The Billionaire's Forced Bride

Playing with Fire

Chapter 005

Playing With Fire

Sisi's POV

“You ended up messing everything up!” I hissed furiously into the phone, pacing the length of my bedroom. My hands shook greatly, though not with fear, but with fury.

The incompetent man on the other end, some low-level lackey who couldn't bring himself to even get a simple task right, stammered. “I...I swear, Miss Sisi, the instructions you gave were duly followed. The room was exactly...”

“Wrong!” I snapped at him, cutting him off. “You ended up putting her in the wrong room! Do you know exactly what you've done? Do you even understand the disaster you've caused for me and my family?”

He tried his best to explain, but I wasn’t having it talk more about listening anymore. Slamming the phone down, I furiously turned to face the mirror. My reflection shockingly glared back furiously at me, the unsatisfied image of a woman wronged, not really by fate, but by avoidable incompetence.

There was a sharp and annoying knock at the door before it opened wide. Mom barged in like she owned the room, her face set in that usual mix of frustration and expectation.

“Sisi, what’s really going on? What’s all the shouting I was hearing downstairs about?” she demanded.

I jumped onto the bed in my usual dramatic nature, covering my now pale face with a pillow. “What’s exactly is going on? Oh, I don’t have any idea, Mom. Maybe the fact that, instead of expecting her to be damaged beyond repair, your precious Amara, for no reason, just got a marriage proposal from Damian's freaking Kane family!”

Mom immediately froze mid-step, her hand tightening the moment she placed it on the doorknob. “Damian... Kane? As in...”

“As in Damian Kane, we all know. The ruthless and untouchable billionaire. Yes, that's him,” I spat out, sitting up abruptly. “She had her way and spent the night with him, and now he’s playing the knight in shining armor, offering to marry her instead of punishing her!”

Mom sat down dejectedly on the edge of the bed, her perfectly manicured nails now tapping furiously against her thigh. “That... that wasn’t the plan initially.”

“No kidding!” I said, throwing my hands up. “She was, according to the plan, supposed to end up with some nobody, humiliated beyond repair, not... not surprisingly upgraded to the best man!”

The room became very quiet for a moment, both of us confused and stewing in the absurdity of the situation.

“Well,” Mom finally found her voice to start, breaking the silence, “You’ll have to do everything possible to fix it."

“Fix what exactly?” I repeated, staring intensely at her in disbelief. “How exactly did you come up with the suggestion I fix that? You should be aware that Damian isn’t some pushover, Mom. He’s...of all I know, very intimidating.”

Mom raised an eyebrow, clearly disappointed in me. “You’re not truly afraid of him, or are you?”

“No!” I shot back quickly, so quickly that it blew my cover. “But I’m not also stupid either. I did my research, only to realize that men like Damian don’t play games. They just go ahead to destroy you if you cross them.”

“Then don’t attempt crossing him,” she said, her voice reduced to an extent, bearing a calm demeanor and calculating. “You should outsmart him by giving him the impression that you’re on his side. Ensure to turn the situation to your advantage.”

“How do I do that?” I asked anxiously, narrowing my eyes.

Mom stood up from where she sat, walked over to the window, her gaze distant. “Damian may be ruthless and powerful, but don't forget that he’s still a man. And men like him also have weaknesses. Find his immediately, and use it.”

I chewed on my lip, my mom had succeeded in igniting the wheels in my mind to spin. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe Damian also had weaknesses. And if I could do my assignment well, and find them, I could not only succeed in destroying Amara’s new source of happiness but also put myself exactly where I rightfully deserved to be: in the spotlight.

But first, all I need now is to play my card well.

Later that same evening, as I wandered around the house, I sighted Amara sitting alone in the garden, her shoulders somehow hunched, staring blankly at the flowers. She looked somewhat miserable, which from my plan should have excited me, but instead, it annoyed me.

“What exactly is the matter, sis?” I asked sweetly, leaving my path and stepping onto the stone path. “You look like a child whose friend stole her favorite candy.”

Amara froze the moment I said that but didn’t turn to look at me. “Go away this minute, Sisi. I’m not in the mood to exchange words with you.”

“Oh, come on big sis,” I said, making myself comfortable by sitting down beside her. “I just cared much, grew worried because I didn't see you, and decided to check on you. After all, you’ve had... quite an eventful day.”

Her head snapped toward me, her eyes blazing. “What do you want, Sisi?”

I smiled innocently. “Nothing much! I just think it’s hilarious, that’s all. It wasn't long since you got engaged to Victor, the perfect couple everyone praised, and now suddenly you’re Damian Kane’s damsel in distress, that's Cinderella in making. Quite an unexpected plot twist, don’t you think?”

Amara’s jaw tightened like she could tear me into two if allowed, but I cared less. “If you’ve come here just to gloat, don’t bother. I have already figured out exactly what kind of person you are.”

I feigned hurt, displaying my hand with perfectly manicured nails on my chest. “Wow. That’s really harsh. And here I was thinking we were sisters.”

“Sisters don’t go as far as stabbing each other in the back,” she shot back, and standing abruptly before she could finish the sentence.

I stood too. There was no need to stay there anymore, my smile fading. “Maybe not, and I understand. But sisters weren't also supposed to waste opportunities, especially the golden ones. You had the perfect man in Victor, every woman's dream, and you let it all go to waste. Now, for no reason, you’re being handed Damian on a silver platter, and what? You’re going to say no again?”

Amara maintained a steady gaze, then looked away, her lips pressed tightly.

“You’re a big fo*l, Amara,” I dropped without minding how it would affect her, my voice dropping to a whisper. “And fo*ls don’t deserve happy endings.”

With that, I turned, not looking back to see her reaction, then walked away, my mind already racing with the next steps in my plan. If Amara thought I was supporting her, that this was over, she had no idea what was coming her way.