"Priscilla Jacobs!" Ryan thundered and everyone's head raised up to stare at him in shock and awe. He had just addressed his aunt by her name like a father would when he wanted to scold his daughter. Priscilla blinked confusedly. Even Logan Hayes had flinched. "Excuse me?" Priscilla's brow arched at him questioningly. Her gaze spoke the words that were stuck in her throat. 'How dare you be so rude to me!' Ryan smiled softly and scratched his eyebrow with his hand that wasn't in the pocket of his trousers. He knew there was a connection between those two grinning demons. Lilly must have approached Priscilla because he knew Priscilla would never have known about her existence, and they must have come to an agreement over him like he was some tool for them to use. He had meant to fake his anger towards Priscilla while he scolded her but he realized he didn't have to fake it anymore. He was genuinely angry at her and he couldn't control the flow of words that left his mouth.
Strangled by the deafening silence, Lilly stood there trying hard to breathe and also stand tall. She felt like she needed to say more to convince Ryan but her brain seemed to not be working at that moment. 'Think of something, you fool!' She silently scolded herself. Ryan, who seemed to have been reading her expressions sighed softly and finally spoke. "Fine then. If you insist on staying then you may, if you wish." She stared wide eyed at him. Confusion made a fool out of her. "You... You are letting me stay?" She stuttered the question unbelievably. Ryan's brow suddenly arched. "Do you not wish to?" "I do!" She barked a response. Smiling, she repeated. "I do." "Very well. Ladies, it is late already, I think we all might still be feeling a little tense from what happened before. Rooms have been prepared for you, I mean to only hold this event for one week--" "One week?!" Priscilla hollered, interrupting him. Ryan stared at her with an expression she couldn't seem to deciph
Ryan felt like everything that had just happened was a terrible nightmare. Did that evil woman just confess to killing his father? Who else did she kill? His mother? To stop him from ever finding his way back to his wealth? When put together like that, it made solid sense! He felt his fists form into balls of rage and every veins in his body was filled with anger and hatred and also... Fear. But that was just what she wanted and he refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Holding all his emotions inside a bottle, he shut the lid and held it on tightly. His lips curved into a gentle smile. "Priscilla Jacobs... You may have done some... Unthinkable things in the past but you seem to forget something. You are Priscilla Hickson now and I... I am Ryan Jacobs, the one and only heir."Taking a bold step towards her, he glared into her eyes like he meant to kill her with his gaze. "And whatever you have done that you may be thinking you have gotten away with, oh I hate to break
Hurriedly, Ryan tucked the letter into his shirt pocket as he heard a knock on the door. He tried to act as casual as he could as Logan Hayes walked into the room. "Young master, the ladies have all seated themselves down at the dining table and are waiting for you." Logan Hayes announced. His brow twitched slightly as he saw Ryan standing by the banana peel picture."Is that so?" Ryan asked coolly. "I must have lost track of time staring at my mom's work of art. Has it really been thirty minutes?" "Not yet but all the ladies have arrived. Well... All except Ms Campbell." Logan Hayes admitted bitterly. Ryan's brow arched. "This woman... She is hiding something or something is wrong with her. There is something that feels... Wrong about her. Can I not marry Sarah Johnson?" His shoulders sagged as he asked. He had moved away from the painting completely. Logan Hayes peered down the hall both ways before walking into the room filly and gently closing the door behind himself. "I see y
Ryan turned his attention towards the seated ladies. All but one looked excited about the offer. Sarah Johnson didn't seem like she wanted to get close to him at all. He didn't know if he could say Aria was excited, she looked rather anxious than excited and it made him more afraid of the queasy woman. 'What is she up to?' "I think it's a lovely idea." Priscilla spoke for the first time since they gathered at the table. She forced a smile to her face. "The women need to get to know you, indeed and an old spark could be reignited for all we know." Her eyes landed on Lilly, his ex wife. Lilly blushed while snickering foolishly and her gaze fell to her plate. "I also think of it as a lovely idea." "Me too!" Blake added. Her bright eyes were even brighter than before when they first met. If it weren't the stories-- which were actually the truth about her-- that Ryan had heard about her, he would have believed she was a good wife as well. She seemed eloquent with her back straightened
The night passed in a blur. Ryan had barely gotten even sleep when the alarm went off. Almost immediately, his Butler knocked twice on the door before walking into the room. Ryan's brow arched as he saw Logan Hayes walk in with a cloth hanger. Several clothes hung on it as he pulled it in after himself. "Am I tired enough to be hallucinating?" Ryan asked as he sat up in bed. Stifling a yawn, he rubbed his weary eyes and shook himself awake. Logan Hayes stared confusedly at his young master before responding. "Hallucination is a trick played by the mind when you are tired I guess but you are not hallucinating. But if I may ask, why are you tired?" "Couldn't bring myself to fall asleep last night." Ryan had said the words before he realized it. He bit down on his tongue. That was what happened sometimes when someone was with a person they trusted, they would speak the truth before they even realized it. He hadn't found it easy to fall asleep as he wondered who would try to sneak in
Gathered around the table were four of the most beautiful women in the city-- Lilly included. She held looks to make a man stop and stare-- dressed nicely yet casually. Blake Hathaway was putting on a skimpy floral printed dress-- something others might only feel comfortable wearing if they were alone at home-- but a red heel to match the cherry earrings on her ear clung to her feet. Her hair was always worn down to rest on her shoulders and her face was beautified with make up. She looked just as cheerful as she did when they first arrived and she had engrossed herself with making small conversations with the other ladies around the table. Aria Campbell was also in a dress except lengthier than Blake's. It was a bright orange short sleeved dress that reached down to her knee and a pair of black flats were fastened on her small feet. Her long brown hair that had been let loose the day before was made into a neat ponytail and her features were lightly decorated with make up as well
The dining was silent. Priscilla glared at Logan Hayes in anger as her face burnt with red. Her chest rose and fell and her breathings were like monster trying to calm its temper before it did something terrible. Logan Hayes on the other hand remained seated where he was without muttering a single word. Not an apology or even a word to keep the heated conversation going. He never really respected Priscilla, not after all the terrible things she had done that he was aware of. Even though he was a mere Butler, the secrets they shared only reminded Priscilla only to go that far. Ryan rose to his feet with the grace of a king and his Butler was immediately propped to his feet with his head bowed. Confused and frightened, the ladies did as the butler had done-- Lilly included. She had never seen Ryan angry before while they were married but everything she saw now left her in shock-- and remained silent. With a sigh, he turned and walked away from the dining table without uttering any