THE VENGEANCE OF THE WAR GOD

Chapter 6

Mrs. Earnshaw stormed down the corridor and pushed the door open without knocking. The force of it made the hinges cry out.

Her eyes landed on Dustin. She froze for half a second, then anger flooded her face when she took in his simple village attire.

“Is this the trash you want to marry our beautiful granddaughter to? The goddess of this city?” she snapped at the old. “Are you losing your mind, old man?”

Mr. Earnshaw’s expression darkened immediately. “Mind how you speak to me. I am the head of this family and my word is final.”

“Final?” she laughed bitterly. “Serena deserves better. Someone like Ferdinand. You know Ferdinand is the son of the Quilox Group, the same people who have been challenging you in business for years. Marrying Serena to him would be a breakthrough for this family. Someone worthy. Not… this thing.”

Mrs. Morgan quickly stepped forward to support her. “Exactly. Ferdinand is respectable. Influential. Who is this village rag you brought into this house?”

Mr. Earnshaw scoffed loudly. “Ferdinand? The same Ferdinand?”

His tone shifted, heavy with meaning.

“I can tell you this for free. If Serena marries him, she will regret it for the rest of her life. Ferdinand is a playboy.”

The room fell into a brief silence.

Serena said nothing.

Because that was not a lie. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides as an ugly memory flashed through her mind. It was Ferdinand who had spiked her drink and tried to raped her. Her grandfather was right on this, whether she liked it or not.

Mrs. Morgan’s eyes grew watery as she cried out, “Only if Serena’s father were alive, he would never accept all this!”

Mr. Earnshaw’s voice turned dangerously cold. “Woman, be careful what you say. This is my decision and it is final.”

The tension in the room grew thicker by the second.

Dustin, who had been silent all along, finally spoke in calm voice.

“If I may…”

All eyes turned to him.

“How about I speak with my future wife alone,” he continued. “Anything she says after that, I will accept. If she insists on leaving me, then I will leave.”

Mrs. Earnshaw looked at him like he had uttered a blasphemy. “You? You pauper, smelly thing. You don’t have any right to speak to our daughter.”

Mrs. Morgan joined in immediately. “Know your place! calling her your future wife. you could only dream”

But Serena was staring at Dustin. Interested in what he could possibly have to say.

“Okay,” she said sharply. “Let me listen to what the hell he has to say. You promised you will accept my final decision.”

Dustin nodded once. “Yes.”

Serena turned toward the door. “Let’s talk in my room.”

As they began to walk out, Mr. Earnshaw’s voice followed them like a command carved in stone.

“Your position as the heiress is on this!”

Serena grumbled under her breath.

Why is this old man like this.

When they entered her room, Serena shut the door hard behind them and turned to him sharply.

“You promised you would come to end things. I shouldn’t have believed you. Someone as poor as you would do anything to enter a rich family.”

Dustin let out a slow breath. “Okay. I’m sorry. I really planned to end things. But something happened, and now I have to be your husband.”

Serena stared at him in disbelief. “Is this what you have to say to me? This nonsense? Why is this happening to me?”

Dustin kept his voice calm. “You know your grandfather won’t like it if you refuse to go ahead with this. He even threatened your position.”

“I don’t understand why he is that adamant just because your father once helped him. This is ridiculous.”

Dustin paused before speaking again. “What about this. We get married for just three months. If after that you still want out, I will quietly leave.”

Serena frowned. She folded her arms. “Why should I believe you? You already went back on your word once.”

“We will make it official in a private marriage agreement,” Dustin replied. “Your grandfather won’t know about it. Since it will be legal, I will have to leave when the time comes. And I won’t take a dime from you.”

Serena’s expression shifted slightly. She began to think.

There was no way this marriage would not happen if her grandfather insisted. But this… this gave her a way out.

After a few minutes of silent consideration, she looked at him again. “You better not go back on your word.”

“I won’t,” Dustin said.

“But here is my condition,” she added quickly. “First, there will be no official wedding. Just a quiet signing. That’s all.”

Dustin nodded.

“Second, you will not parade yourself as my husband. You will keep quiet about it. It would be a huge shame to me if anyone finds out I’m with someone like you. I feel sick even thinking about it.”

Dustin gave another small nod.

“And third,” she continued firmly, “there will be nothing like what couples do. We will not share a bed. You cannot touch me without my permission.”

Dustin blinked. “Then what is the essence of marriage!!!”

“We are not marrying,” Serena snapped. “This is just an arrangement. You will not touch me.”

Dustin sighed quietly. With these conditions, there would be no easy way he could have sex with her. But he needed time. He needed access.

His eyes drifted briefly to the necklace resting on her collarbone. The pendant was still there.

He nodded. “Okay. Let’s do that.” He vowed to make her fall in love with him. in time she would be the one begging to marry him

Serena lifted her chin slightly. “Better for you. If not for Ferdinand, someone like you would never even dream of sleeping on the same bed with me”