Chapter 5 The Wedding Banquet

Evelyn's POV. 

I got tired of checking the time. I didn't realize it was evening until Mira, the cook, came into my room. 

It's the night of the banquet, and she was ordered to dress me up. 

The dress was too tight, the corset making it hard to breathe. The shoes hurt my legs badly, but who could I complain to? 

No one asked if I'd eaten all day. No one here cared about me. 

“It's time,” Mira's voice cut through my thoughts. I swallowed hard and followed her.

My heels clicked against the marble floor as I was led to the grand hall, every step screaming elegance. 

Outside the hall, a man was waiting, his back turned to me. From the way he dressed, I could tell he was the groom. 

My husband. 

My fingers curled around the fabric of my dress as my stomach twisted.

Then he turned.

And everything inside me froze.

I knew that face.

I’d seen it before.

The arrogant man from the mall.

“You are…. Adrian Kane?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. 

He smirked. “Accurate, sweetheart.” 

My whole body shook with terror, the realization hitting me hard. He didn't let me get over the shock, he immediately linked his arm with mine, and we walked into the hall. 

The moment we stepped in, all eyes turned, cameras flashed, and soft music played above the people's silent gazes. 

I wasn't expecting this many people to be here, especially when the marriage was just finalized yesterday. 

At that moment, I realized this man knew how everything would play out. 

The light in the room dimmed, focusing on just the two of us. People stared as we walked, murmurs going around in multiple folds. 

When we got to the centre of the room, Dad appeared, a champagne tray in his hand. 

He handed champagne flutes filled with drinks to both of us with a smile that hid his secret intentions. 

He turned to the crowd and raised his glass for a toast.  “To Adrian and Evelyn!” 

Confusion swirled over me. My Dad knew him. Everyone did, but I was kept in the dark. 

Everyone raised their glasses before drinking from the flutes. 

The music resumed more loudly and intensely, people resuming talks, congratulatory words flying around.

Fireworks sounded in the air, and a large screen turned on in front of the hall. 

“Congratulations, Adrian & Evelyn.”  The words came flying on the screen. 

Staff walked over to guests, guiding them to seats while Adrian and I took the seats in the center. 

The meals were served, and everyone ate in silence while the music played over the sound of cutlery. 

“Wear a smile. They need to believe this is real,” Adrian said after some time. 

My jaws clenched, but I obeyed and smiled widely at him. “Like this?” I said sweetly.

He didn't respond but only stared longer than I had expected. 

Seconds turned into minutes, and soon, everyone was done with their meal and was now networking.

“Evelyn Voss,” a high-pitched voice called from behind. 

When I turned, a lady was standing in front of me, tall and elegant, with long black hair and a red dress that stuck to her skin and showed off her curves in the right way. I had felt this lady's gaze on me earlier, but decided to overlook it.

She came closer and smirked. “So he went for you after all.” 

I squinted my eyes. 

“Who are you?” I asked politely. 

“Oh, right.” She smirked again. “He couldn't have told you about me since he had just recently picked you up in the streets.” 

She was talking about Adrian, I realized. 

She continued. “He was supposed to get married to me, but he chose trash like you instead.” 

An ex-fiancée? Expected.

Her words made my insides boil. I wanted to keep my cool, but just couldn't. 

“Oh, you are the one he cast aside for me,” I played along, my words said with so much venom. 

Her jaws clenched,  her teeth gritting beneath her closed lips. 

I circled her. “ You don't look bad, but he knew he deserved better.” 

She moved closer to me, and I anticipated her next move, but before she could get to me, a hand grabbed me and pinned me into the wall, making me gasp. 

Adrian. 

He looked deep into my eyes before our lips met.

My eyes widened, but I acted like it was normal. I shut my eyes and gave in to the warmth of his lips.

The kiss wasn't deep, but it made heat course through my body. Seconds later, he broke the kiss. 

He wrapped his hand around my waist, and my body stiffened. When we turned towards the lady, her eyes were wide open, burning with fury. 

Adrian's voice rose. “I don't remember sending you an invite, Cassandra,” his voice was dark and commanding. 

The lady gnashed her teeth before she spoke. “Does she know? Does she know why you married her? And your fucked up past!” She spat. 

People were starting to turn to us, the music fading into the distance. 

“I wonder how shocked everyone would be if they found out about the truths you've tried to hide for so long,” she continued. 

She parted her lips to speak again, but Adrian grabbed her roughly by the hand, dragging her away. 

“Come with me!” His tone was dark and deadly. 

I watched their backs as they disappeared into the hallway that led to the backyard. 

What was that? What truth aside from saving my family's business? What does she know, and what is he hiding? 

The banquet was already done, and everyone was just having fun, but the gathering was not for me. I decided to leave and go back into the house. 

The mansion was quiet, everyone was at the banquet. I headed to my room, still struggling to accept that the man from the mall is Adrian Kane, my husband. 

Then I saw the door to a study slightly open. 

A part of me wanted to ignore and keep walking, but another part wanted to take a look. 

I needed to know about his life. I wanted to look into him like my Dad had asked, and this is one of my chances. 

I walked into the study and stood in front of the desk, going over his stuff in a frantic search for anything with vital information. 

But then a voice rose behind me. “What are you doing?”