His Other Bride

Chapter4

Morning brought noise into the Sinclair house long before Eva wanted to face the day . Voices traveled through the hallway . Drawers opened and closed . Rebecca moved from one room to another with restless energy .

Eva stayed in bed for a moment longer , staring at their ceiling . Sleep had been shallow . Lucian Castle’s voice had followed her into the night .

You will need to decide soon .

The sentence replayed in her head with quiet persistence .

Eva pushed the thought aside and rose from the bed . The floor felt cold beneath her feet as she walked toward the window . Outside , the city had already begun its daily rhythm . Cars moved along the street . People hurried past the gates .

Normal life continued yet something inside her felt slightly out of place . She changed into simple clothes and stepped into the hallway . Rebecca’s door stood open .

Her sister stood in front of a mirror surrounded by dresses spread across the bed . Rebecca turned immediately when she saw Eva .

“ Good , you are awake . I need help . ”

Eva leaned against the doorframe .

“ That depends on what kind of help . ”

Rebecca held up two dresses .

“ Which one says future Castle bride without looking desperate ? ”

Eva examined both options briefly . One dress looked elegant but dramatic . The other looked simple and soft .

She pointed at the second one .

“ That one . ”

Rebecca frowned .

“ Too plain ? ”

“ Honest , ” Eva replied .

Rebecca sighed but placed the other dress aside .

“ Today feels strange . Everything changed in one night . ”

Eva crossed her arms .

“ You are engaged to a powerful man . Strange seems appropriate . ”

Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed .

“ What do you think of him ? Honestly . ”

Eva paused before answering .

“ He is dangerous in ways most people will not notice . ”

Rebecca blinked .

“ Dangerous ? He has barely spoken to me . ”

“ Exactly . ”

Rebecca watched her carefully .

“ You do not like him . ”

Eva did not answer immediately .

Rebecca smiled slightly .

“ He seems to like arguing with you though . ”

Eva sighed softly .

“ Rebecca , liking arguments and liking people are different things . ”

Rebecca laughed .

“ Maybe . But he looks at you like you are a puzzle he wants to solve . ”

Eva turned away from the doorway .

“ Then he should find a different puzzle . ”

Rebecca stood and followed her into the hallway .

“ You are coming with me today , right ? ”

“ Where ? ”

“ Wedding planning . Andalia wants to meet us at the Castle foundation office this afternoon . ”

Eva stopped walking .

“ Why would I attend that meeting ? ”

Rebecca looked genuinely confused .

“ Because you are my sister . And because Andalia specifically asked for you . ”

Eva felt a quiet warning settle in her chest .

“ She asked for me ? ”

Rebecca nodded .

“ Yes . She said she wants to understand our family dynamics before the wedding . ”

Eva almost laughed .

“ That sounds like an interrogation . ”

Rebecca shrugged .

“ She seemed nice . ”

Eva remembered Andalia’s sharp eyes from the night before . Nice was not the word she would have used .

Still , she nodded slowly .

“ Fine . I will come . ”

Rebecca hugged her quickly .

“ Thank you . I knew you would not abandon me . ”

Eva patted her shoulder .

“ I am not sure that word applies yet . ”

Rebecca ignored the comment and ran off to finish getting ready .

Hours later the Sinclair car stopped outside the Castle Foundation building .

The structure towered over the street . Glass walls reflected the afternoon sun . The name Castle Foundation appeared across the entrance in bold silver letters .

Eva stepped out of the car and studied the building briefly . Everything about the Castle family screamed control and influence .

Rebecca adjusted her dress nervously .

“ Do I look alright ? ”

Eva nodded .

“ You look like someone about to sign an agreement she barely understands . ”

Rebecca frowned .

“ You are terrible at reassurance . ”

They walked inside together .

The lobby looked quiet and expensive . Marble floors . Tall ceilings . People moved quickly through the space with folders and tablets .

A receptionist greeted them immediately .

“ Miss Sinclair . Miss Sinclair . Miss Castle is expecting you upstairs . ”

Rebecca smiled nervously .

Eva followed silently as they entered the elevator .

When the doors opened on the top floor , Andalia Castle waited near the conference room .

She greeted them with the same calm authority Eva remembered .

“ Welcome . I hope the traffic was kind to you . ”

Rebecca nodded .

“ Yes , thank you . ”

Andalia turned to Eva .

“ Miss Sinclair . I am pleased you accepted the invitation . ”

Eva met her gaze evenly .

“ My sister insisted . ”

Andalia smiled slightly .

“ Of course she did . ”

They entered the conference room together .

Large windows overlooked the entire city . A long table sat in the center with documents arranged neatly across its surface .

Eva immediately noticed Lucian standing near the window . He turned when they entered .

His eyes found Eva first . The same quiet tension returned instantly .

Rebecca walked toward him with a polite smile .

“ Good afternoon . ”

Lucian nodded once .

