The Confrontation

Albert's Land Cruiser roared to life as he sped down the winding roads back to his mansion. The events of the previous night played over and over in his mind like a broken record. He felt a heavy weight of guilt, anger, and confusion pressing down on him. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white, as he navigated the familiar route home.

Arriving at the mansion, he saw Ariana by the Range Rover, her slender figure bent over as she retrieved her belongings from the backseat. Her movements were slow and deliberate, as if she was lost in her own thoughts. Albert's heart twisted in his chest at the sight. A part of him wanted to protect her, to make things right, but another part was seething with anger and betrayal.

He stepped out of his vehicle, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed through the expansive driveway, startling Ariana. She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw him approaching.

" Albert, I was just... " she started, her voice shaky,

But before she could finish her sentence, Albert's hand shot out, delivering a sharp slap to her chin. The force of the blow sent her reeling backward, her eyes filling with shock and pain. She clutched her cheek, looking at him with a mixture of hurt and confusion.

" Why did you use me? Why did you deceive me and use your body to manipulate me? Was that worth losing off your virginity for? " Albert's voice was low and dangerous, trembling with barely restrained fury.

Tears welled up in Ariana's eyes as she tried to process his words and the sting on her cheek.

" Albert, I... I don't know what you ..."

" You don't now what I mean? You knew exactly what you were doing. You played me for a fool! "

Albert spat, his face contorted with rage.

Ariana took a step back, her body trembling.

" No, Albert, you don't understand. I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you, in any manner. " Ariana

" Then what did you want, Ariana? What was your plan? To use me, take what you could, and then leave with your fiance? " Albert demanded, his voice rising.

" No, it wasn't like that! I did not do anything it all his fault! " Ariana cried, her tears flowing freely now.

" whose fault? Mmmm " Albert echoed bitterly.

" He is the one behind defiance and want him to go through justice." Ariana stated

" Is that your excuse? You used your body, you used your innocence, just to get what you wanted? How can you live with yourself? " Albert shouted making the maids who strolled to catch their attention.

Ariana's shoulders shook with sobs. "You don't know what it's like, Albert. You don't know what I've been through. I was trying to survive."

Albert's anger flickered for a moment, a pang of sympathy breaking through. But it was quickly replaced by a cold, hard resolve.

" Survive by deceiving me? By making me believe you cared? Even I married you been a stranger. " Albert stated.

" You know what, I done and I am out of here. " Ariana retorted as she stood in the mansion's expansive driveway, her cheek still stinging from Albert's slap. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she tried to hold them back, refusing to show any more vulnerability in front of him. She took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself as she reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She had planned to call her sister for comfort, for some semblance of support in this overwhelming situation.

As she unlocked her phone, a notification caught her eye. It was an email from an unfamiliar address, marked with the subject line: "Your Marriage Certificate." Her heart raced as she tapped on the message, a sense of dread washing over her. The document attached to the email confirmed her worst fears she was legally married to Albert, and the date on the certificate matched the previous night.

Ariana's legs felt weak, and she stumbled backward, her mind reeling with the implications. How had this happened without her knowledge or consent? She felt trapped, betrayed, and utterly confused.

Albert, still simmering with a mixture of anger and regret, watched her closely. He noticed the change in her expression and the way she swayed slightly as if the world had shifted beneath her feet.

"What is it now?" he demanded, his voice still harsh.

Ariana looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How could you do this to me, Albert? How could you marry me without my approval?"

" I had to make you sign that if I wanted you to be the CEO." Albert stated

Ariana thrust her phone towards him, the marriage certificate glaring on the screen. "This! I thought that it was just the contract that we agreed on, Albert. How could you?" Ariana inquired with her voice barely a whisper.

Albert's eyes widened as he took the phone from her, quickly scanning the document. His initial shock gave way to a defensive posture.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

Ariana's voice trembled with a mix of anger and hurt. " You slapped me, accused me of using you, and now I find out you have trapped me in a marriage I never agreed to. What kind of person does that? " Ariana muttered

Albert's jaw clenched, and he struggled to find the right words. "Ariana, I… I didn't know this would happen. I thought we were just… I thought…"

" What? You thought what? " she snapped, her anger boiling over. "That you could control everything? That you could use your power and influence to get whatever you wanted, regardless of how I felt? " Ariana inquired

Albert took a step towards her, his expression softening slightly. " I never wanted to hurt you, Ariana. I was trying to protect you, to make sure you were taken care of. "

Ariana laughed bitterly, shaking her head. " Protect me? By slapping me and marrying me without my consent? That's not protection, Albert. That's control. That's manipulation. "

Albert's eyes filled with a mix of regret and frustration. " I made a mistake. A huge mistake. But I didn't mean for it to be like this. I care about you, Ariana. More than you know. "

Ariana's tears finally spilled over, her voice breaking. " You have a funny way of showing it. All I wanted was to make things right, to explain everything. But you have only made things worse. " Ariana stated before she stated to pack her suitcase back inside the ranger rover before she started the car engine leaving Albert standing as he faced her leave.