Chapter 1 Chapter One: Crashed into his car.

"Nice shot Charlotte, " Her manager complimented as he helped her to get down. She had just finished a photoshoot and she was beyond exhausted. "Thank you," said Charlotte as she headed over to her makeup artist to adjust her makeup before leaving the studio. The manager followed her to inform her about something he had just seen. "Charlotte, have you seen the new rankings?" He asked, bringing out his phone to show her the rankings. "Here, have a look," said the manager as he handed over his phone to Charlotte. She turned and focused her attention on her manager. "It's out already?" She asked in surprise as she collected the phone from him. She wasn't expecting the list till tomorrow. "Yeah, it's out already and as usual, you're still the number one model in the world." The manager told her with a huge smile on his face. "As expected," said Charlotte as she checked out herself in the mirror. She smiled as she was satisfied with her look. She then turned and focused her attention on the phone in her hand. Charlotte scanned the list thoroughly and she scoffed when she saw the person who came in second. "Looks like Amy Williams is not going to be happy about this list." The manager laughed "I can imagine her already throwing her tantrums" Charlotte Brooks was a high-ranking model and she was well-known both in her country and internationally. What made her popular was not the fact that she was the only daughter of one of the most famous businessmen in the country. Rather, it was her simplicity and her humble nature that made her famous and successful as opposed to her counterpart Amy Williams who was known for being rude and proud making her very difficult to work with. "Miss Brooks! " Irene, her personal assistant, called while running towards her. "What's wrong Irene?" Charlotte asked worriedly as she noticed the expression on her assistant's face. She could feel that something serious must have happened to make Irene look so pale. "Your mother called and she sounded really serious. She asked me to tell you to come home as soon as possible. She said it had something to do with your dad," Irene informed her. On hearing what Irene said, Charlotte immediately grabbed her bag and rushed out of the studio. Why did her mother demand that she return to her family house out of the blue? Something big must have gone down in her family and it made her worried. 'I hope everything is fine,' Charlotte muttered to herself as she drove out of the parking lot. *** "Listen here, keep all dangerous objects from her. Got it?!" Sebastian ordered the maid over the phone as he sped along the highway. He received a call about five minutes ago while he was in a meeting. It was a call from his girlfriend's helper. She told him that Amy was throwing another tantrum. Sebastian, on hearing the news, immediately dismissed his employees and rushed to his car. He needed to get to Amy and fast before she hurt herself. ** "Listen, mom, I'm already on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes," Charlotte informed her mom over the phone. She quickly disconnected the call and dropped her phone on the passenger seat and she focused on the road. A few minutes later, her phone rang again. Charlotte turned her head to look at who was calling her. It was just for a second but that was more than enough time for an accident to happen. As Charlotte looked at the road again, she realized that she was about to hit a vehicle. "Ahhh!" she screamed and quickly applied the brakes but it was not enough to stop her car from crashing into the car in front of her. Her airbags quickly deployed stopping her from hitting her head on the steering wheel. Her heart was beating fast as she raised her head from the airbag. She wasn't hurt and the car didn't look badly damaged. She quickly got out of her car and slowly approached the car she had just crashed into. As she did, the driver's seat door of the car suddenly opened and a man came out of it. The man was wearing a black suit and as he got closer, Charlotte observed that he had beautiful features; blue eyes as deep as the ocean, and jet-black hair which was really slick. He had a stubble jawline and high cheekbones. He had an icy gaze and was emitting a cold aura. If looks could kill, Charlotte felt she would already be dead just by the way, the man was glaring at her. Charlotte felt oddly strange. She did not know the man but he was having an effect on her. Sebastian couldn't believe his stars. He was staring at the last person he wanted to see. Charlotte Brooks! The one who had made Amy, his girlfriend's life a living hell. "Miss Brooks," he called in a deep voice that sent chills down Charlotte's spine. "You just crashed into my car." Charlotte took a deep breath not amused that he knew her name; almost everyone did. "I'm so sorry sir. I wasn't concentrating and this is entirely my fault. I'm ready to pay for your car repairs and I... " "Pay me?" Sebastian scoffed in irritation. "Do you really think I would accept your money and forgive you for crashing into my car?" He asked coldly. "What?!" Charlotte asked, astonished at how the man spoke rudely to her. "What do you mean?" "Well, isn't it obvious? What would the media do if they found out that their dear Charlotte Brooks almost killed a man?" "You're crazy!" Charlotte hissed irritably. "What did you just say to me?" Sebastian asked in shock. Did this lady not have any idea of how ruthless he was to those who showed him disrespect? "Don't you know who I am?" He asked "Listen here sir, I honestly do not know who you are and even if I did, I couldn't care less. If you do not want my money, then there is nothing more I can do for you. I'm leaving, " Charlotte turned and headed back to her car. "You'll regret this Charlotte, I'll make sure of that," Sebastian threatened her as she walked away. "Oh so, you want to get me for this, don't worry, I'll give you an even bigger reason for revenge," said Charlotte as she entered her car. She turned on the engine and reversed her car so she could put a bit of distance between the two cars. However, instead of driving away, she drove into Sebastian's car damaging it further. "Ahh!" Sebastian shrieked in horror as Charlotte kept on hitting his car. After driving into it five times, Charlotte stopped and winded her window down. "Now, I did that on purpose. There, you have a good enough reason to get me back. I'll be waiting for you," said Charlotte as she drove away. Sebastian was beyond furious. No one and especially not a woman had ever treated him like this. He was used to women drooling over him and not crashing into his car. He had nothing personal against Charlotte before today but not anymore. 'I will destroy you Charlotte Brooks!' He swore. ** Sebastian drove his crushed car into the mansion and got out of the car rushing inside. As he entered, he spotted a helper "Where is she?" He asked frantically. "She's upstairs sir" The maid answered gently. "Sir, she is in a bad mood," the maid informed him. "You can go now" he ordered the maid as he went upstairs towards her room. He knocked gently and opened the door slowly and entered the room cautiously as he knew how terrible her anger was. The room was in a mess as Amy had scattered everything in anger as soon as she found out that she had lost again to Charlotte Brooks. The woman's appearance also looked disheveled unlike her normal stunning appearance. Her hair was messy and scattered and she had torn her clothes. "I hate that bitch!" Amy cursed angrily as she grabbed a vase and threw it at Sebastian. Luckily, he had fast reflexes and he was able to dodge the vase. "I'll teach her a lesson she will never forget," Amy promised herself while gritting her teeth furiously. Sebastian approached her and sat down on the bed beside her. He put his hand around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. "You promised you wouldn't do anything like this again" Amy hugged Sebastian back "I'm sorry, I just can't help it. Charlotte Brooks gets the better of me" she said disdainfully. Sebastian kissed her forehead while comforting her "It's okay, I'm here for you" He did not say anything after that. He just held Amy in his arms and Amy felt calmer in his arms. Sebastian's phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was his mother. He answered the call but instead of his mother, it was his younger brother who spoke. "Hello, Sebastian," his younger brother greeted cheerfully. Sebastian frowned thinking that his brother was pulling one of his pranks again. "Why are you with mom's phone, Diego?" He asked coldly. "Relax, I'm not pranking you," Diego assured as he knew what was going through his brother's mind. "Where's mom?" Sebastian asked. "She's in her room. She asked me to tell you to come home now as she has something important to tell you but not me," Diego sneered, jealous of the fact that his mother was requesting to speak to Sebastian alone. Sebastian frowned. Why was his mother requesting to speak to him urgently? He had a terrible feeling about this. "I'm on my way" he informed Diego and hung up. "What's wrong?" Amy asked Sebastian when she saw the worried look on his face. "My mom called for me to return home." He kissed Amy briefly on the lips as he stood up. "I'll see you later. I have to go and see my mother" and with that, he left Amy's room. ** Charlotte finally arrived at the Brooks' Mansion. She got down from her car and headed into the mansion. She was met by Alexia, her sister in law. Even though Charlotte was still angry about that man threatening her, as soon as she saw Alexia, all her anger evaporated. "Charlotte, you're finally here" she said enthusiastically as she hugged her. "How have you been?" Charlotte asked Alexia. "You try living with your brother and his son in the same house. They're both driving me crazy" Alexia complained and this made Charlotte burst into laughter. "Hey, don't you dare complain. I warned you not to get married to my brother but no, you were in love with him. Now, deal with the consequences of your decision." Alexia pulled Charlotte's ears and the latter winced in pain. "You spoiled brat! Is that the way you speak about your brother? You really need to be taught some manners" Alexia scolded. "Ahh, let me go" cried Charlotte as she struggled to break free from Alexia's grip. She finally managed to free herself and she held her ears in pain as she cried out loudly. "Mom, Alexia is bullying me because I told her the truth about Henry." "There's no difference between Henry and you." Alexia said bursting into laughter and Charlotte also burst into laughter. "Well, it's nice to see you two getting along." Someone behind them suddenly uttered and this made Alexia and Charlotte jump in fear. They turned and were greeted by Martha, Charlotte's mother, and Alexia's mother-in-law. "Hey mom" Charlotte greeted and went over to give her mom a hug. "Charlotte," Her mother said as she hugged her back. "Congratulations on your ranking." "Oh yeah, I forgot to congratulate you," Alexia said and she hugged Charlotte. "Wow, looks like you've forgotten about your other child," Henry said as he walked in to see the three women hugging. "Hey Henry," Charlotte greeted with a smile on her face. "Hey, Charlotte" Henry greeted his younger sister while he glanced at his mother nervously. He didn't know how Charlotte would react when she found out about the deal. Charlotte noticed her brother looking at her mother and she immediately became suspicious. "Mom, why did you call me here so suddenly?" She asked in a serious tone all traces of friendliness gone **** Hello everyone, I have tried my best to edit this book but I may have missed a few errors. Firstly, if you see the name "Xander or Estella " in this book, ignore it. They are characters from my last book and I was still getting used to the new characters. You'll only notice the mistake in the first few chapters… I promise. Also, don't forget to leave a review.

