Cry, Or Better Yet Beg
chapter 68. You Have No Choice

It's been a few days since Bill Remmer was arrested. Leyla had left early to meet with lawyers at the law office. And now, he was about to go home in a sad spirit.

“Oh Leyla, you're back!” Mona greeted him as soon as he arrived. He had been pacing anxiously in front of their cabin for quite some time before Leyla arrived. "How's meeting? Have you met his lawyer? What's he saying?" he immediately asked the young lady.

But Leyla can't speak clearly, too caught up in the endless reminder that there's nothing she can do for Bill. He simply shook his head, which made the small glimmer of hope in Bu Mona's eyes disappear.

The servants at Arvis had helped raise some funds to free Bill, giving him the money they collected over time to help him pay the lawyer without his knowledge. Leyla could do nothing but accept them with gratitude, feeling her heart would explode from their care and concern for the two of them.

But what good is the money when even his lawyers tell him that the evidence gathered is aimed against Bill?

"Okayung." Lady Mona flinched, “You know, I heard that Mrs Norma was ready to drop the charges, but Mrs Elysee felt different and wanted her to suffer for her actions. But it was just an accident, she was able to forgive him.” Madam Mona told him.

Leyla swallowed her infocus, before turning towards Miss.

“Should I speak to Madam Elysee?” her question was soft, but Ms. Mona just smiled sadly at the suggestion.

“I think a better course of action would be to meet Duke.” Madam Mona suggested, “You know, I heard Mrs Norma and Elysee disagree about what to do, so they handed the final decision to the young duke.” she explained.

Hearing the news, Leyla felt herself dizzy. Madam Mona immediately reached out to stabilize her back, gently escorting her back into the cabin to let her sit down.

“Don't worry Leyla, I'm sure Duke will be friendlier than his mother.” Bu Mona comforts her, “There's still hope.” She patted her tiny shoulder gently, rubbing her palm up and down the frail woman to warm it up a bit before walking around the fireplace to light a fire.

“I'm worried about you, Leyla dear,” Ny. Mona makes a sound, “You look so skinny lately, and turn pale. Mr. Remmer doesn't want you to neglect your well-being for his sake. Here, I brought some items that I think you might like.” Ms. Mona immediately brought her the package she had put aside earlier.

Leyla could only watch as Ms. Mona placed the food in front of her, beside the water. He politely smiled at Miss.

“Thank you for this Ms. Mona,” she finally said, “But I think I will eat it later.” she admits gently. Madam Mona only sighed at Leyla's desperate state, before wishing her all the best and finally taking a leave of absence.

As soon as she was alone, Leyla buried her face in her hands and started crying.

The lawyer he met earlier did not provide any solution, and provided more explanations for why defending Bill from his crimes did not come to fruition. If he was lucky, he might not be serving a prison sentence, on the contrary, litigation would only require more time and effort to resolve.

Given that compensation for losses incurred is unavoidable, it is not advisable to fight Herhardt in a legal fight.

“At a time like this, it is best for both parties to compromise before going to court.”

It was the last piece of advice his lawyer gave him, which only made him even more terrified. He knew that the Herhardt family had no mercy. Maybe not the entire household, but of course the Duke.

After all he had already gone to see her, more precisely three days ago. These past few days he struggled with the decision and tried to take whatever alternative path was given to him. She cannot eat, drink, or sleep regularly due to the stress she is currently experiencing.

His dignity refused to do the heretical deal. It goes against everything he stands for. He did not want to fall into the other Duke's trap.

She bit her lips, a nervous feeling she couldn't seem to get rid of. He stood up from his seat and started walking back and forth in the kitchen, before he returned to the workbench to take a sip of the glass of water that Bu Mona had prepared earlier.

'If I suffer so much, think about the pain Uncle Bill is going through right now!'

Leyla scolded herself as she recalled the sunken face her dear uncle had shown in the past few days. Looking at him like that was like a knife in his heart, twisted deeper, plunging the blade into his chest.

He can't keep acting like this. He needs to do something to free his uncle. And he was given the only way that he could do it successfully.

No matter how hard he tried not to make a deal with them, he always got the same answer. And that is accepting the Duke's offer.

His jaw clenched at the thought of it, recalling the way the Duke looked at him with an uncontrollable lust, making him feel extremely disgusted and ashamed to even think about it. He was so calm back then, and even dared to look so comforted with her.

He knew that expression. He often wore it whenever he went hunting just for fun, or whenever he tortured him to tears. No matter what he did to get up against her, even though he often fell before her, he was unable to escape from her.

He fell back into his chair, but there were no tears left from his eyes. The ingredients were too dry, and his heart was too numb to produce them. He could hear her breath whimpering in the silent night, like a cry for help without a sound.

