The Billionaire's Challenge

Greeting the Devil

 Chapter 2

Greeting the Devil

“Aren’t you going to great your father, princess.” The man said from behind the desk. “You’ve been gone far too long Audrina. We missed you here. I’m glad your home again. We can get you back on track.”

“Greet you?” I scoffed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to see you at all this weekend.”

“Now come on princess-

“And did you just say, ‘get me on track again’? If you think I’m here to stay you’ve completely lost your mind.” I told him, taking a step back. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when I let you trap me back in this hell hole.”

There was no way I could stay here. Not after what I found out… My brothers may believe in my father, but I wouldn’t be tricked, not again. They held our father up to the highest regards and showing them the truth wasn’t a possibility at the moment. I needed proof and I didn’t have any. Not yet anyway.

Ramsey Christensen was a man most people didn’t trifle with, but I found it oddly comforting, knowing I was going against everything he wanted for me. He couldn’t force me to do anything. I was the one person he didn’t have under his control. I didn’t need his money, I didn’t rely on his advice, I didn’t even live in the same city as him. His avenues to control me were narrow, I wouldn’t ever put myself in a position to be controlled by him. That was a promise I would never break; I had made it…on my mother’s grave.

“Noah?” My father asked my brother, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“I haven’t brought up anything yet, she just got here. I was hoping to catch up before we got into other topics.” Noah replied to him.

“We’ll that clearly wasn’t the right move. I thought you would have talked to her before bringing her to talk to me. How else will we prepare her?” My father asked Noah, like I wasn’t even standing in the room.

“Father some patience will-

“No, you told me you could handle this, but I think I need to do it my way.” Ramsey told his son, while walking around the desk and towards me.

My mind was screaming at me, telling to turn around and run back to Paris. But I stood my ground. I would not make him think I was weak.

“You my daughter need to get your priorities straightened. You are not to return to Paris after the wedding. You will be moving back into he manor. It’s time you live up to the Christensen family name, just like your brothers did.” My father said in a threatening tone.

I was silent for a moment.

What made him think I would do anything he wanted me to? I had no ties to him. I had denounced everything and walked away years ago.

“No.”

I had spoken in a calm and stable voice as I could, making sure I was loud and clear.

“Excuse me?” My father asked astonished.

“Nezi!” Noah yelled.

“I said no, as in N O. Not ever going to happen. I have had this conversation with you years ago and I will not have it again. I will NEVER come back and live under your roof or follow any of your rules again. The only reason I came was because Soren lied, he told me I wouldn’t have to see you other than the day of the wedding.” I told my father in a harsh tone.

Then I turned to Noah, “You lied to me too.” I said pointedly.

“Audrina…this is for the best. I think you need to cool down and think about this more clearly and calmly. Father-

“You can never be on my side can you? You need to take father’s side no matter what happens!” I yelled out Noah.

“It’s not like that, we have you best intentions in mind!” Noah exclaimed.

“I wish that were true…but your turning in him and you don’t even see it happening!”

“Enough!” Our father shouted. Then he looked at me with that famous look. The one that said if you cross me again you will regret it. “You WILL be back, and you WILL be marrying a man of my choosing and it will happen before this year ends. That is final.”

I shocked. Marriage? What the hell was he thinking? Getting married was out of the question to start with but to a man of my father’s choosing was never going to happen, not in this lifetime.

“YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND IF YOU THINK I WILL-

“YOU WILL LOWER YOUR VOICE WHEN SPEAKING TO ME!” He yelled out before I had a chance to finish my sentence.

Oh, that had just pushed me over the top. I has been here for less than an hour, and Ramsey Christensen reverted back to the man I’ve always known him to be.

“OH HELL WITH-

“Stop it Audrina!” Noah yelled at me.

I abruptly shut my mouth.

The door behind me opened and Soren walked in, “What’s going on? We can hear you outside.”

I took a couple of deep breathes and stood a bit straighter, pushing my shoulders back.

Then I said as calmly as I could, “Listen to me very carefully father. I will be leaving the day after tomorrow, bright and early and I will not be returning. I will be going back to my life I’ve spent building for the last five years and there is absolutely, absolutely nothing you can do to change that. I will not be speaking to you again and I will be staying at a hotel for the remainder of this trip. You may have my brother’s fooled but remember I know the truth and what I know can never be erased.”

“I turned and walked out of the room, pausing to look at Soren for a moment before pushing past him.

“Audrina!”

“Nez!”

I heard them shout my name, but I couldn’t stop.

I walked into the grand foyer again.

Kaiden, Mirana, Nicola and Ahar were all standing there and staring at me.

“Well, this was nice, but I have to go check into my hotel now.” I said, grabbing my roller carry-on. “I’ll see you guys at the wedding in the morning.”

“What?” Nicola cried out. “Your going to go stay at a hotel?”

“Yes I am Nic. I can’t stay here and that was never the plan, especially after find out my brother’s lied to me.” I looked at Kaiden who wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“And their wives as well.” I added looking at the three of them with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head.

“But Audrina the wedding! Your apart of our special day!” Nicola said.

“And I will be, only difference is that I’m not sleeping here.” I replied coolly.

“Audrina stop acting childish. Of course, you’re staying here.” Noah said walking in with Soren.

“No.”

“You really seem to like that word.” Noah tried to joke, but I continued to glare at him.

“I’ll see you bright and early for the wedding tomorrow morning.” I told Nicola.

“What about the rehearsal dinner, your going to miss that?” Soren asked me.

“Is it taking place in this mausoleum?” I asked him pointing out to the space around me.

“This is our home.” He answered back. “Of course, it’s happening here.”

