Chapter 74 Chapter Seventy-four

Chapter 74 Chapter Seventy-four
Bella

During the entire drive, my mother wouldn’t stop glaring at me through the rearview mirror. Her eyes burned with pure disapproval and barely-contained rage.

Every time our gazes met, I felt the silent threat.

Gray noticed. He was always watching everything about me. Without a word, he shifted in his seat, leaning back slightly so his broad shoulder blocked her view completely. 

Now, instead of my mother’s hateful stare, I was met with Gray’s intense gray eyes watching me in the mirror.

It should have comforted me. Instead, it made my stomach twist with a dangerous mix of heat and anxiety.

As we stepped out of the car, my mother grabbed my wrist tightly, pulling me close while plastering a fake smile on her face.

“Make sure to smile,” she whispered urgently, her nails digging into my skin. “And nod even when you don’t agree with some of the things they say. Do not embarrass this family tonight.”

I didn’t respond. I was never going to do that. I was not a puppet, I didn't have strings for anyone to pull. If anyone disrespected me tonight and I didn't feel like sweeping it under the carpet, I would confront him or her. Old or young.

Gray tried his best to put some space between us, but at some point he gave up and switched over to my side. 

Chris' eyes narrowed but he only mumbled something inaudible.

We walked into the private dining room reserved for us, and the moment we entered, all eyes turned to me. 

Chris's siblings were already waiting for us, they seemed to be enjoying the night already without us. I wouldn't blame them. We were about to ruin their night. Or they were about to ruin our night.

The resemblance was striking, almost unnerving. All three of them looked like they had stepped out of a luxury magazine. 

Not a single one appeared a day older than thirty, even though I knew Chris’s eldest sister, Marjorie, was well into her sixties. 

I could tell that she'd done some Botox to lift her face and keep the skin tight. She also possessed that same cold, aristocratic aura Chris carried. 

There was a younger version of Chris sitting on the far side of the table, like he was trying to be an outcast but was still undecided about it.

The other female, who I was guessing was Chris' immediate younger sister, was quiet and seemed to prefer watching everything unfold.

They all looked more like models than relatives. They scanned me from head to toe, their expressions shifting from polite curiosity to subtle surprise as they took in the daring dress Gray had chosen for me. Not that they knew that tiny detail.

“Mum, this is the dress I was telling you about!” 

A girl around my age squealed, tapping her mother’s shoulder excitedly. “It costs three thousand dollars and was first showcased in the Amaya catalogue!”

Three thousand dollars? My stomach dropped. Gray spent five thousand dollars on this dress? I hadn’t even noticed the girl until now. 

She was seated next to one of Chris’s sisters, practically vibrating with excitement as she pointed at me like I was a museum exhibit.

Chris immediately went over and pulled her into a hug. “Linda, my favorite niece! Still as bubbly and talkative as ever,” he said warmly, patting her back.

Linda’s face was covered in so many piercings she could’ve passed for an extra in Lord of the Rings. But that didn’t stop her from staring at my dress with open envy.

Chris pulled back and kissed his eldest sister’s cheek, but Marjorie wasn’t paying him any attention. 

Her sharp, calculating eyes were locked on me, specifically on the dress.

“I see your new family is already taking large bites out of our family wealth,” she said icily, her lips curling. “Smart move. I would do the same in their position.”

My mother let out a fake, airy laugh, completely ignoring the shade. “You must be Marjorie, Chris’s eldest sister. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you. You look absolutely beautiful.”

She had never heard a single thing about Marjorie apart from her name.

“Yes, I know I look beautiful, thank you,” Marjorie replied smoothly, not even bothering to smile. “But perhaps you should extend some of that attention to detail to your daughter. That dress is very expensive for a family dinner.”

Linda nodded vigorously beside her, like a proud little soldier.

The tension at the table thickened instantly.Then I felt it, Gray’s strong arm sliding possessively around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. His touch stole the breath from my lungs.

“You needn’t worry about that, Aunt Marjorie,” Gray didn't bother hiding the sarcastic tone in his voice. “Worry about Linda’s piercings and tattoos instead. Or have we suddenly developed selective vision in this family?”

Marjorie’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Your reputation these days is quite… interesting, Gray. I hear you got a professor at Underwood suspended from lecturing. Tell me, is it true you also burned down part of the Humanities building?”

The entire table went silent. My mother looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Chris’s face tightened. Linda’s eyes widened with gossip-hungry excitement.

I let my eyes scan the table, and they collided with Chris’s younger brother. He was watching me with an unreadable expression, something between curiosity and mild interest. It made my skin crawl.

“Let us eat, please,” my mother tried to sound composed, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “There will be more time to talk later.”

Marjorie's laughter was cutting and sharp. “You and your daughter look like you’ve already eaten enough for the whole table. How can you still think about food right now?”

“Marjorie,” Chris warned in a low tone. But Marjorie wasn’t done. His quiet sister, the one who had barely spoken since we arrived, suddenly deadpanned, “Marjorie’s right. Your soon-to-be stepdaughter looks way older than her age in that dress. I bet she’s the same age as Linda, but she looks like a Hollywood actress trying to gain weight for a movie role.”

The table went silent. I waited. I prayed Chris would say something. Defend me. Tell his sisters to stop. Anything.

Instead, he just hung his head, staring down at the plate like a coward.

My mother’s smile faltered for a split second before she recovered, moving to sit beside Linda. 

The girl immediately wrinkled her nose in clear disgust, scooting slightly away like my mother carried a disease.

I couldn’t understand my mother anymore.We were clearly not wanted here. Not respected. In fact, we were not accepted. So why was she trying so damn hard? Smiling at people who looked down on us. Forcing me into this charade. 

What was she fighting so desperately to gain? Their approval?

Gray’s hand found my waist again, his grip firm and grounding as he pulled out a chair for me right beside him. He didn’t say a word, but the tension rolling off his body was palpable. 

I could feel the storm brewing inside him. He'd likely fling something at someone soon.

Just when I thought the tension was finally melting down, Chris’s younger sister suddenly leaned forward, her sharp eyes darting between Gray and me with blatant curiosity.

She ignored the waiter who appeared behind her to lecture us about the menu, in fact she made sure we never heard a word he was saying.

She asked in a very clear voice, “Are you two fucking each other?”

The entire table went deathly silent, even the waiter. My heart stopped for a second, then started pounding a furious rhythm.

Marjorie choked on her drink. Linda’s eyes widened like saucers. Chris froze mid-motion. My mother’s face drained of all color, her jaw working, trying to shut but not quite doing it right.

Every pair of eyes at the table snapped to us, waiting. It was in that horrifying, electric moment I realized there was no coming back from this dinner.