Chapter 2 (ALICE’s POV)

Two days earlier

The silence in the back of the Maybach was loud, the kind of silence that usually preceded one of Tad’s “performances.”

My phone buzzed in my hand, I unlocked it, expecting to find a nagging text about my marriage from mum, but what I saw twisted my face in confusion.

“Your husband looks so perfect in that suit, doesn't he? Too bad it's all a facade.” __Unknown.

It was from an unknown number. My eyes jerked up in confusion. We were just 3 in this car.

I, Tad, and Tad’s loyal driver, David, who seemed too engrossed in driving to pay attention to my sudden reaction.

“Alice.”

My head snapped left. Grey eyes pinned me in place.

"Are you listening to me?" Tad’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade.

“I am,” I shuddered, placing my phone face down on my thigh. Truth be told, I wasn't, but I'm not about to explain that to him.

His eyes returned to the road. “Tonight isn’t just your parents’ wedding anniversary. It’s also my opportunity to close the deal.” A pause.

“The Brooks will be there. I have two weeks left to get them on my side. So you can’t afford to repeat the stunt you pulled last time.”​

He reached for his black tie, adjusting it with that flawless precision of his, still not looking at me.

“I won’t tolerate it. All I need you to do is stay by my side and act like the perfect wife I expect you to be.” His jaw flexed.

“I understand,” I replied, my voice matching the low, calm tone he trained into me, my eyes drifting back to my phone.

What’s the point of being wealthy if your life still feels like a cage? I ask myself that every time I’m with Tad. Every time I perform my wife's duties, the ones I’m required to do. Or so I’ve been told.

It didn’t take long for our car to finally roll to a halt in front of my parents’ mansion.

“Alice, dear.”

Mum’s voice reached me the moment I stepped into the occasion hall. Heads turned. Admiration and envy in the air. I slipped into my best, well-practiced smile.

“Mother.”

“What took you and Tad so long?” She half-whispered, half-rushed toward me, looping her arm through mine, a glass of red wine balanced in her other hand.

“We’re cutting the cake soon, but first, your father has to give his speech.”

I gently pulled my arm free. “I can walk just fine,” I muttered, ignoring people’s stares as I moved ahead of her.

I slid into the family seat, right beside Tad, who was already deep in a lively conversation with my father.

I offered a polite hello, my eyes drifting around the table, Mum. Dad. Tad. Faye. Tad’s parents.

And then… My gaze stopped.

Cold. Stone-faced.

His eyes were already on mine. Timothy Davenhall. Tad’s stepbrother. My brother-in-law.

We rarely spoke. Correction, he barely spoke to anyone. This was only the third time I’d ever really seen him.

The first was at the family gala before my wedding. The second was at my wedding two years ago. And now, on my parents’ anniversary.

Why was he here?

He hardly ever showed up. It was as if he wasn’t even part of their family, like a ghost that moved through rooms without leaving a trace.

His eyes, amber, slid away from mine almost instantly, already looking elsewhere.

I swear… I could lose myself in those eyes and never find my way back.

I dropped my gaze, suddenly aware of how fast my heart was racing, how damp my palms had become.

A loud clap broke through the noise, followed by a burst of cheers. I looked up just in time to see Dad stepping onto the podium, microphone in hand. It was time for his speech.

As he spoke, I reached for a glass of wine, taking a slow sip while my eyes wandered around the hall, taking everything in, carefully avoiding a certain pair of amber eyes seated opposite me.

“You’re drinking too much wine,” he half-snapped, leaning in, his teeth brushing my ear. “Eyes are on you, so be watchful.”

And for a split second, I could have sworn Timothy’s gaze snapped toward us from across the table. It was gone just as quickly, so fast it was almost as if I’d imagined it.

I waited a few more minutes and stood up, heading out of the hall and straight up the stairs that led to the balcony. I felt suffocated in this hall.

“Finally,” I said out loud, a low breath I didn’t know I was holding escaping my lips. I gazed at the moon, I could see the entire estate view from up here, and it is….

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

I froze at the sound of a voice just behind me.

It’s a voice I rarely heard, but somehow, in the few times I had, it had etched itself into me.

I turned slightly to see Timothy, his solid build giving him a presence that made me feel safe in the best way. Did he follow me here?

“Uhn?” I blinked, looking forward quickly. “Oh..yeah. It sure is.”

I felt him right beside me. The cold air around me suddenly felt warm.

“You can stop smiling now, Alice. No one is here…looking" His breath fanned the side of my face, indicating how close he was to me.

“Smile?” I chuckled, moving an inch away from him, hoping he didn't notice. “Now you’re making it seem like I'm faking my smiles.”

“You do fake your smiles.” He moved, again, closing the little inch between us. “All the time”

I finally turned to face him, amber eyes peering into my jade ones. “No, I don't. You’re wrong.”

“Am I?”

“Yes”

He let out a low laugh, and the moonlight kissed his cheeks, teasing out those dimples I never knew existed.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a…denier.”

“And I didn't expect you to be such a nosy person that’s busy stalking my facial expressions,” I shot back.

“I don’t stalk them. They just always caught my attention.”

I tried to change the topic, turning forward again. “It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?”

“Is it? Because you were busy nursing that same glass of wine for close to an hour back in the hall, and your knuckles are all white from gripping that cemented railing.” His eyes went down to where my hands stayed, nails already digging, truly.

“You look like you’re preparing for a fall, not a celebration, Alice.”

“Have you always been this observant Mr Davenhall?” I queried, trying to ignore how calm his voice is.

“Call me Timothy.”

I didn’t say it. “Tad must be waiting for me. I should go.” I turned ready to leave, but Timothy was quick to block my path. He gripped my wrist softly, eyes searching mine.

“Tad is busy trying to buy the Brooks' favor. He doesn't even know you’ve left the room. He only notices you when you aren't standing where he parked you.” He blurted out, like he couldn’t bear to see me leave.

Seconds ticked slowly as we stared at each other, and just like it seemed he had realized how close we are, how inappropriate this is, his grip slipped off, and my wrist tingled where his fingers had been.

“You should go.” His jaw flexed, eyes sliding away from mine.

I choked back a breath, caught between wanting and fear. I walked off in a rush before I did anything I’d later curse myself for.