Page 48 of Loving Her Enemy

“I remember coming here with Bristol once during our sophomore year of college,” Halayna said next to him in the back seat of his Bentley. “I recall thinking how I had never seen a house this grand in person before.”

“Yeah, and then my mother was in one of her tizzies, and we couldn’t leave here fast enough,” Bristol added from the front seat, and Halayna chuckled.

“That’s true, but I’m sure I would’ve been as frantic as she’d been preparing to host a hundred people.”

“Yeah, maybe, but it wasn’t like she was doing any of the work herself,” Bristol added. “She had hired people for everything.”

Halayna laughed. “Okay, good point.” Then she turned to Sloane and gave his hand that she was holding a little shake. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking,” he said and glanced at the house before they stepped out of the car.

“Having second thoughts?” Bristol asked, with a smirk on her face.

“Maybe,” he mumbled and gave Conner a head nod before the security specialist pulled away.

He’d already been given instructions not to go too far. That way if Sloane wanted them to leave sooner than later, they wouldn’t have to wait long for him to return. And based on the few cars near the garage, he probably wouldn’t want to stay long. Especially since one of the vehicles was Marcella’s.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s just dinner,” Halayna said as they walked hand in hand up the walkway.

“Yeah,” Sloane and Bristol said flatly at the same time, and they all laughed.

When Bristol walked ahead, Sloane leaned over and whispered in Halayna’s ear, “Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?”

She flashed him a gorgeous smile. “You did and thank you.”

The olive green, halter, maxi dress with large, muted pink roses was stunning on her, and she had accented it with bronze dangling earrings and bangles on her right wrist. Her long hair was piled on top of her head in an intricate twist held up with chopsticks, and long tendrils framed her face.

Sloane wondered if she’d ever considered modeling. He’d have to ask her one day.

After being greeted by his parents’ long-time butler, they headed to the great room where others, including Sloane’s parents, were standing around talking with drinks in hand.

“Oh, there are my babies,” his mother said from across the room before heading in their directions.

“Would you like your usual?” the butler asked Sloane and Bristol, and they nodded. “And you miss?” he directed his question to Halayna.

“A white wine would be wonderful,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Fred. I didn’t introduce you to my wife,” Sloane said, and several gasps floated around the room.

“Your wife?” his mother, who was now less than two feet from them and holding a glass of wine, said. “You married her?”

Sloane tensed at the indignation in her tone, and opened his mouth to say something scathing, but he felt Halayna’s hand on his arm.

He immediately checked himself and placed his hand at the small of her bare back.

“Yes, Mother,” he said, knowing she hated when he referred to her as mother, especially in his condescending tone. “Halayna and I are married.” He let his gaze roam around the entire room before saying, “Everyone, let me introduce you to my beautiful wife, Halayna Tanaka.”

There were about nine or ten guests in the room, and a few of them approached and extended their congratulations. He had to give his parents credit for pretending they were happy about the news, but Sloane knew better. His father didn’t like to be caught off guard, and it showed by the vein that popped out on his forehead. His mother’s tight-lipped, fake smile gave her away.

And Sloane didn’t miss the shocked expressions of three other people in the room—Marcella and her parents. If he had to guess, his mother had probably invited them with intentions of trying to push him and Marcella together, despite knowing he was engaged. Or had been.

For the next few minutes, and as they sipped their drinks, they answered questions about their wedding. How they met, and how they’d managed to keep their courtship a secret from the media were the ones asked the most.

He and Halayna had discussed this before getting married, planning to stay as close to the truth as possible. They admitted to first meeting each other when Halayna and Bristol were roommates in college. Halayna added that she loved her privacy and didn’t want their relationship to play out in the media. They didn’t tell anyone how long they’d dated.

“Excuse me,” his mother said to him and glanced at Halayna. “May I steal my son for a moment?”

Dalia Davidson didn’t bother waiting for an answer. She tugged on his arm to guide him away, spilling a little of her wine in the process. Sloane glanced over his shoulder at Halayna, mouthing—be right back. She gave him a smile and nodded.