CHAPTER 5

DARK AT NOON 

Andrei Runt stared at the building before him. He turned off the ignition of his car and stepped down in his impeccable suit. If he was going to destroy Mackenzie's life, he had to look handsome while at it. The audacity they had to think he would let this go as smoothly as it was supposed to.

He knocked on the door, once, twice before it opened. It was a pleasant surprise to see that Suzanne Mackenzie was the one who opened the door. He'd expected to see Henry, bouncing with the excitement of gaining something from him.

Suzanne Mackenzie.

He stood staring at her and she stared right back. She was interesting in ways he could not decipher; soft around the rough edges. Like a diamond in the rough. That was the perfect description. She looked like someone who had lots of things to say but was holding it down with a large jug of water. Andrei smiled. He found her interesting.

"Miss Suzanne," he murmured in his velvety voice. "How so very nice to see that it was you who welcomed me."

She scowled, and then quickly arranged her face. It was a weird sight, like she was practicing on facial expressions. She had short brown hair that messed around her face, giving her a serene, innocent look.

"You're very much welcome," she responded, a bit too nice.

Andrei kept his smile in place. "Glad to see that you do not have any objections to being in this position with me."

"I don't."

"Will you let me in or are you going to keep me waiting at the door?"

She mumbled an apology he barely heard and shifted aside for him to pass. Their bodies brushed; barely. He inhaled the scent he had inhaled days before; a mix of vanilla and cinnamon. So oddly uncommon and attractive. Their house had a nice feel to it. Warm and inviting.

Andrei saw Henry and his wife coming down from their bedroom. His wife, Ruth had a fearful expression to it, like she was worried but couldn't object. Andrei smiled; she was right to be fearful of the offer he had to bring.

"Mr. Mackenzie, how do you do?"

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Runt." Henry said.

Andrei nodded and sat on their sofa without invitation. He took out a piece of paper from his suitcase and dropped it on the table. Henry took the paper and read it carefully. Andrei relaxed back into the sofa and watched the emotions wash over Henry's face.

The confusion, the anger, the fear relished Andrei. He felt fulfilled. Maybe they would back off by the time they were done reading it. What better way to make people back off if it wasn't by making it hard on them?

Henry squeezed the paper in his hand. "You can't do this!"

"Oh yes I can. Aren't you happy for the little present?" Andrei feigned shock. "You really are not happy with this present?"

"This isn't what we discussed!" Henry insisted.

"Oh, but it is. My terms, my rules. You really do not have any say in it."

Suzanne looked suspiciously at him before moving close to her father. "Dad? What does it say?"

Henry thrust the paper in her hands and she unfolded it. Andrei began to smile, hoping to see the same reaction in her. She was, after all, her father's daughter, and she seemed to take after him.

He was a bit disappointed and somewhat impressed that she did not act the way he expected her to. She read the paper with a blank expression, merely nodding at intervals before moving to another paper. Andrei sat up as he continued to watch her. She really was an interesting paper.

Suzanne did not look up from the paper as she read aloud. "So basically, you've brought a contract for us to sign, yes?"

"Specifically you, since we will be in this union together," he answered.

"The third clause says that while married, you as the husband are allowed to continue his lifestyle as he deems fit, including continuing your relationship to your girlfriend."

"Yes," he said.

Suzanne brought the paper down from her face to look at him. "So that means marriage does not hold any value to you?"

"An arranged marriage doesn't. We aren't in this for love, are we?"

"So that means you aren't loyal and cannot be held as one. it may also mean you're not responsible or accountable for yourself."

Andrei frowned. She was trying to test him, it would seem.

"This is but an arranged marriage. I can do whatever I want," he said.

"I see," Suzanne nodded. "Are changes allowed to be made?"

He frowned again. "What kind of changes?"

"Oh you know, making it both parties instead of one?" she cocked her eyebrows at him. "Surely you don't expect me to not find love while I am being married to you, do you?"

Andrei almost agreed; he was so close to making those changes, and then he stopped. He should have seen it coming. She was trying to get under his skin, to manipulate him. By her innocent expression, she might not mean it, but that was what Andrei saw.

"No," he responded firmly. He needed to make this as hard as possible for them. "You are not allowed to keep any relationship by marriage to me, Suzanne Mackenzie. You are to stay married and condone my excesses. I am not changing anything in this contract."

"But that's ridiculous—" Henry started to scream, but then Suzanne held out a hand to interrupt him.

"Fine," she said to Andrei. "No change of clause then. Just one year, one year and we're done with this."

Andrei had to smile at her tenacity and her willingness to sacrifice for her family—whatever it was she was doing. He brought out the original copy of the contract and held out a pen to her.

"Sign here. You will be bound to me for life."

She took the pen from him and smiled. "Not for life, just a year."

Andrei smiled. He was beginning to dislike that tenacity of hers. "We shall see."