CROOKED VOWS:The billionaire's thirst for revenge

Chapter4

Rachel's pov

We and the remaining servants that my parents could still pay scoured through our house, and they did not even find my younger brother’s shadow.

Now what we did find was that his wardrobe was missing a lot of clothes and my father's safe in his office had been opened.

A safe that contained $19 million dollars that had been loaned to him recently with our family's beach house as collateral.

As soon as I saw that empty safe, I knew that my fate was sealed.

That moment, without anyone prompting me, I picked out my phone and texted Mr. Maxwell.

It read, I’d love to go on a date with you.

That very night he arrived at 8:00 on the dot while our date was 30 minutes away, and he took me to an exclusive rooftop restaurant.

“I was getting worried that you would turn me down,” he said, the aura around him as charming as always as he sat down.

We ordered our food, and after the entree came the main meal.

I talked a lot about myself.

Well, not ‘a lot’ as in ‘my family was in hot soup, and we didn't get him to swipe his card a few times to save us; we were screwed,’ but I told him about the general structure of my family.

How I had a younger brother, my life in college as a scholarship student was a lot, really.

But when it came to him, he would deflect so tactfully that by the time I blinked, I was back to talking about myself.

The only information I was able to wring out of him was the same that you would get from any search on the internet.

That he was one of the youngest billionaires in the country, the CEO of Maxwell Industry.

As loose as he was with his pocket, so did he guard any intimate information about himself; all my efforts of grilling it out of him failed.

At the end of our date I felt like I knew less about him than before.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” He asked me while leaning against his car after driving me home.

I forced a smile as natural as could be.

“I actually did, a lot too. It was one of the nicest places I've been to on a date.”

He smirked, “That's nothing; I plan to take you on even better dates than tonight. I'm just warming up.”

“Oh, but you don't have to—”

“But I want to,” he said, straightening up and cupping my cheek, his eyes flicking down to my lips. “I want to, so let me.”

My face heated at the touch of his palm alone.

He was so handsome that he looked unreal.

That was the problem.

His warmth felt curated; maybe it was just the insecurity built up from previous relationships, but the alarm bells were going off in my head throughout the entire date and even right now.

Mr. Maxwell—or rather Ethan—said all the right things at the right time, less like he was talking to me and more like he was performing to an unseen audience.

Nothing he did felt sincere.

I felt like I was being pulled into a hole that was as deep as those eyes of his.

“Okay then, don't be angry if I get too much to handle,” I said, trying to c***k a joke.

“You can be as difficult as possible; I'll handle you anyway.”

He said and pressed the lightest kiss on my forehead, like he was afraid I was on the verge of breaking down, with the smallest of touches being a possible trigger.

I was about to head into my home when he suddenly held my arm, pulling me back gently.

“I know this might sound crazy, but I already see myself with you for the rest of my life. During our date I wondered what we could have as our wedding playlist. So I want this to be exclusive to you and me. I'm not the type that shares.”

The way he was acting would be a dream come true for anyone.

And even though I thought I was crazy for behaving this way, I had to know this man for longer than two days.

I mean, I did go to that party looking for a husband, but that was a state of absolute desperation.

And Ethan Maxwell could be described in many ways, but ‘desperate’ was definitely not one of them.

I knew it wasn't just my insecurity talking.

Why would he want me?

A man who could have any caliber of woman in his bed with a flick of his fingers had already decided he wanted to settle down with me in less than 48 hours?

If nothing else in my life had ever screamed shady, this definitely did.

But if he was just a creep after my body, he already had a chance and didn't do anything with it. What else could he want from me?

We weren't even officially a thing yet, and he was already talking about marriage.

“Let's go one step at a time,”

I said, and the way his face instantly became cloudy and dark sent shivers down my spine. I gently pressed my palm on the side of his arm.

“I mean…” I tried to elaborate, “Let's start as a couple first, huh? I think we can get to know each other a little bit more.”

His face brightened up instantly.

“There's nothing interesting to know about me; I'm a workaholic, and that's pretty much it. I would like to know more about you instead, Rachel.”

He kept watching me until I disappeared into the house, but even as a smile was the last thing I saw, the only thing my mind could recall was that darkened look on his face that was for sure go

ing to haunt my nightmares.

Something was telling me that I might have chewed more than I did swallow.