HARLEY: The Culprit

Mr. Jones's voice was filled with nothing less than a threat. 

What the hell was going on?

He stared at me. "Well?" 

My gaze darkened as it rose to the father and daughter. I asked, "Does Sylus know about this?" 

Mr. Jones laced his fingers together and sat his chin on them. Those eyes bored into mine. I squirmed. My father was intimidating, but there was the kind of danger I was seeing in this man's eyes that I'd never seen in his. He was trying to intimidate me into picking up the pen without asking questions and signing the contract.

Oh, Ahjussi.

He didn't know the sort of woman I was. My uncle, who taught me how to fight and stand up for myself, was way worse. He wasn't nice to me; no, he was awful to me, showing me just how cruel the world aside, my father could be. This man was dangerous, but he wasn't enough to force me into something I never had the intention of doing. 

Yes, I'd like to go home, to walk out of this facade of a marriage, but I needed Sylus to be the one to send me home on his own accord. I wouldn't sign any papers behind his back when it was clear he had no idea about this. 

"I don't think Sylus knows," I said, smiling. 

"Does he need to?"

"Doesn't he? I don't think he'll be happy about this." 

"Sign the papers, Harley Legan," he ordered me. 

I shook my head at him. "I can't, Ahjussi." 

"Hey!" The daughter slammed her hand on the table, her angered eyes creating a hole in my head. "You heard my father, sign it!" 

"But I don't want to." I shifted my gaze to her, shrugging. "I'll only sign this paper if Sylus himself asks me to. And gladly at that." 

Mr. Jones narrowed his eyes on me. "Girl—" 

My collar was snatched roughly by the daughter, and she yanked me up to my feet, her gritted teeth bared at me, clearly filled with anger. They sure do have a tendency to grab shirts. Like brother, like sister. 

"Listen here, you nonexistent little piece of shit." She drilled the words into my head. "My brother is stressed, and this isn't a good choice—marrying you, someone who's like a rat in a sewer. We have a better option for him, someone who will bring him more benefit, and you are in the way. So back off and sign the damn papers!" 

"Are you done?" I asked, ignoring the insults she'd thrown at my face. They didn't hurt, I mean, she didn't lie at all. I truly was nonexistent, at least that's what I've always been. But still, she had no right. It wasn't like I wanted this. I was the victim here, for goodness sake. "Take your hands off me." 

"What? Didn't you hear me? You bi—" 

"Take. Your. Hands. Off. Me. Or we're going to have your brother walk in here and you answer what the heck you're trying to do to me." 

"Are you threatening me?" She glared at me. 

"Does it look like I am?" I held my hands up defensively.

Mr. Jones groaned, grabbing both of our attention. "Let go of her, Stacy." But she didn't, lingering longer than ten seconds before she took her hands off, pushing me in the process. 

I fell back into my chair, and a wave of irritation grew up my spine. 

"Why do you want me to sign this?" 

Mr. Jones balled his hands into fists. "I need you out of my son's life immediately. You are trouble, and you are a big mistake! Does your father think I trust him? I know what he is planning, and my son is just failing to see that. Gold diggers!" 

A frown emerged on my face, and I sat up in my seat, my gaze intent on the old man. That text last night, the call, the kidnapping—it couldn't have been Mr. Jones, right? It wouldn't be hard for him to eliminate or have any needed information on me, so it couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Not to mention that same statement 'Gold diggers' that man said it too!

He had to be the culprit, he knew of this marriage, and everything just suddenly made sense. Did he do all of it to scare me and frighten me into signing the papers without resistance?

I was too deep into thinking that I wasn't sure when Sylus had returned. I'd only snapped out of my thoughts once I felt my wrist grabbed, and upon looking at the table, the document was gone. Yes, Sylus didn't know. They'd hidden it. 

"I have somewhere to be," Sylus said to them as he pulled me after him. I glanced at them over my shoulder, registering how Mr. Jones continued to stare at me. He never once took his eyes off me. 

The edge of my lip dipped, knowing the smile on my face was the cruelest I've ever held. It was a warning, I needed the old man to know that, because if I do find out, he really was behind that text, those threats...

HE'll PAY!