Chapter 2

I offered a polite smile to Mr. Villion. The two men behind him stepped forward and extended their hands to me. As soon as I touched the hand of one of his sons, a wave of nervousness hit me. It felt like he had been expecting to see me… he gripped my hand firmly, almost as if he had no intention of letting go.

“Oh, sorry, I was just a bit stunned to meet you, Ms. Alina. I’m Lance Villion,” he said, possibly noticing the way I looked at his hand, which still hadn’t let go of mine. He smiled, but something about that smile felt off…a quiet unease crept inside of me. I simply nodded, keeping my reaction to myself.

Then the last person approached me. When he offered his hand, I felt a different kind of nervousness, far from what I felt with Lance. We stared at each other for a long moment, neither of us willing to break the gaze. I felt my heart skip a beat as our eyes locked. It was only interrupted when Mr. Villion cleared his throat from the side. I pulled my hand back quickly. Was I just daydreaming? I placed a hand over my chest, then touched my cheek. Get it together, Alina! You’re embarrassing yourself!

“This is Leon. I only have two sons, and Lance is the eldest.” He said it firmly as he introduced me to Leon. Did Leon notice me blushing? Hopefully not. I lowered my head and avoided looking at Leon’s face again. I adjusted my outfit even though I knew it was already fine…I was really just trying to avoid looking in his direction.

“Alina, are you okay? Are you tired from training? Your face looks a bit flushed, dear.”

“Ah yeah! I…I’m okay. Ah, maybe I just got a little tired from training.” Gosh, my dad almost noticed. I mentally slapped myself.

“You sure, hija? If so, you can talk to Lance. You two can sit at one of the tables or couches over there.” Papa said. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or not. Yes! I was avoiding Leon! But that didn’t mean I wanted to talk to Lance either. That guy just makes me feel tense.

I didn’t protest and just followed what Papa said. I felt Lance walking behind me…I glanced at Leon. And damn? He was still looking at me?! I quickly looked away and headed toward the seats Papa had pointed out.

Why is he still looking at me? I felt my heart pound. Relax, Alina, you shouldn’t be reacting like this. Maybe he was just surprised by how I looked. I mean, I’m sweaty and nothing more. I hurried to take a seat, avoiding another glance at Leon. As soon as I sat down, I felt Lance’s presence beside me.

I ignored him and grabbed a book from one of the shelves here. I had to pretend I was reading just so he wouldn’t talk to me and shit, he suddenly came closer. My eyes widened, and I shifted slightly away. He stared at me intensely…then smirked.

“I never thought I’d be facing you like this, Alina.” He said that while gently brushing away the stray hairs from my face. His gaze and touch sent shivers down my spine. I moved even more, and this time, I held back his hand before it could touch my face. Lance’s grin widened even more as he leaned closer to my face.

“Don’t avoid me too much because in the coming weeks, you’ll be seeing me every day. And every day…I’ll be able to touch you too.” I stiffened. My grip on the book tightened. Fear registered on my face as I instinctively leaned away from him. The things I was hearing were too much for my mind to process. It felt like my knees could give out if I weren’t already sitting.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, trying to hide the fear and nervousness in my voice.

“Oww, they haven’t said anything yet? Don’t worry…you’ll find out soon enough.” He let out a dry laugh and leaned his head back against the chair.

Right now is the only time I’ve ever wished for time to move faster. I don’t want to see these people’s faces anymore. I feel like I’m suffocating. Just a few minutes passed when I heard my father’s voice calling me. I was about to stand when Lance leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“I can’t wait to have you already, Alina…”

I covered that ear and stood up immediately. I didn’t look at him again. I walked over to my father and ignored him. He acted like nothing had happened and simply slipped his hands into his pockets. Then he moved beside his father…and Leon.

Leon and I locked eyes once more, and for the second time… it was me who looked away.

“It seems Alina and Lance had a good conversation, Mr. Allard. Thank you very much for welcoming us, and for now, we’ll be taking our leave.” Mr. Villion said while straightening his blazer.

“It’s a pleasure as well, Mr. Villion. What we discussed has already been settled.” My father gave a meaningful reply and glanced in my direction.

Papa and Mr. Villion exchanged glances for a moment before deciding to leave. Once they had left, I turned to face my father intently. His expression had returned to the same one he always wore when dealing with me…devoid of the emotion he’d shown just moments earlier. But I was used to it.

Despite the agitation in my chest, I still managed to ask him.

“Uh, Papa, what were you talking about? What is it for, why-“ He cut me off mid-sentence and looked straight at me. There was something in his eyes…like he’d just secured exactly what he wanted.

“Well, you know how things work in a business-driven world, Alina. Having Mr. Villion on our side is a major advantage. So… we’ve come to an agreement. You’ll be marrying his eldest son, Lance.”