Chapter 2 Chapter Two: The revelation

"Mom, why did you call me here suddenly?" Charlotte asked in a severe tone, all traces of friendliness gone. "Come, let's discuss this in my room," Martha said, gesturing for Charlotte to follow her. Henry, Charlotte, and Martha all headed into her room, with Henry closing the door behind them. "Have a seat Charlotte," Henry said, making Charlotte feel more anxious. She did as her older brother told her to and sat down on her mom's bed. "Charlotte..." Her mom started. "What I am about to tell you will change your life forever." Martha walked over to her daughter and sat down beside her. "Before your father died, he had a best friend. They grew up together and did everything together. They were inseparable." Martha started. "Mom, why are you telling me this?" Charlotte asked in irritation. Talking about her father always made her sensitive as she never knew him before he died. Her mom was eight months pregnant with her when he died in a car accident. Charlotte had lived her whole life without her father, and she preferred not to talk about him. Her mother knew this, so why was she talking about him? Martha rubbed her thighs nervously and glanced at Henry, and the latter avoided her gaze. "Well, your father made a contract with his best friend before he died, and it involves you and your father's best friend's son." Seeing her mother nervous also made Charlotte nervous as she did not know what to expect. "Go on, mom; what does the contract say?" She asked her mom nervously. "Well..., " Martha paused, hesitant to say what she wanted to say. "Oh, for God's sake, mom, just tell me what the contract says!" Charlotte snapped irritably. "It says that you are to marry your father's best friend's son as soon as you turn twenty-four," Martha said quickly and breathed out deeply as if a heavy load had been lifted from her chest. It took a while for Charlotte to process what she had just heard, and it took even longer for her to understand it. Her mother was clearly joking. She could not possibly be serious about her father making such a contract. The world had significantly evolved, and young adults were allowed to make their own decisions. They were supposed to choose their own partner, who they wanted to spend their lives with, and not their parents. Martha and Henry looked at themselves nervously. Charlotte had not said anything after Martha told her about Will's contract with his best friend. Charlotte suddenly started laughing, and this made the mother and son even more scared. She stopped laughing, and her expression turned even colder. "So you're telling me that my father made a contract that involves my life with his best friend, and you did not try and stop him? Charlotte asked in a low and dangerous tone. Martha wiped her forehead nervously. "I did not know anything about the contract until after he died when the lawyer told me about it." "If dad and this so-called best friend were so close, how come I have never met him or his family?" Charlotte asked her mom. "That was because I kept you away from them. After your father's death, I found out about the deal your father made," Martha answered. "Naturally, I was furious about Will making such a big decision without informing me, which is why I forbade your father's friend from coming here or ever meeting you." "He respected my decision, and I thought we had seen the last of him until yesterday when his lawyer came here, reminding me of the contract and saying that he was still planning to get you married to his son." Ok, maybe her mother didn't know what her father did, but that did not mean she was actually going to get married to someone she did not know. "I do not care if they want to go through with the contract, mom. I'm not getting married to someone I do not know!" Charlotte got up to leave the room, but she was stopped by Henry. "What is it, Henry!" She snapped. "There is a consequence if you or the boy refuse to get married, Charlotte, and I do not want you to suffer the consequence," Henry said softly. "What happens if I refuse to get married?" Charlotte asked curiously. "You lose your inheritance according to the contract, and you could be kicked out of the family for backing out of the agreement if they decide to sue and knowing that family, they would definitely sue." "What kind of an agreement is this?! Dad basically sold his own daughter to his friend. How could he make such a big decision on my behalf? What was he thinking when he made such a decision?!" Charlotte asked angrily. Martha and Henry both gulped and jumped in fear. Charlotte was a nice and sweet person but one thing you should never do is get her angry. As nice as she was, she had a wave of terrible anger which was why she hardly got angry but once she did, all hell would be let loose. Charlotte could feel her emotions getting the best of her. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. She would not get angry. "Who is this best friend?" She asked calmly as she realized she didn't even know who her father's best friend was. "Alexander Gerano," Henry answered. Charlotte's eyes widened in shock when she heard the name of her father's best friend. "So that means I am supposed to get married to Sebastian Gerano!" "Yes," Martha answered. Even If she was considering getting married, there was no way Charlotte would ever accept the contract, especially after she found out whom she was supposed to get married to. The Geranos were one of the most influential families in the world, just like the Brooks. They were the only families capable of taking on her family as they were of equal status. The Geranos had two sons; Sebastian, who was older, and Diego. Sebastian was known for being ruthless and cruel. She had never met him before, but she had heard about how horrible he was, and they were expecting her to get married to such a man. Never! "I am not getting married to that monster Sebastian Gerano!" Henry put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I promise you, we will not force you to marry him, but at least we should meet them and hear what they have to say," he urged her. "And I think you also need to talk with Sebastian to see how he feels about this. After all, it is about your lives. Don't you think so too?" Charlotte sighed in defeat. If she would reject this marriage, the least she could do was meet with Sebastian. She did not care if she would lose her inheritance or get kicked out of the family. There was no way she would ever get married to Sebastian. "Alright then, I will meet him once, but only because you asked me to." Henry smiled and hugged his younger sister. "Come, let's have lunch." He said and led Charlotte and Martha to the dining room. **** "What?!" Sebastian asked, shocked at what his parents had just revealed to him. He looked at his parents, hoping they were pulling some kind of prank on him, but their expressions showed that they were being serious. But they couldn't possibly be serious. He had arrived back home where his parents were waiting for him. They told him that they had something important to tell him and that it would change his life. His father then told him about the contract he had made with his best friend about getting him married to his daughter. "We agreed that we would get you both married after she turned twenty-four, which she did a month ago," Alexander said while looking at his son intently, waiting for him to react to what he had just revealed to him. "You do not actually intend to go through with the contract, do you?" Sebastian asked his father. Surely, there was no way his father actually wanted him to get married to a girl he had never met. This was the twenty-first century, and adults should decide who they want to get married to and not their parents. "As a matter of fact, we do, Sebastian! " His father answered firmly. "The Geranos always honor a promise, and you, of all people, should know this, Sebastian." Sebastian was not going to listen to his father. "I am not going to get married to someone I have never met before, dad. You made the contract and not me, and therefore, I am not under any obligation to follow it." Sebastian said coldly. He was done with the conversation and got up, intending to walk out of the room. "If you refuse to get married, then you can consider yourself an outsider, Sebastian Gerano." His father threatened to make Sebastian stop in his tracks. "What do you mean?" Sebastian asked his father suspiciously. His father walked over to him and faced him. "If you refuse to get married to the girl I have chosen for you, then you will not get a dime of your inheritance," Alexander said, not wanting to lose to his son. Stubbornness was something that ran in the Gerano blood, and Alexander was not about to lose to his son. He wanted Charlotte to get married to Sebastian, and he was ready to go to any lengths to make sure that happened, even if that included threatening his son. "Decide what you want to happen to you. Get married or get disowned." Sebastian did not say anything. His father had played a good game by threatening to disown him. His father knew how much family meant to him, which was why he decided to use it against him. 'Well played, dad,' he muttered in his head. He turned to go, and so he opened the door, but he stopped suddenly as he realized he had no idea who the girl was. "Who is the girl I'm supposed to get married to?" He asked, not bothering to turn back. "Charlotte Brooks," Alexander replied. Sebastian was shocked to find out he was meant to marry Charlotte. He had just met her a few hours ago, and he was not able to stand her, and he was expected to spend the rest of his life with her. There was no way he would get married to her! "What if she refuses to marry me?" Sebastian asked, looking for a way to get out of marrying Charlotte. "That, my son, is not an option. If she refuses, then make her agree to marry you. After all, you know how to get what you want." Sebastian did not bother to say anything else and left the room. "What happened? Did you and dad get into a fight again?" Diego, Sebastian's younger brother, asked when he saw his elder brother storming out of their parent's room angrily. Sebastian glared at his brother and walked out on him without answering his question. This did not shock Diego in the slightest as his brother was always cold to him. Others may have thought Sebastian hated his brother, but Diego knew that his brother loved him a lot as his brother had done so many things for him. Being nice was, however, not one of them. He walked over to his parent's room, where he saw his mom and dad discussing something. It seemed to be important as they did not notice that he had come into the room. "Mom, dad, what is going on? I just saw Sebastian leaving angrily. Did he have a fight with you?" Diego asked, facing his father. "You could say that," Alexander answered. Diego frowned at what his father said. "What did you do this time to make him angry?" He asked accusingly, making Alexander laugh. "I arranged his marriage with Charlotte Brooks," Alexander answered directly. "What?!" Diego exclaimed, shocked at what his father had just said.

