Will You Accept This Rose?

16. Packed

Lucy's heart was in her throat when Noah ordered her to go outside with him. She took tentative steps into the backyard as she followed behind him and hoped she could school her features well enough to ensure she would not betray the secrets she had been keeping from him like how she had been breaking the rules to sneak away from the mansion to see Tim and the plan she made with Tim to run away together.

Noah eyed her coldly and crossed his arms before he said, "I know what you're planning, and I won't let you ruin my show."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied with ease despite how her pulse skyrocketed.

"Don't bullshit me. I went to talk to Tim at his house to make sure we were on the same page about the rose ceremony and his dates this week, and I caught him putting a suitcase in the trunk of one of his cars. He would only do that if he was planning on leaving the show without telling me, so I went to check all of the monitors. There are cameras everywhere including the bedrooms. I saw you packing, too. You have a rose, so there would be no reason for you to pack tonight unless you were planning on leaving, too."

"I needed to declutter my room."

"Lucy," he leered at her, "let's not lie to each other. Somehow, you passed secret messages to him and agreed to run away together. I'm not an idiot. I've been producing this show for over fifteen seasons. I've seen other bachelors try to run away with a contestant before."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I'll tell you what I've told them all- you leave, and I'll destroy you."

She puffed out her chest. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, there's not much I could do to you other than make you a villain of the season. I know the only way to destroy you is to go after Tim."

"He's got millions of dollars. He'll pay any fine if you sue him."

"Money? No, I wouldn't go after his money. Money comes and goes. No, I can go after something priceless." He smiled mischievously, proud of himself that he had put the proper contingencies in place in case he ended up in such a situation. "His contract is iron clad. Clearly, he didn't review it. If he doesn't stay for all ten weeks, then he agrees to give up his shares of his family's precious company. Bye bye, money and legacy."

"There's no way-"

"Oh, there is. I can't have my bachelor running off thinking he's fallen in love before the season is over. I always prepare for something like this. So you have a choice, you can leave with him whenever you planned to, and you'll be destroying his family's legacy, or you can make him stay and convince him to put on a real show, and I'll forget about this little lapse in judgment. Your choice."

Lucy had learned plenty about Tim throughout their long drives together, and there was nothing she was more sure of than how much Tim loved his family's car company; they had been creating luxury cars for generations, and he was so dedicated to his work that he sacrificed everything for the sake of his family business. He was proud to work so tirelessly for the company he said was his legacy that he would pass down his children; she could not be the reason it was destroyed. Loving him meant wanting to do what was best for him even if it came with consequences for her. "What do you mean by putting on a real show?"

He smirked, already knowing he was getting his way. "There's no shortage of sparks between you and Tim. You're ratings gold. Whether you win or not, I know you'll have fans all across America, but you know what's bad for ratings? If it's clear that Tim has already made his choice after a few weeks. I want a juicy season. I want him to look at some of the other contestants the way he looks at you. I want him to really take this show seriously and develop feelings for more than one of you."