Chapter 39

**SCARLET**

The sound of the devil’s name alone made my stomach twist. How much more has an unfortunate past with him? If only I could change the past, I would have. There was no way I would love a man like Raoul. He was pure evil.
I begged him. I even got down on my knees when I did it. He locked me up in his house for almost a month. I was unable to go to school. I always had bruises. He was hurting me. He only allowed me to use my phone, so people would not expect anything. I lied to my friends. I lied to Mom. It was only Nate who began to suspect what was going on with me. Katherine thought I was in love, but Nate thought I was out of my mind when I told him I was going to marry Raoul.
Everyone thought I was in love, but I wasn’t. How could I love a man like that?
“I never loved that devil, Luke. I just don’t want you to meet him.” I stared back at Luke.
His eyes narrowed. “Then why can’t you tell us what happened?” he asked.
I clenched my fist. Why was everyone so interested in the story of my life? If they could erase my data that connects with him without any trace, why not just do it? Why torture me for some information I wasn’t willing to give? It was harassment at its finest.
“I’m telling you, I don’t know where he is. That’s the only thing I could tell you. I’m not interested in finding out where he is, either. You’re only going to waste your time. He isn’t someone you treat lightly.”
Raoul’s family wasn’t a joke either. He was rumored to be a grandson of a Senator. I didn’t know if it was true, but I found out that his father was the governor by the time I knew him.
“And I’m someone he shouldn’t treat lightly, too. Are you underestimating what I can do?” Luke’s voice was low and dangerous.
“It’s not what I mean, Luke.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even start with me. You can’t expect me to say anything when you can’t even tell me about Stacy. You asked me to trust you. Now can I ask you the same?”
“Hold on. Luke, she knows about Stacy?” Rebecca interjected. Her eyes flitted back and forth from Luke’s face to mine.
“And your lawyer knows about this mysterious woman, and I don’t?” I questioned.
“I don’t know what’s going on here anymore.” Rebecca shook her head in surrender.
“I just found out the name by accident. I don’t know who she is,” I explained.
Luke’s jaw twitched. “This isn’t about me.” He squeezed his brows with his two fingers and then took a heavy breath.
“Luke, I think we should take a break for now. I’ll see what else I can do. Your father was already asking me about the documents.” Rebecca left the document with the devil’s information on the desk. “I’m going to leave these files to you. That’s the only copy. Keep it safe. I’ll think of another reason just in case your father asks me again.”
Luke blew out a breath of frustration. “No. I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about him.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you? I just got here from New York,” Rebecca asked. Did she fly here to New York just to give Luke this information? How convenient. I wondered how she managed to work with Luke without even showing the slightest interest in him. I was sure she found him attractive too. Luke was gorgeous and sexy as hell. Women throw themselves at Luke. It’s an automatic thing. As if he had a magnet in his body.
“Thank you, Rebecca. I’ll call you.”
“You’re welcome.” She stood up and hooked her bag on her shoulders. “Luke, Scarlet.”
We were quiet when the lawyer left the restaurant. Luke was reading the first page of the folder she gave him. He ran his fingers over his lip. After a few minutes, he closed it.
“You know you must cooperate with me, right?” he asked.
“I know, and I’m not very helpful. So, can we just tell your dad that I’m not accepting anything from him anymore?”
“You can’t just tell my father what to do. He’ll eventually find out about this information even if I don’t make a move.”
“If this interrogation is a part of our so-called relationship—”
He smashed his fist on the table. “This isn’t a part of it,” he hissed tightly.
He stood, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out of my seat. He dragged me with him as we walked towards the door.
“I promised to save you, and I take every word seriously,” he went on. “You don’t know Thomas Alejandro. If my father finds out about this, Gene could get hurt.”
“Why do you even care so much about this? Now you are worried about what he might do if he finds out. What are we doing now? And why would my mother get hurt? Thomas loves her, so don’t make it an excuse to do whatever you want.”
He brushed his hand along his hair. “God! I don’t care about any backstory. I respect your decision not to tell me. I just want you to tell me where this fucker is.”
“I told you many times. I don’t know where he is. Please don’t meet with him, Luke. He’s a dangerous person.”
“I’m not asking for your permission.”
“You’re leaving me no choice.” There was no way out with Luke. He was determined to find out every piece of my life. It was frightening. I didn’t want him to find out how fucked up my life was. “So, you’re going to do this just because you don’t want Thomas to find out?”
“You think this fucker is dangerous, but so is my father.”
“Why do you keep saying that about Thomas?”
“Listen…” Luke squeezed my shoulders, then gazed into my eyes. “I want you to tell me everything, but I also respect your privacy. I just want you to know that this case is different, and you have me, whatever happens. After all, we will be together for a long time.” He cupped my face then he flashed a small smile. “All I ask from you is to trust me.”
“What do you mean for a long time?”
“Your mother is married to my father, so we’re stuck together as long as they are married. Even if our arrangement ends in two months.”
“Oh.” Right. Our arrangement. The thought of it made my heart ache. I suddenly didn’t want my graduation to come. It’s the time limit we set for our relationship. In two months, we’re all going to live under the same roof as a family. Luke’s going to be just my stepbrother. No, it’s not even two months until my graduation. It was less than two months; the time was running out.
“For now, let’s get you home.”
Luke entwined his fingers with mine. I was getting used to it like I didn’t want our moments to end.
But between those time limits, we grew fond of each other. We couldn’t deny the attraction. The sex was incredible. Our bodies were very compatible. I craved his touch, and I was sure he felt the same. He cared about me. I could feel it now.