The sounds of utensils clicking against the porcelain plates filled the tense air. I felt stifled, unable to swallow the delicious steak on my plate.
"Why didn't you tell me he was going to be here?" Damien asked, breaking the silence.
Mr. Brown wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat. "I gathered you all here to tell you something."
"What is it, uncle?" Mike asked.
I knew I shouldn't be here, trapped in whatever awkward tension that was. Across the table, I could feel Lindsay's glare. Drake, for whatever reason, couldn't seem to take his eyes off me.
I glared at him through my glass of champagne. I had no idea why he was staring at me like that, but he reminded me of the man that I once loved.
His soft gaze as he wrapped me in hug after an awful day at the office. It made me even more uncomfortable.
Where was the man who'd called me ugly in front of his mother and Lindsay?
"I'm retiring," Mr. Brown announced.
Bella sipped her juice quietly; she didn't look surprised and neither did anyone else at the table. I was the odd one out.
"Which means I need to name a successor for Brown Industries," he said.
That got some reactions from the table. Bella glanced at Mike, a knowing look on her face. Lindsay stared at Drake, whose gaze remained on me. He looked…sad. I wondered why.
I could feel Damien's knees twitching beside me as he glared at Drake. I held his knee, forcing him to look at me. Him nervous made me nervous.
I was lost; I had no idea what I was doing amongst them, or why I had to be there for this 'announcement'. If he were nervous, what the hell was I supposed to do?
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers. My hairs stood at his touch, the blood rushing to my cheeks. I looked away quickly, but didn't remove his hand from mine.
Drake cleared his throat loudly and when I turned to him, he grabbed his glass of wine and chugged it all down.
I remembered that look; it was the same look he always had whenever I told him I had to work overtime with Oliver.
Only this time, it wasn't Oliver. It was Damien. Drake was…jealous of Damien. I couldn't believe it.
"Damien," Mr. Brown called.
We turned to him.
"Right now, you're the interim CEO but that could change at any time," he said.
Damien squeezed my hand so tight I grimaced. There was something else to this, I could tell.
"Anyone could take your position," Mr. Brown paused. "Even Drake."
I groaned in pain when he squeezed tighter. "Damien, you're hurting me."
He let go of my hand immediately and stared at me in concern. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
His blue eyes were soft and pierced my soul. It captured my attention and didn't let it go.
"I-I'm fine."
I ignored the chills that crept up my spine. I couldn't afford to fall for him. Cleared my throat and reached for another glass of wine.
"Keep it coming," I told the waiter.
"You know the way you get to keep your position," Mr. Brown continued, his eyes fixed on Damien.
His gaze fell on me. "Get married and have kids."
I spat out the drink and coughed loudly when it went down the wrong pipe. I reached for some tissues to dab the liquid on my dress, painfully aware of the stares around me.
"Are you okay?" Damien asked.
I was not okay. Not one bit.
"Speaking of, have you picked a wedding date?"
I stood up, scraping my chair on the smooth grass. "I need to use the bathroom."
Without another word, I walked away quickly without looking back. I had no idea where the bathroom was but that was okay.
What I needed wasn't the bathroom but an exit. I needed to leave the place as soon as I found a way to escape.
Every single one of them was crazy. From the breeding mothers, to my fucking ex, to my controlling one-night stand. I couldn't believe I'd accepted to be his fake girlfriend in the first place.
"Looking for the bathroom too?" a voice called and I gasped in fright.
I sighed, somewhat relived to see Bella. She was the least crazy person I'd met tonight.
"I always get lost whenever I come to this house," she said.
"Actually, I'm looking for the ex---."
"Come on," she grabbed my arm and pulled. For a pregnant woman, she was surprisingly strong.
She stopped in front of a small building. "This bathroom is for the servants but the twins are pressing against my bladder, I don't think I can make it in time to the main toilet."
I nodded and watched as she went into the bathroom. Another reason to not have kids; you shared a bladder with the uninvited guests.
I paused, staring up at the night sky. The stars were beautiful; it reminded me of stargazing with Mom when I was a kid.
Mom! I should call her to ask if she was okay.
With everything that happened lately, I had not had time to reach out to her. Bella was still busy in the bathroom. It was the perfect time to leave.
"What game are you playing?"
I turned to see Lindsay staring at me and scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
She folded her arms, her lips curling up. "I've known you for seven years, Aria. There's no way you were cheating on Drake," she paused. "Never mind with his brother."
My heart skipped a beat. How did she know?
"I have no idea what you are talking about," I said.
She chuckled. "Do you have any idea what father in law would do when he realizes you both are lying to him?"
"What?"
She walked closer. "Damien's his son so he might get away with a slap on the wrist but you…"
My heart raced in my chest loudly. What could he possibly do to me?
