Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maia and Alex) novel Chapter 4

Chapter Four

~Maya’s POV~

“This is all your fault,” his voice boomed, echoing through the room.

I already knew it was coming. Things had not gone as planned for Daniel Stone, he needed someone to blame and I was the available scapegoat.

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his accusation. “I-I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t mean for things to go the way they did.”

Deep down, I wondered what the apology was for. There had been no offense on my part.

“Sorry? Sorry won’t fix this mess!” His face contorted with anger. “I brought you back into our fold, and what do I get? Shame and embarrassment!”

“I know, Father. I didn’t want—”

“You didn’t want? What about what I want?” He slammed his fist on the table, making me flinch. “I wanted a peaceful dinner, a smooth merger, and you ruined it all. You escalated things when you went ahead and married that bastard.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Silence!” His sharp command cut through my feeble attempts to explain. “You’ve always been trouble. A disgrace to our family name!”

I bit my lip, struggling to hold back tears. “I-I’ll make it right, Father. I promise.”

“Promises! You think promises erase your incompetence?” He leaned in closer, his eyes ablaze with fury. “I should have known better than to rely on you. You’re nothing but a burden! You’re lucky I didn’t cast you out for good!”

“I-I’ll fix it, I swear,” I pleaded, feeling smaller with every word.

“You’re lucky I need you for the merger,” he spat, his voice cold and cutting. “Don’t think for a moment you’re indispensable. You’re replaceable.”

“I understand, Father. I’ll do better,” I murmured, my resolve crumbling under his harsh words.

“Now I have to fix the mess you have made.” Without another word, he swiftly retrieved his phone, his fingers tapping away at the screen, and dialed a number. As he spoke in hushed tones for a few minutes, I dared to hope for a moment of escape.

“That was Ivan. The wedding has been moved,” he announced with a finality that sent shivers down my spine.

A brief breath of relief escaped me, only to be snatched away almost instantly.

“You are getting married in three days.”

The conversation played out in my head as I stood in the large hall, every word still making me wonder what exactly I had done wrong that night.

The beautiful white dress, almost suffocating. I stood amidst the crowd, feeling a profound sense of detachment, surrounded by a sea of strangers. My gaze inadvertently fell on Ivan, the man I was about to bind myself to.

He had an easy smile on his face like he had waited for this moment and it was finally here— he looked like a man in love, somehow that only made me even more sick to my stomach.

Before I could collect my thoughts, he approached, his demeanor surprisingly gentle. “Maya, are you okay? If there’s anything bothering you, you can talk to me.” His eyes twinkled with mischief, “I need to know if you are going to run away before we say our vow.”