Chapter 230
Clementine:
“And exactly when were you going to tell me about it?” I confronted Haiden, tapping my foot on the ground while my hands rested on my waist. My eyes judged him hard, which was why he couldn’t make eye contact with me.
“Come on, I just found out myself. It’s not like I knew days ago,” he complained, trying to defend himself.
I had come back to the room, unable to enjoy lunch anymore.
“Messi? Seriously, Haiden? Messi? Do you not know what that guy is like?” I hissed, jumping from one issue to the other. First, I was annoyed he hadn’t told me right away. Second, it was Messi.
I didn’t care how stupid, stern, or rude Mariana was, she still didn’t deserve someone like Messi. He was the worst of the worst.
“You’re talking like I’m the one who fixed their marriage. I only found out after they had everything planned, so let’s just stop it. And why do we care if they get married? I don’t fucking care,” he snapped, his tone much harsher.
“I mean, do you even realize what kind of trouble everyone is thrusting Mariana into? Do you know what kind of a guy he is?” I pressed, tilting my head.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s a bad guy? A playboy? A fuckboy? I don’t care,” he replied with a shrug. “These women and their father already made my life hell. I don’t fucking care. I’m not gonna play hero in their eyes,” he grunted, making his point clear.
“Fine, then I won’t tell you what he’s capable of.” As soon as I said that, he shrugged again.
“Yeah, I don’t really care. I don’t wanna listen to it either,” he retorted, leaving me stunned.
I kept staring at his face until he noticed. At some point, he turned to me and sighed, his hands dropping to his sides.
“What is it?” he finally asked, probably getting curious.
Once again, I prepared myself to tell him when the door opened and Fauna barged in. She had no sense of knocking or basic manners. I had never seen anyone so arrogantly stupid and ill-mannered before.
“Seriously, Fauna?” Haiden turned to her, yelling. At this point, I knew Haiden was doing his best to tell her to fuck off. He was rude, inconsistent, and completely ignorant of her feelings. But she didn’t care. She just kept coming back to him, like a magnet.
“They are here. Father wants you to come and welcome them. Come on now,” she replied, completely ignoring the fact that he had just yelled at her.
If it were me, I would have yelled back at him for mistreating me or raising his voice. But she deserved it. Because once someone tells you no, it’s a no. And he had said it way too many times already. But she still didn’t care.
He kept staring at her face.
“Come on,” she insisted.
“Let’s go,” I told him, and I noticed the way he turned and relaxed his muscles.
“Okay, fine,” he replied, much calmer.
“Oh wow. You know, I deserve some respect as well,” she commented, but at this point none of us cared.
We started walking away. She kept murmuring and saying weird things behind us, but neither of us bothered to listen anymore.
I saw Mariana standing next to her father, who wore a beautiful golden gown. And then there was the family that had just arrived.
I felt so annoyed watching Messi. He was leading the pack, right in front. Troy was next to him. It was saddening, the way everyone treated Messi when it should have been Troy’s time to shine.
These vacations were specifically planned for us. Why the fuck was their father using it to celebrate Messi’s engagement?
As soon as Troy’s eyes landed on me, I noticed the way they narrowed, almost in shock. Then I realized, of course he didn’t know I was here.
Right next to him was his mother, who mirrored her son’s expression, staring at me before gasping, then clenching her jaw and grabbing his arm, trying to pull him behind her. What did she think I would do, jump him in front of everyone?
I stepped back so Haiden was in front, and he noticed. Thankfully, he didn’t force me forward. I didn’t want to.
There was a whole scene where they welcomed that evil man. Mariana looked so happy. I could tell they had already met before when they felt the mate bond. He was going to find more mates and toss her aside, that is how he was.
After a while, I decided to go back to the room. There was no need for me to stay. I was just standing in the corner, catching occasional glances from people, more specifically, Troy.
Ever since he arrived and saw me, his mother had pulled him away. He was briefly introduced to Patrick, but then his mother dragged him off again.
I also saw his stepmother, and my mood soured at the sight of her. So I went back to the room.
I had just entered the room and taken a breath of relief when the door slammed open and then shut. I jumped on the bed, turning around to see Troy come in. He locked the bedroom door, making sure nobody else could enter, then ran toward me.
“So what is it, huh? Did you choose him?” He was instantly ready to jump at me.
The way he muttered those words under his breath, the way his eyes filled with tears almost instantly, was so shocking I couldn’t even respond. I just kept staring at his face.
“Is that it? You really chose him? Is that why you’re here?” he pressed, reaching for my elbow and pulling me closer. That’s when he snapped me back to reality.
“I did not choose him,” I responded instantly, trying to free my arm.
“Then why the fuck are you here? You were supposed to be somewhere else. And he acted like he didn’t even want to bring you here either. Then suddenly, what changed? Why am I coming here to find my mate with Haiden?” he hissed, and a big tear rolled down his cheek.
At that point, I realized there was more to the story, more reason for why he was so upset than he was letting me know. It was a cry for help.