~Owen~I groaned and clenched my teeth as another slap landed on my face again. As my face turned to the other side, my eyes met with my mother’s, who was on the ground, her back against the wall, crying out for my father to stop, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued to hit my face, and I had lost count of how many times he had hit me.It was all because of my mistake. I had thought that bringing up the images and videos of Elena and me would change everyone’s perspective about her. I had thought it would ruin the engagement, but instead, it made things harder for me. For once, I had thought my father was going to be proud of what I had done, but it turned out to be for nothing.Christian outsmarted me like he was already ready for it to happen and showed pictures of me with different girls. I had no idea how he had gotten them because I had been discreet for so many years, but it looked like he had me followed, and because of him, everything was ruined.“Do you realize what you’ve do
~Ariana~“Where is she!” My father’s loud voice echoed as he made his way toward my room. I already knew he was going to question me about my actions at Elena’s wedding. I had been a fool to believe that Owen’s plan would work. He had made me believe it would succeed, and I had trusted him, but it turned out we had played into Christian’s hands.That smartass. If not for him, we would have successfully ruined Elena’s reputation. I should have been the bride. Everything Elena had now was supposed to be mine, but somehow, she had beaten me to it. This had never happened before. I was always ahead of her in everything, but now, it seemed like she knew what was coming and was winning at everything.The door to my room burst open, and I jumped off my bed in fright. My heart raced as if I had run a marathon, and I clutched the dress I hadn’t yet removed.“There you are!” he yelled, pointing a finger at me. “I am so disappointed in you. Why are you trying to ruin your sister’s happiness and
~Elena~When I had thought all hope was lost, Christian stood up and raised a hand, silencing the crowd, and the way the hall suddenly went silent sent shivers down my spine. He commanded so much attention, and the aura around him was so great that it was difficult not to respond to him. “You are done, Owen,” he gently let go of my hands and then walked towards Owen. “I warned you didn't i not to mess with her anymore but you refused to listen!” he yelled at him and raised his hand and when i had thought that he was going to hit him, he didn't instead he pulled out his phone and scroll through and on the projection were series of images with him and other women and the timestamp it was taken. It proves that they were taken while he was still with me. The crowd gasped, but Christian wasn't done. He clicked on his phone again, and more images appeared, showing Ariana and Owen kissing. My eyes widened in shock because not even I had seen the image, and I wondered how Christian had got
~Elena~ I felt my heart tighten against my chest as we both walked to the front of my hall, and I saw them. They were seated at separate tables, but somehow it seemed like they were together, judging me with their eyes. Ariana was seated at our family table wearing a black shimmering dress that calls for attention. It was impossible not to recognize her in the crowd, and as for Owen, I had not expected that he would come, not after how he was being treated by our grandfathers, but he was there seated shamelessly on the table with Christian’s family. Landon, his father, and the rest of their family were also at the table, and as our eyes met, my heart started racing fast, and I grew stiffen in Christian’s hand. He seemed to notice as he looked at me. “Elena, are you alright?” His eyes searched mine through his matte-black mask. When u didn't respond, he looked around and seemed to understand why I had suddenly become like that. Hethen placed his hand gently around my waist and le
~ Elena ~It was tonight.The engagement masquerade gala Christian’s grandfather had planned for us was finally here. After a week of preparation—days where Christian and I didn’t see each other, communicating only through texts—I couldn’t wait to see him again.The limousine door opened with a soft click. A rush of cool evening air swept over me, tugging at the gossamer cape draped across my shoulders. I hesitated, one gloved hand gripping the edge of the seat, the other clutching the sapphire pendant at my throat. The midnight-blue gown felt heavier than it had in the dressing room, its corset hugging my ribs—a reminder to breathe, or perhaps a warning not to.I glanced at my Grandfather and his sharp eyes beneath his golden mask stared back at me. He offered me his arm with a reassuring smile. “Ready, my dear?” he asked.I nodded, though my stomach twisted at the thought of what awaited at the gala. Stepping out, the hem of my skirt shimmered, silver threads catching the light like
~Christian~I heaved a deep sigh as I arrived at the front door, ready to soak myself in my bathtub for hours after enduring hours of engagement preparation with Elena’s family and my grandfather, whom I had called during dinner to inform him about the announcement. We had a video call, and he was happy when he heard the news. In the blink of an eye, he made plans for the engagement ceremony, so we started preparation, and it was fixed in a week. Now I was back home, ready to hit the bathroom and get rid of the tiredness, and also Elena. We’ve been together the past few days, and I can’t stop thinking about her and the kiss we almost had. When I confronted her and she waved the discussion off, I knew she probably didn’t want it, so I didn’t want to push it, so I dropped it. After all, we were together for revenge, but I wished for more. I noticed a brown package at the entrance as I reached my door. I had placed an order, and, thinking it was it, I picked it up. When I reached my l