Compared to other people, his life might seem so trivial, but his way of life was very important to him. He tried to do right all his life; make a living through honest and good work, and did nothing to shame him. Nothing, let alone the little passion of a man, can trample his hard-earned life…

But he made his decision.

'What would Uncle Bill think of me if he knew what I was doing?' he couldn't help but wonder. Just thinking about it had raised a new wave of worry.

And in the middle of the night, Leyla hugged the darkness around her, not finding the urge to move for a long time.

It was late at night when Matthias finally managed to sign the final documents for the day after thoroughly reviewing them. He leaned back in his chair, before turning to his servant nearby.

“Today you are done, you can leave now.” he ordered frankly. The attendant simply bowed in approval, taking out the signed documents in his hands, before quickly leaving him alone.

Although Matthias spent time alone in the pavilion, lately he spent more time in the building because he did not have access to electricity in the mansion. Even though that's not the only reason.

He felt like tonight was his night.

'Leyla will be visiting soon.'

He thinks in his heart. He knew he had exhausted his resources, trying to find a way out of his situation without having to deal with him. But he should have known by now that in the end he always got what he wanted, no matter how long it took.

Matthias finds out, on the day of Bill's accident, that he has finally found an undeniable influence over Leyla. To cut off his wings, and keep him by his side. He had made a plan by thinking about it when he heard…

And seeing him so hopelessly before her only made him live it. And here he was, waiting for the answer he believed in.

He knew his current predicament was not the most appropriate way, or the most appropriate way to get his help; he was in a hurry to tie it to him. Although he had to throw away his original plan regarding the woman, he was confident that in the end he would be given the chance to achieve the happiness he so desperately wanted from her.

He reached out to the end of his desk, his fingers opened the cigarette box, took out a stick. He carried her to his lips, his other hand already reaching for the lighter, when a knock disturbed him.

KNOCKING. KNOCKING. KNOCKING.

Something changed in his dull eyes when he heard it. It was very soft, very hesitant. A flash was again visible in his eyes, and although he had yet to use it, he immediately threw his cigarette into a nearby trash can before slowly rising from his seat with a barely restrained excitement.

He took a slow and steady step towards the door, wanting to make Leyla squirm, before he swung the door, slowly exposing Leyla in front of him. As he expected. He managed to make his decision.

A cold wind gushed over him as he looked at him, creating tension between them as they stared at each other speechlessly. He thought time had frozen between them, but the way their clothes rustled and his swaying hair was blown away said otherwise.

Leyla turned pale at the sight, and although her bones were getting colder, she passed through the doorway to her office.

The door slowly closed, the sound of a key playing reverberated in the silent hall, and its occupants hid from outsiders.

Leyla found herself in the same place as a few days ago when she came to beg Duke for mercy for Uncle Bill. He stood in front of her, just as he had done before, but his facial expression was no longer filled with a glimmer of hope.

No, there's nothing but resignation and fear.

Matthias sat cross-legged on the sofa opposite him, as if to show that he was willing to give him space, giving him more time to gather his thoughts. He played his fingers while taking a deep breath before finally breaking the silence.

“I'm a nobody, right next to you, Duke.” he started off softly, his head held high as he looked into his eyes. Matthias snorted at his words, tilting his head at him curiously.

“And how about it?”

“You are a valued member of this community.” he pointed out, “If you risk it all for the sake of interest in a lower woman, your reputation will be ruined.” a slightly defiant glint echoed in his eyes upon hearing the statement. “So I beg you, Duke, I will do anything, but not this.”

Leyla had thought she would reconsider, but it seemed that even for this argument, she was already preparing to give a counter statement. He just smirked at her, a triumphant expression on his face.

“Leyla,” she started, “Do you know that my family actually has a castle on the edge of the resort, south of Berg?” she asked him, making Leyla feel afraid of what he said.

“Because of its beauty, this castle became quite a famous castle in this empire. My grandfather eventually bought it for his employer. He stayed in the castle receiving my grandfather's affection and soon died.”

“D-Duke..”

“Soalya, my father is a music enthusiast.” he interrupts, “And often he brings a lot of women there, who play beautiful music for him, but the longest one with him is a famous singer. My mom also really likes it.”

He stared at Leyla, noticing how her face was slowly turning pale.

“Oh, she's a very talented singer.” Matthias continued, “Do you want me to tell you how their relationship is? What fate ended their reputation?”

Her voice was melodious, as if she had just told the story of an old wife, it made Leyla speechless how rude she was in implying her point. He knew exactly how the reputation of his predecessors ended. There's no way he didn't know.

