Chapter 4 The Deal Behind The Vows

Sebastian's POV.

I think I underestimated Liora Bennett.

Not in a billion years would I have imagined that she would be bold enough to tell my father to his face that she wanted to run her father's company knowing very well the kind of situation they were in.

I was seated next to her in the back seat of my car which was speeding down the road.

She stuck close to the window, desperate to put enough space between us but there was no amount of space that could stop her flowery scent from wafting towards me.

When my father told me about the wedding, I was livid and it felt like a death sentence to me.

Vivienne was the only woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and this washed up princess from a failing company was not what I had envisioned for myself.

There was very little about her on the net, she didn't attend social events, never openly flaunted herself like her stepsister did and the few blog posts I had seen about her said her looks was the main reason she hid herself from the public's eyes.

But that day in the church when I lifted her veil, the woman I saw was someone entirely different. Her hazel eyes captivated me. The petrified yet tender look in her eyes made my blood rush with something I couldn't explain.

The way her jet black hair bounced off her shoulders in waves, framing a beautiful face with small pink lips that gave her the most alluring look caught my attention.

She was beautiful... surprisingly beautiful in a way that made it impossible for me to stop staring at her.

I never did it openly though, I always stared at her from my peripheral vision without her noticing. And that night in my room, when I pressed my body against hers and saw her body laid out for my eyes, I felt the overwhelming urge to claim her.

To pin her against that door and show her just how dangerous it was to try to seduce a drunk man but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not when she was staring at me with those eyes that made me want to...

"We're here sir." The driver's voice cut off my train of thoughts and my head snapped up to take in our surroundings.

The towering building before me knocked me back to reality.

This was it, her father's company, the real reason Dad had insisted I married her because what no one else knew was that our company needed theirs to survive the sudden change in the market.

Her father had been adamant, he had refused to sell it to us even till the last minute and Liora's stepmother had no power to sell it off or else the greedy woman would have done it without a second thought.

The plan was to marry Camille... but then, Dad discovered the majority of the company's shares were in Liora's name.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped down from the car and rushed over to her side to pull the door open for her. Without a word, I took her arm in mine and pulled her closer to my side, wrapping my arm lovingly around her waist.

I felt her body stiffen, I saw the way her eyes widened in shock and confusion as she glanced at me but I didn't care, I kept my eyes glued forward with a smile on my face.

"Just do as I say and don't make a scene." I whispered to her as I guided her into the elevator with my hand still wrapped around her waist.

The ride up to the main floor was filled with the giggles of the workers behind us as they stole glances at us.

I suddenly leaned closer to her and she inhaled sharply as I reached out and brushed a strand of her hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear lovingly as the people behind us whispered excitedly.

I was certain that by the end of the day, the blogs would be reporting how Sebastian Carvers was spotted with his wife, who he was clearly smitten by and so in love with.

Exactly what I needed them to do.

The softness of her skin against my touch radiated through me, my fingers lingered, a lot longer than I had intended and when the elevator made a ding sound, I was forced to pull away from her.

I led her towards a glass door and we stepped into a conference room.

Men dressed in suits were already seated around the table and their conversations died down the moment we walked in.

My grip on her hand tightened when I felt her stiffen, she clearly had no idea what we were doing here and probably just recognized a handful of the men present.

With a possessive grip on her, I led her to the head of the table and we both took our seats.

"Thank you all for coming," my voice echoed through the room as all eyes turned to me, "I'd like to formally introduce you to my wife, Liora Bennett. As you know, with her father's persistent illness, the position of CEO has been left... unattended for far too long."

I felt her try to move and my hand came down on her shoulder gently, squeezing it softly yet keeping her in place.

"As per the marriage agreement signed by Liora, I am granted full authority as her husband to act as the CEO on her behalf until this board deems her ready to lead or her father makes a full recovery."

Her head snapped to the side to meet my gaze and the look of horror in them as she stared at me sent a sharp unpleasant sensation through my chest.

Was it guilt?

Why would I feel guilty about this? She meant nothing to me and as soon as everything was done, I was going to divorce her and marry Vivienne.

That was my plan so... what was this tightness in my chest as she stared at me?