Chapter Eighteen - The Party (Part 2)
"We're brothers."
I didn't realize my feet had stopped moving and I was standing still infront of him. He stopped moving too and glanced down at me.
"Brothers?" I asked. Maybe I heard it wrong.
"Yeah. We're like brothers," He nodded.
I stared at him in confusion.
"So you're not brothers? Like blood related?"
He chuckled. "No. He's like a brother to me."
Like a brother?
That's something a best friend would say. Alec had a best friend or a friend in the first place?
"Are you talking about Alec Sinclair? My husband? Are you sure about that?"
His green eyes flashed with bewilderment before he nodded. "Ofcourse."
I couldn't help but be even more confused. If he was that good of a friend to Alec as he was claiming, how come I never saw or heard about him before?
Hell! He's lying to me!
I raised a brow at him. "Really? So tell me the reason why I didn't see you at the wedding, Mr. Reed."
His eyes narrowed but I could see the hint of amusement behind his mask. "Good question, Mrs. Sinclair. The wedding was on such a short notice that I couldn't get off my busy schedule. Alec did want me to be his best man but since I couldn't be there, he had to pick a random employee from his company which got him really mad at me. Maybe that's why he never mentioned me within these two weeks."
His explanation made little sense as I thought over it. Maybe he wasn't lying.
"But," He started again. "He must have mentioned me atleast once in all those months you've been dating, right?"
His eyes were suddenly sharp like he was accusing me of something and I found myself shifting uncomfortably from one foot to other.
I nodded. "Ofcourse he did."
"Really? Then I wonder why you couldn't recognize me the moment I told you my name," His tone was mocking and it seemed like he was challenging me. Almost like he knew everything.
Could he see through my lies?
"I-I did. I wasn't just sure if you really were Walter Reed because of that mask," I spoke in a confident tone.
To my surprise, he chuckled and nodded. "Ofcourse."
The song had changed and we were now just standing in the middle of the dance floor. I would've excused myself but my curiosity got the best of me as I decided to get some information.
"So you guys met in high school, right?" I spoke discreetly.
"No. Middle school," He corrected.
Middle school!
Is that how long they've known each other? He must be knowing a lot about Alec.
"Right! I can't believe I forgot. That was the first thing he told me about you," I chuckled nervously, hoping he wouldn't see past my act.
If my plan was going the way I had anticipated, maybe I could find something about Alec's family.
"I hope you excuse my weak memory but you guys were neighbours too, right?" I asked.
He seemed confused for a moment. "No. We weren't."
"Oh. Then I might be confusing it with some other friend of his," I spoke.
He nodded. "Maybe."
"So you must have met his family, right?" I asked.
He pressed his lips into a thin line as he stared at me with an unreadable expression before he finally nodded.
My eyes grew wide for a second but I quickly composed myself. "His mother was such a sweetheart, wasn't she?"
With the way Alec refuses to talk about his family, I can only assume they are all dead. Or they would be at the wedding, wouldn't they?
Unless he broke all ties with them for some reason.
Walter still had the same unreadable look on his face, which only made me think that he was as unaware as me. What if he was just a local person trying to dig in on Alec's personal life?
"His mother-"
"I'd like my wife back now," A deep voice spoke beside us and I snapped my head in its direction.
Alec's face held a frown but it wasn't directed towards me.
"Alec," The man infront of me spoke as a greeting.
"Walter," Alec nodded back and they shook hands.
So they did know each other!
"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Alec spoke.
Walter's lips pulled up into a smirk as he cut a glance at me. "Thought I'd see for myself what the fuss was all about."
I frowned at his words but didn't interject.
Alec's lips pressed into a thin line as he gave a firm nod. "I'll see you around."
Walter nodded with the same smirk before he turned to me. "It was a great pleasure to meet you, Scarlet. I'll see you again."
I gave him a tight smile. "Likewise, Walter."
He left us alone on the dance floor and I turned to Alec, who seemed to be glaring at his retreating figure. I cleared my throat to capture his attention and he turned to me.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Had a good dance?"
I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to say something but he held his palm up. My gaze lifted up to his face in confusion. "Dance with me."
I blinked at him. Was he serious?
"You lied," I spoke.
"Excuse me?" He raised a brow.
My eyes narrowed. "You said you have no friends."
"So?"
"Who was he?"
"I'll tell you over a dance."
I gritted my teeth and placed my hand in his. His lips pulled up into a slight smirk as he brought his hands to my waist while I lifted mine to his shoulders, suddenly getting a flashback of our wedding day.
Our bodies started moving with the music and when I looked up into his blue eyes, only to find them looking down at me, something inside me ignited.
Butterflies exploded in my stomach as his warm hands squeezed my waist while holding me in a firm grip.
I gulped before asking. "Who was he?"
"Who?"
I narrowed my eyes for a moment. "Stop playing around, Alec."
"I'm not playing. I'm dancing."
My jaw dropped open but I quickly shut it and frowned at him.
"How do you know Walter Reed?" I asked.
