Sold to the Devil

X - MEET-UP

"What?" I muttered under my breath. What did he just say?!

He wants me to meet his parents. But I just got off from an almost eight-hour flight! I still have jetlag! I wanted to shout at him even though I didn’t exactly know what jetlag was! This is only the second time that I went on a flight. The first time, he immediately sent me off to training and now he wants me to go and meet his parents right after jumping off the plane!

Damn. Is he making sure that he'd get the value of his one million dollars? He wants me to work for the money that didn't even land on my palm? Ugh.

And why do I need to meet his parents? Our marriage would be fake. Right? I don't have to have any relationship with his family. We will get divorced anyway. I can think of so many reasons not to go but...

The truth is, I am just terrified of the idea of meeting his parents. Like who wouldn’t? I can already imagine different scenarios in my head courtesy of all the drama series that I have watched before.

Her mom would probably insult me from head to toe. She would interrogate me like I was a suspect in the biggest murder case. If she isn't going to be satisfied, then slap me or worse, throw a glass of cold water or champagne on my face after. I winced at that thought, then looked down at my designer clothes. Will they get ruined tonight?

Did Emmanuel and his crew dress me just for this?

What a shame. But that doesn't end there for sure. If he had an aristocratic mother, I'm sure his father would be no different.

His dad will probably talk to me in private whenever Alistair's not around and offer me a blank check. I can name my price, but in return, I have to leave him for good and never show my face ever again!

They'd probably throw me somewhere far away.

That would be great though, in other circumstances. I would gladly walk away with his money, but I’m sure I couldn’t do that in my situation now. I have no choice but to stick with Alistair even if his family doesn't approve of me. It would be a love story against all odds from another's point of view.

I would still be lucky if he was an only child. But what if he has an equally jerk of a brother or a bitchy sister? Or worse, both? I winced at that thought. It would be a total disaster.

But wait… Why do I need to be bothered though?

I almost forgot that I am no longer Elise Jones, the promo girl! I am now Heather Naismith, an elite socialite! Huh! There’s no way in hell that they will reject me for their son.

Right! I shouldn’t have worried about it.

I took a deep breath and tried to remember everything that Emmanuel had taught me. I need to put them to the test tonight.

Somehow, I felt at ease with those thoughts.

“Uhm, Alistair… Do you have a brother or a sister?” I asked in a calculating voice, but he suddenly shot me an accusing look.

Why? Did I say something wrong? I just wanted to know so I can be prepared. What if his brother hits on me? Or did his sister want to strangle me? I just want to know what I am getting myself into. So that I can be prepared. You can never go into a battle blindsided.

“What did you just call me?” he asked, his forehead deeply furrowed.

Huh?

I blinked several times. He doesn’t want me to call him by his name? Do we need to use an endearment? I didn’t think he was a romantic type of guy but…

“What do you want me to call you? Babe? Honey? Love?” I asked, but it seemed that it only made him angrier. I can almost see the vein on his forehead ticking. I gulped. He looked like a bomb waiting to explode.

I swear the look on his face is enough to make me want to jump out of this moving vehicle!

“Alistair. You called me Alistair?” he repeats. Like he couldn’t believe what I just called him.

What's wrong with it? Doesn't he like his name?

“Yes, that's what I called you." Why does he keep on stressing about it? " Sorry, I didn't know you wanted an endearment. Now I’m asking you what you want me to call you. Loverboy? Honeybunch? Sweetcakes?” I gave him a cheeky smile to change his mood.

“My name’s Devin,” he said in a cold voice while stressing out each syllable. Devin?

“Huh?” my brows knotted in confusion. “But Walter calls you Alistair!” I said defensively.

“That’s my f*****g family name,” he said between gritted teeth.

Oh! I didn’t know.

“How am I supposed to know? You didn’t even introduce yourself to me!” I almost screamed.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath while massaging the bridge of his nose. He looked stressed. Well, when is he not? He's always stressed.

“I just heard Walter addressing you as Mr. Alistair, so I thought it was your name. It does sound like one.” I tried to reason out.

“Now you know. What if my mom asks you some things about me? How will you answer?” he asked.

“I don’t know! Why would she even ask that?” I shot back. “I should be the one asking her because she’s your mom. She should know you better!” I snapped.

He squints his eyes at me.

“Don’t you dare mess this up,” he said in a hard tone.

“Okay, relax. I got you!” I winked at him playfully.

“Make sure of that,” he said in the coldest voice before dismissing me by looking outside the window.

