Sparkless Mistletoe

CHAPTER ONE

Guin

Vincent cursed under his breath, his usually cocky demeanor faltering. The symphony of violins and soft music started, creating a surreal atmosphere that felt almost cruel given the circumstances. Spotlights illuminated the surrounding area, and I instinctively stepped back, my mind racing to process what was happening.

“What’s going on?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.

“This was supposed to be for… someone else. The one I was telling you about,” Vincent admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I didn’t cancel the plan after she…” His voice trailed off, but I could guess the rest. Ah, yes. The girl who rejected him.

Before I could respond, a crew member approached with a microphone and an expectant smile. “Mr. Laurent, we’re ready when you are!”

Vincent glanced at me, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the spotlight.

“Vincent, what are you—”

“Saving face,” he muttered. His grip tightened, his usually teasing smirk replaced with a determined look. “Unless you want both of us to look pathetic tonight, just play along.”

My heart pounded in my chest as he dropped to one knee, the gasps and murmurs from the small crowd around us growing louder. I froze, my mind screaming that this wasn’t real, but the intensity in Vincent’s eyes kept me rooted in place.

“Guinivere Zayne,” he began, his voice steady but low enough that only I could hear the edge of frustration in it. “I know this is sudden, but sometimes, life surprises us.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box with a sparkling diamond ring inside.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he shot me a warning glance. “Just say yes,” he whispered.

Swallowing hard, I nodded, my voice barely above a whisper. “Yes.”

The applause was deafening, the flashes of cameras blinding as Vincent slid the ring onto my finger. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, humiliation, and disbelief, but I forced a smile, knowing the alternative would be worse.

***

As soon as the crowd began to disperse and the music softened, Vincent tugged me aside, his hand firmly gripping mine. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said, his smirk returning.

I glared at him, yanking my hand away. “You just proposed to me in front of half the cruise ship! Are you insane?” My heart is still relentlessly pounding within me—I, the girl who’s caught her first boyfriend cheating on her, is now wearing a ring meant for someone else.

“Relax, princess,” he replied nonchalantly. “It’s not real. No one expects us to actually get married.”

The clapping crowd had mostly dispersed, leaving only the faint echoes of applause in the background. Vincent stood beside me, his hand still loosely holding mine as the tension between us thickened. I barely had time to catch my breath before a voice rang out, sharp and familiar.

“Guin?” Andrei’s tone was an icy mix of disbelief and anger. “What the hell is going on here?”

I froze, my heart pounding. Turning slowly, I saw him standing just a few feet away, his eyes darting between me and Vincent, who remained cool and unbothered. Abigail hovered behind him, her face pale as her eyes refused to meet mine. The audacity of them both made my blood boil.

“Andrei,” I started, my voice trembling, but Vincent stepped forward, cutting me off.

“Can we help you?” Vincent asked, his tone casual but laced with an edge. He placed himself squarely between Andrei and me, his posture protective.

Andrei ignored him, his gaze locked on me. “You’re engaged? To him?” His words were laced with venom, his disbelief almost laughable given the situation.

Vincent smirked, crossing his arms. “That’s right. Problem?”

“This isn’t your business,” Andrei snapped before turning back to me, his voice lowering to a hurt tone. “Guin, how could you do this? After everything we’ve been through? I thought we loved each other.”

My hands clenched into fists. “You thought we loved each other? Andrei, you kissed Abigail under the mistletoe! What part of that says love?” saying that, I looked at my best friend whose eyes can’t meet mine any longer.

“Nice. Is this cruise the new Maldives?” I sarcastically asked, making her back away and hide behind Andrei whose face twisted in anger, but there was a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

That was a mistake,” he said, his voice softening. “I was drunk, and she—”

“And she what?” I cut him off, my voice rising. “She tripped and her lips landed on yours? Stop lying to me, Andrei. I saw everything.”

He froze, his confusion palpable. “You… saw?”

I bit my lip, realizing too late what I’d revealed. Andrei’s eyes narrowed, the hurt giving way to suspicion. “You’ve been lying to me,” he said slowly, his voice low. “You can see? How long?”

