Boom!

Anna shook a little when Angelo shut the door of the car in a loud thud She held the neck of her blouse. Saying a short prayer within her. Her heart was racing. She could see the mountain peaks from where the car was parked. They were on a hill. On this really scary hill, the same hill André's car had drove off from and she didn't know how to come in terms with that. Why were they here? Why had Angelo brought her here? After the accident, all she had for hills was just a disturbing phobia. She could remember it like it was yesterday. How André had pushed her out of the car and how the car drove off the hill. Her blacking out was the last thing she remembered. Being there again, being in that place brought back a lot of memories. Memories she had rather not remembered.

She watched how Angelo walked towards the edge of the hill and stood there, with both his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to join him of course. Was there something he wanted her to see? Was that why he had brought her to the same place that killed his brother? Anna shut her eyes for a few seconds to muster the courage she needed, the. She opened her door slowly after taking deep breaths and walked out of it to join him.

Don't look down Anna,
She told herself many times than she could count. All she had to do was keep her head up and avoid thinking and looking at anything else or the distance from where they were to the ground. It was pretty high. Now she was there, she couldn't help but wonder if André felt the same way. If he was just as scared when the car drove there. She couldn't help but wonder how it must have been for him in that last moment.

Why on earth did Angelo bring her there?

"Here."

She opened her eyes slowly at the sound of Angelo's voice. He was stretching a bottle of water to her.

She didn't tell him she was thirsty. She looked away. Anna had to play hard to get as much as she could if she was going to win him over. She knew it was really going to be awkward if she started to show interests in him immediately and besides, a part of her couldn't bring herself to. To open her arms and heart to him.

"Why did you bring me here Angelo?" She sounded really frustrated. Angelo could see it.

Angelo exhaled.
He took his water offer back as he withdrew the bottle from in front of her, opened the cap and took a big drink while Anna watched. She watched him empty it. She shook her head and looked away. She didn't have to watch him finish it.

"This is it isn't it? Where Andre died."

So what?
She wanted to ask.

"I know what happened Anna, Shink told me everything."

She slowly turned to Angelo. What on earth?! Shink did? Why on earth did he? She knew Shink was trying to speed up the process of getting Angelo to trust them but he had stepped out of line. He really didn't have to put her business out there like that. She had it under control. She let out a weak breath.

"So what? You talk to my lawyer now about my personal life? You had no right."

"André was my brother." Angelo cut her off. He had every right to know the truth, to know what happened. She should have known that.
Anna rolled her eyes.

"Anna, whatever it was that happened here wasn't your fault."

"I know." she nodded her head. "Because I warned him just like I've warned you. I told him nothing good happens with involving himself in my business but he insisted on driving. He was his own weakness and now I have to live with everyone thinking I killed him. I'm not ready to relieve that guilt a second time."
She rose her brows trying to hide the regret in her eyes and voice.

"Why did you agree to get married to Andre if you weren't in love with him? Why did you agree to get married to me? There has to be a reason other than my part of the deal to make you the CEO everyone accepted. Even with a proposal like that, you could have easily asked for some time to think if through but you didn't. You jumped on the deal immediately. Why? Who exactly are you Anna? What are you after? What do you want? "

Anna glared at him for a while. What was this? She really didn't expect Angelo to catch on so easily. How on earth was he doing that? Why was he suddenly talking about the circumstances of their marriage now? She let out a deep breath and nodded her head. At this point, she had to at least defend herself and screw everything else. Screw gaining his trust, screw trying to get him get so close to her. Screw the books and rules, She had to do it her own way now.

"What I want?" she asked him "What I want Angelo is for this nonsense to end. What I want is for you to stop asking me questions and seeking for answers that have nothing to do with you, what I want is for you to stop getting involved in my business, what I want is for everything to go back to the way it was, when all you wanted was getting the company back. That's the reason you agreed to this isn't it?"
Angelo rolled his eyes. "Who are you to judge the choices I've made and accuse me of hiding things when you're no different?"

Angelo grunted.
This was getting really useless. It was really pointless talking to her about any of it at that point. The conversation was obviously going no where.

"I don't like you Angelo." Anna went on. "And you really need to stop pressuring me to, it's never going to work. I don't have feelings for you, and the both of us, it could never work. You should know that by now. That's why you really brought me here isn't it?" She was starting to put two and two together. "To know if I felt the same way? To show me the hill that took your brother's life and try to sway me? Convince me to accept your feelings? Guilt trip me to accept your feelings? Sweet talk me and all of that? You're pathetic." And the moment those words came out, she knew she couldn't take it back. Angelo waited. He waited for her to say all she wanted.

"That's really pathetic. You're pathetic and really pitiable. Your feelings mean nothing to me than a complete joke and thirst for attention. You really need to stop. You're starting to look like you've completely lost your mind. You have feelings for me?" She scoffed. "Angelo, we both know the only reason you feel that way is because all your life, you've been desperate for acceptance. You've been the illegitimate son who no one cared about all his life and now you're trying to attach yourself to me, to force your delusional feelings on me because we drank together and had meaningless sex one time? How extra pathetic can you be?"

Wow.
Anna took a deep breath after she was done. What on earth was that? Why did she have to say all those really rude things to him? She looked at him. He wasn't saying anything. Why wasn't he saying anything? His eyes didn't change either. It didn't look like he was surprised. Hurt, yes but not surprised.

He got it.
He got exactly what he needed to hear. He nodded and then managed to keep his eyes back on her.

"Your driver's going to be here in five minutes."
He told her. There was no point in it anymore. No point in saying anything else. Angelo had expected all of it. He wasn't going to give her a chance to talk down on him anymore. Now it was clear to him. Anna's feelings couldn't have been more clearer. It was better for them both if they went back in separate cars. He turned to leave.

Wait, was that it?
Anna wondered squinting her eyes as she watched him retreat back to his car.

Was he just going to leave her there?

Angelo opened the door and then halted. No he couldn't. He couldn't just leave. Anna had said all she wanted to and he had just listened. Now it was his turn to say what he wanted to and he had to make sure she listened.

He turned to Anna,
He wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say. He had coupled a few in his memory as he walked to the car but suddenly, it felt like the right Words wouldn't come out.

He just pointed the key at her a few times.

He exhaled loudly. He couldn't believe how humiliated he felt, how humiliated Anna made him feel. He flickered his tongue on his lower lip and took a deep breath. He looked away and nodded like he finally understood something

"You know what?" He finally brought himself to look at her. "You are a monster. And I'm not talking about you being a shape shifter, I'm talking about you being you. Your human form, this version of you." He told her.

Silence.
Anna held her breath when she heard those words. Suddenly she was out of words. She didn't know what to say. It was now obvious to her that she had really crossed the line. Why did she have to be so defensive about her feelings all the time, hurting his in the process? Keeping her feelings in check was the only way she could stick to the plan. She had a lot of responsibilities and bad blood for the humans. The same people that had torn her family apart and killed them, that had ruined the lives of her people. She knew she needed him, she needed his help but she had to be careful. Falling in love with one wasn't an option.

She watched Angelo get into the car and start the engine.

A car drove closer.
It was Anna's. She exhaled as Angelo started his engine without doing as much as looking at her one more time. He reversed and sped off.

"Mrs Trusk?"
She watched her driver call her name as he opened the door to the passagers seat.

You did the right thing Anna!

She kept telling herself hoping she believed that. What you did was the right thing. She couldn't let her emotions control her anymore. Just like Caesar had thought her, she always had to stay on top of her emotions and everything else. She exhaled and then walked to the car. She got in.