Tss. Snob.

"But if you're really bothered, you can just tell me about yourself. Like... What's your favorite color?" I suggested, trying to get his attention. He turned to me with a bored look painted on his handsome face.

"What are we? Grade school?" he snapped. I pouted.

"Then how would I know things about you?" I asked. "C'mon, cooperate."

"Black," he said after a long sigh. Black?

"Okay." I tried to think of other questions. "Hmm, how about food?"

"Nothing in particular," he coldly said.

"Really? Not even a specific cuisine? How about French? Italian? Japanese, Chinese?" I insisted.

"Do we really need to do this?" he asked, instead of answering my question.

"I don't know. You were the one who knew your mother. Do you think she would ask about those things?" I asked. "Or maybe I can ask her first instead. Is she a snob?" I bombarded him with questions but he didn't even bother to look at me.

Look at how rude he is.

I grabbed his arm to make him look at me.

"Hey," I called out.

"What?!" he growled like an angry lion.

"Tss. Will you ever stop growling?" I snapped. If he thought that he could terrorize me, then he thought wrong. "I just wanted to ask if you think your parents would like me?"

"Why do you need to worry about that?" he asked. I glared at him incredulously. Was he seriously asking me that?!

"Why?! Why don't you look at yourself!" I motioned my hand from his head to toe. "Shouldn't I be worried that your parents would be exactly just like you?"

He closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. Like he is really controlling himself. Am I pushing him to his limits already? I tilted my head and watched him. He still looked gorgeous even though he clearly looked pissed. I bit my lip to stop myself from wanting to kiss him.

"Don't think about it," he muttered after a while. "Whether they like you or not, it won't matter. We'll still be getting married," he said in a now calmer voice.

"Gee, thanks! That sounded very reassuring." I told him sarcastically to hide how I really felt.

The way he said it made my heart skip a beat. s**t! f*****g get yourself together Elise. This isn't real. I quietly berated myself for feeling this way. Of course, he would still marry me. He had already bought me from my stepfather. He won't waste his money just like that, right?

I sighed and decided to just keep quiet throughout the rest of the ride. Instead of arguing with him, I took out my make-up pouch to retouch. I want to look my best for my future in-laws. This is the only thing that I can genuinely offer to them. I don’t have money or any riches, but I can assure them that I’ve got good genes! I am authentic from head to toe! I've never done anything to alter the way I look. I've never had any surgery, not even Botox.

Their son and I will have gorgeous babies if ever!

I was laughing maniacally in my head with my thoughts. I can’t laugh out loud because this guy beside me will surely flip.

Wait. We haven't talked about that. Are we going to have babies? Or maybe the right question should be, would we consummate our marriage when everything is just a fraud? I don't know.

It's up to him. As he had said, he owns me. So he could probably do anything to me. Not that I will complain. Ugh. I wanted to slap myself.

Gahd. What's even happening to me? My emotions switch like craze in a span of a few minutes! This guy is driving me insane.

I swiped the lipstick before smacking my lips together. It made a sound that got Devin’s attention. I pouted my lips and batted my eyelashes while looking at him.

He just gave me a threatening look before turning to the window again. He’s got too much attitude for a man.

What’s his problem? He looks very stressed all the time like there was a stick shoved so high up into his ass.

I put all my make-up back in my pouch and just decided to look around while the car was moving. I let myself be occupied by the different sceneries that we pass by. It took almost an hour before we entered an exclusive village. My jaw dropped at the houses that we passed by. No, they’re not houses! They’re mansions if not castles. Woah!

I couldn’t choose which one is the grandest! I didn't know where to look. My head kept turning left and right.

“Stop acting like an i***t,” Devin grunted.

“Sorry, but I’ve never seen a place like this! Is this where the richest people live?” I stupidly asked while still looking around. Where are we? Are we still in New York?

“This is where my parents live. And keep your amazement to yourself. You look stupid.” He blankly said like he didn’t just insult me.

What a jerk! Can't he just answer my question?

The car stopped and I immediately went out to see what their house looked like.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I gasped in awe. A huge classical home is sitting in the middle of an expansive, well-manicured lawn and landscaped gardens. On the right side is a water coast that looks magnificent even in the dark. It shone under the moonlight. I wanted to run and take a dive into it.

“Come on, they’re waiting for us,” Devin said, which brought me back to my senses.

"Okay! Let's do this!" I told myself.

