An Unhealthy Obsession

“Guys, I am outside the supreme court, waiting for the alleged suspect, Mr Enrique Arthur who had been arrested for sexually assaulting Miss Stella Ross. From our sources, we heard it was a publicity stunt. What is the truth? Why would a woman let herself be disgraced?”

Uncaring about the lives their words could ruin, about the words they use, reporters continued to disgrace one’s lives to the extreme until they got their desired TRP.

“It is yet to be found out. Let’s see what will happen, stay connected to me, I will keep you updated to let you know that the man you are seeing- Was he truly humiliated for publicity or an animal resides behind this face? This is your reporter Lia James, JNews, California.”

They successfully ruined the name of the biggest businessman’s son without thinking twice, ravaging the name they built under mere seconds.

The eldest son who was the pride of the family was no longer the same anymore. Enrique Arthur, who never had a controversy before, was stuck in a terrible situation.

“Are you fucking satisfied now!?”

A yell echoed in the empty room, turning off the LED, unable to hear further humiliation of his sons.

“Let me go, please. Please…. I am not lying. I swear, I am not.”

A whimper came from the horrified girl, shaking while sitting on the chair, trying to wipe her tears.

Her frightened light blue orbs were scared to meet the dark blue-eyed man before her, staring at her in disappointment and anguish.

“What did my sincerity lack for you to take this step, Stella? On what basis are you calling it true?” His dejected voice came, curling his hand in a fist, barely holding his intense fury for having his name utterly shamed.

“How could you be so shameless? Is that how you returned my love?!” Yelling, Enrique Arthur didn’t hesitate before releasing his rage.

The one who was once a calm and charming man was now consumed by resentment and fury. The darkness had taken over him.

“I am not lying, I am not lying.” She whispered again, not lifting her head, clutching her dress firmly, shivering from dread.

“Stop lying, Stella.” The glare Enrique sent in her direction hitched her breath. Frightened to find the one with an everlasting smile glaring at her, warning her with one glance to stop this.

She could feel her life slipping in these passing moments, breaking whatever used to exist, losing everything.

“Enough, I don’t want to hear your further useless whining. Stop this stupidity at once. Take the case back and end this drama.” Sir Arthur demanded, glaring at her to stop this drama.

“I won’t.” She enunciated, wiping her tears, pressing her teeth together to restrict the sound of her sob.

“Stop this nonsense and take back the fucking case, Stella!”

Another man yelled, slamming his hand on the table. His hazel eyes furiously glaring at her but gasping at his rage, she curled her toes out of dismal.

“I said, I won’t until you do as I say.”

She was terrified but that didn’t stop her determination, even if this whole world would be against her, she was unable to stop because the point they had reached was beyond recovery.

“What do you want? Isn’t smearing our name- breaking the pride of my beloved son enough?” Mr Arthur scoffed.

The name of his eldest son, the businessman of the year was smeared. Media had ruined the image he spent years building.

One woman broke his respect by one accusation.

“Is that enough for you, dammit?” Enrique snarled, clenching his hand in a fist.

It broke his heart and this won’t go unnoticed by the assertive man who would do the worst to her if this talk won’t bury here.

Shutting her eyes for a second, she inhaled deeply, gathering all her strength in her next words.

“If you want me to take back the case then you must return to me my lost dignity.”

“Hmph, dignity.” Sir Arthur scoffed, snickering at her absurd demand.

“Fine. What do you want?” The dark-blue eyed man said seriously, willing to hear her demand in order to stop this.

“What?! Why would we listen to her, Enrique?!” The hazel-eyed guy yelled, refusing to cooperate.

“No, Noah, I want to hear how she intended to recover her lost 'dignity' as well. As far I know, my name was tainted. What have you lost?”

He paused his Brother by putting his hand in the dominantly, not removing his intensely outraged eyes from Stella’s frightened ones.

“What do you want, Stella?”

He demanded for her to speak, features curled into direness, jaw clenched but barely controlled his posture.

Swallowing hard, Stella erased her tears, taking a sharp inhale to forge a perfect frontage, staring back dead into his eyes.

Placing her only demand in order to stop the situation from falling deeper into darkness. She proposed her idea to stop this ordeal before it went out of hands.

“I want ‘you’ to accept me before the whole world.”

Their mouths gaped at her demand, bewildered to perceive what she meant by it because accepting her was apparently impossible for any of them.

“Elaborate what do you mean by it?” He asked, jaw clenched in rage to hear that after what happened, she was desiring him.

“Heck, why would we accept someone like ‘you’, moreover before the world?” The hazel eyed guy, Noah, snarled again.

Startling her by his rage but she was trying her best to maintain her posture which was breaking brick by brick.

“Aren’t the stains you have given to our name enough that you are urged to provide us with more?” Mr Arthur scoffed as well, folding his arms.

“What exactly do you mean by accepting you, Stella? I do not wish to continue this useless argument further, speak up.” Blue eyed Enrique sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes coated with disappointment.

She remained silent, hesitant for a second.

“Do not test my patience. Tell me what it is that you want. In fact, where was this desire of acceptance when I gave you the chance for it?” He growled, jaw clenching.

Her soul pricked, reminding how she lost everything in a matter of one night, how her life was ruined in a second.

He was losing his patience, barely able to ignore the media’s talk and bear the anguish present in the air. Her lack of response at this point was only testing his endurance.

“Stella… speak.” He whispered in growl, the veins clearly showing his fury, tapping his fingers on the table continuously.

Stella looked down, swallowing hard, feeling ashamed to express the solution which could lead them out of this abysmal tunnel.

She couldn’t meet her own gaze. Lips parted to speak something but nothing came out.

“For fuck’s sake open this damn mouth!”

Losing his patience, the dark blue-eyed man was unable to wait for her reply and ended up yelling, frightening Stella immensely by the display of his anger.

“What the hell do you want?!” He yelled, demanding an answer.

Gasping before his rage, she shut her eyes, placing her intentions into words hurriedly, leaving everyone flabbergasted.

“I want Enrique to end this case by marrying me.”