Chapter 6 Variable

Bernice

"Your father just mentioned today, out of the blue, that he's back in New York. He even had the maid reorganize his room." Elina said.

"That scumbag is probably here to fight for control of Miller Corporation, trying to play on Dad's sympathies. That snake." Fed started ranting, his anxiety palpable.

I hadn't quite put together the puzzle of their enigmatic conversation. But I suspected it had something to do with Fed's half-elderly brother. It was said that he had left the Miller family since high school and set out to build his own commercial empire.

In my past life, I had never laid eyes on Fed's elder brother. His return this time around is sure to bring about considerable uncertainty for the future. I needed to be prepared for whatever might come.

As Elina began to complain incessantly to her son, I quietly rose to my feet; there was no need to listen to this conversation any longer.

"Wait, Bernice, did you hear what I said?" Elina called out to me abruptly, "You're going too."

"The family gathering?" Well, that's weird.

"Yes!" said Elina, raising her pitch again. Something about her tone revealed a little of her hidden distraction, "Don't embarrass Fed."

I meekly obliged Elina, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Then she and Fed disappeared out the front door with whispers they didn't want other ears to hear.

I went back to my room, and downloaded the new material Taylor had given me from my e-mail. Giving it a brief skim, I closed my eyes. I didn't want to get myself frustrated in any way, but I had to admit that I needed to be more prepared in order to accomplish the smooth divorce I wanted. Fed wasn't going to let the fish out of his hand that easily.

Cathy's phone rang at that moment, saving me from my inner anxiety and irritation.

"Bitch, how are you? You haven't sent me any messages since you got back!" She said.

"I apologize, ma'am. Elina's here." I shrugged.

"That evil old hag! I knew it!" Cathy gave a dry heaving sigh, "What's she doing here?"

"She informed me that there will be a dinner party at the Miller's tomorrow, and apparently I need to be Mrs. Fed Elegant Obedience." I told Cathy.

"Oh, Come on! She might be a little convinced if her son didn't dabble in sex every day." Cathy is right. Fed has a lot of philandering going on. Of course, in his explanation, it was all just regular friends.

"Cathy, do you remember Taylor? Taylor Dean," I rolled over in bed.

"Taylor the nerd? Of course, I remember him!"

"He's my divorce attorney now. I wrote him an email yesterday, and it's hard to believe he's willing to do me this favor after all this time." My hands unconsciously gathered my hair.

"Geez! I always suspected he had a crush on you, Bernie! It's true!" Cathy yelled.

I calmed down a bit, "Don't be ridiculous, Cat. Stop what you're imagining. There is nothing over the border, we are just friends."

"Okay. We will see." I'm pretty sure she made faces on the other end of the phone.

 

**

I adjusted the hem of my red velvet dress skirt in front of the mirror. It showed off almost all of my back.The hanging neckline and the length that ended at my knees made it look sexy and elegant. Old Bernice would have thought it was too conspicuous and revealing. But now I was willing to earn myself more appeal than appearing as Fed's dimly lit wife.

I searched for shelves full of shoes, sweeping from pair to pair until I saw Christian Louboutin's So Kate.

I pulled it out and tried it on, its slim heel appearing to lengthen my calves, and its glossy black upper and red sole complementing my velvet dress. I changed angles in front of the mirror, checking myself out to make sure I looked perfect at any angle.

I quickly applied my makeup, fixed my hair, and made my way to the door. I could already hear Fed showing his impatience with the honking of his horn. I opened the door and his annoyed expression turned to shock, "What are you wearing?"

I gave Fed something far beyond his perception. He's hardly ever seen me in anything that exposes my breasts or back. I gave him an innocent look that I had learned from Melissa, "Fed, I just hope that as your wife, I am worthy of you. You know, you look handsome beyond your years."

Honestly, saying that made my stomach sick. But it had the effect it was supposed to. The muscles in Fed's face visibly relaxed, "Get in the car, you should have gotten these quick."

The entire drive to Fed's parents' house was very quiet. Soon we arrived at Aaron Miller's house. An elegant villa.

Fed's body visibly tensed, he was nervous. It's a stress reaction he has every time he faces his father.

Elina stood in the entryway as she tried to look more like the mother of the house, and Fed immediately threw himself into his mother's arms like a baby in trouble. I had the good sense not to interrupt their mother-son interaction.

I accepted a glass of champagne handed to me by the waiter and walked into Aaron Miller's home, and I couldn't help but marvel at how luxurious the house was. The huge crystal chandelier still made the whole room shimmer with gentleness and elegance, and the vintage wooden style showed that its owner was rich and powerful.

There were already some guests in the room. The Millers' family gathering was huge. Amidst the clamor of people, I could detect that some of the gossip was about me, that about my business association with Fed and the poor quality of my marriage.

I was happy to provide them with a topic of conversation. More people were gossiping about a topic that concerned me more deeply - the enigmatic eldest son of the Miller family. No one actually saw him, and there didn't seem to be a picture of him in the whole house. It looked like everyone was waiting for him to show up.

The crowd suddenly quieted down, and I turned around. Aaron Miller was coming down the stairs. He had slightly more wrinkles than I remembered.

Aaron clears his throat, "All my friends. I am so grateful for your presence." The crowd raised their glasses in his direction, and I noticed Fed behind Aaron, his hands clenched tightly behind him.

Aaron raised his glass as well, "Please enjoy what you have here. Today I would like to introduce you to my son, Christian Miller, who is my pride and joy."

Wait. Christian? That familiar name inexplicably sent a jolt of tension through me. I pinched my palms, forcing myself to calm down. It couldn't be that coincidental. There were plenty of men named Christian in the world.

Aaron was still gushing when a calm footstep came from over the doorway.

The people became very quiet and Aaron's speech stopped, as if the play had finally opened. All eyes went to the man who was walking in, including mine.

But when I saw that face, it was as if I'd been struck by lightning in an instant.

I was utterly stunned.

The deep brown hair and those compelling steel gray eyes, the almost perfect contours - Christian Miller was none other than the hot Christian from that night at the strip club.

Oh fuck. I kissed my husband's brother.