The Billionaire’s Bargain Bride

Demands and Punished

SADIE

Argh! I wanted to pull my hair out.

He didn’t get it, did he? He would never get it. Again, I was trapped in the same maze over and over again. Men were all the same—they thought they ruled the world. They felt they owned women. They thought women got easily manipulated. Well, I would make him wrong. I would never back down. Watch me.

I was kind of relieved that he had left me alone. I was exhausted. I’m done.

I started getting used to sharing a bed with him, but I woke up alone this morning.

The entire penthouse was dead silent. I knew Cenric had left to work— that was what he was good at. I still tiptoed down, making sure I wouldn’t make any noise.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“What’s good in the morning? Where’s your boss?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“Left for work.”

“Good.” I walked directly to the kitchen.

To my surprise, I couldn’t find any food I’d like to eat. I chuckled in dismay and amusement at the same time. I knew exactly what he was doing—punishing me. Try another tactic. I’d been there, done that, Cenric.

My father and Jasper used to do the same thing—punishing me by not giving me what I wanted and giving me food that I couldn’t stomach. I could say that I was a pain in their asses and with my husband.

“Black olives, Quinoa milk, soy milk. Wow! No eggs, no bacon, no banana, fresh yogurt, no wine, no kale.” There was only a bag of multigrain bread. He knew exactly the food I hated. He asked my friend. Of course, otherwise, how would he know? Damn it, Zhuri.

“Where did the food go?”

“Mr. Wollf asked Linden to bring it to the homeless a few blocks from here. Your phone is on the coffee table. Call me if you need anything.” He left right away as though he was avoiding some questions.

“I’m going to see my friend in thirty minutes.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I was given a direct order not to take you somewhere. You can’t go out of the penthouse.”

“What?” I blinked at Devin. “He can’t do that to me.”

“Are you two in some kind of fight? I don’t mean to pry.”

“You can pry, but he’s out of this world overprotective asshole.”

“He’s just protecting you.”

“Yeah. That’s what I said. Extreme, beyond.” I grabbed my phone from the table. “I’m calling him. What the actual freak?” I showed him the screen. “No freaking service. So I can’t contact my friend, I can’t go out of this freaking house, I have no actual food to eat, and I have no money. I can’t get a job because he wouldn’t let me. So what am I exactly going to do here? Make myself crazy?”

Devin couldn’t contain his smile. “Maybe you should just apologize and make things work between the two of you. Mr. Wollf is actually the most considerate man if you’re on his side and if you don’t compromise his trust. His employees love him.”

“Maybe I will just burn this penthouse down,” I grated as I looked up at the spectacular minimalist high ceiling.

“Don’t ever think about that. Let it cool down, and then you two will make up and back together in no time. At least, you both figured out something—your weakness and differences, and then you can work on that.”

“Thank you, Dr. Phil. Can I borrow your phone?” I held my hand. He didn’t even move. “Oh, he told you not to give anything I’d ask, hasn’t he?” Awesome.

I couldn’t blame Devin. I understand why his loyalty remained to his boss. Cenric was the one who wrote the paycheck, anyway. I couldn’t let him lose his job either because of my stubbornness.

I grabbed the home phone, but I could only dial 911, and Devin, was already here.

“You can’t call outside.”

“God!” I threw my hands in the air. “I hate him! He’s such an egotistic, controlling, and manipulative asshole!”

I went back to the kitchen, grabbed everything I could eat from the fridge, and carried them inside the guestroom. I would never apologize and beg for him. He would do it again if I just gave in to what he wanted. He couldn’t clip off my strong-willed because I owed him his freaking millions.

***

It was a day before his birthday. I intended not to go down if he was at home, but I knew he came home every night. He never checked me either. So we basically never talked.

This morning, I received a red evening gown with a pair of shoes and a set of jewelry, but I had no plan on going out to attend his birthday. I found out from Devin that the party would be at the King Hotel ballroom. Of course, it was extravagant. He was a freaking billionaire, after all.

I ate and did push-ups and sit-ups in the room. I did the same from morning to night. In the afternoon, Devin knocked on my door with take-out food.

“You won’t get into trouble?”

“No. I understand the anger you feel towards your husband. Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”

“I’m not. Do you know what my brother did to me if I misbehaved? What he’s doing is nothing compared to what Jasper did to me. If there was one thing I was grateful for, he never let anyone touch or allowed someone to violate me. They had an uncanny amount of things in common. Maybe because there’s a price tag around my neck, now, it’s been clear to me. They’re both jackasses.”

Devin laughed. “Trust me. Your husband would never do what your brother did to you.”

“I still don’t know him. I can feel there’s darkness inside him. I think every person does, though. For him, it’s only a matter of time when it is going to ignite and burn me to ash,” I said crisply.

“Don’t overthink. Enjoy your meal.”

Cenric had angered and frustrated me. I left no choice—even breaking off this marriage, and it enraged me to the point I had no control over it.

I forced myself to sleep after dinner.

I woke up in the middle of the night to feel that someone was watching me. I jolted to sit in bed only to find out it was him.

“What are you doing here?” I threw him an irritating glare.

“A car will pick you up at six in the afternoon—”

“I’m not going.” My eyes narrowed in a pure challenge.

“Yes, you will.” His voice was calm but as hard as stone as if leaving me no choice but to do as he asked. I’d never heard that kind of voice since we got married. It had no emotion, and just like a coldness that sipped through your skin, he gave me a shiver.

The ice coming off this man could freeze hell.

“Or what?” I spat, rage boiling up inside me as I met his gaze, throwing him the same daring glare. I felt like the person in front of me was not the man I married days ago. This man was like the evil split version of himself—the darkness I was talking about.

“Don’t make me say it.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, stirring the pot. “Come on. Just get it over with.”

“You will wear the dress I bought and the jewelry, and at six sharp, you will go down and enter the car that will drive you to the hotel.”

“What if I will escape and take the jewelry with me?”

“If you try, you haven’t set foot outside the hotel—the guards and the police already cuff you and take you to me.”

“Ridiculous. And I’m so terrified.” I laid back to bed and closed my eyes. Seconds later, the door opened and shut closed.

Like clockwork, I woke early. I wanted to greet him, but I was sure he had more fun to do than listen to my unsolicited greetings. I remembered the gift I had bought for him, though, but it was useless now.

At midday, I went down. I was starving. Devin did not knock on my door to bring me a meal. I almost stumbled down when I realized I wasn’t alone. He was here and not alone.

I stopped dead in my tracks. The woman just kissed him on the cheek. She was four or five years older than me and wearing long pants and a white blouse, yet she carried it very well. She then walked out and shut the door behind her as though she was used to being in this place. Before I could look away, Cenric had already caught me.

I pivoted on my heel and went up, hoping I wouldn’t see him again until his birthday was over.