Just because I knew it had been coming didn't mean I was any less prepared for it. I held Mama's hand and cried with her as we watched Papa's casket be lowered into the ground. The next few days were just me helping mama go through the motions. I cleaned up around the house and kept praying mama wouldn't follow papa.
No business had been done in the last couple of weeks, but as I walked past Papa's office, I noticed the door was shut tight. I stopped outside the door and listened to the voices inside, strange... I knew the first one was my brother's, but that made sense. Papa had spent his life grooming him to take over the family business, and I suppose it was time.
But the second one wasn't familiar. I walked back to the kitchen and started working on dinner instead, losing myself in the motions of cooking. I was slicing some mushrooms for dinner when I heard my brother's voice at the entrance to the kitchen, speaking to his mysterious guest.
I continued chopping, mostly ignoring him until I heard his voice at the entryway, "Sister? Not going to greet our guest?" I turned around to face him, knife in hand. My stomach dropped as my eyes locked with bright green ones. I took a deep breath as I recognized him. Dean Winchester was the head of our biggest rival, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here.
Papa hated the Winchesters, and always stood firm in his belief that we never do business with them. He ignored my brother's pleas that we entertain them and it was always a sore subject for him. I gripped the knife in my hand tightly and turned back to the mushrooms, ignoring my brother's glare.
For the next few weeks, Dean was here constantly, it seemed. His presence was one I couldn't shake, the cold stare in his eyes burned into my mind. There was something about him that made me uncomfortable. So I hid or left the house with Bucky, my latest date who wasn't quite my boyfriend yet.
One evening I was getting ready to leave with Bucky when my brother's voice came floating out of Papa's office. "Bella? I'd like to speak with you." I sighed, frustration flowing through me. I finished putting my heels on and walked into the office. Alex sat behind the desk, a crystal glass of whiskey in his hand.
His eyes met mine and he said, "I need you to stay home tomorrow. We are going to have guests." I said nothing, just nodded, and turned on my heel, getting ready to leave. "I'm serious, Bella." I paused, a frown on my lips but nodded. "Fine."
I pushed the uneasy feeling from the back of my mind and enjoyed my date with Bucky, knowing that papa would have loved him if he was still here. My uneasy feelings about tomorrow must have shown on my face because Bucky squeezed my fingers. "What's wrong, Doll?"
I sighed, my eyes flicking up to meet his slate blue ones. "Alex wants me to stay home tomorrow. We are going to have guests." Bucky squeezed my hand and said, "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. You think this has something to do with the Winchesters?"
I frowned, "I know it has something to do with them. Papa would be furious if he knew we were entertaining them." Bucky snorted, tugging me closer. "Everyone knows your families are enemies. I don't know what your brother is thinking, but I bet it's not good." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small box he'd shown me on our last date.
His eyes never left mine as he popped it open, the diamond sparkling in the soft light. "Take my offer Doll. I can get you out now before something bad happens." I still wasn't sure. It wasn't from a lack of love on my part. I loved Bucky. We'd spent so much time together over the last few months that I knew I wanted more with him. But I was traditional. I wanted my brother's approval, as much as it pained me. It was the one thing Papa made me promise him before he died.
Bucky knew this, and I could hear the plea in his voice as he said, "Let's go talk to him. You know as well as I do that tomorrow night could go wrong." I felt my lip tremble. "I know. But if Alex says no, what do we do next?" Bucky wiped the tear that was falling down my cheek away with his thumb and whispered, " I don't know. I'll get you out somehow."
I let the uneasy feeling sweep from my mind as Bucky kissed me goodnight outside the house but it was harder to ignore as the day flew past. I dressed nicely, but not in my best as I set the table. My frown had been present all day, knowing that I wasn't going to like whoever our guests were tonight.
I took a deep breath and pushed out through the doors from the kitchen, carrying a tray with drinks for Alex and his guests. My heart fell to the floor as I recognized Dean and Sam Winchester, accompanied by their bodyguards, Jack and Castiel. I kept the smile frozen in place as I gave them their drinks, but as I passed Dean, my smile fell as his hand swung out and smacked my ass.
I turned around and glared at him, anger clear in my gaze. I was silent, as I felt Alex's glare on me. I handed Sam his drink and turned to go, but stopped dead in my tracks as Dean smacked my ass again. I reached out and grabbed his hand, twisting it and taking him by surprise as he fell to the floor.
