"Why are you inviting us over this address tomorrow? What's going on?" Jacob yawns through the receiver. The one week spree in Isla de Centra is over and now everyone is back to New York. Gray Langdon stretches languidly and sighs. Well, he needs to tell them before they learn about it at the party.
"I'm getting married."
"No, shit." Jacob roars in laughter.
"I'm getting married to Lucy Woods," he flatly announces. Just saying it out loud sends shivers down his spine. This is worse than any foe he's ever faced.
"Dude, are you serious?"
Gray sighs. "In the island, during the night we pulled off that prank on Lucifer, something happened. Remember when I got so drunk? Lucy got drunk, too, and she ambushed me in my room thinking it's hers. And… well, you get what happened next."
"Holy fuck. You slept with Lucy Woods?"
"Something like that. Honestly, Jake, I thought it was just a nightmare but then I woke up next to her naked body. I really wish that's just some dream." Gray shudders.
"But why are you getting married to the Black Witch? You can't be stuck with her for the rest of your life just because you had sex, right?"
"I really wish it's that simple. Helterground is having issues right now and our fathers think that if Lucy and I got married, it would be fixed. Tomorrow's the announcement of the engagement, hence the party." Gray inches up and leans against the headboard. He doesn't have any pinch of energy to move at all.
"I hope you survive the 'Lucy Apocalypse', Leylouch. I'd rather swallow razor blades than get married to the likes of her. Anyway, I'll be the one to tell the guys about the situation right now. We'll be there tomorrow. With tomatoes." Jacob chuckles on the other end of the line and Gray couldn't help but grin despite himself.
"Thanks, Jake." He puts back the phone in its cradle on the bedside table and he glances out of the window for a while. He needs to explain the entire situation to his sister. How would she feel if she finds out that the woman she hates the most is about to become her sister-in-law? Summoning all his energy, he rises from the bed and ambles downstairs. Just like he expects, Geline is in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
"Good morning, Gray. You look tired." She grins when she turns to him. The table is already set so Gray takes a seat and waits for the food to be served. Geline is wearing a nice pleated yellow skirt just above her knees and a tight-fitting white top. Her rich brown hair is tied up in a ponytail but her stray bangs remain loose.
"I'm having a pretty tough week," he answers. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm going downtown later." Geline excitedly serves Gray's plate some bacon strips, sausage, and omelet then proceeds to bring some to her own plate.
He looks at her suspiciously, appraising her wardrobe and narrowing his eyes as he realizes how short Geline's skirt is. "Going on a date?"
"No, I'm going to the airport. My favorite author arrives today and I'm hoping I could ask her to sign my copies of her books."
"Change into something less revealing before you go, okay? I don't want my little sister to be ogled at." Gray begins to attack the bacon on his plate, internally debating whether to tell her about the marriage or not.
"Fine," she mutters.
"I'll have Marcus go with you. Maybe you can persuade him into reading a whole new genre. Poor guy only reads action novels."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Geline answers glumly. "Maybe I can interest him with Jasmina Reamer's books."
"Who's this Jasmina Reamer?" he asks casually, hoping to segue Lucy somewhere in their conversation. Geline gapes at him, astonished.
"Are you kidding me? Jasmina Reamer is, like, one of the newest names in Romance."
"Actually, I don't know her. I don't really read a lot." Gray watches his sister bouncing in excitement. Damn it. How does he tell her?
"Do you know Trevor Kaplan?"
"The singer? I'm a fan, why?"
"That's her husband. It's funny because Trevor is Lucy Woods's cousin."
"Oh," Gray grunts. Always in perfect timing, eh? Maybe it's time to break the news. "Uh, Geline?"
She looks up from her plate. "Yeah?"
"How… do you… feel about… having a sister?"
Geline stops eating and stares suspiciously at him. "Why are you asking me that? Does father have another daughter?"
"No! Nothing like that. More like a… a sister-in-law." Gray waits for her reaction but Geline remains calm, too calm actually.
"You're getting married? To whom? Do I know her? Why are you getting married so sudden?"
"Whoa, whoa. Cease fire with the questions. It's a long, tragic story and I don't want to relive it. This girl I'm marrying… you kind of know her. But not in good terms." This time, Geline's eyes give the slightest hint of idea.
Here we go.
"Really? What's her name?"
"Lucy Woods," Gray chokes out. Geline drops her fork and leans back on her chair, eyes searching his face. Reluctantly, he retells the whole story for the second time today.
"So you have no choice, huh?" Geline finally says. She isn't picking up her fork yet. That's not a good sign.
"Apparently, yes, but you don't have to worry about that because you won't have to put up with her. She and I will have a house for ourselves so we'll most likely be away all the time." Just imagining it petrifies him. Just what exactly happens when two badass live in one roof?
"Wow, sounds like hell," Geline comments. "Anyway, how does Lucy feel about this?"
Gray chuckles darkly. "Let's just say I'm not alone in this suffering. She's as horrified as I am, maybe even more. You know, I can't believe she stayed virgin that long considering the bitchy status she has." He begins to eat when Geline picks up her fork again. That means the worst is over.
"Lucy's no-boyfriend-since-birth status is legendary. Despite the obvious number of guys who want her, she hasn't said yes to any of them. Well, good luck dealing with the Black Witch."
"I got it, Geline." Gray grins and they eat in silence.
***
There are muffled voices inside the Woods mansion as Gray reaches the foyer. They sound loud, like they're arguing. It's probably Lucy trying to raise hell again. That woman knows no limit. He raises his right hand to knock but the door suddenly opens, a middle-aged Mexican woman behind it.
