BETHEL
"This is your room. It was Shawn's room," Mrs. Jefferson said, her voice warm and inviting as she guided me inside. I walked into the room with my luggage, and Mrs. Jefferson also helped carry some of it.
"Mrs. Jeffers—" I started to say, but she cut me short.
"I told you before, Bethel, call me Mom. I prefer Mom, okay?" she said with a gentle smile. I nodded, feeling a sense of warmth from her kindness. Rico walked into the room and groaned loudly.
"Do we have to stay in the same room?" he asked, his voice filled with annoyance. His mom looked at him angrily, her eyes narrowing.
"Manners," she said sharply, and Rico disappeared into the bathroom with a huff.
"Do you need some help with your clothes?" she asked, turning her attention back to me.
"No, thanks," I said, appreciating her offer but wanting to handle it myself. She nodded her head in understanding.
"See you later. I'll go and prepare dinner," she said and left the room. I began arranging my clothes in the wardrobe, trying to settle in. Rico emerged from the bathroom with a white towel tied around his waist, his wet body glistening. I couldn't help but notice his abs and muscular build, so attractive that I felt a sudden urge to run my hands over his skin. He smirked when he saw me staring at him.
"You like what you see, babe?" he teased, his voice low and seductive. The word "babe" sounded so good coming from his lips. I looked at his lips—so damn red and attractive—as he licked them sexily. I felt an overwhelming desire to kiss him but quickly snapped out of my thoughts and replaced the lust on my face with a frown.
"I think you should get dressed," I said, trying to regain my composure.
"And why did you say that?" he asked, starting to move closer to me. I instinctively backed away.
"You can't run away from me forever, babe," he said, his voice full of confidence. I rolled my eyes, but my back hit the wall, trapping me. He placed his right hand beside my face, his presence overwhelming.
"You seduced me not long ago and turned me on," he said, his voice husky. I kept quiet, knowing that if I spoke, I'd either die of nervousness or be consumed by his sexiness. He licked his lips again, and I felt the urge to kiss him rising. His smirk never faded, and my face began to heat up. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my skin.
"Ewwwwww," we heard Katherine yell. We turned to see her standing in the doorway, a look of disgust on her face.
"Were you two morons about to make out?" she asked, her voice loud and accusing. She closed the door behind her.
"Mom! Bethel and Rico are about to make out!" we heard her yell down the hall.
"Oh, shit," Rico murmured under his breath.
"So, where were we?" he asked, his focus back on me, his hands returning to their previous position.
"We were where you forgot to lock the door when you were about to seduce someone. Like, who does that?" I said, trying to sound annoyed.
"It wasn't my fault that I didn't lock the door," he defended himself.
"You know what?" I said.
"What?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine.
I pushed his hands off and quickly retreated to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I could hear him wince in pain.
---
We ate dinner silently at the dining table. I glanced around the room. Katherine was engrossed in her phone, Ricky was eating quietly with earphones on, and Rico was staring at his food as if contemplating smashing it.
"Katherine, eat," Mom said firmly.
"I don't want to eat. You forced me to come to this stupid dinner," Katherine replied, not lifting her eyes from her phone.
"Katherine," Dad called, his voice stern.
"But Dad—" she started to protest.
"I don't want to repeat myself," he said, cutting her off. She groaned loudly before putting her phone down.
"This is why I always tell Mom not to take her on playdates when she was two," Rico said, his tone exasperated.
"Shut the fuck up, Rico. Can't you just be quiet like Ricky?" Katherine snapped back. Ricky smiled, and Rico rolled his eyes.
"Language, Katherine," Mom scolded.
"Can someone please tell Kate that she is insulting a married man," Rico said, rolling his eyes.
"Katherine. Really?" she questioned, her tone sharp.
"Do not call me Kate. It reminds me of that old strict man," she said, referring to their grandfather. Rico smirked, enjoying the banter.
"So you hate him as much as I do?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
"No, I hate him more than you hate him," Katherine argued, her voice rising.
"No, I hate him more," Rico retorted, the two of them always behaving like children.
"Well, you are his little sweetheart. Remember, you are the last grandchild," Rico said with a teasing grin.
"And you are his first grandchild, definitely his heir," Katherine shot back, her eyes narrowing.
"Can you both stop talking about my dad like that?" their father said, frowning deeply.
---
Later that night, I lay beside Rico, who was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. I switched off the light and then lay down properly, turning to look at him. He was still awake, his face a mask of worry. I sat up and switched the light back on.
"What's wrong?" I asked softly. He stared at me but didn't say anything.
"Are you okay?" I asked again, my concern growing.
"Do I look okay to you? Do you know how it feels to find out that your annoying and strict grandfather and cousins are coming to spend two months with you? It's like hell," he said, his voice filled with frustration. I felt sorry for him. From what I had heard, his grandfather sounded like a nightmare.
"Do you want me to cuddle you?" I asked, surprised by my own boldness. He looked at me, his eyes softening, and then nodded. I switched off the light and moved closer to him. He rested his head on my chest and wrapped his large hand around my waist.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright," I comforted him, running my fingers through his soft hair. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, a sign that he had already fallen asleep. I closed my eyes and finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
---
**Author's POV**
Let me introduce Rico's family to you. Here's a list of their names and ages for easy reference. I hope you don't mind me including Rico's details as well.
- **Mark (grandfather):** 68
- **Hannah (grandmother):** 66
- **Smith (Rico's dad):** 46
- **James (Jasmine's father):** 44
- **Luis (Rico's uncle):** 42
- **Kelvin (Rico's uncle, deceased)**
- **Kyle (Rico's uncle, deceased)**
- **Mariana (Rico's aunt):** 36
- **Rico:** 25
- **Ricky:** 23
- **Katherine:** 8
- **Helena (Rico's mother):** 44
- **Jasmine:** 19
- **Jeff (Jasmine's brother):** 21
- **Jude (Jasmine's brother):** 23
- **Stephanie (Luis's daughter):** 16
- **Mico (Luis's son):** 20
- **Finn (Luis's son):** 22
- **Evan (Luis's son):** 12
- **Leo (Mariana's son):** 12
- **Lia (Mariana's daughter):** 8
---
**End of Introduction**
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A DEAL FOR A LIFETIME
RomantizmBethel Albert is a 22-year-old lady. In order to save her father's dying company, she is forced to marry Rico Shawn, a hot, sinfully handsome, popular, rich, and arrogant, young bachelor. Rico Shawn is the talk of the town and is known for being a...
