The Ten Dates

12. Let the game begin.

Jean:

I slammed open the door to dad's office and strode up to him in two steps. He looked up just in time to watch me break his work table into two. The wood cracked neatly from the centre taking all the papers and gadgets on it along with a satisfying thunder. I can say with no shame that all fifty floors of Westside employees felt my anger.

"Where is your decency?" dad gritted out.

"The word lost its meaning when you voiced it" I retorted meeting his fiery gaze with matching anger "What did you do to him?"

"Whom?" he feigned innocence.

"I begged you dad" I yelled at him "I begged you to leave him to me. For once in my life, I don't want to look like a shadow of you. I want him to love me and that will never be possible if you don't leave me alone. Is it too much to ask for? Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you are weak" He spit out "Look at you crying like a human. This is not you. You are pretending to be someone you are not. This is pathetic. You are a Norwood, you take what you want, you don't beg for it"

"Is it so bad if I try to be better for him?" I argued "Is it so bad that I don't want to be so inhuman. Didn't you ever want to not be this" I pointed at him.

His eyes turned cold "This is what I am. This is what you are. If you give him false promises you can't keep in future, he will ruin you"

"Ray isn't mom"

"He's a human. He's weak. Pathetic" He gritted his jaws together, looking away.

"She wasn't weak. She wasn't pathetic" My tears were flowing freely now "You are. I pity you dad"

"Get out" he said coldly.

"I don't want to be here either. Just tell me what you did to him"

"Like I said, humans are weak" he grabbed my wrist and walked towards the door "I found his weakness" he finished before slamming the door to my face "And the next time you throw your tantrum on my furniture, I'll make sure to burn every inch of his little home" he yelled from the other side of the door.

"Congratulations on being a three hundred year old petty kid" I yelled back before storming out of the office. I need more solid things to break.

________

"He said he found his weakness" Luke hummed "What do you think that means?"

I rolled my eyes "Isn't that why I came to you? You know him better than I do. You know his sources. Tell me what he did" I demanded.

"Jeez you make me sound like a obsessive lover whose favourite pass time is to stalk Derek Norwood" he scrunched his nose "Do I look like a fangirl of his online fanclub?" he visibly shuddered "teenagers of today give me creeps"

"Will you be serious for once? I have no interest in my dad's love life"

"Fine" Luke huffed "He looked into Eva's pack. I'm sure he got some blackmail material from there. I don't know what it is that forced him to behave so uncharacteristically but it's definitely related to Bluewood"

I scoffed, anger burning inside me "It's always about her, isn't it?"

"You will have to understand that he has been in love with her for an unhealthy amount of time, Jean" he said "You will have to give him time. You will have to patient. I keep telling you that"

"I can't" patience isn't my USP.

"Then you will be proving your dad right"

"Will that be so bad?" I can't think straight. Every time the wolf comes to the picture, I feel like ripping her throat open.

"You want him to fall in love with you" he sighed "Yes it will be bad"

I feel like pulling all my hair out in frustration "You should have seen him trying to pretend to like me. Had I stayed another moment, I would have killed him"

"He's that bad of an actor huh?" Luke chuckled.

"Horrible" I sighed leaning back into the couch "It hurts that he's trying so hard to do away with me. No man has ever made me feel so ugly"

"Maybe there is someone else out there for you. Maybe he's not worth the pain" he suggested softly.

I shook my head "I can't let him go. I'm too deep into this now"

"I wonder if your dad's right. He probably sees himself in you. He was obsessed with her too you know. So much that it nearly killed him"

"I don't care" I closed my eyes "I don't care" I repeated with more conviction "I want him. He's going to be mine"

"Fine" Luke groaned rubbing his face in frustration "then here's what you are going to do" I leaned forward to listen to him "You are going to pretend as if you are buying his drama. You are going to pretend to be upset about him wanting you for your money"

"How is that going to help?" I questioned.

"Guilt" he smirked "His conscience will kill him from within. He will continuously feel guilty about doing this to you"

"I don't want his pity"

"No, but you want to be in his mind twenty four seven, don't you?" he raised a brow.

I frowned.

Oh!

A smirk slowly rose to my own lips "I do"

"Good" he grinned "then let the game begin"

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