7

Scarlett Mila Rodriguez

Ava and I head to the library in this mansion. Since we don't get to have our phones yet we're reading books to make the day go by faster.

"Have you read this one?" She says holding up a book.

"Nope, is it good?" I ask while looking through the shelves.

"Good? It's fantastic! You're taking it and reading it right now!" She says pushing the book into my hands.

A little life. The title says. I guess I'll give it a read then.

"Alright thanks." I say giving her a friendly smile.

I know I shouldn't trust her, but Ava's been so kind to me, and I don't get why because I've been an asshole to everyone in here. Including her.

As we make our way back downstairs the other girls are seated in the living room.

Alright maybe I should give being nice a try. I haven't even given these girls a chance.

"Hi." I wave to the three of them.

Cassandra looks me up and down once looking almost disgusted.

Well fuck you too.

None of them responds. I roll my eyes. Why am I even trying.

Ava grabs my arm suggesting we leave.

"Is this how you act around Rowan too, Scarlett? Rolling your eyes?" Cassandra says and I turn back to look at her. What's that supposed to mean.

"What?" I ask, confused as to where this is going.

"If this is how you act around people, you'll end up as your brother. Just warning you." She says an evil smirk playing on her lips.

The room goes dead silent.

The comment hangs in the air, and I freeze. The other girls gasp softly, their eyes wide, but none of them dare say anything.

Then something snaps inside of me.

I laugh.

It's not the kind of laugh that comes from something funny. It's sharp, bitter full of rage.

She swings her hair to the other side and stops looking at me. I walk up to her and grab her shoulder and turn her back around to face me. They have all seen me fight. And she would be no match for me. She knows it too, because right now she looks scared.

"You think you can talk about me like that and walk away?" I say but it's not really a question.

"I'm just stating the tru..." she says, regretting it immediately. I have to give it to her, she's bold.

"Shut. Up." I say cutting her off. The sound is sharp, cutting through the room. It's louder than I meant it to be, but I don't care.

"I swear to god, if you ever say something like that again, I'll make sure to wipe that smug smile off of your face for good. Do you hear me?" I say letting go of her shoulder. She nods fast, tears forming in her eyes. Pathetic.

I can feel the whole house's eyes on me. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

***

A knock on my door. I go open it and a servant tells me that Rowan wants to see me in his office. Of course Cassandra ran to him the moment she could. But I don't regret a word I said.

I take a deep breath before I push open the door to Rowan's office.

Cassandra is already sitting in one of the chairs, still sniffing dramatically. I say nothing as I take the seat beside her.

Rowan stands behind his desk, arms crossed, eyes sharp as he glances between us.

"I don't care what happened between you two, this ends now." He says.

Cassandra lets out a sob, and I can partially feel her trying to paint herself as the victim. I can't help the scoff that escapes me.

"She threatened me! I was just trying to make conversation and she...went off on me!" Cassandra blurts out, wiping her eyes.

"Oh please." I mutter under my breath.

Rowan's eyes flick to me and I can feel the weight of his gaze.

"What? I told her to stop talking about things she doesn't understand." I say unbothered.

"That's enough." Rowan cuts in, his voice hard. "Cassandra. Leave."

With a huff she stands, throwing me a tearful glance before she leaves the room. Closing the door softly. Leaving me and this asshole alone.

I stiffen in my chair, preparing myself for whatever lecture is coming.

Rowan steps around his desk, standing directly in front of me. He's mad.

"Are you fucking serious? You've been here for what? Three days and you've already succeeded in making everyone your enemy." He says.

I stand up, standing too close to him, but I don't care. He can send me home right now and I would be happy. I meet his gaze, refusing to back down.

"She crossed a line." I say.

"Yes, but that's not how you handle it. I'll handle it. You keep quiet, and wait for me to fucking take care of it." He says, clearly very mad at me.

"You can't tell me how to handle myself." I say through gritted teeth.

"I can do anything I want sweetheart, so don't test me. Now, Get. Out." He says finally, his voice cold.

I turn around and head for the door. Just before I leave, I glance over my shoulder. "You don't scare me, Rowan."

I say then shut the door hard behind me.

***

After a few hours our next test is up and this time Alessandro has put up a different kind of test. More intimate, and I hate it already. Each of us is supposed to spend alone time with his son.

Like a...date.

God I even hate the thought of it.

Alessandro says "it's a chance for Rowan to get to know his future wife." And the idea of it makes my skin crawl. I don't want to be here and the last thing I want is to pretend this is some kind of romantic game.

My blood still boils when thinking about Rowan. He humiliated me in his office and put me in my place, as if I'm a child who needed scolding.

And now I'm supposed to sit through this ridiculous date with him? Great.

I stand by the fire place in the grand sitting room, waiting for him to arrive. I choose the simplest dress I could find. A light blue one, not too tight, not too fancy.

When Rowan finally steps into the room, I don't look at him. I can feel his presence immediately. Tall, cold, commanding as always.

He doesn't say anything for a long moment.

He finally clears his throat. "This wasn't my idea, you know?" He says.

I glance at him, frowning. His hands are tucked in his pockets. His face calm but there's something different about him today. He's less rigid, less guarded. It throws me off.

"What do you mean?" I ask, crossing my arms.

He shifts, meeting my gaze for a second before looking away again. "All of this," he gestures around the room. "The marriage, the tests, this whole thing. It's not what I want." He says. I blink, caught off guard by his words. It's the last thing I expected from him.

"So...you don't want to get married?" I ask my voice laced with doubt.

Rowan shakes his head slightly. "No." He says.

"Then why go along with it? This can end today if you just say it. Send everyone home and you'll be free from it all." I say hoping he'll do so.

"It isn't that easy. Not when everything is planned for you, I can't stop it." He says.

For a moment I just look at him, unsure of what to say. I always thought he was a part of this twisted plan. But now seeing him like this, it's like I'm seeing a different side of him. A side that is trapped, just like me.

I laugh a little at the situation. "It's kind of sad how similar our lives are." I say as he nods.

"Yeah. It is." He says, his tone softening.

"Thank you for telling me." I say. Somehow his confession makes me feel just a little less alone.

"Don't get used to it, Mila." He says meeting my gaze. I give him a smile. A genuine one.

"I wasn't planning to." I say.

I don't trust Rowan, and I definitely don't like him. But for the first time, i don't hate him either.

And that might be more dangerous than anything.

Any thoughts so far? I want to know everything>>>