Chapter 2

“I want Enrique to end this case by marrying me.”  A silence dropped in the room when she declared, flabbergast fell in the room, wondering if they heard her right or not. “Come again?”  They asked again, blinking to fathom how she could speak this so openly, without a glint of shame.  They firmly believed they heard wrong but inhaling deeply, she held her dress with all her might, lowering her gaze sorrowfully. “I.. want Enrique… to marry-”  Before she could continue this sentence and enhance the fury she already managed to induce in everyone, Enrique lost his mind at her ridiculously demand.  “DO YOU THINK IT’S A FUCKING JOKE!?”  Growling, he slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone by his anger, glaring dead into her eyes, horrifying her to witness the side she never saw before. “Where was this before when I was actually ready to give you a damn chance huh? Where were these words before?!”  With a snarl, he leaned close, all of them were silent and stunned when his outrage dispersed in the air, expecting this reaction after facing whatever happened.  “The audacity, Stella, the damn audacity. Don’t you feel any shame after disgracing our name before the media?”  Noah added with a dry chuckle, taking a step back, covering his face with his hand. “Is that why you stained my character?! Humiliated me, ruined me terribly? How could you?” Enrique asked, narrowing his eyes, disheartened. He was becoming crazy from rage and wrath.  And her demands were shattering his patience. Wiping her tears, she gathered her posture, her strong facade and stared back into his dark blue gaze unwaveringly. “If you can’t do this, I won’t back away.” She demanded firmly, fingers fidgeting around her dress yet she refused to back away from her words. “How shameless could you be?” Noah asked in low, disappointed resonance, scanning her body with disgust, clenching her heart by his looks.  The way he looked at her, it shattered her heart.  Impotent to hear these remarks anymore, she also slammed her hand on the table, getting up, exhausted from the resentment she received. “Because I am not lying! And if you won’t bury this matter now, I will let the whole world know what kind of animal you are!” She yelled, she pointed her finger at the man with dark blue eyes, staggering him at her unforeseen outburst. “Stop lying!” He yelled back, pointing his finger back in contempt. “I am not lying!”  Growling, a tear pricked in the corner of her eyes.  Enrique gasped at her enunciation, taking a step back. Dejected and heartbroken when she stayed on her words. “Just you watch, if this marriage happened, I would make your life hell so you regret taking such a step, Stella.” Enrique threatened her openly.  Her heart skipped a beat, knowing he would make her life hell but she had no choice. She reached the point of no return.  Grabbing her bag furiously, she glared at both brothers with tears glistening in her eyes. “I don’t care. Consider it a warning now, if you won’t do as I say I would drag all of us to doom.” She threatened openly, ignoring the glares she received.  “Don’t play the victim card.” Sir Arthur called, frowning deeply at her daring action of ruining all of them for her stubbornness. Pushing her hairs back, she refused to shed a tear and gave them a dead look, certainly not going to back away or accept defeat as she walked away with her final warning. “Believe me, Sir, I am not. Either you wipe the stains on my name or I will ruin all of us.”  After leaving the Arthur family at the point where negligence was no longer an option, Stella left for the court. Her eyes were dried, face held an unreadable expression. Her soul was submerged into sorrow but she didn’t allow her gaze to display it. She bore it all with an unaffected facade. The moment she stepped into the court, reporters rushed to her. Thrilled to have their breaking news, even if it was ruining one’s life. “Guys, here she comes, Stella Ross! Ma’am! Would you like to make any statements? Do you think you can bring his true face to the world?” The reporter Lia James rushed, tried to get a talk out of her. “No comments.”   But, refusing to open her mouth, Stella ignored the questions thrown to her and walked away. “Ma’am! Ma’am!” They called but ignoring them she took a seat silently, resting her one leg over the other, trying to discard the questions.  “The hearing will start in an hour. You stay here.” Her lawyer told her. She nodded and stayed there with a long sigh, staring at her hands. Her chest clasped into anguish, words at the edge of her tongue but refusing to release themselves. She couldn’t take it and to enhance the intensity a shout echoed in the air, gaining her attention. “Here he comes! The alleged! Sir, Miss Stella had made such a big accusation on you. Do you have anything to say about them?”  The reporter asked when Enrique Arthur came with a stoic expression, darker and harder than how it used to be.  “I have. But, not to you.”  His deep dominant tone came, approaching Stella with steady steps which made her breath hitched in dread. “Sir-”  They opened their mouths to ask, to get his perspective but he simply walked towards Stella, frightening her.  “Guys, he is going to Miss Ross!” Gaining everyone’s attention, he was right before her, staring dead into her eyes.  “Stella.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced herself to rise from her seat and look at him with a strong posture. “Enrique.” Taking a step closer, he leaned down to her ears, sending a shiver down her spine at their proximity. “Take back the case. Do not insult me further.”  She opened her mouth to stay firm on her demand but exhaling, he looked back at her with dejection, defeated and desperate to save the leftover dignity he had left. “If that is what you want, just, don’t perish the respect I gained in all these years into soil. Don’t become this selfish.” He whispered, curling his hands in a fist, infuriated but trying not to show it. “If I could, I would.” She whispered back sorrowfully, closing her eyes, powerless to look into his intent orbs. “Stella.” She stiffened when Enrique called her dominantly, sending a shiver down her spine when he held her arm tightly enough to leave a mark. “What?” Whimpering, she narrowed her eyes, scared of his ferocious expression. Everyone was invested in how he held her. Concealing his fury, making her arm hurt. “This marriage will become your biggest mistake. I would ensure you suffer hell from this moment onwards.” He warned her, ready to break his boundaries and show her hell.  Upholding her frontage, she whispered, “I don’t care.”  Exhaling, he took a step back as everyone came to keep the alleged away from his victim.  “I see…”  “Sir, you can’t-”  The security was about to stop him but he proposed out of nowhere, flabbergasting the whole spectators. “Marry me, Stella.”  Her eyes widened, not expecting him to truly offer his hand. “I am willing to place all the false allegations you have placed upon me behind and accept you.”  Using his deepest, most charming tone, he flashed an irresistible smile, waiting for her to take his hand and unwillingly place it behind. “Allow me shelter the remaining dignity you had left. Marry me.” He whispered, smiling continuously. Intensity increased to see Stella’s reaction and boring the outcome of her actions, her trembling hand took his, followed by a series of astonished gasps. “It was a false allegation after all! She was doing this to have the most wanted bachelor after all!”  The reporter shouted, disgracing her name in a matter of heartbeat, shattering whatever she used to have into dust, taking his hand with a purely heartbroken soul.  “Control your words.” Enrique snarled, glaring at the reporter to watch her words about his future wife. He came closer, smirking devilishly which went unnoticed by everyone, whispering temptingly in her ears, “Now. You are disgraced as much as I am.”  She narrowed her eyes, holding his hand tightly, shaking badly, lips parting to call him hopelessly. “Enrique-”   But, pulling his hand away, his work was done.  He had sworn to take revenge.  He did what she wanted and no longer felt necessary to stand next to her and ruin his mood and walked away. Leaving her all alone to bear the taunts of the people around her.