KATIE’S POV
Barely ten hours ago, Axel had informed me of the wedding being fixed to take place in five days during breakfast. The words rolled off his tongue so casually that one would assume he wasn’t the one who just offered me money to leave his Father last night. Thoughts of how there could be more to what was going on in this family grasped my mind and filled it with black clouds and loud bangs as it threatened to rain confusion.In the end, I concluded that I was finding my way out tonight. There was absolutely no way I was going to walk down the aisle with a male that was twice my age.A low sound echoed from the metal door, and my eyes trailed towards it. It sounded again until it was eventually pushed open, his thick legs making their way gently towards me.“What do you want?” The words made their way out quickly as my back found comfort in the wall, the yellow duvet serving as armour around my chest.“Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you.” Maverick said calmly, but who was I to put my trust in the words of another stranger?“That doesn’t answer my question.” I snapped at him.The sharpness of my tongue had always been my protector and guide from harm. Growing up, most called me rude and repulsive, but life had taught me how to hold my ground firmly beneath my tiny feet and make a difference.A soft rumble escaped from his dried lips before his butt hit the edge of the bed, causing it to make a squeak.“You remind me of my late wife. So bold and courageous.” He informed, and a thin line caressed his lips again.My eyes shot out as an unsettled feeling sank into the depths of my stomach, sending warnings to my body. But I gave him no response.“I know you probably hate me.” He paused, his eyes holding mine. Even though it caused me to stiffen, I don’t look away. “I know you obviously don’t want to get married. Not to an old man, after all.” He inhaled deeply as thoughts of which direction he was headed clouded my mind. “But I need you to help me. I need you to marry me.” He completed, and a low scoff made its way past my parched throat.“And why would I want to do that?” I threw at him.It was criminal enough that I was sold and bought against my wish, but there was no way I was doing this. Absolutely no way.“Because…I’m dying.” He dropped the bombshell, and my vision blurred twice as my lashes made their way down and then up.The words echoed in my head, yet it sounded baseless to me.“I refuse to believe that.” I came clear, and his head moved upward and downward.“I wasn’t expecting you to believe that easily.” He responded, his once Grey eyes now filled with sadness, causing it to darken. “I have cancer. We found out a few months ago, and the doctor…he said I have just six months to go.” He paused to laugh softly while a mild pain spread through my heart. “Don’t blame them. They just want to see their father happy until the day of his death.” He added, his eyes getting darker with each word.I found myself believing every word he said. Even though I pitied him, I doubted that I was willing to push ahead with this.“I’m sorry, I can’t…” My words trailed off the second his palm wrapped around mine warmly, sending my body to jerk up.“Please, before you say no, please hear me out.” He pleaded. “It’s just for six months, and after that, I promise you that you can get your freedom. I also won’t touch you. No physical touch, nothing. Whatever it is, it will be nothing but a facade.” He stopped to force on another smile.My eyes trailed from his to his palm, and watched him immediately pull it back while muttering an apology.“I just want to see them happy. If this makes them happy, then I want to go ahead with it. I have…I can’t die knowing that I couldn’t grant them their last wish, which is a happy family. I can’t….” His voice broke gently, and I watched his eyes glitter with eyes.My heart-wrenching at the sight of how much he loved them.“But you can literally marry anyone else?” I questioned, and he gave me a nod before raising his head to look my way again.“I tried. No one wants to marry a dying man.” He joked, but I could tell that his voice was laced with pain.As I watched him battle with his toughest spirits, I couldn’t bring myself to say no again. After all, it was just for six months, and then I would get my freedom. Plus, refusing would result in being sold again, and I couldn’t bear that.“Just six months and no physical touch?” I raised a brow to confirm.“Yes. Who knows, I might die sooner.” He responded, causing me to pin my lips together.“We have a deal then,” I informed and watched his fading Grey eyes returning with a little ounce of life and a touch of hope.Even though I knew this was at the expense of my happiness.****“We meet again.” I heard a familiar voice say, causing me to turn around to look his way.My heart skipped a beat at the sight of how gripping he looked.Pulling my eyes away from him, I stared back into the space. I had gotten down early for dinner, and I couldn’t understand why. It could probably be because I was on the verge of breaking down from the thrill. That had to be the best explanation for why I couldn't sleep a wink all day nor was I able to do anything productive.It wasn't like I did anything in the house. However, I had so many questions that needed answers reeling in my mind. However, I didn't think this was the right time to ask Maverick.Knowing that he was going to die any time soon must be so agonizing for him and I wondered how he always managed to put on a smile.My mouth felt dry all of a sudden, but I didn’t move or blink.