Chapter 2 Engagement Announcement
And I spend the next 5 minutes convincing myself that my mind made up the last part.
“You changed your clothes,” Daniel blatantly looks me up and down, making me feel weird… but not in the way I was supposed to feel weird, if that makes any sense.
“Are sweaters all you own?” He gives me a disgusted look. A part of me shrivels up inside and dies but I don’t let him see that.
He leans against the door of his black Lamborgini, tapping away on his phone. All 6 feet 3 inches of him tower even over the car.
He carries on the conversation when I don’t say anything. “Well, at least you didn’t catch something. Can’t have my uncle’s bride sick now, can we?”
His mockery turns my stomach and the urge to vomit manifests itself but I tamp down the feeling. This is who Daniel Kane was. A cruel, sadistic, arrogant bastard who was just here to witness my destruction and mock me all he could.
Daniel nods to the guard stationed outside the Kane mansion…. the residential home of the Kane household. I’d been in there before to help out my mother when Daniel’s father, Aberama Kane let her cater one of his small parties. And what according to him was a small party made up my mother’s average catering business revenue of 8 months.
And before I know it, I’m being ushered inside and led through the giant medieval halls with walls of red and gold, and chandeliers adorning the ceilings. I almost miss the butlers and several servants running around with decorative material and wallpapers and groceries as I try and fail to keep up with Daniel’s huge strides.
He pays them no heed as they respectfully nod at him, making me glare at his solid, hard back, making me wonder just how hard the planes of muscles hidden by his v-neck would be.
What the actual crap? Was I just imagining Daniel Kane’s back? The playboy, billionaire who’d either bullied, insulted and humiliated me for as long as I’d known him or ignored my existence altogether.
I resist the urge to smack myself on the head as I stumbled along in his wake but we both stopped when we heard someone yell, “Daniel, is that you?”
It is the unmistakable voice of a certain witch I knew who was partly to blame for why my existence was in shambles. Daniel looks bored as he peers down the stairs at his mother, “What do you want, mom?”
“Is there someone with you? Your father has called a family meeting in the banquet room. Hurry down, everyone is there except you. “I hear her retreating steps, feeling tense all of a sudden.
I tug on the sleeve of my white cardigan, balling the fabric in my fist. I was terrified of facing her again…. it’d been 3 days since I’d agreed to marry her brother. My stomach tightens painfully as I imagine just how heartbroken my parents would be when they would learn that…
I do not dare to complete the thought.
“I’ll be down in a sec. And Ayesha is with me.” Daniel motions to me to go up and ask one of the servants to lead me to the guest room.
“Why is Ayesha with you?” I can sense the indignance oozing from her tone and maybe even suspicion. Her frown makes her wrinkly face look even uglier than it was and the stiff, form-fitting green one piece which was meant to make her look regal just ended up making her look fat.
I look down at her, making sure to remain out of her sight in the process. And yes, the mansion was 5 storeys.
I strain to hear each word as their voices float up to me.
“You’ve never brought her home before. You don’t even know each other and why would you? She’s the daughter of an employee whereas you, my dear son are the heir to an empire worth billions. It is extremely unbecoming of you to be hanging around gold-diggers like her. Don’t you see how she roped in your uncle?”
Fresh tears spring to my eyes and I quickly turn away from Daniel, inhaling a harsh breath as I wipe at my eyes.
“But never mind, your uncle wanted her to be here today anyway.”
I feel his eyes burning a hole in my head and it makes this so much worse as I turn around but keep my eyes downcast as we both descend the stairs. I wait for the onslaught of even more jabs at my character because let’s face it, Rita Kane’s son was worse than her at everything.
Whether it be bringing down someone and tearing them apart because of their social status or downright humiliating someone for no reason except for personal enjoyment… Daniel Kane could do it all and I’d seen it firsthand.
But the onslaught never comes.
Great! I mean it's not like he defended me or anything but at least he didn’t mock me… or maybe he was just waiting for me to let my guard down.
Whatever it was that he was planning, I was going to be careful enough to not fall into his trap.
The banquet room is filled with all the family members. There were about 15 of them, the women wearing bright red royal lipstick and Gucci or Chanel one-pieces and pantsuits and the men were dressed in pressed suits like they’d just gotten home from work.
“Rita! Come up. Alright everybody, is everyone here? Has anyone seen Daniel?” Aberama Kane says in his boredom-filled voice, trying to inject as much enthusiasm as he could into that one statement but he obviously failed.
Daniel grunts in response, making his presence known and they all peer down at me, making me feel like I was intruding or something.
“Ayesha, darling. Please come up.” Daniel’s father instructed, making me look at Daniel questioningly before I forced my feet to walk to the front.
“Rita, why didn’t you tell me our Daniel was bringing Ayesha home? Well never mind, one less hassle for me. I was about to send a cab to pick her up anyway.” Rita shrugs at him, running a sweaty hand down her dress as she shoots me a dirty look, glancing down at my muddy sneakers staining the beautifully tiled floor, making me want to disappear in the small crowd surrounding the 20 feet long table.
“Come on Ayesha, up you come!” I give the CEO of the Kane company a small smile, feeling my insides try to climb up my throat and clog my windpipe, making it hard to draw in hair. The real nail in the coffin was when I noticed who was standing next to Daniel’s father, Aberama Kane… it was my to-be husband, Benjamin… I shuddered at the thought of kissing him at the altar.
Benjamin visibly licked his lips as he came up to stand beside me a little too close for my comfort. His shaggy dirty blonde hair made him look all the more older than he was. He grins around widely at everyone, suddenly wrapping an arm around my shoulder and trying to pull me closer still but I didn’t budge.
His mere proximity was stifling and I could feel my eyes getting wet for a reason I didn’t want to accept.
“Could I have everyone’s attention, yes? Stop chattering about like housewives of the suburb, all of you.” Mr Kane addresses everyone in the room as I try to keep a straight face, simultaneously trying to inch away from Benjamin but failing miserably.
“I’m sure all of you must’ve been wondering what all the arrangements and decorations in preparation for a party are all about and now the time has come for it to be known why. Rita would be much better suited for the telling now wouldn’t you Rita?” I’m not the only one who thinks he’s being sarcastic… as I can tell by Rita’s half-offended glare directed at her husband.
“My dear brother is finally getting married!” Rita practically squeals, not giving anyone a second to consider that before continuing.
“Benjamin has had his heart broken numerous times and we were sure he’d given up on finding love. After so many failed marriages and so much heartbreak, my brother has still chosen to be brave and give love another chance. It makes me so happy to tell all of you that he is now engaged to Ayesha Wilson.”
Everyone’s scepticism increases as they look at me and then at Benjamin. I scratch at the back of my neck, getting uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
Benjamin’s sweaty hand around my shoulders nauseated me to the point of making me want to hurl as he squeezed my upper arm. “Don’t I have a beautiful bride, aunt Jenna?”
A tall brown-haired woman smiles a malicious smile, nodding at Benjamin. “And quite young too.” The woman laughs as does everybody else and I feel Benjamin’s grin slip for a bit but he quickly recovers.
“I believe in the ageing of the soul, Jenna. And I believe that Ayesha here has an old soul and she would be perfect for my young and enthusiastic one who can show her how to live and enjoy life and have fun. Isn’t that right, my love!” His hand’s grip on my arm tightens painfully when I remain standing there with the blankest expression on my face, not having it in me to keep up the act.