“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 happier.
Scanning the room, my eyes discard every single one of the poofy monstrosities. Just when I was about to give up, my eyes fell on a gorgeous dress; A-line with a princess waistline, a Queen Anne collar and beautiful lace illusion sleeve. The back revealed a diamond shaped opening. The train wasn’t too long either, and that got me giddy to try it on.
Slipping on the wedding dress, I found it fit perfectly. I stared at myself in the floor-length mirror and could not believe how beautiful I looked.My eyes started brimming with tears and I immediately looked around the room for my handbag.
“That one suits you better,” I hear a voice behind me, a voice I never thought I would hear, especially not in a bridal fitting room.
I look up into the mirrors and spy a pair of honey-coloured eyes staring at me. Sebastian was standing in the doorway of the fitting room; dressed in a pair of black jeans, a casual t-shirt, and sneakers. He regarded me with a bored expression as I continue to dab my eyes.
“Thank you,” I say and straighten my back.
He walked into the room and stood behind me. Our eyes met in the mirror and suddenly I felt nervous to be alone with him.
As if he could pick up my anxiety, he chuckled, “It makes you look less podgy,”
If there was anything else that could have ruined my day further, this was it. My eyes blaze with a hurt that I swallow down. I stare up at him and offer him a thin smile, “Are you always so mean to people who have done nothing wrong to you?”
I don’t think Sebastian expected me to speak at all, because his eyes widened at my response. I forgot my sister was the reserved one, so she probably always let him take the lead.
Not waiting for an answer, I turn to leave the room but he snatches my wrist and I turn my head towards him, horrified.
“I want this even less than you do,”
“Mr. Dumont, they made me into an offering of appeasement, so you better suck it up and get used to me. Because I am just as pissed off as you.” I say through gritted teeth and Sebastian blanched. I snatch my wrist away from him and saunter out towards my waiting mothers.
Did I just poke the bear?
When I got outside, they met my choice with thunderous jubilation and the rest of the day goes by in a blur. Wedding arrangements here, refitting there that by the time we arrived back at the estate, I was nodding off in the Mercedes.
My mother woke me up gently and I pulled myself out of the luxury car; today’s frivolities really took it out of me.
As I sauntered up the stairs into our mansion, I spotted a familiar figure in our foyer and I took a step back.
Nicholas, with his soft blonde hair and gorgeous green eyes, turned to look at me. Hurt was evident in his face as he offered me a small smile. “Hello, love,” he greets me and my heart shatters anew.
My mother scoffs next to me and whispers in my ear, “Say your goodbyes and leave it at that.” Then she turned on her heel, greeting Nicholas as she went upstairs.
I walk towards him and gesture towards the back gardens, “Walk with me,” I tell him and he slips his hand in mine. I didn’t stop him, because frankly, I needed his touch right now.
He brought my hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of it, “So tell me, what is this leaving me nonsense all about?” He asks me, trying to lighten the mood. We were walking towards the boxwood hedges, when Nicholas suddenly spun me around and kissed me. The familiarity of his kiss had me weak at the knees, and it left me out of breath when he suddenly let me go.
“Still wish to break up with me, love?” He says in a voice laced with desire. I peered up at him and he held me closer, kissing my hair. When I lay my head on his chest and inhale his Armani scent, I am suddenly brought back to the present. Pushing out of his arms, I shook my head and walk away from him.
“Nicholas, there is something I need to tell you.” I start, wrapping my arms around my body. It was now or never, and this needed to come from me. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me again, but I shrugged him off and took a few steps away from him.
“Something happened two evenings ago, my love. Something that will put a wedge between us forever.” Nicholas frowns at this, then takes a step towards me. “What do you mean by this, Elena?” He asks me and I sigh, then stare directly at him.
“We found out that Eliana has been cheating on Sebastian with his uncle, Robert. She is now pregnant with Robert’s child. Thus insulting the Dumonts and shaming our family. They have made me take her place in order to prevent a scandal from erupting.”
I see Nicholas taking in my words, then his eyes widen.
“Excuse me?” He cries out, dumbfounded.
I stare down at my feet and feel my lip trembling, “I have to marry Sebastian Dumont in my sister’s stead.”
The tears that were brimming my eyes now fell freely down my cheeks. Nicholas takes a step towards me and cups my cheeks in his palms. He glanced down at me sadly, then planted a kiss on my forehead, “I understand duty, my love. I understand it more than you ever could imagine.” He responded, and I had a feeling that he wasn’t lying as he said this. He wipes my tears away and kisses my cheeks, “I will wait for you, no matter how long.”
I glance up at my beloved and realize that I loved him more than I could even comprehend. “Five years, my father told me I need to stay married for at least 5 years then he would allow me to study at Harvard.”
This seems to surprise Nicholas, and an elated smile spread across his face. “Five years it is then. I love you, Elena.”
“I love you too, Nicholas.”
With our feelings made clear, Nicholas leans down and kisses me one last time, Our goodbye kiss rips a hole in my heart that I did not think could be repaired and I am left with a fragile longing.
“You would do well to get your hands off my fiancee.”
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
Was this the woman Sebastian was supposedly in love with? It would make sense since he keeps on going back to her. I walk down the stairs, feeling drained and despondent; couldn’t this darn wedding reception be over by now? Scanning the crowd for Mirabelle, I find her chatting to another couple. I walk over to her, and motion for her from the side until I manage to get her attention. She smiles politely at the couple, then excuses herself before walking over to me. “Elena, darling, is something the matter?” She asks me and I nod, “It has been a long day, mother and it is 8 pm already. Can we please toss the bouquet and call the celebration to a close? I am exhausted.” I say and wait for her to reprimand me and tell me I am a Dumont now and have to accept the social standing that comes with it.But it never came, Mirabelle just beams at me and nods her head, “Of course, love. I understand completely. Let me just find Spencer and Sebastian an