Chapter 4

The massive white gates swing open, allowing Lianna and her dad to enter. They drive slowly while they look at their surroundings. Trees surround the house with a large Olympic swimming pool next to the house. Lianna gawks out the window at all the flowers in the enormous garden that enfolds the house.

“Behave.” Her dad taps her leg and she returns to her normal sitting position.

The car stops in the driveway and a woman comes into their view. She is short with a stern look on her face that sends shivers down Lianna’s spine. She has been so caught up in her world, she forgot about this world. She forces a small smile and all the childhood memories come flashing back. She forgot how cold and cruel this world is.

“She scares me,” Lianna says through her teeth, keeping her forced smile. Her dad nudges her arm as a sign to get out of the car. Before she opens the door, she takes a deep breath in. Just do not do anything stupid.

She climbs out of the car and takes her dad’s arm They walk until they reach the woman. When they stop in front of the woman, surprise and confusion are visible on her face. Lianna bows her head along with her father.

“Evening, Mrs. Rhodes,” Lianna greets politely. The woman manages to mask the emotions and bows her head in response. She then turns her head to Lianna’s dad.

“Mister Evans. It is nice of you to join us tonight.”

“Please, call me John.” Her father smiles at the woman.

“You can call me Rose,” she says with a thin smile. “Please, follow me.” She walks with a quick pace to the front door. They follow her into the house and Lianna contains her shock. The house is bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside. She has seen many mansions, but this is the biggest house she has ever been in.

“What a lovely house you have, Rose,” her father compliments. Rose smiles over her shoulder before she tosses her hair over her shoulder.

“Through here,” she says when they walk through a hall. A framed certificate catches Lianna’s eye. She walks closer to inspect the certificate. Harvard Law School. Woah.

She points to the frame and her dad raises an eyebrow. He also walks closer to see what she is referring to.

“William graduated from Harvard Law School. He was the youngest student to ever graduate from Harvard Law. He was already 18,” Rose says with her head held high and pride clear in her voice.

“Already?” Lianna whispers to her dad. He shrugs and presses his lips together.

“He is currently the youngest partner at Intra Vires Law Firm. He is also the founder of the Luxury Care Hotel group, one of the leading hotel groups in the hotel industry. He is currently busy with his Master’s in Business Administration.” Rose says as they walk out into a brightly lit garden.

There is a table with chairs in the middle of the garden. Rose comes to a halt and turns back to Lianna and her dad.

“I will be with you in a minute. I will fetch William and his father. Please, be seated.” She gestures to the chairs and bows before she walks back into the house.

Lianna bites her lip as she makes her way to the chairs. She falls into the chair with a loud thud. Her dad gives her a warning glare, but she scrunches her nose up. His glare turns soft as he smiles at her.

“This is insane. “Already” graduated from Harvard Law at the age of 18 and he is the youngest partner in that fancy law firm. Pfft, overachiever if you ask me.” Her dad laughs softly and shakes his head.

“Remember, most rich kids go out into the world and achieve great things. They aren’t like you,” her dad jokes. She pretends to be offended as she clicks her tongue. “Hey, don’t do that. It’s bad manners.”

“Yes, Father,” she says with a deep bow. These people are crazy. Their poor son. Lianna knows that most of his achievements were probably not his dream, but rather those of his parents. Another shiver runs down her spine and she looks around the garden. It feels like someone is watching her.

William tightens his tie while he stares out of his window. His mother said he is acquainted with the girl, but he has never seen her before. His mother must be mistaken. He frowns when he hears her talking about his achievements. Typical, that is all they ever care about.

When he hears her calling him an overachiever, he is taken aback. If only she knew how much he had to sacrifice. She will never understand that it was not the plan he had for his life. She gets to be free of this burden, and yet she still makes fun of him.

He clears his throat and takes a few calming breaths. He grabs his jacket and walks down the stairs. In the kitchen, he finds his mother and father arguing again. What is it about this time?

“This is not the girl we agreed on,” his mother says sharply. His father invited the wrong girl?