“Hi.” I greeted briefly.“Ouch!” He exclaimed as he continued to make his way towards me. “Putting up an act again?” He asked, and I rolled my eyes.“That makes the two of us.” I snapped and watched his brow raise for some seconds before it returned to its position.“So, did you make up your mind yet?” He asked and immediately leaned in closer. “What’s your prize?” He added, a smirk on his face.His offer was so good that it seemed like the best option, but I doubted that I wanted to take any favours from someone like him. Also, I made a promise to Maverick.I squeezed a smile on.“I would prefer you address me well, Axel. Remember, I’m your stepmother.” I threw at him and watched him scoff.Bitterness spreading to the back of my throat from having to call myself that. Never did I think I would be in a position yet I refused to be disrespected and reduced to nothing.“So you are picking him? Guess you are cheap after all.” He mocked, and immediately, I felt a burning rage soar higher inside of me.My palm was itching in an urge to connect with his face like a puzzle.“Mind your words!” I warned sternly and watched his smirk grow bigger.“What do you intend to do if I don’t?” He dared and I could tell that he meant trouble, and trouble he shall get.I understood that he bought me, but he was overstepping his boundaries, plus I hated two-faced people. Pretending to be nice in front of his dying Father and acting like a monster behind him felt disgusting.“You are disgusting,” I confessed and watched his lips twitch as he attempted to say something. I was ready to take it heads on with him.“You came?” I heard a familiar voice say, and I turned towards the door to see a splitting image of the male standing in front of me.I pinched myself a little on the side to check if I was dreaming or staring to see things.His eyes searched my face, but he said nothing but leaning away to look towards the door, too.“I felt like it would be fun to finally have a family meal after a while.” He responded, but I could sense sarcasm.Only that I had no idea who was who.“What’s going on?” I asked out of confusion.“Katie. I see that you met Blaze, my twin.” Axel informed me, and at that moment, my jaw dropped as embarrassment washed all over me.It wasn’t that he was pretentious. He was a totally different person, and I felt stupid.“Your what?” I questioned.“Guess no one told you about me. Brother here must have forgotten I exist.” He said mockingly, followed by a laugh that didn’t sound like it came from his heart.“I just didn’t think that was an important detail to add, but I’m glad you met our new stepmom. The wedding is in five days, and you are invited.” Axel said and settled on the seat.Blaze’s fingers made their way to the strawberries, and he picked one up, then threw it into his mouth and munched on it gently.“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Blaze responded, then turned to look at me with a grin on his face.I felt the inside of my mouth get dry as I struggled to swallow the lump of saliva I could gather while bitting my lower lip.KATIE’S POV My eyes ran over my reflection again for the umpteenth time, and my insides tightened every single time. Here I was, dressed in a beautiful flowing White gown. A gown so expensive and breathtaking.However, the joy of putting it on wasn’t there. Unlike what I used to picture my wedding day to be like, this was nothing like it. It was either because I was getting married to an older man or because I felt wronged by my stepmother.My thoughts slowly drifted to what she could be up to now. Probably wining and dining somewhere, living the life of a Queen. In contrast, I wallowed in pain here.Smile, Katie. It's your wedding day.The voice in my head mocked, and I felt my eyes sting with tears, but I knew better than to ruin my makeup.The door let out a squeaking sound as it opened slowly, my eyes catching the reflection of the maid.“The car is ready, Ma’am. We need to leave for the church now.” She informed, causing me to nod before taking a last glance at myself.Smile, Ka
KATIE’S POV It had been days since the wedding, and Maverick had kept his promise and stayed in his lane. We never slept in the same room, but no one knew because I always ensured to sneak into the room late and wake up earlier than everyone. Walking down the stairs, I head towards the kitchen, wanting to help with something. Sleeping, waking, eating, and doing nothing daily took a toll on me because I hated being idle. I wanted to do anything at all to take my mind off the predicament I was going to be stuck in for months. The thought of telling Maverick about resuming school crossed my mind, but I had no clue how he would react. It was either that or I take up a job, anything at all. The aroma of the soup filled the air with Zina’s back turned towards the door.“Is there anything I can help with?” I asked and watched her fidget a little out of fear before turning around to look in my direction.“No…Ma. We can handle everything. It’s our job.” She responded, her purple hair packe
