Chapter 6 Force? No. Convince? Maybe

Nicholas Andrieux I raised an eyebrow as Alicia stood in front of me, her expression twisted in irritation. She looked like she was about to burst, and though I didn’t recall doing anything to provoke her this time, it wasn’t exactly surprising. Alicia and I had never gotten along. We tolerated each other because we had to—because of our families, our social circles—but we never liked each other. And yet, here she was, standing over me like I owed her something. I exhaled and turned my gaze back to the lake, casually scrolling through my phone. “Do you need something?” I asked lazily, barely sparing her a glance. “Yeah,” Alicia snapped. “I need you to answer my question.” Still not looking at her, I scrolled down another page, my tone indifferent. “And what question would that be?” Alicia’s shadow loomed over me, blocking my view. Her presence was impossible to ignore now, so I looked up, meeting her fiery glare. She was really mad. I tilted my head slightly, unimpressed. “Well?” Her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “What are you doing here?” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I’m here to get some air.” Alicia’s eyes narrowed further. “Here? Out of all places?” I smirked. “Do you object?” “Yes,” she said, her voice sharp. “I don’t like seeing you in my place.” I couldn’t help myself—I laughed. A deep, amused chuckle echoed in the still night air. “Your place?” I repeated, making air quotes with my fingers. “Hate to break it to you, princess, but this is a public space. You don’t own the lake.” Her face darkened, and she let out an annoyed scoff. “Do you always have to be so irritating?” Shaking my head, I let out an exaggerated sigh, a mocking smile tugging at my lips. “You know, Alicia, the real annoyance here is you,” I said smoothly. “I came here to sit in silence, but you showed up out of nowhere, shouting at me like I committed some crime.” “I wasn’t shouting,” she argued, her voice rising. “You’re just exaggerating.” I pushed myself up from the bench, towering over her. Alicia stiffened slightly but held her ground, glaring up at me. I studied her expression for a moment before speaking. “I’ll have to get used to this side of you,” I said casually. Her brows furrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?” I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice just enough to make her uncomfortable. “It means we’re getting married.” Alicia flinched as if I had struck her. She shook her head, stepping back. “No. No way. I never agreed to that, and I never will.” I expected the glare she shot at me, the defiance in her eyes. She thought she had a choice. Amused, I let my smirk drop, my voice turning cold. “You’ll have to.” Her lips parted slightly, her breathing uneven. “Or what?” I leaned closer, my lips near her ear. “Or your family will have to face the consequences of your rash actions.” Alicia’s body tensed instantly. I pulled back, watching the mix of anger and fear flicker across her face. “You think you can just walk away from this?” I murmured. “That your little rebellion will go unnoticed?” Her fists clenched at her sides. “You’re bluffing.” I chuckled darkly. “Am I?” Alicia swallowed hard. She knew I wasn’t. She was intelligent—one of the few people in our world who actually had a spine. But in the end, she was still bound by the same rules, the same expectations. She was trapped just like the rest of us, whether she wanted to admit it or not. “Why are you doing this?” she demanded, her voice shaking slightly. I didn’t answer her question as I stared at her face. “Are you pretending to be deaf?” her tone filled with annoyance, and I let out a small chuckle. “No…but I like getting on your nerves.” “Answer me, Nicholas. Why do you need me to marry you? From all the women in the world, you can get why me? Not to mention, you are a playboy. You change girls like they're your clothes, but then all of a sudden you want to get married? I found that hard to believe.” Shoving my hands inside my pocket, I looked at her calmly. “Why? Can’t a man change for the better?” She rolled her eyes. “Can you stop joking and answer my damn question, Andrieux.” “Ok, fine. Do you want to know the truth? The truth is because I need you.” The look on her face is what I expected. Her mouth hung open, her forehead scrunched, and her eyes slightly widened. She looks like a lost deer caught in headlights. She probably didn’t expect that word to come out of my mouth. “W-what? What are you saying?” I sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like you, and I will never like you. I need you because I need to keep the Andrieux legacy.” Thousands of questions etched on her face. Before she could even question me, I cut her off. “I know you are curious to find out more, but not here and not now. I turned around to leave, but then Alicia shouted at me. “You think you can force me into this?” she asked, her voice trembling with rage. I glance at her, shooting her a small smirk. “Force? No. Convince? Maybe.” She scoffed. “I would never choose you. Doesn’t matter what story you are going to tell me.” My smirk deepened. “You won’t have to. The choice was never yours to make.” Alicia’s hands shook at her sides. “You’re a monster,” she whispered. I gave her an unimpressed look. “Spare me the dramatics. It doesn’t suit you.” She shook her head, shooting me a look of disgust. “Well then, good luck convincing me if you can.” Her tone was low and cold as she walked past me, purposely bumping me. I scoffed in disbelief and mutter lowly. “I can’t believe I have to deal with a crazy girl like her. Thanks Dad, thank you fucking much.” My phone vibrates in my pocket. Grabbing out my phone, I check the caller ID. Lucas Young Answering the call, I press the phone to my ear. “Finally, you answered my call. What took you so long, man?” I rolled my eyes while making my way to my car. “I wasn’t holding my phone. Why did you call?” “Why did I call? Man, did you forget what day it is today?” I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, the familiar rumble filling the silence of the empty street. “No.” “The tabloids really don’t lie, huh? You only care about your work. Doesn’t matter. Today is Brianna’s birthday! How come you forget?” Brianna Miller My childhood friend. It had been years since I last saw her. “She’s back?” I asked, more to myself than to Lucas. “Yeah, and guess where she’s celebrating her birthday?” I already knew the answer before he said it. “At your club. She’s waiting for you, Nicholas. That’s the whole reason she chose the place.” I exhaled sharply, leaning back against the headrest. “It’s been years, Lucas. She probably doesn’t even remember me.” Lucas let out a dry laugh. “You really are dense sometimes. She remembers you, alright. Now, get over here before she thinks you really forget about her.” Before I could respond, the call ended. I stared at my phone, muttering under my breath, “Way to end the night.”