Page 11 of Scarred Devil

“Oh, that,” he says.

“Yes, that! I want to leave my room, but your thug won’t let me.” I’m not even trying to keep my voice calm anymore. Remembering how the man blocked my path like I was a grounded teenager makes my blood boil.

“Since you have refused to be sensible, I decided not to take any chances.” My father shrugs.

“Sensible? What does that even mean to you?” I ask in surprise.

“It means that since you have refused to listen to me, I’ve decided to stop being lenient with you,” he says as he puffs his cigar.

“Lenient with me?” I scoff. “When have my needs meant enough for you to be lenient with me? All my life, you’ve done everything for yourself and your golden child,” I snap.

“Watch how you speak to me.” I see his eyes grow darker, but I couldn’t care less. He’ll have a pretty hard time marrying me off if I’m damaged goods.

“Does my opinion not matter?” I continue brazenly. “I don’t want to get married! Especially not to the man you’ve chosen for me…and all in the name of the family business,” I fume.

“It is the same family business that has given you the luxuries you’ve had all your life,” my father says with a menacing look.

“I never asked for any of that!”

“I don’t care.” He shrugs. “Start getting used to being married to Lev Ivanov. Nothing will stop that marriage from happening.” He glares at me, and my heart races wildly.

How can he be so stubborn?

Does he not care about me at all?

“Please…Dad. I don’t want this,” I try another approach since screaming at him didn’t do much good. “Anything but this. I don’t want to be tied to a man I know nothing about. I don’t even know what he looks like. From what I’ve heard about him, he’s a terrible person. Please,” I say as tears start to gather, threatening to tumble.

He fixes cold eyes at me from behind his desk.

“One day, you will understand that I am doing this for your own good,” he says, taking a sip of his wine.

My own good??

For fuck’s sake!

Utterly hopeless.

I know there is no changing his mind. For a moment, I contemplate running away. Then, an idea strikes me. If I want to leave this hell, I need my aunt’s help. She might be the last person on this planet who can help me.

I give my father one last look before I turn around and leave his office. I curse when I find the man who escorted me here waiting outside. He hovers over me as I return to my room.

I rush to my phone and dial Aunt Diana’s number.

“Hello,” I say on a pent-up breath when I hear her voice. “Aunt Diana…” I’m close to tears.

“How are you, Aurora?” she asks.

“Not good,” I reply. There is a long silence on the other end.

“Is there… a problem?” she eventually asks.

“It’s my father,” I say, trying to steady myself. The events of the past few days fill me with dread. From the way things are going, it is obvious my father isn’t going to change his mind.

“What about him?” she asks. Though I try to control it, I start crying.

“Aurora? What is it, dear?” she presses.

“He wants to marry me off,” I manage to choke out. My words are met with dead silence. “Aunt Diana?” I ask, wondering if she’s no longer on the line.

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