by S. S. Sahoo
“Okay, Let’s go,” Gale said and we all went out and sat in his car.
As we were about to drive off, Zachary’s car overtook us going out at a full speed. Jace had a smug face when he plastered his face in the car’s window as he looked our way. That made us laugh. Jace loved speed cars and in the other hand, I prayed for my family who was in that car with Zachary.
“He is pissed,” Kiara commented into my ear and I just shrugged in response.
“You saw his driving?” Gale complained to mom and she snorted.
“Better than yours,” she said and we all laughed when he groaned at her response and muttered about something always taking her son’s side.
In the restaurant, I sat next to Kiara and made sure Jace sit next to me this made Zachary even more pissed off as he went to the other side and sat before me glaring at me. I rolled my eyes at him and averted my eyes off him.
Our big family needed a big table and that is why we chose to take a table on the terrace in open sky enjoying the night with the pianist playing in the background and beautiful scenery of the nightlife of Romania.
“Oh I am in love with this place,” my mom said and my mother-in-law who was sitting next to her nodded in agreement. They laughed and talked so much it looked as if they were best friends from a long time. My dad even talked to my father-in-law as if they were college time buddies. Everyone looked happy but the only person who wasn’t was Zachary who stabbed his food with his fork and it looked as if he was thinking the vegetable ball as my face when he stabbed it.
“Oh, he is here,” Grandma said out loud and we all looked the direction where she was looking. Kristian was supposed to join and he had called his grandma informing her that he would bring his date to join us.
But then the color drained my face and I heard both my mother-in -law and father-in-law groaning when we spotted the man whom I guessed as Kristian and the woman with whom he entered the place.
Loana Ularu.
47
Juliette
Everyone’s eyes were trained on the couple who entered from and then as they spotted us they walked up to us. Loana was wearing a royal blue dress just like mine. Kiara looked at me and then at her. She had her arms linked up with whom I assumed to be Kristian as they walked towards us.
On the other hand, Kristian looked and reminded me James Dean with that bad boy aura. He had his black hair sleeked back and he wore a gray colored business suit. Unlike Zachary, he had facial hair and he had chiseled jaw and sharp hawk-like eyes. He didn’t really seem like a welcoming person instead, you would want to run away whenever he was nearer to you. I gulped when he looked at me and gave me half smile.
“You must be my sister-in-law,” he asked in a soft tone and I couldn’t help but notice a scar above his left eyebrow and he had a crooked nose.
I stood up when he came to me with Loana and took my hands in his.
“Yes, I am” I answered softly smiling at me and looked at Loana who gave me a nasty look of disgust raising an eyebrow at me as she looked up and down at me.
“Pleasure to finally meet you,” we shook hands and I replied with the same.
“I’m sorry, for not coming earlier to meet you two, because-” he was speaking to me when he looked beside me. I followed the direction where he was looking to find him looking at Kiara, who was uninterestingly eating her food.
I heard him clear his throat and I looked back at him, he rolled his shoulders and said: “I was stuck in important business stuff and I was in the other part of the world. I could only make it today because I had to bring mama over here,” he said and I made a confused face when he said ‘mama.’
“Grandma,” he said as if he understood my confusion.
“Oh, No, problem. I am happy to be finally meeting you” I told him and he smiled.
“What took you so long?” grandma asked him and he smiled at her and bent down to kiss her.
“Everyone she is my date, Ms. Loana Ularu” he introduced and from the corner of my eyes, I watched as my mother-in-law rolled her eyes.
“Nice to meet you all again,” she said in fake sweet coated tone and bent down as if she was some kind of princess.
“Again?” I heard my mom.
“She is Zachary’s former business partner’s daughter,” my mother-in-law answered her and my mom nodded understanding.
“What? I didn’t know that,” Kristian said as he walked with Loana to greet and hug everyone. Loana too greeted and hugged everyone and even ZACHARY.
“How are you?” she asked holding Zachary’s arm.
“I am doing good,” he answered and sat back down on his seat.
Kristian and Loana sat next to grandma and Kiara. Kristian sat next to his grandma while Loana sat next to Kiara glancing her way once and making a face.
“Who is she? Your sister?” Loana asked Zachary who raised an eyebrow at her.
