THE MARRIAGE, PT. 1

If he doesn't want you for who you are, he's not worth changing for, sweetheart.

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CHAPTER XXI

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“ARACELI.”

I snapped my gaze away from the dark hallway and instead looked to where the voice had come from.

In the room that I knew belonged to Daniel was the boss himself and, surprisingly enough, his fiancée.

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or outraged because her room was exactly where I was headed. Lá Bruja had sent me to her room to make sure that she was okay and had everything that she needed, even through my heavy protests.

I hated that bitch.

Having Celeste being right in front of me made my job infinitely easier, but I didn't know why out of all places she could've been to make my job easier, it had to be in his room. I mean I knew she had every right but I just wished she didn't.

I stepped into the lit up room, taking in the plain design. Daniel's room was nothing special - it was like a guest room but a little more lived in. I understood that, though, because I knew I lived in this house before he did. He didn't seem like the type to really call anywhere a home.

The tension was thick between them. Obviously, they were discussing something serious and I really didn't want be there.

Daniel took in my appearance from the neckline of my uniform to my sock clad feet with no shoes. He raised an eyebrow at that.

“Are you still working?”

“Yes, I am,” I answered, keeping my head down and bending my knees slightly.

I was supposed to have an early night for spending so long in the kitchen, but the bitch just had to come and ruin it. I could already tell that La Bruja would be a kiss ass to Celeste for however long she was going to stay.

Whether that was good or bad, I had no idea.

“Could you get us some water then?” he asked as if he wasn't my boss.

I nodded my head before turning around and dashing out of the room. The tension in there was suffocating and I wasn't even a part of the conversation.

Why did they have trouble when it came to communicating? Especially since they were a couple? Was it because of Daniel's infidelity? Was he coming clean or feeling guilty?

I shook the thoughts out of my head and headed straight to the fridge in the kitchen. I pulled out the water filter and poured the water into a jug before placing it on a grey, plastic tray and placing two glass cups onto it as well.

I carried everything out of the hitchen and towards Daniel's room in record time. I think it was the years of practice that made my balance so good.

I reached the room just ad I heard a loud voice bellow, “You're such a fucking jerk, Daniel. I know you know that.”

“The issue you have with that is the fact that you know that too,” Daniel said, his eyes never leaving the brown one's of his fiancée as I entered the room with the tray. “You've always known that.”

“Are you trying to psycho analyse me?” she asked in a dangerously low voice, almost making me too scared to place the tray onto the coffee table between the two, white armchairs in his room. “I wasn't the one that cheated.”

He suddenly snapped up. I wished in that moment that I wasn't anywhere near there. As much as I loved Daniel, the glare he was sending Celeste's way made my heart beat a little harder and I wasn't even on the receiving end of it.

“That's great, neither was I. I've told you enough times that I'm not going to marry you and I'll be with whoever the fuck I want. The fact that you still let my father talk you into believing his fantasies is all on you.”

The both of them stayed quiet after that and even though Daniel's tone stayed calm and even throughout his whole speech, not even an idiot like me could miss the coldness dripping from his every word.

When he rejected me in his office, I didn't think I felt half as bad as I felt then as I did now. And even through that feeling, I felt like a large weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

It was an arranged marriage that he wanted no hand in. No wonder he didn't tell anyone. I wouldn't have either.

I flipped one of the glass cups the right way around and poured a glass of cold water into it before handing it to Daniel who took it and gulped down the water quickly. I then did the same with the remaining glass on the tray and pointed it in the direction of Celeste.

“Did I tell you that I wanted anything?” she asked with a poisonous glare aimed at me.

She suddenly pushed the water away from her, making my hand tilt and, essentially, do the opposite of what we both wanted.

The freezing cold water spilled all over her satin, red night dress and she jumped up within a fraction of a second, completely frozen at the damp spot on her clothes.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” I began apologising, but before I could've let the string of excuses slip past my lips, I was swiftly told to shut up by her palm meeting my face in a slap.

I immediately backed away, holding my hand up to my cheek as I stared at her in shock. Was she seriously going to blame me for something that she was the cause of?

“What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid bitch?”

I couldn't help but continue staring at her in absolute shock as she went on a roaring rampage about how her nightgown cost more than my entire life and my illiteracy was beginning to show.

I wanted to claw at her and use my words to show her real illiteracy, but I decided against it and bit my tongue instead.

Soon, her raging quietened down to just a harsh glare my way before someone cleared their throat from behind us. We both simultaneously turned to Daniel.

“Well, that's the end of this conversation,” he said, standing up and gesturing to the door as Celeste stared at him with wide eyes.

“You can't seriously be kicking me out, right?” she asked, her voice coming out fragile as he rolled his eyes and took one last sip from his glass before placing it onto the table.

“What else does it look like I'm doing?” he asked sarcastically with a serious look on his face. If I hadn't spent four years with him, I would've almost thought that he was genuinely asking this question.

Daniel's ability with sarcasm was truly worth admiring. He always seemed to ask the right questions that evoked a sense of stupidity within the recipient. It was admirable.

Celeste stood there glaring at him for a couple seconds before shaking her head, letting out a huff and then storming out the door, making sure to slam it shut behind her.

I stared at the door for a little while before shaking myself out of my trance and slowly taking my palm away from my throbbing face. Another injury I had to worry about.

