The gown for the gala was a masterpiece of architectural spite. It was a floor-length, midnight-blue velvet number that clung to every curve like a second skin, with a slit that traveled dangerously high up my left thigh.
My hair was swept into a sleek, high ponytail, and my makeup was made up of sharp wings and dark, berry-stained lips.
I looked like a woman who owned the world.
I felt like a woman about to walk into a lion's den.
I found Adrian in the grand foyer. He was leaning against the marble banister, his back to me. When he heard my heels clicking on the stone, he turned.
Unlike the other times, his face didn't react. If anything, he looked dead.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion. It was almost like the earlier…. encounter had never happened.
"Yeah," I said, adjusting my clutch. "Let's go."
He didn't offer his arm. He didn't even look at me as he turned toward the door. "Try not to trip over your own ego tonight, Alexandra. It's a long walk to the ballroom."
I gaped at his back. "Asshole," I muttered under my breath, hiking up my skirt and marching past him. "See if I save you from your airhead cousins."
"I don't need your saving."
~
The gala was a fever dream of excess. The air was thick with the scent of lilies, expensive cigars and the occasional stench of sweat. As we stepped out of the Maybach onto the red carpet, the flashbulbs were blinding.
"Is that Elizabeth Lawrence?" I whispered, spotting the Oscar-winning actress draped in gold sequins a few feet away. "Oh my God, Adrian—"
"Calm down," he hissed, finally snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me flush against his side. "You are my wife. Act like you've been in a room with a celebrity before."
"Oh I'm sorry if I'm not perfect enough for your celebrity world. I'm a just a mere human, a peasant really. It won't happen again." I spat sarcastically through a frozen smile as the paparazzi descended.
"Mr. Reyes! Over here! Who is she? Your new partner? A baby mama?"
Baby mama?
Excuse me???
I didn't let Adrian answer. I tilted my head, looking directly into the lens of a frantic photographer. "'Baby mama? Heavens no. I am his wife," I said, my voice projecting with a confidence I didn't entirely feel.
"Married?!" the crowd erupted. "Adrian Reyes is married? Since when?"
"THE uncatchable bachelor?"
"When was the wedding?'
"We want the tea!"
"Pictures!"
"Kiss! Give us a kiss!"
Oops. I didn't expect that one.
I felt Adrian hesitate. His muscles went rigid under my hand and I rolled my eyes internally. After his big talk. Fine. I'll lead the dance.
I turned in his arms, looping my hands around his neck and pulling him down. I made the kiss heated, my fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.
Problem was….I was finding it harder and harder to separate the "performance" from the reality. I hated him, but God, I wanted this.
His hand tightened on my waist, a low, guttural sound escaping his throat. When we finally broke apart, his lips were smudged with my dark lipstick. I reached up, my thumb tracing his lower lip to rub it away.
"Careful, Reyes," I whispered snarkily. "Your mask is slipping."
His pupils looked blown as he stared at me, before he turned back to the paparazzi, a smile taking root on his face.
Inside, the bickering continued until he was pulled away by a group of investors. "I'll be back," he said curtly, leaving me by the champagne fountain.
"Don't hurry on my account!" I called out. I was almost offended. Leaving me to the wolves? Alone?
How cruel.
I was nursing a glass of Moët when a shadow fell over me. A man with wavy, medium-length brown hair and a well-groomed beard stood there. His green eyes were strikingly familiar.
Hold up.
"Sebastian?"
"In the flesh. Wow," he breathed, a wide smile breaking across his face. "You look beautiful, Alexandra."
I didn't think, I just hugged him. He smelled like orange bitters. "Oh my God! It's so good to see you! Adrian told me you'd be here tonight!"
"Likewise. How have you been? Yeah, he told me the news…....I can't believe you and Adrian are married."
I laughed, the sound a bit more bitter than I expected. "I can't either. Where is he, anyway?" I looked around, hoping to spot him. No such luck.
"Still the same old Adrian, then," Sebastian chuckled.
"What do you do now?" I asked him. "I remember you wanting to be a photographer then."
He nodded, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Indeed. I'm a professional celebrity photographer now. I pursued the dream, and it turned out well."
"That's amazing, Sebastian." I was happy for him, truly. Sebastian was one of those people that deserved every possible good thing.
Kind. Sweet. Considerate. Charming without even trying.
My smile faltered as he asked where I had been for ten years. I found myself telling him, the midnight flight, my mother's downward spiral, the debt. I hadn't told anyone other than Penelope, although really, who else was there to tell?
I knew I could trust Sebastian, and it made it easier to open up.
His eyes widened, flashing with anger after I finished my story. "Alex, that's honestly fucked up. She should be arrested. I'm sorry, but that woman is such a pitiful excuse for a mother. If I ever saw her, I'd give her a piece of my mind."
A giggle escaped my lips. This was so like Sebastian. Getting upset or angry on another's behalf.
"Thank you, Sebastian. I really appreciate that," I said softly.
Before Sebastian could say more, Adrian appeared out of the shadows like a dark omen. "Sebastian."
"Adrian!"
They did the typical masculine hug-and-pat, but the tension was thick enough to cut. "It's great to see you again, mate. Take care of her, will you?" Sebastian said, glancing at me warmly.
Adrian's glare could have melted metal. "I don't need instructions on how to handle my wife, Mikaelson."
What the fuck? My gaze snapped at Adrian, who made a very pointed attempt at ignoring it.
Sebastian just smiled, unfazed. He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pressed a lingering kiss to my knuckles. "Of course. See you around, Alexandra."
I smiled, my face flushing. "Sebastian, stop it."
As soon as he walked away, Adrian's hand was on my arm, his grip firm. "Would you like to follow him home, then? Pack your bags now?"
"What are you even talking about?" I snapped, shaking him off.
"Never mind. We're finished here. We're going home. Now."
"Adrian, the gala just started—"
"We. Are. Going. Home," he barked, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
~
The ride back was a war of silence. By the time we reached the estate, I was fuming. Adrian dismissed the staff with a sharp flick of his wrist and marched into the library, grabbing a bottle of scotch. He downed a glass in one go.
"What is your problem?!" I yelled, following him in. "You're the one who said the contract allows for partners outside this! If I was considering Sebastian, so what? I'm simply following the rules you wrote!"
He slammed the glass onto the table, the sound echoing off the books. "Is that what you were doing? Planning your 'marital relations' with him while I was ten feet away?"
"What are you even on?! Adrian, I am following the contract! If I was, does that make me an evil person? I wasn't even considering it! I was just catching up with a friend!"
He didn't answer. He just poured another drink, turning his back to me.
"No! Damn it, don't turn your back on me!" I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to face me. "I am still talking to you! You're being so difficult. What are you even jealous of? You said you loathe me. You treated me like shit for years! Why is it suddenly a problem if I'm interested in Sebastian?!"
He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine as if he were fighting every instinct he possessed. His jaw was set, his breathing heavy.
"Go inside, Alex," he growled.
"Go inside?" I huffed, my head spinning from how much I wanted to slap him.
"You can't tell me what to do, especially when you're acting like a wild animal! " I stepped closer, my chest heaving. I looked at his lips, the memory of the altar still fresh. "Why do you care who kisses my hand?"
He let out a jagged, frustrated groan. "Fine. Don't go."
He started to push past me, but I blocked his path. "Adrian—"
He didn't let me finish. He dropped the bottle, his hands flying up to cup my face with a force that was almost violent. He pulled me in, crushing his mouth against mine.