Chapter 3 Chapter Three: Get married to her

What?!" Diego exclaimed. He was shocked and confused at the same time. "I do not understand," he said after he found his voice. Alexander explained everything to his son. "You are really close to your brother and so, I would suggest you tell him that there is no way out of this marriage." Alexander then dismissed Diego as he was done with him. There was no one that would change his mind about getting Sebastian married. Sebastian reminded Alexander of his younger self. He was precisely how Sebastian was, cold and horrible. He had only one goal, and that was to be successful. He did become very successful, but he did not feel happiness. He felt empty and alone inside until he met his wife, Victoria. She filled the open space in his heart and brought happiness into his life. He did not want Sebastian to make the same mistake he did of not finding a woman early to fill up his void which was why he wanted this marriage so badly. Charlotte was the one who would bring light into his son's dark world. He had watched her closely for years; hence, he knew he was not wrong in making such a decision. **** "What?!" Amy yelled angrily when Sebastian told her what his dad had just revealed to him. "Why would he make such a deal without discussing it with you?" She asked as she paced furiously around the room. "I had no idea. He made that deal with his friend when I was one. Even if he had asked me how I felt, it wouldn't have mattered!" Sebastian said coldly. He was still shaken by what his dad told him, so he drove to Amy's and his house to discuss it with her. Amy walked over to Sebastian and sat beside him. "Who is the woman you are supposed to be getting married to?" she asked. After calming down, she realized that she had no idea who the woman in question was. Sebastian looked at her hesitantly, afraid to reveal who the woman was. He didn't know how Amy would react when she found that his father had arranged his marriage to the person she despised the most; Charlotte Brooks! Amy saw that Sebastian was hesitating, and this made her suspicious. "Sebastian," she called, squinting her eyes, "Who is the woman your father wants you to get married to?" "Charlotte Brooks!" Sebastian answered in a low whisper. "What!" Amy yelled as she sprung up to her feet. Her anger right now was nothing compared to when Sebastian told her his father had arranged his marriage to someone. "There is no way I'm letting you get married to that woman!" Amy's reaction was just how Sebastian predicted it to be. She was angry. Who wouldn't be if they discovered their boyfriend was to marry their arch-enemy? However, what Amy did not know was that he would lose his inheritance and place in his family if he refused to get married to Charlotte. "Amy," Sebastian called gently. "What?!" Amy exclaimed. It was one shock after the other. "If I do not get married to Charlotte, my father will disown me, and knowing him, it's not an empty threat," Sebastian revealed to Amy and tried to figure out what she was thinking. 'No!' Amy thought inwardly. She could not stand by and watch Sebastian lose the wealth and power that came with being the heir of the Gerano! That was why she was with Sebastian. She worked hard to make him fall in love with her, and she would not let it slip away from her hands. "Amy," Sebastian called as he pulled her onto his lap. "I do not care about my father disowning me, but I care about you. I do not want to get married to Charlotte. Let's get married." 'What use is getting married to you if you do not have your inheritance?' Amy thought , but she could not say it aloud. "But what about your family?" She said instead. "I do not care. They will have to accept you whether they like it or not." Sebastian said coldly. Amy thought about how she could get out of this awkward situation. She was not ready to get married, especially not now that Sebastian would lose his inheritance, but neither did she want him to get married to that woman. 'What should I do?' She asked herself. A thought suddenly popped up in her head. It was the perfect solution to all her problems. "Sebastian, I have a solution for this," Amy said excitedly, mentally praising herself for being smart. "What do you mean?" Sebastian asked, wanting to know what she was thinking about. "You do not want to get married to Charlotte, and neither do you deserve to lose your inheritance because of that bitch, right?" "Yes..." Sebastian answered. "Then just get married to her!" Amy suggested enthusiastically. "What are you saying? Did you get drunk or something?" Sebastian asked, irritated at what Amy had just said. "I do not want to get married to her, and you are telling me to get married to her." "Relax, honey; you did not let me finish. Yes, I know you do not want to get married to her, but you'll have to, at least for your father's sake." "Just make a deal with her and divorce her after a year. You can say you can't stand each other and stage a big fight to prove your point. Then your father would not be able to withhold your inheritance. After all, you did get married to her. Think about it, Sebastian." "Yes, I suppose you are right," Sebastian said as he pondered on what Amy suggested. His father would not disown him if he thought Charlotte and him were better off divorced. However, Sebastian realized that there was a flaw in Amy's plan. A risk he was not willing to take. "But what if Charlotte actually agrees to this marriage with the intention of spending the rest of her life with me?" Sebastian cringed at the thought of having to spend the rest of his life with Charlotte. Just thinking about it made him really sick. Amy laughed at Sebastian's question. "That will not happen. Charlotte is not a big fan of yours, and I have seen this myself. All you have to worry about is getting her to agree to the contract." Sebastian drew Amy closer and hugged her from behind. "But I do not want to get married to her. I love you." "I know you do not want to, but you have to get married. I do not want your father to cut you off because of our relationship. It will be for a short while and after that, we'll be united." Amy said, rolling her eyes. "Although there is something you could do that would make me happy... " "What is it?" Sebastian asked. "Make her life miserable just the way she is making me miserable." Amy said gently as she knew this would make Sebastian agree to her demand. "You did not have to ask me. I was going to make her life miserable. After all, I'm good at doing that. " Sebastian frowned deeply at the thought of getting married to Charlotte, but if Amy wanted it , then he would, but Charlotte would have to pay for it. She was going to separate him from Amy; there was no way he would spare her after that. Amy turned and kissed Sebastian on the lips briefly. "Thank you, baby," she said, hugging him. She smiled evilly. She had Sebastian under her thumb, and now, she would use him to get revenge on Charlotte. This was going to be fun! **** Charlotte paced around her room nervously. It was just yesterday her mom had revealed to her that her father made a deal with his best friend to get her married to his son, and that person turned out to be Sebastian Gerano, a man she loathed due to his reputation. He was a big name in the business world, just like her brother, Henry, but unlike Henry, he was ruthless and arrogant, and he had no mercy for people around him, and this made him feared by people. Her mother had informed her that they would be going to the Gerano mansion as they were throwing a party to celebrate Mrs. Victoria Gerano's birthday. Alexander had specially asked that she should be present at the party. This meant that she would be meeting Sebastian today, and this made her nervous for some reason. It wasn't like Sebastian scared her, but she couldn't help being anxious. She did not know how Sebastian reacted when he found out about the deal his father had made. Was he happy about it, or did he blatantly refuse to get married to her as she did? What if he agreed to the marriage and was expecting her to agree to it as well? What would she do then? 'Arghh,' she groaned in frustration. Why was she letting this deal upset her when she was going to reject the marriage anyways? There was nothing on earth that would make her get married to Sebastian Gerano. Someone knocked on Charlotte's door, distracting her from her thoughts. "Come in, " said Charlotte. The door opened, and her mom entered her room, followed by her beauty crew and stylist. "It's time you started getting ready for the party," Martha said. "What about Alexia, isn't she going?" Charlotte asked, wanting some more time alone. "I am," said a voice from the door. Alexia came in wearing a bathrobe. "I just finished taking a shower. I'll start getting ready soon. I wanted to check up on you." Alexia said as she walked over to Charlotte. "Come on, let's give the two some privacy," Martha said and led everyone out, leaving Charlotte and Alexia in the room. "Are you okay?" Alexia asked while looking at Charlotte with concern. "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess," Charlotte added. Alexia took Charlotte's hand and rubbed it gently. "I know this came as a shock to you, and I would be nervous if I were in your place, but I want you to know that we are all here for you," Alexia said assuredly, and it made Charlotte feel better. Alexia was like her elder sister. They argued a lot, but they loved each other a lot. "I'm not asking you to accept this marriage, but I want you to go there with an open mind,"she advised Charlotte. "If someone had told me that I would get married to my boss, then I would have shot that person there and then," Alexia smiled as she remembered the past "I hated Henry so much when I first met him because I thought he was arrogant, but here I am, seven years as his wife. Open your heart to new possibilities, and at the end of the day, we'll support your decision." Charlotte smiled, not knowing how to thank Alexia for her words. She had made her feel confident within ten minutes. This was one thing Charlotte loved about Alexia. She had this magical power that would always make a person feel better. "I'll leave you to get ready. I want you to be the most beautiful person there, as all eyes will be on you." This made Charlotte blush. "Thank you," Charlotte said to Alexia. "Anytime," Alexia answered, smiling at her sister in law.

