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“I’m going to meet him tonight,” I say, and his eyes quickly drift to mine. My heart beats harshly in my chest. All hope is gone, and this weird relationship with Chester is over as well. I’m simply grasping at straws.
“I’m sorry, princess. You deserve so much better.” With that said, he closes the door, and it doesn’t take but a second before a sob comes out of my mouth and my eyes fill with tears.
Chapter Seventeen
Chester
Ishouldn’t be writing this note. Some are too far gone in the lies they were fed, being bathed in them for ages now, to believe anything else. But I can’t stand back and watch Evangeline's life crumble to ashes.
She deserves so much more. A man who’ll love her and treat her like the princess she is. Someone who’ll respect her fire, her sass, as well as her strength that wants to break through.
He needs to be someone who’ll give her the freedom she so desperately longs for. Her choices need to be her own, not that of others. No one should be ripped off their freedom.
A pang hits me straight in the chest when her tear-filled eyes stare back at me, her innocent, beautiful voice whispering that she’s going to meet the man who’ll destroy her. I can’t quite put my finger on what I’m feeling. Every hour that ticks away, I’m still consumed with thoughts of my beautiful neighbour and her awful brother.
Those beautiful eyes tell me more than her mouth ever could. She can’t hide any of her emotions because they are so clearly portrayed on her face.
I can’t witness Meyer marrying that pure soul, knowing that Frederic is playing his sister like a puppet.
Family has certain weapons that can disarm the rest of its members. It’s unfair sometimes, and Frederic is simply taking advantage of his sister’s kind heart.
When Frederic approached us to buy shares, we thought we caught a big fish. He proved to be smart, capable and pig-headed in the first few months. He’s a cocky man, who likes to flaunt his wealth, and I can still hear him gloating to his colleagues about a new car he bought.
Even though there was always something off with him, it still came as a surprise when the internet was flooded with trade secrets and future projects. The result was catastrophic, and our stock prices plummeted.
We’re still paying for what that backstabber did.
The games he played showed him to be nothing but a black-hearted man who's so obsessed with accumulating wealth that he’ll lie, betray, and steal.
I’ll never forgive him for messing with my company, with the lives of my employees and shareholders. It’s a miracle we’re still standing upright and a blessing my father still believes in me because my first few years as CEO went awry because of the mess Frederic had created.
I was given a second chance to fix what Frederic broke, proving to the world that I’m capable of handling this business and showing my father that he can be proud of me.
The same pattern always occurs when Frederic is involved. He lies to the people around him and pretends to be an honest businessman, but his true nature pushes through only when the damage is already done.
Evangeline may believe the lies Frederic tells her, but I won’t allow her brother to extinguish that fire inside her.
Fuck no.
So I finally complete the little note before I deliver it to the person who’ll need an escape soon.
***
Evangeline
A burst of loud laughter comes from the hallway, but my beating heart seems to be louder. It isn’t only my heart that is suffering. My breathing accelerates, and it feels like someone is pushing against my chest, making it difficult to take in deep breaths.
The longer I wait, the fainter I feel. My stomach seems to have a mind of its own. It hurts, and it makes me want to curl into a ball and hold it tightly. I want nothing more than to disappear. But there’s nowhere left to run when I hear their footsteps approaching the dining room.
I still don’t know whose hand I’ll be shaking within a matter of seconds. My conversation with Chester ruined more than it fixed. People say preparation is key. It weaponizes you against certain situations, but since I couldn’t even Google my fiancé or prepare myself, I’m currently left with nothing but my will that doesn’t want this to happen.
The door opens, and Frederic steps inside, followed by a man smaller than my tall brother. I take in my fiancé. His height is similar to mine. He’s a bit larger around the middle. He has brown hair that is cut short, showing a receding hairline. His face is larger than the rest of his body. His dull blue eyes are sunken into his face, and his bushy eyebrows stand close to his eyes. His ears are quite large and don’t seem to fit the rest of his face. My fiancé is older than me. I guess, he’s in his mid-thirties.
I wouldn’t say he’s handsome. He looks quite normal, but I feel no pang of interest or attraction to him whatsoever; instead, Chester’s voice echoes through my mind. This man is supposed to be hellish, and I’m trying to figure out what it could be that made Chester’s face drop.
“I’m Evangeline Clairwater.”
He steps forward, and I offer him my hand. But instead of grabbing it, he steps into my personal space before his lips are smashed against my cheek, and his hand falls on the small of my back. A strong wave of cigarette smoke stuffs my nose. But it’s when he pushes his pelvis against mine that my body stills along with my heart. I can’t move as I feel him dragging me closer against him. My mind quickly jumps to several conclusions.
