Chapter 2
His words echoed like a death sentence in my ears, his tone colder than a harsh winter. I took a few steps backward, my paltry defiance faltering, my heart palpitating.
“You haven't answered my question, Miss…”
“Bennett,” I completed for him. “Miss Sophie Bennett.”
“Oh really”
He asked with a condescending chuckle as he clasped the sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket.
My brain recorded every bodily reaction he made, and his facial expression as though it would be the last I would witness.
“Do you mean to challenge my ownership rides to the property I spent a fortune on?”
He turned around and signaled to one of the workers, who lowered his head in a nervous, shaky bow before walking out the door.
“I have the receipts and the deeds of this house. What you have just said is punishable under the law.”
“But I am sure of what I just said. My stepfather sold this house to you under fake agreements, this house is my inheritance.”
Mason froze for a moment, his red lips pressing into a thin line, his jaw clenched tightly. His eyes went dark, something unreadable flashing across his face. He ran a hand through his hair, his muscles tensing as if holding back the full force of his anger.
Despite the tension in the air, I couldn’t help but notice the sharp lines of his jaw, the way his brown hair fell perfectly over his forehead, and how the anger made him seem even more appealing. The cold fire in his eyes pulled me in, and against all reason, a strange attraction stirred within me. My heart raced in a way that had nothing to do with fear, leaving me confused and unsettled.
“Are you ready to drag this out with me in court?”
“What!” I exclaimed again.
“Yes, you heard me.” He took a few steps closer and represented the file the man had gone outside to bring.
“This is the agreement between me and your stepfather. Nothing in it shows your name.”
“And that should make it more suspicious,” I retorted, mustering the remaining strength in my veins to keep my legs from crashing underneath me. Mason Blackwood's presence was poisonous. I felt as though I was standing before the devil himself. But then wasn't he? This man who had been bequeathed with the effortless power to render me homeless and destitute.
“Grayson sold this house to me with authentic certificates.” He bawled, finally losing his composed demeanor. “What proof do you have to negate my claim?”
I didn't have any proof. My mother did not have a will, and Grayson went out of his way to use his marriage to my mom as leverage to claim the only property she had.
It was stupid to bring this matter up but I needed to stall for time. If I had not brought this issue up, I would have been thrown out of the house for more than 30 minutes now, this was the only thing that got Mason's attention.
“You haven't answered me yet Miss Bennett.” He pronounced the name as though it was bitter on his tongue, whereas it sent darts of warmness rippling through my belly.
“You are standing on my property, and unless you have the proof to back up your claim, I might as well have you thrown into jail. Since you don't have a place to live, the jail will be very suitable accommodation.”
“I thought you didn't hear me when I said I had nowhere else to live.”
“That is not the issue here,” he waved a dismissive hand. “Are you ready for a legal battle? I have all the money and the best lawyers in the world. I will have you ruined in an instant”
“Do you mean to threaten me?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in anger.
“Of course not my dear,” he reached for my face and tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear, his calloused hands caressing my cheeks. “I hate it when people go against me.”
Okay, I didn't intend for things to turn out this way. I barely had food to eat. Where would I get money to hire a lawyer? Perhaps I should have fallen to my knees and pleaded for mercy instead of bringing up my claim to the property.
Mason Blackwood didn't wait for me to finish concocting a response; he reached into the briefcase held by one of his henchmen and fished out a piece of paper, which he threw at my face.
“Prepare yourself, we will meet in court in 2 weeks.”
“What!”
“Yes, you heard me. We shall be meeting in a week to discuss the ownership of this house. Until then make sure you are well fed and healthy enough.”
His eyes ran over my body with distaste and mockery while his men burst into laughter.
“You have no right to address me that way.” I retorted. "A person who has this kind of property to their name can not possibly be hungry."
He burst into a peal of mocking laughter then, and I felt the voice ripping me from the inside out. I didn't have any property and very soon, I will not have a name.
Just then he dipped his hands into his pockets and threw a wad of cash at my feet.
“Eat something. I need your strength for the case you will be losing painfully. You should also hold onto the money as part of the fine you will be paying to me.”
With those words, he put on his sunglasses again and walked out the door, snickering mischievously.
“Wait,” I called out, rushing to the door. “I didn't mean it this way. I'm not asking to drag things out in court.”
But Mason was already gone, slamming the door of the black sports car he came in. This was not good. I understood the fact that I now had two more weeks to live in the house, but there was no way I could appear in court.