Chapter Nine : Collision
Corinne
As soon as Dimitri and I were in the car, with my parents promising to arrive at his house within the next half an hour, I turned towards him, fuming.
Dimitri held his palm up towards me while he pressed his phone against his ear, and I sat in dumbfounded silence as he redirected Henla’s efforts into preparing the pool house for my parents instead of the guest suite. I wanted to wrap my own hands around his throat and press downwards. I wasn’t a violent person by nature, but Dimitri’s demeanour and blase attitude had me wanting to throttle him.
I waited for him to hang up. And waited. And waited.
Was he that oblivious to my fury? No. He wasn’t oblivious to my anger; he just didn’t give a shit. Which in turn only angered me more.
He sat there dictating a list of things he wanted in the pool house - right down to the type of flowers he wanted on the kitchen counter. Since when did Dimitri care about what flowers were in the pool house?
By the time he eventually hung up, the driver had already pulled up outside his house.
“Are you going into business with my dad?” I spat the question out as we walked up the beautiful pebble stoned path towards the front door.
Dimitri glanced at me; a frown plastered on his face, as if he didn’t have any idea why I was upset.
We swept through the front door, and still, he hadn’t answered me.
“Are you going into business with my dad?” I demanded once more.
I watched his back stiffen as he walked away from me. He was ignoring me.
Any sort of calm that I managed to portray in front of my parents slipped away entirely and I picked up the closest thing in reach and hurled it at him. The glass shattered against the wall beside me, and I was only mildly grateful that I was a bad aim. Dimitri spun on his heel, his eyes wild with rage. That control that he fought for and maintained so incredibly well seemed to be slipping more and more by the day - well, at least around me.
He stalked towards me with the grace of a wild cat, circling their prey. But I was done being prey - was done being pushed around, and so instead, I pushed forward, meeting him head on.
“Answer me.” I demanded, my voice breathy, and ache building in my chest.
Dimitri didn’t stop walking, even when he met me from across the room. His body pushed against mine, and suddenly, he was backing me up against the front door. Even if I wanted to fight it, I couldn’t - because he was that much bigger than me, that much stronger than I was.
My shoulder blades dug into the wood as I arched away from the door - a beautiful attempt to break free from the hold Dimitri had on my waist.
“Yes.” He growled.
I blinked up at him. My body vibrated, humming with anger, and something so much more.
“I am going into business with your father.”
“But -”
His hand gripped my waist harder, cutting off any protest I had.
“I am going to get him involved in my business, so that way I have something to hold over his head.”
I stared up at him in shock.
“Do you want to know why?” His hand slid down my leg, towards the hem of my dress, and I could only gasp and nod as his knuckles brushed my thigh.
“Because I want him in my debt. After seeing the way they treat you, I want your parents so far up my ass that they will be kissing the ground you walk on.”
He dragged his fingers up my thigh as he spoke, hiking my dress up as he went.
“And,” he added, but I was only half paying attention, my focus zeroing in on where his fingers were heading. “I want your father in my debt, because if you ever decide to leave, it will be easier to destroy your family.”
I gasped, my gaze meeting his as his words sank into me, a lead pipe to the gut.