Secrets and Lies

Chapter five

Arielle

"Husband?" I croaked in disbelief.

"Take the spot next to him," Charles said with a pleased smile, "I'm glad you made it Savannah."

"Father_" Ian began.

"Enough!" The older man barked, face hardening with fury, "You will respect this ceremony, my bride, and Savannah, or you'll face my wrath."

To my surprise, Ian merely stared at his father with hatred for a few long seconds before turning away.

"Move, bitch," Savannah snarled, bumping me away from Ian's side and immediately taking my place.

I caught Annie's eyes from across the garden and I could see how shocked she looked by the whole thing. Well, I hoped she wasn't expecting any juicy info from me, because I had no clue what the hell was happening. How had my mom managed to tie us to this messy family?

I could barely keep my breakfast down as Ian's so called wife clutched and grabbed at him like he was her lifeline. The one thing the dark haired Adonis and I had in common was the fact that neither of us seemed to like the intruder all that much.

As soon as the pictures were over, my bestfriend hurried over and pulled me away from the others.

"Oh my God, is that really Savvy Lyte?"

My brows furrowed, "What's Savvy Lyte?"

She stared at me like I was an embarrassment to her, "Do you live under a rock? That's Savannah Lytehall, daughter of oil mogul Jones Lytehall and his former movie start turned ambassador wife. They are like one of America's most influential families. Savvy Lyte is a fashion and fitness model, human rights activist, movie star and the heiress to the Lytehall empire!"

My eyes widened, "Can she also walk on water and part the red sea? Because it sounds like Savvy Lyte is a jack of all trade, master of bitchery."

Annie laughed, "You don't have to be nice when you're that gorgeous."

"No wonder Ian didn't spare me a second glance when he's married to that amount of perfection. But then again, he wouldn't be the first in history to downgrade to a lower value slut."

My stomach roiled in horror, because the man in question hadn't just given me a second glance, he had taken hundreds of illicit glances, and I had let him. I was the lower value slut.

Oh God.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I croaked, staggering back to the house in horror.

What had I done? Had anybody seen us at that bar? Would the truth come out later and I'd be termed a home wrecker?

I was too distracted with my thoughts to watch where I was going, and i ended up emptying the contents of my stomach in the ensuite bathroom of Charles' study. I quickly flushed the toilet and rinsed my mouth and hands.

I reached for the handle of the door to leave, but suddenly heard Ian's voice.

"I will not marry her."

"You don't have a choice."

"You single handedly pulled this company to the dirt, and now you want to use me as a pawn to save it? Go to hell, Charles."

The older man chuckled, "If you think you won't be there with me, then you're just as stupid as your mother always said you are."

My jaw dropped open in shock. How could a parent talk to his child in such a way? What kind of bastard was my new step father?

"I'm not going to be your pawn."

"I've played my part by marrying that slut, now it's time you played yours," I heard the sound of something banging, and then footsteps began to approach the bathroom door. I held my breath, heart pounding, and only released it when the steps crossed past the door.

Ian was pacing.

"Layla Swan is small fries compared to Savannah," Ian spat, "We both know you could control Layla with your eyes closed. All you have to do is donate to the school, buy her a few trinkets and show a slight interest in her ugly daughter."

I staggered back, lips trembling.

"But Savannah is a whole different ballgame," he continued, "For all she likes to act like a clueless doll, I don't trust her, neither do I trust her father. She's his little spy."

Charles coughed, "Nonsense. A man like Jones would never waste his time using a daughter as anything but a decoration and a bargaining chip. You're wrong."

"And you're an old fool."

"If I were you, I'd be careful," Charles voice sounded as cold as ice, and I shivered, "After all, I could make you lose everything in the blink of an eye. You will do your duty, Ian. Marry Savannah, fuck her into submission and keep her too busy with children, trips and trinkets for her to cause any trouble."

So they weren't married after all. Relief washed over me, and the tightness in my chest began to loosen. Why had Savannah called him her husband? Presumptuous much.

"But_" Ian began.

"Enough!" The older man roared, "Don't test me or I'll destroy you. We both know what I'm capable of."

There was a tense silence, "And what about Arielle?"

I slapped my palm over my mouth to cover my gasp and took a cautious step back. My elbow bumped into a bottle of mouthwash and it fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"What was that?" Charles asked, "it came from the bathroom. Check it out and get rid of it. And one more thing, Ian, no more mistakes, I'm tired of cleaning up your messes."

I stood stock still as I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the bathroom. Terror caused my limbs to tremble, and I wondered what would happen when Ian caught me in here.

Charles words still echoed in my head, "Get rid of it."

I watched in horror as the door knob began to turn. I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for the worst.