Chapter – 9

I stifled my yawn and focused on the brunette who was making my ears bleed. She was going on about all the designer brands that were in her closet and the number of fashion shows she had hosted in her career. The worst part was she recognized me as a Swanson and didn’t miss a chance to sing my parents’ praise.

“If you don’t mind, Ms. Weston, I promised my girl a dance.” Orlando arrived to rescue me. The woman’s mouth went slack as I graciously accepted his hand with a sigh of relief. “Sorry for that. I got caught in a conversation and couldn’t get away,” he said as he led me to the dance floor.

“This party is boring as fuck.”

Orlando’s brows rose in question before he chuckled under his breath. “Don’t say that too loud. I’m their host, remember?” he casually joked as we moved around the dance floor.

I couldn’t help but compare him with Brian at times like this. Brian would get offended and didn’t appreciate my cussing. Had it been him, he’d have lectured me for an hour, unlike Orlando, who didn’t care.

Our feet moved in a practiced rhythm. I still wondered why everyone fancied waltzes for a business meeting. It was slow and romantic, while the event had nothing to do with romance. Most of the business associates were drinking and chatting, all looking bored to death.

“Orlando…”

“Mhmm.”

“Can we leave yet? I’d rather be in my room and do nothing.”

He thought about it for a moment and looked around. Enrique and Chiara moved lazily beside us. When Orlando’s eyes met mine again, he grinned. The first real smile he’d ever given me. “I think we can. Enrique and Dad can manage.”

Soon, we were both heading toward our rooms. I removed my heels and picked them up, enjoying how the cold marble felt against my bare feet. “Thanks for doing this.”

“It’s nothing.” He shrugged off his coat and loosened his tie.

When we reached my room, he paused. “Um…do you want to hang out for a while?” I asked, my voice hesitant at first. “I’m gonna watch a movie or two.”

“Sure,” Orlando said. “As long as you don’t force me to watch something sad, I’m in.”

I opened the door wide for him to enter and walked to the closet. “I need to change,” I called over my shoulder. Removing the tight dress was liberating. I couldn’t wait to get into my comfy pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

***

“Mike told me about your parents. Where they always like this?” Orlando asked me out of the blue.

I was so used to my parents’ attitude that I had forgotten the last time they were good to me. “They weren’t affectionate. They expected us to follow their path, and I, for one, was never good with their rules.”

I was often grounded and scolded for unknown reasons. “The day after my seventeenth birthday, I came home late after my party. They were waiting for me in the living room.”

My eyes stung as the memories surfaced.

“They said they were ashamed of me. Mom slapped me and called me a slut. ‘I can’t believe my daughter is a slut,’ were her exact words. Dad asked me to leave and never come back. Then Grandma stopped them, saying if the media got wind of this, it would ruin their reputation.”

“What happened at the party?”

“It was wild, like any other party. I got drunk. Mike locked me and Rosalinda in a room for the rest of the night.” I cringed at the memory. “Dad showed me a newspaper that had printed photos of the party. I think that’s what set them off.”

“So, they stopped talking to you?”

“Yeah, and they froze my funds.”

“What about your college?”

“I got a scholarship and took part-time jobs to manage the expenses. I moved in with Rosalinda and Mike after a few months, and they also helped.”

Mike’s parents had bought him a condo near our university. We moved in together shortly after, and our college life was pure bliss. I realized I had suffered little since my friends supported me.

“How do you handle it? I mean, your ex and your sister, knowing they’re sleeping together. It hurts more than anyone can imagine, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” I admitted. “A lot since she’s my twin, and she knew we were together. Fortunately, I never slept with him. It made things easier, in a way.”

“What? You were dating for—”

“Five months. I wanted to wait, and Brian was always keen on keeping our relationship under wraps. It didn’t sit well with me. I wanted people to know that we are seeing each other.”

“What an asshole.”

“I know, right?” I chuckled as I moved closer to him. “Do you mind?” I asked as I leaned on his shoulder, inhaling his intoxicating cologne.

“No.”

“Thanks. I need this now.” I exhaled, looped my hand around his arm, and relaxed. “Why don’t you talk about it?”

“About what?”

“About your past.” I wanted to know. Well, he’d asked about mine. I felt his body tense before he responded.

“I don’t have anything to tell.” His voice was gruff and void of emotion. His shoulders had gone stiff, and it only confirmed my theory.

“Okay, if you say so.” I didn’t want to push him further. Maybe his scars ran deeper than mine.

I felt him relax after a few minutes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t like to talk about my past.”

“It’s okay.” I sighed. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“Okay.”

We fell into a comfortable silence and watched the movie until I could no longer keep my eyes open.

***

“What are our plans for today?” Rosie asked no one in particular as we finished our breakfast on the patio overlooking the sea.

“We’ll go swimming and camping. Arrangements are already made, and four tents are being built as we speak,” Mike said.

“What?” I squeaked. “I never knew you could go camping here.”

“That’s because you were here only twice, and the weather wasn’t favorable,” Mike countered. “Pack a swimsuit.”

A few hours later, we were lounging in a clearing with a man-made pond as the men set up the tents. “Hey, where do I sleep? You guys forgot my tent,” I yelled to the men. I gave a stink eye to the girls, who giggled in response.

