Chapter 6 05

Nicole

"Did anything you just said make any sense to you at all?" I asked.

"What part doesn't make sense to you?" he responded, and I scoffed.

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

I tried to think about what he just said and make meaning out of it, but no matter how many times I thought of it, his words made absolutely no sense. 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 have I heard a statement that confusing.

"I can see why you would think that, but allow me to explain so that you don't think that I'm weird. I know everything that happened between you and your ex-husband Martin, and I'm also aware that you hate him very much right now. You probably want nothing more than to have your revenge and as someone who sympathizes with you, I want to help you get your revenge," he explained and my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Let me get this, Mr. Miller. You're saying that you sympathise with what happened between my ex-husband and me, and for that reason, you wish to help me get revenge? Is that what you mean?" I inquired.

"That is exactly it, Miss Hendricks. I'm someone that likes to be straightforward forward, so I'm going to be very direct with you because I see no reason why not. 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 by giving you an opportunity to have your revenge but mind you, I also have my reasons for wanting to help you," he elaborated and strangely, I was starting to find this conversation interesting.

I became curious to understand the thought process behind why he thinks I can be of any help to him, and I also want to understand why he even intends to help me get revenge on Martin.

"I'm going to be honest with you, the more you say things, the more confused I get back what you mean, but I'm really curious so 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 told him honestly, and he nodded in understanding.

"That is understandable, Miss Hendricks. I'm just telling you directly that I would like to help you get your revenge on Martin and Elena, that is of course if you'd like me to help," he replied.

"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, and 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?" I questioned.

"No offense Miss Hendricks, 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. 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 answered.

The fact that he just indirectly referred to me as foolish was supposed to offend me, but for some reason, I wasn't even offended. It was as though I actually agreed with him that I wouldn't have foolishly come here if I wasn't still upset about the entire situation, so I didn't bother arguing.

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

"I have scores to settle with your ex-husband, Nicole, and I intend to use you to settle those scores. To put it more bluntly, your anger towards Martin is beneficial to me and as the saying goes, there's nothing more dangerous than a scornful woman," he responded to me 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, and it felt as though he just stepped on the last bit of pride I had left.

I wasn't certain if I appreciated how blunt he was being, or if his bluntness was only making me feel even more foolish than I already felt. Hearing him say that he thinks that I'm scornful made me realize that what he was thinking was probably the same thing that many other people thought, and that made me even sadder.

"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. Martin 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 destroy him for what he did to you so that is why I want you to accept my offer and together, we can both get rid of him," he replied, wearing a serious look on his face.

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

I'm not surprised that Martin has many enemies and because he's not exactly the best at making friends and being polite, but it certainly made me curious to know why Ian disliked him so much and what he could have done to get him to hate him to the point where he's personally approaching his ex-wife for collaboration for revenge.

"So, we're going to be like a Martin Beckett hate club or something?" I questioned, and he chuckled, showing off his pearly white teeth for the first time since I met him.

'Oh, the man is absolutely 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.

"Martin and I are rivals, Miss Hendricks. 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, I do have a specific reason why I suddenly want to rid of him but for confidentiality reasons, I can only give you the full details if you should 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 have ever received to a question.

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

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

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

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

Ian was a freaking billionaire, a man who looked and smelt 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've never liked to be the center of attention, and I don't think I can 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, Nicole? 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?" he replied?

"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 to make. 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 stared at it for a while.

I wanted revenge against Martin and Elena but just like Ian 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 is, can I marry a complete stranger who regards me as nothing but a spiteful ex-wife?