The Billionaire's Bargain

Chapter 5

Ariel's POV

Meeting The Stones

"Your hair can't look worse, can it now?" Sylvester asked with a blank face as I got into the back of the Bentley with him.

"Hey," I managed to croak out as a reply. What else could a girl reply to such a remark? I'd spent hours in the salon to treat my hair and roll the tips, giving it what I could say was a beautiful bounce even two patrons at the salon agreed too.

Sylvester's eyes stayed on me as I squirmed in my seat, tugging for the hem of my dress and fiddling with my purse. "I... This was the dress Dave picked?" I asked and he continued to stare wordlessly. The dress was a little short - a lot too short. It barely covered my upper thighs and the neckline was so deep that I suspected Sylvester had a great view from his 6"2 feet.

"We're really meeting your family?" I asked and he paused for a moment. As if he was thinking, then he said, "You are meeting my mother and sister, that's all the family."

I nodded, I had a lot to say about the dress, the length, piece tags and color but I was not one to complain about a $850 dress, so I resorted to pulling down the hem and wriggling uncomfortably. How would a certain Mrs. Stone take this? I was dressed like a glorified w***e in a Bentley - what a first impression.

"Stop doing that." Came Sylvester's voice and my gaze snapped up to him. "The dress is perfect," he said and then took my palm off my lap where I was trying in vain to hide my plain black lacy panties.

I swallowed as his hands lingered on mine and then he let go of it, dropping it on the car seat. "I was wondering if I could get a change of clothes, I mean..."

"No," came his brisk reply, almost too soon, and I snapped my mouth shut. I had a bad feeling about that meeting and I knew I should have told Hilary about it, she had ideas on sensitive things of such nature. But the stupid contract couldn't let me do that.

I looked at Sylvester and gladly he was now staring at his phone, "Uhmm.. I was thinking of letting my friend know about the engagement and..."

"It's on the news, she knows." He replied curtly and focused on his phone. "I don't need any gossips, you'll send her an invite for the wedding." He said, a note of finality in his tone. I gulped and winced at the thought of Hilary's anger and disappointment at not being informed on time.

In less than twenty-five minutes, we arrived at the Stone Estate. It was a vast landscape, three detached houses stood at the edge of the estate, one duplex was passed on either side of the interlocked driveway. Then the magnificent Stone Mansion stood just before open greenery, large enough to be a golf course and a small town.

"Welcome home." He said and got out of the car as Dave got the door. I stood beside him, resisting the intense urge to tig down the hem of my dress. A butler appeared almost immediately and led us both into the building. What was the parlor was large enough to be a building on its own. A copy of the statue "David Michaelangelo" stood at the center of the hall, an elevator on either side of it.

"Oh goodness, Sylvester! You really came!" A shrill voice chirped excitedly from above the stairs. A willowy elderly woman came down, her hair a lovely blonde, she was just a foot or less of Sylvester's height.

"Mother, radiant as always." Sylvester said with a smile, the first genuine one I'd seen on my face since I met him. "Oh please, you flatter me, son." The woman said and then her gaze landed on me. I could see a sneer come over her features, her glare intense and her lips curled downward in a frown, but in a split second, it was gone, like it was all in my head. I blinked and all I could see was a wide smile pointed at me.

"And this must be the new fiance." She said with a beam and pulled me into a hug, "She's okay," she commented, and turned to her son like I wasn't just standing there.

"Mother, Ariel," he said and then turned to me, "Ariel, my mother, Clara Stone." He introduced me and I smoked at the older woman, "Please, just call me Clara." She said,

"Why don't you get ready for lunch, I'm sure you've had a tiring trip, I'll show her around." She offered and Sylvester left without as much as a glance my way.

The moment he got in the elevator and the doors closed, I was sure I hadn't imagined the expression on the older woman's face earlier, it was there and it was a sneer alright.

"This? He picked this?" She asked, then shook her head as if in disbelief, she looked my hand in hers. It was a firm grip alright, firm enough that it hurt and I lightly tugged to get out of her grip, it was obvious she didn't intend to let me loose.

"Oh I know your trick little thing, I know you are just a trophy, I know my son can not fall in love, talk more of a girl...like you," she said, her eyes traveling down to my mini dress and bare legs. "I'll make this easier for you, cliche right? But there's nothing I won't do to keep my family safe." She stated and then turned to stare at the elevator door. "If you know what if best for you, Miss Hudson, you'll walk out that door before my son arrives and never look back," she said with a sick smile, then she added, "This is the last time I'll ask nicely." And with that, she dusted an invisible speck off my cheek and strolled away.