Chapter 3

NELLY:

"Hi, what do you want?" I asked Dave cautiously as I turned off my car engine and peered at him through the window.

Dave smiled, giving me a sinister smirk that sent a wave of uneasiness washing over me. He leaned forward, bobbing his head into my car and moving a bit closer to my face as he parted his dark lips and stated, "I was meaning to talk to you, but I didn't have the chance to do that inside the mansion and under the weight of everyone's gaze."

I swallowed hard, trying not to inhale sharply as his breath made me nauseous. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol filled my nostrils, and I looked away, taking a sharp intake of breath to steady my erratic heartbeat.

"Alright," I managed to reply, keeping my voice calm. I knew Dave was the heir to Raphael Group, the second-largest corporation in Suncrest City.

"What do you want? You can see that I'm leaving," I asked, my voice slightly irritated as I gestured towards the car wheels.

Dave chuckled darkly as I glanced at his face. He peered down at my chest, his eyes as hungry as a predator's, as he whispered, "What I want is your V-card. I heard you're still a virgin since you don't have a boyfriend, and no man wants a chubby girl like you."

"What?" I gasped, feeling utterly humiliated. If Dave wasn't the heir to Raphael Group, I could have landed a hot, resounding slap on his handsome, smug face.

"Do you believe everything your sister tells you? Who told you that I'm still a virgin? My sex life is none of your business. So keep away from me, Mr. Raphael. I would appreciate it if you didn't broach this topic with me again. Otherwise, I'll be forced to report you to my dad."

"You..." Dave's expression darkened at my threat. "Do you think your father can stop me? Once I give the order, no man will agree to marry you."

"Fine. I don't care about that. But I'll never have anything to do with you. Don't forget, intimate relationships between family members are prohibited. Since Elena is getting married to my stepbrother, you're my brother-in-law now. So I can never date you!" I voiced out, and Dave's expression darkened.

"We shall see about that!" He turned and strode off just as I heard the sounds of footsteps and voices approaching the parking lot.

Elena's voice cut through the air once she saw her older brother moving away from my car. Her expression darkened when our gazes locked. She was clinging to Rowan's arm as though she couldn't afford to part from him.

The sight of them together made my blood boil, and my mood plummeted, especially as I remembered Dave's disgusting proposal to sleep with me.

What did Dave take me for? A cheap hoe who was desperate for a man's attention? I wasn't extremely plus-sized like they made me out to be. I was only thick and full-figured, with large breasts and a full, round ass. But they regarded me as though I were three times my actual size.

Before I could ignite the car and drive off to the Royal Resort, where Elena had booked a party to celebrate her engagement to Rowan, I heard her loud voice asking her brother, "Dave, what were you doing with Nelly? I caught you peeking your head into her car. Is something going on between you two?"

As I peered at Rowan's face, his brows furrowed deeply, as though he didn't approve of what he heard. His jaw tightened as he ran his tongue over his teeth.

"No. What nonsense are you spluttering, Elena? I was only asking Nelly if she would attend the club party and whether she would get along with you."

"Is that so?" Elena asked, her brows knitted as she peered at me.

I ignored her, started my small black car, and drove off, as I didn't want to waste any more minutes with them.

I felt disgusted by Dave's proposal to sleep with me. His threat to prevent me from getting married made my jaw tighten.

I fixed my gaze on the road as I drove out of the Raphaels' mansion.

My Mercedes-Benz A-Class was given to me by my stepfather as my 23rd birthday gift. I cherished it and loved everything about the car, as it was my first ride.

I decided to ignore Elena. She was Rowan's fiancée now, so what could I do?

I drew a sharp breath, turned up the soft music in the car, and focused on driving towards the Royal Resort to end the events of the day.

Upon my arrival at the Imperial Five-Star Clubhouse, I drove my car into the parking lot and got out.

After showing my invitation card, the security guard allowed me to enter, and a staff member showed me to the all-inclusive resort area where the engagement party would take place.

Most of my coursemates had arrived, all eager to welcome Elena and Rowan. They smiled and watched me walk towards them as the pool seemed to glow with a blue hue, with colourful lights illuminating the place.

"Welcome, Nelly Collins. It's an honour to meet you again," most of my old coursemates said. Not many of them knew I was related to Rowan.

I used my mother's surname at school since I was little. Even after she married Rowan's father, Harry Santiago, who was a powerful Mafia Don, whose name commanded respect, I continued using it.

I felt honoured to live with them, but I couldn't use their surname. It carried immense pressure that I didn't want. I continued using my mother's surname to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

"Thank you, all," I managed to reply.

Just then, my best friend, Maeve Johnson, rushed forward to meet me. She was tall and fair-skinned, with long black hair that cascaded down her back. She wore a dazzling red dress that shimmered under the moonlight, paired with black high-heeled shoes.

"Nelly!" Maeve exclaimed, rushing to envelop me in a warm hug.

"I thought you weren't going to come, given that Elena and you aren't close," she whispered into my ear, and I chuckled sadly.

"Why wouldn't I come? That would give Elena the chance to ridicule me even more," I replied, laughing, and Maeve chuckled slightly.

"You're right. Guess what?" she asked, her eyes glinting with interest as we stood aside, waiting for the couple to arrive.

"What? You know that I'm not a good guesser," I replied, meeting her gaze, and her lips curled into a smile.

"Just guess!" Maeve asked, clutching my hands gently.

I racked my brain, trying to figure out what was getting her so excited.

Maeve and I studied software engineering together.

"Um, I don't know. Did you get a job, or did you find a new boyfriend?" I asked amidst the soft music playing.

"Yep!" Maeve squealed. "I got the internship at Santiago Group. I'm starting on Monday," she said excitedly.

Now, I understood her excitement.

She was the only one I'd shared the information with about Rowan Santiago being my stepbrother, since Elena mostly bragged about becoming his wife to rub it in our faces and make other girls jealous.

"Congratulations, bestie!" I pulled Maeve into a quick hug. Her rosy perfume scent softened the tension in my heart.

"I should be thanking you more, Nelly. If you hadn't advised me to give it a go, I wouldn't have thought I was capable enough to land an internship in such a big corporation," she said, wiping the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"It's fine. We'll be together there," I replied, since I was interning there, too. I didn't want to, but Mom insisted as payback for living off Harry's money. Besides, he supported my education despite not being my real father. It was the only way I could show my gratitude. I had to work in the company's coding department and help build Santiago Group into the number-one tech company in Suncrest City.

Just then, loud cheers erupted as everyone welcomed Elena and Rowan.

They arrived hand in hand.

Elena had changed out of her long black dress. Now, she wore a slim-fitting red dress that hugged her slender figure. She was very slim, if not thin, despite her sharp tongue. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, and diamond earrings and a necklace adorned her neck.

She walked proudly beside Rowan, and I heard the whispers of some of our colleagues.

"Wow! Elena is so lucky. I cannot believe she's becoming the new hostess of the Santiago family," Lora said, her tone wistful.

Another one chirped, "This is my first time seeing Rowan Santiago, the new CEO of Santiago Group. I cannot believe this is real. I feel honoured to be invited to this engagement ceremony," Maria said. She was one of our other classmates, too.

I rolled my eyes at their dreamy comments. If only they knew how cold and ruthless Rowan was, they wouldn't be fawning over him.