A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two (Elite of Eden Falls Prep 2)

One

Dexter

Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book Two

6 years ago

I stare out of the windows of the moving car. We’re close now - I can see Oakes Estate looming before us, stretching over a cliff over the water. It’s time to meet her. Am I ready? Or will I crack under the weight of the pressure when I set eyes on the girl I’m supposed to marry only years from now?

"We're here, Dexter," my father speaks up from the front seat, giving me a warm smile. "Are you ready?"

I nod, unbuckling my seat belt as the driver opens the car door for me. I get out, my feet sinking into the wet grass underneath them. My mother fusses with my tie, tightening it so much I can scarcely breathe.

"Mom, enough," I plead with her. "It doesn't need to be that tight, nobody will notice."

She gives me a remorseful smile, then takes my hand as the driver walks us closer to the entrance into Oakes Estate. I'm nervous and my heart is pounding recklessly in my chest in expectation of what's to come.

I'm about to meet the girl I'll be marrying. My fiancée. My parents have already explained why it's important we make this alliance. Why I can't have a choice. I wasn't too upset about it, anyway. It's not like I'm interested in any other girls. I still think they're kind of gross.

We stand in front of the entrance into the Estate and the door flies open. A man stands on the doorstep, regarding us with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Welcome," he greets us. "Please, do come in."

The three of us follow him inside the house while our chauffeur waits outside. I'm impressed by the gorgeous interior of the house, glancing up at the enormous chandelier lighting up the grand hall and making it sparkle. It's gloomy outside, with thick clouds carrying the promise of rain. But inside there's no sign of that weather - everything sparkles and shines.

"Darling!" the man trills. "The Booths have arrived. Where is my dear daughter?"

A woman appears from around the corner, beautiful and somewhat annoyed. She's blonde, youthful and pretty. My eyes drink her up. But she can't be my fiancee. They said she was only thirteen years old.

"Where is Lily Anna?" the man whom I've now recognized as Emilian Oakes, speaks up again, furrowing his brows. "I thought I told her she needed to be ready at four tonight."

"I don't know, Emilian," the blonde woman bites back, obviously annoyed. "That girl is like quicksilver. I can't keep track of her anymore. Besides, she doesn't do a thing I tell her-"

"Darling." Emilian interrupts her with a tight warning smile. "Remember, we have company."

"Of course."

The blonde looks at the floor regretfully. The whole scene reminds me more of a father and daughter, not a married couple.

My parents have told me a little about the weird family situation the Oakes have going here. My fiancee Lily Anna's mother is no longer in the picture. Instead, her father married a younger socialite named Bryony and has two children with her - eleven-year-old Brazen and ten-year-old Tatianna.

As I think about it, two little kids come running through the hall, screeching their heads off. Bryony tries in vain to catch them and tell them to stop, but they don't listen to a word she's saying.

"Children!"

Emilian Oakes roars to life, glaring at the two small figures who come to a stop in front of him right away, casting guilty glances at the floor. They may not listen to their mother, but their father is a whole different story.

I look at the boy first. He's got wild hair and even wilder eyes that don't match his formal outfit one bit. The girl is pretty, like a doll, with strawberry blonde curls and a pretty, frilly dress that she's toying with now, as she nervously regards her father.

"No running in the house," the older Oakes hisses. "Understood? I'm not going to warn you again."

The two kids nod sheepishly.

"Now, where is your sister?" Oakes demands. "We've been waiting for her."

"Lily Anna is..." the boy speaks up but is interrupted the next moment.

"Right here."

All our eyes go to the top of the stairs where a young girl is standing, wearing a silky lavender gown that's much too big for her. The fabric swallows her up, pooling at her feet in dramatic purple waves. But it doesn't take away from her beauty.