She watched him get dressed from the edge of the bed and put her shirt over her head. He had an open duffle bag next to her, half packed. He went to the dresser by the door and took out a white t-shirt. He threw it over his tan body and took two other shirts out before shutting the drawer. He walked to the bed and shoved them in the duffle bag. She watched him zip it shut and glanced up at him. He cracked a smile. She smiled back weakly.

Zane's hand touched the top of her head and moved down to her cheek. She closed her eyes and tears traveled down her pale cheeks and onto his hand.

"When I see you, it's going to hurt." She said with a quiver in her voice. "When you leave, I'm going to die." She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

Zane grabbed her face and leaned down, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. He knelt down in front of her. More tears came from her eyes.

"Leave with me. Tonight." His eyes brightened up and shot around her face. The wrinkle on his forehead showed the anxiety that was absent from his eyes. "I'll come for you, at your house."

Shy shook her head slightly in his hands. "He won't let me. He'll destroy your family."

Zane shook his head. "He won't. I won't let him. He won't know. We could stay somewhere else. My dad will understand."

Shy put her eyes down. "Zane, don't tease me. Don't play." She sniffled.

Zane tilted her head up as he said, "Look at me."

She did.

"I love you." His eyes met hers as he said it. "Desmond could track us down all he wants, he could try to take everything away from me, God could curse us, but I will love you."

Shy looks into his eyes and immediately believes him.

"Leave with me." Zane said again.

Evan stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at them, waiting for Zane and Shy to come down. He heard her go to Zane's room late last night when he couldn't sleep. The maids went around him, shining and dusting to prepare for their next guests. His father was signing the papers in the dining room stating that Desmond was now a partner to Nikolias and Sons. It angered him that he had no say in anything. His father was giving away rights he shouldn't have to and his brother was upstairs jeopardizing the rights they had left.

Evan looks at his watch. Desmond could easily have bought them out. He was being nice to please and pacify his fiancé who had made friends with the unfortunates. If he only knew how friendly she actually got.

Zane opened the door and let Shy out. He brought his bag out behind him and she knew her things would be packed already by Desmond's order. Zane closed the door behind himself and kissed Shy once on the lips before heading downstairs ahead of her.

Evan saw his brother come down the steps with Shy not far behind and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else could see.

Zane placed his duffle bag over his shoulder and met his brother at the bottom.

"It's over." Zane said before Evan could utter a word.

The look on Shy's face as she descended the staircase made Evan believe what his brother said. Shy looked unbelievably upset. Her eyes didn't rise above his chest when she reached the bottom and they were rimmed in red no doubt from tears that were shed.

Desmond came from the dining room with the contract rolled up in his hand as Zander followed behind. He seemed jubilant for the first time in very long and Zander seemed solemn. It was like Desmond had just sucked the life out of him. Shy raised her eyes slightly to look at Zander. Evan turned around to greet him and Zane stepped off of the final step, leaving Shy standing alone. She lowered her eyes again. Zander looked at his youngest son then at Shy and wrinkled his eyebrows. Zane averted his eyes.

Evan extended his hand to Desmond. "Thank you for your hospitality Desmond, it's been a pleasure." He lied. "Now I must go see my wife."

"Ah, yes, marriage is a bliss that we will experience sooner rather than later." Desmond shook Evan's hand and made his way to Shy, pulling her close to him from the stairs.

"What?" Zane said, without thinking.

Zander looked at his son. Desmond smiled at Zane, making his eyes glimmer.

"I've moved up the date. Considering Shy's father is in such poor health about now, I figured it would be in his best interest to get married sooner so that he may see it." Desmond said as Shy's eyes glanced up at him sharply.

"By who's account?" Shy said, quickly.

"When?" Evan said in a cheery tone, taking the attention away from her.

"Well I asked the minister and tomorrow night in a quaint ceremony at Shy's house would be sufficient enough." Desmond said still staring at Zane. Then, he looked down at Shy next to him and said, "You said yourself that you did not want a large occasion."

Shy turned on him. "I will not marry without my father's presence."

Desmond mock smiled at the Nikoliases. "Women are so fickle."

Zander stepped up and took Desmond's hand. "I think we'd better get going boys. It looks like these two have a lot to discuss and we've taken much of their time together away already. Desmond, thank you."

"No thank you, Zander. We do have much to discuss." Desmond looked at Shy by the corner of his eye.

"Zane say goodbye." Zander said sternly.

Zane stared at Shy whose head faced the ground. She glanced up slightly and met his eyes. He turned and walked out of the house without saying a word.

"Zane!" Zander called after him but the door slammed shut.

"I'll go, father." Evan jogged out of the door to catch Zane before he left.

