Chapter 10 ~ Isabella #2
"Unless there is something specific you would desire for the wedding, Isabella. I’m more than positive our mothers can handle this. And get it done with the flair and finesse that a family organization wedding will require. The sooner the better in my opinion.”
The room erupted in too many chaotic voices. An argument about it not giving them enough time. Everyone has an idea for a venue that will do it quickly, or a location where it can be held to house so many people.
I just sat silently staring at the floor.
Alexander remains in his spot, both hands in his pockets, staring at me.
Waiting for a reaction, waiting for something.
But I’m not giving him anything. Once the voices start to die down, our mothers finally come up with a plan.
Our fathers finally agreed. Alexander walks a little closer to his father.
“Also, I request that Isabella move into my home in one week's time. She can have this week with her parents to get her wedding arrangements underway and finalized, pack her things, and move in. But I will have her in my home in one week."
He turns away from his father and looks at the room, into each face individually, before he says, "Is that understood?"
No one says anything, not even Sebastian. Throughout this whole thing, he stood silently behind my chair. He hasn’t touched me since dinner and thank God for that, but at this moment I want to latch onto his hand because I feel like I’m falling.
I have to move into his home in a week. I thought I had a couple of months before we had to get married. But in two weeks!
In two weeks, I’m going to lose my freedom. I’m going to have to live in this man’s house every day in one week! See him every morning, every night when he gets home from work. Alone!
In two weeks, I'll be his wife and be forced to show up at all of these parties with him on my arm and be in the public eye. Oh my god, I feel like I’m going to be sick again.
In the silence of the room, Alexander approaches my chair and reaches out his hand, gently lifting my chin. To everyone else in the room, it looks like a gentle caress from a lover. But I know different; Alexander is never gentle, and all too soon I’ll be living in the lion's den.
Keeping my eyes downcast, I refuse to look at him. Despite the fact that I have no say in my life, I will keep whatever little part of myself I have left.
"Is that a problem for you, Isabella? "
I just shake my head. What choice do I really have? We were contracted to marry each other. Alexander leans down as if he’s going to kiss me on the cheek. He puts his lips to my ear and says, "You're mine in two weeks, bunny. No hopping away now or ever."
He gently kisses me on the cheek, but at the same time, he squeezes my jaw a little tighter. He's letting me know he’s won, letting me know he’s in control. I just shake inside as I squeeze my eyes closed harder.
Alexander lets go of my chin and straightens to his full height, putting his hands back into his pockets. He looks at Sebastian over my chair, dead in the eyes, and says, "Checkmate. I own your queen.”
I can feel the animosity rising from him. The back of my chair creaks as Sebastian’s grip tightens. Sebastian‘s tone is just as dark. "She’s not my queen. She’s a human being with feelings and a life. It seems you have forgotten that, brother. Has the quest for the throne hardened you that much?"
“It was never a quest, brother. It’s a birthright, remember that."
With that, he just leaves the room. Alexander just leaves us all sitting there, making plans for a wedding neither one of us wanted in the beginning. Between the two of us, he’s the only one that does.
I’m a toy, a pawn in all their games.
I sat in silence as the rest of the room made plans to set up lunch dates to discuss the upcoming wedding.
I don’t really hear any of it. I don’t really care right now.
All I know is that I have two weeks. Two weeks of the little freedom I have left will be taken up by dress fittings, tasting cakes, and picking the photographer for pictures of a wedding I never wanted.
Somehow the evening has wound down as our mothers' have made their plans and we’re heading to the door. We say our goodbyes very politely. Everyone seems happy as if this evening was perfectly planned and went off without a hitch.
As I slide into the car, I’m still silent. I haven’t said a word. My father just looks at me with disdain radiating from him.
As the car pulls away, my father leans closer to me, his voice smouldering with anger.
“For some reason, Mr. Russo stuck up for you. He overlooked your slight tonight. And you’ll be moving into Alexander‘s house in a week. When we get home, you pack your shit and get ready to get the fuck out. I’m done with all your bullshit.
I’ll be placing a call to his father tonight after we get home.
And I don’t care what you want for your wedding, your mother will pick it out and you’ll be happy with what you get.
I’ve spent twenty-three years taking care of you to make sure I get what I want out of this deal.
And the faster I can get it signed and sealed, the better. ”
The tears burn at the back of my eyes. It’s one thing to think that you’re hated, but it’s another to actually know that they’ve never really loved you all along.
Rebekah has a smirk on her face, the same one she wore when she came into my room earlier this evening.
My mother is stoic and quiet, not saying anything.
I know there’s no love lost there. But of all of them, she looks almost sad.
If that’s what sadness looks like on her, I need Anna, someone who actually cares about me right now.
As soon as the car stops, I don’t even wait for the driver to open the door. I burst out and headed straight to the front door, up the stairs directly to my room. I slam the door behind me, and I throw myself on my bed, burying my face in the pillow and cry.
I'm crying because I won't be spending my life with someone like Sebastian.
The tears flow harder because now I'm going to have to spend more time guarding myself while living with a stranger, more now than I ever had to with my parents.
I'm crying because I've always imagined that deep down, somehow, they might have loved me.
After a good 10 minutes of letting loose, I roll over and reach for my purse to grab my phone. I need to talk to Anna. I dial her number and she picks it up right away.
