The Blackmail Bride

Chapter 23 Part 1

It felt wrong to upload the whole chapter in one go because of how different the feelings they're trying to evoke. You'll understand once I post the second part.

Laughter

"Is this really necessary?" Jace Black asked for the fifteenth time in the last hour. I glanced over at him and watched the annoyance deepen in the crease on his forehead. He was looking down at me, waiting for my reply.

I shrugged, diverting my attention to the event organizer who stood on the giant make-shift platform they had built on the front of the hall. And behind that was the glass windows that overlooked the bustling city that I had grown up in.

We were inside the Dyamante Grande Hall of the Nero Hotel—ranked second most magnificent function room of the Nero Hotels empire second to the one they had in Paris. From rumors, the room itself had a separate architect from that of the building. And while I did not know much about architecture, the crystal and gold chandeliers hanging from the glass dome ceiling, the white marble columns and the mosaiced flooring were not a typical combination I have seen before.

Jace continued to complain. But while Jace's annoyance was understandable, I also understood how rigorous these events were.

It was Saturday. And this was our first and final rehearsal for the engagement party to be held tomorrow.

Jace fully turned to the male event organizer when he asked us to dance, "How long is this going to be? Why are we only rushing everything now?"

The short old man with the rounded belly, who had to be in his late forties, wiped the sweat off his brow as Jace continually glared at him. The organizer must have realized by now that he couldn't make Jace comply if he did not want to do it.

I sighed, tugging at Jace's sleeve, "If you have more important things to get back to, I'm sure it's completely fine for you to exit now."

Jace looked down at me, "We've been standing here for three hours!"

I nodded, "I know. So—"

"I wasn't complaining for my benefit," Jace growled at me, "You're the one who was bedridden yesterday."

He said that in such an accusing manner that for some reason, eased the tiredness I was feeling with our situation. My toes were already feeling numb in these six-inched stilettoes, but I would rather suffer now than embarrass myself tomorrow in public.

"You do realize," I said, hiding a smile, "That the less we complain, the faster this would be over."

Jace eyed me, "Or we could forgo this altogether and be done with it."

I shook my head, "I haven't danced waltz for more than a year. And I have never been exceptionally good at it to begin with. I have to practice."

Jace took my hand and put it on his shoulder, "Three times. If you still don't get it, I'm not humiliating myself tomorrow. Dance with your dad or something."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," I replied cordially, placing my right hand in his proffered left hand as we took our starting pose.

"Three more times," Jace informed the event organizer, "And no more."

The event organizer eagerly nodded, taking advantage of Jace's sudden initiative. And waved the script at someone at the sound team at the back.

Tomorrow, a hired orchestra would be playing the song live. But for the time being, the speakers blared the start of Chopin's Spring Waltz. On another day, I would be one of those people who would rather sit in the corner quietly and avidly watch the musicians lose themselves to give life to the musical compostion.

But for the time being, I looked up at my partner's gray eyes and stepped closer. His free hand slid to my back and pulled me a little closer to him. I tried to step back a bit but he held me in place.

"I'm going to step on your toes," I warned.

He shook his head, "Want me to tell you a secret to make the dance easier for you?"

Doubtfully, I looked down and measured the distance between the tip of my stilettoes and his leather shoes, "What secret?"

"Look up here and I'll tell you," he told me.

I did, raising my eyes to meet his gray stare, "What?"

He leaned in close and whispered, "You have to trust your dance partner." And why did he have to give me a teasing smirk after dropping that.

I blinked clear blue eyes at him and replied, "That is not reassuring in the very least. We don't trust each other."

It took Jace a second to process what I said before I felt the tightening of his arm on my middle. "You—"

"What?" I immediately pushed against his chest, and grumbled in whisper, "It's true though."

I would not understand in that moment why my statement prompted his reaction. Our cue for the dance forgotten, Jace let go of my hand and placed it over his other hand on the small of my back. And I was effectively trapped.

I opened my mouth to tell him off when I realized his shoulders were shaking. And when I looked at his face, he was trying hard not to laugh.

"It's not funny," I told him. That did it. He was laughing in my face. His gray eyes glittery with unshed tears. His whole face turned red. His cheeks lifting as smile lines formed on the sides of his mouth... and the sound he made.

It was so strange to realize I'd never heard him laugh. It was throaty and low, sounding carefree and young. And the genuine humor rumbling in his chest as I was pressed close to his body as his body shook... was the kind of interesting thing you unexpectedly picked up under the trees and kept in a memory jar.

It made me self-conscious that pressed against him, I did not just hear and see him laughing, I felt it. It was pleasing... and warm.

My heartrate seemed to pick up out of the blue. And as much as it made my stomach lurch, I did not find anything about this situation funny. Frozen in place, my eyes were glued to Jace's face as his laughter echoed in the wide room.

"Jace," I censured, "We still have to practice!"

This was completely ignored. And he went on laughing while everyone around us now seemed to be staring our way.

I levelled a flat stare at Jace, and in a resigned note said, "Maybe I should just dance with my dad or something."

I wanted to separate this part because the next part would not be of the same feels. Just so you know.