CASTIA
"I think that everything looks good. What do you think Castia?" My mother asked but I was too absorbed in my thoughts to pay any attention.
I haven't been able to sleep a wink since last night because I kept refreshing the internet to see if maybe an article has been released about me.
I know that I may seem paranoid and scared but my whole life is literally hanging by the thread. Forget my mom's marriage, she won't even make it to the wedding.
She'll probably be the laughing stock of the entire town and my life will be reduced to nothing. I'll be mocked and insulted by everyone. Just thinking about it already gives me goosebumps.
Final year begins in two days and I've already made a mess of my life before I could even experience it.
What if Kai was waiting to expose me on graduation day as the final blow? Gosh! I am so stressed that I can't even hate the fact that my mom is getting married soon.
"Castia!" She shook me and I instantly came back to my senses. "Are you okay sweetie? You've been quiet and zoned out all afternoon."
I chuckled through my fears. "Of course I am. I'm just a little nervous to meet your fiance tonight." I lied but she only hugs me.
"He'll love you just like I do." She encouraged me. "He's seen and heard so much about you and if it makes you feel any better then I'll like to share that he's actually someone you might be familiar with."
"You don't say."
She nodded in sheer happiness. "It was supposed to be a surprise but since I'm not ruining it completely then, you can know this much so don't worry."
"Alright." I said, adjusting my glasses so that they sit properly on the bridge of my nose.
"So, what do you think about the decorations?" She asked again. "Are they good?"
"They're lovely." I mused and her face lit up in an instant. I have never seen her this happy about anything since my father's death. Almost makes me feel sorry for hating her soon to be husband.
"Thank you so much baby." She squeezed me into another hug. "Now, go get ready cause they'll be here in a few minutes." She said before disappearing upstairs.
They? Who's they? I wanted to ask so badly but she was already gone. I thought that we were having dinner with her fiance. Was he inviting someone else or was it a slip of tongue?
Pushing the strange thoughts to the back of
my mind, I head upstairs to change into my outfit. I settled for white lace dress with floral trim before heading downstairs.
At that moment, the door bell dinged.
"It's them." I head my mother's excited voice chatter through the hallway as she made her way downstairs.
"How do I look?" She did a quick three sixty degree turn to get my opinion on her outfit as if it mattered what I think.
"Beautiful as always." I compliment her regardless of how I felt.
"Thank you." She pecked my cheeks in gratitude. "How about you grab the roasted chicken from the oven and set it up on the table while I open the door to greet our guests?"
"Sounds like a plan." I said and she sucked in a deep breath before walking over to the door. I took the adjourning door to the kitchen to grab the chicken before walking back to place it on the table.
From where I stood, I could here my mom's girly giggles and soft laughter as she spoke to her fiance. She was really in love with this man.
"I brought you green roses." I overheard him telling her. "I know that they're your favorite flower."
"Oh Dominic, that's so sweet." She cooed softly. "They smell lovely. I really like them so much."
"I'm glad you do." He tells her and she chuckled lightly.
"This way, my daughter is at the table waiting for you." I heard her say to him and I started dusting off the invisible dust on my clothes to keep my nerves from going haywire.
Anyone who sees me in this position would think that I'm the one getting my boyfriend introduced to the family and not the other way round.
"My son will be here soon." He tells her as they walk towards the dining area. The sound of their feet impossible to miss.
"He drove me here so I asked him to park nicely before joining us inside. I really that they get along."
"That's not a problem at all." She answers and just then, they appeared from the corner and the minute my eyes landed on them, I am left speechless.
It was almost like the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
"Dominic, this is my daughter Castia." She introduced him to me and I found it almost impossible to breathe. "Castia, I'm sure you already know who he is but I'll still love to introduce you to Dominic, my fiancee." She stated proudly.
"Hello Castia." He greeted cheerfully and stretched out a stem of rose towards me. "Your mother told me that you love the color red so I picked this one specially for you."
I stared at the rose and back at him again. My eyes not able to believe it. Dominic, who was now my mother's fiancee is none other than our sports coach at school and also Kai's father.
What in the world is this madness? How is this even possible?
So when he meant that his son was outside, he was talking about Kai? The same one who knows my secret and identity? The one who caught me on camera just last night? The one I m*********d to?
Oh my f*****g goodness!
"I know that this might be a new territory for all of us but I'm really hoping that we can get to know each other better before the wedding." He said, his hand still holding the rose stretched out completely.
Just then, the front door pushed open and I swallowed, my heart beating ten times the normal rate with every step that approached us.
At that moment, he emerged from the corner, hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his blue ripped jean.
I recognized that face hidden under a hoodie anywhere, that small but noticable piercing at the corner of his lip and those black orbs that spelt danger everytime you stare at them.
"Hello, dearest Stepsister. It's nice to meet you." He greeted in that same voice that makes my knees go weak with a small smirk playing on the corner of his lips but I knew better. It was all starting to get crystal clear now.
My mother was getting married to Dominic whose son happens to be my future Stepbrother who is none other than Kai Hayes, my top client and the only guy on planet earth who happens to know my darkest secret.