Married To The Masked Billionaire

002

ALIVIA’S POV.

My blood boiled furiously as I blinked the tears that threatened to fall from my face away.

Suddenly, it all didn’t matter anymore. I loved Daniel, right from our university days, when he had approached me for tutoring at a specific course. We grew on each other and had married right after we graduated. I thought we should take things slow but he didn’t pay that too much thought, I just loved him without questions. And when he said he had a vision, I invested my efforts and every ounce I inherited into his vision to make DCM Corp—a company that was nothing but a figment of a greedy man’s imagination.

I built DCM Corp and yet, I watched my own husband stab me in the back by handing it over to his mistress.

I was more than hurt, it felt as though life was going to end.

I could hear heels tap against the marble floor and with that much sass, it had to be Eliena.

“Daniel owns this mansion,” she said calmly and continued, her pitchy voice bringing me back to the present. “And I own everything he owns now.” I never missed the way she stressed the ‘everything’.

”What do you want?” I spat. Eliena’s palm struck my face hard and a resounding slap followed.

My cheek stung from the pain as tears blurred my eyes. I looked up to see Eliena’s face hanging low and a figure backing me with a mask strapped to his face. Kinnaird.

Realization dawned on me as tears rolled down my face. Kinnaird slapped Eliena. I wasn’t sure how I felt, my own husband never stood up for me when I was harassed and yet, his bastard of a half brother stood up for me. Weird as that sounded, I felt a warm feeling in my chest.

“Touch Alivia again and you’ll curse your parents’ first kiss.”

Kinnaird said coldly and wheeled me out of Daniel’s mansion, leaving Eliena stunned. I felt blood rush to my legs and I tried to stand and ask Kinnaird what game he was playing. Kinnaird was notorious for being calculating, it was his strongest suit.

“Don’t touch me!” I barked, crumbling to the floor following a failed attempt to walk. “Why are you doing all these?”

Kinnaird straightened up, his height towering over me. He had to be taller than Daniel, Daniel’s height never really towered this much. Wearing a mask that covered more than half his face made him totally unreadable—unpredictable.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he ran his fingers through his hair. Few strands caught the sun and gleamed like sun dust. “You don’t know.” Kinnaird said calmly, a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

“Know what? That you’re suddenly acting like you’ve taken a liking to me long before your brother’s death? Yeah, I find it suspicious,” I fired back immediately, still glaring daggers at him from the floor.

“Half,” Kinnaird corrected and I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t my desire—playing nanny with a half-paralyzed widow, but you have something I want.”

Playing nanny with a half-paralyzed widow. Kinnaird’s words hit home harder than they should’ve, more than I should’ve cared. My heart stung at what his words.

I found myself fueling my desire to walk with the hatred for Kinnaird as I mustered strength to get up and oh, did I stand on my feet.

“Impressive.” Kinnaird chuckled, moving closer to me, his arm resting on my waist while mine rested on his shoulder.

I tried protesting but his rigid stance made it clear he wasn’t going to budge. Kinnaird kicked the wheelchair out of our way as he led me to the car, tucking me well before taking control of the wheel.

“So,” Kinnaird began, his eyes never leaving the road. “I said I wanted something from you. Aren’t you curious? Most people usually are.”

I glanced at the meadow that spread across the countryside as the car cruised the road, the breeze that brushed through them, it was always a sight to behold with Daniel, although he never cared much. Now, it looked even more beautiful without Daniel.

Wasn’t I insane? My own husband ripped my heart into pieces with his betrayal and yet, I was hopelessly thinking about him.

“Alivia?”

“I’m not curious, Kinnaird. Frankly, I don’t think I care anymore,” I replied tiredly.

“Do you know about levirate marriage?” Kinnaird asked after an awkward silence that befell us. My mind wandered for an answer. “I suppose you do.”

I was suddenly confused at his sudden change of subject. Why was he asking me about such an odd and outdated culture out of the blue?

“It’s our family’s custom. The husband’s brother must claim his deceased brother’s widow as his.”

Kinnaird stated the words simply yet it hit me like a brick to the chest. My head began spinning as everything began to click. He had been protecting me the entire time, Eliena said he checked on me often, it was all in servitude for the their f****d up tradition: I must marry Kinnaird.

