A DESPERATION DECISION

A DESPERATION DECISION

She moved further down the hall, and her stomach knotted. She lacked breathing. Not that this. Not losing everything they had labored for. She could almost hear her mother calling her inside for dinner from the kitchen. The coziness of those memories simply sharpens the cold of reality. She could not sell this house. She found it impossible to let go of the last bit of them. She had other options, though; what else? Her head whirled, hopping from one concept to the next. She could sell something. Could she figure out how to go forward without Tucker? Her flesh crawled at the idea of going to him, of crawling back to the guy she had offended. She was unable to do that. She didn't. Then her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her out of the whirl.

Though the figure was unknown, she was not bothered. That call might turn everything around. She said, "Hello!" trying to control her voice from becoming panicked. "Mr. Langston?" On the other side, the voice was remote yet pleasant. "This is David, from your bank. I wanted to let you know that seven days from now is the auction date for your property currently. She came to a stop. The blood poured from her face as the words set in. Seventh day. One week. She just had that. She lowered the phone and fixated on the wall in front of her while the room whirled. It was no longer a matter of whether she might save her house. It was an issue of how. And the one she had been dodging for days, Tucker Beaumont, seemed to make the most logical response.

But her pride, that stubborn thing inside her chest, fought back more forcefully than it ever had. Not him, though. Not once more either. She nevertheless knew what she had to do. She couldn't let this go, not without offering everything she had left to try. She gasped sharply and reached for her coat off the couch and toward the door. She had no decision.

The trip to Beaumont Constructions seemed like an eternity. Every mile that went by and every turn she made simply drove her farther into the future. This involved more than just money. This was about confronting the man she had left without a word of explanation, the man who had meant everything to her once. the man she had cherished.

Her fingers went white as she grabbed the driving wheel, her mind whirling with a concoction of sorrow, anxiety, and resentment. She could meet him how? After everything, could they ever look at each other and act as though everything was good? The betrayal they had suffered? She was trembling. She never would have expected this. She buried her emotions, her history, thinking she had gone on. But all ran back to her as she got closer to the soaring glass edifice built by Beaumont Constructions. That evening they had engaged in combat. The remarks he had made. His attitude toward her as she turned away. She would always remember that look. Her hands still shaky, she parked the car.

What would she say to him? Her legs felt as though they were composed of lead as she moved toward the building's door. When she opened the door, the receptionist met her with an apathetic look, almost like a judgmental buzz. The elevator trip was worse than she could have anticipated. She tried to slow her breathing, but Tucker's memories dominated her thinking. From years past, she could still sense his heat. She could still hear his voice, his fervent murmur of her name. Whose mistake had happened? The elevator doors opened, and he was there.

The Mansion's Reiteration Scarlet froze when the elevator doors opened, her pulse louder than ever hammering against her ribs. There stood Tucker Beaumont before her. She was absorbing the guy who had once been her universe, and time seemed to stop. He had not altered much, but, she remembered, he was still as frightening. Tall, wide-shouldered, with a presence demanding attention and a strong jawline. Now, though, he possessed something unique. something that over years had hardened. He was no more the man holding her hand as they imagined a future together. Now, he was a stranger. He turned to her, his eyes narrowing just slightly and his lips twitching to produce the weakest of smiles. Still, his eyes missed the smile. Those dark, penetrating eyes carried too many years of wrath and treachery to ever soften. "Scarlet," he uttered her name as though it were an accusation, his voice husky and filled with something she couldn't identify as resentment.

Let us be disappointed. She moved forward, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I... I need you." Tucker's eyes dropped to the floor, then back up to her; his demeanor did not change. He had listened to this previously.

Over the years, how many women had come to him seeking his help, his money, his pardon? He had shut off some years ago. But for a little moment he hesitated because of something about her, something about her suffering. She was different. You wish for my assistance? She could detect the smallest tremble in his voice, yet it was chilly. "After what you did, what makes you think I'll give it to you?" The words turned her heart inside out. She was aware of this coming in.

She knew he would never let her return to his life without reminding her of her actions. Her stomach started to feel like though stones, the guilt and remorse. Her voice faltering, she replied, "I'm not asking for anything more than help." Simply said, I need money. My house; they are taking it from me. He fixed her with a protracted stare, his eyes sharp and unreadable. "And what makes you think I'm going to simply hand over a few million dollars to you, just like that?" Breathing deeply, she refused to give up.

The past didn't concern her. Not anymore. Her need for him was all that counted. She forced the words through the constriction in her throat, "I'm not asking for charity, Tucker," she said. "I'm seeking your assistance.

Only you have the ability to correct this. His lips curved into a smile, one that missed his sight but yet appeared to hold some degree of gratification. You are indeed right. The only person able to correct this is myself. Nevertheless, it will cost more than you are ready to pay. Her throat closed, his words choking her with bitterness. This was his preferred method of punishment for her? Using her desperation against her, he was turning her frailty into a tool for control. "How dare you," Scarlet said through tight teeth. "How dare you humiliate me using this situation? Never did I ask for this. Tucker's expression stayed unreadable, but her shiver came from his predatory calmness in posture. "Scarlet, you have been missing for five years. You cannot come back and pretend to be the victim.

Her mind whirled. How could he say that to her? After all they had gone through, how could he be so chilly? He was known for his affectionate nature. the guarantees. The years of common past. How could he completely wipe it? "I don't want your charity," she continued, her voice trembling now and tinged with anger and incredulity. "You can buy off some assets with a marriage contract; I am not some." Tucker did not flinch, but his smile got colder as his mouth curved upward once more.

You will come to change your perspective. Your only choice is this one. Take it, then go away. Her throat closed, his words choking her with their sting. She had a choice. Everything her parents had labored for, everything they had left her, she could not let go. But this proposition... It seemed like the final kind of treachery. A person garbed in exquisite silk.

Scarlet's emotional trip from despair to returning to Tucker and his deliberate cruelty in presenting her a marriage contract has been vividly and emotionally deep in these sequences.