Anna: "Hey, lady? So how did it go? Is he as hot as he looks on his magazine cover?"
Izzy: "I screwed up so badly, Anna, so bad."
I totally burst into tears and sobbed so hard I couldn’t talk.
Anna: "Hey, It’s Okay. It’s okay. It couldn't have been that bad honey. What happened?"
Izzy: "Oh God Anna, I don’t even know where to start. I really don’t."
I spend the next ten minutes recounting my spectacular entrance into the sitting room, the throat-clenching grip in the bathroom, the arm twisting in front of the dining room, and the face grip announcement of 'you're marrying me in two weeks.'
She’s been silent the whole time. I keep waiting for her to say something, but it's just dead air. God, I hope this phone didn’t cut out halfway through my conversation. It would be just my luck.
Izzy: "Anna? Are you there? ANNA?"
Anna: "Holy fuck!"
That’s all she says. That’s it for the next two minutes of dead air.
Izzy: "That’s all you have to say? Is that all? No, oh here’s an easy way out, Isabella. It’s all good. Don’t worry about it, Isabella. Is there no point of light that you could give me to help me live through this whole thing?"
Anna: "Oh holy shit, Isabella. What do you want me to say? What can I say? My god, when you make an entrance, you go all out."
Izzy: "I didn’t plan it. I dropped my purse. I went to pick it up and it slid right into the room. Then I accidentally kicked it again as I went to pick it up for the second time."
Anna: "Yeah, yeah, I got all of that. Give me a second to process OK. You pulled a lot of shit tonight, so yeah. My brain needs a minute here."
Silence...
Anna: "So? What about the Sebastian guy? He sounds like quite the prince charming rescuing the clumsy damsel in distress."
She starts to laugh, and I can’t help but grin. I guess if you were watching what was happening, it would have looked kind of funny. This crazy chick comes flying into the room and then another guy just whips her right back out.
Izzy: "Sebastian is such a nice guy. I’ve never met a nicer person in my entire life. He likes Harry Potter. He’s got this whole theory worked out. I can’t wait to tell you about it."
Anna: "Ooo..a Potter fan like you."
She laughs, she’s quiet for a few minutes, and then she sounds quite serious. “Alexander sounds kind of tense. I mean, he is hot and he does own a sex club, so that goes without saying. Maybe he’s a Dom? They like to be in control, rough chicks up, but in a good way, if you know what I mean."
I can totally picture her eyebrows going up and down through the phone.
Izzy: "No Anna, I don’t know what you mean. And he wasn’t …attracted to me. He tried to choke me. TWICE?! And what do you mean, he owns a sex club? No one told me anything about a sex club?"
What the hell? Was that in a folder? I really should read that folder. Wait, maybe I don’t want to read that folder. I’m already freaked out. If I read any more tonight, I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Anna: "Holy shit! Izzy! For real? You didn’t know he owns Silk?"
Silk? That doesn’t sound mean or like a place where guys choke girls. It sounds soft and pretty to me. It sounds like my dress.
Izzy: "No! No, I didn’t know he owned a sex club called Silk. Peanut butter on burnt toast, Anna! No wonder he hates me. He must date supermodels, the skinny kinds who know how to… well…"
Anna: "Fuck?" Anna finishes that sentence for me.
Izzy: "My God, must you be so crude? I am in over my head here. At least you are supposed to make me feel better. Help me at least. "
She snorts, "Can’t you even learn how to swear like a fucking adult?
I love you so much, but really? Peanut butter on toast?
You need to up your game, girl. You are marrying a high-powered, extremely wealthy man who happens to own one of the hottest nightclubs in town, which also has an exclusive sex club in the basement. "
That makes me swallow the lump in my throat. Basements are cold and dark. Wet cement and damp air make it hard to breathe. I don’t like basements.
Anna: "You better start Googling shit. Your BDSM game is about to start. Because if some dude threw me up against a wall and nuzzled my neck, all aggressive and shit. Sploosh! There go my panties!"
Izzy: "Omg Anna, I can’t even process what you're telling me. I thought if I talked to you, I’d feel better. Now I feel even worse. I’m going to throw up, I swear. I’m hanging up... I need to go."
Anna: "Oh don’t be such a wussy. Just Google a few things. Check out Silk on the web. You might like what you read. You can’t keep your cherry forever, you know?” She giggles, “Hey? Are we still on for drinks tomorrow night, yeah?"
My life is literally going down the toilet, and she’s worried about sex clubs and drinks.
Izzy: "I guess yes. I’ll do some research and you can help me figure out what to do. Basements and choking are not my idea of romance, Anna."
Anna: "I know Izzy. But it’s not THAT kind of basement. And the choking part? Well, if the right man does it, it’s a lot of fun. The main thing is that you're not crying anymore, and no matter what, we got this. I Promise."
Izzy: "Ughh.. I’m going to be sick. I’ll text you tomorrow. And thanks for always being there, Anna. I Love you."
Anna: "Love you too, Izz. Nite."
I end the call and bring up my search engine on my phone. Dropping it onto my bed, I head over to my closet. If I’m going to Google this, I’m going to need to be comfortable, and my flannel pink bunny pajamas are comfortable.