Our eyes met in the rear mirror, his slit eyes lingering on me unfathomably cold—it was impossible to tell what he was feeling whereas I was a whirlpool of emotions.

My hand subconsciously gripped the handle and opened the door mid motion on the highway. “Stop the car!” I screamed and the car screeched to a halt almost immediately.

“Alivia, what the f**k?”

Walking felt strange once again but I braced myself as I walked away from Kinnaird’s car on the highway while he chased after me.

“Do you wanna join Daniel? There are far more creative ways for that, but not now!”

Kinnaird vigorously shook me back to reality as I stared at his eyes through the slit mask. They were icy yet they held back intense emotions; distraught, fury and despair.

Why would a fearless man such as himself be in despair? That was a mystery I planned subconsciously to solve.

“My brother was never a people’s person, he had a lot of enemies. And after his death? Who’s next?” Kinnaird spat and gave me a chance to think before saying: “You must accept the levirate marriage, Alivia. That, or you get yourself killed.”

I wasn’t given the chance to reply as gunshot sound filled the air. Kinnaird spun me around and his white shirt got soaked in blood at the arm. He gave me a look and pulled me towards the car hurriedly, driving crazily on the highway like speeding tickets never existed.

“What the f**k just happened?” I screamed, shaken from what had just happened. Someone aimed at me and Kinnaird took the bullet. My thoughts raced a hundred miles per second in my head as I tried to come to terms with that.

“Ready the jet! We’re near,” Kinnaird ignored my questions as he gave orders on the call until he turned to face me. “This city isn’t safe for you.”

Fear gripped me harder than before as Kinnaird’s words hit me. I had a target locked on my back. Kinnaird drove faster as sirens wailed behind us.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I watched Kinniard drive and dodge lorries like a getaway driver. He delved into a small area that led to a hangar and we alighted from the car into another.

“Take care of the license plate,” he ordered and led me to the new car that drove off gently until we reached the hangar, a private jet awaiting us.

Kinnaird led me to the jet and left my side after ensuring I’d settled in. I stifled a groan as I heard Kinnaird groan—the bullet was clearly being removed—behind me but I couldn’t turn to watch. Whether it was guilt or fear, I wasn’t sure.

The smell of alcohol soon permeated the air as Kinnaird took a seat opposite me, his mask still hanging on his face. Does he ever take it off, the mask?

Kinnaird wouldn’t talk. He only stared at me blankly but I could tell he was reading me. But I had questions, so I asked.

“You want something from me,” I whispered. “What’s it?”

His lips pursed into a thin line as he replied. “Daniel was a fool but I’m clearly not blind, he might’ve owned DCM Corp on the outside but everyone knows who the brain is.”

A chuckle escaped my lips before I could control but I continued as I mouthed an ‘oh’. “So that’s what it’s about. You want my help.” I smiled. “You need my help,” I corrected. “You acted like you had no moral compass, not one string that tied you to worldly principles and affairs, and yet here you are, trailing your brother’s pathetic way.” I spat angrily.

“I’ve allowed myself to be used once, Kinnaird. You’ve underestimated my self esteem if you think I’d be a fool twice.” I added and got up to stay away from him but my legs turned wobbly as they gave in.

I ended up in Kinnaird’s arms and for the first time, I finally saw his icy eyes up close. They were simply unreal.

“So much rage in those eyes,” he muttered as he inched closer to me. “Now, they won’t be about losing my brother—you won’t be mad at that. You worked so hard to get DCM Corp to be in the city’s limelight, and it slipped through your fingers to another woman’s.” Kinnaird’s fingers carefully took a wisp of hair away from my face. “You’re infuriated, but you’ve somehow convinced yourself that you’re helpless.”

“Don’t speak like you know me.” My voice broke into whisper as Kinnaird’s eyes continued to stare deeper into my soul through my eyes.

“Oh, but I do.” Kinnaird smirked as he covered the distance between us, muttering against my lips. His expression this time wasn’t unreadable, it seemed…intoxicating.

“You want revenge,” Kinnaird’s lips teased mine until I was drunk in his raspy voice, his icy blue eyes and powerful earthy scent that mixed with the warmth alcohol to disinfect his wound. It made me heady.

He made me heady. “Let’s get it together.”