Chapter 4 Chapter Four: We meet again

"There, all done," Charlotte's make-up artist said after he finished dolling her up. "You look fantastic," he complimented as he took a picture of her to brag about her on his social media. Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. She was wearing a long black strapless dress which showed a little bit of her cleavage. The dress hugged her body bringing out her curves. Her long hair had been straightened and it was touching her back. Her make-up artist did a bold and smoky eye make-up for Charlotte. In one word she looked stunning. She looked at the time and saw that she was already running late as the party had already started. The rest of her family were already at the party. "Wish me luck," she requested as she headed downstairs where a limo was waiting for her. Charlotte took a deep breath as her car entered the Gerano Mansion. She was finally here. In a few moments from now, she would be meeting Sebastian Gerano and just thinking about it made her anxiety return. The anxiety she was feeling now was far greater than the one she normally had before a fashion show. The driver parked the car and a guard opened the door. Charlotte came out of the car and was immediately greeted by the flashes of cameras. It stunned her for a second before she regained her composure as she was already used to the paparazzi taking photos of her. They were screaming her name from all corners, requesting for her attention. However, Charlotte who was already feeling sick with anxiety just smiled and allowed them to take her pictures for a little while before heading into the mansion. She wandered around the mansion aimlessly as she wasn't ready to talk to anyone before she heard her mother calling her. She walked over to her mom happy that she had finally seen her. "Hey mom," she greeted as she approached her. "Finally, you're here. What took you so long? I have been waiting for you. The Geranos have been asking to see you," Martha said so fast that it took a little while for Charlotte to process what her mother just said. Martha took her daughter's hand and dragged her. "Come," she said. "Let's go and meet the Geranos." Charlotte followed her mother without a word. They headed into the dinner room and walked towards a couple. Charlotte recognized Alexander Gerano as they got closer. "Alexander," her mother called as they got to where they were. Alexander and his wife Victoria turned. "You've been asking to see Charlotte, well here she is," Martha said excitedly. "Charlotte," Alexander greeted warmly with a smile on his face. "We finally meet." For someone who was one of the most feared businessmen, Charlotte was surprised by how welcoming Alexander was. "Hello Mrs and Mrs Gerano," Charlotte greeted back nervously. "No no Charlotte," said Victoria. "Don't be so formal with us. You should call me mom from now on. After all, we are going to be in-laws." Victoria gestured her hands for a hug and Charlotte felt awkward but she walked over and hugged her. She was starting to get angry. Why was the Geranos still referring to her as their daughter in law when she had outrightly refused their marriage proposal? She let go of Victoria and smiled sweetly even though she was burning inside. "Happy birthday ma'am," said Charlotte, refusing to call her mom. Alexander looked around the dinner room looking for his son. "Where is Sebastian?""He went upstairs to receive a call," Victoria answered. "I'm so sorry that he is keeping you waiting. He'll be down shortly." Charlotte wasn't complaining about Sebastian not being there. "It's okay. Umm, please excuse my mother and I." She then took her mother away from the Geranos and to a quiet place. "Mom, what's going on? Why are the Geranos still referring to me as their daughter in law even after I rejected the marriage?" She asked irritably. "Well..." Martha started but stopped as she did not know how to tell her daughter that she hadn't told the Geranos about her rejecting the marriage. "Mom, what are you hiding?" Charlotte asked suspiciously seeing how nervous her mother was acting. "They do not know that you've already rejected the marriage," Martha finally revealed. "What?" Charlotte screamed so loud that her voice echoed in the hallway. "Why haven't you informed them yet? she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Well, I was going to tell them till I met Sebastian," Martha confessed. Charlotte's eyes widened with shock. "You've already met Sebastian?" "Yeah, I met him before you arrived." She got closer to Charlotte and held her hand. "Charlotte, he is really nice contrary to what the media says about him." Charlotte yanked her hand away from her mother's hand. "So what if the media was wrong about him? What does that have to do with you not telling the Geranos about my decision?" She suddenly gasped as she realized what was going on in her mother's mind. "You want me to get married to him don't you?" Martha didn't say anything but that was enough confirmation for Charlotte. "You have got to be kidding me mom. What happened to me choosing what I want?!" she asked in irritation. "Listen Charlotte," her mother started gently. "I know I said that but you need to give this proposal a chance to..." "I'll never accept this proposal! Never! So you better go in there and reject the proposal," Charlotte said before storming out. She couldn't go back into the party as she was feeling suffocated. She ran out of the mansion and into the garden. She was close to tears. She had not expected her mother to do such a thing. Everyone wanted her to get married to Sebastian without taking her opinion into consideration. She didn't want to get married to Sebastian but that didn't seem to matter. He must have already agreed to the wedding which was why her mother agreed to it too. Someone suddenly touched Charlotte making her shriek in fear. She lost her balance and fell due to fright. Charlotte closed her eyes waiting to hit the floor but it didn't happen. She opened her eyes slowly and realized that a pair of arms was holding her preventing her from falling. She looked at the man who was holding her and her eyes widened in shock when she saw who had caught her. "You!" She exclaimed accusingly. "We meet again Miss Brooks," the man said in a cold voice that sent chills down her body. Charlotte regained her balance and the man let go of her. She adjusted her dress trying to get rid of the sensations that were tingling in her body. She took a deep breath before looking at the man again. "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?" She pointed her finger at him. "Do you really think I do not have anything better to do that I would stalk you?" The man asked, looking at Charlotte with an expressionless face; his cold blue eyes staring at her so intently that it made her shift uncomfortably. Ugh! Charlotte groaned inwardly. Why was this man having such an effect on her? "Ok then, if you're not following me, then what are you doing out here?" Charlotte asked not wanting to lose. The man put his hands in his pockets and scoffed. "I have as much right to be here as you Miss Brooks," he answered arrogantly as he ran his fingers through his hair. Charlotte was smitten by his actions. He looked so hot right now. A naughty thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Charlotte immediately snapped out of the trance the handsome stranger had put her in and she mentally scolded herself for having such a perverted thought. She needed to get out there and fast. Without saying anything to the stranger, Charlotte turned intending to go back into the mansion but Sebastian had other plans as he grabbed her waist and with one smooth pull, she landed back in his arms. "Let me go!" said Charlotte as she struggled to break free from Sebastian's grasp, but she couldn't as his grip was too strong for her. "Struggling will only make it worse Miss Brooks." Sebastian's lips curved into a smile seeing how nervous he was making Charlotte. 'This is only the beginning,' he thought to himself. "Am I making you nervous?" He asked Charlotte. "Me? Nervous?" Charlotte could feel her cheeks burning and her heart was pounding in her chest. She wondered if Sebastian could feel it as she was so close to him. His hand which was on her waist went upwards to her back sending shivers down her spine. "I can feel your heart pounding, I'm sure it's because of me," Sebastian said teasingly. He was really having fun just by doing that. He had never imagined that teasing a woman would be so fun. "It's not because of you." Charlotte said and scolded herself for not sounding convincing enough. "Oh really?" Sebastian's eyes glinted with satisfaction. He knew that his closeness was having an effect on Charlotte. After all, he was the first man who had ever gotten this close to her. He found that out after asking his men to investigate her. Charlotte raised her head up to look at the man who was holding her in his arms. 'God, he is so tall!' She mumbled to herself. Sebastian bent and leaned in towards Charlotte till their faces were inches apart. He then traced her face with his fingers stopping at her lips. Charlotte's mind had gone blank at this point and her senses were tingling with excitement. She didn't understand what the stranger was doing to her but she liked it. She gulped softly and unconsciously closed her eyes waiting for what would happen next. Sebastian looked at Charlotte unable to understand why he had gotten this close to her. He had approached her with the intention of just teasing her. He didn't plan to get so close to her. They were so close that they could feel each other's breaths but he had no intention to pull away and this bothered him. The sound of glass breaking behind Charlotte made both of them come to their senses. Sebastian quickly let go of Charlotte when he saw who was behind her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you," the person apologized and Charlotte turned to look at the person who had stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life. She was shocked when she saw that it was her arch enemy Amy Williams. How the hell was she invited to such an event? Little did Charlotte and the Geranos know that an invitation was 'accidentally' sent to Amy all thanks to Sebastian. Naturally, Victoria was shocked to see Amy at her party as she didn't remember inviting her but it would have been rude of her to have Amy thrown out and so, she just allowed her to stay. Charlotte's urge to get out of the garden increased as the last person she wanted to be around with was Amy. "Excuse me," Charlotte said and quickly went back into the mansion. Amy turned to face Sebastian after Charlotte was out of sight. "What the hell were you doing with that bitch?!" She yelled angrily. "I need to get close to her if I want her to say yes to this marriage," Sebastian answered nonchalantly. "There was no need to get that close to her, Sebastian. You would have kissed her if I hadn't interrupted!" "Listen woman, you asked me to get married to her so don't get angry at me for almost kissing her. It's not going to be the last time if I'm getting married to her". Sebastian then stormed back into the mansion after saying this. He didn't want the marriage to happen but because of Amy, he accepted the proposal. She had better learn to keep her emotions in check if she wanted this marriage to happen. "Ahh," Amy yelled in anger. Sebastian hardly got angry at her. He was like a puppet in her hand who always did her bidding but he was already changing just a few minutes after meeting Charlotte. Amy clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in anger. 'Charlotte Brooks, I'll make you pay soon for all you have done to me, I promise." Charlotte went back into the mansion looking for her mother. She needed to get out of this party. After a few minutes of searching, she still hadn't found her mother and her brother and his wife weren't in sight. 'Shit!' Charlotte cursed in anger. The noisy mansion suddenly became quiet. Charlotte turned and saw Alexander in the middle of the hall and beside him was his wife. "Hello everyone, can I have your attention?" Everyone was now staring at him, giving him their attention. "Firstly, my wife and I would like to thank all of you for coming today. It really means a lot to us and secondly, I would like you to welcome the newest member of the Gerano family; my future daughter in law and Sebastian's fiancee; Charlotte Brooks." The whole hall was taken aback by what Alexander said for a second before it burst into excitement and everyone started clapping. They started looking for Charlotte who was still in shock over what Alexander said. Why would he make such an announcement without asking for her opinion first? It was easier for her to reject this marriage when only the two families were involved but Alexander had informed the whole world that she was going to be his son's wife. It would cause a huge controversy if the wedding didn't happen. Charlotte was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the spotlight was already on her and that everyone was looking at her. It wasn't until someone held her hand that Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at who was holding her hand and saw that it was the man she was with a few moments ago. She tried to free herself from his grasp but his grip only tightened. He bent down to her ear. "Smile, everyone is watching you," he whispered and Charlotte did as she was told. Everyone in the hall was shocked to see Sebastian behave so caring to her. He was a cold and arrogant man who was hardly seen with a woman let alone the famous model Charlotte Brooks. The same applied to Charlotte who had never been seen around Sebastian or any other man so how were these two getting married? Some immediately assumed that their marriage was a contract between the two families but they started to have doubts seeing how Sebastian was staring so lovingly at Charlotte. "Come Sebastian," Alexander beckoned to Charlotte. "Ok dad," Sebastian answered. Charlotte then realized that the man that was holding her hand was Sebastian Gerano. She looked at him and saw him grinning at her. "We officially meet, Charlotte... "

