Roman Vasquez's POV

I have imagined my death a few times in the past. One scenario was in the hands of my enemies, I also hoped that I would die in old age but never in my wildest dream that I imagined that my life would end in the hands of my wife.

I hid my smile. Right now, I was not probably far from my demise. Here I was sitting at the table with the animated expression of Red's family. Their attention was solely focused on us. I tried to sneak a peek at my fumingly mad wife every ounce of her aura speaks of how she wished me dead right this moment.

I cannot blame her for it. For she would rather die than admit to her family that she'd been married to me way before she went home from her trips. And based on Daniel St. Clair's goal he would do anything for us to stay married only Red wasn't aware of it.

"So," the patriarch of the St. Clair clan started, breaking the painful silence to the formal dining area. He leisurely placed the linen napkins in his lap. "Who should start to explain the bomb you two just dropped a while ago? I must admit if I have a heart problem my heart nearly couldn't make it with Ruby's secret."

"I don't have a secret, Granddad." My lovely wife scowled openly.

Daniel merely raised an eyebrow, sipping his wine restfully. "So what do you want to call it when you're omitting this information with your family? You must know that I feel hurt knowing you are keeping secrets from us, lassie."

I heard her sigh deeply from my side. Did I mention that we're sitting next to each other and I was already counting the minutes before she would decide to stab me with the knife in her side? "I hate to burst your bubbles about this information but there's no reason to fuss about it since we are divorcing soon."

I heard a collective gasp from her sisters. They remained silent but eagerly listened to the conversation between their grandfather and their wayward sister.

"Why would you do such a stupid thing?" Daniel St. Clair asked innocently. I almost believed him he was once a heck of an actor playing games with his granddaughters. He was a cunning man I suddenly feel pity with these ladies having such a master manipulator grandfather. He intended to see them all married before the year ends and I think he might succeed in his quest. And he started his mission with us not that I am complaining.

My wife just rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "Because it was not a marriage based on love and affection. It was just a marriage of convenience we were both desperate at that time and only marriage would save us from our dilemma. We agreed to separate ways after three months right, Roman?"

For the first time, she looked at me directly. I knew I should feel alarmed when I saw the warning and deathly glare in her green eyes but my lips were twitching with a smile, I desperately tried to stop from slipping or my murderous wife would stab me with that knife.

"Stop harassing your poor husband for heaven's sake, Ruby." Her grandfather saved me from answering her question. "Do you think he would disagree with you when you are threatening her within distance at him? Leave the poor soul alone."

"I am not harassing him, Gran." She replied, but her eyes were still fixed on me. She gave me a big fake smile. "I don't think there is a person alive on this planet that could harass Roman Vasquez as you claim. He's the big guy back in Spain everyone is afraid of him."

"But you are not afraid of me from the moment we met." I hit back with a sweet smile on my face. "I remember clearly that you told me what you thought of me on our first meeting. Do you remember, sweetheart?"

"No."

I placed my hand on my chest and pretended to be hurt. "Ouch."

"I'm curious how you did you guys meet." It was her eldest sister who asked the question. After the food was placed on our plate by the hired help. "I bet it wasn't a conventional encounter where you both felt the spark the moment your eyes locked."

I smiled at her oldest sister, Amethyst who eyed us curiously. "I met her at the restaurant where she works."

"Oh! That's destiny." Emerald chimed, sampling her food. "How cute."

My wife eyed her twin darkly and slid her gaze at me. "That's a misfortune, Em. That day I met him I got sacked from the restaurant because of him. I was so unfortunate to meet him that day."

Emerald feigned a look of horror on her face. "Oh my goodness! What a horrible thing to say to your husband, sis. Don't you think that is a blessing in disguise if you weren't getting sacked from your job you would not be married to this good-looking guy by now?"

"Are you listening to me, Em? He's the reason why I got fired from my work." Red stabbed a finger in my direction angrily. "Because of him, I got tangled in this sticky situation. Thanks to him my family is currently roasting me with questions I don't want to answer."

"That's rude, Ruby." Daniel reprimanded his granddaughter. He looked at me repentantly. "I apologize for my lassie's harsh words, lad."

I shook my head and glanced at the fumingly mad woman beside me. "There's nothing to apologize, sir. When I married Ruby I already accepted everything about even her flaws."

"I hate to tell you this but he's kind of perfect for you, dear," Emerald stated with a devilish glint in her knowing green eyes. "Like he's the one for you."

My wife paled at her twin sister's words. She wasn't expecting those words from the woman she thought was on her side. Too bad, it seems that she hasn't realized yet that her whole family is against her. A good husband should enlighten her about her family's stance in our marriage but the devil in me would rather see where this would go.

"Stop teasing your twin, lass." The patriarch chastised his supermodel grandchild lightly but I could see in his eyes that he wasn't serious but rather enjoying seeing Emerald tease my wife. "This is a serious matter. Ruby's future is at stake here."

