POV: Victoria
The gravel crunched under the tires of Raphael's car as we pulled up the winding driveway to his grandfather's stately home. I could feel her heart pounding in my chest as I glanced over at Raphael, the man I was supposed to pretend to be in love with for the weekend.
He was so rigid and stern as he sat next to me, oblivious of my feelings. He has something in his mind but I dare not ask so I don't provoke his anger any further. He has done more than enough for me and my family, I should be grateful instead of nagging about his attitude towards me.
I'm dressed in a red dress that is showing a lot of cleavage, and yet he hasn't spared me a second glance since he picked me up from the house this morning. I could as well be considered a piece of furniture in this car, I mean, how can any man sit next to a lady as beautiful as I am and not give a damn. How on earth are supposed to pretend to be in love when he can't even look at me for five minutes?
"Are you ready for this?" I whispered, my hand trembling slightly as I reached out to touch his arm. He turned to glare at my hand on his arm and he gave me a murderous look that made me pull my hand away immediately.
"I'm always ready!
And you don't need to touch me unless we are around the family. I don't like getting touched unexpectedly, I hate it!" He warned.
"You didn't seem to mind me exploring your body the other night." I mused. But I didn't say that out loud, I just rolled my eyes at him and relaxed my back on the backrest, waiting for the driver to get the door. He turned to Raphael for permission to step down from the car and he gave him a tight smile, his eyes distant as he nodded to him to go ahead and open the car doors.
"By the way, I'm ready too. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, thanks for asking." I told him, earning a scoff.
"Didn't ask, don't care," came his rigid response, his voice cold and distant. I shook my head and scoffed at his rudeness. For both our sakes, I hope he doesn't screw this up and get us in trouble. The driver came over to open his door, and I waited for him to open mine too. I was surprised to see Raphael standing by my door when it opened. I smiled brightly when our eyes met, I didn't think he had it in him.
As we stepped out of the car, I plastered a bright smile on my face, determined to play my part to perfection. Raphael took my hand, intertwining our fingers as we walked up to the front door and pressed the doorbell to announce our arrival to everyone inside. The scent of roses filled the air, mingling with the nervous tension that seemed to hang over us like a cloud.
The door swung open, and unfortunately for me, it was Raphael's mother who appeared to answer the door, her face a mask of disapproval as she looked us over.
"Oh, it's you two," she said with a forced smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Come in, I suppose." She added, her disapproval evident in her remarks. She glared at me every chance she got and that made me quite uncomfortable.
"What is she doing here?" Raphael asked his mom when he spotted Charlotte coming down the stairs with an amazing smile on her face.
"She is my guest, son. Or, am I not allowed to have a guest anymore?" she responded in an icy tone that made Raphael angrier. He would have responded to her, but he spotted someone coming down the stairs and he cautioned himself immediately.
I'd never seen him this way, I didn't even know that he could be scared of anyone. Even his mother who is usually troublesome behaved herself this time. I wonder who on earth could command this much respect from mother and son. I turned and looked up to see who it was, my eyes metal with Raphael's grandfather, a distinguished gentleman with a twinkle in his eye. He was all smiles as he greeted us warmly.
"Victoria, my dear, you look lovelier in person. Those photos did not do you justice." He teased, making me smile brightly.
"And you, my dearest grandson, giggles. I'm so proud of you, you have done well for yourself. my boy. She is so beautiful, so perfect for you." He told Raphael proudly.
"I'm honored to be here, sir. You have a lovely home." I responded with a smile, earning a chuckle from the old man and a deep frown and groan from Charlotte.
"Of course, you must be feeling honored to be in our midst. All your life, you have only lived in the slums and dined with paupers. So being here is a damn privilege that you don't deserve!" Charlotte yelled in my face, her eyes blazing in anger.
"Young lady, who the hell are you and why are you in my house?" Raphael's grandfather asked in disdain.
"Opa, I apologize on her behalf. She is my guest, and she used to be…"
"I don't care who she used to be. If she must stay in my house, she must obey my rules and respect my guests. Victoria is my guest and I don't know this lady. I suggest you teach your guest how to behave else I'll send both you and your guest out of my house." He scolded them angrily, his face filled with anger.
Now I know why everyone is so scared of him. I may hate Charlotte, but I don't pray to be in her shoes, ever. She must be feeling ashamed of herself, same with Mrs Hawkins.
"This act of foolishness must never repeat itself." He warned angrily, commanding respect. We followed behind him and went to the grand living room area. Charlotte tried to trip me as we walked to the living room. But I escaped such humiliation. I saw it in time to escape it. I turned to her and she had a mischievous smile on her face that scared me a little.
When we finally settled in the grand living room, I moved to sit on Raphael's right side, but Charlotte ran fast and sat there before I could get the seat. I scoffed at her Childish behavior and I turned to sit on his left side. But his mom was there already. She just ran fast and sat next to her son, leaving no room for me. They sat on either side of him, locking arms with him and holding him in place. Raphael tried to struggle, but his mom gave him a daring look, making him keep shut immediately.
"Is she threatening him?
What the hell is wrong with all these people?"