Chapter 5 Chapter Five: Trapped by Alexander

"We finally meet Miss Brooks," Sebastian said with a grin on his face as he watched the colour drain from Charlotte's face. Her reaction to finding out that he was Sebastian Gerano was priceless. "Y-you are Sebastian Gerano," Charlotte said in horror. What kind of luck did she have? The man whose car she crashed into was the same man she was to get married to. She should have known from his arrogant nature that he wasn't an ordinary person. Charlotte felt a little bit afraid of what would happen to her. She had challenged Sebastian to do his worst after crashing into his car. He had threatened to make her pay for what she did to him and now her marriage had been arranged with him. Wouldn't Sebastian take advantage of that opportunity to make her life miserable? After all, he was known for his unforgiving nature. "Yes I am," Sebastian answered. "So do you still not care about who I am?" Sebastian asked with an expressionless face; his black cold eyes starring at Charlotte so intently that it made the latter shift uncomfortably. Despite the fact that Sebastian had no expression on his face, Charlotte could tell that he was mocking her. She remembered when they first met, she had told him that she didn't care who he was and Sebastian was using her own words against her. "Sebastian, Charlotte, please come over so people can see you," Alexander said before she could say anything. Charlotte was grateful to Alexander for disrupting their conversation on one hand, but she wasn't happy that he had called them to the center of the stage. Sebastian started walking towards his father and since he was holding her hand firmly, Charlotte had no choice but to follow suit. "Welcome to the family," Alexander said with a huge smile on his face. He felt a little guilty when he saw the sad look on Charlotte's face. Everything was happening so fast for her. First, she found out about the contract between her father and him and he announced to the whole world that she is to be his daughter in law without her agreeing to the marriage. He knew his method was sly but he didn't regret it for a single moment. He had regarded Charlotte as his daughter in law from the first time he carried her in his arms. Charlotte was dumbfounded and so she was having trouble speaking. She simply nodded to Alexander and smiled awkwardly at Victoria. People started coming up to congratulate her and Sebastian. However, Charlotte wasn't interested in any of that. All she wanted was to find her family and get the hell out of the party. She suddenly saw Alexia and Henry. They were talking to another couple. "Excuse me," Charlotte said to the man and woman who was talking to Sebastian. She smiled and left without waiting for their response. She walked over to where her brother and sister in law were standing. "Charlotte," Alexia said with a smile as she saw her. "We have a lot to talk about.""Well well well, if it isn't the newest member of the Gerano family," the man who was talking to her said. "Could you please excuse us?" Charlotte requested ignoring what the man said. "Sure," the man said. He grabbed his partner and the two of them excused Charlotte. "Wow, why didn't you tell us that you accepted the marriage proposal? You haven't gotten married yet and you've already forgotten about your sister in law," Alexia scolded. "I never accepted the marriage proposal....""What?!" Alexia silently screamed as she didn't want to create a scene. "What do you mean?" Henry asked with a frown on his face. "I asked mom to inform the Geranos that I rejected the marriage but she didn't apparently, she spoke to Sebastian and she likes him so she wants me to get married to him," Charlotte explained and glanced at Sebastian. He was talking with his father. Her mom may have been fooled by his charms but she wasn't. There was no way he would be ever be an ideal husband to her. The man was an arrogant scumbag! "But I thought you talked to Sebastian about your marriage. I mean I asked mom where you were and she said you were with Sebastian," Henry said, still confused by what was happening. "Yes I was with Sebastian but I had no idea who he was. It was when his father made the announcement that I discovered who he was. He has already accepted the marriage but I haven't so why did Mr Gerano have to announce that we're getting married? " Charlotte asked in despair. She didn't still understand why Alexander made the announcement but Henry immediately understood what Alexander was playing at. He had to give accolades to Alexander. He had made a really smart move. "He purposely announced to everyone so you wouldn't be able to reject the marriage.""Think about it, if you call the marriage off, people are going to come after you, blaming you plus, the family business will suffer as well. He has trapped you between a rock and a hard place.""Oh," Charlotte simply said. She finally understood what Alexander did. She was disliking the Gerano family more and more. Alexander wanted her to be his daughter in law so bad that he didn't mind dragging her family into the matter. "What should I do brother?" Henry shrugged causally. "That's up to you. You should talk to Sebastian first before deciding. I'll support your decision no matter what it is." He wasn't worried about what would happen if his sister rejected the marriage. Sure the company would suffer a few setbacks but they would bounce back stronger. After all, his family commanded the same respect as the Gerano family. "We have to go now. Peter is all alone with the babysitter," Alexia said. "Yeah you two should get going. Give my nephew a kiss on my behalf," said Charlotte. "Aren't you coming back to the mansion?" Alexia asked. "No I'm not. I do not want to see mom right now. I'll sleep at my place." Alexia patted Charlotte's shoulder and said, "Let us know your decision as soon as possible so we will be able to decide the next step.""Ok Alexia," Charlotte said and waved Alexia and Henry goodbye. She turned to go and meet Sebastian but she bumped into Amy instead. This night couldn't get worse. "Well, if it isn't the future wife of Sebastian Gerano. Where's your fiance? Has he left you already?" Charlotte rubbed her temples as she was starting to get a headache. "When are you going to stop all this Amy? I'm not like you and so I will never stoop to your level. Just leave me alone, I'm not in the mood to listen to your taunts." Normally, Charlotte always endured Amy's insults without saying a word but not today. She had been really stressed out and it was starting to take a toil on her her. Amy gripped the glass she was holding tightly in anger. She would have broken it if she wasn't in public. "How dare you?!" Amy silently screamed. "What's going on here?" A male voice suddenly asked. Charlotte turned and saw a man walking towards her with a frown on his face. She noticed that he looked a lot like Sebastian. She immediately recognized him. He was Diego Gerano; Sebastian's brother and the youngest child of the Gerano family. Diego unlike his brother was very popular and well known as he was an easy going person. He was always trending everyday for one reason or the other and therefore, it was impossible for Charlotte not to recognize him. "I asked you something Amy, what's going on here?!" Diego asked sharply. "I was just having a conversation with Charlotte. Do you have a problem with that?!" Amy also asked sharply as she glared at Diego. It was no secret that the two loathed each other ever since they first met each other. Diego could see through right through her act and that was why she hated him. He was not as gullible as his brother. He had tried countless times to end her secret 'friendship' with Sebastian. She was grateful that Sebastian had managed to keep their relationship well hidden even from Diego. Diego laughed mockingly. "There's always a problem everywhere you are,nlAmy. Could you please keep your distance away from my sister in law. I wouldn't want your bad luck to rub off on her." Even though his brother was smarter than him when he came to business related matters, he was a total dimwit when it came to women. Otherwise, he would have been able to see through Amy's lies long ago. It was obvious this woman was not as she appeared to be and he tried to explain this to Sebastian but he had never believed him. "Why are you always so rude to me Diego? I have never offended you so why do you hate me," Amy asked pretending to be hurt by what Diego said. The truth was that she couldn't care less about what he said or thought about her l, after all, it was the truth. As long as Sebastian didn't listen to him, she was safe. "It's because I know who you really are. I can see the real face behind the mask you carry around," Diego answered. "I'm not going to ask you again to keep your distance away from my sister in law. Now leave!" Diego ordered. Seeing that Diego was angry, Amy turned and left without a word. She knew Diego well enough know that he had a terrible anger one she wasn't willing to mess with at least not for now. "I'm sorry for whatever trouble she might have caused you," Diego said to Charlotte who had silently been watching the face off between Diego and Amy. "It's okay, it's not the first time and it definitely won't be the last time," Charlotte replied. "I haven't introduced myself properly. I am Diego Gerano, Sebastian's brother and your brother in law. Welcome to the family," Diego said with a smile on his face as he stretched his hand towards Charlotte. Charlotte smiled back and shaked to his hand. "Nice to meet you Diego.""Do you know what the best part about you becoming a part of our family is?" Diego asked out of the blue. "Yes, I would very much like to know," Charlotte answered nervously. Diego leaned in closer not wanting anyone to hear his answer. It didn't matter though as there weren't a lot of people left at the party. "I won't be the youngest in the family anymore as I'm a few months older than you," Diego said in a serious tone. This made Charlotte laugh. The internet was right, Diego was a funny person. "I'm being serious with you and you're laughing. I would have taught you a lesson if not for the fact that you're my brother's fiancee.""I'd like to see you try to teach me a lesson. You seem to be forgetting who my family is," Charlotte retorted. "Oh hello, my family is more powerful than yours.""Keep dreaming dummy," Charlotte mocked and Diego burst into laughter. "I like you," he said. Diego could easily tell when a person was faking or not and Charlotte was not. Even though the marriage was arranged, she was perfect for his brother. "Thank you," Charlotte said. She was liking Diego more and more. "You're really nice while my brother is the rudest and cruelest person I know. You two are perfect for each other," Diego said. "Oh really?" Sebastian said from behind Diego making the latter jump in fear. "B-brother when did you get here?" Diego asked nervously hoping Sebastian did not overhear him. "Would you like me to show you how cruel I can be?" Sebastian asked ignoring Diego's question. Diego gulped in fear. Shit! Sebastian had overheard him. "Umm, would you look the time? I'm late for an appointment," Diego said and quickly left not wanting to face Sebastian's wrath. Charlotte turned her attention to Sebastian after Diego was out of sight. "We need to talk about this marriage... "

Chapter 6 Chapter Six: She rejects!

