HONOR ME

NINE

SKYLER

“Skyler.”

Mother’s voice pulled me back into reality.

The next thing I knew, I was standing inside some expensive boutique while Pamela McCarthy-Smith was determined to find me a suit.

A f*****g suit.

Apparently, a suit would make me look “more like a wife.”

Because apparently, becoming André Larsen’s wife required a wardrobe transformation before it required anything else.

“How does pink sound?” she asked, holding up a perfectly tailored suit.

I stared at it.

“Absolutely not.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“If I’m going to be forced into wearing a damn suit, at least let it be black.”

With an unimpressed sigh, she returned the pink suit to its rack.

I walked ahead, letting my eyes wander until I found a pair of black heels displayed beneath a glass case.

The moment I saw them, I knew.

I picked them up.

“I love these.”

Mother stepped closer, examining them carefully. She turned them over in her hands, inspecting every detail before giving a small nod.

“Mm. Good enough.”

Of course, that was the highest compliment I was getting.

Hours passed before we finally left the store, carrying bags that felt heavier than my patience.

Thankfully, the drive home was quick.

The second I stepped inside, I dropped onto the sofa, exhaustion sinking into my bones. I closed my eyes, ready to disappear into sleep for at least a few minutes.

“Skyler, can we talk?”

My eyes opened.

Mother stood in front of me, looking almost too innocent. Like a child asking for permission to break a rule.

“Seriously?” I sighed. “We couldn’t have talked about this during the drive home?”

She ignored the question.

Instead, she gave me that look.

The pleading one.

The one that always made me feel guilty.

With a reluctant sigh, I sat up and shifted, giving her space beside me.

“As we both know, you’re moving into his house in two days.”

I already knew where this conversation was going.

“It should have happened sooner, but…” She paused. “Louis happened to be a distraction.”

My expression hardened.

“Louis did nothing.”

Her eyes flickered toward me.

“I chose to stay with him.”

Mother cleared her throat, clearly trying to hold onto whatever patience she had left.

“Well, you’re going to have to let go of that relationship.”

I frowned.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a wife now, Skyler.”

The way she said it made it sound like a title I had earned instead of a life I was being pushed into.

“You know what that means, don’t you?”

I crossed my arms.

She smiled slightly.

“It’s an upgrade.”

I looked away.

“Something Louis or anyone else could never give you.”

My jaw tightened.

“Because André Larsen can give you anything. Security. Wealth. A name.”

She leaned closer.

“He could put a diamond on your finger the second you asked.”

The mention of that made something inside me twist.

“And Louis?”

Her expression softened slightly, almost like she was waiting for me to understand.

“Louis can’t give you that.”

I stood up.

“Maybe not.”

Mother looked up at me.

“But he’s enough.”

The room went silent.

Because that was the one thing she never seemed to understand.

Not everything valuable came wrapped in diamonds.

Not everything important came with a famous last name.

Louis was enough because he was real.

I walked away before the conversation could become another argument.

Because for one second, I thought maybe we could have a normal conversation.

But somehow, with Mother, everything always found a way to fall apart.

━━━━━━ ✧ ━━━━━━

Evening came faster than I expected.

Before I knew it, I was dressed in a suit I could barely tolerate, and the Larsens were only ten minutes away.

Mother stood in the dining room, carefully adjusting the centerpiece and fixing the cutlery before finally taking a step back to admire her work.

“This is pretty, isn’t it?”

She looked more than satisfied with herself.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

The pencil skirt she had chosen for me was ridiculously tight and uncomfortable. Walking was already a struggle.

How was I supposed to sit through an entire dinner like this?

Then the doorbell rang.

“They’re here. They’re here. They’re here.”

Mother repeated the words almost excitedly, looking like she was seconds away from jumping out of her skin.

I tightened my grip around the gift box she had forced me to buy for André and stood beside the dining table.

Mother took a deep breath before opening the door.

Mr. Larsen and André stood at the entrance.

Both of them looked expensive.

Like money had personally designed their outfits.

“Welcome to my humble residence, Mr. Rudolph and Mr. André,” Mother greeted with a cheerful smile.

Rudolph nodded politely before following her inside.

André stayed behind for a moment, holding a box of his own.

His mother probably made him bring something for me.

Hopefully, it wasn’t something strange.

“I’m sure you’ve met my daughter, Skyler.”

Mother introduced me to Rudolph.

I stepped forward and gave a small curtsy, offering him a respectful smile.

André’s eyes moved toward me.

His face practically revealed the subtitles running through his mind.

