Lie

Eric’s POV

The conversation I had with my mom regarding marriage has been stuck in my mind now. I haven’t even seen the girl I’m going to marry, let alone spoken to her. Indeed, I trust mom’s choice, at least, better than dad’s. However, a part of me still fears that I might regret my decision later.

Anyway. Now that I have given my word to my mom, I can’t back off from it, but I hope for the best.

“Sir, everyone is waiting for you at the dining table for dinner,” I hear one of my servants say in a soft tone. I look over my shoulder and give a slight nod before he walks out of my room, leaving the door open.

I look forward again, gazing outside my window. Both my hands are stuffed in my trousers’ pockets. Taking a few steps backwards, I advance towards the door and walk out. Then, I descend the straight staircase, walking through the large hallway and finally make it to the dining room.

As I get closer to the room, I can hear the chatter and laughter of my family getting louder, making me curious about the discussion they are having.

Upon entering, I open my mouth to speak, but my throat seizes the moment my eyes land on Daniel and Veronica sitting at the table.

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion as I do not recall my servant telling me that they would visit again. Or maybe dad invited them for dinner because none of us was present in the house when they arrived earlier.

I move in further, grabbing everyone’s attention at the table.

“Oh, look who’s here,” my brother Killain says, which sounds like a taunt.

I scratch my nails against the corner of my mouth, feeling a bit awkward as everyone stares at me. “Hi, everyone.”

“Come, sit with me,” mother says, and I pull the chair next to her and sit on it.

My arms rest on the table as the servants start serving the meal, and my eyes meet Dad's. “You don’t look good, is everything okay?” he asks.

“Well, he had a back ache earlier,” my mother says on my behalf. “I hope you’re fine now?” she turns to me.

I nod.

But now I’m having a headache, already. The look Daniel is giving me and my father right now says how desperate he is to speak about my and his daughter’s marriage again. And yeah, his daughter? Veronica has already started to blush. Gross.

“So, Darwin?” Daniel speaks. “It’s time for us to take a step forward.”

“Eric, what do you say?” my dad looks at me.

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” I mutter without making eye contact as I shove a meatball in my mouth and chew on it. Uncle Rhys wheezes across the table, and his wife, Ashley, elbows him.

“My apologies,” he says as he clears his throat.

My dad turns to me again. “Your and Veronica’s marriage, that’s what we are talking about.”

“You already know the answer, dad,” I glance at him.

Veronica stiffens in her place, her eyebrows narrow. “I don’t understand, what lacks in me? Am I not pretty enough for you?”

“No, it’s not like that,” I tell her.

“Then what is it?” She rolls her eyes, leans back in her chair and folds her arms over her chest, refusing to eat her food.

“Eric, at this point, you’re rejecting her for nothing,” my dad glares at me.

“No, I’m not,” I look at my dad again.

I can’t even have dinner in peace. Pressuring me will not work, and I think dad doesn’t get it at all.

“But you are not giving me a valid reason,” he says.

“I- The thing is, he already likes someone,” my mom interrupts, and for a moment, nobody uttered a single word.

What the hell?

“What?” Killian chuckles. “I thought he was a workaholic who didn’t care about the outside world.”

“You’ve been dating someone?” Veronica asks in disbelief.

I don’t like where this conversation has been led because what mom said is a pure lie.

“Is that so? Who is it?” Dad asks.

“Darling, do you remember my best friend Lylah?” Mom asks, and dad nods. “She has a daughter named Alessia whom Eric likes.”

“When did they meet each other, and why am I not aware of their encounter?”

“Because it’s been a few months only. He is, in fact, ready to marry Alessia,” mom says, and I choke on the air.

“But at least you could have told me, Diana,” dad shakes his head.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that deep, Eric himself needed some time to think about it.”

I give my mom a side eye as I observe how effortlessly she’s getting away with this lie. Besides, it doesn’t matter because dad’s love for my mom is so strong that he would never even think about suspecting her in any way. He’s just totally blind to that kind of stuff. Which also means he will not argue about this with her.

Mom’s decisions are always dad’s first priority.

“Also, I think she is a fit for our son, too,” mom says before she sips on her water.

Dad nods slowly. “Daniel, my friend- No, it’s fine,” Daniel cuts in between, a fake smile plastered on his face. Bastard can’t even hide his jealousy properly.

“Oh, yeah, and the wedding will be this month,” mom announces.

Of course, she has to say this.

“What?” Veronica almost shouts. “Isn’t that too soon?”

“I just said that my son has decided to marry her long ago,” mom mutters.

“Um… does she belong to a rich family, too?” Daniel asks.

My eyes snap in his direction as my jaw tics. “Isn’t that obvious? She is going to be my wife, which makes her a part of this family,” I glare at him.

He mutters something as he eats his food, but I can’t hear it.

Alright, I don’t care what anyone says, now. I’m going to marry this girl because this man is getting on my nerves.