Chapter 9 Someone Below His Level

I swallowed into nothing, feeling beads of sweat gathered on my forehead. Unconsciously, I pressed my lips together, glancing at Scarlet from the corner of my eyes. I cursed under my breath as I noticed her gaze was fixated on us. Diego chuckled, moving closer to me. I shifted back until I collided with the kitchen island and there was no place for me to turn to. Leaning in, he brought his face closer. I shut my eyes tightly, clenching my fist to control myself from pushing him away and that would cause Scarlet to be suspicious. A peck on the cheek wouldn't hurt. Besides, Diego was my husband now. "Did you just admit you are married to him? You're so screwed, Ellie," I screamed in my head. A thought suddenly flashed in my mind. Taking in a deep breath, I said in a low and seductive voice. "Hubby, let's go to the room instead. You can be wild at times, you don't want to start here, do you?" "Oh my!" Scarlet exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "You both should go to the room at once," she said with a giggle. I sighed in relief, that was indeed a close one. "Let's go to the room, hubby," I said, taking Diego's hand and leading him out. We got to our room and I quickly shut the door behind us, resting my back on the wall to steady myself. "You are a good actress I must say," he chuckled annoyingly, earning a glare from me. The fact that he moved closer was pissing enough, did he plan on kissing me if I hadn't said anything? "This wouldn't do. How long are we going to keep this act up?" I asked, a frown forming on my face. He shrugged nonchalantly, like it wasn't his business. Was there a part of him I didn't hate? I doubt that. His reaction to things, the way he talks, walks, the look in his eyes.... I hated all of it. "As long as we can," he said simply. "You walked into this yourself, why don't you finish what you started? Not like I forced you down the altar." He was right, he never forced me down the altar. I made the decision myself, but this wasn't what I had imagined. We being madly in love messed everything up. "Just admit you wanted to be my wife so bad that you pushed Jasmine out of the way. I noticed how you were all over mom, getting her to notice and like you. You are the desperate one here, stop sounding like you hate it," he said. I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. I was going nuts! "You need to understand something, dear husband. I don't like you, and I will never do. Instead...." I paused, taking a step closer to him. I added in a whisper, "I am your ruin." "That's what they say at first. I'll watch you falling for me, helplessly" he said with a wink. I laughed loudly like he just said the most ridiculous thing ever. It was funny to me, very laughable. "You'll watch me from the skies, I guess, because loving you is not in this lifetime." My voice was confident, just the way I wanted to sound. His expression faltered, but he quickly regained composure, tucking both hands in his pocket. "Get ready to go out with me after breakfast. A maid will deliver your dress and you'll make that quick. I hate being late," he said, his tone changing to a super-cold one, his eyes darkening. Shivers ran down my spine, but I wasn't going to allow him to see my fears. "You can go alone, I'm not interested. I'm staying at home," I said defiantly. "I give the orders, wifey." His lips curled into a smirk. "And you obey them. No buts. Or you really want to get punished," he said, casting me one final glance before walking out. I threw my head back in defeat. It's been only a couple of hours with him and I was getting fed up already. Taking my phone, my eyes landed on the picture on the lockscreen; it was my father. Tears found their way out of my eyes as the picture of his corpse flashed in my mind. He had left home, like every other day to work at the Fernandez Group, but he never returned. The picture was to give me strength to keep going. "I'll get revenge for you, father. Everyone involved in your death would pay, I won't spare any of them," I said through gritted teeth. A knock sounded on the door and I quickly wiped my tears, standing up. Opening the door, it was Jade. I flashed her a questioning look, but she just kept staring like she did in the kitchen. Was it obvious that I cried or was it her usual strange self? "Everyone is waiting for you. Hurry down," she said, flashing a cranky smile. I nodded, shutting the door. I washed my face, clearing any traces of tears, before going down to the dining room. There were rows of food on the table, making me wonder if we were hosting more than just the eight of us. Was this how they usually ate? All eyes fell on me, making me a bit nervous. I took my seat beside Diego, bowing my head to the ground. No one had started eating, or were they waiting for me? That couldn't be. Why would the Almighty Chairman Fernandez wait for me when he hadn't even acknowledged me as part of the family yet? "Let's pray," the chairman's authoritative voice sliced through my thoughts. I almost laughed. Did he just say pray? Who was he calling unto? God? Even God won't be so merciful to answer the prayer of this family with an unrepentant murderer. Breakfast was as quiet as ever. I guessed it was a tradition not to talk while eating. "Diego, I'll leave you in charge of the investor's party coming up soon. Prepare a speech to welcome the guest," Chairman Fernandez said, breaking the awkward silence. "Dad! What about me? Why do you give Diego every single task when I'm fucking in front of you?" Marley yelled, banging the table angrily, making the flinch. The food was nice enough, do they have to ruin it by bringing up business talks? "I give it to him because I trust he can handle it. Is that a problem? Do you want the company to go into ruins because of your carelessness?" the chairman retorted. "But, I am the first child of this family! How come none of you fail to recognize that?! Why do I feel like an outcast instead? You don't even trust me, dad. You don't trust your son...." "Listen young man, you being my son is not a criteria for me to trust you. What have you done to earn my trust? Nothing!" The chairman said, his voice rising in indignation. I looked up from my meal, averting my gaze to look at everyone, they were clearly unbothered by the exchange of words. They didn't even act like anything was happening and just continued with their meal. Not even Jade supported her husband. Was this some kind of regular occurrence? "How will I earn your trust when you already put me in the black book? After the incident that happened the last time, you don't entrust me with anything. Do you see the tabloids, dad? A lot are saying Diego will get to take the company...." "And I don't see anything wrong in that," the chairman cut him off. "Enough of this talk. Not a word from you again." "Dad!" Marley half-yelled. Diego suddenly stood up, taking my hand. "We have somewhere to be and we will be leaving now," he said. ***** I puffed out air from my mouth as I followed behind Diego, mumbling incoherent words. He had successfully brought me to some party I wasn't even sure who the host was or the purpose of the party. He halted on his step, turning to look at me. "You might want to smile a bit. I don't want my friends to think I do maltreat you," he said, his tone dropping with mockery. This psychopath had friends? Perhaps, other bunch of psychopaths. He suddenly wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer to himself. Urgh! Another time to be dramatic. "Hey Steve!" He shook hands with someone. A gasp escaped my lips as I saw who it was. Steve Robins, a popular and well-sought lawyer who had won a lot of cases. "Hey bro!" Steve greeted. "Is she our wife?" He asked with a smile. "Yeah," Diego answered simply. "This is...." I interrupted him immediately. "I am Ellie Connors...." I said at once, my eyes sparkling in excitement. Being married to Diego wasn't so bad after all, I got to meet someone who I only see on TVs. "I'm Steve Robins," he introduced himself, planting a peck on the back of my palm. "You look beautiful." My cheeks turned pink... or was it red? This was so good to be real! "I'll be around, bro!" Steve said, giving Diego a pat on his shoulder. "I'll be back," I said to Diego, scurrying off. If he was going to introduce me to a lot of his friends, then I shouldn't be looking so horrible. A little lipstick will do. I found my way to the ladies restroom. I was washing my face when I felt someone stand beside me. "I guess you are Diego's wife," she said in a demeaning tone, scanning me from head to toe with a disgusted look. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't looking so bad. Sensing the bitterness in her tone, I continued with my business, acting like no one spoke. "You are someone below his level," she added.