The day she dreaded most was here already. It seemed like only a few hours had passed but it was, in fact, forty-eight hours. She was to accept his ring publicly before two hundred guests and smile like it was a dream come true. The thought of it was horrifying but there was nothing she could do. After Edgar showed her a clip of Ray going through torture, her heart couldn't take it anymore. He had already been through enough, the suffering was totally unnecessary. “Mom,” she tried to reason with her mother one last time. “You look gorgeous sweetheart. Do you know how much this dress is worth?” Mrs Larry asked, her voice pitching with excitement. “I don't care how much the dress costs, ma. I need you to listen to me, please,” Elsa pleaded. Mrs Larry stopped adjusting the ropes. “Fine, I'm listening. Let's hear what you have to say.”“During your time, were you forced to marry Dad?” Elsa asked. Mrs. Larry frowned. She knew the direction it was heading and frankly, she wasn't ready
“No.”It was a reflex. Like her mind was unwilling to be controlled by circumstances but that stubbornness was about to cost a lot.She scanned through the room warily. As expected, their eyes were bulging, lips parted to express their shock. Then her fiance. The man she'd rejected in less than a heartbeat. He didn't seem surprised like the rest. He probably saw it coming, but that wasn't a good thing. He was furious! So furious that he smashed the glass box against the floor, inciting another round of gasps. “What did you just say?” He literally growled at her. Elsa felt so small before his rage. He looked like he was about to crush her into tiny pieces. Cautiously setting a distance between them to avoid a direct impact from any form of attack. “Elsa!” This was her chance. Pretend it was a mistake and marry him. It wouldn't have taken anything from her. It was just a stupid engagement but she'd already said no and somehow, replacing it with a yes became difficult.“I said I c
The last minute was spent staring at the man who looked just like Ray. His primary focus was the family name. “How authentic is this? He could be a doppelganger for all we know,” Edgar said to the man. “That is also a possibility, sir, but what are the chances? According to what we know, he was found in the sea with no memory of where he came from. According to the news, Zade Delamonte had been missing after his car went off the bridge.”“And it brought him all the way from there to here?” Edgar's doubt was evident but it was mostly him trying to erase all possibilities from his mind. If Ray was a Delamonte then he was as good as dead. No way his grandfather would let him get away with hurting his grandson. It wouldn't matter if he knew or not. “I don't know what to say about that, sir but I assure you this information is seventy percent accurate,” the man said.“And the other thirty percent?”“That he might be a doppelganger just as you have said. Only a DNA test can confirm our
“Why'd he change his mind? What did you do?” Ray asked weakly. It came as a surprise when Elsa came to visit. He questioned her about the bruises on her face but she skillfully avoided the question. Now, she was saying that Edgar was fine with them being together. It sounded too good to be true. “I didn't do anything. After I rejected him before his business associates, he just gave up. I guess he's still trying to recover from the shock of being publicly humiliated,” Elsa shrugged. Ray didn't believe her. Edgar was not that simple. There was something more. Something she wasn't telling. Elsa could see the doubt on his face as clear as day. She didn't know what more to say to him. She was just as surprised and suspicious as he was. Edgar had suddenly changed his mind for reasons best for him. The good thing was that they could finally be together. The bad side was that they didn't know his next move so they couldn't prepare for anything. “Will you tell me what happened to your f
The next days were hell for them. When her mother made that threat, she thought nothing of it but now, they were starving. There was barely enough to have a decent meal once a day.Ray had tried virtually everything to make a living but it seemed like the date was against him. No one wanted to employ him even as a servant. All the interviews he was supposed to go for were canceled. Same with Elsa. It felt like fate was punishing her for publicly humiliating Edgar. They couldn't even afford a place to stay. Her parents had given them the barn to manage until they could get a place of their own. It had been before the whole unemployment saga of course. Now, they were on the verge of groveling to her parents for food. Going to Edgar was no option for them. They didn't want to seem like they were leeching off him right after they said they didn't want his wealth. “What are we going to do? It feels like we've been blacklisted in the entire city. No one wants to employ us for some stup
“Raymond! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you here so soon,” Edgar grinned as soon as he walked through the door. Ray felt uncomfortable with the man's joy. It was as though he knew they were suffering and waited for the right time for them to come begging. Elsa would be so pissed when she heard about it. Ray let out a sigh. Now was not the time for regrets. Whatever he was doing now was for the betterment of their life. Her life. He couldn't continue watching her live miserably because of him.“May I come in?” He asked politely.“Sure! Sure! Sorry about my manners. I am just so excited to see you. I thought you both agreed to stay away from me.” If Ray didn't know better he would say the man was taunting him but that wasn't the point now. Whether Edgar was taunting or not, nothing was going to change. The highest it could do was hurt his pride. “I'm sorry for showing up in your office without an appointment. It was urgent and I just had to see you. I hope you u
Elsa was cooking when her mother showed up at the door. She knew she was about to get an earful again but she didn't want to disrespect her mother. “Good morning, mom,” Elsa greeted without sparing her mother a glance. “That's it?” Mrs Larry scoffed. Elsa willed herself not to look. “You won't even spare your mother a glance.”When Elsa didn't reply, she walked towards her, scoffing at everything in her way. “I can't even blame you for not welcoming me, seeing the lack of… furniture,” she said with disdain, grimacing at everything in her way. Elsa continued to ignore her. “You're not even going to welcome your mother? Where are your manners, young woman?” “Make yourself comfortable, mother, although I doubt the hay might be up to your standard,” Elsa said sarcastically. Mrs Larry rolled her eyes. “Where is Ray? I don't see him anywhere and what are you making?”“He went to work, Mom. I'm making sauce as you can see.”Mrs Larry looked into the pot. This time Elsa looked at her,
“You still haven't told me why you're so pissed. Your mother invited us to dinner. If anything, we should be happy,” Ray said.He returned home to meet her sulking in a corner. He tried talking to her but she wouldn't tell him what the problem was. Instead, she was asking him to decline any dinner invitation that came from her mother. Ray understood that they didn't see eye to eye on most things but he was sure they loved each other. Mrs. Larry was affectionate in her way, maybe Elsa misinterpreted it as hatred.“What happened?” Ray asked again.“My cousin is here,” She informed him. He stared without saying a word. “My annoying cousin. My mother's perfect daughter imagine and they wouldn't shut up about Edgar, the opportunities I missed, all of that…” he rolled his eyes…”He understood where the anger was coming from now. The fact that she would get angry when someone talked about him or when they tried to ridicule her decision to marry him touched him in ways he couldn't explain.