Chapter 16 The Dress That Wasn't Mine
Serena
Why was I this foolish? Fingering myself in the shower, fantasizing about twin devils turning me into their personal playground?
This wasn’t me. It was the testosterone. The danger. The way they made every nerve scream yes even when my brain screamed ‘run’
That was all.
I yanked my hand away, turned the water ice-cold, and stood under it until my teeth chattered and the heat between my legs dulled to an angry throb.
I dried off roughly, the towel scraping my skin until it pinked, then crawled straight into bed.
It was better to hide under the silk sheets until it was time for the party.
At least then I wouldn’t have to face any member of the family until I was ready to.
Or so I thought.
At exactly five-thirty the bedroom door banged open. Ice-cold water was sprinkled on my face and I jolted from the bed, gasping.
What in the world?! Mrs. Hale stood over me, clutching a glass jug in one hand.
“Get up and get dressed. It’s time.” She grabbed my ankle and yanked like it was plastic and not flesh and bone, hard enough that I nearly slid off the mattress. “Tonight is your introduction to the Elite Circle of New York. You will be the highlight of the party as Master Saint’s intended. No excuses, and no hiding.”
I wiped water from my eyes, resisting the urge to break into tears. This was my life now and I had to deal with it.
“What about Sin? He’s coming, isn’t he?” The question slipped out before I could bite it back. Stupid. I already knew the answer. I knew why.
Mrs. Hale’s lips thinned to a razor line. “We do not talk about Master Sin.”
The words landed like a door slamming in my face. It wasn't anger or disapproval. Prohibition.
Sin was a forbidden topic. Alright. Got it.
She turned to the vanity where a massive boutique bag sat like a throne. She hauled it up with surprising strength for someone so small, unzipped it, and pulled out the dress.
My breath caught in my chest.
I was staring at something that looked like a Disney-princess dark romance made flesh.
The gown was midnight charcoal, almost black, but shimmering with a thousand tiny brown and grey diamond chips that caught the lamplight like dying stars.
The bodice hugged tight, plunging low enough to make hearts stop, then flowed into a skirt that pooled like liquid shadow.
The sleeves were sheer illusion tulle, the exact shade of my skin, so from across the room it would look like I was wearing nothing but diamonds and sin.
Wait a minute. This colour… it wasn’t random. It was the exact blend of the twins’ eyes. They had chosen the dress themselves.
Arrogant bastards.
Mrs. Hale laid the dress across the bed like it was a weapon she intended to use against me.
“Did the twins arrange the dress?” I asked, lifting a brow at her. “They did, didn’t they? What did Saint and Sin tell you?”
She stiffened immediately. “We do not talk about Sin.”
“The twins got the dress then,” I pressed, folding my arms.
Mrs. Hale scowled at me. “Miss Serena, do not start what you cannot finish.” Her voice dropped into something sharper. “I know you York girls think he’s some mysterious, brooding fantasy. All that dark aura you love so much.”
Her eyes hardened. “He will eat you alive and leave your bones out to dry so he can add them to his collection.”
The way she said it, so bluntly and with such certainty sent a cold shiver through me. Was she trying to scare me? Or warn me?
Was she protecting me… or telling the truth?
“You know something, Mrs. Hale,” I said slowly.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation. “And what I know is that you should mind your business in this family.”
Her narrowed eyes made the warning crystal clear.
But she had no idea that it was already too late. Sin had already touched me. He'd already marked me with his teeth.
My fingers drifted to my neck where the faint bruise still throbbed, a dark little hickey. Proof of Sin's teeth and what he could do with them. What I wanted him to do with them.
It took two hours to get me ready. Two long hours of hair, makeup, pins, brushes, and endless adjustments.
When Mrs. Hale finally stepped aside, I stared at my reflection and almost didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror.
In my entire life, I had never imagined I could look like this. Like a princess. No, not quite.
I looked like the obsession of a dark prince. swallowed. Okay, not one. Two.
A shiver ran down my spine as I continued staring at my reflection, hating the way the twins had begun to seep into my thoughts… into my skin.
The bedroom door suddenly swung open and Lara strutted inside like she owned the place. Her hip had healed, then.
Her mouth fell open in an exaggerated gasp as her eyes dragged over my dress, my hair, my makeup.
Then she straightened slowly. Unlike me, Lara wasn’t dressed like royalty.
Her dress was something else entirely. It was obscenely tight, hugging every inch of her body like a second skin.
The fabric dipped dangerously low at the chest and rode scandalously high along her thighs. Thin straps clung to her shoulders while the rest of the dress seemed to exist purely to provoke attention.
Mrs Rivers marched in seconds later, her cold eyes lowering the temperature in the room instantly.
All my fragile princess fantasies shattered instantly.
“Hale, leave the room,” Mrs. Rivers ordered, her voice cold and detached.
Mrs. Hale gave a slight bow at the waist before quietly obeying.
The moment she stepped out, the atmosphere in the room thickened.
Lara’s eyes were boring straight into my forehead like she was trying to drill through my skull. I couldn’t tell if the hostility was still from our fight earlier today… or something else entirely.
The door had barely clicked shut when Mrs. Rivers spoke.
“You’re wearing the dress that was designed for Lara.” Her voice sharpened. “How dare you?”
What? This had to be some kind of stupid joke. Mrs. Hale brought the dress up in a boutique bag.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied calmly.
Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she stepped closer, her presence pressing down on me like a weight.
“You’re not just mannerless,” she continued, her eyes full of contempt. “You’re an imposter.”
Her gaze swept over me from head to toe as if my very existence offended her.
“I see what you're trying to do in my family, trying to steal the spotlight.” She said through her teeth.
She turned slightly toward Lara. “Lara, repeat what you told me.”
Lara stepped forward, practically vibrating with smug satisfaction.
“Sin ordered that dress himself from Oscar de la Renta’s private couture line in New York,” she said. “Saint was with him when he did it. Sin personally requested the special delivery be sent straight here.”
Her lips curled. “It was meant for me.”
Her finger snapped up, pointing straight at my chest.
“And now it’s on your body.” Her voice dropped into a poisonous whisper. “You’re a thief.”
I didn’t move. “I wasn’t aware of that,” I replied coolly. “Maybe you should ask Sin why it ended up with Mrs. Hale instead.”
Her face darkened instantly. “Shut your fucking mouth, girl.”
Mrs Rivers cleared her throat, then said in a condescending tone, “Strip.”
Saint burst into the room at that exact moment.