CHAPTER 3: SLEEK

KYLE

I drew in a heavy breath as I finally stepped into my sleek black car. Brielle had offered to accompany me but I declined. The least thing I'd want to do right now is associate well with George's daughter.

The events of the evening kept replaying in my mind and I clenched my fists tightly. I wished I could have struck him hard on his face. What pissed me off the most was the way he maintained a perfect facade like everything is fine.

Six months, six months is all I need. Six months to delete all the videos and break the marriage. For the first time that night, a small smile tugged across my lips

George won't know what'd hit him, all I had to do is to keep playing this card well. I'll destroy him,I'll destroy his whole reputation and I'll make him regret ever crossing the Clark's path

I picked a cigar from the box in my drawer , and lit it. I needed to clear my head. I reached my phone and dialed my brother's number– Thomas

"Hey Kyle, how's it going?"

Thomas' voice came through the line.

"Fine, just that I struggled hard to not punch him in this face"

I replied, drawing In another puff.

There was a pause on the other end of the call, followed by a heavy sigh from Thomas.

"Kyle, I know how hard this is for you"

He said, his tone soft yet strong.

"You need to go along with this marriage, at least for now, until we can figure out a way to solve the problem that hang over our head"

I felt another wave of anger surged through me. The thought of getting pushed into a marriage because of my family's image made my blood boil.

"It's not that easy, I'm not ready for marriage. We need to get this fixed in six months time"

I mumbled, struggling behind the urge to transfer my inbuilt rage to him.

Thomas sighed again, his tone easing.

"I know you don't want this but we don't have a choice right now. We need to protect our family, no matter what it takes."

I clenched my jaw, My grip on the phone was tightening. I hated feeling stuck, like a pawn in someone else's game. But I knew Thomas was right. For now, I had to suffer, no matter how much it pained me.

"Just play along,George is cunny. He might leak the video if he notices anything. Act interested while we secretly destroy the videos. Do this for Mom please"

I took a deep breath before I finally muttered

"I've heard you"

I ended the call with Thomas and my thoughts drifted back to Brielle. She is pretty and has these captivating brown eyes. Every man would want her but then she's George's daughter. No amount of beauty could erase the stain on that record

With a sharp exhale, I rubbed my temples with my thumb and forefinger and I finally drove out of their home.

**********

I entered my family's living room and caught sight of my mother- Isabella. She stood from the couch,her face etched with concern and worry immediately she saw me.

"Kyle, sweetheart, I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused you"

She began to caress my face but I jerked off her hands.

"I'm tired of the constant apologies, it's never going to change a thing. I'm getting married in six months to his daughter. How can sorry fix that?"

I quizzed,my eyebrows arched,our gaze meeting. Her eyes were filled with tears and a half of me felt for her but the other was angry and disappointed. I know it's not her fault but I just can't help the emotions.

"I never meant for any of this to happen. It was a mistake I swear"

She muttered amidst sobs

"Tell that to George. He's hell-bent on destroying us all if I don't wed his daughter. He is ambitious and cunning. The video with him now captured the moment when you pushed him down the stairs. No one would believe you. No one will believe you…"

I drew in a long breath trying to calm my nerves. I knew I was being hard to her but ,I just couldn't control it.

The event got us into this mess and now I have to fix it.

Her continuous sobs filled the room and I hugged her gently.

"Don't worry, I'll fix this mom"

I whispered to her,then wiped off the tears off her face.

I disentangled from the hug afterwards and strode to my room

I fastened the door shut once I got to the room. I strolled towards the window and yanked the blinds aside allowing sunlight to penetrate into the room.

I walked over to the refrigerator and spewed a glass of water into the cup.

I sat on my bed afterwards as I emptied the water in a gulp.

Lot of thoughts filled my head.

One was making sure every copy of the videos got erased and the other was my marriage..

An idea popped into my head immediately.

I need to get acquainted with Brielle. If there's any way I'd get through George, it'd be through her.

As much as I hated the idea of being with someone under false pretenses, I knew that it was my best chance. I sat down and started thinking of ways to get close to her. Just then, my phone pinged indicating a text notification. I picked it up and read the message. A smile curved at the corner of my lips.

It's showtime.