Chapter 3 Get rid of Sinn

Valerie's POV

Sinn and I held each other's gaze for a long while, not blinking. My father cleared his throat, as if to ease the tension between us.

"Since you... you've met, it shouldn't be that hard to mingle then," my father said, chuckling nervously.

"It wouldn't be at all, Mr. Erickson," Sinn's eyes roamed down my body slowly, a dark smirk on his lips.

My chest heaved down with a short, sharp breath. Swallowing hard, I turned around to face my father, my body stiff.

"Don't you want to share how we met?" Sinn said, his gaze burning into my skin as he sat opposite from me. My eyes snapped up to his, my gaze hard.

Was he trying to be funny because if so, it wasn't working.

"Why are we here, father?" I questioned, ignoring Sinn. He wasn't going to get that reaction he wanted.

"Uhm...okay. Well, the point of this brunch is to introduce my fianceé to you. Prisca Shade," My father pointed to Prisca smiling sweetly at her.

My face fell.

The space in the dining table suddenly became quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Everybody's eyes stayed focused on me, my father's word still burning deep into my chest.

Fianceé.

"What...what do you mean by Fianceé?" My voice spiked up, unintentionally.

Prisca flinched. Sinn immediately rushed to take her hand. She gave him a curt nod, squeezing his hand. He threw me a glare from where he sat.

If only he knew how I had mastered the art of ignoring glares. Lol.

My father cleared his throat, loosening the top button of his shirt. Nobody attempted to say a word, just looking at me like I was overreacting.

"Did nobody hear me?" My eyes darted to their faces, one by one.

"Darling..." Prisca started softly.

"Don't." I warned, my tone low and dangerous. "Don't address me in that manner. You don't know me, Prisca."

"I have heard a lot about you," She said, her tone soft.

"Father. Please explain what the hell is going on? Why's this woman and her..." My eyes shifted to Sinn's hard gaze, my voice instantly reducing. "...her son here?"

"I'm going to marry Prisca soon."

My heart sank. My heart stopped beating in my chest, my eyelashes batting. "What?" my voice was low.

So Fianceé really meant what I thought he was trying to say.

"You can't. You can't do that!"

"Look, I'm in love with Prisca. I was going to tell you when it all started and all but... I couldn't," my father whispered, his eyes soft.

"Because you knew it was wrong. You knew you were betraying mother!"

"Your mother is dead, for Christ sake! It's been two years, Valerie." He yelled, slamming his fist on the table this time.

I flinched, my mouth dry.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," he apologized immediately, scrubbing his hand on his face.

"No, you're not." I said calmly. "You've been wanting to tell me that for ages, haven't you?" A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"Your father didn't mean it that way, dear." Prisca butted in

I threw her a glare. "This is family discussion."

"Watch your tone with my mother." Sinn growled, sending cold chills down my spine.

I wanted to tell him to send his mother away with himself. I wanted to tell him to get out of my life as I didn't need him but the words wouldn't come out.

Instead, I stood up. I was done with this terrible brunch. I was just going to sleep and wake up, hoping for this to be one of my terrible nightmares.

"Valerie, sit down!" My father growled, standing up.

"No!" I shook my head. "I'm sorry but I can't do that, father. I don't approve of your marriage."

"We aren't asking for your blessings, Valerie. I have done everything for you as a child, everything for you to be happy and now it's my turn to be happy but -"

"It's been two years father! Only two years!" I screamed, my voice echoing loud. My heart constricted in pain.

"Very long!"

"You don't even feel remorseful for killing her." My voice broke, my eyes filled with tears.

"Your mother -" he paused, his jaw clenching. "She would've wanted me to move on by now."

"Well, I don't." My eyes met his, holding his raging gaze. I turned to leave but stopped and then turned to face him again. "I'm even more disappointed at you that you had to do this around her memorial. I bet you didn't even remember that yesterday was the day she died!"

His nose flared.

"If anything, I bet she'd be burning in rage from under the damn ground." I added. My father's eyes flashed open, hurt evident.

"You talk as if you knew her better than I did. We did everything to protect you!" My father pointed at me.

"Oh, thank you Almighty father for your kind protection." I clasped my hand together, bowing my head down dramatically.

"Prisca has come to stay. They'll move in next weekend and there's nothing you can do about it, Valerie." My father's tone held finality in them. My eyes twitched, jaws clenching hard.

My eyes darted to Sinn. His eyes was cold and empty. Emotionless.

How was he comfortable with this?

My face scrunched up in disgust. "If she stays, I'll kill myself."

My father fell to his seat, not saying anything. Eyeing them all for the last time, I ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door hard so they could all feel my wrath.

I threw myself forward, crashing onto my mattress. Immediately, all hell broke loose as tears streamed down my eyes freely. My body shook vigorously, my chest tightening.

How could you say you love somebody and then move on that fast? To me, such love wasn't genuine.

My father lied to my mother.

I hate him so much.

A knock came hard on my door. Once. Lifting my head up, I glared at the door with red eyes.

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you, Father."

The doorknob twisted, unlocking the door. I sat up, eyeing the person standing inside my room now.

"Get out."

He didn't spare me a glance, instead feeding his eyes off my room. "Didn't take you for a soft aesthetic girlie. Thought you would be all gothic and shit."

He picked up my tiara from when I was ten, that sat on my big shelve. Hurriedly, I jumped up from the bed, going to take it from him with a scowl.

"Can you fucking stop snooping around?" I hissed, a bit irritated.

"What? I'm just taking a tour in my step-sister's room." He smirked.

My face squeezed into a deep frown, rage boiling inside my skin. "Excuse you? I am not your step-sister. I will never be. You and your mother -"

A soft gasp escaped my lips when his hands curled around my neck, pushing me until I hit my back on the shelf. A flash of our encounter that day played in my head, sending cold chills down my spine.

"That's enough." He said, his voice calm. "I will no longer accept you talking anyhow to my mother."

"Take your mother away with you, I don't need a mother," I spat, glaring at him, trying to ignore the way my body began to heat up, making me all hot in my skin.

Maybe it was the anger.

"Whatever my mother wants, she gets. Right now, she likes your father and she wants to get married to him."

"I don't -"

"Approve of it, bla bla. I don't care, Valerie." He shook his head. "I don't do all talks, Valerie, but I believe you understand what I'm trying to say here."

I bit my lips, just staring at him.

Slowly, he released his grip on my neck, dragging his hand down softly. I bit harder on my lips, sucking in my breath.

He stared at me, eyeing me up and down slowly. "Maybe... we could continue from where we stopped last time. At least, we live together now."

Oh God. Swallow me whole now!

"Be a good girl, Little Red. I'm sure you don't want your father knowing what we almost did. He wouldn't take it lightly."

Aha!

I was just waiting for him to say it and he said it.

I didn't care about my father but if words got out to people in my school...

Oh no!

I had to get rid of Sinn ASAP.

"You know, for family bonding sake, we could be roommates. Your room looks wide enough anyway. Don't you think so, Little Red?"

Excuse me, what?