The Tribute Bride

"What else do you want? My mother is lying comatose in the hospital. Our company is about to go bankrupt, and my father is behind bars. Are you still not satisfied?" 

A woman with eyes full of hatred shouted at the man in a black suit. Her hair was messy as she stood barefoot on the carpeted floor of a presidential suite in a five-star hotel.

The man sat lazily on the couch beside the door. His right leg crossed over the other as he eyed the woman with a glint in his eyes. He sneered and, in a swift motion, stood and approached her in two strides. He placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him.

Angel shuddered when she gazed into two dark orbs radiating too much hatred, and she felt suffocated.

"What do I want? I will tell you what I want. I will let your father watch as I destroy with my hands the business empire that he painstakingly built all these years." 

His voice was laced with disgust and loathing. It sounded just like the devil's voice she heard in movies. It was so cold that the hair on Angel's body stood on their ends. She felt that her chin would break because of the pressure he was holding it. She knew that it would leave ugly bruises.

Angel looked at him defiantly. Without blinking, she said, "If you hate my family that much, then why are you forcing me to marry you?" She sounded aggrieved and, at the same time, hateful.

The man smiled at her, and fear gripped her heart. She wanted to step back, but she could not. She stood frozen as she looked into his abysmal eyes, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not pull away.

The man, who was a head taller than her, released his grip on her chin. His callused hand moved upward and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

The gesture was gentle. If someone standing from the side saw it, they would think he was a loving husband being lovey-dovey with his wife. But only Angel knew how cold the back of his hand felt. The pressure emanating from him seemed to suck the soul from her body. Her face turned white as his face came nearer and nearer, and his warm breath grazed her ear.

"Because I want you to atone for his sins by living your life in hell. I want him to be in pain as he watches his precious daughter suffer every day." 

Angel trembled in fear. Her already pale face seemed to be drained of blood. She blinked and took two deep breaths. She calmed her raging emotions before speaking in her most forceful voice.

"You will not get away from this. I will sue you for kidnapping and attempted murder!"

The man laughed loudly. His hand slid down a few centimeters and rested on her fair and slender neck. He cradled her chin with his palm while his thumb and middle finger pressed on both sides of her cheeks. He forced her head to tilt back further and lowered his face. Their faces were so close that she could see her face reflected in his pupils, which were the color of the night.

"What can you do, Little Princess? If your powerful father could not escape my claws and fell into my hands, how much more are you who grew up in a gilded cage?" 

He put more pressure on his two fingers that were pressing on her cheeks, and Angel was in so much pain that tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes. She blinked them away because she refused to cry before him.

The man saw her eyes sparkled. He was looking forward to seeing her in tears but when she blinked, her green eyes turned a shade darker and mirrored the coldness of his own.

He paused for a split second. He wanted to put more force on his fingers to bring out her tears, but he knew that adding more pressure would fracture her cheekbones.

He reluctantly released her. Before Angel could heave a sigh of relief, she was mercilessly shoved, and she fell on the floor with a thud. The thick carpet wasn't enough to lessen the pain that radiated from her butt.

The man looked at the white wedding dress on the bed. The sheer fabric on the skirt was torn, while the upper part was smeared with red. He frowned when he noticed that it was blood. His gaze shifted to the woman sitting on the floor, and her hands hugged her bent knees. He noticed that there was dried blood on her forefinger.

"Look at me!" He commanded in a menacing voice.

Angel refused to look up.

"Angel Hart, remember this. Your parents are in my hands. Piss me off, and a finger will be delivered to you in two hours. Now look at me!" His threatening voice reached Angel's eardrums like a roaring thunder and penetrated every consciousness of her being.

Angel bit her lips, and she tasted blood. She looked at the towering monster above her, with eyes glinting with hate.

"Continue to look at me like that, and I will not hesitate to gouge your eyes. I have every right to hate you, but you don't have that right." Leoric snapped at her.

Angel was finally overwhelmed by fear. She was not afraid for herself but was afraid that the monster in front of her would further hurt her parents.

Leoric Graystone saw the fear and panic in her eyes and smiled in satisfaction. He glanced at the dress on the bed.

"I will ask someone to bring another dress. If you dare to ruin it again, I don't mind having you walk toward the altar naked." He turned around and slammed the door.

Angel Hart lay motionless on the floor. She finally let go of the tears, and torrents fell, drenching her chest, yet not a single sob or sound escaped her.

After like an eternity, her tears dried up, and she stood with difficulty. She walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass wall and looked at the vast expanse of the blue sea with an empty gaze. She closed her eyes as if trying to etch the beautiful scene in her mind. 

She heard the door open but did not bother to turn around or open her eyes.

"Die, you bitch!"