“ Rebecca . ”

His tone remained respectful but distant . Andalia gestured toward the table .

“ Please sit . We have several matters to discuss regarding the wedding arrangements . ”

Rebecca sat immediately .

Eva remained standing for a moment before choosing a chair farther down the table .

Lucian stayed near the window .

Andalia began speaking calmly about dates , venues , and guest lists . Rebecca tried to follow the conversation carefully , but Eva noticed her growing confusion .

Lucian said almost nothing during the discussion .

He watched the room instead . Mostly he watched Eva .

Eventually Andalia placed a final document on the table .

“ There is one more matter . A family clause within the Castle marriage agreements . ”

Rebecca looked surprised .

“ Clause ? ”

Andalia nodded .

“ Every Castle marriage includes certain expectations . Loyalty . Reputation . Public unity . ”

Rebecca glanced at Lucian briefly .

“ That sounds serious . ”

Andalia’s eyes shifted toward Eva .

“ It is . Especially when extended family members might influence the household . ”

Eva leaned back in her chair .

“ I assume that comment refers to me . ”

Andalia did not deny it .

“ Your reputation suggests independence , Miss Sinclair . Independence can be admirable , but also disruptive . ”

Lucian finally spoke from the window .

“ Aunt . ”

Andalia raised one hand calmly .

“ I am only addressing concerns early . ”

Eva smiled faintly .

“ Concerns about what exactly ? ”

Andalia studied her carefully .

“ Emotional complications . ”

The room fell quiet .

Rebecca looked confused again . Lucian stepped away from the window .

“ That discussion is unnecessary . ”

Andalia’s voice remained calm .

“ Is it ? ”

Lucian stopped beside the table . His eyes met Eva’s again .

“ Yes . ”

Eva held his gaze steadily but Andalia continued speaking anyway .

“ Because last night I observed something interesting . ”

Rebecca shifted in her seat .

“ What do you mean ? ”

Andalia’s attention remained on Eva and Lucian .

“ Two people who clearly dislike each other yet cannot stop noticing each other . ”

Rebecca laughed awkwardly .

“ That sounds like Eva . She argues with everyone . ”

Eva did not smile , Lucian did not either . Andalia leaned slightly forward .

“ I simply believe clarity benefits everyone involved . ”

Lucian’s voice turned colder .

“ This conversation ends now . ”

Andalia held his gaze for a long moment .

Then she leaned back again .

“ Very well . ”

The meeting ended shortly afterward .

Rebecca remained distracted as they left the building .

“ I did not like that conversation , ” she admitted quietly .

Eva nodded .

“ Neither did I . ”

Rebecca stopped walking suddenly .

“ Eva , promise me something . ”

“ What ? ”

Rebecca looked serious .

“ Promise you will not start a war with my future husband . ”

Eva almost smiled .

“ I did not start this one . ”

They reached the car .

Rebecca climbed inside first as Eva paused for a moment beside the door . She felt the familiar sensation again , being watched .

She turned slowly .

Lucian stood near the building entrance behind her . He had followed them outside . The distance between them felt strangely small despite the wide street separating them .

Eva walked toward him before she could reconsider . Lucian remained still as she approached .

“ Your aunt enjoys stirring problems , ” Eva said calmly .

Lucian’s expression did not change .

“ She enjoys observing them . ”

Eva crossed her arms .

“ Then you should keep her away from my sister . ”

Lucian stepped closer .

“ I intend to keep her away from you . ”

Eva frowned slightly .

“ Why ? ”

Lucian answered quietly .

“ Because she noticed the same thing I noticed . ”

Eva felt tension rise again .

“ And what exactly did you notice ? ”

Lucian looked directly into her eyes .

“ That this situation will not end peacefully . ”

Eva held his gaze .

“ Then perhaps you should end the engagement . ”

Lucian’s voice lowered .

“ That would solve nothing . ”

Eva turned toward the car .

“ It would solve a lot . ”

Lucian spoke again before she could leave .

“ Eva . ”

She stopped .

He rarely used her name .

She turned slowly .

Lucian’s expression looked more serious than before .

“ If things become difficult later , remember something . ”

Eva waited .

His voice remained calm but firm .

“ I warned you from the beginning . ”

Eva stared at him for a moment then she shook her head slightly .

“ No . You did not warn me . ”

Lucian watched her carefully as she opened the car door . Before getting inside she said quietly ,

“ You challenged me . ”

The door closed .

The car began moving down the street . Lucian remained standing on the sidewalk watching the car disappear into traffic .

Inside the car Rebecca turned toward Eva .

“ What did he want ? ”

Eva looked out the window .

“ Nothing important . ”

But across the street Lucian’s phone vibrated in his hand . A message appeared on the screen .

From Andalia .

One short sentence .

You should cancel the wedding now .

Lucian read the message once .

Then again .

His eyes lifted slowly toward the direction Eva’s car had disappeared . And he whispered something under his breath that no one else heard .

“ Too late . ”