A knock at my bedroom door draws me out of my reverie. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide in here forever. “Elena?” came the voice of my father. This made me frown. He hardly ever came into my room. I would have expected it to be mother or Eliana to run after me.
Not the head of our family.“Come in, father,” I called out, then I sat up, straightening myself out as a lady should. He then opens the door and pokes his head in. “May I come in?”
I nod and grab a tissue from my bedside table to dab my eyes with. Did he honestly expect me to tell him he could not enter my room?My father takes a seat on my bed and takes my hand in his, “Elena, I do not wish for you to go through with this marriage.” he starts abruptly, causing me to stare at him in surprise. Didn’t he just agree with everyone downstairs?
“What do you mean by that, father? You just agreed with everyone downstairs that I should go along with this marriage to Sebastian.” I say, echoing my thoughts.
He sighs, but gives me a sad nod, “Yes, but it does not mean that I am happy with the whole thing. Eliana has shamed us with her actions, so we would need to make it right. We owe the Dumont’s that. This is the only way to right the wrong.”Instead of facing the scandal, they would prefer to marry me off in my sister’s place. That’s how little I mean to my family.
I look up at my father and offer him a tight smile, “I got my acceptance letter from Harvard today,” I say wistfully, “I wanted to study law and got accepted without the Wilshire name’s sway.” I was so proud of this when I had received my letter earlier today. But now even this would be taken away from me, along with my freedom and Nicholas.
Oh my gosh, Nicholas. What would I tell him? He was to be my betrothed when I returned from Harvard, now we would not be. Instead, I would have to marry a man who basically called me fat the first time he saw me.My father pats my hand, “I am afraid that won’t be happening right now, love. But perhaps we can ask them for an extension, for say 5 years?” He suggests, causing me to frown.
An extension for 5 years?“What do you mean by that, father?” I ask him, not quite grasping what he was saying.
He offers me a warm smile, “Marry Sebastian Dumont, stay married for at least 5 years then you have my blessing to go study abroad.”My eyes widened. Was this what the light at the end of a tunnel felt like?“Do you really mean that, father?” I ask him, elated. I knew this was nothing, but a cleverly disguised bribe, but my dream and freedom were hanging mere inches from my grasp.
My father gave me a smile, knowing he had won, “Yes, poppet. I promise. After 5 years, you will be free to study abroad and make a name for yourself.”My mind had already agreed to his conditions, but my heart was stuck. I loved Nicholas; He was the love of my life and my best friend. I would be choosing my career over him if I did this.Sebastian was the last person on earth I wanted to be married to, but if this meant my freedom and studying abroad, I would go through with it.
Peering up at my father, I give him a small nod, “Okay, I will do it. I’ll marry Sebastian Dumont if I can study abroad after 5 years.”This seemed to appease him, so he gets up and walks towards the door, “I will inform everyone downstairs. Join us for a nightcap when you’re ready.” And with that, my father leaves my room.
I look down at my hands as I place them in my lap. Did I really just agree to marry the one man I despise more than anyone else?
A jittery tone cuts through my thoughts, and I realize my cell phone is ringing. I pick it up and check the caller ID and my heart comes to a stand-still.It was Nicholas.
I take a deep breath and decide to answer his call. There was no reason I had to ignore him, as I had always been forthcoming in our relationship.
“Hey, love,”
“Hey sweetheart, I’m sorry I missed your call. Father had me sitting in on meetings with him,” Ah, that explains why my call had gone unanswered.
“It’s alright. I was calling to let you know I got my acceptance letter from Harvard today.” My letter, it seems like so long ago that I received it and I faintly remember how happy I felt thinking it had been my key to freedom.
“Honey, that is wonderful news! Shall I pick you up for a congratulatory drink?” My sweet Nicholas asks me, and I feel tears running down my cheeks again. I sniff and shake my head to get my bearings. Nicholas must have heard me because his voice suddenly became serious, “Love, are you alright?”
