"𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲."
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Elena's life is flipped upside down when her sister runs away on her wedding day and she is forced to marry her husband who despises her.
He hates her with...
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|Elena Beaumont|
"You've been drawing unnecessary attention since we entered this building," Mom grumbled next to me, maximum irritation lacing her voice. "Who wears such a shouting colour to such meetings?"
Her words didn't faze me an inch. Nothing I wasn't used to.
I'd intentionally gone with a tailored red pantsuit I knew I could pull off flawlessly with my hair sleek and tumbling down my back. I hadn't done my makeup this minimal and on point in a while, but it felt good wearing it so confidently and having a pull even my own mother felt irked by.
With the amount of effort I'd put into this look, it'd paid off entirely, given the attention I was receiving and a couple of direct compliments showered at me as we walked towards the law firm's meeting room.
Of course, it'd reached a point of discomfort when male gazes lingered suggestively, but it was nothing a small dismissive smile or solid look couldn't shake off.
One would say I was on my way to attend something uplifting when in fact, I was simply signing away my life to prolonged bondage and docility.
I'd made peace with the unavailability of a divorce option, but still, I could twist the agreement in more of my favour and make it as flexible as possible.
After a weekend of rebounding and organising my thoughts, I'd figured mopping and whining around wasn't going to change anything. I had to learn to dance in the middle of the storm and for that to happen, I needed a starting point. This was it.
"I'm the main character today, Mom. Of course, my presence is going to draw attention," I responded to her last complaint, keeping my head held high.
She gave me a quick side glance, obviously holding herself back from initiating an argument. She knew better than to provoke me, especially after setting me up with Sebastian on a weekend that was supposed to be my getaway.
"In that main character light, make sure you act accordingly and speak only when you're required to. We've already gone through everything with the lawyers and the proposal is settled, Elena. This meeting should last twenty minutes maximum and we leave, nothing extra, do I make myself clear?"
She'd emphasized the issue of behaviour from the second I'd started preparing for this meeting. She knew me well and that gave me some level of satisfaction. At least, she wouldn't be too shocked when I voiced my terms and conditions for continuing this arrangement.
"You're not answering, Elena," she pointed out sternly, putting her hand on my shoulder to stop me from continuing ahead. "I need you to promise me you'll behave and bury those temper tantrums of yours at least until we reach a favourable understanding."
I smiled at her as warmly as I could, gently slipping her hand off my shoulder. "Of course, Mom. I'll sit still, say everything we rehearsed like a goddamn robot and make a fool out of myself," I agreed sarcastically.
