Chapter 7

Lianna’s head snaps to Isaac. Wait, what? That would mean William used to be married. How did she miss such an important detail about him? To be honest, she did not even know he had a younger brother.

“His ex-wife?” she whispers with a confused expression. Isaac nods before heading back to Bianca. Lianna sighs while she looks at William. He is staring at Evelyn with a distant look in his eyes. Lianna returns her gaze to Evelyn.

Evelyn’s green eyes pierce through Lianna as she walks to them. Lianna subtly studies Evelyn. Her long blonde locks bounce slightly as she walks with a constant rhythm. Lianna notices her red lips. It is not the type of red the cheap characters in movies would wear, but a refined red you would see elegant models wear when doing a wine advertisement. 

Evelyn stops in front of William and Lianna, her eyes on William. 

“Will, it has been ages. How are you?” she asks with a magnetic voice. William puts his hands in his pockets to prevent Evelyn from seeing his shaking hands.

“Evelyn.” His tone is distant. He does not answer Evelyn and continues to stare at her. She pulls a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She tilts her head with a playful smile.

“I am doing fine, thank you for asking. And who is this?” she says and turns to Lianna. William glances at Lianna. She has a small smile, looking directly at Evelyn. He is surprised to see no hint of fear in her eyes. Evelyn is a force to be reckoned with, but Lianna does not seem to be intimidated. This girl is on another level.

“I’m-“

“Evelyn,” she chips in. Lianna frowns at her, but she nods her head.

“Nice to meet you, Evelyn. I’m Lianna,” she says with a smile and holds her hand out. Evelyn looks at Lianna’s hand and crosses her arms.

“So, you’re the new girl everyone has been talking about?” Evelyn turns her head to William. “Will, I thought you were serious about a girl if you bought her here. Come on, this is tacky, even for you,” she says while she inspects her nails. Lianna glances at William with an amused smile.

Most people in the living room have gone silent, listening to the conversation. 

“What are you doing here?” William asks, stepping in between Lianna and Evelyn. Lianna's eyes move around the room and stop on Rose. Rose looks at William with a tight smile. What is she up to?

“I came for you. I can’t allow this to happen when there is still so much between us." William scoffs and removes his hand from his pocket. He searches for Lianna’s hand behind him and holds it with a tight grip.

“I don’t have the strength for this,” he says, dragging Lianna with him past Evelyn. Lianna bows her head when she passes Evelyn. William walks out of the living room, his heart feeling like it is going to jump out of his chest. He has to get away from Evelyn. He takes the stairs two-two and walks down the hall, searching for his room.

Once he reaches the room, he rushes in and heads for the bed. He sits down on the bed, his hands on his knees. Lianna closes the door and walks to the sofa across from the bed while she watches William. She sits down and takes a few calming breaths.

William is fuming. How can his mother allow that monster to come back? He already knows she is the girl his mother wanted him to marry instead of Lianna. They have been through this exercise once. He is not going to put himself in that position again. She has done irreversible damage, and now his mother wants to put him at her mercy again. He closes his eyes, trying to push back the memories that flood his thoughts.

“Are you okay?” A gentle voice brings him out of his spiral. He forces a smile and nods. He completely forgot about Lianna for a moment.

“Yes. Let me just explain,” he says and takes a deep breath. He appreciates Lianna not making assumptions about his ex. He forces his head up to look at her. She is supporting her head in her hand, waiting for him to talk.

“Isaac said Evelyn is your ex-wife,” she says to give him a starting point.

“Yes. We were married for two years. I don’t know what she is doing here. I am aware mother wants us to get back together, so that must be the reason why she invited Evelyn. Why would she invite her here?” William stands up and paces back and forth. Lianna watches him as she unties her shoelaces. She gets out of her sneakers and places them next to the sofa.

“When did you get married?” Lianna asks while she crosses her legs on the sofa.

“When I turned 21,” he answers. Lianna can tell he is still thinking. She is unsure whether she should continue to ask him questions. This Evelyn must have done something horrible to get this reaction out of him. She decides that she will find out more about Evelyn on her own. It seems to upset William.

William opens his suitcase and pulls out a towel. He walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind him. Lianna is left alone in the room. She relaxes on the sofa as she checks out the room.

It looks like a five-star hotel room. The walls are a light cream color that compliments the dark wooden floors. The white sheets of the bed match the white sofa. Lianna shakes her head at the thought of how much this house must have cost. She gets up with a tired sigh and looks at her phone. Maybe Maeve will know more about Evelyn.

William exits the bathroom, towel wrapped around his torso. Lianna is listening to music with her eyes closed on the bed. He gets his clothes from the suitcase and throws them on the bed. Lianna opens her eyes to see William standing in front of her with his bare chest. She rolls her eyes as he flexes.

“Really?” she asks, unamused. William chuckles at her reaction. His hands seductively move down his chest toward the towel. He rips the towel away from his torso before Lianna could react.

Her hands shoot to cover her eyes, but she is too near the edge. She falls off the bed, legs flailing about before she hits the ground with a thud. A loud groan echoes through the room.

“William!” she whines while she lies on her back. She tries to untangle herself from her earphones while she lies on her back and her legs in the air, resting against the bed. William laughs at her. He walks without his towel to her, his hand out to offer support. She shouts when he stops next to her.