Am I alright? No, I don’t think I am. My life is in the midst of falling apart.
“Nicholas, something has happened and I do not think we can be together anymore. I will not be attending Harvard either. I am so sorry, my love, but this is for the best.” I say with sadness and end my call.
I take another tissue from my bedside table to wipe my tears and blow my nose. Then I take a deep breath and steel myself.
Getting up from my bed, I saunter towards my dressing table and fix my makeup. I had better get used to looking my best in public, seeing as I, Elena Wiltshire, will be the lady of the family now.➳➳➳I straighten my back and poise myself to walk downstairs to face whoever was left of the wretched dinner party. The Dumonts, save for Sebastian, were still present and my parents. It appears Eliana and Robert had taken their leave.Mirabelle spots me and immediately gets up from her seat, beaming. “My dear,” she gushes and draws me in for an embrace. “I always wanted you to be the one to marry Sebastian, no offence, Susanna. But Elena always had that spunk I liked. She never pretended to be poised and proper.”
Well, well, well. It appears I may have misjudged Mirabelle after all these years.
I smiled at my soon to be mother-in-law. What the heck. Was this really happening?
“Thank you, Mirabelle. I guess we will be more than family soon,” I tell her and she hugs me again.She seemed to be happier about this union than anyone else.
I turn towards everyone, “I will marry Sebastian in order to right this wrong and prevent a scandal.” I proclaim, to the delight of everyone present. My father smiled up at me and gave me a wink.
The rest of the evening goes by in a blur, and the next thing I know I am showered and in bed.
Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of my miserable life.“This one looks beautiful, Elena!”Can you guess where I am right now? What a way to spend a peaceful Sunday.Currently swaddled in lace and silk, my mother and Mirabelle had kidnapped me so we could go hunting for a wedding dress. “Why can’t I just wear Eliana’s?” I had asked, and both of them looked like I had spat in their faces.Okay, then.So here I was, being a doll to my mother and Mirabelle. After trying on at least 10 more dresses, I started losing my temper.“Let me find my own dress, mother. Give me a few minutes,” I say in an exasperated tone to the surprise of the two ladies with me. If this was going to be my wedding, I might as well choose the damn dress since I didn’t get to choose the groom.I walk into the back section of London Bride Couture and sigh. This wasn’t how I pictured myself when I eventually had to choose a wedding dress. I thought I would be a lot happ
I spin around at the voice behind me and look straight into the eyes of Sebastian. Anger flared in his honey-coloured eyes as he took in the scene before him; Nicholas cupping my cheeks and my arms around his waist.I feel the anger radiating off Nicholas when he lets go of me and faces Sebastian, “We were just saying our goodbyes. There is no reason to be rude, Sebastian.” He says, meeting Sebastian’s angry stare.Wait, why the heck was he so angry, anyway?Stepping forward, I walk towards my supposed fiance and meet his gaze, “Nicholas was my intended before they forced me to marry you, Sebastian. I am saying goodbye to him, that is all.” I say to him and he peers down at me.“Irrelevant. I will not have another Eliana as my betrothed. You will go with me right this instant as we need to discuss a few things regarding our pending marriage.” He says and turns on his heel, “I don’t like to be kept wait
After fixing up my makeup, I leave the confines of my bedroom and walk downstairs. Might as well strike the iron while it’s hot. My mother’s words are still ringing in my ears as I descend the stairs. Could I be the wife to Sebastian as she was to my father?I spot Sebastian’s back and he turns around as soon as he hears the clicking of my heels. At this vantage point, I had to admit that he looked exceptionally handsome; raven hair that was a little long with a fringe that fell in his eyes. His facial hair was a medium stubble beard trimmed to perfection. Tall, yet broad and muscular. Think of Chris Evans.He looks up at me and an unfamiliar expression crosses his face when he takes in my stony expression. Was he going to try and intimidate or insult me again?I come to a stop in front of him, “Sebastian,” I say and he holds out his hand, palm up.“Walk with me, Elena. I think there are a few things we need to discuss,
