Chapter 15
Sophie's POV
I can't believe Juliette is going to marry such a powerful and wealthy man; she always has incredible luck, and even though I shouldn't care because the one I'm interested in is Bastian, I can't help but feel envy.
Well, as long as he's by my side, I don't care, even though I can't deny that I'm angry about Juliette's luck. She doesn't deserve it.
Bastian was supposed to come home for dinner too, but when I told him that Mr. Durand was coming and talked to him about Juliette's wedding, his face completely changed.
He looked like he had seen a ghost, although in the end, he cleared his throat, wondering if he was too hasty in getting engaged.
I told him I also didn't think Mr. Durand would choose her as his wife, but Bastian still stared into space, and it was starting to annoy me.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked him. "You've been acting weird for a while."
"Nothing's wrong with me, Sophie," he said with a furrowed brow. "It's just that I'm upset about betraying Juliette; I didn't realize she was such an interested woman."
He expressed it with genuine disgust, as if the thought made him nauseous. It pleased me.
"She's a seductress," I affirmed, feigning irritation. "You feel guilty because she found out about our relationship and was probably already with Mr. Durand.”
The look on his face unsettled me; it seemed to be more than that of a wounded ego, and I didn't like it at all.
"So you're telling me Juliette cheated on me?" he exclaimed with an irritated voice.
"And does it hurt your ego?" I shot back with a furious look. "Or is it something else?"
Bastian stared at me for a few seconds then burst out laughing.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sophie, you know I feel nothing for Juliette, even if it's not pleasant to learn that she might have been looking at my foolish face thinking I was a decent guy or something," he said bitterly.
"You seem really affected," I said, grimacing, but he smiled, downplaying the situation.
"Don't be foolish, you know you're the only one who matters to me," his tone was odd, it sounded insincere, and it left me thinking for the rest of the evening.
Bastian was mine, and I wasn't going to let him go, especially not for a naive girl like my sister Juliette.
On the day of the dinner, I left early to avoid going, as Bastian was in a terrible mood, and I didn't want my family to know, especially Juliette, who wasn't exactly thrilled about the news of her engagement.
Maybe I was paranoid, but I felt like Bastian was still interested in Juliette.
Ever since we found out they were dating, he's become less affectionate, and it's starting to scare me. I need to find a way to keep him by my side.
"Congratulations, sister. I also wish to marry Bastian very soon," I said to her with a smile.
"I wish you all the happiness too, Sophie. Even though we don't have the best sisterly relationship, from the bottom of my heart, I want you to be happy," her smile seemed genuine.
"You're always so kind, Juliette, so much that it makes me sick. Don't pretend to be nice to me," I spat out in a bad mood.
"I'm not pretending anything, I feel affection for you. You're my sister, and I can't hate you; it's not worth holding such feelings in my heart."
She couldn't even hate me for taking her boyfriend? I couldn't understand! It would've been the other way around, and I would've ripped her nails off and given her a kick in the groin.
Juliette was too good, she was almost an angel, and it surprised and annoyed me at the same time, we were so different... for this reason, I began to suspect that she was adopted, that we weren't real sisters.
Anyway, I left the house in the worst mood ever, thinking about a lot of things at once: like having a romantic dinner with Bastian and then getting some action.
Sexy lingerie would be my best ally.
Juliette's POV
The week passed by quickly, and the day arrived when Gérard would ask for my hand in marriage. I was very nervous, even though it was a fake proposal, I didn't really believe he wanted to marry me.
I dolled myself up; it was a special evening after all, and I wanted everyone to know how happy I was, even though I still had Gérard's words in my head.
"Do you need help with anything, sweetheart?" my mother entered my room, dressed very elegantly. "Oh, you look so beautiful, Julie."
"Thank you, Mom," I turned to her. "Where's Sophie?"
She bit her lip; I knew what was going through her mind.
My older sister wouldn't be present at the dinner. I really didn't know what I had done to deserve such treatment from her.
"I understand," I said in a monotone voice. "Honestly, I don't need any resentment tonight; we'll talk about it later."
I knew what she was going to tell me, but I was going to tell her anyway because despite always justifying her actions, Sophie's words about us not being sisters still echoed annoyingly in my mind.
I hoped Gérard would help me because I needed to know if she was telling the truth or not.
Thinking about him made me blush. My mother noticed and smiled at me, finishing up the last details of my hairstyle.
I looked at myself in the mirror and felt a lump in my chest seeing my reflection. I hoped my fiancé would love it.
Gérard' s POV
I had just tied my tie and checked my appearance in the mirror when I felt a few knocks on the door.
"Come in."
"Sir, your grandfather is asking if you're ready to take them to Miss Juliette's now."
"Yes, Luc, but before we go, tell me what you discovered in Palermo."
"I did some research and met an old neighbor of theirs, Mrs. Marie. She explained that the accident happened 20 years ago; the girl was playing in the yard of the house, apparently crossed the street, and unfortunately got hit. She died on the spot."
"What a tragedy," I murmured with a furrowed brow.
"There's also something strange that caught my attention," Luc continued.
"What else happened?"
"Yes, Mrs. Marie told me it was on June 14th; she remembers it perfectly. She said Mrs. Moreau fell into a deep depression, and she told me that Sophie and Juliette looked very similar, both with blond hair and blue eyes."
"Are you sure about this information?"
"Yes, sir, even Marie gave me this photo of the two girls, and she said they were very close because Mr. and Mrs. Moreau worked, she was in charge of taking care of them during the day."
"Show me the photo."
"Here it is, sir.”