Even today, despite their long death, they are still widely respected and revered by the Carlsbarians.

It seemed, there was no way out of the deal he had given her. He knew that when he came here, but he wanted to try it one last time. Different viewpoints for revising the deal set for him.

“So, so just for one night only?” he explained, finally looking back into his eyes. Perhaps he was more worthless than he thought, he was not even good enough to tarnish his reputation.

Leyla thought rigidly, as if she had fallen from a very tall tree, and had deep wounds from it. He would be unlucky, and it would be painful for a long time, perhaps even leaving a scar, but in the end he would recover, sooner or later.

“An unfair deal, don't you think, Leyla?” Duke hummed, “I refused to make a deal where I could not get the maximum amount of benefits I could take.” he looked at it from top to bottom, "Do you really think you're so impressive that one night with you will be enough to pay for Bill Remmer's freedom?" he pushed her, made her squirm.

He could not bear to see her any longer, quickly turning his back towards her, but was fixated in place.

If he were to leave now, he would forever give up his only hope of helping his uncle. And even if he was released after serving his sentence, his uncle would never be the same again…

Bill's blank face on his last visit flashed through his mind. His jaws clenched, his knuckles whitened as he clenched his hands. Matthias leaned back in his chair, and watched Leyla quarrel with herself over what decision she would make.

Leyla inevitably thought about how despicable she really was. But how could he expect anything different? He was truly the type of person who purposely ruined one's life just to get what he wanted, no matter how others would feel if it were done.

When he got tired of her, he would not throw her as trash in his pocket. As he did to those poor birds, he shot and killed whenever he hunted them for fun.

Matthias could only grin at Leyla's gaze on him. This time, he turned to face her completely. Unable to run or turn away from her any longer, Leyla instantly fell to the floor as her knees bent underneath. Matthias wasted no time kneeling before him, a smug grin on his face as if he expected him to do so.

His deft fingers traced his arm, opening one button at the top of his blouse. Leyla instinctively dodged, but she held him in his place…

“Leyla,” whispered, warm breath hitting her cheek as she pressed her lips against her ear. “You have no choice but to do what I want, that's the deal.” he reminded him. “You said it yourself, didn't you? You will do anything?”

He chuckled as he opened his blouse, his other hand raised to grab his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“However, if you change your mind, fine,” he points to the entrance of his office, “The door is there.” he points, forcing him to look at a locked door, before slowly releasing it, and get away from her.

He reminds her that she was the one who made the choice to be with him, and not the other way around. Oh how much he hates it!

He practically cornered her between a rock and a hard place. He was really desperate now, how could he make it seem as if he had a choice in this matter!? He never had it in the first place!

His body trembled as he looked down at the ground, refusing to give him any satisfaction as he looked at her like a frail woman.

“I will never forgive you!” he sizzled while whispering. “Do as you wish!” he finally stated, and Matthias wasted no time closing the distance between them once more, noticing as he removed his blouse, unbuttoning them one by one.

Impatiently, he grabbed her hand, and tore off her blouse, her buttons strewn across the floor as she lowered it onto her shoulder and threw it to the side. Leyla felt herself sink to the floor, her back clinging to a cold tile as she kissed her neck, before her lips stopped right next to her ears…

“Don't worry, Leyla, I will definitely do it.” she replied.

He only wanted to cast a curse and humiliation on her right then and there! However he could only bite his lips in response, sensing the way his eyes explored his entire body. He refused to participate in such an action, turning his back on him.

But, his hand gripped his chin once more, and before he realized it, his lips were already stuck to his.

Leyla groaned protesting the way the man stuffed his tongue into her throat. He wanted to avoid kissing in such activities, but he did not even allow her to exercise such dignity. He covered it with his body, hovering above his half-naked figure, making him feel even more suffocated.

She pulled away, a drool connected both of their lips as she moved down, following a wet kiss and suckling on her unblemished skin, biting and biting her wherever she wanted. He could not help but grimace at his every action, and instead stared at the ceiling resolutely.

He felt his hand shift, the palms of calluses swiping his thighs, slowly getting higher. He rubs a circle on his inner thighs, making the heat pool on his stomach with every touch. Her hands rose under her skirt, hooking her nimble fingers at the edge of her stockings before pulling them all the way down her legs.

She held back her sobs as the cool air hit her bare feet, feeling goosebumps begin to form. A mixed voice between the tightness of breath and moans echoed in the room, filling the silence between them as he opened the woman's legs for her.

Next he quickly removes the rest of the skirt and**************, throws it into his pile of discarded clothes. He sat between his legs and looked down with all his splendor…

"Beautiful…"

He could not help but whisper in admiration as he stared at the perfection beneath him