CHAPTER FIVE

JASMINE 

I maintained the false indifferent look on my face as the brothers instructed a servant to show me to my room, but the moment I got in, I exhaled heavily and leaned against the wall in exhaustion. 

I knew this arrangement was going to be complicated the moment my parents spoke of it, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. I had no idea how I was going to survive this wedding, but I reminded myself that I didn’t have a choice. 

For a few moments I just stood there, taking in the sight of the teal walls, the enormous bed and the large windows overlooking the gardens. It was nicer and more luxurious than any home I had ever been in. Unaccustomed to any sort of wealth, I found myself staring, eyes darting from one corner of the room to another. It felt like I had no right to be here, but I shook off the thoughts. 

“God,” I groaned into my palm, pushing myself off the wall and trudging to the bed. 

I met resistance in the process of trying to sit, and I realized why I’d been so uncomfortable. This damned wedding dress. It felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. I reached to my back to try to undo the zipper, but at the same time, I felt a vibration in purse. 

When I pulled the phone out and saw it was my mother calling, I sighed. My first instinct was to ignore it, but I knew that would be a bad decision so I picked up.

“What?”

“Is that how you intend to speak to me?” Her cold voice cut through the speaker. 

I shut my eyes for a moment and forced my tongue to still. “I’m listening to you.”

“We just received wedding invitations from the Callahans,” her voice sounded panicked. 

“Well, it would have been nice to receive a heads-up that I would be required to pull off this charade in front of hundreds of people. You told me it would be a quick, private ceremony.”

“Because that’s what we expected,” she countered. “You should have called the moment you found out.”

Anger sizzled underneath my skin. 

“Oh, I should have called? Maybe I was too occupied with the fact that I’m expected to marry three men tomorrow,” I hissed into the speaker. 

“Lower your voice at once!”

I glanced at the closed door even though I knew I was alone. “I am not shouting.”

“Don’t you dare talk back at me, young lady! You will shut your mouth and do exactly as I tell you, do you understand?” 

I said nothing. 

“We assumed you would be wedded to the oldest member of the Callahan family. Perhaps arrangements changed, which is why you were handed over to the sons. But it changes nothing. The terms of the contract remain the same, so you will carry out your duty.”

“My duty? You could have at least mentioned there was a possibility of this happening. How can you—“

“Enough! You seem to have forgotten what’s at stake here. Don’t try my patience or your nanny pays for it. I will pull the plug on her surgery before you realize what’s happening, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

My blood ran cold. The pure evil in her voice was sufficient to make me understand that this woman would do whatever it took to get what she wanted from me. An innocent life meant nothing to her. 

I thought of how frail my grandma looked the last time I saw her and tears gathered in my eyes. 

“You are heartless,” I spat, unable to stop the tear that rolled down my cheek. 

She chuckled dryly. “You think I care what a street urchin like you thinks of me? Don’t be stupid. Now, listen to me very carefully. This wedding will have a lot of influential people in attendance, most of whom know your sister. If you make a mistake, everyone will be talking about it.”

“I know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Do it properly. You must not make any mistakes. You must behave like your sister and not give anyone a reason to doubt you. We have invested too much into this for you to ruin it now.”

Invested. A bitter taste rose in my mouth at that word. That’s all I was. A pawn in their business investment. 

“I understand,” I said. 

“Good, because your grandmother life is on the line.”

“I said I understand!” 

My tone was sharper than intended, but I refused to apologize. Without a word, she ended the call. 

I lowered the phone and stared at the screen, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. She hadn’t even bothered to ask about my well-being. I hated the painful lump that formed in my throat at the realization because I should have known better by now. 

But some stupid part of me still longed for the affection expected from biological parents. 

I tossed my phone aside and reached behind to unzip the dress, but it was stuck. 

“Ugh, come on…”

Suddenly, the door opened. Before I could turn around to see who it was, I felt a presence move up behind me. When I spun to see one of the brothers, my breath caught in my throat.

Elijah Callahan. 

I recognized him as the brother who had spoken the least throughout the meeting. That should ordinarily have put me at ease, but his silence was worse than suspicion, not to mention the way he stared into my soul like he knew I was hiding something. 

A surprised gasp escaped me at the sight of him. I wanted to demand an answer for why he walked into my bedroom without knocking, but his gaze was so chilling the words hung in my throat.

He was standing mere inches away from me. Too close. He towered over me so my face was at eye-level with his chest. His cologne washed over me, the fresh scent of soap lingering underneath it. I forced myself to look him in the eye despite the unnatural way my heart had begun to beat. 

Why was I so nervous? 

“Turn around,” he instructed. 

I never would have obeyed a command, but something about the way he said it made me spin instantly, no questions asked. When I felt his fingers graze my back, I bit down a shiver. I didn’t understand why I was reacting so strongly to him.

He carefully pulled on the stuck zip and with a firm but gentle yank, he unzipped it. Before the gown could fall down my chest, his fingers gripped both ends to secure it, then he spun me around. 

“You sounded…angry on the phone,” he said. 

I stiffened. 

Shit. Had he overheard my entire phone call? 

I quickly hid my panic and remembered I was supposed to be my sister. 

I flipped my hair back and gave an annoyed hiss. “Yeah, the incompetent hairstylist I was trying to book for tomorrow morning kept giving me excuses.”

His eyes stayed fixed on me and I felt my skin start to prickle with heat. 

I wondered if he noticed anything, but his eyes gave nothing away. It was like trying to read a wall. 

“Is that so?” He finally spoke. “All the arrangements were made in advance, so you don’t have to worry about booking a stylist."

“Oh?” I mimicked Willow’s nasally tone. “I had no idea. That’s great. Thank you…Elliot?”

I kept my face neutral although I was panicking about how he would react to me forgetting his name. Well, pretending to.

Still his face remained stoic. 

“Elijah,” he corrected. 

“Ohmygosh! I’m so sorry. Elijah, of course.”

His arms remained pressed around me for a few more seconds before he let go. A silly wave of disappointment washed over me, but I forced myself to brush it aside.

This was not the time. 

I had met handsome men before, and he wouldn’t be the last. 

“Thank you,” I gestured to the zipper. 

He gave a slight nod and turned away. My heart was still pounding as I watched him leave. But the moment he opened the door, a woman walked in with a wide smile on her face. 

“Good day, Mr. Callahan,” she greeted before turning to me. “Willow!”

She crossed the room in a few strides and wrapped her arms around me. My body went rigid as she hugged me warmly.

“Honestly, I was beginning to think you would disappear before I got the chance to see you.” 

I managed a smile, scared to speak until I at least got a clue as to who she was. Even worse, Elijah was still standing at the door, watching the interaction.

I stared at her, my tongue feeling like lead as I thought of how to get out of this. 

My silence seemed to make her laugh. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. After everything we went through last summer, I thought you’d at least be happy to see me.”

Last summer? 

What the fuck happened last summer?