Crossing Paths

Chapter 2: Animosity

Copyright 2014 © Rosesareforever

Crossing Paths

Chapter 2

'Animosity'

Unbeknownst to Jade, her agreement to act as if Sedric and she got back together, for the wedding of his brother Lucas, wasn’t a one day affair like other weddings, but it was for three days of festivities. The Miller family rented a private island for three days and would transport everyone by jet. The guests would be staying at an expensive manor, only two minutes away from the beach house where Lucas and his fiancée Emma would be getting married.

It was safe to say the Miller family was loaded. Generations of land barons and highly educated family members made sure of that. If they had lived in Europe, they probably would be addressed as a noble family or royals perhaps. Not one Miller lived in poverty. Jade herself hadn’t known destitution either, but her family had worked hard to be where they were today. Sedric could easily decide he didn’t want to work a day in his life and it wouldn’t make a difference.

That was one of the things she had admired about him, even though he didn’t have to, he still wanted to get his degree and make his own money. He didn’t want to depend on his parents and their wealth. He was strong willed and couldn’t be intimidated by anyone. It was one of his charms that turned out to be a sin.

Jade was currently waiting for their transport to arrive, Sedric standing beside her still like a statue. He hadn’t said a word during the entire flight, acting as if he was busy reading through a bunch of files. Work, he’d said. Yeah right, he was simply ignoring her. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. 

The entire family had flown to the island the day before, leaving them the only remaining guests that still had to join the festivities. Sedric hadn’t wanted to fly together with his family, not trusting her acting abilities during the two hours flight. He’d told her they still needed to discuss their cover and create a decent background story for their scam.

Well, that wouldn’t work if he kept giving her the silent treatment. She honestly didn’t know what had happened to him during their years apart. He’d changed drastically; the once charming gentleman became a sullen jerk. What had she ever done wrong to him? He was the one who cheated on her, not the other way around.

She nervously tapped her heel against the brick floor, letting out a relieved sigh as their car finally pulled up. Sedric gave her a disapproving look, but didn’t utter a word. She was seriously starting to dislike his behavior. How on earth were they going to act as a believable, happily in love couple if he didn’t even want to talk to her? It was ridiculous.

She shook her head and stepped into the car, waiting for their driver to put the luggage into the trunk and drive off. She knew Sedric’s family standard, the staff will take care of everything, you simply have to enjoy yourself. His mother was a lovely woman, but way too spoiled in Jade’s opinion. She expected their maids to do everything, literally everything. She barely did anything herself in the household. The few times Jade saw Alison work had been at fundraisers to show people how much she cared about the environment and the local residents of the town they inhabited.

Sedric’ father, Harold, on the other hand was a complete asshole. She honestly couldn’t stand the guy. He was arrogant and only wanted to be accompanied by rich folks. He didn’t care about the high poverty ranks or environmental damage caused by humans. The man only looked out for his own blood relatives and upper class allies. Survival of the fittest – in other words the wealthiest.

“Thank you, James,” she heard Sedric say to the driver, surprisingly politely. His behavior these days seemed to have grown blunt and rather discourteous. She was used to a more easygoing Sedric, a man who smiled at everyone and showed more kindness than both his parents combined ever could. It had always left her wondering how on earth they raised such wonderful children. However, the few times she’d seen Sedric lately, he’d been nothing but rude.