After Diego had left, Charlotte turned to face Sebastian. "We need to talk about this marriage," She said in a serious tone. "Come with me." Sebastian grabbed Charlotte's hand and took her to a quiet place as the hall was a bit noisy plus, he did not want anyone to interrupt their conversation. "What is there to talk about?" He asked. "Your father and my father signed a contract stating that we would get married as soon as you turn twenty four. What don't you understand there?""It's not that I do not understand, I just don't accept it!" Charlotte answered. "What don't you accept?" Sebastian asked, his eyes fixed on Charlotte. Getting stared at like that made Charlotte uncomfortable and she shifted restlessly trying to avoid Sebastian's eyes. Why did he have such an effect on her? "I do not accept this marriage, Sebastian. There is nothing in this world that will force me to get married to you!" Charlotte said as she looked at Sebastian with contempt. "Please go and tell your father that I do not want to get married to you." Sebastian frowned when he heard what Charlotte said. She was making him look like he was the worst person on the planet. If not that he wanted revenge for himself and Amy so badly, he would have never accepted this marriage. "Excuse me?""You heard me Mr Gerano. I do not want to get married to you!" Charlotte said fiercely. 'Or anyone else,' she added in her mind. Prior to finding out about the contract, Charlotte didn't have any Intention of ever getting married as she hated the term love and everything it had to offer which was why she never got involved in a relationship. "You do realize that there's a contract that is binding on both of us..." Sebastian started but he was interrupted before he could complete his words. "To hell with that contract Mr Gerano. How many times do you want me to say it? I am not getting married to you and that's final. You or your contract cannot force me into getting married. We're done here." Charlotte turned to go after saying what she had to. She suddenly paused and turned to look at Sebastian whose gaze was still fixed on her. "I hope this will be our last meeting Mr Gerano. Good night!" With that, Charlotte left Sebastian. Sebastian watched her leave and a sinister smile crept up his lips. 'This definitely will not be our last meeting Miss Brooks. We are going to be seeing a lot of each other,' he muttered to himself. 'I want you and whenever I want something, I always get it!' Sebastian was born in the rich and affluent Gerano family. He had been provided with everything he needed and that had grown on him. He never took no for an answer and he didn't care how many rules he would break in order to acquire something. If he wanted it, then he got it! Just like now. He wanted Charlotte to become his wife and he wouldn't think twice about dragging her to the altar if that would take for her to become his wife! Cheers to the future Mrs Gerano. **** After Charlotte left the Gerano mansion, she instructed her driver to take her to her house, not to her family house, going against her mother's instruction. She was still upset with her mother and didn't want to see her Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief when she finally arrived home. She would have never thought that she would be so happy to see it. She got down from the car and entered the mansion. She headed straight to her room ignoring the helpers greetings. All she wanted was to crawl into her bed and forget about everything that had happened tonight. She took off her clothes and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Charlotte got lost in her thoughts while having her bath. All this was happening because of her father. Why did he have to make that stupid contract? What was going through his mind when he was signing the contract. If he thought that he was securing her future then he had made an awful decision. How did anyone expect her to be happy with such a monster? The man was infamous for being a cruel person. He never showed mercy to his enemy and Charlotte was sure she had become one by crashing into his car and challenging him. Though Charlotte was a little bit nervous about offending Sebastian, she didn't think too much about it and that was because she belonged to the Brooks family. The only family the Geranos couldn't mess with. Sebastian wouldn't dare attack her even if he wanted too but that worried Charlotte. If Sebastian wasn't marrying for revenge, then why did he agree to the marriage? Charlotte couldn't ponder on that question as she heard someone banging her door. She wondered who it was. Maybe her mother. She got out of the shower and quickly wore her pajamas before going to answer the door. "Why are you here mom?!" She asked angrily as she opened the door. Charlotte's eyes went wide with shock upon seeing who was standing outside her bedroom. "Y-you," She stuttered. "Did you miss me?" Sebastian asked in a deep voice one that sent shivers down Charlotte's spine. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Charlotte asked angrily. Her anger disappeared though when she noticed how casual Sebastian was dressed. He was no longer dressed in a suit. He was wearing a black trouser and a blue shirt. The first three buttons of his shirt were not buttoned giving Charlotte a view of his chest. Gosh! How was someone like him so hot! Sebastian grinned seeing how Charlotte was smitten by his looks. Even she wasn't immune to his good looks. "I have come to see my future wife," he answered casually. "What?!" Charlotte yelled, not sure she had heard right.

Chapter 7 Chapter Seven: Let's get married

"I have come to see my future wife," Sebastian said casually. "What?!" Charlotte yelled, not sure she had heard right. He couldn't have said future wife. No! She must have heard wrong. "I have come to see my future wife," Sebastian repeated shamelessly. He himself was surprised by how he was acting as it was not like him to act in such a way but as the saying goes, 'all is fair in love and war. Charlotte could feel her blood boiling. She had made it clear that she didn't want to get married to him so why was he still referring to her as his future wife? "I already told you that I do not want to get married to you. Were you deaf when I was speaking to you?!" She snapped in irritation. Sebastian clenched his fists in anger. He did not like Charlotte's tone but there was nothing he could do about it at least for now. However, he wouldn't think twice about teaching her some manners once she becomes his wife. "I wasn't deaf when you were speaking to me...""Then why are you here at this time of the night calling me your future wife?" Charlotte asked. "Can we talk?" Sebastian asked nicely with a smile on his lips. He knew if he wanted to persuade Charlotte to get married to him, he would have to do so nicely and not in his own way. However, if she remained adamant then, he would have to do it his way. Hearing Sebastian's soft voice made Charlotte calm down a little. "Ok then, talk, Mr Gerano.""You know, I'm still standing outside your bedroom...""Yeah so?" Charlotte asked, not quite understanding what Sebastian wanted. "Can I come in?" Sebastian asked. "What I am about to discuss with you is a private matter; one I wouldn't want anyone else to hear," he added. Charlotte didn't say anything as was torn on whether to let him in or not. "Fine," she said after a while. "Come in." Charlotte moved away from the door and Sebastian came in. He looked around the room and was impressed by what he saw. She closed the door after Sebastian had entered her room. "What are you thinking about?" She asked when she noticed him looking around the room. "Nothing much. Your helpers do a really good job of taking care of your room.""The helpers aren't allowed to enter my room.""So you take care of your room yourself?" Sebastian asked, surprised. "Yes," Charlotte answered. "Why do you look surprised at the fact that l clean my room?" She asked suspiciously. "Nothing. It's just weird to see someone like you being able to clean her room, I'm really impressed" Sebastian confessed. He had finally found one quality in Charlotte that he liked. She was not dependent on her servants like the rest of the socialites he knew including Amy. Most of them couldn't do a simple task like getting themselves a bottle of water and here Charlotte was cleaning an entire room all by herself. He was impressed. Charlotte understood what Sebastian meant. It annoyed her but she couldn't blame him. It was indeed a weird thing for someone of her status to be able to do chores. "I believe you did not come all the way here just to gaze at my room and compliment me. Why did you come here Mr Gerano?" Charlotte asked coldly. "To make a deal with you Miss Brooks," Sebastian answered, straight to the point. He wasn't one to beat around the bush when it came to business matters plus he wanted to get the hell out of Charlotte's house. "Deal? What deal?" Charlotte asked, confused. She wondered why Sebastian was talking about a deal. She had nothing she could offer to him. "A marriage deal. Let's get married to each other....""Are you crazy or something?!" Charlotte flared up. "I already said I'm not getting married to you so... ""Would you just hear me out? I do not like to be interrupted when I'm speaking!" Sebastian snapped irritably. He was trying to hold back his emotions but it was impossible to face this girl with a calm mind. "Fine, go ahead, I won't interrupt you," Charlotte said in a low voice. She could see that he was annoyed and she knew better than to annoy Sebastian Gerano. "I will be honest with you," Sebastian started. "I was just as shocked as you when I found out about the deal our fathers made. It was clearly not right for them to make a decision on our behalf but the deed has been done and there's nothing we can do about it.""I initially rejected the marriage until my father told me what would happen if we didn't get married to each other and I'm assuming you've been told of the consequences of the marriage... " Charlotte nodded indicating that she knew what would happen if she didn't get married to Sebastian. "Good. The same applies to me, I lose my inheritance and I get disowned. I do not want that happen and neither do you""So what do you suggest we do?" Charlotte asked calmly and this pleased Sebastian. He could see that his plan was working as she was no longer yelling at him. That was a good sign. "We should get married to each other," Sebastian said. "But the marriage will just be a formality as I do not intend to force you to be my wife or do the duties of a wife. Our marriage will be a mutual agreement between us.""Like a contract?" Charlotte asked. "Exactly. It will end after a year," Sebastian said. "I do not understand," said Charlotte. "It's simple. We get married just to get our families off our backs and we'll go our separate ways after a year. That way, we won't be breaching the term of the contract," Sebastian explained. Charlotte could see what Sebastian was driving at. If they got married, then they would fulfill the terms of the contract. The contract didn't say that they would have to be together for life. It only said that they had to get married to each other. Sebastian looked at Charlotte intently, waiting to see what her decision would be. He had given a good offer, one that would save both of them. He could see no reason why she would refuse his offer. "So, we will have no physical contact if we get married?" Charlotte asked. She wanted to fully understand what the terms and conditions of Sebastian's offer were. Henry had taught her a few things about entering into a contract. So although she wasn't a business woman, she understood greatly how contracts worked. "We will have none at all. We will sleep in different rooms after our marriage if that's what you want," Sebastian answered. "What about in public?" Charlotte asked. Even though they weren't a real couple, the public wouldn't know that. "You are required to act like my wife in front of my family and others especially in public places and events and I will do the same. To others we will be an ideal couple," Sebastian answered. "Hmm," Charlotte pondered on this for a while. That wasn't so hard. All she had to do was to pretend that she was happy with Sebastian but for some reason, she was having a bad feeling about Sebastian's offer. It seemed really shady that he agreed to marry her so soon. Was it really because of his inheritance or was it because of something else? "I'll think about it," Charlotte said, shocking Sebastian. He had been so sure that she would immediately accept his proposal. He had underestimated her and overestimated himself. "What's there to think about Miss Brooks?" Sebastian asked calmly. "There are many things to think about Mr Gerano. Even if we do not intend to live as a real couple, we are still going to get married for real and whether we like it or not, we are going to make a commitment to another and I want to make sure that I'm ready for such a commitment," Charlotte said. Plus getting married to you means I'm going to be stuck with you for a whole year. I don't think I would be able to handle seeing your ugly face everyday for a year," Charlotte added. Sebastian almost let out a curse when he heard Charlotte's statement. "Are you blind or something Miss Brooks?" He asked irritably. No woman had ever called him ugly. "No, why?" Charlotte asked innocently even though she very well knew the reason why he asked her such a question. "How can you call me ugly?! Many women are dying for my attention because of my looks and here you are calling me ugly," Sebastian said. Charlotte was controlling herself greatly from bursting into laughter. Sebastian looked like a child whose candy had been taken away from him. He must have been used to women drooling over his good looks. She had bruised his ego by calling him ugly. "Well I called you ugly because I think you're ugly Mr Gerano," Charlotte answered simply. That was a big lie she told. No person in their right frame of mind would think that Sebastian was ugly. He was really handsome and as much as she hated this fact, she couldn't help but feel attracted to him but he didn't need to know that. "You really think I'm ugly?" Sebastian asked. Charlotte rolled her eyes. "How many times do you want me to say it?" "Really?" Sebastian asked in a calm voice which made Charlotte suspicious. Why did he suddenly become calm? She had a terrible feeling about this. "Yes," Charlotte answered in a low voice. Sebastian smiled mischievously upon hearing her answer. "Let's see how true your answer is," Sebastian said and he started walking closer to Charlotte. "W-what are you doing?" Charlotte asked nervously as she backed away but with each step she took, Sebastian took two steps. "You said I'm ugly but I do not think you're telling me the truth," Sebastian answered as he continued walking towards Charlotte. "Shit!" Charlotte muttered as her back hit the wall. She had run out of space to run to as Sebastian was now standing in front of her. "So, do you really think that I'm ugly," Sebastian asked in a hoarse voice as he wrapped his hands around Charlotte's waist and pulled her close. Her mind went crazy as she felt Sebastian's hand on her waist. This was the second time he was holding her in his arms and this was the second time she didn't hate it and that fact bothered her. She used to think that no man would ever have such an effect on her but she was wrong. Sebastian was making her feel things she had never felt before. "Please let me go Sebastian," Charlotte half pleaded in a whisper. She was conflicted. A part of her was enjoying what Sebastian was doing and was itching for him to do more while the other part wanted him to stop. The former seemed to be winning. "I do not want to," Sebastian unconsciously muttered. He didn't know what had come over him. He had just wanted to scare Charlotte a little by pinning her to the wall but it seemed his mind had other plans. He couldn't control himself when he got so close to Charlotte. Just being close to her was not enough for him. He needed more and so, he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her close. Her intoxicating scent coupled with her hands on his chest was driving Sebastian crazy! He had never felt this with anyone before, not even Amy. He moved his hand to the side of Charlotte's face, where his thumb lightly grazed her cheekbone, sending another set of chills running all over her body. Charlotte's breath hitched in her throat as she lifted her head to look at him. Sebastian gaze lowered to her mouth and heart began to pound inside her chest. "Charlotte," He said, his voice barely audible as he leaned closer. "Sebastian," Charlotte whispered back as she stood on her toes and also leaned. It was like an invincible force was pulling her to him and Charlotte didn't try to fight it. Sebastian's phone suddenly rang ruining what he and Charlotte were about to do. Sebastian came back to his senses and quickly let go of Charlotte and he backed away while trying to regain his composure.

