A GLIMPSE OF HELL

IVY

If anyone was going to die tonight, it surely wasn't going to be me.

I lifted my hand to the edge of the cup, to stop it from reaching my lips.

His eyes snapped down on me. “What are you doing?”

“You drink first,” I said fearlessly.

“What?” His face contorted. “It's for you, not for me.”

“You're too insistent. If the point is to build trust, why don't you drink it first? Then I will,” I emphasized, remaining defiant.

The look in his eyes could melt ice. It did make my toes curl, but other than that, I refused to flinch.

“Fine,” he gritted.

Around us, everywhere had gone silent. I could tell everyone was staring hard, trying to make out what was happening.

Well they were about to witness a great reveal. They were about to see that this gathering was a strategic murder plan, that I was too smart to fall for.

I watched him bring the goblet towards his lips.

He was actually going to drink.

I thought he would make an excuse not to, but his mouth was opening.

If he knew the drink was poisoned, why would he drink from it?

Except he didn't.

My hand reflexively shot forward before he could empty the goblet into his mouth, and pushed it away.

It clattered as it made contact with the ground, spilling the wine in it all over.

Collective gasps echoed through the halls.

His eyes, cold as midnight in the deep blue sea, looked me dead in my eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He stressed the words through seething teeth.

“Poison.” The word slipped out of my mouth in a whisper.

Something flickered in his eyes. In a second, it was gone.

“Poison?”

“I think your bride is tired and needs to rest. She'll come with me, and I'll handle it from here,” his mother's voice filled the air before I could explain myself to him.

I knew if I walked away, this whole thing would be swept under the rug, and I'd end up looking like a crazy person.

That wasn't going to happen if I had anything to do with it, and I did.

“The drink is poisoned!” I screamed out, and another round of whisperings began.

“Bring your voice down! Are you trying to cause a scene?” His mother chided me.

“Why should I bring my voice down when someone tried to poison me? Your son could have been hurt too!” I fired back.

“Vladimir!” She called out his name sternly, as if warning him to caution me.

“I know you have no reason to believe me, but I know poison. You would have been dead if you–”

“Don't use that word in the same sentence with my son! You Greene's are all the same. Your mother was just as paranoid. I see she passed the genes to you!” She slandered me in my most sensitive spot.

Her words cut deep, drawing out a wound I had spent twentyone years trying to soothe.

I was too taken aback to defend myself. I just stood frozen in time.

Until I felt a hand grab mine, and I saw my feet moving.

The spell of silence only broke when my body was pushed into a place that didn't feel quite suffocating.

I blinked out of my head to discover I was in a bedroom, and in front of me was Blue eyes.

“What the hell was that?!” He thundered at me, like I was a little child being scolded for being naughty.

“Excuse you?” I voiced out in disbelief.

Surely, this wasn't the thanks I got for saving his life.

“Excuse me? Fucking excuse me? All you've done since you arrived is turn your nose up at everything! Do you think I want to be tied to a stranger? Do you think I am not also bound by duty that was sealed by our parents? Who the hell do you think you are?!”

“No who the hell do you think you are!” I raised my voice, a rare occurrence.

His eyes turned so darkly blue, I took a step back reflexively.

“You,” he began to draw closer, and naturally, I moved back. “You have no idea who you're talking to right? You've been shielded all your life by your grandmother. Blinded from the truth of your origin. So you think you're living in a fairytale. Well this is no fairy tale. This is reality. And reality doesn't give a rat ass about your feelings.”

He was within me, and there was nowhere else to move, because my heel had touched the foot of the bed.

“You- you would ha-ve died,” I stuttered, suddenly too flustered by how close he was.

His damn cologne. It was too intimidating. Just like his damn build was.

“Right. For all I know, you just wanted to cause a scene. To show everyone how much of a brat you are. Just so you know, behaviour like the one you exhibited tonight should absolutely be punished.”

The way he said those words caused bumps to stand all over my skin. Still, I couldn't find it sensible to keep silent.

“I don't expect anything less from a man. No good deed goes unpunished after all. Especially directed to a man,” I said with emphasis that promoted my disdain.

It was in my breath. In my eyes. In my whole being.

There was a reason I hated men, and he was a walking embodiment of it all.

“I don't know what kind of trauma you think you're projecting, but I do not conform to cheap emotional blackmail. The next time you pull such a stunt, I won't be this merciful, and forgiving. Do you understand?”

“Go to hell,” I threw directly in his face that was almost smudged into mine with how close it was.

“Oh princess, I'm already king there.”

I held his intimidating gaze, refusing to bow down to the bully who should be on his knees, thanking me for saving his life.

It didn't matter that I was heating up because of how close he was.

Nothing else mattered than me proving my point clearly..

Up until the door kicked open, and someone stormed in.

“Boss, you need to come with me right now. Misha just dropped dead. He tasted the wine from the goblet to prove it wasn't poi–”

An explosion that created a thunderous rattle cracked, followed by silence, and then a siren-like hiss so unnerving, my heart dropped.