Chapter 3 MARRY

He opened the door and before she could say a word. He grabbed her hand violently and pushed her against the wall. "I want to leave, now Danny. You can't lock me in here without my permission. You don't own me," she demanded.

"Didn't I make myself clear. You are going to stay in this house and obey my rules. Did you understand, or do you want to see your little brother six feet under." He tightened his grip on her.

"From today onwards. You belong to me. You are mine. Did you understand."

"What...How... How do you know about my family. You... you want to harm my family." A tear rolled down her cheek, while flinching from the pain.

He let go immediately and left. With more anger vaining in him. Lauren picked herself up. Her hand was brutally painful. She pulled herself together and slept.

Danny stood at Lauren's door. With many thoughts on his head. Holding the knob, he opened the door to see her sleeping, cuddling herself. She didn't even pull her sheets. And the way she was sleeping, it was obvious to him that he had hurt her.

...

Lauren woke up to a delicious aroma making her stomach grumble. She slept in an empty stomach yesterday. She looked at her hand. It was bandaged nor did it pain. Her eyes looked a bit swallown. She frowned at that sight. She remembered what Danny had told her. That is she left the house, her family would pay the consequences.

She gulped. And remembered how fearing he was last night. She quickly removed the bandage and headed out.

"Danny! Danny," she shouted but went quiet when she saw an elderly woman.

"Apologies ma'am, but do you where Danny is?"

"He has gone out. He will return after some time. Come on dear, you've slept enough, you need to eat," she called her to the kitchen for breakfast.

She couldn't wait to dig in. The aroma has already made her mouth wet. "Is your wound alright dear?"

"Yes it's fine now," she answered with many thoughts. She wondered how she knew about the wound.

"Were you the one who bandaged it?" She curiously asked.

"No dear, he was the one who applied some herbs and bandaged your hand last night,"

"Yeah right," she felt pissed.

"Dear, forgive him. He doesn't know how to differentiate people. But I believe that he is truly sorry. He cares for you." She explained to her.

"But he just met me few days ago, I am quite surprised how he knows.... Nevermind. I will go take a bath." She ran off avoiding to say the wrong thing to her. She picked outside again and there were man guarding the house. She let out a breath. Taking her phone, she called Kayler.

"Hey girl."

"Hey Lauren, is everything okay?" Kayler asked.

"I'm just not feeling so well, I won't make it to work."

"Alright, I will let the boss know. Hope you get better."

"Yeah, but do you think you can bring me my laptop and some of my things. I'll work from home."

"Alright Lauren. I will l see you later, bye."

She refused to stay home and do nothing. But she kept on worrying about her family. She kept on thinking about how he could possibly harm her family. She remembered when she asked him what he wanted from her. And his response. It kept on ringing in her head.

"Let me call my mom and ask how they are doing. I don't even know whether to believe this man or not. He managed to hurt my arm twice. What's next, my leg or head."

....

Danny had just arrived, surprising Lauren who expected him to arrive late. He came in, looking fearful, gorgeous, scary and breathtaking at the same moment. A little shiver ran around her body. She didn't know why but she was feeling scared.

"Lauren." He called out but Lauren just looked at him without response. He understood the sudden silent treatment. But he didn't want that.

He went to sit near her. "Look, I am sorry about yesterday. I know you want to go, but I can't let that happen."

"Why? You don't own me Danny. I am not your puppet, girlfriend or wife that you have to own me. I make my own decisions. I will live the life I want...." She stopped realising that he was getting angry now. Then she swallowed her saliva.

"And as for my family, you can punish me as long as you want, but please. Keep them out of this. This isn't any related to them. I'm the one who trespassed your property, not them,"

Now she was cornered against the couch. "You still don't understand don't you. They will be a part of all this until I get what I want Lauren."

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"You Lauren. I want the whole of you. I want you to be be my wife," he whispered and kissed her just below the ear untangling all the sensitivity from the fasten ropes. At the same time, he brushed the softness of her skin.

"And you think I will actually let you have me and make me your wife? Really Danny?" She laughed a small laugher of disbelief. "I think you need to see a therapist. There might be a missing skrew in your head."

••••••

"Don't worry. It's a matter of days before you agree and say yes." He assured her, making Lauren roll her eyes.

"I am going now. I'll return tomorrow make sure to behave." He left.