"Marriage is a serious matter, Ruby. Please don't take it lightly you might get hurt in the end if this goes wrong." For the first time, the divorced sister spoke such a warning about marriage life.

"How I wish that I was there at your wedding." The oldest sister inserted dreamily. "I would be delighted if I design your wedding bands guys."

"It's not too late to have the ceremony here in New York with your family in attendance. I'm sure Granddad will agree with me." Emerald said brightly her million-dollar face lit with delight at the idea.

"Ugh..." The red-haired woman beside me threw her head back in frustration. "...you guys are not listening to me! I told you countless times now we are divorcing stop saying nonsense this is one of the reasons why I didn't tell you about this mess we have in the first place. You are going to jump to the wrong conclusions. It's not funny it's annoying, people."

Silence filled the dining table. I was aware of the growing tension between my Red and her family. The quietness broke when Daniel threw a direct question at me. "Is your intention honorable when it comes to my granddaughter, young man?"

"Yes, sir." I have never been more serious in my life than this moment when I looked Daniel St. Clair in the eyes and answered his question straightforwardly.

"You are not helping!" My wife threw a foul look in my direction. The sight of betrayal in her eyes was nearly my undoing. I would do anything just to wipe those emotions in her pretty eyes but I need this people's help if I want to keep her on my side forever if I would have my way. "You should be explaining to them why we're in this mess not giving them false hope about us because there's no future for us. The St. Clairs don't do love."

"Ouch," Daniel exclaimed from the head of the table. "That's no way to brag your family, lass. I love your grandma very much. God rest her soul."

Ruby threw an accusing look at her grandfather. "Well, it's the truth look what happened to Mom and Dad..."

When my wife trailed off her words silence once again filled the room. Now that she mentioned her parents this was probably the first time I've heard anything about them. Red never talked about them. Heck, she rarely opened up about her personal life to me this just proves that she still viewed me as an outsider.

Hidden emotions hit the patriarch's face. "That's no way to talk to deceased people, my child. They have their reasons why their marriage—"

"Ruby is right, Gran. Love and marriage are not for us—well, I mean for me and my sisters and our parents. Maybe we're cursed and destined to be single in this lifetime." The divorced sister had said nonchalantly.

"That's not true." Her grandfather replied calmly.

"I agree with Sapphire." My wife put in looking directly at the man in question. "If we're not cursed how can you explain the fact that we're miserable after our parents' death? Amethyst is with a child without the father of the child. Sapphire came from a broken marriage. While I entered a loveless marriage with this man beside me when the lot of you forced me to stay married to this man. And there's Emerald who is probably married to her career as a model." She looked apologetic to her sisters. "I mean no offense to my words I am just stating the horrible truth about us."

"Don't worry," Emerald responded, sipping her wine leisurely. "I didn't feel offended by your words and you are probably correct about me. I don't have time for love or dating since I am so busy with my life and career to add the emotional baggage of having a man in my life. I think it's not worth it."

Damn this woman and their stubbornness. Now I knew where my Red got hers its freaking runs in the family. These women were scared of trusting a man because they had seen what happened to their parents' marriage. I understand now they were scared they were guarding their heart for heartbreaks.

"I am not saying that your parents didn't have faults in their marital life but please don't think that you are all cursed when it comes to love, my children. What had happened to your parents' was unfortunate but you are all different from them."

I was dead curious to learn about what happened to their parents. This might help me understand my wife and give me a glimpse of what's inside her heart she's guarding zealously. But I knew that this was not the right time for them would share this family information about me since I was still practically an outsider to them. But soon I hope they will learn to trust me and accept me as part of their family.

"Let's not talk about this now." The oldest sister threw a rueful smile in my direction. "We have company tonight. Besides, this is the first time we had dinner after so many years let's not talk about the skeletons in the closet tonight, shall we?"

"I agree. Let's not talk about this tonight our food is getting cold let's all eat and start again with light conversation." Daniel stated, starting to dig his food. "You don't know how happy I am that all of my granddaughters are here with me tonight."

My wife's hand rested on her lap her right thumb digging the palm of her left hand a sign that she's stressed. I held her hand in mine she tried to remove her hand from my touch but I held her tight.

"Let go of me." She glared at me and whispered dangerously softly with daggers in her eyes.

"No," I whispered back with a tight smile on my face. She could try to hiss and scratch me like a wildcat but I would not let her go. "As far as I am concerned we're going to hold hands for the rest of our lives."

"You are dreaming, Mister."

"We'll see about that." I just smiled at her thoughtfully and started to eat my food with one hand. In this room under this table, I was holding her hand while we were eating with our free hands with her family probably unaware of our tangled fingers.

I was making slow progress here. Very slow progress when it comes to Ruby St. Clair-Vasquez.

But it was worth every second of it.