Two lovers, torn apart by betrayal, obsession and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
How far would you go for love?
About to start the career of his dreams and marry the woman he loves, Sebastien Merrow has everything he could ever want, until a b...
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The Lacroix grounds were stunning on any given day. Tonight, they were breath-taking. Evergreen trees were strung up with hundreds of fairy lights. The winding stone paths littered with flower petals that swirled with each step. The sweet scent of candy floss and buttered popcorn saturated the air. Servers in impeccable uniforms supplied the guests with French Champagne.
"Everyone showed up tonight," Laura Ramsden said to her friend Marianne Perrin. As they walked, the light summer breeze cooled their alcohol-flushed cheeks.
"Please," Marianne huffed. "Rodrick could be the most hated man in the country and still, no one would turn down a Lacroix party." She punctuated her point by raising her flute to her lips and taking a sip.
"That's not true," Laura said, despite knowing, deep, deep down, Marianne was right. The Lacroix had money, and they weren't afraid to show it. Everyone was happy to humor them, so long as some of it landed on them. Laura knew Sebastien would have been happier without the fuss. Without the fancy garden lights, champagne flutes, and decadent catering. A group of friends, a keg of beer, and some red plastic cups would have been more than enough for him. But not for Rodrick. Rodrick needed this to remind everyone who he was, what he had. It was a facet he'd inherited from his father. No matter how much she'd tried, Laura had never got him to see his worth beyond it.
Marianne took Laura's empty glass and replaced it with a full one from a passing server. "It's a little bit true. Rodrick wouldn't have drawn half this crowd if he was poor, trust me."
Laura rolled her eyes and let her friend's comment slide. She knew Marianne wasn't Rodrick's biggest fan. She usually stood up for him, but Laura was too happy and too full of champagne to care at the moment. She didn't want to spend the rest of the evening listening to Marianne complain about Rodrick, anyway. She was going to drink, and laugh, and dance, and spend Sebastien's last night home wrapped up in his arms. Laura was about to change the subject when she heard Sebastien's familiar laugh. She turned her attention to him, her words dying on her lips. She watched as he chatted with a group of friends, people she recognized from his old class. Sometimes, she couldn't believe a man like him was hers, and hers alone. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she was afraid she'd made him up. It wasn't possible that someone like him could actually exist.
"Marianne..." she said, unable to tear her eyes off of Sebastien. "I love him so much, I will actually stop breathing." As if sensing her attention on him, Sebastien looked up and caught her gaze. His face broke out into a grin equalled only by hers.
Beside Laura, Marianne shook her head and laughed. "Look at him. The feeling is mutual, Lulu."
"Hold this," Laura said, handing her glass over to Marianne, and walked over to a nearby wooden table.
"What are you doing?" Marianne asked, as Laura lifted the long, white skirt of her dress and began climbing onto it. What was she doing? She wasn't sure, but she'd figure it out on the way up. Marianne watched her, unable to do anything but stand there, two glasses in hand. "Laura!"