"He's a friend."
"How come you never told me about him before?"
He shrugged as his thumb started rubbing circles on my back, making my breath hitch.
"We never talked about it. You see, I don't know about your friends either."
"Atleast I never said I don't have any. But you did say that."
"He's as good as nothing to me. He's never around." He shrugged.
"Is that what you meant when you said you have no one? Because they're never around? Does that mean you have a family but they're just not around?"
His jaw clenched at my words but I wasn't backing down.
"So you're alone just because your family is in some other country or continent?"
His feet stopped moving as his grip on me loosened and he brought his hands to his side, his fists balled up.
I stopped infront of him.
"No, Scarlet. That is not what I meant," He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Then what?" I pressed further but I could clearly see that he did not want to talk about it.
He shook his head and looked away for a moment.
"Tell me, Alec. You've got to have someone. Where is your family? Was it a dysfunctional family? Did they disown you? Did you cut all ties with them? Something must have-"
"My family is dead," He snapped.
His eyes were blazing with fire in the dark room as he glanced down at me.
I stopped breathing as everything around me seemed to have disappeared and all I could see was him turning around and leaving me standing there alone.
Dead!?
His entire family?
A feeling of emptiness crept up inside my chest as his words replayed in my mind. His family is dead.
He has no one.
My eyes grew wide. Is that why he married me?
To have company?
My heart ached for him and before I knew it, I started towards where he had went and came across a balcony door.
I slowly opened the large double doors and shivered as the cool air hit my bare shoulders. Stepping outside, I silently closed the door behind me and looked around.
My eyes went to the dark corner and saw him leaning against the railing, his elbows resting on the railing surface as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Oh God! What have I done?
I slowly walked up to him. My heels clicked against the marble floor and he cut a glance at me before looking ahead again.
I stood silently beside him and looked ahead at the clear view of the sea, the waves pulling up and collapsing back into the ocean every few seconds, the silver lining outlining their motion.
I could hear the soft noise of splashing of the ocean waves in the deafening silence.
He hadn't spoken a word so I assumed he didn't want me gone yet.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
When he didn't say anything, I turned my head in his direction. His face was shining under the moonlight and his eyes seemed distant as he stared out towards the sea.
I took in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for your loss. I had no idea, Alec."
I debated in my head if I should ask more about his family but immediately dismissed the idea.
He didn't make any move and I assumed that he did not want to talk to me. Well, if I were in his place, I'd be doing the same I guess.
Nodding, I decided to leave him alone for some time and took a step away from him.
"Ofcourse you didn't. I never told you," His voice cut my movements in between.
I faced him once again and this time, his eyes fell on me. He didn't have any anger in them, instead they were shining with a completely different emotion this time.
If I wasn't mistaken with his mask on, I could almost see the desolation in them. He was disheartened and for some reason--I didn't like it.
Infact, I hated myself for making him like that.
Before I knew it, my hand went up to his shoulder. He looked down at it and then, into my eyes.
My legs became weak under his penetrating gaze and as if that was not enough, he stood up straight and turned completely to face me.
My hand gave a squeeze to his shoulder and I took a step forward carefully, all the while feeling his gaze on me.
When he didn't stop me, I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him, praying with all my heart that he won't push me away.
All my senses suddenly seemed to have stopped working when he embraced me back and placed his chin on top of my head.
He inhaled deeply as his arms grew tighter around my waist, making a tingle run down my spine. A smile formed on my lips as I breathed in his alluring scent.
"Scarlet...." He muttered.
A little feeling of bliss and disappointment surged through my heart at the same time because I knew what was going to happen next.
He was going to push me away. That's how it always is.
I shut my eyes tightly and enjoyed his embrace while it would last. Tears pooled in my eyes because I knew it wasn't going to last that long.
I took in a shaky breath and spoke.
"I know you think I'm pitying you but that's not true. I just want you to know that I'm really glad you opened up to me. It makes me feel like I'm important to you, even though I know that I'm not," I took in a breath.
He didn't say anything nor did he let go of me and I was enjoying every second of his embrace.
But every good thing comes to an end and so did this one.
His grip slowly loosened and not wanting to suffocate him more than I already was, I withdrew my hands and took a step back.
He looked down at me for a moment, his eyes watching me carefully.
I waited for him to say something--anything but all my hopes seemed to have washed away when he took a step back, turned around and left the balcony.
Without a word.
I released a shaky breath and turned to the sea, removing my mask as tears blurred my vision.
Why? Why do I always make a fool of myself?
How does he always manage to draw me in and render me broken later?
How do I fall for it every single time?
I know he doesn't feel anything for me, yet I always end up going near him and get burnt in the process.
I wiped the tears away and quickly put my mask back on. Taking in a deep breath, I turned to the doors and went back inside the hall.
I was crossing a table when a familiar voice caught my attention.
"This is a blunder. You said ten. Now I've got all the badges registered and everyone is expecting ten models walking down that ramp. You have to do something."
I was about to walk away but he looked up at me and smiled. I returned his smile as he hung up the phone.