Zane was outside mounting his motorcycle and putting on his helmet. Evan walked up to him as Zane started the engine and revved it up.

"Zane, are you trying to give yourself away?" Evan shouted over the noise.

"No I'm trying not to give her away, Evan!" Zane growled.

"Zane, it's over! He won. People like him will always win." Evan said, standing in front of the motorcycle.

"You're wrong." Zane mumbled. He spun the motorcycle to face opposite of Evan and sped away.

Desmond sent Shy home alone from the house they spent the weekend in saying that he had some other business to attend to before leaving. She was relieved in a way that she had escaped him so easily, but it struck her as odd. She knew once he did return home she would have to answer questions that she did not want to. Questions about how Zane reacted to the news of their rushed wedding and how she could not look him in the eye.

Shy knew Desmond was not a stupid man. He was a business man, trained to pick up on subtle human body language to make any situation turn in his favor. She feared that his calmness was only backed by the fact that he knew everything and would unleash on her soon enough. She had to hurry.

Her driver let her out of the car and began gathering her things to take inside. Shy entered the house that she grew up in only to be greeted by the other woman at the door. Delia – hiding the truth that she was very much intimidated by Shy – smiled at her as she entered.

"I heard about Mr. Angelis., your father." Delia said softly.

Shy just looked at her. "I need your help and your confidence."

Delia's eyebrows furrowed and she looked around. Shy grabbed her chin with one hand and turned her face to hers. Delia could tell by the urgency in Shy's face that this was not something to take lightly.

"Do I have it?" Shy said, her face stoic.

"Shy, I don't know what you want me to do." Delia said quietly, her chest rising and falling more quickly.

"Bring my things upstairs and quickly." Shy said letting her face go and marching past her to the stairs.

Delia quickly grabbed the two suitcases and travel bag that the driver set inside the door and hurried up the stairs, struggling. She walked to the end of the hall where Shy's room was and dropped them inside the door out of exhaustion.

"Close the door." Shy said, glancing out of her window to see the road through the trees and make sure she did not recognize Desmond's Rolls Royce.

Delia does as she is told and Shy turned her attention to her. The anticipation in Delia's chest is almost choking her, but she can't say a thing. They share a look for a moment before Shy continued and Delia can sense what is coming next.

"There's a rumor that you and Desmond are getting married tomorrow night. Everyone has been going crazy trying to get everything ready." Delia said almost as a confession, but Shy shakes her head.

"It's not going to happen." She said quietly crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't love him. He doesn't even know what love is."

Delia watched as Shy went over to her and grabbed the travel bag from beside her feet. Shy took it to the bed and dumped it out. She went over to the dresser hastily and began taking fresh clothes out. Once she filled her arms with what she thought was enough, she returned to the bed and shoved the clothes into the bag.

"Shy." Delia said as Shy zipped back and forth in front of her. "Shy! What are you doing?"

Shy stopped when Delia went to the bed and grabbed her arms. Shy snatched her arms away and looked Delia in the eyes. "You need to promise me that you will not utter a single word of this to anyone in the house. No one."

"I promise." Delia said.

Desmond enters the Angelis household after dusk with the air of ownership and sees Shy in her father's office. He walks in just as she shuts the computer down and stands from her chair.

"You wouldn't be doing anything foolish now, would you?" Desmond said standing in front of the desk.

"The engagement is off." Shy said, trying to sound stern despite her growing fear.

Desmond chuckled. "By whose account?"

"My own." Shy said. "I heard you last night at that house with another woman. You broke the contract we had. It's off."

Desmond's smile makes his eyes glimmer in an un-intimidated fashion as he retorts. "We have no contract. I said I would not take your father's company over completely for your hand. I never said I would be a man of faith."

"I heard you having sex with that woman!" Shy's eyes became wild with anger. He could not do this to her!

Desmond went around the desk aggressively, making Shy back a step away. "Are you questioning me? Unlike you, I fuck whomever I please! Do you think that I don't see the exchanges between you and that filth!"

Shy swallowed hard.

"He wants you, but I have you! It would be easy for me to let you go wouldn't it? You could do as you please, but you are binded to me!" Desmond grabs Shy by her arm and drags her out of the office and up to her room as she struggles.

The workers in her house turn their faces.

"Your mind is mine!" He opens the door to her room and flings her inside. She lands on the bed as he slams the door and pounces on her.

"This life! These things! Your opportunities are mine!" He yells as she struggles with him. He holds her hands as he undoes her pants.

She cries hysterically seeing nothing but blurs through tears and sweeping movements he is making before finally feeling him inside of her.

It lasted a moment but felt like an eternity to her. He kissed her cheek harshly before getting up and leaned into her ear.

"Now your body is, too." He hisses in her ear before pushing his hand in her face and leaving her there.