For the next hour, Astrid listened to Nikoleta ramble on and on about Darius, but she didn't find it disturbing. She actually thought of it as a good way to know the man she was fake-engaged to.
She found out how Darius stopped going to the beach after his father died in an accident. She found out how almost the whole Titan property was willed to him, how he started to run Titan Fabrics from the young age of sixteen with his mother's assistance.
From then, Nikoleta watched and felt her son slip out of her grasp. She couldn't control him anymore. He started to go to bed with a different woman every night. An
Astrid didn't know what to feel—anger, fear, maybe even nothing at all. Darius was standing right there. He now knew that she had heard him and Ashlee in the library. “Oh, I didn't know you were back.” What a useless lie, she scolded herself in her head. He literally just got out of there with another woman. And she was going out of there minutes later. He wasn't that stupid. “You saw?” He raised his eyebrow at her. “Heard, thankfully.” Now, she allowed her disappointment show.
Astrid and Darius shared a panicked look. Neither of them was ready to tell Nikoleta the truth yet, so Darius just settled for something quite simple—faking confusion. “I don't quite understand what you mean, mum.” He frowned, now standing beside Astrid. “There's something serious going on between you two and I want to know what it is.” Nikoleta stated. “Prenuptial stress.” Darius simply said. Astrid marvelled at how he could lie while looking straight into his mother's eyes. Nikoleta narrowed her eyes at them both. “You sure it's not a prenuptial fight?” She asked. “Did we have a fight?” Darius asked, looking at Astrid. “No.” She shook her head. Oh, he's good. She thought. “Why don't you want to go bridal shopping with me, then?” Nikoleta asked Astrid. “It's just... I'm nervous.” Astrid looked down, wondering how long she would have to keep lying. “About what? It's your wedding! And I'll be there. If y
“Don't let him get in! What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be at work?” Nikoleta stood up from her seat. “I believe he's in the elevator right now.” The woman revealed. Just then, they all heard the ding of the elevator. Astrid rushed back into the changing room, clutching the dress in her hands and breathing rapidly. . Darius stepped into the room, his eyes doing a quick sweep for any sign of Astrid. He smiled at Nikoleta and shrugged. “Why do you look like you're angry at me?” He asked, feigning innocence. “You're supposed to be at work. You knew Astrid and I were coming here. What are you doing? Showing off, trying to tell everyone just how many private jets you have?” Nikoleta frowned at him. “Oh, but I am at work, mum. I own the place.” He sat down next to her on the comfortable sofa with an air of pride. Cassia knew that Darius was engaged, but that didn't stop her from blushing at how he carried himself, and he noticed. “Leave! We were in the middle of something.”
Astrid had woken up at midnight with a completely parched throat. The bedside table had no glass of water. Maybe Mary didn't feel the need to do it as Astrid had never woken up thirsty before. She got off the bed, a dry cough escaping her throat. She made her way through the dimly lit hallway and into the kitchen, which she didn't have the opportunity to look at since she started her stay in the house. It was dim, but Astrid had no problem with finding a glass and water. She revelled at the coolness of the water travelling down her throat. She walked out of the kitchen and stopped abruptly when she heard footsteps close by. For a brief moment, she thought it was just her imagination bringing forth sounds to scare her, but the footsteps continued. They seemed to be coming from upstairs. She slowly made her way up the stairs, attempting to make it into her room before someone would see her out there. Especially if it was someone she didn't know. The footsteps seemed to be getting cl
The drive to the beach was quiet. Darius was on his phone most of the time. Astrid and Joaquin engaged in small talk, while Derek and Ki-woo still argued about who would be the best man at the wedding. “We're here.” Darius announced as the van stopped. They all got out, Astrid looking confused. “I thought we were going to the beach?” She turned to Joaquin. “Yes. We're going to take speed boats to get to the private island.” Joaquin explained to her. “Private island?” Astrid asked as they walked down the concrete stairs leading to the sea before them. “Private island.” Joaquin nodded to confirm it. And just as Joaquin had said, they were split up in three speed boats. Astrid nervously looked out to the body of water as the boats started. She wasn't so sure about wearing a bikini anymore. She had thought that they would be out on a normal beach, where people would be. Now, she would be on a private island with just Darius and his friends. The closer they got to the island, the mor
Astrid stood awkwardly still, staring at the man in front of her. Darius had a look of horror on his face. “You don't want us to start over? I don't get it.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You don't get it?” Astrid laughed bitterly. “Do you know how many times I've trusted you? How many times you've given me reasons not to? It's not as easy as you think, Darius.” “I'll make it easy this time. I just... I promise.” He said, desperately hoping that she would be willing to give him one more chance. Astrid sighed, looking out through the glass door. She didn't have a strong enough reason to agree to his proposal and actually start over, but she badly wanted to see what would happen if she did. If I don't want to act like his real fiancée, Nikoleta won't be coming back anytime soon and I'll be stuck here. She thought. “You promise?” She asked, making sure he was ready. His face brightened as he heard that, knowing that she would give in soon enough. “I promise, Astrid.” He gave her
Twenty minutes into asking questions about each other, Astrid noticed that Darius was making it difficult for her. Most of the time, he'd answer a question in the vaguest way possible, or he would just mumble a ‘pass.’ Tired of the endless cycle, she sighed. “Are you going to answer any of the questions? It's starting to seem pointless.” She admitted. “Pointless? I've answered almost all of the questions you asked.” He defended himself. “Okay. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?” She asked, knowing he wouldn't answer it. “Why would you even want to know something like that?” He asked. “Just answer it already.” She groaned tiredly. “Answer it first.” He said, taking the last sip of his orange juice. “You'll answer it after I answer, right?” She asked. “I promise.” He smiled. “If I could change anything about myself, I'd change... the fact that I'm here. No offence, but this isn't where I want to be right now.” She fiddled with a loose strand of her w
After breakfast, it was time to head back home. Nina had showered each of them with warm hugs, face kisses and warm cookies. Getting on the boat, Darius finally realised how distant Astrid was. To confirm his doubts, he decided to start up a slight conversation. “Hey.” He started, sitting beside her. Her uncomfortable shift didn't go unnoticed by him. “Is there something you want to talk about?” He asked, frowning. “No.” Astrid replied, her tone sharp. “If something's bothering you, you can always talk to me.” His form of encouragement was replied to with a scoff. Astrid looked away from him, staring out at the long stretch of water before her. “Sure.” She said, but Darius could tell that it was sarcastic. Just when Darius thought that Astrid would never tell her anything more, she turned back to him. “Do you ever plan to fall in love, get married and have children?” The unexpected question threw Darius off course for a moment. “I'm not sure.” He answered honestly. He saw her ey