"You may now kiss the bride," the priest said.
Eric leaned in and placed his lips on mine. I couldn't help but smile against his lips.
The crowd applauded, and the most necessary part of today was over.
.
"Congratulations, Mrs Willingham." Raphael raised his glass, I raised mine too and replied.
"All thanks to you."
"Oh, I can't take all the credits." He laughed.
"Yeah, right. But you know what you can do?" I asked. He shook his head, probably wondering what I was talking about.
"You can help by acting as if you don't know me before people start noticing." I snapped before waking away.
"Nice dress. Welcome to the family." The lady I remember to be Selena Willingham said.
"All thanks to me." The lady who designed the dress said smiling. I don't know who she is. She is definitely not a daughter of the Willinghams but she's also more than just a designer. I've noticed she's pretty close.
"Thank you." I said dryly and then walked past them too.
I finally got to Eric and hooked my hand in his.
"Hey babe," he said, he was with his friends, and I guess, business partners, we said our hellos and thanked them for their congratulations.
In short, it was a long evening of saying thank you and ridiculous smiling. I swear I could feel my cheeks ache from all that.
We finally got to leave the venue.
"My baby, please take care. If you ever feel like leaving this and coming home, I'll always be waiting with arms open." Mom said, and I swear I could feel tears threatening to fall out.
What can I say? She's all I've ever had, the only human that was human enough to love me when I was at my worst.
I couldn't say a word, so I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her.
"All I have to say is don't screw this up. I've fed you, clothed you, and put you through school. This is the only way you can repay me." Father said, and I was this close to hitting that bald head of his. Instead, I chose to just say, "Okay."
They left, and so did the other guests. Now it's just me in this big mansion, along with the people responsible for my parents' death. The people who are the reason I lost everything.
These same people would kill me again if they could, but that's why I'm here, to do it first.
My gaze fell on the scar on my wrist. That one cut that marked the beginning of my suffering. I hate them for all that they have done. for every scar on my body, I want them to pay.
"Hello, sister-in-law," Selena walked to me.
"Hey, urhmmm?" I said, acting as if I hadn't done a complete background check on her.
"Selena. Selena Willingham." She smiled.
"Oh, right, Selena. Hi." I did not make any attempt to return the smile.
"Yeah, everyone is in their rooms resting and all. The maids are meant to show you yours, but I felt it'd be better if I did it myself." She said, the smile not leaving her face.
I followed her upstairs, and after a long walk, we got to the room that she declared mine.
She left after that, and it was just me and myself, Eric wasn't there, not that I care, really.
My mind was more on the fact that I was sleeping in a new place, in a place that I had to call home until my mission was accomplished in the Willingham Mansion.
.
I woke up to the sound of someone hitting the door lightly. The sound wouldn't stop, so I stood up and dragged my feet to the door.
Opening it, I was greeted by a smiley face. A lady in a white shirt smartly tucked into her knee-length straight skirt.
"Good afternoon, ma'am." She said,
"Afternoon?" I was a bit confused.
"Yes, Madam said you and Sir Eric should join the family for lunch since you weren't able to join them for breakfast."
"Ohh, okay." I said.
"It'll be ready in thirty minutes." She said before strolling off.
Lunch? My mind was still stuck on the fact that I slept that long.
I faced the room, to my surprise, Eric was lying on the other edge of the bed, and he was not even moving.
I had to get really close just to make sure he was alive.
"Hey! Eric! Wake up!" I yelled, patting him.
And that is how I spent most of the thirty minutes given to us trying to wake him.
We managed to get ready as fast as I we could,
Eric told me how eating together was a very serious tradition in their family, and they don't appreciate lateness.
Well, that is something I would've known if we had a proper courtship.
I did manage, though, by skipping make-up and slipping into a really simple dress, we were there only ten minutes late.
Unfortunately, every member of the family was already at the table. They were all deep in conversations when we entered.
Then they all stopped what they were doing the moment they saw us, and the place became silent.
Awkward.
"Come sit, Adriana," Selena said, and that was when I realized that Eric was already seated at the table and I was the only one standing there, getting stared at.
"Yeah, right." I said and then walked to the empty seat next to Eric.
The oldest lady on the table stood up the moment I sat down.
"I'll eat in my room." She said before leaving the hall. The room fell silent again. Everyone was looking between the empty seats she left and me.
I placed the fork that I was holding back on the table immediately.
"It's okay, Adriana, she's just a bit mad." Anthony Willingham, Eric's father, explained the old lady's action.
"You know how mother is. All this wouldn't be happening if you didn't agree to rush the wedding." His wife Bianca said.
"For the first time in history, mother wouldn't be having dinner with us."
"Mom, it's no big deal. Grandma will get over it." Eric said to Bianca.
She didn't say a word. Rather, she took her own food and left the table.
I picked my fork up and started eating. It wasn't how I imagined the first meeting to come out, but I guess this is how it's going to be.
The table was silent, and I took my time to take close looks at the family members.
My main focus was on my father-in-law, Anthony, and his brother Francis. They were my two main eyesores.
Their faces scared the hell out of me, but I have to act tough.
It reminds me of the night my mom and I were brutally butchered. Both Francis and Anthony look strikingly alike, I don't know for sure who was there that night. But I would find out pretty soon.
.
Lunch ended quickly and quietly. I went back to my room, Eric had some things to take care of, and since I was a new bride, I had nothing to do apart from thinking about what to wear for dinner.
I picked up my phone, and there were about 12 missed calls from Raphael. There was also a text message. It read: My money Adriana. Don't make me take back all that I have given you. You know I can.
This simple fool has the guts to threaten me. I needed to get rid of him ASAP!
My head was spinning, and I needed fresh air. The thought of taking a look at the mansion came to my mind.
I think that might be what I need.
I stepped out of the room and took the long corridor towards the left.
Something I didn't get the opportunity to look at closely last night is the interiors of this mansion.
Glancing at the corners and sides, 10 of the Steele mansion can fit into this house. It'll take me some time to know my way around this place.
Still lost in thoughts, the figure of a man drew my attention.
It was Francis, he was walking towards the other end, he had a straight face, his brows furrowed.
I walked stealthily behind him till he got to a particular room he entered. I put a foot at the extreme end of the door to stop it from closing completely.
The little opening was enough for me to see the inside of the room.
It was a room filled with books arranged on shelves, there was a chair, desk and other home office equipment.
Anthony was seated, his gaze fixed on Francis.
"We have a problem!" Francis yelled. He looked even more furious than he did earlier.
He was now close to Anthony, his voice toned down, I couldn't hear much apart from whispers.
I need to know what they are talking about. I need to know every step they take. It's the only way to break them from the inside.
I pushed my head forward, hoping to hear them a bit. Just when I was able to catch what they were saying, I felt the eerie weight of someone's gaze on my back.
My first instinct was to ignore it, but the feeling wouldn't let me concentrate. So I turned to face whoever it was.
My eyes met a pair of green eyes. Cold as ice.