“No, she is my daughter-in-law’s friend, Ms. Kiara Richmond” mom answered and that made her cringe her face when she heard the word daughter-in-law.
“Nice to meet you,” Kristian said glancing at Kiara from the back of Loana.
“Same,” Kiara being a foodie being stuffed her mouth with her food and just nodded at him.
“Oh, I totally forgot. I have a gift for you,” Kristian said as he fished a small box out of his suit and handed it to Loana to pass it to me. She did and instead of passing it to Kiara, she handed it directly to me. But as I took it she gave me a look.
I swear if she gave me anymore of her looks then I’ll totally rip off her eyes using the fork.
Nevertheless, ignoring her cold hatred filled looks, I gave her a small smile and took the gift.
“You don’t really have to do this,” I said showing him the box.
“No, Actually I wanted to because I didn’t gift anything for your wedding, consider it as a small token of love and gratitude for marrying my stupid brother,” he said which made Zachary huff at him.
Oh so, I guess he is kind of welcoming. An important lesson, Never judge a person by his looks.
“Don’t start it over here, I’m telling Kristian,” Zachary said and Kristian shrugged at him.
“Please, don’t call Zachary stupid,” Loana interfered chiding at Kristian and I looked at her. Kristian oblivious to anything just raised an eyebrow at her and I looked back at Zachary to find him rolling his eyes but when his eyes fell on me I looked the other side crossing my arms over my chest.
“Okay, so Kristian what will you eat? grandfather asked him and then ordered the food for him.
As everyone talked to each other, I kept glancing at Loana to find her glancing at Zachary playing with her food. This irked me even more. First, Zachary lets her kiss him in the party, then he goes to her and has food which is prepared by her and then she is here glancing and trying to flirt with every opportunity she got to talk to him. I got to know, that no family member actually liked her presence and that gave a little support to the burning feeling in my chest.
I looked at her, she had her black hair braided to the side and she was wearing a dress exactly like me but different colour. It was a royal blue with thigh slit. She was taller than me and she had a sultry svelte figure. No doubt, she must be a model or something, I assumed.
“So, where do you both meet?” I asked the question to both Loana and Kristian but more to Kristian.
“Oh, we met yesterday in the art exhibition. We talked to each other and instantly he grew a liking for me and that is why he asked me my number and asked me for a date,” being the narcissist person she is she put herself first in every single I asked as if she wanted to show me that she is needed by men.
“I have an idea,” mother-in-law said all of a sudden gaining everyone’s attention.
“Why not go out for a small picnic tomorrow?” she asked and we all looked at each other.
“We can go out for a family picnic and then we can all together go out to visit some places in Romania,” she added.
“Mom, I don’t really think that it’s a good ide-” Zachary was cut off by Loana.
“Yes, it’s a brilliant idea,” she said and smiling as if she won a cup looked at Zachary.
“It’s been a long time since we have gone out for a family picnic and since everyone is present here, I really want to take Juliette and her family for a picnic,” mom said and I looked at my mom who smiled at her. Gale, dad, grandpa and grandma nodded agreeing with her which left no room for Zachary to answer with a no.
He sighed and fished his phone out of his pant pockets muttering “fine, let me arrange everything,” he said and got up from his chair and walked to the rail of the terrace to talk.
“What part of family picnic does she not understand?” Kiara said into my ears looking at an over excited Loana who literally jumped in her seat as if she won a lottery.
“See, Zachary can ever disagree with me. I said it’s a good idea and that made him change up his mind instantly,” she laughed but no one joined her. Only Kristian was the one who smiled.
“Bitch please,” I heard Kiara mutter.
“Excuse me? Did you say anything?” Loana asked raising her eyebrow at Kiara who nodded her head no and gave her a sarcastic smile.
Grandpa stood up and together he and grandma left to sit near the pianist. That left the chair next to Zachary’s vacated. Zachary walked back and sat back on his chair.
“Why are you not talking to him?” Kiara asked nudging me with her elbow.
“Why should I?” I asked drinking my champagne.
“Did you both have a fight?” She whispered and I shrugged in response.
“Maybe,” I said looking at him when he was typing something on his phone.
“Let me guess, is this because of the loud mouth snobbish woman?” she asked and I looked at her.
“Look, just lift up your ass and go to him. This bitch is not worth to be the reason of you two fighting. Go and resolve all your probl-” she stopped mid sentence looking at Zachary.
