Six
1081 Words
Weston and I stood in a driveway lined with majestic-looking oak trees that led to the house. The Montgomery’s house looked like something out of a magazine. Could this even be called a house? It was a straight-up mansion. The difference in our social classes was yet again thrust in my face.
I followed behind Weston, trying and failing, not to look like I was gawking at everything. I’ve never been somewhere this posh and this was just the outside. The doors were made of solid mahogany with polished brass handles. As we approached, the double door to the house was opened for us.
They had someone to open the doors for them?
“You should probably close your jaw if you don’t want to start catching flies,” Weston said.
I shut my mouth and glared at his back.
I followed him through the house until we came to a dining room. The room was large and had a vaulted ceiling that was surely two storeys high with an enormous crystal chandelier suspended in the middle of it all. There was a dining table set in the middle of it where four placements had been set.
My mother came to greet us along with Arthur. She rushed to me and ran her hands over my face. “Oh my gosh. What happened?”
I waved away her concern. “I got hit in the face by a ball. No need to worry.”
She nodded with a frown still on her face. “I’m so glad you could join us despite your busy schedules.”
“It was no trouble,” Weston said.
I eyed him in shock. Gone was the mocking tone he had before. He sounded genuinely polite. Even my mom looked taken aback in the most pleasant way.
We sat down at the table. Was it going to be another disaster?
“Josephine,” Weston started. “I would like to formally apologise for my behaviour last time. It was childish and uncalled for. I have no excuses, but I hope you can find it in your heart to accept my apology.”
My mother smiled brightly. “Thank you for that. I know it must have been quite a shock. It’s all in the past.”
Arthur smiled proudly. “My son is prone to those types of outbursts sometimes.”
“It’s fine. I hope we can all move on from this and relate to each other better.”
The dinner was going surprisingly well. I never in my wildest imagination thought it would be anything other than painful.
“Isabella, I hear you’ve been having trouble with your dorm,” Arthur said.
My face heated in discomfort. My mother smiled guiltily and was quick to say, “Arthur overhead us talking about your payments.”
“You don’t have to keep things from me,” Arthur said. “We’re already married, that means we’re family now.” He turned to me. “About your dorm, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Weston offered for you to stay with him at the apartment downtown.”
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth. I looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s- that’s too much.” I added, “I was going to live with a friend until I can find an affordable alternative. You really don’t have to do this.”
Arthur set his hand on top of my mother’s and smiled that charming smile. “I know how much of a struggle it’s been taking care of your daughter all alone. Weston saw the error of his ways and thought it would be the best way to make amends. Isn’t that right son?”
“Right. The error of my ways and all that jazz,” he said in a very thin voice. He didn’t sound all that happy about the proposal.
“Really, thank you for the offer, but I-”
“You don’t have to answer right now. But please, think on it for a while. The offer will stay open as long as you need.”
I saw Weston’s hand gripping his fork like he wanted to choke it. Was he holding back all manner of vile words under that pleasantly polite exterior? My guess was yes; I knew his apology was too good to be true.
The rest of the dinner went by and nothing terrible happened. Weston was a little quiet but was otherwise courteous when asked a question. Living with him? Could that be possible? But I was pretty sure he only offered the place as a courtesy. There was no way he wanted me to live with him, was there?
My mother offered to do the dishes but Arthur assured her the housekeeper would take care of it when she came in tomorrow.
I wandered about the place looking for the bathroom; this place was like a maze. I think I was well and truly lost.
I heard voices down the hallway and sighed in relief. I headed in the direction of the voices but stopped short when I heard the biting tone of the words.
I walked slowly until I came upon a door that was slightly ajar.
“...to be changes from now on. You have been spoiled for too long. You will share the apartment with your new sister.” That was Arthur.
I took a peek and saw that he was talking to Weston in a study. I should leave. This was eavesdropping, wasn’t it?
“She’s not my sister. And my apartment is not open to her kind of filth.”
Arthur raised his hand and smacked Weston across the face. Weston staggered to the ground. The blow had been so sudden and powerful that it reverberated in my skull.
My eyes widened and I took a step back.
What the hell…?
“That’s the apartment I pay for,” Arthur said in a voice as cold as the dead. His hand grabbed Weston’s neck in a chokehold, leaned in his face and said in a low murmur, “Everything you own, everything you are, is because of me.”
I gasped. The slight sound reached them and I saw his father’s head jerk up. I didn’t wait for them to find me gawking at their clearly private conversation. I backed away from the door and sped away from there. My mind still echoed with the memory of that blow.
- Writer
