I lowered my head, my gaze glued to the floor. "I'm sorry," I muttered, my voice low.
"Better be, and don't make any mistake within this time. Also, you have to help your sister arrange her wedding," he concluded before resuming his ascent to his room.
"Yes, Dad," I answered. Though my face and voice remained calm and expressionless, my heart pulsed with excitement. No better opportunity could have presented itself than this.
He probably thought it was punishment, though he never said it aloud. But it had always been that way since the day I learned to spell my name.
A little mistake, and I was assigned an enormous task to accomplish, sometimes coated with sweet words, other times laced with open scorn and blatant abuse.
It was a life I had learned to master after enduring it over and over through the years of my existence in this household. Gradually, I came to accept it as a norm, turning a blind eye to whatever it meant, rather as something to survive rather than resist.
Glancing at my sister, I noticed her lips curl into a cold smile. She clearly had her plans. But this time, I would set the table for her… and then invite her to the feast.
Her gaze met mine. With elegance and unbridled enchantment, she approached and stopped before me. "Stella…" she called softly.
She circled me slowly, her voice silky and taunting, her fingers grazing my shoulders, so deliberate, so sensual that it left me wondering why she wasn't an expert of hypnosis.
"How would you feel," she murmured, "arranging a wedding hall…for your supposed fiancé and your sister?"
My breath caught at the reminder. My heart tightened, but I said nothing. She must have noticed the subtle tremor in my reaction and she chuckled softly.
"You don't have to be so tense," she whispered to my ears.
I could feel every ounce of mockery seeping through her words. My fist clenched tightly.
I had thought I wouldn't be hurt anymore, but never did I expect it to be this hard to trash out of my heart. My heart burned with fury.
Her smug look stung my eyes so bad that I wanted to smack her face to the side, to wipe that proud smirk off her face. I almost did that, almost, but luckily I held myself back.
I have heard of ladies losing their fiancé to their friends, classmates, and even rivals, but the thought of my sister feeling glorious about being my replacement didn't go down well with me.
I drew in a deep, calming breath to soothe my bleeding heart. There was no doubt she really wanted to break my spirit.
As the painful and humiliating memory of the engagement flickered through my mind, a familiar face popped up, one I had woken up to this morning as though reminding me of his existence.
I almost laughed.
How would Phina feel if she knew I was already married?
Would she also be anxious to snatch Adrian too?
Compared to him, even Bruce paled in appearance and possibly might also be in other areas.
But wait, how come he wasn't known in Crown City?
Was it his doing? Or was he just mysterious?
Though I wasn't allowed to mingle with Crown City elites, I still knew a thing or two from the family banter that echoed during meals, those moments when I stood quietly, waiting and serving them.
"Would you be happy to do it?" she continued, pulling me back to the present. "Or would you feel the pain tearing through your heart?" Her laughter was soft but cruel.
"Would you imagine how it would have been…if you were the one walking down the aisle with him?"
I scoffed quietly. "I dare not fantasize about me walking the aisle with him not after last night."
"Dear sister," she breathed, "how exactly would you feel? I suppose I don't even have to do anything when Dad has already set the stage for your pain."
I nodded silently. James Norton never disappointed. He had indeed set the stage, I must admit but this time, it was to my advantage.
After all, when life throws lemons at you, you make lemonade.
She laughed softly. "Oh, right! You will be used for the settlement of a business deal, congratulations."
Her left hand dramatically found her waist, her index finger tapping her cheek softly, her gaze narrowed in mock thought.
"Let me think, it must have been Mr. Oswald, the pot-bellied, chunky man who owns Dallas Holdings."
"And if I'm right, you'll probably be the fourth wife. Would you die miserably like others?"
A loud, sarcastic laugh tore through her throat like a witch jubilant at her dark sorcery broke through the heavy silence of the living room.
"And just so you know," she added with a smirk, "don't even dream of having Bruce again."
I stood watching her in silence, my fists clenched at my sides, presenting the perfect picture of a wounded woman..
Yet behind the mask, a cold smirk curved my lips. My heart trembled with quiet laughter at her delusion.
I must admit she had a wild imagination running through her mind. But there was no need to startle the green snake lying in the grass.
Still, I couldn't help but imagine how deeply and painful this would have hurt me in the past.
And this pain…oh, I planned to double it for her.
Let her glory now. The higher she climbed, the harder her fall would be.
"Sister, I have to retire to my room and make plans for the arrangement," I murmured.
Phina laughed so hard she clutched her stomach as I ascended the stairs. When I was almost at the top, her voice floated after me:
"Sister , you have been studying designing secretly over the years…in compensation you should draft a new design for the hall decoration before dinner…or don't blame me for being ruthless" she said with a smirk.
I slowly turned around to meet her gaze "Studying designing?" I scoffed.
"Of course…or was I wrong?." She challenged, a sly smile on her lips.
"Miss Norton, you really think high of me." I answered.
"I don't care, get a design draft ready." She drawled.
I silently patted my chest in relief. With this task, I had every opportunity to set up my game. I couldn't help but wonder how naive she really is.
I could feel the storm of satisfaction swirling within her, she really believed she had won. She believed an opportunity to torment and taunt me was before her.
"I understand," I muttered, quickening my steps to my room before my mask could crumble.
Once inside my small room, I shut the door and burst into laughter so hard that tears stung my eyes.
Knowing Phina, I knew she wouldn't stop at mere instructions.
After my laughter subsided, I slumped onto my small bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. My head spun lazily, but my mind was sharp…And my plan, it starts now.