Page 133 of Wicked Lord

CHAPTER 54

THE UPPER HAND

Lorelei

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Go away!” Damn it. I rolled over on my bed, ignoring the asshole at my door, and shoved a pillow over my head.

My lids were swollen and heavy from all the crying, and I’d barely slept all night. My chest felt like it had been trampled on, then all my ribs tossed into a meat grinder. Walking away from Axel had been the most difficult thing I’d ever done. Seeing his expression crumble when I told him it was over was hell. That look of agony would be permanently engraved in my brain, torturing me for the rest of my life.

“Open the door, Lorelei. I won’t ask again.”

Fucking Brock. Not even twenty-four hours since I broke up with Axel, tearing my heart to shreds in the process, and the bastard was already knocking down my door. What happened to a respectable time frame to make the official announcement?

“I’m sleeping,” I growled.

“It’s almost ten o’clock in the morning, and we have a lot to do today before I return to Houston on Monday night.”

Only two days? Thank God. “Oh, what a shame it’s so soon.”

“Lorelei,” he hissed, “do not begin to think that simply because you’ve agreed to my proposal you’ve somehow gotten the upper hand in this relationship.”

“I don’t think it. I know it, honey.” Anyone desperate enough to go to these lengths to marry someone who despised them had lost all power. And that knowledge was the only thing getting me through the day.

I might have been forced to marry this man, but I’d never cower at his feet again. If I’d learned anything from my relationship with Axel, it was that I deserved so much more. Brock might have thought he won, but there was no way I was going willingly. He forced me to break up with Axel and I did, but I never promised to be a loving, faithful, doting fiancée.

Another fist to the door, then another.

“You don’t want to make a scene, do you, Brocky?” I shouted. “What would your father say if the Haversham name were dragged through the mud like that? I can almost see it in print now,Haversham Oil Heir Caught Harassing Sorority Girls. How embarrassing.”

“You can’t hide in your room forever,” he snarled through the crack in the door. “I haven’t initiated the funds transfer yet, and your father is starting to sound a little desperate.”

I rolled off the bed, dragged my fingers through my hair and staggered to the door. My head spun, and my stomach roiled as I crept closer to the entry. Maybe that second box of wine hadn’t been the best idea.

On the bright side, if I puked all over my new fiancé, it would be an excellent start to the day. And besides, what I had to say to the arrogant asshole would be best said in person. Swinging the door open, I planted myself in the doorway. I probably reekedof cheap wine and looked like absolute shit after crying all night, my hair in tangles and cheeks splotchy.

Good. Maybe he’d change his mind.

“Christ, Lorelei.” His eyes bugged out as he took me in. His blond hair was slicked back, a three-piece suit completing the perfect businessman persona.

“What’s the matter, Brock? This is what I always look like in the morning.” I shot him a cheeky grin.

His hand jutted out, but I stepped back just in time, evading his grasp.

“Don’t ever fucking touch me,” I snarled.

His eyes grew wider still, brows furrowing as he regarded me.

“Yeah, I’m not the same desperate girl you met a few months ago, Brock. I’m not scared to be poor or to lose Daddy’s money or his love. I don’t think I ever had it anyway, to be honest. So I don’t give a fuck if you save my family from ruin or not. The only reason I haven’t run away screaming yet is because of Axel. He was the first good thing to come into my life and you had to ruin it. So now I’ll spend the rest of my life ruining yours.”

“You better watch your mouth, Lorelei.” He reached for me again, but I easily spun away, using the door as a barrier.

“Or what, Brock?” I glared up at him. “You’ve already taken everything from me.”

“Oh, you have no idea?—”

I slammed the door in his face, locked it and trudged back to my bed. “Fuck off, Brock. I need the day to myself, and I’ll be the picture-perfect fiancée tomorrow. Just let me know when the paperwork is ready for me to sign.”