I had taken the bandage off my hands because it was getting annoying, but oh no, poor Araceli can't seem to catch a break with the hoes.

With a pained sigh, I made my way over to the door and just as I grabbed the handle to pull it open, Daniel called out my name from behind me.

I turned around to look at him, wanting to do whatever he wanted me to do so I could get out of the situation.

He leaned back against his seat, his hand over his eyes much like last time before he spoke.

“Lock the door.”

I stared at him confusedly. “With me inside or out?”

He let out a breath of air and slipped his hand down his face, opening his eyes to look at me. He placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his palm. “Between it.”

I let out a huff, completely tired of his sarcastic responses and stepped out, grabbing the handle to close the door.

“Inside, Araceli,” his voice called out, making me halt in my steps and stare at the door in shock.

Slowly, I stepped back into the room and closed it behind me, making sure to turn the handle. I looked at him, only to meet him staring at my every move.

Slowly, his eyes met mine and it felt like a spark of electricity had shot up my spine. I knew exactly what he wanted from me and even though I had the opportunity to respect the remaining bit of dignity within me and leave the room, I found myself walking towards him, reading the command in his gaze before he had to say anything.

Come here.

It was like I was a completely different person in times like these. I wasn't Araceli who was quick to lash at people and fight, or ever defiant and fiesty. In times like these, when the sexual tension was thick and it was only him and I, the only thing I wanted to do was please him.

I wanted his validation. I wanted to hear him moan because of me and know that I had made him feel pleasure. I wanted him to tell me what he wanted me to do, so I could do it and make him happy.

I was completely submissive under Daniel's gaze and I had no idea why. In that moment, trying to find out was the last thing on my mind.

I stopped in front of him and, without waiting for any further instructions, got down onto my knees. I placed my hands on his thighs and his eyes followed my every movement.

He leaned forward and within a fraction of a second, I felt his soft lips on mine. My eyes fluttered shut and I shivered as his fingers brushed through the mess of curls on my head. His hands gripped my neck and pulled me closer to him as he deepened the kiss and let his tongue explore my mouth.

My heart beat heavily in my chest and my hands fisted the fabric of his sweatpants as I struggled to keep my composure. The last thing I wanted to do was completely lose it in front of him. Even though a part of me knew that I shouldn't care about Daniel anymore. I couldn't help myself. He was like a bad addiction.

The kiss continued like that for a while, being the most innocent thing that he and I had ever done and yet, to a bystander, looked so filled with passion and lust.

Minutes later, he broke away from me and I opened my eyes to meet his. His lips were pinkish and swollen - like mine probably were - and they remained parted as he breathed heavily.

“Get up.” The lust in his voice was thick and obvious, and the deep sound of it sent a shock down my spine and caused my stomach to flip in anticipation.

I shot up onto my feet in a heart beat, not wanting to disobey his command. I wobbled a bit, the blood suddenly rushing to my legs, but quickly steadied myself and stood up straight.

I felt his hand brush against my thigh, his thumb rubbing small circles on my skin as he slowly inched his way into my dress.

I closed my legs, attempting to hide how I was already soaking through my underwear which elicited a chuckle from him. Taking his hand away from my leg, he instead started unbuttoning my dress from the last button upward.

He stood up to finish with the buttons on my torso and my dress, at the opening of the button around my neck, exposed my white bra and underwear set to the world. I mentally beat myself up for not wearing anything sexier, but how was I supposed to know that I would be undressing in front of Daniel? The man that was engaged to be married to a woman he didn't even want?

I didn't know if it was his heated gaze on my naked body or the cold air surrounding me that made my skin break out into goosebumps and my nipples harden.

His eyes focused on my erect buds, watching the way they pulled a tent in the cotton material of my bra while I fought the urge to wrap my arms around myself and cover up. I was suddenly feeling self conscious because Daniel had a certain taste in women (take Morgan, Samantha and Celeste for example) and I didn't tick any of his boxes. I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't sufficient enough. Especially when he had an educated supermodel for a fiancée in just the other room.

If Daniel had an issue with my appearance, he never showed it. Just as I had raised my arms to cover my chest, he brought his hand to the back of my thigh and, before I could ask what he was doing, hoisted me up so my feet didn't touch the floor anymore and my legs instead wrapped around his waist.

I let out a small, surprised squeak, finding myself reaching out to grab his shoulders so I wouldn't tip over. I was half expecting for him to recoil away from my touch, but instead his body language remained the same as he slowly walked over to his bed with me in his arms.

He shifted so his hand was supporting my butt and pulled me closer to him so he could press small kisses along the base of my neck.

I subconsciously pressed my hips into him, wanting to feel some kind of friction to relieve the ache between my legs as I tilted my head away from his lips.

He stopped walking and for a second, I began falling. Panic arose within my chest, but it instantly dissipated once I felt the soft mattress surround my rigid body.

I relaxed into the bed as Daniel peeled off his shirt, revealing his beautiful body to me. He had muscles in all the right places and a drool-worthy set of abs as well as the occasional ink painting his skin.

I didn't have anytime to figure out what any of his tattoos said, but it didn't surprise me that he had them.

He chucked his shirt onto the floor and grabbed my legs to pry them apart before climbing in between them and keeping his hand on my thigh.

I sat up, leaning in to kiss him when a little sliver of sanity made an appearance in my head again.

If you have an dignity left within you, you would leave. He's said it before and he'll say it again; he doesn't like you.

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