Chapter Seventeen

Alina POV

There were two things I knew for sure. First, Sebastian Wolfe was angry and whatever had annoyed him had us sitting next to each other in his private jet back to New York. And the second? I didn't give two shits, so I didn't ask.

I didn't ask when we made our way back to the room we now had to share in the Wolfe's mansion even though I still thought it was unnecessary.

I woke up to no sign of Sebastian by my side and I was glad I had the room to myself.

I had my bath and got out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body, my hair was  still wet. The room smelled like lavender. It was my favorite smell.

I moved the towel to my waist, my back turned to the door while I applied some lotion over my body.

The door opened with full force but I wasn't fast enough to wrap myself up with the towel.

When I turned to look at the intruder, his eyes were wide, almost comically so and he looked down at me. I felt bare even though I now had a towel over me.

His eyes moved from my wet hair cascading on my shoulders and then slowly made their way downwards. His lips parted slightly. My skin tingled as if it was covered in goosebumps all over.

I blushed. “Hello,” I squeaked out, my cheeks burning red. What was wrong with me? Was that all I had to say to the man who couldn't knock? This was beginning to feel like a routine. First me and now him?

“I wasn't expecting you, I thought you left already” I cleared my throat . There was an awkward silence between us which lasted for another minute or two, neither of us speaking a word.

“You should learn to lock the door, breakfast is ready”  He said gruffly, looking away from me and making his way towards the door. I followed suit after I dressed up.

As I walked down the stairs, I was prepared for any form of hostility but I was not prepared to walk into Laila sitting among them in the dining room.

“What is she doing?” The older Mrs Wolfe asked when I got closer to them, clearly displeased to see me there. Now I could see clearly that even though she looked like her twin sister, they were nothing alike.

“Why would she sit here after that stuntr you both pulled? First an irrational marriage and secondly a stupid honeymoon?” She added in disgust. Laila didn't look at her but continued eating.

I looked down at the table and saw that it was filled with what looked like pancakes, scrambled eggs and toast but also had a strange, pale green liquid that reminded me of nothing but death. I knew this stuff, but I never tasted it before.  I looked up at Sebastian with curiosity and raised one of my brows.

Nobody said a word, so I took my seat beside him, eating quietly.

It was weird because I normally ate in silence while other people talked about whatever came to mind.  But today I couldn't even eat properly because of those weird thoughts running through my mind. I needed to get away from them as soon as possible but how?

“Why is Laila still here?” Sebastian asked looking at his parents.

“If this woman whom you claim to be your wife can stay, I see no reason why Laila shouldn't”  Mr Wolfe answered, giving me a disapproving scowl. I let out a forced smile and nodded politely, feeling uneasy under his gaze.  He looked away satisfied.  I glanced over at Laila who seemed to be lost in thought.

Not once did she look my way and I felt more guilty  than ever for taking another woman’s place.

Breakfast ended shortly and we all rose to leave.

Mr Wolfe called out “Alina” just as I was about to step outside. “Could I talk to you for a moment?” he asked kindly. But I knew kindness was far from those words.

My heart raced and my palms became sweaty. Did they know something that they weren't letting slip?  Was this going to happen again?  

I nodded quickly, unable to speak.  He motioned to one of the maids who stood nearby.  “Please wait outside,”  He said.  

When I made to move, Sebastian pulled me back.

“You can't talk to her outside father, she is my wife. There is nothing more to talk about”  he told his father with authority.

From the way the room fell quiet after Logan, I could tell that they were all afraid of him . He was scary, I mean really scary.

We heard noises from outside and someone else entered the house.

“Sir, there are people outside,” the maid  informed. I recognized her voice from before.

“What people? What do they want?” Mr Wolfe  questioned and his tone indicated that he was about to lose his patience.  

Sebastian’s face was stony and he refused to meet my gaze.

“it's the media, I think they are waiting for the new couple” This time the maid was looking at Sebastian, and me.

Sebastian’s head snapped up. I looked at him, surprised at the sudden interest in me. Why? And where did it come from?

“Damn it! Now the media is aware that you brought in a slut?” The older man looked extremely angry.

I wanted to shrink into myself as much as I could. This wasn't good. Sebastian tensed and took a step towards his father. “You will address my wife with respect,”  he snarled.

“Seb…” I tried to calm him down but he glared at me angrily.  “No.”  He turned to his father, “Call security,”  Then, ignoring his father, he grabbed me by the hand and led me back upstairs.

From the window of his room, I could see the reporters on the street below shouting questions at the gate.

“How long do you think they will stay there?” I asked quietly and Sebastian shook his head.

“I hope the security do their job, they won't stay there for long”   He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked tired and exhausted.

“I need to go to my grandfather's later”   I muttered and he nodded.

After some time, Sebastian spoke, “We should have dinner together,” he suggested.

“Is it okay with your parents?” I asked hesitantly.

He shrugged. He was going through his phone, his eyes wide as saucers.

“Fucking bastards!”  He growled. A vein protruded on his forehead.

I waited for him to collect himself but it seemed like he wasn't going to talk to me right away.

“Where is your phone?” He asked me  suddenly.

“My phone? Oh, it is probably...” I trailed off and pointed at my bag on his bed. He immediately went to it and searched through my belongings until he found the phone.

I watched him put it in his pocket. “You wouldn't be needing this for now”