Chapter 5 So attractive
1164 Words
*RENEE*
"Do I really need to go see him? I'm on an IV drip," I let out.
"I think the drip bag should be empty now," Chad replied as he walked into the room.
I sighed as he confirmed that it was indeed empty.
Chad disconnected it and repeated, "Mr. King wants to see you urgently."
Taking a deep breath, I sat up. It's not like I could avoid him anytime I wanted to.
He was my husband.
I got off the bed and followed Chad downstairs.
I found Marcelo seated in his wheelchair.
The luggage I had come with was in the center of the living room, and my stuff was scattered all over the ground. I hadn't had time to unpack, but what was this?
"Why did you go through my things?" I asked him.
Chad moved closer to me and explained,
"Mr. King is not used to people around him. As you might've noticed, he is very skeptical about you, as you were previously engaged to his cousin. So we had to search your things and—"
Before Chad could complete that, Marcelo threw something at me.
It was a small bag.
"You really are even more despicable than I thought."
I frowned as I opened the bag. I saw a lot of small bottles of pills. I didn't even know what the pills were—I had to read the label on each one.
Some were aphrodisiacs, some were made to help with getting pregnant quickly, while some were potency-enhancing pills.
I swallowed hard.
How did this get into my luggage?
"You're so eager to birth my child already. Is that your plan? You agreed to marry me because I'm the wealthiest man in the King family. You married me even while you obviously love Andrew."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I snapped back at him, aggrieved.
"That box should tell you what I'm talking about. The box you brought into my house—the box of your memories with Andrew," he sneered.
My heart raced as I approached the box for a clearer view.
I opened it to see that there were a lot of photos of me and Andrew. It felt as if we had a beautiful love story, when in fact, Andrew and I never even went on a date, not even once. These photos were clearly fabricated—photoshopped!
What was going on?
I looked at more items in the box. There were heart-shaped necklaces and a bracelet. There were even love letters.
"Did you seriously take me for a fool? Oh, because you heard I was crippled, you thought I could be easily manipulated. I know women like you. I've seen a lot like you, and you're so going to regret having the nerve to become my wife!"
I shakily stared at his cold, dispassionate eyes.
Even if this was a loveless marriage, I knew that these keepsakes were an insult to Marcelo. It was something no man would easily stomach.
"I didn't bring any of this, I swear. Andrew and I were never—"
I paused, knowing that he was never going to believe me.
Any explanation would seem like a lie and a feeble excuse.
I swallowed hard and let out, "I'm sorry."
"You are not going to last long in this house."
With that, he rode his wheelchair away.
I stared at the stuff found in my luggage, trying to comprehend how it got there.
And then I recalled the night when I was packing up.
When I was done, I had gone to use the bathroom. But when I came back, I saw Catherine leaving my bedroom.
I hadn't thought much of it because I was simply glad I was leaving that house.
So this was what she came to do?!
Catherine had always been jealous of me since we were small.
I always wondered what there was to be jealous of.
She had everything while I had nothing.
She was always given everything, but once she saw me with the smallest of all things, she would want it as well.
She was not just jealous—she was purely evil to me.
That was why I wasn't too surprised when I saw her with Andrew.
But she clearly didn't want Marcelo!
So why would she do this to me?
I didn't need to think too much for the answer.
She clearly didn't want me to live a peaceful life no matter where I went.
She wanted Marcelo to loathe me, to think of me as a gold digger, and she had indeed succeeded.
I guess there was no way Marcelo and I would ever get along.
*************
Days passed and I didn't see Marcelo, even though we lived in the same house. It was as if he couldn't stand the sight of me, so he did everything not to cross paths with me.
I tried to think of it as the best, though. At least, he wasn't hurting me—physically.
One morning, my cellphone rang out.
It was Sarah, my closest friend.
"Hey, Sarah," I began as I answered the phone.
"Renee, things are not looking good. Catherine sabotaged the projects you were working on. They've brought in a new stylist."
As a stylist, I often worked in the same circle as Catherine, and she had a habit of messing with my business.
Why can't she just leave me alone?!
"I'll look into it."
Sarah was quiet for a moment before she drawled,
"So... you haven't given me any update on your sudden marriage? How are you doing? Is Marcelo King everything the media says he is?"
I sighed heavily as I walked out of my bedroom. I was still on the phone. I just wanted to go downstairs and get a drink.
"He is—and worse. He's so cruel and a total douche..."
I paused on the stairs when I saw someone sitting on the couch in the living room.
My skin was littered with goosebumps when he looked my way.
It was Marcelo.
He was clad in a black suit, and he looked so impeccably handsome.
He slung me a cold glance and then looked away.
I swallowed the thick lump in my throat.
Did he hear me insulting him on the phone to someone else?
Oh God.
I shouldn't be doing anything to make him hate me more than he already did.
"I'll call you later," I told Sarah. With that, I hung up.
I thought about explaining myself to him. I could lie and say that I wasn't talking about him just now.
Just as I was summoning up the courage to face him, I watched him stand up to his feet and head for the door.
Oh boy, he was so tall and so very handsome.
I would never understand why he needed to pretend to be crippled.
I never thought I could find a man's walk so attractive.
- Writer