Chapter 8 Chapter Eight : His proposal

Charlotte felt like killing the person who had interrupted what was about to happen between her and Sebastian. Couldn't the person have waited a few more minutes before calling? Those were the thoughts running through her mind before she came to her senses and remembered that she wasn't supposed to be getting close to any man, especially Sebastian Gerano. But what could she do, the man could make her lose her senses just by his touch. Sebastian felt really awkward after what had happened. The room suddenly became small and it was suffocating and all he wanted was to get out of there. He didn't want to leave abruptly as that would make things more awkward and Charlotte might start having the notion that she drove him crazy just by getting close to her. His phone stopped ringing and Sebastian took it out from his pocket to see who had interrupted what was about to happen. He was grateful to whoever called as they had stopped him from making the biggest mistake of his life. He hated this woman in front of him and the last thing he wanted was to get close to her. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was Amy who had called him. He then remembered how he had snapped at Amy back at the party when she had interrupted them. This was the second time she had interrupted them! "Ahem," Sebastian cleared his throat trying to ease some of the tension that had built up. "I have to go now as I have something important to take care of. I'll be waiting for your answer Miss Brooks. Goodnight, " Sebastian said quickly and without waiting for her response, he quickly left her room and headed out of her house. He heaved an euphoric sigh of relief when he finally got to his car. He would be able to think clearly now that he was alone. 'You almost kissed her!' he yelled to himself in terror as he remembered how close their lips were. He could even feel her breath brush against his skin. 'No! You only wanted to prove to her that she isn't immune to your charms and there's nothing more to it! Sebastian muttered to himself. After saying this to himself a few times, he felt a lot better and calm. There was nothing to worry about. Charlotte was not his type and she would never be so the question of him being attracted was not possible. He started his car and drove out of the mansion. He forgot all about Charlotte when he remembered that he still had Amy to deal with and that alone was enough to make him forget about every other thing. Amy had a terrible anger which was why he always tried not to upset her. However, he had made her angry and it was all Charlotte's fault. That woman was nothing but a truckload of problems. Ever since she came into his life, she had done nothing but to make his life difficult. His own father was ready to cut all ties with him because of her! Sebastian felt his blood boil as he thought about it. He wondered what was so special about her that made everyone worship her and fall at her feet. 'Very soon Charlotte! I'll ruin you to the point where you'll never be able to stand on your feet again.' Sebastian already had a plan on how to destroy Charlotte. All she had to do was to agree to the marriage and that would be the beginning of her downfall... *** Charlotte walked up to her door and locked in after Sebastian left her room. She then proceeded to lie on her bed. She tried to get some sleep but she couldn't as her thoughts kept her awake. A lot had happened over the course of the night. She met her contracted husband and had almost kissed him. Then, Alexander had announced to the world that she was his future daughter in law thereby trapping her and then, that intimate moment between her and Sebastian. Did he also feel the same way she did? Charlotte knew that Sebastian had gotten close to her just to tease her and prove that he had an effect on her and it worked! However, she wasn't worried about what Sebastian would think of her now. All she wanted to know was whether Sebastian could feel the same tingling sensation she felt when they got close to each other. Maybe he did and maybe that was the reason he came here with a proposal or maybe it wasn't. Did he have another motive for agreeing to marry her? She felt really confused and there was no one she could talk to as she had no friends. She didn't want to disturb Alexia as she already had a lot to deal with. Marriage wasn't something to joke with and especially not something you turn into a contract. However, her family would suffer greatly if she refused to get married to Sebastian and although she knew Henry would support her decision even if it would affect him, she didn't want to take advantage of him. He was ten years older than her but he was like a father to her. He had taken care of her ever since she was a baby and had given her everything she ever wanted. It would be selfish of her if she caused him trouble by rejecting the marriage. Although she knew Henry was more than capable of handling whatever would come their way, she would still feel guilty for putting him through a lot. However, she would be sacrificing her happiness and freedom if she accepted the marriage. Even though Sebastian said he wasn't going to force her to do the duties of a wife, she would still have to perform some duties whether she liked it or not. 'Ahhh,' she groaned in frustration. The more she thought about the matter, the more confused she got. She got up and took some sleeping pills. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow and she needed to get sleep. She climbed back on the bed and tried to clear her mind. The sleeping pills started to take effect and her eyes felt heavy. Charlotte closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. *** Sebastian arrived at Amy's house after midnight. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't appease her. He got down out of his car and headed into the mansion. "Is she asleep?" He asked the helper who had opened the door for him. The helper shook her head. "No sir, she's still awake." Sebastian didn't say anything to the helper and made his way to the stairs. "S-sir," the helper suddenly called, making Sebastian pause. He turned to face her and could see that her face was pale and she was sweating on her forehead. "What is it?!" He asked sharply. The helper began to fidget with her dress as she looked down not wanting to look Sebastian in the eye. She was terrified of him like any other person. "Speak!" Sebastian demanded. He was starting to get irritated as she was wasting his time "W-well sir, Madam has ordered me not to let you see her," said the maid in a low whisper. Sebastian scowled at the maid. "If you do not want me to ruin you and your family, I suggest that you do not try to stop me!" He threatened. "I'm sorry sir," the maid quickly apologized. As much as she was scared of Amy, Sebastian was much more terrifying. Anyone in their right state of mind knew better than to offend Sebastian Gerano. He had ruined many powerful families who had gone against him and she was just a lowly maid. She bowed and retreated back to the kitchen. Sebastian took a moment to regain his composure before heading to Amy's room. He reached her room and saw that the door was unlocked. He opened it gently and peeped inside and saw Amy sitting on her bed staring at her phone screen. She was so engrossed in what she was watching that she didn't realize that Sebastian was now standing in her room. 'Hem hem.' Sebastian cleared his throat to make his presence known to Amy. Amy, who did not expect to see him standing in her room, jumped up startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Sebastian apologized in a low voice. "What are you doing here?!" Amy asked in anger. "I'm here to apologize for how I treated you at the party. I'm sorry," Sebastian apologized. "I really am," he said softly. Amy grinned inwardly as she saw how Sebastian was looking so pathetic apologizing to her. She felt really thrilled to see that he was back to his normal self. Everyone knew Sebastian as a cold and emotionless man but she knew him as an emotional fool. Whenever he was around her, he would show his vulnerable side. It made her feel special as she had him wrapped around her fingers. "Oh, so now you are sorry for how you snapped at me?" Amy asked sarcastically. "You wouldn't have thought to come here if I hadn't called you Sebastian!" She was really upset with Sebastian and she wasn't going to forgive him easily. He had totally ignored her existence at the party. She had left the party without saying goodbye to him to show him he was mad but he seemed not to care. She had waited for his call so she could ignore it but he didn't even call her, not even once to apologize. She grew tired of waiting and called him but he didn't answer. This of course made her more angry. Why didn't he pick up the call? "I was busy with something and so I didn't hear the call as my phone was on silent," Sebastian lied. He didn't like lying to Amy but he knew that she wouldn't forgive him if she knew he was with Charlotte when she called him. As he thought of Charlotte, his mind went back to their intense moment. 'No!' Sebastian said in head. He was with Amy and shouldn't be thinking about that woman. "So you were too busy for me?" Amy asked, offended. He was never too busy for her, but what happened today. She was sure Charlotte had something to do with it. "No it's not like that." Sebastian paused and sighed. "Look I'm sorry for how I acted." He grabbed Amy by the waist and pulled her close and kissed her on the neck. "Let me go Sebastian," Amy said as she struggled to break free from his arms. The truth however was that she was enjoying it and Sebastian smiled as he realized this. "I love you," he said and kissed her on the forehead. Amy smiled and stopped struggling. All her worries disappeared as she heard those words. She had been worried for nothing. There was no way Sebastian would ever fall for that woman. He was too in love with her. He was just getting close to her to get her to agree to the marriage. "Sebastian," she called gently. "Yes my love," Sebastian answered. "Do you know what that woman did at the party?" Amy asked. Even though she knew Sebastian was hers and wouldn't fall for Charlotte, that didn't stop her from being worried. She didn't trust that woman thus, she needed to make sure that Charlotte would never experience Sebastian's love. "What did she do?" Sebastian asked, the smile on his lips fading when he heard Amy's question. "She made Diego threaten me," Amy whined. "What do you mean?" Sebastian asked with a frown on his face. With a grunt, Amy told him what Diego had said to her conveniently leaving out the part where she was spiting Charlotte thus painting her in a bad light. "She has managed to deceive your brother into liking her. Our relationship wasn't strong to begin with and now she's creating problems between us," she said sulkily. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her very soon!" Sebastian said in a cold tone. He would make her pay for insulting Amy. He had been trying to get Diego to like Amy but he had remained firm in his resolve not to. The arrival of Charlotte would just make things more difficult. Amy smiled evilly to herself. Sebastian had taken the bait just as she wanted. 'Just wait and watch Charlotte, I'm going to ruin you..."