"This guy is surely crazy. Me marry him, as if," she laughed a little. She got disturbed by a call coming from Kayler.

"Hey Lauren, I'm outside your house, but I don't understand why there are people here. More like guards," she said in a questioning tone.

"Are they allowing you to come in?" She asked.

"No, they said they will be bad consequences if I try. But Lauren, there is something you're not telling me."

"I'm not allowed to leave the house Kayler. Not only that but he is forcing me to marry him. He said it's just a matter of days before I agree, and now. I feel like I did a big mistake by calling you here."

"Lauren, you're in danger and you're telling me now. I'm calling the cops."

"Kayler, please don't do anything. Calling the cops might cause you harm. This man is capable of anything and I don't want anything to happen to you. Please just go home and act as if you never came here. Please Kayler."

"Fine, but you only have few days. If there is no change, I'm calling the cops," she hung up.

"Ohh God, Why don't I ever think before doing anything. Stupid me."

....

Lauren started breathing heavily. She couldn't tell whether she was dreaming or if it was happening in reality. She felt like someone was touching her. Roaming their arms all over her body. Making her feel pleasured. Making her want more.

She tried to see the face of the person giving her much pleasure, but she was unable to. Suddenly she shot her eyes open. Looking around the room, no one was there.

"It's just a dream," she told herself, but wondered why she had such a dream. She never imagined something like this, nor dream about it before. It was weird to her.

She layed her head back in the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Suddenly a picture of Danny came to her mind. She looked at it clearly. Studying it, she realised that this man was beyond being handsome. His brown eyes always sparkled. They had so many emotions. His skin. She remembered how it felt when she had bumped into him. It was smooth. His hair, shiny and a bit silky. She wondered why she always acted strange whenever he touched her. The shivery feeling. She would always lose her sense and forget everything whenever she stared into those eyes. She remembered his hot breath when he was about to kiss her on the lips. And when he kissed her just down the ear, she felt like she was melting. She then admitted that she felt good and wanted more of it.

That small smile disappeared when she remembered how he had hurt her twice. And that he is now threatening her family, forcing her to get married to him. She sighted at that thought and turned.

Then again, she wondered how it would feel like to be with someone. Her friends had already done it while they were still in high school, but she wasn't interested.

And Kayler has tried to talk to her about it before, but she stopped the moment she realised that Lauren was still innocent.

"How come I never thought of this? Was I really that focused that I missed it?" she questioned herself but no answers came.

...

She woke up to a new day, taking a deep breath, she could smell the earth.

"It must be raining outside." She picked through the window and her guess was right. She tossed herself herself on the bed again. How she wished that things were like before, but no. She has to spend the whole day here.

"There are two ways to do this. Either I try that new recipe I have been craving or I sleep and sulk the whole day."

She stood up and went to the kitchen. Preparing her magic for cooking.

...

Nothing was interesting to Lauren anymore. She tried cooking but eventually, she was done. She took a long shower to help her body relax, but that did not get the boredom out.

She tried to call the guards to ask about the package Kayler had left but they didn't give him attention. Making her angry at herself.

And now all she waited was to see what Danny was going to do. She only hoped that nothing got into trouble. Or anyone in that matter.

Danny opened the door, looking scary. His hair was a bit wet. The atmosphere around him was cold. His first sight was Lauren. He stared at her hard. Then he removed his jacket and placed in the couch. He took a sit on the single table and unbuttoned the first two top buttons then again, he stared at her intensively.

Lauren could feel that nothing was good. She could see his anger.

"Tell me Lauren, why did you call that friend of yours to come here?" He asked making Lauren gulp her own saliva.

"I asked her to bring me some work. I can't just sit and do nothing the whole day," she complained.

"What did you tell her exactly?"

"She knows everything Danny."

"I see, it seems like you do not want to see your family happy," he stood up and faced the wall instead.

"What do you mean by that? What are you planning to do exactly?"

A message popped out of her phone. She rushed and opened her phone to see a video. A video of her family locked up in a cage.

"Are you crazy, why did you do that? What have they done to you stupid. Where is my family? What are you doing to my family," She shouted in anger.

"Today I'm asking the question."

"What question when you locked up my family like they are birds."

"Lauren, marry me."

"Are you out of your mind, marry you when you have locked them up," she walked towards Danny.

He turned and held her tight on the shoulders.