“Andrei, I was going to tell you—”

“Don’t,” he snapped, his voice trembling with barely restrained anger. “Don’t stand there and tell me you were going to say anything. You were planning to keep this from me, weren’t you? Just like you’re keeping this engagement act going with him.”

Vincent stepped forward again, his smirk replaced with a steely glare. “Watch your tone.”

Andrei’s eyes snapped to Vincent. “Stay out of this,” he spat. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Vincent took another step closer, his presence almost predatory. “It has everything to do with me. Guin doesn’t owe you anything, especially not after what you pulled.”

“And you think you’re some kind of hero, stepping in to save the day?” Andrei sneered. “You don’t even know her.”

“You think I’ll propose to a stranger?” he chuckled, his voice laced with coldness and disdain. Holding my hand, he pulled me closer, now walking slowly towards Andrei whose gaze flickered between Vincent and I. “I heard you made a fool out of her. Unfortunately for you, I’ve been in love with her that seeing her cry for a dumbas* like you made me pull a once in a lifetime stunt.”

Smirking, he sized him up with his gaze. “See how fast money could put on a proposal to steal her from you?” with his effortless lies, I myself can’t speak up and stop him from weaving lies after lies. I just stood there, watching everything unfold.

When Andrei said nothing else, Vincent turned to me, his expression softening slightly. “Do you want to keep listening to this?” he asked, his voice calm.

I shook my head, my throat too tight to speak. Without another word, Vincent grabbed my hand and led me away, leaving Andrei standing there with Abigail looking as small and pale as a ghost.

***

The air between us was thick as Vincent guided me back toward the private deck area. My hands trembled in his grip, but he didn’t let go, his silence strangely comforting.

“Well,” he said, leaning casually against the railing, “that was… eventful.”

I let out a shaky laugh, the absurdity of the evening catching up with me. “Eventful doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Vincent chuckled, his sharp blue eyes softening. “You handled it better than I thought you would.”

“Handled it?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I was two seconds away from falling apart.”

“And yet, you didn’t.” He stepped closer, his smirk returning. “Give yourself some credit, princess.”

I rolled my eyes, but his teasing tone lightened the weight in my chest. “I still can’t believe you dragged me into this fake engagement mess,” I said, crossing my arms.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, completely unbothered. “If I hadn’t, you’d still be crying over him.”

I opened my mouth to protest but stopped. He wasn’t wrong.

Vincent tilted his head, his gaze curious. “So, what’s the story with you and that guy? Why were you wasting your time with someone like him?”

I hesitated, the raw pain of Andrei’s betrayal still fresh. “He wasn’t always like this,” I said quietly. “When I lost my sight, he was… everything. He stayed by my side, helped me through the hardest time of my life.”

“And now?”

I sighed, looking out at the dark ocean. “Now, I don’t know. Maybe I was holding on to the past, to the version of him that I thought still existed. But tonight… tonight, I realized he’s not that person anymore. Maybe he never was.”

Vincent didn’t say anything for a moment, and when I turned to look at him, I found him watching me intently. “You deserve better,” he said simply.

His words hit harder than I expected, and I found myself blinking back tears. “What about you?” I asked, deflecting. “Why’d your girlfriend leave you?”

He smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “She wanted to be a star. I guess I didn’t fit into her spotlight.”

For a moment, we stood in silence, the sound of the waves filling the space between us. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, Vincent held out his hand.

“Dance with me.”

I stared at him, bewildered. “What?”

“Dance with me,” he repeated, his smirk growing. “You’ve had a terrible night, and so have I. Let’s make the most of it.”

I hesitated, but the sincerity in his eyes broke down my resistance. Slowly, I placed my hand in his, and he pulled me close, his other hand resting lightly on my waist.

The soft strains of music from the nearby hall reached us as we swayed under the stars. For the first time that night, I felt a flicker of something I hadn’t felt in a long time—peace.

“Thank you,” I murmured, resting my head against his chest.

“For what?”

“For not letting me fall apart.”

Vincent chuckles, his voice warm. “Tonight, let’s pretend I wasn’t being a f*cked up bastard in front of your crybaby self back in the day.”

Hearing that, I laughed, momentarily forgetting that I was shedding tears before Vincent held my hand.