*What the f**k is she wearing?*

I smiled anyway, just like Mother had instructed me.

“Miss Smith,” André said, extending his hand.

I looked at him.

“Mr. Lar—”

Before I could finish, he pulled me closer.

“I hate intruders,” he whispered into my ear.

His hand moved briefly, fixing something in my hair before he let go.

Then, as if nothing happened, he walked toward the dining table.

I forced myself to smile and followed, taking my seat beside him.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I reached up to touch whatever he had adjusted.

My pin.

How did he—

I quickly pushed the thought away.

“You have a beautiful home,” Rudolph complimented.

Mother’s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded in appreciation.

Dinner was served, and we ate until everyone was satisfied.

The conversation remained casual, with Rudolph and Mother carrying most of it.

André and I, however, sat beside each other with bored expressions.

Eventually, Mother noticed.

“What’s with you two?”

André looked my way before turning back toward Pamela.

“Can I have a moment with my wife?”

I scoffed and let out a small chuckle.

Mother immediately shot me a cold glare.

“Of course. You can go up to her room—”

“The backyard sounds fine,” I interrupted.

I glared at André before standing.

I had no idea what he wanted, but anything that got me away from Mother’s watchful eyes was acceptable.

André stood as well and followed me toward the backyard.

“How can I help you?”

“What were you doing in my house?”

I scoffed, trying to deny it.

“I was never at your house, Mr. Larsen.”

He pulled out the pin and waved it in front of my face.

“I know this is yours.”

I quickly snatched it from his hand and fixed it back into my hair.

“Fine. I was at your house. I... saw your picture online.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Sorry.”

“Why... are you—”

“Because my father wants me to. I don’t feel sorry. Not one bit.”

“Such a gentleman you are, Larsen,” I spat.

I turned to leave.

“And are you any better?”

I stopped.

“You’re a married woman, yet you chose to stay with your little boyfriend.”

My expression hardened.

Did he know about Louis?

“Louis is everything you are not. He’s handsome, kind, and so much more.”

“That’s a lie.”

He smirked, taking a step closer.

“It’s the truth, and we both know it.”

I turned back to face him.

“Is that what you really think?”

His confidence only annoyed me more.

I wanted to ignore his words, but walking away would only make it seem like he had won.

So instead, I stepped into his space and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer.

“Louis is better than you, and that is a fact.”

Before I could let go and walk away, he pulled me closer.

The space between us disappeared.

His grin was full of confidence, like he already knew exactly how to get under my skin.

“Prove it then.”

His gaze remained locked on mine, challenging me.

“Show me I’m wrong.”

**ANDRÉ**

Her scent lingered long after she was gone.

It was frustrating how easily she managed to get under my skin.

Skyler Smith was infuriating. Stubborn. Impossible.

And somehow, that was exactly what made her interesting.

I laughed quietly at her attitude before walking back inside.

Apology made. Job done.

I returned to my seat beside Skyler, completely ignoring the glare she sent my way.

There was something almost fascinating about her anger.

I couldn’t figure out what bothered her more—the fact that I had brought Louis into the conversation or the fact that I had challenged her.

Either way, she was clearly affected.

“Thank you so much for having us, Miss Pamela,” Father said as dinner came to an end. “Your meal was impeccable.”

“It was my pleasure, sir,” Pamela replied with a smile.

We all stood, exchanging polite goodbyes.

Everyone shook hands.

Everyone except Skyler.

She refused to take mine.

Neither Father nor Pamela noticed. If they had, they would have made a point of forcing the two of us to pretend.

“Goodbye for now, Mr. Larsen,” Pamela said.

My attention shifted back to Skyler.

She looked uncomfortable.

I leaned slightly closer, making sure only she could hear me.

“You look uncomfortable.”

Her eyes immediately narrowed.

“Don’t talk to me.”

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Of course.

I purposely dropped my fork and bent down to pick it up.

When I straightened, I noticed the way she reacted to my closeness.

“I don’t like this look on you,” I murmured.

She immediately pulled away, clearly irritated.

“Get the hell away from me, André.”

I ignored the attitude and reached for the pin in her hair, carefully removing it before holding out the gift I had brought.

Her expression shifted.

“What’s this?”

“For you my love,” I whispered.

She looked at me, unimpressed.

“Don’t call me that.”

I only smiled as she accepted the gift.

I knew she had something for me as well, but I wasn’t going to ask.

She would come around eventually.

I stepped away from her side and followed Father toward the car.

“Did you give her the gift?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Tomorrow evening, you’ll come back here for her.”

“Yes.”

I walked toward the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove away.