I took a deep breath and then hooked my arm in his. I pressed my body against his side as we walked inside their mansion. I was thinking about whether we would be greeted by lined maids in identical uniforms just like in the movies but I was getting distracted by his scent.

He smells so freaking good that I just want to burrow my nose against his chest and live there forever.

“Hello, son! Finally!” an elegant-looking woman greeted us instead of the maids in my imagination. She looked poised and too young to be his mother, but oh well. That’s what money can do!

"I thought you already forgot about me!" she exclaimed exaggeratedly.

She kissed him on both cheeks before acknowledging my presence. One of her eyebrows shot up when she looked at me. Okay, here we go…

I heaved another deep breath to brace myself for what was about to hit me.

“Mom, this is Heather, my girlfriend. Heather, my mom. Ramona.” Devin formally introduced us.

“Good evening.” I greeted her in a well-modulated voice and a small smile just like how Emmanuel taught me. I raised my hand for a handshake but she just lightly tapped it away.

“Oh darling, skip the formalities!” I didn’t expect it when she pulled me into a hug before giving my cheek a peck.

“I’m just so glad that, finally, my unico hijo brought home someone.” I’m not sure if she is sincere about that but who am I to judge? I'm the one who's pretending here.

“Mom,” Devin called out to her. He must have noticed how uncomfortable I am right now.

“Sorry son. I was just excited. C’mon, let’s go to the dining room. Your father is waiting for us.” She walked regally in front of us.

Her high heels clicked on the floor with each step. I wonder if she wears them all the time even if she’s only at home. Perhaps.

I was in awe of everything that I saw inside their house but I had to keep them all to myself. The grand staircase is just so elegant with that extravagant chandelier hanging above it. There are big paintings that probably cost more than my life.

After all, it only cost one million dollars. It's not impossible that these pieces are worth more than that. I thought bitterly.

It took us almost forever before we got to the formal dining room, which could probably seat a dozen people. Two women in maid’s uniform are busy setting food on the table. A man who looks identical to Devin but older is sitting at the head of the table.

“Honey!” Devin’s mom called his attention.

“Our son is here with the very lovely Heather.” she introduced me.

Oh, I like her already. She’s so honest!

He looked at us and just nodded while I gave him an awkward smile. He really looked like someone who would definitely slap me with a blank check.

Devin’s arm was wrapped behind my waist as he guided me to sit down on one of the chairs. I sat beside him while he sat across from his mom and beside his father.

The dinner went on smoothly. His mother asks questions from time to time which I answer in a very rehearsed way. His mother is really adorable. Why didn’t he take after her? My life would have been easier if he was as bubbly as her.

But then again, he wouldn’t need to buy a wife if he had no personality problems.

“So, when’s the wedding?” his mom asked.

I almost choked on her question so I took my glass of water to drink. I will let Alistair, I mean Devin, answer her.

“I’m so excited to have grandchildren! I miss having a baby!” she excitedly gushed and I almost blew the water out of my mouth.

Baby?! Yeah, I was just thinking about that earlier. But hearing it from other people freaked me out.

“Mom, the wedding is soon but a baby is not yet in our plans,” Devin answered in a monotone.

I cleared my throat, which now hurts from almost choking on the water. I took a glance at his father who was just watching them banter with each other.

“Ahw! Why not?” she pressed.

Devin’s arm pulled my shoulders to get me closer to him.

“We want to enjoy each other’s company first. Right?” he then looked at me.

“Hmm yes, baby.” I agreed and smiled, but I think he didn’t like the way I addressed him because now I could feel his fingers digging into my shoulder blade. I stopped myself from wincing in pain.

“You’ll be my baby for now,” I added before my smile turned to a grimace when his fingers pressed harder. He’s such a sadist! I'm not even doing anything!

“Oh, you’re both so sweet! I remember the old times.” His mother looked at his father, who gave her a little smile. He looks rigid, but I can tell he loves her genuinely by the way he looks at her.

“Finish your food.” Devin nudged me.

“Yes, babe,” I said in my sweetest voice, then turned back to my food but he just kicked my foot under the table in return. Tss. He doesn’t even have a single sweet bone in his body.

“You look so good together.” His mom exclaimed.

I was about to say something but got interrupted when somebody suddenly spoke.

“Hello everyone!” a cheery voice echoed through the walls of the dining room.

I turned around and saw a tall blonde woman. She looked like she walked out straight from Vogue magazine. She had a huge smile on her face but it immediately disappeared the moment her eyes landed on me.

“Who are you?” she asked with one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows arched up.

Oh no. Here comes the trouble...