Floor 68.

XLII. - Mercy.

       "... I vow to protect you from this world. But most of all, I promise to be your companion and your best friend, I promise to honor you each day, to hold you with tenderness. I promise to stand with you against the world; I vow to shield you from sorrow and to give you a better tomorrow."

Brows knitted, Thunder let the pen slip to the desk before sighing in annoyance. He left his chair to stand by the glass window, casting a weary look on the awaking city. Writing his wedding vows turned out to be an impossible task; the words seemed lifeless and meaningless and most of all, they gave away the alarming feeling he was nothing but a hypocrite. He couldn't bring himself into translating his feelings to words; his wedding was surely a hoax, a mere masquerade orchestrated by his father but he still felt the need to prove himself to Adrianna.

He shook his head, dismissing these thoughts. The city was astir even on a Saturday morning. He could see people jogging and the laughter of kids filled the streets. Stonecrest Lake looked all but asleep; it was the city of paradoxes, the city of haves and have-nots. There were those accustomed to wealth; they were born into it, they were used to spending their summer in Monaco and Dubai, they were used to spending money without second thoughts. And then, there were those on the other side; the less fortunate, the drug-addled and the abused. Thunder looked away at last and glanced towards the desk where crumbled papers laid. He sighed heavily.

There was a knock on the door at the same moment an all too familiar voice said, "Mr. Matthews?"

"Yes."

Cassandra Hills pushed the door open and Thunder finally turned to face her. She was wearing her signature smile, warm but still professional as she gazed at him through her thick eyelashes.

"Good morning, Mr. Matthews." Her hazel eyes gleamed as she looked at him before motioning to the three hotel valets, who stood still in the hallway. "Your tuxedo has finally arrived, Mr. Matthews."

The heir just watched as the men walked inside his suite, carefully holding a tuxedo cover. He vaguely heard Cassandra giving them instructions to slowly take off the material and hang the suit for him to see but he barely even acknowledged their presence. He watched them walking away while Cassandra stayed behind. There was a moment of utter silence in which the manager stared at the heir, half-expecting him to have a reaction but he steeled himself behind an impassive impenetrable expression.

"I would like to inform you that Ms. Kitsch went out with Ms. Van Horn." She gazed straight at him and Thunder had the strange feeling that she wanted to look past his steely expression, as if she wanted to access his soul. His steady eyes didn't flinch as he kept watching her; she gave him a smile before wishing him a good day and silently left the spacious suite. Only then, Thunder sunk into his King-sized bed, watching his wedding tuxedo. Despite the fact that he was writing his wedding vows only minutes ago, seeing his tuxedo arrive had an odd impact on him; he finally seemed to realize that all this was real. He really was getting married.

"Brother." A cheerful voice said as the sound of light footsteps made its way to his ears. The smile that painted his features was immediate when he recognized his sister's voice. "Bonjour."

He chuckled as he stood up to give her a tight hug. "Your French sucks, Sady."

His sister pouted dramatically as she crossed her hands on her chest, like a kid. "That's because I'm not half-French!"

"I've told you many times —" Her brother started with a tired expression.

"— I am not half-French, for God's sake." Sady cut off, her voice taking a thick undertone, in a failed attempt to imitate her brother's raspy tone. "You're not a full-blooded French, either." She insolently countered, hands on her waist as she addressed him a cheeky smile. Her actions suddenly came to a halt as her green eyes landed on the neat tuxedo. She blinked once, twice and thrice as she slowly took few steps forward. Her hand reached to touch the expensive material and Thunder was left with the overwhelming impression that she didn't believe it was finally there; she had to touch it to actually believe it.