Chapter 3
856 Words
You're actually talking to her? Are you suddenly interested in her now that she's hot?" Bianca spat, her face contorted in anger.
Bianca was now Lucas' girlfriend and him trying to flirt with Bethany made her angry.
Lucas shifted uncomfortably, trying to get her to calm down. "It's not like that. Just drop it, all right?
Bethany's jaw clamped down. Bianca. The source of her humiliation all those years ago.
The queen bee in their social circle, pulling strings in running cruel jokes and snide remarks.
Zayn looked at Bethany and could tell her expression had changed. "Bianca's still the same, huh?"
"Some things never change," Bethany fumed.
Just then, her buzzing phone caught her attention. Her father's name lit up on the screen.
"Hey, Dad."
"Bethany, I hope you haven't forgotten about the party tonight?"
"Party?"
"What party?"
"My friend's event, sweetheart. The one we talked about last week. Your attendance is important.
She had totally forgotten about it.
"Oh. that's right. I remember. What time is it?
"It starts at 7. I will introduce you to some important people. Don't be late," he added, hanging up the call.
"I have to leave now. We will catch up later." She said goodbye to Zayn and left in a flash.
Lucas got home from the reunion still in shock from his confrontation with Bethany.
He couldn't get her out of his mind-the image, the manner in which she walked away from him as if he meant nothing.
The humiliation from it all stung. How did she change so much? and why did it bug him so much?
As he stepped into his family's large estate, the immediate sounds of music and chatter hit him.
He'd forgotten that today was the party. His Dad was hosting some kind of business party, and Lucas had been expected to make an appearance.
He just wasn't feeling it, but every time he managed to dodge these functions, ir just made his father more insistent.
He walked through the grand hall toward the main room where the guests were assembled.
His father, Henry Grey, spotted him and headed over to him, holding a drink in his hand.
"Lucas, finally," his father greeted him with a light tap on his arm.
"What took you so long? I was wondering when you'd show up."
"I just got back," Lucas said, trying to keep his voice neutral. He wasn't really in the mood for small talk.
Henry nodded, looking around the room. "I'm glad you're here. There's someone I want you to meet."
Lucas' brow arched, he knew where this was going.
"Dad, I told you I already have a girlfriend."
He flailed his hand. "Bianca, right. But you know how I feel about her. She's… not the best fit for our family."
"I don't care if you like her or not. I'm not here to be matched up with someone else."
Just meet her," Henry insisted. "She's the daughter of an old friend of mine. I think you'll find her… interesting."
Lucas sighed, following his father through the crowd. He wasn't interested in being paraded around like some pawn in his father's business deals, but arguing would only drag this out longer.
As they approached a small group near the bar, Henry smiled and waved someone over.
"Here she is. Bethany, come meet my son, Lucas."
His head snapped up, and there she was-Bethany Sinclair-standing right in front of him and looking equally shell-shocked as he was.
The woman his father had been trying to set him up with was Bethany.
Bethany's eyes were wide with her expression full of confusion and disbelief, Lucas was the last person she was expecting to meet there.
Lucas swallowed hard as his heart raced within his chest.
Of all the people in the world, his father had to choose her? Bethany took a little longer to recover, but she finally set a polite smile upon her face, though Lucas could see the strain in the way she held herself.
"Mr. Grey," she acknowledged Henry with a slight nod of her head, her voice even.
Henry smiled, unaware of all the history between them. "Lucas, this is Mr Sinclair's daughter, Bethany Sinclair."
Lucas stared at her in some disbelieving light of what was happening right in front of him. He could almost feel his father's stare on him while he waited for him to say something.
But what could he say? What was Bethany doing here? And how could his father be trying to match him up with her?
Finally, Lucas found his voice, though it came out strained. “Bethany and I… we know each other.”
Henry's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. "Oh? Well, that does make things easier, doesn't it?"
Bethany's glance flickered to his, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes, we went to university together.
Lucas felt his pulse quicken. This wasn’t going to end well. He could already feel the tension rising between them, and his father had no idea.
Henry, still oblivious, clapped his hands together. “Perfect! That makes this introduction a lot smoother. I’ll leave you two to catch up.
- Writer