“Didn’t Rosie tell you? You’re sharing the tent with Orlando,” Mike called in response, and I noticed Orlando shaking his head with a small smile.

“This is not a joke,” I hissed before plopping down between Rosie and Chiara. “You didn’t have to out me like that.”

“We didn’t,” Rosie protested. “It’s logical. We’re here for a vacation, and we sure wouldn’t want to spend time away from our men, would we? And Mike thought it would be safer for you to share a tent with Orlando. It isn’t like you guys aren’t sleeping together. Ouch!” Rosie hissed and rubbed the area where I’d just pinched her.

“We aren’t sleeping together!”

“I didn’t mean it that way, bish. Chill!”

“How did you mean it, then?”

“Well, I saw you sleeping together in your room last night. You did sleep together, didn’t you?”

I groaned. “Stop putting it that way. We fell asleep together.”

“Same thing.” She shrugged, and I gave up. There was no point in arguing with her. They decided to hook me up with Orlando, and there was no stopping them now.

“Did you check your I*******m today?” Skyler asked.

“No. Did I miss something?” I was so caught up with everything around me, and since everyone I was usually in touch with was here with me, I actually didn’t give a thought to checking my phone. Suddenly, I wanted to check my profile to see if there were any new comments on Orlando’s photo.

“I won’t say you particularly missed it,” Chiara drawled. “Your twin-bitch has shared a few candid moments with a hashtag ‘throwback.’”

I was quick to pull my phone from my overnight bag and open the app. The photos were indeed candid moments, but they also revealed so many things I didn’t know. It didn’t take long for me to recognize Alana’s gown from a themed party that was held exactly four months ago. Brian and Alana appeared cozy in our garden. I had left the party after half an hour and didn’t know Brian had attended it until now.

“I dodged a bullet, didn’t I?” I refused to break down again. Brian was seeing Alana behind my back. Or was he seeing me behind her back? My mind raced.

“You did, and I can’t believe that bastard fooled all of us.”

“Our parents are business partners. It only makes sense when they’ve known each other for so long.” My voice lowered to a whisper as memories raged in my mind. I never visited my father’s office. Alana would often go to work with him when she had nothing else to do. “He bluffed when he said meeting me was an accident,” I said when no one spoke.

Now, there were questions creeping into my mind. What was Brian’s motive?

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rosie balanced herself on her elbows.

“I want to know what Brian’s motive was. Why would he lie when they were already seeing each other?”

“Hmm…maybe some sick and twisted plan of your sister dearest to get her revenge,” Chiara said.

“Revenge for what? I moved out at seventeen. I only moved back in two months ago, and that was because Mike sold his condo, and I was looking for a decent place to stay.”

It didn’t make sense. I moved in mere days before Brian proposed to Alana. My parents weren’t thrilled. But I had resigned from my job and thought it wasn’t a good idea to invest my hard-earned money in a home before I had another job. Alana had free rein over our father’s funds, and she made it her business to poke her nose into my business. For example, inviting me over for a family dinner every Sunday was her idea.

In the eyes of my parents, she was playing a perfect daughter, trying to bring the family together, while all she did was degrade me. Though I didn’t want to be a part of their lives, I went to the dinners and parties simply to remind them I was their daughter too. Perhaps a little part of me longed for their approval. However, I was sure of one thing. Brian wasn’t honest when I confronted him. What was he even thinking?

While I wanted to know the answers, another thought crossed my mind. Does it matter?

“Hey!” I yelled in surprise when Mike took my phone.

“I’ll throw this in the pond if you keep looking at that.”

“I wasn’t looking.”

“No. You were thinking, trying to find answers for questions that don’t matter anymore.”

A deep sigh left my lips, and I raised my arms in surrender. “I won’t sulk, promise.”

He handed me the phone with a smirk. “Good. Put this to good use like yesterday. I’ll pose for you if you want.”

I snorted. “Drooling over you is her job now.” I pointed at Skyler, who snickered at my comment. “I’ll stick with my date for now.”

Mike shrugged with a cheeky grin. “Can’t complain.” When he turned, he did what he always did—pull the rug from under me. “Hey, Orlando!” he hollered. “Mind posing for this chick here?”

I groaned when Orlando walked toward us with a smug grin. “What would you prefer, Arianna? Front or back?” His voice dripped with a fake sweetness that made me narrow my eyes at him.

Orlando – 1; Arianna – 0

“Well, how about a nude one?”

Orlando – 0; Arianna – 1

My friends chuckled under their breath as Orlando shook his head with a full-blown smile. I shrugged, feeling happy because I got even with him. It was now my turn to smirk, and I did so, taking a swig of water from my bottle.

“As long as you’re the only one who would see it, I don’t mind.”

The next thing I knew, the water I was drinking had entered my nostrils, and I was choking as everyone burst into laughter.

Orlando – 1; Arianna – 0

“Are you okay?” Orlando’s concerned face loomed over me as the others clutched their stomachs, unable to control their laughter.

Not trusting my words, I raised both my thumbs at him and nodded with what must have been a constipated-looking smile. This day couldn’t get any better.