Chapter 28
POV: *Adide*
The woman in the mirror was unfamiliar.
That was what I thought as I hooked the sapphires through my ears, securing them with the backs.
They dangled from my lobes, the lights on the mirrors reflecting in the gems.
I hummed softly, tilting my head as I surveyed the stranger in the mirror. The strapless formal ck
dress with silver trim was beautiful, and it fit me like a glove, but it didn’t look like me at all.
“I knew it would look gorgeous on you.”
I flinched, spinning on my feet to find Damon behind me, leaning against the door with a heated look in
his eyes.
“I look weird.” I sighed. “This dress isn’t like me at all.”
“No.” Damon said and shook his head, pushing off the door as he strode towards me. Our eyes met in
the mirror as he wrapped his arms around. my waist, pulling my back to his chest.
“You look beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to my bare neck. The feeling of his lips on my skin made me go
weak in the knees almost instantly. It was hard to believe this was happening. We’d been enemies for
so long, but now I could feel myself falling hard for him.
I giggled, leaning my head back so he had better ess as he trailed. kisses along my neck, his hands
running up and down my waist sensually.
“We have to go or we’ll bete,” I reminded him.
“I’d rather stay in,” Damon breathed, his dark eyes meeting mine meaningfully. The desire he felt for
me was on full disy in his smoldering gaze.
I smirked, turning in his arms so we were face to face. “Sorry, but seducing me won’t get you out of
this.”
“Who said I was seducing you?” Damon smirked back, leaning forward to kiss me. It was soft and slow
and sweet and something that I could get lost in. I could easily allow myself to be swept away into his
kiss but I knew better.
“Sorry.” I whispered when we broke apart. “But I’m hungry, and we’ve got a dinner to go to.”
Damon sighed, finally relenting though I could see the regret in his eyes. as he let go of me. I brushed
the wrinkles he’d made out of my dress, smoothing it down.
“Ready for hell, then, dear?” he said, sarcastically, offering his arm to me with a sly grin.
“Is Peter driving us?”
“Of course.”
“Then, yes, I am,” I smirked, “because I am getting smashed.”
“Same,” Damon snorted.
Just as I expected, I was on my third ss of wine before dinner. My father kept sending me
disapproving nces as he tried his best to make conversation with the ever-silent Dalton Steyn.
Not even the devil himself would enjoy a conversation with Dalton.
Which said a lot about my father. But I loved him dearly despite it all.
My grandparents had skipped this dinner, not interested in ying politics with Ashton and Dalton, and
I didn’t me them.
I was already bored to tears as I finished off my third ss of red wine, already thinking of my next
drink. Getting through these dinners was getting harder and harder.
“You think they have tequ or something?” I whispered to Damon. “Cause this is doing nothing. I need
something stronger to deal with our families.”
“As much as I love you drunk,” Damon whispered back and chuckled. “You should probably pace
yourself.”
“Boo,” I pouted, taking a sip of the ss of water he handed me.
“The election ising up,” my father said loudly and grinned at Ashton. “How are the polls looking?”
“Good,” Ashton answered, with his diplomatic smile. “It is all due to
Corinna’s support that I’ve made it this far.” He looked at her smiling. It was all so fake and instantly I
wanted another drink.
“Aw, sweetie,” Corinna smiled lovingly,ying her head on his shoulder.
I almost gagged into my water. I didn’t get how nobody else saw how fake they were.
“And soon, we’ll have a little one to care for, as well,” Ashton nced at his father, a smug look in his
eye.
Dalton hadn’t looked at either of his sons during the whole dinner, which was to be expected. He’d
never been a kind father.
“You two are beautiful together,” my stepmother said as she smiled, sending a sly look to her daughter.
I had no clue if she was in on their little secret, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
She hated me, just like she hated my mother. And she always had big dreams for her daughter.
“Yes, this is a profitable venture for us all,” my father agreed. I could almost see the cash signs in his
eyes.
This is what they wanted to bring a baby into-this disgusting family who only thought of their own
profits. They were all so greedy, and power-hungry.
I clenched my fists under the table, horrified that I had ever thought of using a child between me and
Damon just to get the money.
We had to find out some other way to get the inheritance and prevent Corinna and Ashton from
destroying my grandparent’s legacy.
I wouldn’t be as heartless as my father. I wouldn’t do that to a child.
A warm hand settled over mine, squeezing gently, and I nced at Damon. He smiled softly at me, an
encouraging gleam in his eyes.
I took a deep breath to calm my temper, squeezing his hand back to let him know I was alright. But he
didn’t let go.
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Neither did I. Our hands stayed locked together, and I was d for his
support.
“Dinner is served!”
The servants poured into the dining room with massive tters of
food-too much for the group of us to eat.
Damon grabbed my te to fill it with food; surprisingly he knew all my favorites. He even avoided bell
peppers, the worst-tasting food on the in my opinion.
I smiled gratefully at him for it, and he returned it with a smirk.
“More wine, ma’am?”
One of the servants came around, holding a bottle of bubbly.
“Yes, please,” I eximed and grinned, handing over my ss even though I could see Damon’s
disapproving look from the corner of my
eye.
My fourth ss, and we still had dessert to go.
I was not making it through this sober. I didn’t want to. They made it impossible to stay sober and civil.
By dessert, I just wanted to go home. Damon kept his cool better than I did, but I could see the
annoyance building up just behind his furrowed. brows. He may be better at hiding it, but he was just as
angry as me.
“Ashton has such a rewarding career, unlike my other son,” Dalton said-the first and only thing he said
all night. “Damon is nothing but a disappointment.”
Damon had to stop me from getting out of my seat and decking him at that one, but then my father
started to join in.
“Corinna is the light of our lives,” my stepmother smiled brightly at her. Corinna beamed then nced
at me with a small smirk as my father’s cold eyesnded on me.
“Make sure to keep a firm leash on Adide, Damon,” my father sighed and shook his head, “Perhaps,
you’ll have more luck making an obedient wife out of her than I did at making her an obedient
daughter..”
Damon nearly exploded at that, if it weren’t for me stuffing his face with a forkful of cheesecake.
“Don’t make a scene,” I whispered. “We can’t let them win.”
“Speaking of wives, when is your wedding again, Corinna?” my stepmother asked. “I have to get my
dress prepared.”
“Oh, I can’t believe we almost forgot,” Corinna giggled, looking over at Ashton.
“How careless of us,” Ashton agreed with a fake chuckle. “I’m afraid we had to move the date. The
caterer Corinna wanted was not avable on the date before. We’ve made all the arrangements
already.”
“Oh? So when is it?” my father asked with a frown. “It wasn’t pushed back, was it?”
“No, no, moved forward, actually,” Corinna giggled, then sent me a smug nce. “It’s on Saturday.”
The room fell into silence.
“We know it’s short notice, but we hope you’ll all be there,” Ashton said, calmly, like nothing was wrong
with what they had just said.
I could see Damon working hard to control his temper, as I was doing the same. They really had no
shame. I couldn’t wait to bring their ns. crashing down.
“You’ll be there, right Addie?” Corinna smiled, brightly-victorious like she had won.
I clenched Damon’s hand under the table, and I could see the venomous re he hid behind his mask-
the anger building.
I knew why, of course. We both did and so did everyone at the table.
Saturday was our wedding.