Chapter 14

**Blue **


I am done with this day.

I'm happy to say it's been a while since I've had such a stressful day. The doctors must have given me something at the hospital because there is no way I would have made it through all this with no anxiety attack by now.

Does Artemis have to deal with this all the time?

As soon as we got to the hotel I needed to be alone. My brain is so overstimulated that sleep is the only thing I can think about. Bryant and Dane are nice enough to understand my request and told me they would be in the main area in case I need anything.

I didn't bother asking which room would be mine out of the two in the suite. This one looked the most comfortable so I chose it and claimed it as mine at least until Artemis gets here. If he kicks me out then I'll settle for the other room with a good amount of pouting. I'm not above trying.

A knock comes about an hour later and I figure it's Bryant attempting to feed me again so I call for him to come in. I don't look to see if it's him but when a figure steps right in front of me blocking the view out of my window I look up and see Artemis. His furrowed brows and cold face have me scrambling up into a sitting position. The sliver of light through the curtains makes his large frame look a lot bigger.

Something flips in my brain and suddenly it isn't Artemis I see. Fear hits me in waves and I try to move away from him.

"Blue?"

"Please don't. Just leave me alone." I can feel hot tears falling down my face but I don't wipe them away.

Maybe if he sees how scared I am he'll leave me alone.

"Please no more. I swear I won't tell anyone but please stop." I beg.

"Blue? What are you talking about?" I pinch my eyes shut and get ready for what follows.

Only nothing happens. I don't feel his sweaty hands grab my ankles. I don't feel him pull me across the bed. I don't feel him climb over me and pin my arms above my head. Nothing happens. When I open the all too real memories melt away and I find Artemis standing in front of me instead.

I gasp in relief and collapse back onto the bed sucking in as much air as possible. Shame hits me when I feel the bed dip next to me. Artemis just witnessed that!

"What was that Blue?" Artemis asks.

I don't want to talk about it. It's a memory I want to forget. One of many I carry with me from the foster system.

"It was nothing." I force a smile onto my face and sit up to face him. "What are you doing here? Didn't you say you had a lot of work to do?"

He looks at me like he isn't ready to drop the subject but he surprises me by letting it go.

"I got a lot done, but I saw the videos of you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Why? Why does he care? We aren't friends or anything more. We are two people engaged with no love or expectations between us.

"I'm fine. Thanks for checking up on me."

He watches me closely and the intense attention he's giving me makes me want to squirm.

"Bryant said you haven't eaten."

I blow out a breath and look away from him. "Darn Bryant rating on me," I grumble.

"It's his job to report to me. I also see you didn't buy anything on your trip."

"How could I? We ran out of there as soon as we saw people coming."

"We could try again, but this time I'll be with you." He offers but I shake my head.

"I don't think I can handle another episode of that today. Can I just order some things online?"

"Of course. You have my card, order whatever you need."

That's surprisingly...considerate of him. Maybe I have him pegged wrong.

"I'm alerted to any purchases so let me know what sites you'll be shopping on then I can approve the transactions."

What? That's a thing? I guess it makes sense given who he is, but is he worried that I would take all his money?

"Okay, well don't worry about that. I'm not hiding anything." If that's what he's suggesting, then I won't give him a reason to suspect me of doing anything wrong.

I don't want his money, and I've made that very clear.

He nods seeming happy with my answer. Neither of us speaks again for a couple of minutes and I start to feel uncomfortable.

"So, has your family seen everything that happened today? What do they think of you hunting me down and announcing me as your fiance?"

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. It's the second time I've seen him do it. I wonder if it's a tick of his.

"Not yet. I think my mother is shooting in Brazil and my father is on set for a new film he's supervising in New Mexico."

"Do you have any other family?"

I'm not sure if he mentioned anyone else. This day is a blur.

"I have four siblings."

I smile and cross my legs to get comfortable. "Tell me about them. I mean I'm going to meet them eventually and I want to be able to say I've heard all about them and mean it."

He doesn't look thrilled but he humors me. "Tethys or Tet as he prefers to be called is our oldest brother. He's running for Senator. My older sister Athena lives in London with her husband and only travels here for special occasions. Rhea is my younger sister. She lives with her husband and two kids not far from here. And then there is Iris, she's the baby of the family at twelve."

"Your names are all so unique."

"That was our mother's choice. She liked the mythology of ancient gods and named us after them. Except I was meant to be a girl and the name Artemis had already been chosen and embroidered on everything. They decided to keep the name even though I ended up being a boy. Not many know their mythology so it hasn't caused any problems." He shrugs like he didn't just admit he was given a girl's name because his parents couldn't be bothered to change it.

"I like it. It suits you." It does.

"So your mom is an actress, your older brother is a Senator or will be, your dad..."

"My family originally owned an entertainment conglomerate. My grandfather passed it to my father when he retired. My parents tried to get us into the business when we were young but only Tet enjoyed it. Until he decided to get into politics. Iris enjoys it sometimes but she is still young. Athena works in the fashion industry while my younger sister is an author."

I nod along as he talks about his family, but one thing is obvious...they aren't close. He doesn't speak with affection when he mentions his family, and he doesn't smile at the thought of them. When he mentioned his father he even cringed a little bit.

"So the arranged marriage thing. Did you choose me because-"

"My time is about to expire which means I need to find someone or they provide me with a bride. They will choose someone who can boost our family image and that woman will have expectations for me that I don't have time to fill."

"But how do you know they won't do that anyway once they meet me?"

"Not if we get married first. We can go to city hall Saturday, and then it will be too late for them to object."

"Won't they just force us to get divorced?"

He smiles. "No. They don't allow divorces in our family. It could damage the perfect Rhodes image, and they won't do that. Once we're married there is nothing they can do. My younger sister did the same thing, and although they weren't happy they had no choice but to accept it. Things got a little better once she had her kids. My family loves heirs to continue the Rhodes legacy."

I nod as if that all makes perfect sense but of course, it sounds crazy. They don't only force their children to marry but also don't allow them to divorce because they don't want to look bad. What the hell?

"Anyway, how about dinner?" He asks suddenly.

"I think I just want to go to sleep."

He nods and stands. I think he's going to leave but that is not what happens. What happens nearly makes me fall off the bed in shock because holy shit!