“You don't have what it takes to be my wife. This position demands someone who isn't a coward, someone who isn't afraid of me. Do you have a guilty conscience? Is that why you're so nervous around me?” Theodore's breath was hot on Ariana's neck as he leaned in to whisper these cutting words, causing her to shiver in fear.

He gazed down at Ariana as his slender fingers slid beneath the collar of her turtleneck blouse and then stroked her neck with the tenderness of a doting lover.

The intimate gesture sent shivers down her spine and she felt her heart race.

Ariana's voice quavered with trepidation as she stuttered, "I... I don't."

Theodore sneered with a malevolent glint in his eyes, relishing the fear he had induced in her.