Family Feud

"Oh, you're here." Alessandro's mother said coldly, adjusting her long designers' dress.

"Alessandro is waiting for you upstairs." The father added, and none of them seemed bothered by the crying baby.

Unaware of what to say to them, Eve nodded and went for the baby, her heart skipping as the soft baby fragrance filled her nostrils, burying her face in the tiny baby's hair. 

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay." She hushed Zoe who had started to calm down, every part of her going out to the tiny bundle of joy her sister had made.

And abandoned.

"Hey, you don't want to keep my son waiting, or are you just trying to avoid signing the prenup? A billion dollar wasn't enough for your greedy family?" 

What the fuck? Eve was a sweet soul, but no one talked about her family that way even if it was true. 

She took a glance at Alessandro's mother who had uttered those words, and focused her attention on patting the baby's back softly. 

Soon Zoe was burping and letting out a loud laughter. 

"Just hand it over to the nanny and sign it so my son can return to his business meeting." 

It? It?

Eve turned to the older Mrs. Stark who reminded her of her own mother. "Can you not see that I'm taking care of the baby? I will go upstairs when she's okay. She's a human being, Mrs. Stark, and she has a name!" 

For a minute, none of the Starks said a word, but stared at her in surprise. 

But Eve didn't care about insulting her sister's in-laws at that moment. They had crossed the boundary she never joked with.

The baby territory. 

Finally, the older Mr. Stark adjusted his suit and cleared his throat. 

"It's not like the kid isn't just a meal ticket to your family. Well, my son is waiting upstairs. You two still have to come down for reception." 

Then the other members of the family snorted and entered the car, while Eve let out a deep breath. 

She hadn't meant to lose her temper since she would be leaving soon anyway, but she was already fed up with everything. 

"Here, take care of her, let me go find Mr... Erhm, my husband." She said to the young nanny who looked about twenty. 

Just two years younger than she and her twin. 

The nanny who had also been staring at her in astonishment blinked and nodded, reaching for the baby.

But Zoe's lips turned upside down again as she prepared to cry, clinging to Eve's dress.

"Oh...oh baby, it's okay, I won't leave you." Eve waved the younger girl away and struggled to walk without holding her heavy wedding dress.

Her sister's fashion sense had to be the most uncomfortable, although beautiful.

"I can take her to the nursery or the reception venue." 

Eve declined the nanny's help, biting into her lips to keep from asking for her name. 

They entered the big house which had the most expensive interior decor and the most popular paintings. 

It was flawless in a suffocating manner; there was nothing cozy about it and it was so large Eve didn't know which way to take.

Nor could she ask without raising suspicions.

Luckily, the nanny led the way and she followed slowly, struggling with the dress and the baby who rested her little head on her shoulder and tightened her tiny fingers on the dress.

As if afraid that Eve would abandon her.

The first door was open at the top of the stairs, and the nanny stopped in front of it, returning downstairs as Eve sucked in a deep breath and entered the room.

There he was, her fake groom, looking so effortlessly sexy in sleek hair and undone tie.

He sat comfortably behind the laptop as if in an office, and didn't even raise his head when she came in.

"Want to use Zoe as a bargaining chip? The contract has been drafted long already, sign it." 

Patience Eve, patience, she wasn't Ava and so those words weren't directed to her.

But they were hurtful and he thought he was saying these things to her sister.

"Sign what?" She chose to stall. What if she signed something that would implicate her sister later on when she returned?

Alessandro Stark looked up, raw sexual appeal oozing from each of his golden pupils. She felt a slight kick to the gut.

He was her twin's husband and it didn't seem like he cared for her at all.

His response was a humourless chuckle, a mockery snort. He leaned forward, his cologne doing things to her memory.

His jaw hadn't been this trimmed last night. There had been whiskers and stubbles and they had grazed over her lips when he kissed her.

"Why? You want to pull a stunt later and take half of my company in alimony? Just sign it, Ava. You already made a good fortune from me." 

Eve was speechless for a few seconds. She swallowed hard and blinked, gathering the baby who was still holding tightly to her dress. She seemed sleepy.

"What are you trying to pull here, Ava? Just call the nanny, she can take better care of her so you can party as much as you want." 

She didn't even know what to say in her sister's defense; was Ava really not maternal?

But how about him? He hadn't attempted to look at the baby whose mop of a black hair was a replica of his.

"Push the paper closer, please." She finally muttered. He let out a sigh of relief and returned his attention to his laptop as if she didn't exist, while she read through the document.

In a case of divorce at the expiration of their contract marriage, they were to part on separate terms and Ava, the Party B, wasn't to get a share in his company. 

She was however entitled to a vacation home in Hawaii and ten billion dollars.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the last discovery, a gesture Alessandro didn't miss out on.

"You are of course more excited than even when Zoe was born. I guess it's because this doesn't disrupt your body weight in anyway." 

His tone was venomous, which made Eve wonder how her sister had reacted when Zoe was born.

Without any attempt to reply that, she signed the contract, imitating her sister's terrible penmanship and simple signature.

"Okay then, you may leave." 

She may leave? What was she, an employee?

Good thing she would really be leaving in five minutes or she would have given him a piece of her mind. 

It was another struggle getting up with the child, but she did it anyway and held the infant who was starting to fall asleep, her soft innocent breath calming Eve's heart.

The next room was open and she peeped, lucky to recognise her sister's signature perfumes and the custom-made jewelry on the vanity which belonged to some of the brands her sister advertised.

In a minute, she had laid the baby on the bed and changed into comfortable pants.

She thought of a way to return to the hotel and get her passport and decided to call her parents.

It rang three times, but none of them picked up.

Just when she was wondering what to do, she received a message from her mum's assistant, Hannah.

It was a P*F compiled list of faces and their relationship with Ava.

How would that be helpful to her when she was leaving already?

Then footsteps sounded beside her and she turned to see Alessandro looking at her coldly.

"Good you've changed. Let's go." 

Her first reaction was to cock her head to the side. "To...to the reception?"

"It's unnecessary. I decided to skip it; my client in Paris is already calling. Ms. Sonia will take over from... whatever you are doing."

"What?" Her surprise was both sincere and confused.

Alessandro Stark raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, she wondered if the strands were as soft and rich as they looked.

Then he took a step towards her, his cologne filling her nostrils and senses.

"Look, Ms. Wilson, I have every right to terminate this contract on my own terms and throw your parents out into the streets if you choose to make life difficult for me. We are leaving for the honeymoon trip now, and you are coming with me. Can't have you using this to sell crap to the media."

Pain, hurt, anger.

She was insulted.

"Fucking asshole." She muttered. How dared he threaten her that way because she was...confused?

He scoffed in response. "You knew that when you insisted on slipping into my hotel room when you knew I was fucking out of it, you seduced me for your fucking greed, so expect nothing else from me!" 

Her heart stopped for a moment. 

She swallowed hard. "O...okay, let me just get Zoe." 

Alessandro's eyes were confused when he looked at her. "You suddenly want her to come with us? To Paris? She won't disrupt your shopping?" 

"Yes." It was all she could say. 

Because the only reason she was already having second thoughts about getting away from this sham of an arrangement was because she couldn't have that sleeping child waking up to emptiness.

Zoe had clung to her, and she would wait for a few weeks while her parents tracked down her sister.

Later, she would give Mr. and Mrs. Wilson a piece of her mind for their manipulation in sending her to the Stark residence instead of their family's.