Chapter 198 A COUPLE FIT FOR THE MERCER CLAN
AURORA’S POINT OF VIEW.
The heavy oak doors pulled open, reminding me of a shark’s jaw just before it bares its rows of teeth. The moment we stepped in, everyone turned to us, the scent of lilies wafting in my nostrils; soft, sweet, and smelling of a funeral I wasn’t quite sure was mine or someone else’s.
The difference between the chaos and violence from outside, compared to the one inside, was jarring. Outside, it was loud, and directly in your face since the reporters didn’t bother hiding; their intention was the next scoop. Inside, it was in the subtle tilt of a chin, the way a hundred people narrowed their eyes at us….or rather, me.
I saw them then.
The clan, the Orsini, and the Vaihala. They stood together…well, not so close. They were sworn enemies anyway. We hadn't seen each other in such a long time. The eyes of old Lady Chambers narrowed just slightly upon staring at me.
I remember her from the galas I attended as a young child, along with the warning my mother had once given me long ago. ‘Chambers is a viper, or a cobra…. basically, she’s a snake. What she wants is someone who can inflate her already large ego until it crashes the sky. Do that, and you have her love, or loyalty.’
She hated my mother because Mom never cared enough to give a shit about her or her rules. As much as I didn't want to, either, I had to stoop to conquer. Just to the left of me, I saw my family….or rather, my father,
Armamdo stood to Silas’ right, Denise and Morgan right beside him. He stared at me with awe anyone could mistake for love, or fatherly concern. But I knew what it was.
I was his cash cow, an instrument, and not a human being anymore. Denise had a mask of porcelain perfection, a well-practiced, warm smile on those pale pink lips. She could have fooled anyone, but the vice-like grip on her clutch was enough to let me know her true stance.
Morgan, on the other hand, didn’t bother hiding. Her gaze settled on Kai’s palm around my waist, and her already tight expression turned to smoke. She glared at me, her gaze full of contempt and hatred. But she didn’t dare speak up. Dad would make her a scapegoat so I could shine… yet another thing I had to get used to.
“Father,” Kai announced, stopping an arm's length from Silas, the latter who stared at me with hidden anger and contempt in his gaze. His gaze on my dress burned so hot, I was shocked I hadn't gone up in flames already.
“That dress…” he hissed, his voice tight. “It is not the one I picked out,” he didn’t glare at me anymore. He was fixated on his son. “What is this?”
“She’s my fiancé, father,” Kai said with a challenging smirk. “I’m sure I have better taste for her than a man as old as you.” My eyes went wide, along with those of Denise, Morgan, and Armando. My father coughed, an awkward laugh escaping him.
“Um…I think it is a beautiful dress, Silas.” He smiled. “You know, these kids, they always have to do something different.”
“Oh, please, Armando. You know nothing.” Silas dismissed my father without bothering to glance his way. Discomfort swelled in Armando’s eyes, his fists clenched at his sides, but he didn’t dare reveal it.
“Of course, Silas.” He chuckled. “Um…will you make the announcement, or should I?” Silas turned then, clearly contemplating for a second before turning back to Kai.
“What do you think, son? Who should announce anything?”
“I believe either Denise or Morgan…. after all, they are the female family of the bride currently available,” I smirked, relishing the look of utter discomfort on both their faces. If Denise or Morgan gave the announcement, it would be the ultimate disgrace. Denise thought it would be her daughter in this place, but it’s me….the very one she pushed out, the one she had disgraced.
What better dish is best served cold again?
“Me?” Denise and her daughter hissed at the same time. They grabbed onto Armando with desperation in their voices. “Please….I don’t want to….my voice…it’s not sharp enough….let someone else do it.” She pleaded, but Dad would rather drink a snake’s urine than disobey Silas.
So he pushed their hands from his and ordered with a hiss. “Do as he says.”
Without a word, Denise pursed her lips, sharing a glance with Morgan before walking off. Her heels clink against the marble floors with each step. She headed towards the podium as one would walk to a guillotine. The eyes of everyone, the Vailaha, and the Orsini were fixated on her, like vultures waiting for prey.
She tapped the microphone softly, her shoulders trembling slightly. However, I didn’t feel ecstatic or victorious. Rather, there was a sense of unease coiling deep in my bones. I saw it then. Denise wasn’t scared….she didn’t even shake from fear, or terror.
She seemed… excited. My eyes narrowed at the sight of a white paper in her hands, along with a small button. I turned to Kai, and he’d sensed it too. His smirk was nonexistent, now replaced by a granite-like expression.
I glanced at Morgan, and she didn’t look scared, embarrassed, or ashamed either. She shared the same gaze as her mother.
Excited, apprehensive… and overjoyed.
I knew it then… something horribly wrong was about to take place.