Chapter 6

RAINI LAVERNE

I am fucking moving to the house of Zavier Cross, it is absurd how my life went from being remotely boring to moving to a mansion across town where I would probably get decapitated; I am not even joking.

I choose to blame River, I still feel like strangling her to death or sucking her life out with a straw while she sleeps, but I think the latter will be more pleasurable to watch, my mum would probably be mortified and murder me afterward but that would be a worthy trade.

"I still feel this is the worst idea in the history of worst ideas ever," Trinity Fay muttered bitterly as she angrily shoved my clothes into my back, I am reconsidering inviting her to help me pack but how do I kindly tell her to go home without breaking her heart more than it already is.

"Don't listen to her," River interjected before I could reply to her, she wasn't helping me pack my clothes, just trying out my different shades of lipstick in front of my vanity mirror.

"She should listen to me because clearly, I am the only voice of reasoning she got,"

River let out an exasperated chuckle, "Voice of reasoning," she scoffed, "If we leave Raini to your ever-pessimistic opinion we would all be living under a rock right now,"

I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Moving into a stranger's house for thirty days just because I won some stupid contest that my sister signed me up for without my knowledge. River thinks this is the perfect opportunity for me to get noticed in my non-existing modeling career, and Trinity Fay thinks it's a terrible idea. And honestly, I don't know what to think.

I'm sitting in my room with River and Trinity Fay, surrounded by clothes, shoes, and beauty products. River is excitedly picking out outfits for me to wear while Trinity Fay is giving her opinion on every item.

Trinity Fay looks at River and says, "I still can't believe you signed her up for this contest without her knowledge. What if this Zavier guy is a serial killer or something?"

River rolls her eyes, "Oh come on, Trinity. Zavier Cross is a renowned billionaire and a TV sensation. He's not a serial killer."

I can't help but interject, "Well, that's reassuring. Because being a billionaire automatically means he's not a psycho."

Trinity Fay laughs and adds, "Exactly. And who knows, Raini, you might even fall in love with him and become the next Mrs. Cross."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, because that's exactly what I'm looking for. A rich, handsome man who's looking for a wife through a reality TV contest."

River giggles, "Oh, Raini, don't be so pessimistic. You never know what could happen."

I look at them both and say, "You guys are ridiculous. I'm not going to fall in love with some stranger just because I'm living in his house for thirty days."

Trinity Fay grins mischievously, "Well, at least you'll have some eye candy to look at."

I can't help but laugh, "That's true. Maybe I should bring a pair of binoculars."

As we continue to get ready, we joke and make sarcastic comments about the whole situation. Deep down, I'm still not enthusiastic about it, but at least I have my girls by my side to make it a little more bearable.

As we continue to get ready, I start to feel a little bit more excited about the whole thing. Maybe it's the thought of living in a luxurious mansion for thirty days or the possibility of meeting new people. Or maybe it's just the fact that I have my sister and my best friend by my side to support me.

River hands me a dress and says, "You have to wear this one. It will look amazing on you."

I take the dress and examine it. It's a gorgeous red gown with a plunging neckline and a slit that goes all the way up to the thigh. I can't help but feel a little nervous about wearing something so revealing.

Trinity Fay notices my hesitation and says, "Come on, Raini. You have a killer body. You should show it off."

I shrug and say, "I guess you're right."

After we finish getting ready, we head down to the lobby where a limo is waiting for us. As we get into the limo, I can feel my heart pounding with excitement and nerves. I can't believe that I'm actually doing this.

The ride to Zavier's mansion is long, but we keep ourselves entertained by playing games and telling stories. I can tell that Trinity Fay is still a little bit nervous about the whole thing, but River is just as excited as I am.

As we pull up to the mansion, I can feel my heart racing. The mansion is enormous and looks like something out of a fairytale. I can't believe that I'm going to be living here for the next thirty days. They decided to escort me today, “ You think we would let you go live with some potential serial killer and not know where to direct the cops to if there is any need to retrieve your body,” Trinity Fay says in her usual dark humorous manner keeping a deadpan look, I wonder how she does it; I admire her.

We are greeted by a butler who leads us into the living room where Zavier is waiting for us. River whispers to me that, he looks even more handsome in person than he does on TV. I can feel my cheeks turning red as he introduces himself to us, I don’t know why my eyes went to the curve of his lips as he said his name to River and Trinity Fay, I don’t even find him attractive, I think the media does his looks a fair amount of justice.

He tells us that he's planned a special Lunch for us and that he's looking forward to getting to know us better. I can't help but feel a little bit intimidated by him, but at the same time, I tell that he is trying so hard to appear as a kind and generous person but I am not buying it, at least not this easily.

As we sit down for dinner, Zavier starts asking us questions about ourselves. He's genuinely interested in getting to know us and I can tell that he's a good listener, I can tell he is kissing River's ass and she is licking his.

"So what made you come up with these contests?" River finally asks a question I was dying to know the answer to, I feel in a way that for a man of his status and influence, he should be able to get as many women as he wants, was he doing it for the thrill of the chase? I heard most billionaires have a fetish to hunt and acquire things they could easily get just for the fun and thrill of the moment.

"I guess I did it to find love,"

"Bullshit," Trinity Fay scoffs with a cough that makes it almost inaudible.

"I know right, we all want to find love," River the princess Fiona from Sherk wanna-be muttered in a dreamlike state, continuing with the ass-kissing.

"They should probably sprinkle some salt to sweeten some of your lies," Trinity Fay says unapologetically and he chuckled, someone he seems to get her dark humor which is impressive for someone just meeting her for the first time, it took me months to accept that part of her.

"What about you Raini?"

"What about me?" I asked nervously, not waiting for him to finish his questions,

"Why did you sign up for the contest?" he said.

"I didn't___" I began to explain before River rudely interrupted me.

"She did so for the experience, to know what it feels like and maybe find love,"

I rolled my eyes, I could tell Zavier was glaring at me, to see if I would object to what she just said, but to what use.

"Hmmm," he simply replied, I could tell he didn't buy a bit of the crap she just sold to him.

Throughout the meal, we talk and laugh and I start to feel more and more comfortable around him. By the end of lunch, I can't believe how much fun I'd had but it was majorly because of the presence of Trinity Fay and my sister, if I was left alone with Zander, it would probably be a bunch of questions, and answers sessions.

As we say our goodbyes Trinity Fay and River drove back to town not before Trinity Fay threatened to slit Zavier's throat and make sure she watches him as he petrifies if he does anything to hurt me, I can't help but feel a little bit more optimistic about the whole thing. Maybe living in Zavier's mansion for thirty days won't be so bad after all.