Not wanting to seem rude, I asked. "Is there a problem, Mr. Roberts?"
"Yes, Mrs. Sinclair. The model agency I contacted for this party promised me ten models for my event but one of them fell sick and now we're left with nine."
"Models for what?" I asked in confusion.
"For the auction."
"What?" I was surprised. "You're auctioning off models? Why?"
At this, he chuckled. "Sit down for a minute, child."
I took a seat at his table.
"The models will be walking down a ramp one by one and people can bid on them for a dance."
My eyes grew wide. "What? Why would you do-"
"It's nothing like you're picturing it, Mrs. Sinclair," He chuckled once again. "It's just a fun auction through which we collect the money they bid on them. If anyone tries to cross a limit here, they know what will come their way. Relax. Consider it a game."
"Oh. So the models know what they are coming here for?"
"Ofcourse. What do you think of me, child?" His eyes grew big for a moment as he seemed offended and I realized my mistake.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Roberts. I didn't mean it like that."
He nodded and finally smiled after a moment. "It's alright."
"So what seems to be the problem with just nine?"
"It changes the charity amount we were supposed to receive. But ofcourse, not too much," He rolled his eyes.
An idea seemed to hit me. "I can help you."
"How?" His eyes lit up.
"I can be the tenth model," I shrugged.
A grin plastered on his face as he seemed to be considering the idea but frowned a moment later.
"I don't think so, Mrs. Sinclair," He shook his head.
"I don't look that bad, Mr. Roberts," I joked.
"It's not that. The point is that Mr. Sinclair might not like that."
"What's there to not like? You just said it's a fun game."
He seemed to be thinking about it again. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," I nodded. "Alec wouldn't mind."
It's not like he cares about me anyway.
The thought hurt but I quickly dismissed it and focused back on Mr. Roberts who seemed to be happy once more.
"Thanks a lot and I owe you, Mrs. Sinclair."
I chuckled. "No problem."
He quickly showed me to the room where the rest of the models were getting ready.
"Not like you need a touch up but still," He smiled.
"Yeah," I nodded and took a seat infront of the dresser labelled as tenth and removed my mask.
My mascara had smudged because of crying and I frowned at my image.
Just then, a middle aged woman stepped up behind me and smiled. "Mrs. Sinclair?"
I nodded.
"I'm assigned for you."
"Oh thank God," I spoke before I could stop myself and blushed when she let out a laugh. You do need a touch up! So what, Scarlet?
She quickly started fixing my make up as the first model was called on the ramp.
I could hear the announcements and my eyes grew wide when I heard her final bidding amount. Twenty Thousand Dollars!
Oh my Lord! Save me the embarrassment.
I started praying that my final bid could be ten thousand atleast.
With each model, the amount started increasing and the ninth one was bidded at HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!
Oh God!
I was a bundle of nerves when the lady put the tenth number badge on my dress.
I felt my phone ring in my purse for probably the fifth time but as the number ten was called on the stage, I ignored it and quickly made my way backstage towards the ramp.
The spotlights blinded me for a second but I put on a confident smile on my face and walked till the edge, struck a few poses, blew an air kiss which caused a few hoots and cheers in the audience.
I made sure the slit in my dress was doing a good job at showing off my well toned legs.
The audience seemed to be going crazy with applauses and hooting.
Whoa. Unexpected. I couldn't be more thankful for the Mean Girls marathon nights when me and Lily would pretend to walk down a ramp with attitude.
I came into my final pose which I had mastered in the past, and stood still.
"Whoa. That is indeed a beauty," The announcer spoke. "Welcoming the beautiful, elegant and breathtakingly gorgeous woman of the night, Scarlet Sinclair."
The room erupted in applauses as I smiled down at everyone. My eyes caught Mr. Roberts smiling at me and clapping with a thankful smile.
"Let's start the bid with five thousand dollars," The announcer cheered.
"Ten thousand dollars," I heard a voice from the front tables.
"Fifteen thousand dollars,"
"Twenty thousand," Another one said.
Whew! Atleast I'm not embarrassed.
"Fifty thousand dollars," A voice spoke from the last tables and I recognized him. Walter?
He winked at me as I let out a laugh.
"Fifty thousand one."
"Fifty thousand two."
"Fifty thousa-"
"Hundred thousand dollars," Another man sitting on a corner table spoke.
Whoa!
"Two hundred thousand," Walter fought back.
"Three hundred thousand," The guy challenged back.
Oh man! This was going too far!
"Four hundred thousand dollars," Someone else spoke.
Almost half a million? What. The. Actual. Fudge!
I eyed the guy sitting on a centre table who had bidded four hundred thousand. I didn't even know him.
"Four hundred thousand one."
"Four hundred thousand-"
"One million dollars," A loud voice cut through the air and my eyes snapped to the figure on the front table.
I could hear whoas and wows from all around the room.
"One million dollars one."
"One million dollars two."
"One million dollars three and sold to Mr. Alec Sinclair."
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