Chapter 8 I Don't Want to Marry Him
Penelope swallowed hard. She had no choice but to negotiate with Ajax.
The man was dangerously unpredictable. There was no escaping his grasp, and she had to find a way to buy herself some time, to see if there was any alternative. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The room was oppressively silent once more. Ajax's gaze lingered on her delicate profile.
Finally, he released her. "You'd better hope Valeria makes it back within the next half month. Otherwise…"
Penelope felt a momentary wave of relief at his words, but the ominous warning sent her heart racing all over again.
A wicked smile curved his strikingly handsome lips. He lifted his large hand and pressed heavily on her lips, which were swollen from his earlier kiss.
"Ah…" she gasped.
The pressure made her lips press against her teeth, and pain shot through her.
At that moment, she noticed his palm was cold—eerily cold, like his lips—so strange that her lips felt like they were burning.
His face, perfect yet dangerous, was full of that same unsettling charm.
Ajax released her, standing up from the bed.
Penelope, finally freed, sat up quickly, putting distance between them. Her cheeks were still flushed, and she bit down gently on her lower lip.
"And another thing…" His voice, laced with that same dangerous charm, made her flinch. "If you even think about running away from this marriage, your family will suffer."
Her mouth fell open slightly.
'This man… is terrifying!' she thought.
"I-I understand. I… I'll leave now…"
Ajax made no move to stop her, nor did he spare her another glance. But as she fled, she noticed an inscrutable smile flash briefly in his eyes.
Penelope hurried out of the study as if her life depended on it.
The Grimwald service staff paused in their duties to respectfully bid her farewell, making her quicken her pace in fright.
Outside, the night sky was pitch-black.
The Grimwald family's chauffeur waited at the door, courteously offering to drive her home.
Penelope, with no idea how to refuse and finding no taxi nearby, clambered into the car. Her heart was still in complete turmoil.
…
When Penelope got home, she was met with the sight of Berta's stormy expression.
Berta scoffed at her. "Think you're some kind of princess now, you shameless girl?"
Penelope was confused. Then, it dawned on her that it had to be because of the phone call Ajax had made earlier that day. She had no interest in dissecting Berta's anger. Her mind was preoccupied with how she could possibly get away from Ajax.
…
"What? Valeria ran away, and now you're supposed to take her place in the marriage? What kind of ridiculous drama is this?"
At that moment, Penelope was on the phone with her classmate and close friend, Lana Loverta, desperate for a solution.
"Valeria left without a trace! There's no way we can find her!" Penelope said.
Lana scoffed. "This is all your fault! You were too naive, and Valeria used you! Sisterhood, my foot!"
"What should I do, Lana?" Penelope was beside herself with regret, practically ready to bite her own tongue off. "If this continues, I'll end up married into the Grimwald family."
Ajax's warning echoed in her head—no running away, or her family would suffer.
Penelope was trapped. Yet marrying him was just as grim a prospect. With his current grudge against her, she could only imagine the miserable future that awaited her.
Lana replied, "Oh, come on, marrying Ajax wouldn't be so bad. Do you even realize how impressive he is? Countless women would kill for that chance."
"But I don't have any feelings for him! I'm not from a wealthy family, and he only wants to marry me out of a moment's impulse!" Penelope retorted.
In some twisted way, Penelope even felt like Ajax was getting the short end of the deal.
"This is real life! Love doesn't rule in high society. If marriages were based on feelings, how would there be so many scandals and affairs?" Lana shot back. "And we're talking about Ajax Grimwald! He could make your life worry-free forever!"
"And… and…" Penelope stammered.
She had another reason she didn't want to marry Ajax, one she couldn't bring herself to say.