Contract Marriage starring Love and Revenge
Chapter 56. Invitation

Chapter 56: 56. Invitation

As expected, walking out of the elevator and moving toward the exit, I spot Alicia sitting there with a magazine in her hand, at that very same time, she lifts her head from the magazine and our eyes meet.

And I must confess, deep down, I feel a pull at my heart. And I know what it is. It’s that familiar fear I always get when Alicia sees me with something of mine. The fear that sheep will take it from me.

For a moment, that instinct to run and hide what belongs to me fills me. To think I was being so brave just a moment ago. Just one look at her is enough to make my bravery crumble.

But then I feel his hold on my hand change. Instead of just pressing our palms together, he interlocks our fingers. His hold is firm and reassuring.

I turn my gaze away from her, "Let’s go." I say with a smile at Duke.

The Alicia I know must be seething on the inside right now. There is nothing she hates more than being ignored. The fact that I just saw her and looked away means I ignored her.

Coupled with the fact that I’ve been ignoring her for a while now, it’s about time she reaches her limit of self-control. And if my calculations are right, she’ll explode any minute now—

"Champagne!" Hah, she’s still so predictable.

"Champagne! I am talking to you." She’s almost running towards us. I can see her desperately trying to control her facial expressions as she makes it closer and closer to us.

"Ma’am please stand back." Some security personnel instantly move in front of Duke and I. "We’re going to ask you to leave quietly." They say to Alicia.

"Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude or anything." I can’t help the scoff that escapes my mouth. Her acting is still top notch. "I just needed a minute with my cousin."

Cousin? She makes me laugh, seriously.

The security personnel looks at me as if asking for my permission. I give him a slight nod and they move aside but not before staring at Duke, silently asking for his permission too.

He gives them a slight nod and they allow her passage to me.

"Champagne it would seem your eyesight has gotten worse seeing that you locked eyes with me and did not see me sitting there."

"That’s not the case. I can see most things, it’s just that my brain tends to blur out certain objects it perceives as unimportant, so I don’t have to waste my eye staring at unpleasant things." I say with a straight face, and I can swear I heard Duke chuckle, but when I look at his face, it’s expressionless.

Alicia on the other hand is clearly fighting heaven and hell to maintain that straight face. "Mr Grand, it’s always a pleasure to meet you." She stretches her hand toward Duke.

"Dearest, is meeting her giving you any pleasure right now?" He asks me.

Well, in a way... Yes, I feel immense pleasure seeing this look on her face. Seeing how desperate she is to gain not just his attention but mine too. Indeed, it gives me great pleasure.

"Actually, for me, it does." I say while staring her straight in the eye. "But it shouldn’t for you."

"Then I’m afraid, Miss Gold, that the feeling isn’t mutual. I’m not pleased to see you at all." He says the words in such a languid manner that if I was on the receiving end of those words, I’d be vexed beyond control.

Just like Alicia right now. She’s fuming as she withdraws her hand back to her side.

"Champagne, mom has asked me to invite you to her birthday party." She rummages through her bag and pulls out two invitation cards.

"It’s going to be a simple gathering with just family and close friends. That’s why I came here today, to invite you and Mr. Grand." She forces a smile over her face. Even that forced smile is beautiful.

"You’re both family, after all."

I have no idea when a boisterous laughter escapes my lips. It’s so loud and undignified. It doesn’t befit the image of a boss, but I can’t help it.

Oh my gosh, that cracked me up to the point of tears. "Family?" I laugh again, "Yeah, I almost forgot." I say as I accept the invitation cards. "We are family, are we not?" I laugh again. "We are very close family members. So close that we even shared every man I’ve ever been with." I say those words in a lower tone. But not too low that she won’t hear me.

And she hears and the loon on her face is worth it.

I have no idea what they are thinking by inviting me to their birthday party. Aunt always hated seeing me at her birthday parties.

One thing is certain though, they are planning something again...

"I’ll_ No_" I wrap the hand holding the invitation cards around Duke’s arm and say with a smile, "We will think about it.

"Lets go... dearest." I think I’m going to have to think of another name to call him other than dearest.

...

"Are you going to attend?" Duke asks as he drives us.

I look at the cards in my hands again, "The date is the 13th of March. We still have a lot of time to think about it." I simply say. He hums and nods.

For some reason the mood in the car is dull, I don’t like it. "What are we having for lunch?" I decide to lighten the mood.

He chuckles softly as if he can understand what I’m trying to do. "Whatever the Lady desires." He says and moves one of his hands from the wheel and holds onto my own.

I smile and nod to myself satisfactorily, "Alright, I want uh... Japanese." I say.

"Let me guess, omurice?"

I gasp and laugh, "How did you know?"

"Tsk, you’ve really watched too many anime. But if that is what my fair lady desires," He takes the back of my hand to his lips and places a kiss there, "I will get you to the best Japanese restaurant in the city!" He declares.

"Yoshi!!" I exclaim in Japanese and he laughs brilliantly. It’s a lovely laugh. One I want to keep seeing and hearing.

...

Lunch was awesome, I ended up exhausting all the exclamations of ’good, great, awesome and wonderful’ that I’ve learnt from all the Japanese comics and anime I’ve read and watched.

As for the rings, well, it turns out Duke already ordered for customized rings. He confessed this fact to me just in the middle of devouring my omurice which almost made me choke.

Who would have thought he was already planning to give me a ring?

I’m telling you, the more I spend time with this man, the more I get to know him, and the more I get to know him the more I want him for myself.

Mine and mine alone.

...

Now it’s about 12 in the night and I’m standing in front of Duke’s door, with a pillow hugged to my chest.

Dejavu, I know.

How did I end up like this?

Well, after returning from work, we had dinner with the twins, after which they made us engage in an art class that was solely supervised by the two of them. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a competition, with the twins ruling me as the winner just because I’m mummy.

We put them to bed early. They asked that I tell them the story of David and Goliath in the Bible. Apparently, Emily and Fredrick always told them the story. With Duke’s permission, I told it to them and by the time I was done telling, Shelly was long gone and Renny was slowly drifting to slumber land.

After putting them to bed, I went straight to my room, but not without receiving an unplanned goodnight kiss from Duke.

I thought the kiss would keep me awake, but it didn’t, I must have fallen asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

But then, the sleep didn’t last. I woke up from a nightmare.

I thought I had completely gotten over Rowan, but it turns out his words still haunt my dreams.

He was again confessing his love to the younger me, telling me how he would give it all for me, to make me happy, but then just when I was reaching that height of happiness, I see the two of them, Rowan and Alicia, making love in my old house.

However, suddenly, the entire surroundings change to a place I recently entered.

It changed to Duke’s bedroom.

And Rowan... is no longer Rowan.

It’s Duke and Alicia.

She’s naked.

He’s naked.

And he’s holding her in his arms.

Making love to her... Vehemently.

And a cold sizzle throughout my body.

I scream...

And I woke up.

And that’s how I’m here in front of his door, with a pillow pressed on my chest.

I don’t think I can sleep away from him tonight.

I know I’m being foolish and my fear is irrational, but I’m too scared that if I’m away from him for even a second, she would come and take him away.

And all I will be able to do is scream... Just like I was doing in that nightmare.

Dear God, take this fear away from me.