KATIE’S POV I could feel their intense Eagle eyes trying to penetrate my flesh as we walked toward wherever he was taking me. Almost everyone turned to look and whisper hush words to one another, making me wonder what happened in their minds. We stopped in front of a glass door, and I watched him grab the knob and hold it open, then beckoned me to step in. It felt unsettling, but I did regardless; he stepped in and closed the door.The whole room immediately went silent. Their eyes fixated on me. Us. The men sitting in the room, men of about Eight.“Apology for the delay,” Maverick said, breaking the silence, and the men finally dragged their eyes away from me to land on him.“The meeting just commenced.” One of them spoke. He was dressed in a Blue suit with a white inner and Blue tie. His Brown hair was neatly trimmed. “Do you mind an introduction?” He asked, his eyes trailing over me.“Oh! My bad.” Maverick responded, then chuckled softly before making a way to the chair, and I fo
AUTHOR’S POV“What do you want, Father?” Blaze asked once again, obviously irritated by his presence.Most times, he despised the fact that this man was his Father. Deep down, Blaze knew Maverick was nothing but a monster. He always has and always will be.“Always in a hurry, hun.” Maverick joked, then laughed dryly.He still couldn't wrap his head around how he and his son had fallen out, how they had learnt to live like enemies.“As you can see, I’m too busy for pep talks,” Blaze responded harshly, and Maverick felt something unsettling grip his insides—the hatred in his son’s voice.The boy who once ran out to him every time he pulled up from work while yelling Father on top of his lungs.“You haven't been coming home…”Blaze let a sigh break free.“Okay, since that's all. You can leave now.” He informed coldly.Maverick’s eyes trailed over his son’s face, and he could tell he had failed, failed as a Father.“My company, Blaze, you need to come oversee it.” He informed and watched
KATIE’S POV“Fix me something.” I heard the familiar voice say. The coldness it held sent a sprinkle of fear down my spine, causing me to slowly pull my eyes apart just in time to see him talking to Anna.My body had gotten used to the little nap after the day’s hectic movement. The weakness I felt was an evident means of my body telling me I needed rest. But I doubted my heart would ever be at peace if I did not address this.“Blaze!” I called out softly and watched him tilt his head to look my way before he slowly dragged his eyes back, feigning ignorance of my presence. “I want to…” My words were cut short the second he started to walk upstairs, and I quickly sprung up, trailing behind him too, walking as fast as I could to keep up with his pace.“I need to talk to you, Blaze. Wait.” I informed him, but the words fell on the complex, marbled floor because I got no reaction from him.His steps got farther as he did all possible things to place gaps between us. I had to run a little
KATIE’S POV I barely slept a wink all night because every time I closed my eyes, I would find him there, standing close to me or, worse, still lying in bed next to me. It was as though Blaze loved torturing me, but this time, it was just my mind playing tricks with me.“Hi.” I greeted them casually as I stepped closer to them. They were all having a meal. “Sorry, I slept late.” I apologised, my head banging a little.My eyes met his as he sat across the table, and I could feel my cheeks heat up. However, his eyes held no emotions, and it was as though he was unaffected by last night. Gradually, he pulled his eyes away to land back on his meal.Settling down into a seat beside Maverick, I watched a staff dish my food. Silence hung in the air, thickening with each second that passed by. It was as though they were all robots controlled by their owners, having no say on their own.Was this what being a family meant? Seconds blended into minutes, and soon, our plates were abandoned, with
KATIE’S POVMy mind was currently blank without any thoughts. All I did was stare at the beautifully carved ceiling of my room as I lay on my queen-sized bed in my pyjamas. I sighed as I rolled around, feeling very restless. The sound of a knock on my door made me perch up on my elbow and stare at the door like it had done something else that it wasn't designed to do. The knock came again, and I scrambled to my feet, yelling, “ Coming.” I pulled the door open, and lo and behold, Maverick stood at the other side, hair tousled about, suit missing, two buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned, his sleeves were rolled up, and you would never believe he was the father of three sons. I cleared my throat when I realized I was staring at him like a dead fish. “ Oh, Maverick, hi.” “ Hey, Katie,” “ Wh-what brings you around here?” That's probably the most abnormal question a wife could ever ask her husband. But the thing is, Maverick and I are strangers. We're not a normal modern couple, and
KATIE'S POVI was watching him like a hawk, and when I saw his fingers move, I sat up instantly, praying that it was my eyes and lack of sleep that was deceiving me. The doctor has said that he would wake up anytime soon, but that didn't guarantee anything.But when I saw his fingers move again, I yelled silently for joy, punching the empty air with my fist. I moved closer to him and leaned against the bed stand. A small groan escaped his lips as he shook himself awake. When his eyes opened, they didn't open fully, but àinto slits before he shut them back immediately due to the bright sunlight. “ Oh fuck! That was bright.” He yelled and slowly adjusted his eyes to the intensity of the light. Although I did notice something, he still looked weak, and his voice wasn't loud, but it was audible and clear. “ Katie? What are you doing in my– Where is this? Where am I?” He asked, looking around.“ Maverick, you're in the hospital. You fainted, and we had to rush you here for treatment.” I