Vincent's POV
"Vince. We're here." Tristan's voice pulled me back to the present.
A flurry of complicated emotions raged in my chest as I turned to look at the familiar villa. 12 years had passed since I was chased out when I was 13. I hadn't returned even once since then.
I saw Dad sitting on the living room couch when I stepped through the door. He looked a little unsettled when he noticed me and said, "You've lost weight."
I nodded. I didn't have any intention of exchanging pleasantries with him. "You were being so secretive over the phone. Can you tell me about Mom's keepsake now?"
"There's no rush. You should fix your jet lag first."
It was true that I was extremely exhausted. So I didn't argue and followed the butler, Daniel Orizo, to the guest room.
…
It was already noon the next day when I woke up again. I made my way downstairs to eat, but when I reached the stairwell, I heard cheerful conversation coming from the living room.
"Although the engagement was a last-minute decision, it will still have all the necessary procedures. Vanessa and Dorian won't have any grievances."
The voice belonged to Vanessa's mother, Hannah Trellis. She smiled as she slipped the watch that identified someone as the Sterling family's son-in-law onto Dorian's wrist.
A pleased smile stretched across Dorian's lips as he gazed at the watch. He showed it off to Vanessa, but she only glanced at it calmly.
I watched the Finches and the Sterlings lounge on the couch. I had just decided to take the long way round to the kitchen when Dorian suddenly called out to me.
"You're awake, Vince. Everyone's discussing Vanessa's and my engagement party. Do you want to listen in too? Coincidentally, I need one more groomsman. Why don't you fill in the role for the day?"
I stopped in my tracks at his words and looked at him.
Dorian's hand was raised in the air, as if he was worried I wouldn't notice the watch on his wrist.
Vanessa sat next to him with an indifferent expression—although I couldn't shake the feeling that she was waiting for my answer.
I averted my gaze and said lightly, "I'm already married with a child. I can't be your groomsman."
Vanessa whipped her head up to look at me. The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds before Dorian burst into laughter.
"You don't have to lie if you don't want to be my groomsman, Vince. If you're married with a child, why didn't your wife and child come back with you?"
Dad also snapped back to his senses. "How dare you lie about getting married and having a child so casually? You're getting more and more unruly after spending so many years abroad."
"I didn't lie," I said. "They'll be here in the next few days."
I pulled out my phone, wanting to show them photos of Charlotte and Cora.
However, Vanessa scoffed. "Make sure not to fall for your own lies after putting on an act for so long, Vincent."
She then rose to her feet and left the living room.
Dorian shot me a strange look before chasing after her. Everyone's gazes followed them as they left the room. No one paid me any attention anymore.
I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself, so I just closed the photo album and headed to the kitchen to fill my belly.
…
Southwind and Goldcrest had a 16-hour time difference. I was bored out of my mind during the afternoon and only fell into a deep sleep at 2:00 am after video-calling Charlotte.
Raucous noises jolted me awake. When I got out of bed to investigate, I found Vanessa and Dorian taking their wedding portraits in the garden.
When the photographer told them to strike a pose, Dorian hugged Vanessa from behind and rested his chin on the crown of her head. Vanessa smiled as she turned her head and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Noticing where my attention was drawn, Daniel approached me and explained, "Ms. Sterling was the one who suggested that they take their wedding portraits here. She said it would hold a lot of sentimental value since Mr. Dorian grew up here."
I nodded lightly. They were making a ruckus, so I couldn't go back to sleep. Thus, I decided to just find a place to sit down and read a book.
I asked Dad about Mom's keepsake several times, but he never gave me a definite answer.
"You're going to immediately move out of the house after I give you an answer, aren't you, Vince?" he said, sighing.
He was right—because this place stopped being my home long ago.
Dad knew my intentions, so he kept delaying telling me about the information regarding Mom's keepsake. So, I also had no choice but to keep staying at the Finch residence.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Vanessa and Dorian change locations for their shoot multiple times. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but their shoot locations were always within my line of sight, even though the villa was huge.
Still, I didn't care what they were up to and focused on my book.
The photographer's voice resounded from a short distance away. "Please control your expressions, Ms. Sterling. Don't look so upset. You need to smile."
He had new orders for them a few seconds later. "You need to keep your eyes on Mr. Dorian's face, Ms. Sterling. Don't look elsewhere."
I absentmindedly looked in their direction and coincidentally made eye contact with Vanessa. She coldly averted her gaze as she pressed her fingers into Dorian's back and said, "Let's take a ten-minute break, Dorian."
Dorian pursed his lips but said nothing. However, his eyes burned with resentment when he looked at me.
I had no idea why he was looking at me like that. After thinking it over, I decided to return to my room.
As I passed by the shoot location, Dorian seized the opportunity and kicked the octagonal softbox used for fill lighting. The metal frame made a piercing noise as it screeched against the floor and toppled toward Dorian and me.
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