other without any unnecessary drama. By then, I’ll have secured my position as chairman, and your family’s financial situation should have stabilized. Nobody gets hurt, nobody owes anybody anything, and we both go our separate ways.”

I stared at him for several seconds, waiting for the ridiculousness of his proposal to reveal itself. Unfortunately, he looked completely serious, which somehow made the whole thing even more absurd. “And what exactly does this imaginary perfect wife of yours have to do?”

His lips twitched. “Nothing complicated. You make me look good when we’re in public, that’s all. Attend the important events, smile when you’re supposed to smile, stand beside me when necessary, and give everyone the impression that we’re madly in love. Once we’re behind closed doors, we don’t have to pretend anything. You live your life, I live mine.”

For a moment, I said nothing.

He must have mistaken my silence for surrender because his expression immediately became more confident. “See? It’s not terrible. We keep things professional, we stay out of each other’s business, and everybody gets what they want. Besides, I have a feeling we’ll get along perfectly well as long as you remember one simple rule.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Which is?”

“Stay out of my way.”

He stood before I could respond and walked around the flowers toward me. When he stopped in front of me, he extended his hand with a smug little smile, as though we had just successfully concluded the greatest business deal of his career. “So, Princess, do we have an agreement?”

I stared at his hand.

Every sensible part of me was screaming at me to walk away. I should have told him to take his ridiculous proposal and shove it somewhere unpleasant, but then I thought about my father, the company, the employees whose livelihoods depended on it, and everything my family stood to lose if we refused.

That wasn’t the only thought that crossed my mind.

There was a darker, more selfish part of me that suddenly wondered what it would feel like to have one year with him. One year to make the man who had tormented me back in school regret every cruel thing he had ever done. Maybe this wasn’t a sacrifice after all. Maybe it was an opportunity to finally return a little of the misery he had given me.

An eye for an eye.

I slowly stood and placed my hand in his. “Fine. We have a deal.”

His fingers closed around mine, and that irritating smile returned. “Excellent.”

Then he leaned slightly closer, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Although, since we’re getting married, perhaps we should seal the agreement with a kiss, Princess.”

I immediately pulled my hand away and glared at him. “Go to hell.”

His laughter followed me as I walked toward the door.

When we returned to the living room, Mrs. Kingsley practically sprang from her seat before we had even crossed the threshold. Her eyes bounced between Damien and me, and she looked so excited that I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had already ordered a wedding cake.

“Well?” she demanded, clasping her hands together. “How did it go? Have you two chosen a wedding venue yet?”

I stared at her.

Why was this woman so energetic?

Damien, apparently enjoying himself far too much, answered before I could. “It went very well. We’ve decided that something small and intimate would probably suit us.”

I slowly turned my head toward him and gave him a murderous look. “We have decided nothing,” I corrected, making sure both our mothers heard me. “We haven’t discussed venues, dates, flowers, cakes, dresses, or anything else remotely connected to a wedding.”

Mrs. Kingsley simply waved away my objection as though I had said something adorable. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry about any of that. I already have a wedding planner’s number saved in my phone. We’ll handle the details.”

My mother immediately joined in, looking far too pleased with herself. “See? I told you they would get along! Isn’t this wonderful, John?”

My father nodded, but his expression didn’t match my mother’s excitement. He looked more relieved than happy, as though he had just watched someone pull him back from the edge of a cliff.

I couldn’t blame him.

He had been watching me ever since we returned to the room, quietly studying my face and waiting to see whether I was truly willing to go through with this. I knew that if I changed my mind, he would probably support me, even if it meant losing everything we had spent years building.

The thought made my chest ache.

While our parents continued congratulating each other and discussing wedding arrangements as though the ceremony were happening tomorrow, Damien leaned toward me. His voice dropped so only I could hear him. “Here’s the first rule if we’re going to survive this circus. Never let them realize we’re not actually as thrilled as they think we are. Give them something to celebrate, and they’ll stay out of our business.”

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “Why does everyone in your family have rules?”

He chuckled quietly.

I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “Fine. Then here’s my rule. Stay the hell out of my way.”

His eyebrows rose, and a laugh escaped him. “That’s interesting. I was about to say exactly the same thing.”

“Then we’re already getting along.”

He smiled but I didn’t.

I looked around the room instead.

My mother’s face was glowing with happiness. Mrs. Kingsley was already discussing wedding arrangements with her. My father looked relieved, while Mr. Kingsley appeared satisfied with the agreement that had just been made.

Nobody knew the truth.

Nobody knew that the man standing beside me was the same person who had nearly destroyed me years ago. Most importantly, nobody knew that…

… I was going to marry the man who had almost r***d me.