I bent down and angrily spat out, "Do it again, and I break it. Got it?" I let it go, ignoring Alex's glare on my back. The rest of the dinner did not go well, and I spent most of it glaring at the brothers where they sat across from me. Later, they retreated into the study with Alex to discuss something and I knew this was my time to sneak out.
I had barely made it to the door when John's voice startled me. "Bella. You are to stay here. Alex wants to see you." I glared at him and tried to go, turning the handle, but the man dragged me to his office anyway. I yanked my arm away and stood near the door as Alex smiled at me. "Ah, Bella. So nice to see you've arrived. "
I said nothing, just kept glaring at the two men who sat drinking Papa's best liquor. Dean's eyes met mine and he chuckled. "Are you ever going to be nice to me, Bella?" I sneered at him. "Not likely, Winchester. My Papa hated you and your despicable family." Dean chuckled again, Sam joining him as my brother's next words practically made my heart stop.
"I'd speak to Dean a bit nicer, sister. After all, he's part of the family now." I turned to face him, my heart froze in fear. "You didn't sign a deal with them, did you? You know how Papa-" Alex's face turned red and he slammed his hand down on the desk, the vein in his forehead popping out.
"Papa isn't here, Bella. And I'm head of this family now. Not only are we doing business with the Winchesters, but we are sharing territory." Alex kept his furious eyes locked with mine. "I was going to do this nicely. Let you become accustomed to the idea. But you've forced my hand. You and that Barnes boy." I felt that uneasy feeling return.
Dean stood up, and his touch made my skin crawl as he walked over and held my hand in his. I tried to wrench it away, but he jerked me forward and held me tightly as my brother's voice continued in the background. "Meet your new husband, sister."
"No. Absolutely not. Not now. Not ever." I said, my eyes locked on Dean's angry green ones. My brother chuckled and said he'd give us a moment alone. The second he was gone, I shoved Dean away and marched toward the door. "Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked me.
I turned to face him. "I'm not marrying you. I'm not interested in being the wife of a loser. You've been trying to get your hands on my Papa's territories for years. Just because my brother is stupid enough to think you like him, doesn't mean I can't see right through your bullshit, Winchester."
Dean laughed, his eyes burning a hole in me. "I see your father taught you well. It's too bad he didn't make you head of the family. He stepped closer to me, and I didn't realize I was backing away from him until my back hit the door behind me. Even in heels, Dean towered over me, his glittering green eyes staring at me, a smirk on his stupidly handsome face.
I glared up at him as he bent down and without any warning whatsoever, he tugged me into his arms and kissed me. Shock and surprise are the only way I explain what occurred next: I let him kiss me. My mind was screaming at me to slap him while my body was caught off guard by the way he dominated me. He shoved me hard into the door, his lips and hands suddenly everywhere at once.
And then my mind caught up to me. I remembered Bucky. I shoved him away from me and slapped him, enjoying the way his head was flung to the side. I could see the red mark my hand left on his face. I wiped my hand across my lips, glaring at him. Dean was silent, but the way his head turned slowly back to face told me he was barely controlling his anger.
His eyes glittered with barely restrained anger as his hands gripped my arms so hard I thought I would bruise. His voice was low, anger laced through his tone as he said, "I'm going to let that go for now. But in the future-" Here he paused and grasped my face in his hand so he could look at me fully. He leaned in again, his lips mere inches from mine. "You will not disrespect me again, Bella. You will be my wife."
I felt the anger rising again and I spit in his face, enjoying the way his anger only grew. "In your dreams, Winchester. Fuck off." I shoved him away from me, taking a step back towards my Papa's desk. Dean wiped the spit off his face and chuckled darkly, his eyes boring a hole in me. He took a threatening step forwards and said, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you, Bella. Just remember, you are mine. If I catch you with Barnes, he's a dead man."
He left the room, leaving the door open behind him. Over the hurried beating of my heart, I couldn't quite figure out what to do next. Several thoughts raced through my head at once but the only one I could focus on was how I reacted to his kiss. Although I hated him, I couldn't forget the way he kissed me, the way his hands slid up and down my back, the way he dominated me without so much as blinking.
But there was no way I was going to spend the rest of my life attached to a Winchester. I walked to the window and gazed down at the shiny black car that still sat out front. I could see Dean standing out there with his brother, and even through the window I could feel his anger radiating off him in waves. Sam's eyes caught mine as he listened to his brother and I watched the way Dean spun around, his eyes meeting mine.
The only thought I had next was simple, "I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance." Dean kept staring at me, a smirk slowly forming on his face. This was war. And I was determined to win at all costs.