"Thanks." Gray nods politely. He strides toward the European-inspired living room with Doric pillars supporting the arch that leads to the exquisitely furnished receiving area. There, his father is comfortably seated side by side with Marcel Woods. As Gray gets nearer, he could see Lucy already glaring at the old men. When she sees him approaching, she becomes more enraged.
"You're late," she says acidly. She's wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and black denim shorts. The tail of her braided hair rests over her left shoulder. Her bangs slightly obscure her jade eyes, making them a few shades darker.
Gray plops beside her and shrugs. "Who cares? It's not like I have an appointment with the queen."
"Time is very essential. Remember that, Gray." His father clucks disapprovingly and crosses his right leg over the other. Good gracious. They're wearing another set of tailor-cut black suits, finely ironed by the looks of it. "Anyway, we were just talking about the party tomorrow. As planned, the announcement of your betrothal will be the main event. This will be broadcast worldwide."
"Oh, yippee. That's great, really great." Lucy groans, leaning back.
Cornelius ignores the sarcastic remark and continues. "We have invited the press to cover the party. Marcel and I are hoping that you would play nice in front of the cameras."
"That's not possible," Grays mutters crisply with his mellifluous accent.
"It's probable," Marcel says optimistically. "You, my dear Gray and Lucy, are the best actor and actress I know. You only have to act intimate in front of everybody and convince the world that you can work together, and that you are not juvenile delinquents but mature and responsible adults."
Lucy explodes in laughter and casts her taunting eyes at the old men. "You've gotta be kidding us! Do we look like tamed pets to you? We're reckless. We can't settle down."
Is she forgetting the formality they have to exude in front of their fathers? Gray looks at her incredulously and fights the urge to facepalm himself. Dumbass crazy bitch.
"Failure to comply would only result to consequences you won't like," Cornelius informs them stiffly. This isn't going well. If Lucy continues to provoke them, this whole meeting would only lead to further disaster.
"I thought we've already agreed to this, Luce." Gray turns to her and probes his penetrating gaze deep into her eyes. She returns the same intense gaze that lasts for a long minute until she looks away and mumbles a small "fine". Gray sighs in relief and glances at their fathers, wide smiles plastered on their smooth faces.
"There, a little bit more intimacy and you're closer to looking like a couple." Cornelius nods appreciatively, eyes filling with dark humor.
"Right, so we're playing Hunger Games here. I would be Katniss and Gray would be Peeta. We'll act like lovers to get the favor of the Capitol, which would be the world. Mr. Langdon would be Haymitch who would be our mentor all the way and you, my beloved father, will play Effie Trinket."
Gray stifles a laugh and conceals it by clearing his throat. He watches as Mr. Woods processes this uncanny logic, clueless that Lucy is already pulling jokes on him.
"I don't get it but it sounds fair enough," Marcel says, rising to his feet. "We will leave you alone to settle your differences. Sort it out until tomorrow or there will be consequences."
Gray and Lucy watch the old men walk away.
"Damn it, this whole 'marriage thing' isn't sinking. I can't believe I'm getting married to a total stranger!" Lucy wails after they are out of sight. She throws her back against the couch and fumes.
"Am I a total stranger to you?" Gray smiles impishly, slowly leaning toward her. "We shared a night together, remember?"
"The thing is, you don't remember. So shut up and get back or I'll kick your ass." Lucy shoves him away and Gray laughs in amusement. Bloody hell. Was she actually scared there for a moment? Gray could swear he saw a brief flash of fear in her eyes.
"We would have to work on our intimacy for our perfect 'couple set-up' if we want to survive our fathers' wrath." Gray slowly reaches for Lucy's hands on her lap and grasps them gently. Wow, okay. That's the first time she doesn't recoil. "There. It isn't so bad to hold hands like this."
"Your hand is warm," Lucy manages to utter after a moment of silence. Her eyes carefully examine their hands, as if it's the strangest thing in the world. After some time, she stirs and takes her hand back. Gray smiles when he notices that the Black Witch is blushing crimson red. Huh. Soft-hearted, after all.
"So… what do you say, my future wife?" Gray puts his arm around Lucy's shoulders and pulls her close to him. Lucy tries to break away but Gray keeps her still by resting his chin above her head. She smells of honey and lilac and lilies, all combined. "They want us to make a show. We're going to give them one, a really great one that we're gonna deserve Oscar trophies afterwards. Feelin' up to it, Luce?"
"When did I ever back down?" She pushes him away and glares. "Let's make some rules about this 'couple' stuff. I'm quite, ah, inexperienced when it comes to intimate relationships, so let's draw a line to just holding hands and embracing—nothing more."
Gray leans back and just looks at her. Her silky black hair is glossy in the warm morning light penetrating from the wide windows. Staring back at him are those mesmerizing emerald gems, a color he's never appreciated before. She's still blushing fiercely from embarrassment. Oh, that's really cute.
"Just holding hands and embracing? Luce, we need to be more physical if we want to convince the world that we're totally and madly in love with each other. Maybe we should practice being intimate starting with a kiss?"
An embroidered pillow is thrown at him but he dodges it easily. He raises both his hands in the air as if in surrender and he laughs out loud. "Easy there, baby. I'm just playing with your innocence. I find it really amusing."
"There's absolutely no living with you, Langdon. Never, ever kiss me again."
"All right, except when it's necessary."
"I'm going to punch you if you do that." Lucy balls her palms threateningly at him, but Gray only laughs even louder.
"You didn't punch me when I kissed you back in Isla de Centra, Luce. Admit it, I'm a skilled kisser."
"I hate you," she snaps and she turns to walk away.
"That's the spirit!" he calls out and he earns a dirty finger from her retreating figure. Oh, he's going to enjoy this. A lot.