1am - The morning of my wedding day.My mother and Mirabelle have been fussing over everything all week and it was driving me crazy. They had my walk-in closet cleaned out yesterday and they delivered my clothes to Sebastian’s villa in Kensington. My home from tomorrow.Heck, from today.I haven’t been able to sleep a wink because of nerves. Sebastian and I have been keeping our distance from one another since our kiss in his office, not that I mind! He threw me for a loop with that kiss, and I haven’t been able to think straight since it happened. At our rehearsal dinner, we were amiable, but as soon as it ended we went our separate ways. We barely made eye contact, and I think Sebastian was as awkward as I was.Rolling around under my covers, I sigh in frustration and decide to give up.The public had suspected something had happened, but the news outlets were too scared to report anything bad about the Dumonts. So now they were
A flutter at my bedroom door gets my attention, and I see Mirabelle saunter in with a beaming smile on her face. This makes me want to break down, and I felt light at the same time; everyone is expecting me to be okay with this, but I am not. I know this needed to be done, but yet again I am everyone’s second choice.“Elena, darling!” she exclaims, taking in my wedding attire with her eyes filling up with unshed tears. “You look beautiful, my dear. This dress altogether compliments your body well.”I genuinely smile at her compliment. Ever since I found out she preferred me to my sister, I have been seeing a different side to her. She certainly wanted me to be with Sebastian, but cared about my happiness as well and felt it lay with her son.In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Mirabelle and I spent a great deal of time together. She explained what they would demand of me as a Dumont wife and how the public would look upon me as Mr
I keep my eyes straight ahead as the oak doors swing open and gulp down a breath of anxiety. This was it, I was getting married to the arrogant CEO Sebastian Dumont and there was no turning back. My wedding procession had started, now it would be my turn to enter. The attendees stood up as my father and I appeared at the doorway and I felt myself flush; the cathedral was packed with people I did not know. These were obviously people invited when Eliana would have married Sebastian, people of noble blood and prominent in high society. “Don’t trip, Elena. Don’t trip.” I repeat over and over in my head, willing my self-confidence to come forward as we stride down the aisle. Keeping my head forward and feeling thankful for the veil covering my face, I see Sebastian waiting for me at the altar and my heart beats faster. Why did this man have to look so dashing in a classic charcoal grey three-piece Armani suit? His mouth was a thin
I hold on to Sebastian’s arm as he leads me inside Dumont Hall. I notice that all our guests have arrived before us and frowned. Did Sebastian tell his chauffeur to take us the long way around or something?Seeing all these people here made me start to freeze up again, and I grip Sebastian’s arm tightly. He stares down at me, “Is something the matter?” He asks in that uppity tone of his and I roll my eyes into oblivion, “Just nerves,” I admit, but refuse to make eye contact with him, not after what transpired in the limousine.“Well, I am afraid you will have to get used to the public eye, petite pâquerette. You are my wife now, so all eyes will be on you from now on, Lady Dumont.” Sebastian says with a smirk and my heart skips a beat at his impeccable French. Of course, his family had their roots in France.DumontBut why did he refer to me as a little daisy? I was very far from deli
Eliana beams at me when I turn to face her, my twin sister and double. I could not help myself; I threw my arms around her and inhaled her familiar Dior scent. “Eliana!” I gush, not being able to control my emotions upon seeing my sister. She was a little puffy on the face and her belly was showing, but she still had the same air of poise around her.“I haven’t seen you in almost three months and you turn into a beautiful lady.” She jokes as she takes in my appearance and nods in appreciation. I give her a light slap on her arm, “You know as well as I do that this isn’t exactly how I expected my last few months in England to be.” I shot back a retort but then noticed her smile drop.“Ah, I’m sorry, Eliana-”“No, I deserved that and so much more,” she starts and takes my hands in hers. “Elena, I forced you into this life, and for that, I will be eternally in your debt. I did not e