Chapter 100
“So, my mom’s mad at me,” Lara says the next day.
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We’re back at Pinecrest, putting together party favors for the fundraiser. Since the weather is nice, we’re working on a picnic blanket in the dog park. Valerie, on the other hand, opted to stay inside, where there’s air conditioning.
We assigned her to send out the e–vites. She wasn’t happy about being told what to do, but was more than relieved to be away from us.
I turn to Lara, confused. “Why?”
“Because I had you over and she didn’t get to see you.”
My mouth drops open. “Really?”
I thought, at best, I’d been a shiny new object of intrigue for Lara Ellington, and she had forgotten about me already.
Lara nods, adding a filled bag to one side before reaching for an empty one. “Now she’s demanding I bring you along to her photo shoot next week.”
My eyes widen. “Seriously?”
Lara smirks, clearly amused by my reaction. “You should come,” she says. “I’m one of the models.”
I exhale. “That’s so nice of you, Lara, but my movements aren’t as free as yours.”
“You know my mom can work it out, right?”
I nod. “I know, and you have no idea how grateful I am that she cares so much, but I don’t want to bend anymore rules. I already draw too much attention to myself.”
Especially now that I know the circumstances surrounding my participation in the competition, I just want to keep my head down, avoid ruffling any more feathers, and hopefully marry the boy of my dreams.
“I get it,” Lara says. “I’ll explain to my mom. On one condition.”
I raise a brow. “What?”
“You have to promise to come to a show with me, after all this“-she waves a hand around-“is over.”
I smile. “You’re going to want to hang out with me when this is over?”
She frowns. “You’re not going to want to hang out with me?”
I splutter. “N–no, that’s not what I meant, I—”
“Because it doesn’t matter that I’ll be Mrs. Ashford,” she says. “I’ll still want to hang out with you–whether you win too or not.”
The way she says it so confidently gives me pause. She’s going to be Mrs. Ashford, alright–Lucas‘ wife.
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Chapter 100
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I swallow tightly, turning a tiny cat plushy over in my hands. I wonder if what I want to say next is a good idea. “Are you okay with that? Marrying Lucas, I mean.”
Lara doesn’t bother to cover up what I know–that she’s already engaged to Lucas, and her presence in the competition is a farce.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
I shrug, “How well do you really know him?”
“I’ve known him my whole life. Our families have been close for as long as I can remember, and we went to school together. He was in my older brother, Julian’s class, a year above me.”
Lara’s expression takes on a wistful quality that makes me tense.
“I took AP English with him, and we were partners for a Romeo and Juliet project.” Her cheeks tinge bright pink. “I had my first kiss in front of the entire class,” she giggles.
“Oh God,” I whisper, horror twisting my stomach. “You’re in love with him.”
Lara snorts, an unladylike act that she somehow manages to do with baffling elegance.
“Love is a little…much, but”—she shrugs, unable to hide her bright smile-“I look forward to marrying him.”
“What’s he…like?”
“He’s a gentleman, very kind and polite. He’s a good listener and he always finds the smallest excuses to touch me—which I think is adorable. He’s not loud or spontaneous; he’s steady, dependable. You can always count on Lucas.”
My mouth falls open.
I think of Lucas Ashford–of the savage predator who fucked around with a maid, the conniving snake who offered me her vacant position and tried to force himself on me when I refused. I think of everything Nathan said about him.
I think of the darkness he exudes when his pretentious mask is off.
I can’t reconcile that kind of monster with someone Lara could be in love with.
Lara notices my demeanor and frowns. “Are you okay, April? Why all these questions?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
I resolved to mind my business when it came to Lucas and Lara because Lara and I weren’t close, and I didn’t think it was my place. But now, that has all changed.
Yet, how do I tell a girl in love that her fiancé is a predator? That her first kiss–probably her first love–is a reprehensible being?
Oh God…
They went to school together–just like Nathan and me. He was her first love, her first kiss–just like Nathan and me.
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Chapter 100
I think I’m going to be sick.
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“God, April!” Eliza gushes as she throws herself on my bed. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
I mimic her movements, landing on the bed next to her. “Ugh same.”
Because we’ve all been so busy preparing for our fundraisers, I’ve only been able to see Eliza at meal times. However, her group’s fundraiser for an orphanage took place today, and now she’s free from the assignment.
She shifts on the bed, turning to survey me. “Valerie’s been bitching and moaning that you and Lara isolate and bully her.” Eliza narrows her eyes. “Are you replacing me?”
Guilt stabs through me. I have been spending more time with Lara, and we’ve grown closer. But Eliza was my first friend here, the only one who didn’t judge me based on my background, even though she’s just as wealthy and privileged as the rest of them. Plus, she’s so sweet and loyal, I could never replace her.
“I could never replace you,” I assure her firmly.
She wrinkles her nose. “You promise?”
I nod. “Sister wives, remember?”
She purses her lips. “Well, if Lara marries Lucas, and I marry Peter, and you marry Nathan, we’d be three sister–wives.”
A smile spreads on my face as the image blooms in my mind—a family portrait of the six of us.
But then my mood sours. Because in the portrait in my head, there’s Lucas, a sinister smile on his face, with one arm around Lara while the other is out of view, groping my ass.
A new fear unlocks: having Lucas Ashford as a brother–in–law.
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