Chapter 5 A joke

"Did anything you just said make any sense to you at all?" I asked with a look of disbelief on my face.

"What part doesn't make sense to you?" he responded.

I scoffed.

"Are you trying to pretend like you don't see anything wrong with what you just said? What do you mean by saying you want to use me? How did that sentence even make any sense to you?" I retorted, wondering if he was stupid or just pretending to be.

He mentioned that he wanted me to use him for my revenge and that he'd use me as well, and never in my life had I heard a statement that confusing.

"I can see why you would think that, but allow me to explain," he replied, not wanting me to think he was a weird man. "Don't ask me how, but I know everything that happened between you and your ex-husband Henry, and I also know that you want nothing more than to have your revenge. Now, as someone who sympathizes with you, I want to help you get your revenge," he explained, and I brows furrowed in confusion.

"Let me get this, Mr. Marchetti. You're saying that you sympathize with me, and you wish to help me get revenge? Me?" I inquired, trying to make sense of his words.

"That is exactly it. I'm someone who likes to be straightforward, so I'm going to be very direct with you. I understand that you feel a certain way about your sister and ex-husband getting married, and I would like to help you get rid of the anger you have in you, but of course, I also have my reasons for wanting to help you," he explained, and strangely, I was starting to find this conversation interesting.

I became curious to understand the thought process behind why he thought I could be of any help to him, and I also wanted to understand why he even intended to help me get revenge on Henry.

"I'm going to be honest with you; the more you say things, the more confused I get. I mean, I have an idea, but I'm curious to understand where you're getting at. Don't get me wrong, though; this doesn't mean I have any interest in going along with whatever crazy idea you have, but I do want to hear you out," I replied.

"That is understandable. I'm just telling you directly that I would like to help you get your revenge on Henry and Emily; that is, of course, if you'd like me to help."

"And why do you think that I want revenge on them? What made you think that I'd be interested in getting back at them?" I asked.

He sighed. "I'm not somebody who makes such moves without properly investigating the people involved, and knowing the kind of person you are, I think it's most likely that you'd want to get your revenge. I'm just offering you a perfect opportunity to do just that," he responded, and I could tell by his tone that he was confident.

"Hmm, interesting. What if I don't want to? What if I'd just prefer to move on with my life?"

"No offense, but if you had any intentions of just moving on with your life and pretending like nothing happened, you wouldn't have foolishly come here," he replied.

I initially wanted to be offended that he had indirectly called me foolish, but knowing that he had a point, I decided not to be.

"Listen, I know my approach is quite unusual, and it's understandable if it makes you uncomfortable, but I can assure you that I don't mean any harm, and I'm just offering a way for both of us to help each other," he added.

"And how would I be of help to you? Why would you want to help me take revenge on Henry?" I asked.

"I have scores to settle with your ex-husband, and I intend to use you to settle those scores. To put it more bluntly, your anger towards Henry is beneficial to me, and as the saying goes, there's nothing more dangerous than a scornful woman," he responded, and I didn't know when I let out a dry, bitter laugh.

I may not have been offended when he called me foolish earlier, but it certainly did not feel good to hear him refer to me as a scornful woman. It felt as though he just stepped on the last bit of pride I had left.

"You know, we just met today, and you've already referred to me as a foolish person and a scornful woman. Don't you think your use of words is a little extreme?" I complained.

"I'm sorry if my words offended you, but I'm just trying to be as honest as possible because I don't like to beat around the bush. Henry is a thorn in my flesh, and there is nothing that I want more than to get rid of him. I also know that you would like to get back at him for what he did to you, which is why I want you to accept my offer," he explained.

I could tell that his tone changed when he mentioned Henry's name, and that confirmed to me that he and Henry must not get along because he sounded pissed just by mentioning his name.

I wasn't surprised that Henry had many enemies because he was not exactly the best at making friends and being polite. I was also curious to know why Ryan disliked him so much and what he could have done to get him to hate him to the point where he approached his ex-wife for a revenge collaboration.

"So, are we going to be like a Henry Jones hate club or something?" I questioned, and he chuckled, showing off a smile for the first time since I met him.

'Oh, the man is gorgeous!' I thought to myself, as his strong facial features almost made me forget that I was still an angry, bitter divorcee.

"Hate club? I don't think so. I'd like to think we'd just be two people putting an undeserving bastard in his place," he responded, and I almost chuckled at how silly his response was.

"I can understand why I'd want revenge, but how can I decide to work with you when your reason still isn't clear?" I pointed out.

"Henry and I are rivals. We're both in the same line of work, and that gives me more than enough reason to have a problem with him. I'll admit, though, that I do have a specific reason why I suddenly want to get rid of him, but for confidentiality reasons, I can only give you the full details if you agree to my request," he explained, and I couldn't argue with that since it was understandable.

"So, let's say I agree to your request. How exactly are you going to help me get revenge?" I asked.

"First things first, we'd get married," he responded, and that had to be the most unexpected response I had ever received to a question.

I was not expecting him to suddenly mention anything about marriage, especially since he knew that I only recently got divorced and the last thing I would be interested in was getting married again.

"Was that a joke?" I asked, hoping that it was.

"I don't make such expensive jokes. I know you were not expecting that reply, but hear me out. There is a lot I can't explain right now, but if you agree to partner up with me, you and I will get married first, which would be my first step in helping you. I am a man with an impeccable reputation and, status-wise, I am superior to Henry. Wouldn't marrying me also make you superior to him and your family?" he responded, and I was shocked.

I was still and quiet for a while because I didn't know how to respond to that. True to his words, he was superior to Henry in both looks and status, and marrying a man like him would put me way up there on the social ladder.

Ryan was a freaking billionaire, a man who looked and smelled like money, and having such a man as my husband would make me an object of pure envy. Now, as good as that sounded, I wasn't interested in being on top of the social ladder. I had never liked to be the center of attention, and I didn't think I could deal with always being in the public eye.

"Is that superiority going to help me ruin the people who betrayed me?" I retorted.

"What do you think? Is there anything you can do to get back at them in your current state? Won't marrying me make you powerful enough to pull them down?"

"Fair enough," I responded, understanding where he was coming from.

"I won't pressure you into accepting my request because I know it's a difficult decision. I'll give you time to think things over, and when you finally make up your mind, kindly let me know, and we'll proceed immediately," he said, handing me his business card, and I simply stared at it.

I wanted revenge against Henry and Emily, but just like Ryan had said, there was nothing I could do on my own, and he was currently the only way available to achieve what I wanted.

Now the question was, can I marry a stranger who regards me as nothing but a spiteful ex-wife?