She shook her head. "You wouldn't just get fired, you wouldn't be able to find a job anywhere in the country."
"W-what?"
The panic was starting to set in. I couldn't get fired. It was the whole reason I accepted Damien's ridiculous proposition in the first place. Not only was I knee deep in debt, I was basically homeless.
"You're kidding," I said.
I knew she was just trying to scare me but it was working.
"What makes you think she's lying?" a voice asked.
I looked up to see Damien walking towards us. He draped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him and glared at Lindsay.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him. "Damien, I---."
"Are we friends?" he snapped.
"Uh…n-no, I---."
"So, why do you address me like we're friends?" he asked.
She gulped loudly, fear gripping her heart. I smiled at the sight. She was yet to apologize to me about sleeping with Drake, she basically had no remorse about betraying me.
"Mr. Brown, you don't know Aria like I do. She is not the person you think she is," she said.
Oh, the fucking bitch.
Damien held me back and pulled me behind him. He walked towards her slowly, easily towering over her. He whispered something in her ear; I couldn't hear it because it was so low.
Her eyes widened in response and he stepped back. Her fingers trembled slightly and she turned away without another word.
"What did you say to her?" I asked.
"Nothing you need to worry yourself about," he said.
Another thing he was hiding from me.
But none of that mattered anymore. I'd promised to have dinner with his family and I'd fulfilled my promise. It was time to go back home.
"Well, it's been lovely meeting everyone," I started. "I should go now."
I held my dress in my hand. "Point me towards the exit and I'll hail a cab. As for the dress…"
"I'll have it washed and returned to you first thing on Monday."
He grabbed my hand. "You can't leave."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
He shut his eyes and touched the bridge of his nose. "I need you."
"Fuck, no. The deal was one dinner. One!"
I pushed his hand away. If he couldn't find me the exit, I'd find it myself. I ignored his footsteps behind me.
"Aria."
I was sure we passed a fountain when we came in. If I could just find it…
"Aria, please listen to me."
Why the hell was a house this big?
"Aria," he grabbed my arm.
"I am not doing this with you," I snapped. "I have a life!"
"Aria, please."
"Sure, it might not be as lavish as yours, but from what I've seen tonight…" I scoffed. "It sure as hell is better."
"If you'd just listen to me…"
"Damien, you're my ex fiancé brother---."
"Stepbrother," he corrected.
"Whatever," I snapped.
"Listen, this isn't real, okay? None of this is," I paused. "I'm done playing your fake girlfriend…fiancée, whatever. I have a life to go back to."
"I-I-I have bills to pay, I'm drowning in debt. I have no time to play pretend girlfriend, okay?"
"I'll take care of it," he said.
"What?"
"I'll pay your debt, make sure you have no problems with money ever again."
I took a step back. If there was anything I'd learned over the years, it was that there was nothing for free. I'd thought Lindsay was being a good friend by allowing me to stay with her, just to find out she was hooking up with Drake.
I thought Drake loved me for me, but turned out he kept seeing me to sleep with my roommate. I thought I could use a one night stand to forget about my heartache just to be blackmailed to be kept a secret.
Nothing in the world was free.
"Why would you do that?" I asked.
He bit his lips nervously. I remembered the feel of his lips on my body that night, the way it traced every part of me and…
What the hell was I thinking?
I shook my head to disperse the thoughts and stared at him. "Well?"
"I have another proposition to make," he said.
That didn't sound good. "What is it?"
"Marry me."
There were times I had problems with my hearing. It started in middle school when Adams McGrough had hit me on the ear with a football. We couldn't afford the surgery so I got by with medications.
Every now and then, I felt a loud ringing in my right ear, reminding me of the horrible accident.
Maybe the loud ringing was back because what I just heard didn't make any sense.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"Marry me, Aria Scott."
So, it wasn't my hearing after all. He'd asked me to marry him. I busted out laughing, the mere thought sent me almost rolling on the floor in laughter. I paused when I saw his face.
"Oh, you're serious?"
"I'll make sure to compensate you. Give you enough money so you don't have to---."
I swung my fist, hitting him on the cheek and his head whipped to the left. I couldn't believe he'd said that to me.
Did he think I was some cheap girl simply because I had a one night stand with him and accepted to be his fake girlfriend?
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
He clicked his jaw and caressed his cheek.
"Have a goodnight, Mr. Brown."
I'd walked a few feet away when my phone rang. I paused when I saw the caller.
"Mom, I was going to call you."
"Are you Ms. Scott's daughter?" a voice asked.
I gripped the phone tighter. "Who's this?"
"This is the hospital. Your mother collapsed and has been admitted."
My heart pounded loudly in my chest. "What? What happened to her?"
"She needs you."
I cut the call and walked back to him. "Take me to the hospital."
"What?"
I held his hand, desperate. "Now."