Chapter 175: Surprises

SEBASTIAN

“Sebastian, what hurt? What are you people talking about?” Alma pressed desperately, jumping in front of me. “Elijah said it hurts, and you said it hurts. What’s that?”

“Alma, you’re overthinking. Can you stop?” I snapped, clearly exhausted.

“I’m overthinking?” Her voice trembled. “Why is everyone saying I’m overthinking? My father said I’m overthinking, but I feel so left out. This isn’t fair.”

She sat on the bed, covering her face as sobs began to shake her shoulders. My heart squeezed painfully, and the urge to tell her everything nearly overwhelmed me.

“Alma, listen to me...” I started, but she shot to her feet, stormed out of the room, and slammed the door hard behind her.

My chest tightened. I quickly typed into the group chat:

“Let’s make the surprise 5 p.m., which means in an hour. I don’t think I can handle her desperation anymore.”

“I knew she would be so curious,” the male nurse replied.

“I was really tempted to tell her. Oh, my sweet cousin,” Elijah added.

“So what's my aim in joining the group? You all are close to her. I doubt she wants to see me on her special day, I don't think I can come” Nick typed.

“Then don’t fucking come,” I typed back. He always wanted to be begged. This was a damn group chat, not my DM.

“Friend, let’s catch up. What do you think?” Nick replied.

“Who is this person? Why are you creating another discussion?” my mother typed.

“I think it’s better you talk to Sebastian privately than come here. This is a group chat,” Bianca replied.

“Forgive my bad manners, friends,” Nick responded.

“Please, back to what we’re saying. I have made the necessary arrangements. She’s a girl. I know she’ll love it,” Bianca typed.

Everyone started reacting with love and thumbs-up emojis. I wasn’t an exception.

I walked outside and found her squatting dramatically by the door, looking like a woman who had been chased out by her loved ones.

“Come get prepared,” I said. “I’ll take you to where your father and I have been going since you’re too damn curious.”

She nodded happily, jumped to her feet, and rushed off to get dressed.

I quickly texted Elijah to bring her father and the male nurse to the venue before she noticed.

A few minutes later, she was ready, and we left the house.

She kept asking where we were going, but I told her she would find out if she was patient. She nodded, trying her best to stay quiet. Still, I could see the desperation in the way she kept staring at me and pressing her lips together.

We arrived at the venue. I helped her out of the car, and we made our way into the hall. I had already instructed them to keep all the windows locked and the lights off.

The moment we stepped inside, the lights flickered on.

“Surprise! Happy birthday to our beloved Nina!” everyone screamed.

She stood frozen, completely baffled. “It’s my birthday? No, it’s not my birthday,” she kept repeating.

“Of course this is your birthday, child,” her father said happily, stepping forward and handing her a big box containing the dress we had picked out.

“But, Dad, it’s supposed to be in three months,” she explained, still in shock.

Her father gently explained everything, including why her birthday had been changed. Her mouth fell open in shock as tears slipped down her cheeks. She hugged her father tightly.

“Go in and change into this,” her father said, gesturing to the dress.

She nodded happily and headed to the bathroom. I had purposely let her wear whatever she wanted just to keep her from guessing.

We waited as I started planning my next surprise. So this was what she had been worried about when Elijah said it hurt? She was so damn funny for thinking that about me too. We weren’t gay.

“Sebastian, did you do it?” Elijah asked. “Trust me, no woman can resist that. My fiancée is so difficult to impress, yet she loved her surprise. I’m sure my cousin will like it too.”

I nodded. “I hope she does.”

“Okay, I think I’ll excuse myself. Talk to your friend while I go to mine,” Elijah said as Nick started walking toward us.

I exhaled, rubbing my forehead in exhaustion. I already knew he would piss me off.

“Hello, man. You shouldn’t treat me like an enemy. You know we’ve been friends for too long,” Nick said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I shut my eyes and exhaled. “Fucking take it off.”

He chuckled and immediately removed his arm.

“You know, I can see properly now,” Nick continued. “Luis deserved that death. He had sent thousands of families to their early graves. I recently heard about some girls he took to pleasure houses. Some died from depression; others are still suffering, trying to recover from the trauma of being fucked without their consent while another man got paid for it. He was indeed a monster.”

My chest tightened as memories flooded back. He really had destroyed so many families, one of them far too close to me. I didn’t think I could ever do enough to erase those traumas from their hearts.

“So instead of taking Elijah, why not make me your best man?” he asked, staring at me.

My brow furrowed in disgust. “I’d rather make her father my best man than you.”

He burst into laughter.

Nick was basically a duplicate of Luis, except he didn’t kill. At least, not that I knew. He just enjoyed ruining things. He might not even show up to the wedding, just enough to announce his presence and remind everyone of the gap he left.

I had to keep him close because I knew I might need him in the future. I knew exactly how to make him move.

When you begged him, you had to trade something in return because he knew how important it was to you. But if you refused to show him how important it was, he would do it anyway, just so you wouldn’t give the credit to someone else.

That was the kind of man he was.