Roman stared at the brunette that had been brought to his house. He didn't care one bit about her. It made sense since he didn't know her. This was his first time meeting her, but he already knew beforehand that he would never care about her. Worst part was that she was about to become his wife in an arranged marriage.
"So this is North," his mother said.
He kept staring at the two women. He knew the right thing would be to introduce himself and maybe even try to force a smile but he couldn't. He couldn't care about her or anyone else for that matter. No woman would ever win his heart. Not since that dark night.
"Roman, where are your manners?" His mother asked.
"You're acting as if I ever had them," Roman fired back.
"There was a time," she sighed.
"Don't!" He growled. "Just fucking don't!"
The worst part was that this North person actually reminded him of her. He never got her name. She was a blonde woman with a pair of beautiful blue eyes that was full of fear. Fear of dying. He had done everything he could to save her.
"Help is on the way," he said. "Hang in there."
The woman in his arms moaned in pain. He had called for help, dragged her out of her car and pressed his scarf down on the wound in her chest. She was bleeding badly. He had no idea how long she had been there or what had caused the accident. Probably the heavy rain. If anyone else had been involved, they were gone. He had come across her crashed car.
"Come on!" He muttered. "Hey, stay awake. You can't die on me. I won't let you fucking die on me. Do you hear me? You aren't fucking dying on me!"
She opened her eyes. Beautiful sea blue from what he could tell in the light from his car. She looked frightened.
"Hey, look at me," he said softly.
She managed to move her eyes in the direction of the voice. He did his best to stay calm and smile at her.
"Hi, I'm Roman. Can you tell me your name?" He asked.
She made some noises but no words came out. It was clear she was struggling to breathe, and speaking was too hard on her.
"It's okay. You can tell me later. I'm gonna come visit you in the hospital. Once you're better, I'm gonna take you out for dinner. Would you like that? I'll take you anywhere you want. I'll treat you like a princess all night. We're gonna do whatever you like to do," he said.
She managed to move her hand to his. She squeezed as much as she could through her pain. It wasn't a lot but it was enough for him. The feeling of her fighting and trying to tell him that what he was doing mattered. That she liked the idea of a date later on. At least that's what he was hoping she was trying to say. The sound of sirens broke through the rain.
"Do you hear that?" He smiled again. "They're coming for you. You're gonna be okay. I promise."
She wasn't okay. She died later in the hospital. His mother brought him the bad news next morning when he was getting ready to go to the hospital and ask to see her. His mother gave him all the information he needed. Her name and when the funeral was. He didn't go. He read about in the paper but it wasn't his place to be. He didn't even know the woman, yet he hadn't been able to let go of the blonde in his head and his heart in all the years. He had grown cold and hard. He didn't love anyone or anything anymore. And now he was getting a wife. A woman he didn't want.
"Okay, since Roman apparently won't be a gentleman today, let me show you to the bedroom," his mother said.
He didn't care. He watched his mother escort the brunette into the bedroom. He poured himself a tall glass of whiskey while listening to his mother trying to comfort his soon to be wife.
"He's not that bad. It's just a front he puts up. Once he gets to know you, he'll let his walls fall. You're gonna be a great couple," she said.
He sneered at that. His mother had no idea how wrong she was. He was not gonna let any walls fall and let any woman in. His heart died that night in the rain. It was buried in a coffin with a blonde woman who would never open her blue eyes again.
He didn't give a damn about this North woman. Sure, he would marry her and play his role as a husband out in public, but inside his house, she was not gonna be his wife in any way. She was gonna be his property, and he didn't care how much he would hurt her along the way.
"Roman," his mother said.
He felt her hand on his arm. He tore his arm away and turned to look at her.
"Do you really need to drink tonight?" She sighed.
"What's it to you?" He asked.
"Look, I know you're not happy about this but I promise you I picked the best candidate. And let's be real here. It's not like a lot of women applied. Sure, you got money but your reputation has already reached far. Most women fear you," she said.
"Good," he said.
"Just marry her and treat her good. She's here to please you. She's not gonna be a problem. And soon you'll inherit your dad's company. It's the only condition he has. You have to be married," she said.
"What if I don't care about the company?" He asked.
"You wouldn't marry if you didn't," she smirked. "I know you want the money. He's gonna cut you off if you don't."
She left his house after those words. He slammed back his drink, poured another and aimed for the bedroom. He eyed North up and down with a predatory look. It would be easy to take her if he wanted. She looked at him with a frightened look.
"Go sleep in the other room," he said.
She nodded and walked towards the door. He grabbed her arm and stared her down for a few seconds. She kept her eyes on the floor and tried controlling her trembling body. He smirked at the sight. His mother was right. She wasn't going to be a problem. She was gonna do whatever he wanted. He let go of her arm and she hurried to the next room. He closed the door and sat down on the bed with his drink.