“I am aware, but her family name is stronger and it will give William more power in the hotel industry if we combine our family names.” His father sounds irritated. Now is not the right time for an argument. They can settle this when the guests have left.

“It doesn’t matter, does it? They are here and we cannot ask them to leave. This is not the time or the place,” William says with a controlled voice. He does not have the strength for this.

“You’re right. Luckily you got my mind and not hers,” his father says and points to the hall. “After you.” William bows his head and walks first with his parents not far behind him.

He steps into the garden and waits for his parents to catch up. His mother walks before him and he follows her. The girl laughs and then the man joins her with a deep laugh.

William straightens his jacket and his father pats his shoulder.

“I am sorry for keeping you waiting.” The girl turns to face them and she stands up, bowing her head. “This is my husband, Sebastian.” William’s father steps forward. The girl’s father also stands up and shakes Sebastian’s hand.

“Nice to see you again,” the man says with a comfortable smile and gentle eyes. He then turns to William and holds out his hand.

“My son, William,” his mother introduces him. He shakes the man’s hand. The man has a strong grip and big, calloused hands. He gives a polite smile.

“Nice to meet you, Sir.”

“Just John, please.” William nods his head. John seems somewhat familiar. He wonders where he has seen him before. The girl takes a step forward and stands next to her father.

“This is my daughter, Lianna,” John says proudly, and Lianna bows her head.

“Nice to meet you, Mister Rhodes.” She then turns her whole body to William. “Nice to meet you too,” she says with a sincere smile. William studies her as they all take their seats.

Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a formal bun. It looks like that is her natural hair color. It is still in good condition. Her makeup is not too much, a more natural look. Her brown eyes are almost the same color as his. The blue dress shows off her wide hips and thin waist. She appears to be in good shape. Her nails are short and well-kept.

“So, how has business been these days?” John breaks the silence. Sebastian gestures for the servants to bring the wine and return to John.

“Ah, you know how unstable the economy is these days. Many clients are withdrawing most of their money from their portfolios. We have taken quite the knock in the last three months. But we manage what we can. How is the hotel business going? William doesn’t always inform me about everything that happens,” his father remarks while he watches the servant.

“I understand why. If I go into detail about everything that happens in the industry, we will be sitting here for quite a while,” John jokes. He takes a sip of the wine before he continues.

Lianna watches William from her peripheral without making it obvious. He is attractive. It does not make sense why he is still single at this age. His brown hair is longer on the top and short at the bottom. What do you call it again? A fade? He is clean-shaven and well-dressed. He looks like a typical business tycoon, only younger.

She darts her eyes toward him and catches him also inspecting her. It is to be expected that they would be studying each other. They might get married after all.

“No thank you,” Lianna declines the wine. The servant moves on to Rose.

“Do you not like red wine?” Rose tilts her head with a sly smile. Lianna smiles and slightly bows her head.

“No, I am not fond of it. But thank you,” she says with a polite smile. William watches as John gives Lianna a quick smile. He has to give it to her. Most give a pathetic excuse not to drink red wine if they do not like it. Lianna is the first to directly decline it.

“Are you more of a white wine person?” his mother continues. Lianna shakes her head.

“Oh no. I am not big on wine overall.” Lianna takes a sip of water from the glass on the table. She hates the taste of red wine. William is keeping his gaze on her and she tries to ignore him. There is something about his stare. She listens to her father and Sebastian talking about some golf events that occurred this weekend.

“William, I never got a chance to meet you in person when I was at the conference last week. Your father told me that you are also in the hotel industry. I was shocked to find out that you are the founder of the Luxury Care Hotel group.”

“I wanted to say that you seem familiar. You bought the land in Liverpool, right?”

“Yes. I found out later that you were the other bidder on the lands,” John says with a laugh. “Apologies about that. You know how things are.”

“It’s no problem. Business is business.” William smiles and holds his glass in the air. His mother follows his lead and everyone raises their glasses.

“Thank you for coming tonight. And to your future,” his mother says and they all clink their glasses together. Rose waves to a nearby servant and they take that as the signal to bring out the starters. Lianna sighs internally at the idea of a three-course meal. This is going to be a long dinner.