“No, get away,” she yells. His laughter grows. She grabs a pillow from the bed and throws it at him. He grunts when it hits his leg. He walks away from Lianna, swaying his hips in hopes that she looks at him.

“I’m just giving you a sneak peek of what will be yours soon,” he says in a seductive voice. Lianna groans again, throwing another pillow in his direction. He chuckles when it hits him again. She has good aim.

“Ugh, you disgust me.” She manages to get back on the bed with her eyes closed. Her hands search for a nearby pillow and she puts it over her face. William watches with a smirk. He never knew this type of teasing would be more fun.

“Come on. You’re hiding behind the pillow because you’re blushing,” William says while getting dressed. Lianna removes the pillow as her eyes remain closed.

“Oh, definitely. You’re so hot and dreamy,” she says while fanning herself. “I can’t believe I get to marry a Greek god.” William can almost taste the sarcasm dripping off her words. Lianna throws another pillow in the direction his voice came from. It hits his stomach.

“I knew you liked me,” he jokes and falls onto the bed. Lianna opens her eyes. She pulls a face to mock him and he ignores her.

“Where is your shirt?”

“I don’t sleep with a shirt. It’s very restrictive,” he says, rubbing his hands over his chest. Lianna closes her eyes and shakes her head. A soft laugh escapes her lips, and she rubs her eyes.

“Haish, you're such a child,” she mumbles and hits him with the pillow next to her. William dodges it and sticks his tongue out. “I’m going to shower.” Lianna gets up from the bed and puts her bag on the sofa to retrieve her towel and clothes. William puts the pillow under his head and rests his hands behind his head.

“I’m not getting a sneak peek?”

“In your dreams, evil spawn.” She scrunches her nose up and closes the door behind her. William adjusts his position and takes her phone. He presses play on the screen and puts the earphones on. He closes his eyes, jamming to the song. She has horrible taste in music.

Lianna exits the bathroom, clothed in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. She sees William on the bed with her earphones in. That spoilt brat. She puts her laundry away in a plastic bag she packed. She walks to William and stops next to him, leaning closer to hear what is playing. How on earth can he fall asleep to this song? “Daechwita” by Agust D plays and she laughs at the sight.

She gently removes the earphones and pauses the song. She has to call her dad. William is fast asleep, so she will have to keep her voice down. She walks back to the sofa, stepping on the sofa. She opens the large window above the window. She dials her dad and waits for him to answer.

“Dad, hi,” she whispers. She does not want to wake William.

“Kid, what’s going on? Why are you talking like that?” her dad asks back in a whisper. She laughs softly.

“Nothing. William is sleeping and I don’t want to wake him.”

“Ah, how is it?”

“Well, I met William’s younger brother, Isaac. Did you know he has a younger brother?”

“No, I didn't. How is he?”

“He is super nice, and his girlfriend is so cute.” She hears her dad chuckling on the other side. “The rest are pretty normal, you know, for rich people. The house is massive. I’ll send pictures,” she says and looks over her shoulder when William stirs on the bed.

“You better.”

“But I met,” she lowers her voice, “William’s ex-wife.” She pauses for a moment for dramatic effect.

“I never knew he was married,” her dad says surprised.

“Me neither. But she is a total babe. Honestly, she is in her own league. They must have parted on bad terms. He was all over the place when she arrived.” Her dad hums as he takes in everything she said. “And the weird thing is, his mother invited Evelyn. The ex’s name is Evelyn.”

“Evelyn? The name sounds familiar?”

“I texted Maeve to hear what she knows, but she is probably clubbing tonight.”

“I’ll see what I can find, but she sounds familiar.”

“Thanks, dad. I should go. I am tired. Plus, I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be busy.” Lianna looks out of the window at the few visible stars.

“Good night, kid. And good luck,” her dad says with a yawn.

“Night, dad. I love you,” she whispers and ends the call. She closes the window and gets off the sofa. William is sleeping on top of the covers. He will probably wake up by himself to get under the covers. She goes to the bathroom one last time before she gets under the covers.

“Ugh, the lights,” she mutters and gets out of bed. She switches the lights off and navigates her way back to the bed, hitting her toe against the nightstand. A soft “shit” makes its way out before she tumbles into the bed.

She pulls the covers over her and checks the time. 11:30. This is probably the earliest she went to bed this year. She replays the moment Evelyn walked in and how tense William was. She tries to stay awake, but she can feel herself drifting off. 

William opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling. He waits until her breathing settles into a steady rhythm before he stands up. He pulls the covers back, getting back under them. He thinks about the conversation Lianna had with her dad. He wished he could talk like that to his father. He is surprised that she complimented Evelyn after she was so mean to Lianna. “A total babe” is a bit of an overstatement.

He turns to face Lianna. He sighs as he thinks about what tomorrow might bring. Hopefully, he can stay close to Lianna to protect her from Evelyn. Not Isaac or Bianca will be able to stand up against Evelyn. She will need his protection.

Lianna also turns. William holds his breath. He lets out a soft sigh of disappointment when he realized Lianna turned the other way, away from him. How is he going to get her to fall in love with him?