Page 44 of Vengeful Lies

I should be offended, but I’m not because I know it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the amount of pressure they must carry with the Monti name. I still don’t give a fuck.

“You think I have the capability to make a mistake?” he asks. I scoff at that, and both of them turn their attention to me. My eyes open wider when I realize my noise was audible.

“No, son. I know I raised you right. But not everyone has good intentions,” she says matter-of-factly. And I can attest that I am the definition of not having good intentions toward her son.

“Next week, we’ll set up a dinner. You can sit down and grill Jewel all you want. But for this week, Mother, we want it kept private. Just to enjoy each other before everyone else takes hold.” He leans in and kisses his mother’s cheek. When he pulls away, she nods her head agreeably.

“Pleasure, Jewel. I look forward to getting to know you. I’m sure you’re aware that our family is… a little different.”

“Oh, I can tell how different your son is,” I reply with a sweet smile that doesn’t reach my eyes. Nevertheless, it seems to humor her, and she takes her leave. The moment Eli closes the door behind her, he grabs my left hand.

“Why aren’t you wearing the ring? Please don’t tell me you hocked it with my watches.”

I pull back my hand. “I’ll have you know, I have better things to do than admire all the pretty things I steal from you. I don’t orbit around your existence.”

“Jewel,” he growls. “Where is the ring?” He storms past me and into my bedroom. I sigh, my shoulders sagging. Here, I thought I’d have a delightful evening with me and my vibrator. “On the floor? Really? And why are these flowers scattered all over the place? Are sunflowers not your favorite anymore?”

He’s making a fuss in my room as he basically starts cleaning it. I lean against the doorframe, smirking at the way he’s all flustered. If I keep acting like a slob, he might break the engagement off just for that alone.

He shakes his head, frustrated with the mess, and opens the box in front of me. It’s the first time I’m seeing the blue square-cut diamond that’s twice the size of my fingernail with a white gold band. Damn, that’s excessive.

He reaches for my hand, but I immediately pull back. “Jewel. A deal is a deal, is it not?” he asks, raising a brow. A shiver runs down my spine, and I feel like I’m breaking out in a rash.

I don’t want it.

I know it’s a façade, but even so… I don’t want to belong to anyone.

“Now that my mother knows about us, it’ll only raise suspicions if you’re not wearing a ring. Fightwithme, notagainstme, if you want your guns back,” he says. I try to swallow the lump that seems lodged in my throat.

“Get on your knees,” I find myself saying.

“Sorry?” His eyebrows shoot up. It’s as if the command is so foreign, and he’s never had a person in his life tell him what to do. So I lean into it comfortably.

“On your knees. If you’re proposing, you’ll do it properly,” I tell him, hoping my demand will be enough for him to end this ridiculousness.

He seems to contemplate the power play for a moment, then slowly drops to his knee, and my heart stops. Eli stares up at me. He opens his mouth and then closes it. Just when I think he won’t do it, he clears his throat and looks at me with determination. He holds my left hand in his as he lifts the ring between us. “Jewel Diamond, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

I can’t breathe. And for once, he actually asked. Didn’t command or demand.

“I’d rather not,” I say, attempting the most neutral tone possible and failing miserably.

His jaw tics. “Workwithme here, notagainstme,” he says again as he slides the ring onto my finger. I expect to go up in flames the moment it touches my skin, but nothing happens. In fact, I can’t look away from it. I also notice the way Eli strokes my hand as if trying to offer comfort.

It might as well be a collar around my neck.

“Would you like me to do something else while I’m down on my knees in front of you,fiancée?”

I smile as I feather my fingers through his hair and pull him up so he’s standing. He chuckles as I tug on his hair. “No. I would like you to leave now,fiancé.”

When I release him, he takes a step back but doesn’t leave. I’m too preoccupied staring at the ring to berate him about it.

He sits cross-legged on my bed expectantly.

“Get your boots off my bed; that’s disgusting.” I smack his foot.

“It’s not so nice, is it?” he cockily says, and I realize he intentionally did it because I put my feet on his dashboard last night. “We need to get our basics in order before we publicly announce our engagement. My parents have been wanting me to marry for a while now, but with how suddenly I’ve organized this myself, they might be slightly suspicious. Under no circumstances can they know this is a temporary arrangement. We need to get our story straight before dinner with my family because theywillgrill you.”

“I know enough about you,” I state. “Where you like to go, who you like to fuck.”

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