Chapter 8

Sebastian:

She doesn't hold a candle to Adeline. She's ugly. Her face is ugly. Her shoes are ugly, and her style is ugly. She gives me a smile, but I ignore it. 

I can be civil to the parents, but to her? All cards are off the table when it comes to her. She's the wall standing between me and my Addy. A wall I'll go through any lengths to destroy. 

My father goes onto the makeshift podium to deliver a small speech, which I tune out because I'm focused on Charlotte Daymond, thinking of all the ways I can make her miserable.

She must sense some malice in me, because she looks at me again, but this time she holds my stare. A nudge to my elbow brings me face to face with my father. His speech was over quick. He hands me a ring box and gives the other to the Daymond bitch. 

I open the box and see a simple gold band encrusted in small diamonds. I bet he picked out the rings himself. He seems more invested in this sham of a marriage than the groom himself. Why can't he marry her instead? Then I could have had Adeline for myself. 

I slip the gold band around her finger in distaste and hear claps around me. Why the fuck are they clapping? It's not an achievement.

She does the same, sliding the thicker gold band around my ring finger. If I had it my way, I wouldn't want this nonsense spectacle. But Anthony Crosswalk loves spectacles, so I have to play along with it. Though, I'm surprised he relented on the wedding ceremony. 

The ring instantly weighs down on my finger, like a shackle. 

"Congratulations to the both of you."

I want to roll my eyes, but instead I say, "Thanks Dad."

It's soon time for dinner and I'm made to sit beside my fiancé. 

"Hi." I hear her whisper to my right, but I pretend I don't hear her. 

"I know you can hear me." She whispers again. 

"I'm no more excited than you are about this marriage. What do you think about becoming allies?"

"I say it's bullshit. Stay away from me." I whisper harshly back to her. Luckily, that shuts her up. 

We're served dinner and we eat in silence, but my father keeps chatting with the Daymonds. 

"Sebastian, I've heard that you don't want a wedding ceremony." Charles asks me. 

I look over at Dad. Nothing in his expression gives me any warning. 

"That's right." I cut into my Beef Wellington. I don't elaborate further and he doesn't question it. 

"You're okay with that, aren't you Charlotte?"

She lifts her head from her stir fried vegetables to look at her father. 

"It's fine. No biggie."

Biggie? What is she? A teenager? Her tits say otherwise. They're rather big for her small frame. 

I must be glaring down the front of her dress because Dad clears his throat and glares at me. I quickly avert my gaze and am grateful Charles Daymond didn't catch me staring at his daughter's tits. 

She however, didn't notice it because she's too busy eating her lemon tart. I glance down at her stomach and find it flat. 

I stop wondering about her body, because it's none of my business and go back to finishing my dinner. 

Charlotte stays back after everyone has left. I don't know if she isn't getting my hostile vibes or if she's just that dense. She should have left as soon as she sat next to me at the dinner table. 

Unfortunately, she approaches me after listening to whatever it was my father had said to her. 

"You don't have to see me as a threat Sebastian." 

She comes even closer to whisper to me. 

"I support your relationship with whoever it is you love." She looks back at Dad to see if he's listening. He's not. 

"I'm stuck in this as much as you are." She smiles at me, but I don't return it. 

"So what do you say? Friends?" She holds her hand out for me to shake, but I obviously don't take it. I turn on my heel and walk away. 

Glancing over my shoulder, I see her full lips turned slightly downward in a frown. 

Good luck sweetheart, because you are going to be wearing that look for the rest of this marriage. 

______________________________________

Charlotte:

"He'll warm up to you." I look at Anthony and give him a nod. 

"I hope so. I should get going as well."

Fiona had to leave, so I had Franco drop her off. It's strange that I entered this house as a single woman, and I'm now leaving with a gold band around my ring finger, engaged to be married. For a minute, it saddens me. I've always wanted love, but now? I know I'll never have it, unless I'm free from this marriage. 

I tell Anthony I'm leaving and call Franco. He's there in two minutes. 

I climb inside and the drive home is silent. Dealing with Sebastian is going to be a challenge. 

I thank Franco and take off my heels as soon as I step into my apartment. I pour myself a glass of water and chug it down, staring at the ring on my finger. 

It takes me fifteen minutes to get ready for bed and before I turn off my lamp, I remove the ring and put it on my nightstand. There's no need to remind myself of the marriage when I'm alone. 

______________________________________

"Just a second." I say as I put the last pin in the bride's dress. 

"There. Perfecto." I turn her around so she can look at herself in the mirror. 

On cue, she bursts into happy tears and on cue, I hand her a box of tissues. 

"You look beautiful sweetie."

She throws her arms around me. 

"Thank you."

I rub her back for a couple of seconds and let her go, pinning her with a big grin. 

"It's all going to be perfect. Don't you worry about a single thing."

"Char! Your phone's ringing." 

I catch it perfectly on time as Harper tosses it to me. 

Anthony. I hit accept before the call ends. 

"Charlotte. Next month, you'll be a married woman. 26th of next month okay for you? I can prepone it, but postponing is out of the question."

I swallow. "26th is fine."

He ends the call without a goodbye and I stare at my phone in horror. Every time, after I get off a call with him, I feel sick. Absolutely sick.