Chapter 4 USED GOODS

LAURA:

A ball of fire surged up my gut, heaving up my throat and combusting my breath into flames.

Each syllable dug into my soul, clear and distinct- Marry me.

I shoved my phone into my bag, hailing a cab, and bolting in like a thunderstorm.

"Topex Corp," I told the driver, my voice heavy.

Marry him. On my first day at work. Well done, Kaida Crawford... What a perfect cliffhanger.

The thought made my stomach twist.

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My blood boiled as I stomped out of the elevator, every step tightening the knot in my chest.

I slammed the door open with a loud bang. The cold chill hit me like a hurricane; the one in my chest was stronger.

He puffed relieved breaths, walking toward me with a smile. "I knew you'd-"

SMACK!

The slap thundered, his neck whipping to the side, blood trickling from the side of his lips.

He didn't flinch. No anger. No pain. Just nothing.

Instead, he quietly padded to the door, clicking it shut, and wiped his lips with a napkin.

"How cheap do you think I am?" I shoved the file into his chest. "Marry you? No... I'd rather kiss a python than bear your name!"

He stood silent, his eyes sunken. I slapped Kaida Crawford. Many wouldn't live to tell the story, but here I was- It doesn't matter.

"Heaven knows I've had my fair share of men like you," I fumed, lunging toward the door.

He grabbed my wrist, tugging me closer. "It's not what you think," he said. "Just hear me out."

My skin broke into hives. "Next time, I'll bathe in cyanide, let go of me," I snarled. "Let go! I'll sue you for kidnapping-"

"We made a deal, didn't we?!" He roared, gaze calculating. "I need your help."

I shook my head. I should have known better than to strike a deal with the devil. My legs moved, but I stood firm. He'd hunt me down the depths of earth until he got what he wanted.

He unlocked his phone. An image popped up- a familiar name written at the top of the result.

"Carlos A–" Before I could finish reading, he lowered the phone.

"My grandpa. He's dying... stage four cancer," he said with a bitter smile. "He wants me to get married before it..." his voice cracked.

His grandpa? Cancer?

"I'm so sorry," I gently stroked his arm. "That's why you wanted us to get married?" I asked, and he nodded in reply.

I wasn't stone cold, but I wasn't Mother Teresa either, spreading my compassion across the world.

Yes, I owe him, but why does he have to drag me into his mess?

"I'll pay you ten million!" he offered, handing me a file. "Just one year, and we'd get a divorce."

Just one year; exactly what Kai had promised, before he ruined me. One year of prenup, which twisted into three years of Hades in a villa.

How would he be any different? From what I've heard, he can be worse, and there's a hundred percent chance he was paying me to sign my death warrant.

"No strings attached, you can stay in a separate wing, I can increase the pay. You only have to make public appearances and act like it's a real marriage," he stated.

I scoffed, patting my belly. "You said I'll grow a pot belly in a few months. How do you plan to handle that?"

"That's what's going to make it more real," he gestured to my belly. "This. I'm your husband. It's my child. Simple."

His insistence made my skin prickle.

I grabbed the file, my voice firm. "I own my life. I answer only to myself. I only answer to you in public. What's binding us is a noun-- Crawford. Nothing more."

"Nothing more," he lifted my chin. "I promise."

"Keep the money. Now we're even," I shoved the file into his chest, scribbling my signature as if I was writing on his chest.

His heart pounded beneath my palm, a halo of emotions flickering in his eyes.

I handed him the file. "You have your wife. What's next?"

A smile tipped his lip. "Thank you, Cute Bug."

"Stopped calling me that."

He pulled open his drawer, produced a diamond ring, and slipped it onto my finger.

"Mrs. Crawford," he offered me his arm. "Let's go meet grandpa."

We moved through the passage, but it felt more like walking down the aisle. The employees gawked, eyes dripping with envy, as the elevator doors closed behind us.

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We arrived at a high-end private care facility. I couldn't shake the sense of unease lingering around me as we walked down the corridor.

The test result Kaida had shown me flashed in my mind. Could it be the same Carlos – Kai's grandpa? No, I'm probably overthinking it.

"You can go in, sir," the nurse smiled as she slid the door open.

"Cute Bug," Kaida leaned closer. I flinched as his warm breath brushed my neck. "You look like a zombie... smile a bit," he whispered, his hold tightening around my arm.

A silver-haired man sat in a wheelchair, sunbathing by the window.

"Old man," Kaida called, crouching to his level as he twirled the diamond ring on his finger. "It's done."

That silhouette was familiar. I gulped down the lump rising in my throat.

"Green pea!"

My breath caught, adrenaline pulsing through my veins in heavy doses.

"C-Carlos!" I stuttered, staggering backward.

It was him. The same Carlos. The one who-

"Odin's beard, you've just made my work easier." Kaida's voice cut through my thoughts. "So, tell me, how do you know him?" Kaida asked, snaking his arm around my neck.

The scent of lavender choked like tar, dipping the ash deep into my lungs.

"I-I-" The words thickened in my throat.

"Married his grandson!"

His voice sliced through the tension, bleeding the room to silence.

My neck whipped to the side, and a stiffening coldness hit my bones.

My ex-husband stood there with my sister, arms linked, a smug smile on his face.

"You shouldn't be here," Kaida growled, nudging me behind him.

"Neither should you," Kai retorted, lunging forward. "It seems you've forgotten your place, Broda."

My brain short-circuited, current sparking in my nerves. Brothers!

Kai turned to me. "And what the f**k are you doing here?" A cynical smile twisted his lips.

"Oh... You do side chicks now."

"Watch it, man, that's my wife you're talking to," Kaida warned, his grip tightening around my wrist as if trying to suppress the anger.

Kai laughed, cupping Kaida's face mockingly. "I admire your strength, brother. It's been six months since Cute Bug died, and you've found a replacement, how ironic."

"Kai!" Carlos thundered.

"Mind your business, Old man," Kai retorted.

Carlos's jaw ticked. "You should know better than to discuss sensitive matters in public. Anyone could-"

"He killed her!" Kai shot back. "There's nothing sensitive... just tragic."

I breathed, shooting Kaida a wary glance. He swallowed, eyes pained.

Oh God, hope I haven't signed my death warrant?

Carlos seethed, lips twitching, but Kai began. "It wasn't a mistake, he's the devil and the-"

Kaida's fists connected squarely with Kai's face, launching him across the room.

I felt like a cornered mouse with nowhere to hide. I had escaped a cheater only to run into the arms of a murderer.

Kaida kept punching Kai nonstop, as if his life depended on it.

"Enough!" Carlos's voice thundered, making Kaida stop.

Leila rushed to me, squeezing my arm. "You witch! It's been barely two months since you got divorced, and now you've found another home to wreck!"

"Hold your tongue, woman!" Carlos's tone was livid, making Leila wince.

He wheeled toward me. "I pity you, sweet pea, for having a demoness like her as a sister." He reached for me, and I held his frail palm. "You must have been through so much since I left that house."

Even with the thickest skin, my eyes watered at the weight of his words.

He turned to Kai, whose face was smeared with blood. "My foolish boy. You abandoned gold and settled for pinecones; Laura was-"

"Shut it, old hag," Leila snapped in before he could finish. "The cancer must have eaten your brains. Do I look like pinecones to you?"

Kaida's eyes turned cold, like a frozen lake- one step away from shattering.

Kai staggered, wiping his blood-stained nose with a napkin, not even moved by Leila's hateful words.

He turned to me, grinning like a psychopath. "The mighty Kaida Crawford... I never knew you loved used goods."

Finally, the frozen lake shattered.