Page 2 of Obsessive Love

"Your brother is in his office. Please refrain from breaking anything in his house on your way there. All of my chores are done and I would like to go home to my husband at a reasonable time today."

I huff and grind my teeth together, trying my hardest not to lash out at the innocent housekeeper. I nod, showing her that I acknowledge what she said, and then I spin around, carefully opening the door before continuing down the dark hallway leading to Jericho's office.

When I reach the door and see a small sliver of light leaking out from the gap beneath, confirming that he's in there, rage simmers in my blood, and my fists clench at my sides.

I twist the knob and push the door open, revealing my brother hunched over his desk. He glances up at me with guilt-ridden eyes, shaking his head. My nostrils flare as anger overtakes me.

"I left for two weeks!" I shout, striding towards him. He stands from his desk, takes a step back and holds his hands up placatingly. "Two fucking weeks, Jericho!"

"Dude, calm down for a minute."

"Calm down? Fucking calm down? You're marrying the love of my life!" I shout, my fist simultaneously striking out and connecting with his face. Jericho stumbles back from the force and shakes his head, stretching out his jaw.

"You think I had a choice in the matter?" he spits, standing to his full height and pushing me backwards. "You know I don't want to get married! You know I don't want any of this! Take your head out your arse for a minute, calm the fuck down, and think about all of this logically because I swear to God, Kaleb, if you hit me again, I won't hesitate to shoot you!"

He pushes me again until my legs are pressed against the leather chair in front of his desk. Before he pushes me into it, I allow my body to fall backwards and I immediately drop my head into my hands, lightly pulling at my unkempt hair.

"I'm sorry," I grunt, rubbing at my temples to decrease the anger that's still boiling inside me.

Jericho walks around his desk, sitting in the seat behind it, pulls out two crystal glasses from his top drawer, along with his gun, and places them on the desk. He glances up at me, raises a brow, and then taps his fingers against the barrel.

"You're lucky I was in here by myself when you stormed in and had your little temper tantrum. Otherwise, I'd have had to use this."

I roll my eyes and slump back in my seat as I watch him pour a shot of whiskey into each glass.

"We both know you'd never shoot me, Jer."

He slams the whiskey bottle down on his desk and picks up his gun, flicking the safety off and shooting a bullet straight into the leather arm of the chair that I'm seated in quicker than I can blink.

"Don't test me!" he shouts, lowering his weapon. "If you think for one second that you're safe because you're my little brother, think again. I'm not in the mood for this, Kaleb, and I will not have you undermining me!"

"Woah, why the fuck are you the cranky one?" I ask, leaning forward in my chair and snatching one of the drinks from his desk. "I'm the one who's found out you're marryingmygirl next week. You have no right to be an arsehole to me!"

He scoffs and shakes his head before gulping down the contents of his glass and refilling it.

"I tried to get out of it, Kaleb. You should know that I don't want this, not only because of your obsession with the girl but also because I vowed never to be with anyone after I lost Aria."

I sigh and lean back, watching as my brother's eyes cloud over and he fills his glass to the brim.

"You know you're gonna have to let her go at some point, " I tell him, sliding my glass back onto the desk. His eyes meet mine and a menacing scowl takes over his face.

"Says the man that's supposedly in love with a woman he's never even met," he scoffs. "Look, I really can't deal with you at the moment. I had no idea about this marriage until a couple of days ago. I have tried to get out of it, but Dad is adamant it must happen and it must be me who marries her. It's the only way he's willing to retire from his position fully and allow me to be in charge of things. It fits into our plan perfectly, Kaleb. I've got this all figured out. Trust me."

I stand from my chair and begin pacing the room as I process everything he's telling me.

"So, I'm just meant to sit back and allow this marriage to happen?"

He nods and shrugs his shoulders. I shake my head and start for the door, tired of this conversation.

"No fucking way. She's mine, Jericho, and I'm going to make sure of it."

Chapter Two

Sophia

Istare into the dark abyss outside my window, searching the tree line of the property. There's no movement, no strange shadows, nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seems to be perfectly normal. I shake my head, clearing the suspicious and paranoid thoughts from my mind.

Earlier when we were travelling home, I could've sworn there was a car following us. I kept watching out of the back window whenever we took a turn or switched lanes, and every time, the car was still following along behind. My cousin and bodyguard, Jaylen, didn't seem suspicious of anything so I didn't mention it. I just assumed I was being paranoid.

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