The day she had been dreading had finally arrived. Alanna thought that if she tried not to think about it too much it wouldn't seem as daunting. Her anxiety however had become much worse than it was the previous day. She had told Sienna everything and they had both wondered what exactly was in the will for her to be present there. Sienna simply said the man had probably left her some of his properties and she laughed at the ridiculness of it.
She brushed the possibility aside and told her friend he had maybe written a letter she needed to receive or a message in his will that was meant for her. As for his properties, she didn't want anything to do with it.
So here she sat in the car that was heading straight to the house the will reading was supposed to take place. The passing trees became her solace, counting as many as she could to take her mind off of the impending doom she was about to face. She needed to calm down but how could she remain calm when she was constantly being put in a spotlight she didn't even want.
She sighed and she might have been doing it a lot more than she realized because she caught the driver staring at her through the rearview mirror. She gave a little smile and his eyes shifted to the road. Even a stranger could tell there was something bothering her.
They rounded the curve and up ahead was the glorious Carmichael mansion. The first time her uncle brought her here she had been amazed at the articulate details and intricately woven designs of the house. It was something she had never come across before and the thrill of seeing something so exquisite had made her forget the reason they had come. Looking back she should have known it was just a fancy house meant to trap her and nothing more.
Just like her uncle and her betrothed wanted, she had spent most of her days in this house and nothing about it was pleasant enough to remember. Now, the only thing it gave her were regrets and memories she longed to forget. She stared long and hard at the house. A house she had sworn to stay far away from when it became apparent she wasn't going to be part of that family anymore and yet here she was.
She steeled her spine, held her head up high and walked to the wide and long metallic gates that was being guarded by two buff looking men. They recognized her and yet none of them made an attempt to open the gates for her. They stared and she stared back, a staring contest breaking out with neither party wanting to give in.
From the corner of her eye she saw the one on the left reach for his earbud, nodding his head as if in understanding of whatever was being discussed. He gestured to the one on her right and he saw the weary look that crossed his face. She almost rolled her eyes.
He stared her up and down and without saying anything opened the gates for her. What an arrogant prick.
They had never liked her. She didn't know why but this had always been their attitude towards her whenever she came around. Not that she had expected their hateful gazes to change but it wasn't like she was bored and decided she would come sightseeing in this bloody house.
The flowers that smelled so sweet and heavenly once upon a time now made her nose scrunch. The scent was suffocating as if it had turned to poison just to kill her and she tried not to breathe it in too much. She quickened her pace and before she could ring the doorbell the door swung open with such brutal force.
Her hand, stuck in the air from wanting to ring the bell met a fuming Astrid who looked like she would explode any second. Well what a very warm welcome it was. She put her hand down but the girl wouldn't budge away from the door and just kept staring at her, angrily so, without saying anything.
"Why the fuck won't you just leave us the fuck alone," she screamed piercingly and Alanna took two steps back at the loud shriek. It almost blocked her ears. Well yes how dare she keep messing up their lives when she had her own life to think about.
"I didn't invite myself here Astrid and yes I would also like to know why I can't seem to stay the fuck away from your lives," unlike the red faced girl, Alanna was rather calm saying her words in a much normal tone than was said to her. There wasn't any reason to fight and she seriously wasn't in the mood to exchange words with her either. It was early in the morning.
"What are you still standing there for Astrid. Quit being a child and let her in." One of her brothers, Ares it seemed, spoke from somewhere in the room. She didn't look like she wanted to listen to her brother especially after hearing what Alanna said but she didn't have a choice anyways. She reluctantly shifted just a bit and Alanna stared at the girl and then at the space she had provided.
Astrid gave her a smug look and she gave her one of her own, squeezing past her without touching her. She knew the girl just wanted some drama but like she said she wasn't in the mood for any mind games.
The house hadn't changed much. A few weeks leading to the marriage she hadn't been to the house and the air around her was much cooler.
Her eyes met someone she wasn't expecting to be there and they widened in mortified surprise. She had been staring before she noticed he was there.
It was Soren.
A somewhat familiar face. Internally she was glad he was there. Maybe weird that she was but at least he said he believed her and to her that was more than enough. She took a step towards his direction and he averted his gaze as if she was invisible.
Her heart shook and she felt a burning sensation in her throat. She was still stuck in her place reeling from what had just happened. There wasn't any sign of friendliness in his eyes and that should have been clearer enough to her. She didn't know if she thought they would be friends or what but this was enough of an eye opener for her.
Him and her were not on the same level and just because he had defended her once didn't mean he was obligated to be nice to her or even acknowledge her presence at all.
She smiled bitterly and unclenched her hand on her dress. She took herself to the far end of the couch in the room, making sure there was distance between her and them.
She realized that when it really came to, he was still part of the family. Her eyes somehow found their way to him and his eyebrows were furrowed in seriousness, staring at his phone. She wondered what had triggered it. He was so princely even as he sat and it made sense to her why almost all the girls in the country were literally head over heels for him.
He raised his head to catch her staring at him and her cheeks burned under his intense gaze. She was beyond mortified. He had caught her twice now. She wished the ground would just open and swallow her up.
Ares and Orion were lost in their own world, talking about something she couldn't exactly comprehend. They didn't bother about her either but it was fine anyways. That was how they were to everybody, regardless. Astrid came to sit by Soren and he saw him frown, shifting a bit from her as she was practically all up in his space. If Alanna didn't know better she would think the girl was in love with her cousin.
"I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting. There was a bit of traffic on the way," Mr. Harrison's voice came through the door and he was practically sprinting to them in full strides. When the man called her she had imagined a middle aged plump man who might have been balding. He did say he was a solicitor. Those people were old or so she thought as she now stared at this tall and handsome man. He looked to be in his late 30's with a ruggish look about him. Definitely not one resembling a lawyer but he managed to pull it off with his three piece suit and the glasses with his slick back hair. Not bad actually.
She smiled.
She felt eyes on her. Soren was staring at her. Her smile faltered. She wondered what his problem was because clearly he was the one who had refused to look at her in the beginning so why was he suddenly so interested in her. He was weird that was for sure.
"Miss Ingram, glad to finally make your acquaintance," he came up to her and she got up to reach out to his extended hand for a handshake. "Likewise," she said in kind and they smiled at each other. He let go of her and went to greet the others.
Everyone but Soren even looked at his face for more than two seconds focusing on his cufflinks as if there was something so interesting about it he hadn't discovered before. He was rude too. Now Alanna wondered what the women saw in him and what she saw in him enough to be hurt when he pretended she didn't exist.
She snorted. The arrogant prick.
Mr. Harrison sat down and everyone settled. Now that she thought about it, what if everything had been transferred to Soren. He was after all Reginald's favorite. The old man was capable of causing such uproar even after his death and she wouldn't be surprised if he pulled a stunt like that.
James removed the will out of the suitcase he had brought and everyone was at the edge of their seats waiting to hear what was in there.