Chapter 3

Amber Pov

My eyes widened when I heard what Uncle Roman's handsome guest said. My expression was shocked but I quickly calmed myself down. Maybe this handsome guy is just kidding me. Don't he dare to kid me something like this because he will taste my strong kick in his golden balls.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Mister? And why would I be your wife?" I asked him in disbelief.

Only then did the man stand up straight and I discovered that he would pass as a basketball player. He is too tall. I'm not short but if you compare my height with his, we will look like beautiful David and handsome Goliath. I still have to look up at him to see his face.

"Didn't you fight that you are Amber because you want to be my wife and not your sister?" the man talking to me raised his eyebrows. His face was serious and could also read the way he look at me that he looked down on me. Why? But whatever his reason was I didn't like it.

"You know, Mr—"

"Phil Salvatore," he quickly cuts what I was going to say.

"Mr. Phil Salvatore, I don't know what you're talking about, okay? And of course, no matter who you are, you will fight if someone else claims your name and identity. That's what I did now. Even you, you'll fight for yourself when someone claimed your name and identity, right?" I answered him aggressively than I suddenly touched the back of my neck. "And can you please go back to your sit? My neck is a little bit tired from looking up at you. Why are you so tall?" I said to him while slightly grimacing my lips.

Suddenly Mr. Salvatore's eyes narrowed when he heard my first words but he seemed amused when he heard my added words. But he didn't say anything, instead, he went back to his sit and then stare at me again. A kind of stare that is very disturbing. I am used to being stared at because, at the night bar where I work, many people stare at me. Many customers praised me and said that I am very beautiful. I don't know why they think I am very beautiful when I know that my looks are just average. Maybe it's because the lights inside the bar are dim that the customers find me more beautiful. But I'm not ugly though I don't think I'm that beautiful enough. For me, beautiful people are well-dressed and have well-groomed faces. Not like me who has no makeup because I can't apply makeup to my face. My face itches when the makeup stays on my face for a long time so I begged the manager not to wear makeup if possible. I was very grateful when the manager of the bar agreed. So aside from lip balm, I only used baby powder on my face. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore. We didn't mean to fool you. We were just worried about Amber. You saw what kind of attitude she has so we're ashamed to tell you the truth," my stepfather Roman suddenly apologized to Phil which made my eyebrows raise to the highest level.

I didn't like what my stepdad said so I couldn't stop myself and talked with him. "Excuse me, Uncle Roman. It seems like you're telling him that you're embarrassing me because I have a bad attitude. Let me tell you that ninety-nine point nine percent that you and your daughter have a worse attitude than mine. So you should be more ashamed of yourselves and not me."

"That's enough, Amber! You never had any respect for your Uncle Roman. Is that how you have a better attitude than them? You don't know how to be grateful to the person who feeds you," my mom glared at me angrily. I'm also impressed with her. She is quick to defend when I speak ill of her husband and stepdaughter. Sometimes, I feel that Ruby is her real daughter and not me.

"Correction, Mom. Uncle Roman is not the one who fed me but myself," I answered her in a weak but firm voice. As much as possible I don't want to raise my voice at her. Because even though she neglected her duty as a mother to me, I still cannot deny that I am her child and that I was formed in her womb. But sometimes she is too much to the point that I can't control my emotion.

"You're really disrespectful, Amber," Ruby said to me angrily, then suddenly her facial expression changed when she look at Phil. She turned shy and acted like a kind nun. "I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore. I'm sorry if you witnessed our family like this. We really don't know what to do with my sister. I pray every night that she will change her behavior and be kind to us but my prayers haven't been heard until now," she apologized to Phil who has a blank expression on his face. 

I couldn't stop laughing at my stepsister's acting. "You are so kind, Ruby. All you need is a halo and you'll pass as an angel. Oh, wait! I see that you already have. Hold the circle above your head. Take care of your halo, lest it suddenly falls to the floor and your horn comes out of the head that you try to hide."

Ruby's face suddenly darkened as she was embarrassed by what I said while the man with Phil couldn't stop laughing a little when he heard what I said to my stepsister. But he also stopped laughing and just clear his throat and suddenly his face turned serious again when he saw that my mom and Uncle Roman were looking at him.

"We didn't come here to witness your family's feud. We came here to talk about the marriage I'm proposing to Amber," Phil couldn't help but reply in a philosophical tone. "I don't like it when I am wasting my time on useless things."

"I got it! Now I know why Ruby pretended to be me. It's because of Mr. Salvatore's marriage proposal. You guys want her to marry him, don't you?" I talk to my mother and stepfather. "Well, just continue pretending to be me because I have no intention of marrying him. I never dreamed of marrying a man I barely know him. So, go ahead. I'm out of your conversation so I'll just leave you guys so you can talk about the marriage of you and Mr. Salvatore," after I spoke I turned and walked towards the door. But even before I could reach the door, my body suddenly rose in the air because Phil suddenly lifted me.

"We have something important to talk about and not them, Amber," Phil's voice spoke coldly then without saying goodbye to the people inside the house, he walked out the door which was quickly opened by his male companion.

"What the hell, Mr. Salvatore! Put me down!" I firmly ordered him. He carried me just like a sack of cotton that was put on his shoulder.

"Shut up! Or else, I will throw you on the road. I'm sure you will stop being talkative," he threatened me with a serious look. I suddenly become silent. My arms quickly cling to his neck when I saw that he was not joking with what he said. It's scary to make this man angry. It's a pity that he is handsome but he looks grumpy. I think he only knows one expression and is a serious face. It seems the word "smile" doesn't exist in his vocabulary.