Marrying my high school bully

MelissaPublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

My palms became clammy with sweat as I avoided his unsettling gaze. It didn’t waver, instead he fixed it on like I was the only one who mattered. The only woman in the bar.

I cleared my throat since I was becoming more jittery by each passing second. “What would you like to have?”

His stoic gaze turned puzzled. “You want to get me something? I think I should be the one doing that since I barged into your privacy.”

“Well, you did.” I chimed in and we both laughed at my snide remark. Then I signaled the waiter to come over. “Why are you in a bar? You should be with your family right now.” I forced the difficult question out of my mouth, while gauging his reaction.

The atmosphere was already tense even though we didn’t act like it, and I didn’t want to further heighten it.

“Lilly is my only family.” He spat coldly.

I cocked my head to the side, maintaining a straight look and ignoring the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “Just Lilly? What about the woman that came with her? Seeing how close they were, I suspect she’s Lilly’s mom…” I didn’t mention Emilia’s name intentionally to keep my cover up.

He kept a low profile and talking about his personal life like that would surely raise some suspicion.

Anger flashed in his brown orbs, his lips pursed tightly. Watching how uneven his breath was, I knew that it would be hard for him to talk. “Emilia is just a baby mama to me, and I regret sleeping with her. If Lorraine hadn’t hurt me the way she did, then nothing would have me tied to that witch.” The bitterness in his tone was very obvious, and strangely, I was happy that he didn’t love her.

I clenched my fists and shook my head. I shouldn’t be happy about it. My focus had to remain on my revenge.

“What did Lorraine do?” I asked carefully, eager to hear what he had to say about me.

The waiter waltzed to our table, causing a break in our discussion. One glance at him and I could see the relief on his face.

Did he really hate me that much?

He uncorked the bottle of Pinot Noir and poured the content into our wine glasses silently. I tried to look away, but my eyes were fixed on his long and capable fingers that were wrapped around the bottle, causing a throbbing sensation between my thighs.

He raised the cup with a little smirk. “Cheers.” He said, his lips closing on the rim of the glass.

“Yeah. Ch-Cheers!” I smiled nervously and gubbled the wine down.

“So you were saying something about her?” I reminded him again.

He dropped the cup and relaxed his spine. “All I know is that she is a corny and cruel woman who didn’t think twice before taking the life of my sister. Do you want to know the worst part?” His voice shook with unhinged anger.

I sucked in air and took another gulp, hoping that he wouldn’t sense my tensed state. “Yes, I’d like to know.”

“She did it on our wedding day.” He whispered and if I didn’t know Dexter well, I’d think he was about to cry. “She left me alone at the altar and killed my sister.”

I sighed tiredly, “Don’t you think that she might have her own side of the story?” I asked gently and he whipped me a look that said I shouldn’t repeat such again, but trust me to be stubborn so I continued. “Maybe she was kidnapped and forced to kill her. Besides, you should have known if she had enemies that were willing to scuttle her happiness.” I suggested with a bored tone but I deeply wished he would see it from my point of view.

Unfortunately, I was alone in my analogy. “That’s not true. I saw her pull the trigger. It was so clear.”

Alright. That only meant that I had to get the complete video from that day and show it to him. It would be the final straw to break the camel’s back.

“I’m so sorry.” My voice cracked because I was actually sorry to see him in so much pain. It was very obvious that he hadn’t moved on and somehow it gave me hope.

He nodded, the scowl slowly disappearing from his face. “Can we talk about something else?” He suggested.

“Like?”

“Like how a woman can be so feisty and undaunted at the same time.” He drawled with a flirtatious edge.

As Lorraine , I was jealous, but right now, I’d forget all about my vendetta and have fun with this handsome man who was looking for a way out of his problems.

“Do you like me?” I asked without mincing words and his eyes widened in surprise.

He roared in a fit of laughter while I rolled my eyes. “Maybe I like you. You match my personality and I feel relieved just by staying with you for a few minutes. Only Lorraine made me feel that way.” His countenance became sullen as he struggled to keep his expression unreadable.

‘You feel that way because she’s staring right at you.’

The words remained stuck in my throat because telling him that would only end my plans before they even began. “I’m happy you feel better and I think the red wine is helping as well. Don’t you think?”

He leaned closer to me and my body became taut with anticipation. “Melissa,” He called softly while I shivered, enjoying the sultry manner at which my name rolled out of his lips. “I don’t need you to drag this on.”

“What am I dragging on?” I asked, totally encapsulated by the sexual atmosphere he unintentionally created.

“I want you to agree to my terms. Be my company’s brand ambassador.” His eyes pleaded with me.

I nearly scoffed in disappointment. My heart had already skipped a beat, hoping that he would ask me out on a date but he just had to talk about work.

For sure, I wouldn’t pass up on his offer. It was a means to end, and the bonuses were really good, but I wanted more.

“I told you that I’ll give a reply once my lawyer is done reviewing the contract.” I stated blankly.

He pulled backwards. “I just want to make sure you don’t change your mind.”

A thought struck my mind. “You’re overly persistent about me working with you, why is it so?”

His gaze became intense. “It’s simple. My heart accepts you and I know you will deliver even if it’s the first time you’ll be working with us.” He replied honestly and my eyes burned with unshed tears.

The memories of how he supported me in the past flooded my mind without restraint. I couldn’t hold it anymore, so I picked up my bag abruptly and left since I couldn’t trust myself to keep my emotions in check.