CHAPTER TWO
Slowly she lifted her head and she saw his expression quickly change from annoyance to concern when she didn't move.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" She shook her head slightly regaining her senses.
"Ah, er, I...I am fine." She stuttered a response but he stared at her sceptically.
Rella cursed herself silently, why was she stuttering? Cindy would never stutter especially in a situation such as this.
"Really? It didn't seem that way." She could swear she saw a smirk but she was too displeased at her humiliating slip to care. He extracted his hands from her and she watched him bury them deep inside his pants' pocket.
Her face heating up.
"Where were you? I got worried when your mom said she couldn't find you."
"Oh, um, I was freshening up a bit."
For a moment he looked like he was going to say something but he thought better of it and instead he held her gaze steadily. His eyes roamed languidly over her frame and his brows furrowed. Rella squirmed uncomfortably under his careful scrutiny wondering if he's figured out she wasn't Cindy but he appeared to not suspect anything. Rella breathed a sigh of relief and knew she ought to up her game and play her part well or this evening would be a disaster.
"Good," he said at last. "The last I need is for you to get cold feet two days before the wedding." He frowned. "Shall we?" Stefan eventually put out his hand to her. Rella spaced out for a split second wondering why a minute ago he was concerned about her almost falling and now he had this icy demeanour. She stared at his outstretched hand confused for a second and flushed profusely when she realised. She placed her hand in his outstretched hand and he led them both back into the restaurant.
The party was just like she left it and Rella could see her mom breathe in a sigh of relief at the sight of her.
Two glasses of wine later, and Rella could feel herself becoming bolder than she'd ever allowed herself to be so when he asked her for a dance she was up for it.
Stefan guided her to the dance floor and pulled her against him. The lights were low and the music was a slow romantic ballad accompanied by a male singer, the melody sank deep into her, permeating her senses with its sensual feel. Then without her permission her nerves began to flare up again and she wondered what sort of wine she'd been having all night; it made her all the more aware of how close he was and how badly she never wanted to leave his warm embrace. Stefan reminded her of Ryan and thinking about their breakup made her heart ache. It must be the wine making her feel and do things uncharacteristically. Stefan towered over her by a few inches and her face was levelled with his broad shoulders which she found fascinating. She relished in the feel of his rock hard muscles against her and her eyes drooped. His scent tickled her nostrils. She lost track of how long they danced like that, and how long he held her after that.
Rella suddenly felt cool air touch her heated skin and she realised with a jolt that they were not in the restaurant, a quick look around told her they were out in the garden.
"Why are we out here?" She asked her eyes darting around the dimly lit, carefully tended garden wondering how they had gotten there. One minute they were dancing and the next they were out here she must've been really intoxicated to have let him drag her wherever.
"You look like you were about to pass out in there." Stefan explained coolly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"It must be the wine." She murmured.
"It must be." Stefan agreed.
Silence fell on.
Rella felt like she must be the only one feeling nervous and awkward as the silence stretched. She wasn't one for small talks especially when she knew she couldn't trust her brain to function as it should and it didn't help that they were in the most romantic spot in the restaurant. It was absolutely mesmerising. It made her feel and dream all kinds of things.
"Mesmerising don't you think." Stefan murmured, saying exactly what had been on her mind.
"It is." Rella smiled.
"I haven't seen your twin around." Stefan said thoughtfully.
"Oh Rella!" She said with a nervous laugh, "you know her, she's not the lavish party type." It felt weird talking about herself especially with him.
Stefan snorted. "So I've observed. I don't think she likes me very much."
You're damn right about that. She thought.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just the fact that she always finds an excuse to flee the room whenever am there."
"Pfft, I don't think that's the reason at all." Rella jerkily tuck her hair behind her ear. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try and get along with him for Cindy's sake.
Stefan nostrils flared all of a sudden thinking about Cindy's twin. He'd only met her once but she already got on his nerves, he couldn't get the look of contempt she gave him like he was the scum of the earth out of his mind when it was her family leeching off of him and his fortune. Stefan couldn't wait to get the wedding over and done with so he could move to more pressing matters.
Only good thing that would come out this alliance was the freedom he would get to do as he please with the inheritance he would get from his grandfather. The conniving old man had no idea of the hassle he was putting him through with a family so in over their heads wanting to stick it out with the Manhattan high society they would even sell their own daughter.
So shameless.
It irked him even more that he has to pretend to be starstruck with his wife-to-be and the way she smiled like nothing was wrong made him want to punch the air.
Stefan turned to find her staring at him, his expression turned ice cold, there was no need to keep pretending when no one's around, he'd made it clear from the start that there was going to be nothing between them, that she absolutely means nothing to him other being his wife on paper but from the looks of things she appeared to not have gotten the message.
"You know what this marriage is about Cindy so don't start to get any ideas." He told her hoping to remind her in case she forgot. "As soon as the wedding is done we will not breathe in each other's direction."
Rella's brows furrowed in confusion, she did not understand what he was trying to say.
"What…"
"There you both are! I've been looking all over for you but it seems you two want all the time to yourselves." Her mom interrupted her as she was about to ask what he meant by his statement. "The wedding is in two days I'm sure the both of you can hold off until then it's time for pictures."
Rella was wide awake that night still reeling from how she was able to successfully fool everyone including Stefan that she was Cindy. With that thought in mind it suddenly occured to her that Cindy didn't come back to the engagement party like she promised, Rella hoped it's not because something bad happened to Rose. She thought of calling Rose but she didn't have her recent number and Cindy's went straight to voicemail. Part of her was itching to tell her parents about the situation but the other convinced her it wasn't that big of a deal, Cindy will be back tomorrow and everything will go back to normal.
With that reassuring thought, Rella got ready for a good night's sleep when she suddenly groaned and cursed loudly as the raucous pounding on the door drifted off to her. Rella thought there had been a crisis of some sort involving her mom so when she threw the door open she only but rolled her eyes when she saw Evie standing there, the horror on her face made Rella arch a delicate brow.
"Mom what drama are you cooking up this time?" She leaned against the door.
"It's your sister Rella." Evie sounded panicked that Rella's boredom suddenly disappeared. This couldn't be any good.
"What about Cindy mom?" Her mom's panic was starting to transfer to her as well and she wondered what her headstrong twin had done this time. Cindy had always been impulsive and unpredictable one never knew what to expect, so when Evie Cortés finally said, "Cindy's eloped." Rella saw the world spinning before her eyes and the first thought that came to mind had been that Cindy had betrayed her.