Chapter 7
1659 Words
Stefan’s POV
It’s good that Daphne is still here. The timing couldn’t be better to introduce Adrian to her.
“I thought you left,” my mom says the moment she sees me. She rises from her chair and walks over, then her gaze shifts to Adrian. Her brows knit together. “Who is he?”
“Oh my f*****g God!” Bianca screams. She jumps to her feet, rushing toward us. “You’re Adrian. Adrian Gilbert.” Her hands fly to her mouth. “How—what—how the f**k are you here?”
Adrian stiffens beside me, clearly flustered, his smile stretching wider as if it might save him. I step in before the moment gets any more awkward.
“I want you all to meet my really good friend, Adrian,” I say. “He’s a famous actor, and judging by your reaction, Bianca, you already know him.”
“Why the f**k didn’t you tell me you knew him?” she blurts out, looking like she might faint on the spot. “Is this even reality?”
My eyes drift to Daphne. She’s focused on her plate, moving her fork slowly, almost deliberately. No wide eyes. No excitement. I didn’t expect that—not with the way Bianca is spiraling.
“I think you should give him some space,” my mom says gently. She gestures toward the table. “Come, join us for breakfast.”
“Thank you so much, ma’am,” Adrian replies, relief slipping into his voice as he takes the seat opposite Daphne.
“I want to know everything,” Bianca presses, dragging a chair closer. “How did you guys meet? And how are you even friends?”
“We went to the same uni together,” I say easily. “The rest is history.”
That part is true—mostly. Adrian and I were never that close. I helped him through his coursework, and in return, he promised to help me whenever I needed it.
“Daphne,” I add, smiling at her, “you should greet Adrian.”
Her eyes lift to mine. She smiles back, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Then she turns to Adrian.
“Nice to meet you,” she says calmly.
“Nice to meet you again,” Adrian replies, a little too brightly.
Again?
“Do you guys know each other?” Bianca asks sharply.
“Huh?”
“We’ve met once before,” Adrian says.
I look at Daphne. So she’s met him before. That’s… interesting. Maybe even convenient.
“It was at that party, Bianca,” Daphne says quickly. “Nothing serious.”
“You didn’t see the need to tell me you met him?” Bianca whines.
“I didn’t even know—”
“I’m here now,” Adrian cuts in smoothly, smiling at Bianca. “So feel free to ask me anything.”
“We should get a selfie later—after I look a little more presentable,” Bianca says.
“Of course,” Adrian replies, winking at her.
She blushes instantly.
Breakfast drags on longer than it should. Bianca can’t stop firing questions at Adrian, barely pausing to breathe between them. I watch the interaction with a growing knot in my chest. He’s here for Daphne, yet the two of them barely exchange a word.
That worries me.
When breakfast finally ends, Adrian leaves, promising to return tonight. Tonight is Bella’s and my engagement party—again. My mom insisted on doing it properly this time.
I stand in front of the mirror later, adjusting my collar. The outfit fits perfectly. Of course it does—Bella picked it out. A smile tugs at my lips, but it fades the moment Daphne crosses my mind.
I can’t f*****g believe I kissed her again.
I don’t understand why my body reacts this way whenever she’s near. It makes no sense. None. Yet the memory alone is enough to make my stomach tighten, heat pooling low in my body.
This is so f****d.
I’m f****d.
If I don’t stop this, I’ll ruin everything. And Daphne doesn’t make it easy—she never does. Still, I trust Adrian. His charm, his presence… he’ll distract her. Swoon her. She’ll stop thinking about me, and I won’t have to worry anymore.
That thought settles me.
I smile, satisfied.
The house is already buzzing with activity, decorations going up everywhere. As usual, my mom is running around, stressed and giving orders.
“You look nice,” I say when I spot Bianca.
“Of course I do, Stefan,” she replies, smoothing her dress. “Adrian will be here.”
I hesitate, then decide it’s better to warn her now than let her ruin my plan.
“Actually, Bianca,” I say carefully, “Adrian likes Daphne.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh… that’s awkward. But does Daphne even know?”
“Not yet,” I say. “I’m just letting you know so you don’t get any ideas about hooking up with him.”
“I wasn’t trying to—” She pauses, then sighs. “You know what, forget it. If he’s interested in Daphne, I guess that’s a good thing. I’ve never seen her with any man before. She doesn’t even talk about men. I used to think she might be—”
“Might be what?” I ask, a little too quickly.
She waves it off. “Forget it. I’m just excited.”
She walks away, leaving me standing there.
That’s… strange.
The crowd cheered as I exchanged rings with Bella, and when I pulled her close and kissed her on the lips, her laughter blended into the noise around us.
“Stefan, our family is watching,” she said, blushing as she tried to hide her smile.
“We’re together now, so it doesn’t matter,” I whispered against her ear, holding her a little longer than necessary.
“I’m happy now,” my mom said as she came over to us, her voice filled with excitement. “Your wedding will be the biggest in the entire country, and I can’t wait for it.” She turned to Bella without missing a beat. “Come with me, Bella, I need to introduce you to everyone from our side of the family,” she added, already guiding her away.
I smiled as they disappeared into the crowd, and when a waiter approached me, I took a glass of wine, letting the familiar atmosphere of the hall settle around me. Adrian had arrived not too long ago, yet I had no idea where he was, and that thought stayed with me as I looked around the room before deciding to step outside to search for him.
That was when I saw Adrian and Daphne kissing, so close that my hand loosened around the glass, which slipped from my fingers and shattered on the ground, the sound sharp enough to make them both pull apart.
“Stefan,” Daphne said, her eyes wide as she looked at me.
“Huh… I’m sorry,” I said, forcing the words out. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you both.”
“Stefan, I—”
“I should leave,” I cut in, already turning away as I walked straight back to my room, locked the door behind me, and let out a long breath while my heart continued to race in my chest, even though I kept telling myself that Adrian was good for her and that I should be happy because they were already kissing, yet I couldn’t understand why my chest felt so tight.
“f**k,” I muttered under my breath. “Why did I leave like that, acting like I caught my girlfriend cheating on me? This looks bad.”
The knock on my door made my heart jump, and when I opened it, I forced a smile as I saw Bella standing there.
“Why did you leave me alone with your mother?” she asked tiredly as she walked in, dropping onto the bed with a sigh. “You have quite a lot of distant relatives, and you didn’t warn me at all.”
I joined her and lay beside her while she turned her head slightly toward me.
“Does this feel like a dream to you?” she asked softly. “Because sometimes it feels like I’m dreaming.”
I looked at her then, really looked at her, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at how beautiful she was, and when her gaze met mine, I leaned in and kissed her, only to pull back again and sit up as I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that. I know you want us to wait until after marriage.”
She sat up too, watching me carefully.
“You’ve had s*x with someone before, right?” she asked, and although it wasn’t something she had ever asked me before, I nodded.
“Then I don’t mind if we do it tonight,” she said simply.
“Tonight?” I asked, my voice betraying my surprise.
“Yes,” she replied as she moved closer to me. “I want you, Stefan,” and the smile that crossed my face was instinctive as I leaned in to kiss her again, the kiss deepening as she kissed me back and our tongues intertwined, the room filling with soft sounds while she helped me take off my shirt and I reached for the zipper of her dress, laying her back on the bed as my breathing grew uneven.
When I pulled away, my eyes widened as I saw Daphne, and confusion slammed into me all at once because none of this made sense, and just as I leaned closer, about to kiss her, the knock on the door cut through the moment.
- Writer
