Chapter 6 Threat

Throughout the drive to the apartment, Naomi and Brad remained silent. Naomi busied herself by staring at anything they passed along the way, while Brad focused on driving. It was an utterly boring trip.

The black sports car finally came to a stop in front of a 27-story building located in the heart of Manhattan.

"Get out!" ordered the man with the thin beard, not even glancing at his wife.

"Here?" Naomi asked, looking around with a furrowed brow. The car had stopped right at the apartment lobby entrance.

"Of course. Where else would you get out?" Brad shot back, rolling his eyes as he looked at her.

Naomi exhaled sharply in frustration and got out of the car without further protest.

"Don't forget to take the stuff out of the trunk. I'll park the car," Brad shouted from inside.

"Fine," she replied, half-annoyed, and went to open the trunk, which Brad had already unlocked.

Brad watched her with a smug grin. "Don't act like a princess, Naomi. A country girl like you is better suited as a maid!"

After making sure all the luggage was out and Naomi had closed the trunk, Brad drove off toward the basement to park the car. He returned a few moments later to meet her.

"Let's go! And don't forget the suitcase," he ordered, pointing at his luggage. Naomi's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe Brad was asking her to carry his suitcase too.

But a second later, she remembered all the kindness Josh Smith, her father-in-law, had shown her. If it weren't for him, she would've kicked this rude, arrogant man standing in front of her out of her life already.

"Calm down, Naomi. Just stay calm ...," she muttered, trying to reassure herself and keep her emotions in check. She was having a bit of trouble managing two large suitcases-one hers and the other packed with her husband's belongings.

Earlier, an apartment staff member had offered to carry their luggage, but Brad waved him off, signaling that they didn't need help. The staff member stepped back, leaving Naomi to struggle with the two heavy suitcases.

"Hurry up! Stop complaining. Just think of yourself as my personal assistant now. Got it?" Brad snapped, brushing a hand through his sleek black hair.

Hearing the words that came out of her husband's mouth, Naomi narrowed her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. She grudgingly followed him into the elevator, which took them up to the twenty-seventh floor.

They walked down the apartment corridor, which was bathed in a luxurious golden-yellow hue. Naomi was captivated by the opulence around her. This was her first time stepping foot in such an expensive-looking apartment, and she couldn't help but be amazed. She was so caught up in taking in her surroundings that she let out a startled yelp when she accidentally bumped into Brad, who had abruptly stopped in front of her.

"Ow!"

Naomi nearly fell, but Brad instinctively caught her, pulling her into his arms. For the first time, there was no distance between them. They stood there, holding each other and exchanging glances for a few seconds.

Both their hearts began to race. Naomi could even hear Brad's heartbeat, pounding right next to her ear.

This woman is actually beautiful ...

Brad didn't even realize he had just admired his wife's beauty, albeit only in his thoughts. It awakened something in his masculine side. Realizing this, Brad immediately pulled away, breaking their embrace. An awkward tension filled the space between them once more.

"Can't you be more careful? So clumsy. Typical country girl!" he scolded, glaring at Naomi, though he looked a bit flustered.

Naomi, on the other hand, remained silent with her head lowered, trying to steady her heartbeat, which had been racing faster than usual.

Dear God ... what just happened?

Her thoughts were a mess as she tried to process the strange feeling that surged through her when her husband held her. Her husband-a man who didn't love her and only saw her as his personal assistant.

"Hurry up and put my things away neatly!" Brad's command snapped Naomi out of her daydream.

She quickly stepped into the apartment, whose door was already open, dragging the two large suitcases with great effort.

"Can you help me, Brad?" she asked with a pleading expression.

But Brad only glanced at her briefly before heading to the bathroom, ignoring her struggle with the heavy luggage.

"Ugh, what a heartless man!" she muttered under her breath.

Naomi slumped onto the plush sofa in the luxurious apartment that now belonged to her husband. Her gaze swept the room, taking in every corner of the place that would now be her home with this rude and arrogant man.

The sky-blue-themed apartment had five rooms: a living room with a large aquarium built into the wall, creating a refreshing ambiance; two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom; a kitchen and dining room; and Brad's home office.

"What do you think you're doing sitting there so comfortably? Didn't I tell you to put my clothes in the closet?" Brad's sharp voice startled her so much that she jumped slightly.

"Goodness, Brad! Can't you speak normally without shouting? I can hear you perfectly fine," she retorted, shooting him an annoyed look.

"If you can hear me, why aren't you doing what I asked? What did I tell you to do, huh?" he shot back, his tone just as sharp. "Listen, I didn't bring a country girl like you here to have fun. You're here to work! Got it?" he added with emphasis.

"Fine, fine! I'll do it now, Mr. Brad!" she replied sarcastically, getting up and dragging his suitcase toward the bedroom.

She paused for a moment. "Which room is yours, Mr. Brad?" she asked, turning to him. Brad responded with a mocking smirk.

"That's the problem with you-you never ask before acting. Always assuming things," he scoffed before walking to the left and opening the door to his room.

"There. Put my stuff away neatly. Your room is next door. I don't want to share a room with you, country girl!" he sneered, his eyes cold.

"Fine. I don't want to share a room with a bossy and arrogant man like you either," she shot back, her tone equally fiery.

"You dare talk back to me?" Brad stormed toward her, grabbing her arm tightly. Naomi winced in pain.

"Let me go, Brad!" she cried, struggling to break free, but his grip was too strong. He didn't care that she was his wife-or even a woman. His anger had already reached its peak after hearing her words.

"If you dare defy me or insult me with those little names of yours again, I'll make sure that orphanage you call home stops receiving any food supplies. Every one of them will starve to death. And that caretaker of yours? She'll die slowly without my donations to cover her medical bills. Do you understand?"

The man had threatened Naomi, using the children at the orphanage where she was raised-and the caretaker who was battling her illness-as weapons to weaken her resolve.

The woman, dressed in a soft lavender hijab, widened her eyes, staring at Brad in disbelief.

"You're cruel, Brad," she growled, yanking her hand away from his grip.

She then left him after finishing the task of putting his clothes neatly into the room he had assigned her. Now, Naomi had no reason to fight back if she wanted the people at the orphanage to get what they needed.

Naomi knew that when Brad made a threat, he would undoubtedly follow through.

"Do you think I care?" he retorted, half-shouting. Then he smiled triumphantly, knowing he had found Naomi's weakness-something he could weaponize any time she dared to defy him.