Page 79 of Hateful Games

The marriage is doomed to fail with or without a black dress. “I don’t care. It’s my favorite color. Don’t I get a choice since I’m the bride?”

“Your father won’t—”

“Then don’t tell him,” I cut her off. “Let it be a surprise.”

I’d be facing his wrath but he also won’t confront me in front of the thousands of guests or risk his reputation as a perfect family man. By the time the ceremony will be over, I won’t be his problem anymore.

The unwanted daughter will be out of his life for good.

“Rosa,” my mom softly murmurs, standing with her hands perched on her slim hips. While my bridal and reception dresses hang on racks behind her. Both black as night. “You still cannot be against the marriage. It’s been years.”

Has she truly been blind all this time? Then again, she’s hardly ever home.

I’ve spent years letting Nova and my father control every waking moment of my life. Both acting like entitled assholes with the right to dictate how I live. It became a living hell after they joined forces.

Shocking, isn’t it?

Once I returned from London after attending Nova’s graduation, the confidence I felt standing up to Nova was blown into smithereens when I caught sight of the bodyguard he had hired for me.

The one I had assaulted in a fit of rage.

Except now, he was hired by my father, whom Nova had fed some elaborate lie that I was in imminent danger because he had received some threatening emails. He manipulated my dad into believing he cared and wanted to protect me.

Or perhaps my father simply didn’t care enough.

He must’ve wanted to ensure his end of the deal was secure.

My heart screams it was the latter.

Since it will be pointless to tell this to my mom, I don’t bother. “You decided to choose a husband for me, the least you can do is let me pick my wedding dress, Ma.”

She flinches before softening her features. “Nova is a good man, Rosa. He will make you happy.”

Unless miserable and masochistic is the new happy, I doubt it.

It was like a switch had been flipped after the trip because everything took a turn for the worse. Shortly after my return, Nova also came back to immediately join his family’s business.

Unlike every time before when he was back home, he religiously kept his distance from me since his move became permanent. I was prepared to have him breathing down my neck at every opportunity.

Torment and tease me like he did the whole week in London.

However, I became completely nonexistent to him.

Shoved back into an invisible corner that was my safe haven.

Even my mom was perplexed when he smartly declined the dates she tries to set up for us.

The three years I was gone to study in a different city, we never saw each other. I only felt his suffocating presence from the constant bodyguards I was surrounded with. The countless articles I read about him in business and gossip magazines. Because it didn’t take long before he started to make the headlines.

Successfully leading a merger with a US shipping company.

Ruthlessly acquiring a Middle Eastern oil company.

He had turned into a shark in the business world. A bull that broke into Wall Street with D’Cruz Empire’s shares skyrocketing. Being a genius and cutthroat tycoon is in his blood.

In the span of four years, his own net worth reached ten figures, making him one of the youngest multibillionaires in our country.

Just another boost his ego needed.

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