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Yet, despite all the fucked-up shit he’d done, his filthy mouth still had my body at his command. I was a failure at this women’s equality shit.
Then again, most women never had a Pierce Serban.
Instead of walking through the front door, at the last second, he took a hard left. It took two minutes to walk the length of the house before we went around another corner. I was just about to ask what we were doing when he stopped at a side door and knocked twice. Immediately, a man I recognized from guarding his house pulled the door open and we entered a long private hall that had a set of white double doors at the end.
“Everything ready?” Pierce asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Seemingly satisfied with that response, Pierce looked over at me and began giving instructions. “I want you to wait here. In a few minutes, you’re going to come through those doors.”
“How long is a few minutes?”
“You’ll know when.” He pressed a light kiss to my forehead and went back out the door we’d just come through, slamming it shut behind him.
Fucking asshole.
I wasn’t aware I’d growled aloud until the man at my side started to laugh.
“So, what’s your name?” I asked him after a moment of awkward silence.
“Tito.” He gave me a toothy smile I couldn’t help but return. The name fit him. He was a little taller than Pierce, and a healthy robust. His light brown eyes stood out against his smooth mocha skin. He radiated a vibe of friendliness—something I knew could change with just a few words from his boss.
“Nice to meet you, Tito.”
“Same, little lady.”
What sounded like a microphone pinging had whatever I was going to ask him next fading away.
He went back into guard mode and nodded towards the double doors.
“As you know, we are all gathered here to celebrate a union of our own,” someone began saying.
What the hell was going on?
“Care to give me a heads-up?” I looked to Tito for an answer. He looked torn about whether to tell me what awaited me beyond the doors or listen to whatever Pierce had said to do.
“Your engagement party,” he answered quietly.
“I’m sorry. My what?”
Before he could reply, my name was said.
“Willow, why don’t you come out now?” I stood cemented in place, unable to walk through the doors. The decision was taken from me when someone on the other side pulled them open.
I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. I was used to being stared at when in a room, but not because I purposely made myself the center of attention. There were so many faces, some new, some unfamiliar. My nerves frayed like a splitting rope.
They were all dressed in formal evening wear while I was in a simple slutty dress. If Pierce were in front of me, I’d have punched him in the throat. My anger and Tito’s soft coaxing were the only things that urged me forward. I walked through the doors, taking in the high ceilings, cream-colored floor, and the people standing semi-circle all staring at me.
A man in a suit stood beside Pierce, holding the microphone in his wrinkled hand. Pierce moved away from him to stand beside me, studying my face and taking my hand before turning back around. An invisible spotlight shone down on us, making this moment so much worse.
I instinctively tightened my hand in his. He surprised me by giving it a gentle squeeze back.
“I just wanted to congratulate you both formally. I never thought I’d see the day your stubborn ass got hitched.”
I cloaked my surprised before it could itself known. Pierce had been telling the truth. He and Cassie’s relationship had never been announced. No one knew he’d planned to marry.
When the man older man smiled, and I realized I’d seen him before. He used to do business with my father. If he was in on whatever was happening…
Some people shouted out, agreeing with what he’d just said, a few others laughed. I knew they were all judging me, probably wondering how the hell this had happened, and when. They knew I was supposed to be missing but was now standing next to one of the most powerful men in the room.
Pierce apparently didn’t give a shit about tearing apart my already skewed reputation.
The old man said a few more words, but I wasn’t listening. It took everything in me not to drop my gaze to the floor when I found my father in the crowd.
His jaw was clenched, and he was staring at me with a murderous look in his dark eyes. People were eyeing him, their mouths moving and whispering about me, no doubt.
When the man sat the mic back on the stand, the crowd began to disperse. Some went towards buffet style tables, while others moved on to speak with someone else.