Chapter 9 Chapter Nine : Worried about her

Charlotte woke up the next morning with a hazy vision and a confused mind. She had thought that if she got some sleep, she would be able to think clearly but she was wrong as she was still confused. Should she accept Sebastian's proposal or not? That was the question that was running through her mind. She would lose either way and it was now up to her to choose how she wanted to lose. She sat up and grabbed her phone. She checked the time and saw that she was already late for her shoot. 'Shit!' Charlotte cursed and jumped out of her bed. She had overslept. She grabbed her towel and quickly headed into the shower to have her bath. She had never overslept so why did she today and on the day of such an important event. "Sebastian Gerano," her mind unconsciously answered. Great, she was going to be late all because of Sebastian and his stupid proposal. There was no way she would accept his proposal now. That man was trouble! *** Sebastian checked the car's mirror for the umpteenth time but there was still no sign of Charlotte. Why had she not arrived yet? 'Did something bad happen to her?' Sebastian asked himself as he checked the mirror once again. He had woken up early this morning with the intention of going to his meeting. However, as the driver was driving him to work, he suddenly didn't feel like going to the office anymore. He then found himself instructing the driver to drive him to the company where Charlotte was scheduled to have a shoot with other models, including Amy. He didn't know why, but he felt like seeing Charlotte again. He knew he couldn't approach her as it would make it look like he was stalking her. All you wanted was to get a glimpse of her. He had been waiting for over two hours but she had not arrived yet. All the other models including Amy had arrived so where was she? He was starting to get apprehensive as it was unlike Charlotte to be late for a shoot. She would always arrive for a shoot at least thirty minutes beforehand. He found out about this when he asked his men to investigate her. His phone started ringing. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was Diego calling. He wanted to ignore it at first as he wasn't ready to listen to Diego's nonsense until he remembered that Diego was already at the office which meant that he was calling him for something work related. He immediately answered the call. "What is it?" Sebastian asked coldly, not bothering to greet his brother. "Well a good morning to you too my dear brother," Diego greeted, ignoring his brother's question. "Unlike you, I still remember my manners and I know how to treat people with respect." "Tell me what you want or else, I'm going to hang up!" Sebastian snapped in irritation. He looked outside again hoping to see Charlotte arrive but she was nowhere in sight. He sighed and returned his attention to Diego. "Why are you not at the office?" Diego asked worriedly. He was shocked when he arrived at the office and his brother was not there. Sebastian was not one who took days off and they had no meetings outside their office so why was he not present at the office. It felt weird for Diego as Sebastian always arrived before him and so, he decided to call him to ask what had happened. "I went out for some important work," Sebastian answered. "What important work did you go out for? We do not have any meetings today so tell me the real reason why you're not in the office yet," Diego demanded. "It's none of your business!" Sebastian snapped. He was not surprised that Diego had figured that he was lying. His brother was really smart and meticulous. Diego suddenly started laughing and this made Sebastian more irritated. "Why are you laughing?! " He asked sharply. "Nothing has happened to my sister in law. She is already close to the company, so you should relax," Diego said. "Excuse me?" Sebastian asked in confusion. "I know that you're outside the company where my sister in law is having her shoot today. You could have just called her to ask where she was instead of sitting in your car and worrying," Diego explained and roared with laughter afterwards. "Looks like you're already falling for her. Isn't it a bit too soon and yet you insult me for doing the same." Sebastian realized that Diego must have followed him and was watching him. He looked around but he couldn't spot his carnanywhere "Where are you?!" He asked angrily. "I am at where I'm supposed to be brother; at the office. My men were the ones who followed you." "I'm going to skin you and your men alive!" Sebastian growled. "Please brother, don't do that. I promise to not do this again." Diego said in a mocking tone. He knew that his brother would never do such but he also knew that Sebastian was going to get him back for mocking him but that was the least of his worries. "I'll hang up now. Your fiancee should be arriving any moment now," Diego said and disconnected the call. Sebastian looked outside the window once again and just like Diego said, he saw Charlotte's car drive past his. She parked her car and got out of it. Sebastian instantly felt relieved as he saw her get out of her car and he unconsciously smiled. He had been worried for no reason. He watched her go inside the building after which he ordered his driver to take him to the office so he could kill Diego for mocking him. *** "Charlotte, where have you been?" Charles, her manager, cried out as soon as he saw her. "I have been calling you. Why didn't you answer your phone?" He asked. "I am so sorry, it was in my bag and I didn't hear it ringing," Charlotte explained. "Why did you arrive so late? You know how important this shoot is for you, so why didn't you come on time?" The manager asked angrily. "I'm so sorry," Charlotte apologized once again. "I overslept," she simply said. Charles decided not to push the matter further as Charlotte had never been late to a shoot and also because of the fact that he understood that she must have been exhausted after yesterday's party. "Go to your changing room, your team is waiting for you.""OK," Charlotte said and made her way to her changing room. "Charlotte," Charles suddenly called. "Be careful, Amy and the rest of the models are there. If they try to mess with you, let me know." It wasn't only Amy who had despised Charlotte. Most of the models she had worked with hated her or were jealous of her. They would always try to discredit her success saying that she didn't work hard to be successful all because she was the daughter of the Brooks family. "It's okay Charles. I have gotten used to their taunts. In fact, I would feel scared if they didn't try to get on my nerves. I'll be fine," Charlotte assured and went into the changing room. The aura in the room immediately changed as Charlotte entered. The models who were all laughing and having fun changed their expressions as they saw Charlotte. They did not try to hide their hatred for her as they shot daggers at her. Charlotte was not bothered as she was already used to it. She ignored them and walked over to where her team was waiting for her. "Oh look everyone, here comes the beauty queen who owns this place. Wow Charlotte, I must commend you as you are right on time." Amy mocked as Charlotte passed by her. The other models roared with laughter. "You must think you're something now that you are engaged to Sebastian Gerano," A model said with contempt. She had always been jealous of Charlotte. The model had to work really hard to achieve success as she was from a poor family. It took her years to make a name for herself in the industry and she still wasn't an A-list model but It took Charlotte less than two years to achieve what she had failed to achieve so naturally she felt jealous. "Listen guys, I know we hate each other but could you please save all of this for later. I'm already late and I need to get dressed," Charlotte requested. She was unable to go further as the models were blocking her path. "You should have come on time Charlotte." Amy sneered. "You must think that you are too high and mighty to stick to time since you are now the future daughter in law of the Geranos.""I do not have time for this Amy. Move or I'll make you move," Charlotte said in a low and dangerous voice as she was starting to get angry. Amy scoffed. "Then make me. I would really like to see you try, Incase you haven't noticed, you are outnumbered." Charlotte had almost forgotten this fact. Amy and her minions had surrounded her and she knew they wouldn't take it lying down if she touched their leader. 'Shit!' She cursed inwardly. Seeing that Charlotte was no longer saying anything, Amy decided to take the opportunity to humiliate Charlotte. It would be a little payback for yesterday. "I'm sure that the marriage between you and Sebastian is a contract marriage. There is no possible way it is a love marriage. I mean look at you. No man in their right frame of mind would want to marry you much less Sebastian Gerano," Amy taunted and the other models roared with laughter. Charlotte clenched her fists in anger. She was angry because Amy was right about the marriage between her and Sebastian being a contract marriage. Amy should thank her stars that she was surrounded by people or she would have not hesitated to put her in her place but Amy kept on insulting her and Charlotte couldn't take it in any longer. "It is none of your business whether Sebastian and I are getting into a contract marriage. That's between the two of us!" Charlotte said firmly. "I understand your pain and frustration Amy. You used to be the number one model in the world and then suddenly, a rookie collects your title. It must have been hard for you," Charlotte taunted. "How dare you!" Amy yelled and raised her hand to slap Charlotte but the latter was more than ready for her. "I will ruin you if you ever try to hit me," Charlotte threatened in a dangerous voice. "If any one of you touches me , I'll promise it will be the last thing you ever do.""You all seem to forget that I belong to the Brooks family and I'm going to be a part of the Gerano family. I am a member of the two most powerful families not only in the country but also in the world."" You all must have heard stories of how my family ruins people who go against them. Now, if you do not want to be considered as an enemy to my family, I suggest you get the hell out of here," Charlotte said angrily. "You have thirty seconds to do so." The models scrambled out of the room on hearing Charlotte's threat for fear of their lives. They had never seen her so angry. She even threatened them with her family and the models knew that was not a threat to be taken lightly, "You are not even an official member of the Gerano family and yet, you are already using their name to scare people off," Amy said. She didn't run away like the rest of the model. Why would she when she had Sebastian to take care of her? "I'm going to become a member anyways so it makes no difference if I use it now or later," Charlotte retorted. "You really think that Sebastian is going to marry you, don't you?" Amy asked with a grin on her face. "I don't think he is going to marry me, I know he is going to marry me," Charlotte answered. She had finally made her decision on Sebastian's proposal. "Excuse me." Charlotte said. She was finally able to walk past Amy. "You will pay for this Charlotte," Amy threatened. "I'll be waiting," was Charlotte's reply and with that, she walked out on a fuming Amy.