~Abigail's POV~
"What the hell are you doing in my car?!" I snap, my voice sharp and full of rage.
He blinks, his lips parting like he's about to answer. But I don't give him the chance. I shove the door open and storm out, slamming it so hard the car trembles.
He follows, unbothered, stepping out with maddening calm, his eyes fixed on me like he owns the ground I stand on.
My chest burns with rage, my pulse thundering in my ears. My hands ball into fists at my sides as I glare at him.
"Are you insane? Do you not understand personal property or basic decency? You have no right to be in my car,"
He sighs, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you really going to dump the rage from your cheating fiancé on me? It's not worth it, Abigail. You're not worth it."
My eye twitches at his audacity. "Excuse me?"
He raises a brow. "Did I stutter?"
A scoff rips out of me. A short, bitter sound, and press my palm to the car to steady myself. "I can't believe this. I honestly can't."
I look back at Darius, who is still watching me with those damned green eyes. "How long have you been following me?"
He says nothing, just glances at his watch which only flares my rage.
"Oh, fuck this," I yank the door open, reach into the side of the seat, and pull out a gun. I level it at his forehead. His eyes go wide, like he didn't expect me to actually pull a weapon.
He should.
I'm a lawyer, yes, but I was raised by a mob boss. He knows what that means.
"I am not playing your games, Mr. Rassais," I say, my voice cold making each word clear. "You are attempting to coerce me into a marriage by exploiting my father's indebtedness. Any contract executed under duress is voidable. If you proceed, I will petition the court for a declaratory judgment, seek an emergency injunction, and file for immediate rescission on grounds of coercion and undue influence."
I pause to let it sink in. He watches me.
"I will also file for a protective order against you and supply the prosecutor with everything necessary to start a criminal investigation into threats and trafficking should you try to enforce this. I will notify the press. I will pursue civil damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and any unlawful restraint you or your associates attempt. Do not mistake my profession for weakness."
My finger rests on the trigger, steady. "Withdraw whatever arrangement you made with my father, revoke that contract, and walk away. Right now. Otherwise I will make sure the law and every lever of public scrutiny available to me, comes down on you."
He studies me, a slow smile creeping over his face, but for now I hold the moment and the gun and my words.
"You've got me wrong," he says. "I'm not afraid you'll shoot me or the law." He lowers his hands and steps closer.
Panic claws at the back of my throat as I register the size difference. I am 5 foot 8. He is 6 foot 8. Still, I do not flinch, my finger steady on the trigger.
"You would use your status as a member of one of the ruling families to retaliate, to erase me, my family, my friends if I resist?" I hiss, daring him to confirm what I already know.
But the reality gnaws at me. I do have friends, allies even… but none of them hold the kind of power Darius Rassais does. In a single move, he could undo everything and everyone around me. And he knows it.
With a frustrated sigh, I lower the gun, shaking my head in reluctant defeat.
His lips curl into a smile, almost kind, mostly mocking. "You are smart, Abigail." He glances at his watch. "It is 8 p.m. That was fast."
I arch a brow at him. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Let's discuss our wedding, shall we?" He slips his hands into his pockets, giving me his full attention. "From the moment you signed that contract, you became mine. My wife. It's not my fault your father is a foolish, indebted man willing to sell his daughter."
My eyes narrow, my grip tightening around the gun. "Explain precisely how my father became indebted to you. I have the means to repay the money myself. I am not without resources."
"A job that I know all too well," he cuts in, a faint hiss in his voice. "You're so smug about winning your last case. Bet you think you've got a fortune now."
A bitter laugh escapes me. "You're a remarkably petty man, aren't you?"
Darius chuckles, leaning against my car as though it belongs to him. "This is the first time we're having an actual conversation, but I know everything about you. Your father's been running up debts for years, calling in favors he couldn't repay. I knew you were going to win that case, so to recover what I would lose, I told him to hand you over. And he did. Without hesitation."
Of course. My father is ruining my life as always.
"So to be clear," I say, keeping my voice controlled, "you are taking revenge on me because you lost a case to me?"
He nods as if that makes perfect sense.
"Why not go after the Kendal family? Why me?"
He pushes away from my car, his expression darkening. "Because you are infuriating, Abigail. I want to see you on your knees, crying, until I am satisfied." He says it with casual cruelty and I grit my teeth.
"You are insane!"
He smiles with all teeth and dimples. "I have no argument with that."
"I am not agreeing to—"
"You are being ignorant now, Abigail." His voice grows impatient as he steps closer.
I take an instinctive step back. "What do you mean?"
"The wedding is tomorrow," he says. "My family is already looking forward to meeting you. Your father will bring you to the church. And if you try to run…"
He pauses, studying me from head to toe. His eyes heats.
I raise the gun again, but he laughs softly. He leans in until his forehead presses against the barrel.
My eyes widen.
"I will find you, Abigail Rassais."
Cold washes over me. I could pull the trigger now. I could change everything in an instant, but killing him would only make my life worse.
He straightens, gives me one last calculating look, and walks to the car parked across from mine. It is the same black car that nearly blocked me in the parking lot earlier.
"Fucking bastard!" I breathe, stunned, as he slips into the back seat and the car drives away.