“What?“I asked and followed her gaze to find Loana already pulling the chair next to Zachary and sitting on it.
“I told you,” Kiara sighed leaning against the chair and looked back at me.
I looked at Zachary who kept the phone back on the table and looked at Loana. She smiled at him and spoke something to him which I couldn’t really hear because of the music playing in the background. Zachary answered her questions and nodded now and then whenever she laughed.
“This man brought her as his date and he is allowing her to stick around with another man. What type of man exactly is he?” Kiara asked but then I clutched the spoon tightly when Zachary laughed and got up. As I stood up, everybody’s eyes were on me. I lowered my head and excused myself for the washroom.
In the washroom, I paced around and stood leaning against the counter but then when my eyes fell on my own reflection in the mirror, I burst out crying.
“Why are you crying?” I wailed at myself looking at my crying state in the mirror.
“I don’t know,” I answered my own question.
“Damn, it hurts,” I cried and pull the tissue out of the roller and wiped my tears which were already ruining my makeup.
“For god sake, stop crying!” throwing the tissue paper at my reflection, I cried even more.
So, this is exactly how it hurts when the person you like, likes someone else. Thinking about it, I got to know that this was my actual real feelings. Emmett never really looked or even talked about any other woman in front of me making me believe that he actually and truly loved me. I trusted him, and that is how I never really got to know what jealousy actually felt. But when I feel it, I’m breaking. I am in even more pain than I was when I knew about Emmett being Nicholas.
I don’t really like it.
I sobbed and wiped the continuous streaming of tears as I continued to feel that pinching and burning sensation in my heart.
“Look at me, here I’ standing crying my eyes out and there he is void of any of emotions talking and laughing with her” I spoke to myself and as I was about to pull another tissue out, I heard a knock.
“Juliette?” my eyes widened hearing the familiar masculine voice who was the reason for my tears.
I pulled the tissue out and hurriedly, tried to wipe every smudged line of my eyeliner.
“Juliette?Are you there?” he asked knocking on the door again.
“Yes, I am” I answered and heard him knocking again.
“Are you crying?” he sensed it from my brittle voice.
“What is your problem? Go away,” I told him and the next moment the door flew open and he walked in.
“This is a ladies washroom,” I said shocked and angry at the same time pointing towards the door which he closed asking him to get out.
“I am done with you now,” he said as he walked up to me which made me take a few steps back and stood when stopped by the wall.
“Why are you crying?” he asked more in a tone as if he was accusing me of something.
“None of you business now out!” I snapped pointing towards the door.
“Listen, I don’t have any idea why all of a sudden you are behaving like this but you need to stop,” he warned.
“Or else what?” I challenged him by glaring at him.
“Stop that!” he argued now pointing a finger at me.
“You stop that!” I argued slapping his finger which angered him because his face contoured into an angry one and he got hold of me from my arm and turned me around shoving me to the wall.
“Enough of your drama now,” he whispered in my ear.
“Let me go,” I struggled against him but then he held and folded my right arm on my back twitching it painfully.
“Ow!” as a hiss left my mouth he loosened the grip but still didn’t leave me.
“You are going to tell me now, what exactly is your problem?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I won’t,” being the stubborn woman I was, I refused to bow down in front of him.
“Fine, we can stay like this until we grow old. I don’t have any problem,” he said and gripped my forearm tightly making me whimper.
“Of course, you will do like you want, does my opinion, feelings even matter to you?” I used my other hand and elbowed him hard in his stomach causing a whoomph sound forming in his mouth but still, he didn’t let me go.
“Juliette!” he snapped and pushed me harder into the wall.
“Let me go, Zachary!” I tried to free myself wiggling against him but he didn’t free my hands that easily.
“Just look at you, you are so stubborn and different from all those other wome-”
“Other women?” I said cutting him off.
Oh now, he compares me to her.
This didn’t go well with me because the next moment I started crying, again. No matter, how much I tried not to cry before him, I always did. I sobbed and wept and I felt him loosening his grip and turned me around to face him. I looked at the other side of the wall and sobbed not able to control the tears any longer.
“Why are you crying?” he asked with a disbelieve look as he raked his hands through his hair and looked at me as if I had two head.