“I nodded my head, “That’s why none of you lived here after university? Right? You all disappeared the second you got the chance and only to show up for the holidays. You know as well as I do this house has nothing but dreadful memories and a painful past the still haunts it’s walls. But the three of you ran the first chance you got, leaving me here. The only reason I came back was because I wanted to be here to celebrate your wedding. After all the obstacles you’ve encountered I wanted to be there for you, but I will not be sucked into this world again. This place to me is nothing but a stack of bad dreams that have followed me through life.”

Nicola walked up to me.

“I know we all lied to get you here to attend the wedding but this all wouldn’t feel the same with out you. I’m sorry but please stay. If your not going to stay here at least say for the rehearsal dinner. Please?” She asked.

I gave in.

None of this was Nicola’s fault.

“Fine. But I’m leaving after dinner.”

“Yay! Lets go gossip! I mean talk.” Ahar laughed, walking over to me and looping her hand through mine. “We have a lot to talk about.”

I smiled, even though it felt forced. I needed to control myself. I had already ruined the morning I couldn’t ruin anymore of Nicola and Soren’s wedding.

I could get through the next 48 hours.

I could.

It was going to be my mantra for the rest of this trip.

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I sat on the bed in what used to be my old bedroom, with three dresses laying beside me. I had no idea what I should be wearing. I hadn’t gone to many parties in the last 5 years. I had been to focused on getting my company up and running.  That had taken hours and hours of work, to be honest I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t work on the weekend.

I had to stop myself from reaching over to my laptop and checking the progress on some of the projects, but I did stop myself.

Instead, I looked around the room I had spent my childhood in.

The pink walls, the canopy over the bed the crisp white furniture…this used to be my sanctuary. I would hide in here for as long as I could when I was back from boarding school.

I didn’t miss it here but to think about it…sadly some of my happiest memories were in this room.

I dropped my face into my hands and tried to breathe through the pain. I was a master at disguising my suffering, but I had no control over my emotions today.

Knock

“Can I come in Audrina?” Mirana asked from the other side of the door.

“Yes, come on in.”

Mirana walked in wearing a midnight-colored halter midi dress with a draped tulip skirt. She had her short brown hair pushed back into a sleek ponytail and was wearing big, beautiful diamond and pearl drop tear drop earrings… my mother’s earrings to be exact that my grandfather had given to her before she was married, for her birthday.

I was a bit shocked to see her wearing my mother’s earrings, I knew they were hers because my grandfather had one of the stones replaced with an emerald stone to represent my mother’s birthstone. He had showed me a picture of her wearing them.

Who had given Mirana those earrings?

“Those…” I trailed off not knowing what to say. Or if I even had a right to say anything.

“Audrina, I know your upset about being here but please, we missed you! Noah tried to explain to your father that it would be better to wait and let us talk to you first, but he insisted on doing it his way.” Mirana tried to explain to me.

I was so lost in the fact that Mirana was wearing the earrings, the ones I had been searching for.

“Audrina?”

“Ya Mirana?” I asked her.

“Are you still upset?”

I loved her; I promise I did but she knew me better than that.

“What do you think?” I asked with sarcasm laced in my voice.

“Audrina please! Just try to understand. Noah loves you very much and we all miss you here. Your apart of this family.”

“Then please respect my decisions Mirana. You told me that my father wasn’t going to be present in the manor during the wedding, you said word for word that he would be at the farmhouse. I would push that aside, its his house he has a right to be here, but to pull me away and start making demands. That was not okay, and you all knew he was going to do that, and you didn’t even warn me!”

“We didn’t want you to change your mind and not come, it was important to all of us to see you again, but especially for Soren to have his only sister at his wedding!” Mirana stressed.

“I understand why you did what you did, but it doesn’t mean it was right.” I told her. “You and Noah were off starting your family. How could you support my father knowing what he is capable of. You couldn’t even live in this house under the same roof as him, yet you help him.”

“I understand that, but I was supporting my husband, not his father. But we can discuss this later, the party is already starting downstairs, can we table this discussion for now and get you ready. You’ve been gone for a while, and everyone is excited to see you.”

I wanted to say I changed my mind. These people that I had left behind, I didn’t want to go talk to any of them. They were all here to suck up to my father in hopes they would benefit in one way or another. Other had been apart of his inner circle from the beginning of time.

“Oh god! I look like a whale!” Ahar yelled walking into the room.

I looked at my youngest sister-in-law. She was gorgeous and not because she had a pregnancy glow. Ahar was a genuinely sweet and intuitive person. She had grown up in a large family of 8 siblings, but with very traditional Indian parents. Ahar was the oldest daughter, and her family had high expectations, so when she showed up with Kaiden in tow there had almost been a riot. In the end they had agreed and gave their blessings, but they had had their fair share of difficulties.

“You look gorgeous Ahar!” I told her honestly.

“I wish I felt it. I’m just tired. I want these babies out and to fit into clothes that aren’t ugly and uncomfortable at the same time!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Enjoy this time, you’ll miss it after.” Mirana told her.

“I’m trying but look at me! I’m wearing frills for crying out loud!” She said throwing her hands up in the air.

She did look cute. Ahar was wearing a baby pink midi flowy dress with a tie around her waist that accentuated her belly, and she had tons of frills on her sleeves.

“So, you look amazing. And at least your dressed. I have no clue as to what I should wear.” I said sadly. “I need to pick one for tonight and one for the wedding tomorrow.”

“Oooo, let me choose! I should get to since I can’t wear what I want!” She said justifying her statement.

I nodded my head, “Go ahead.”

“I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m going to go make sure everything is set and greet the guests that have arrived. Don’t take too long ladies.” Mirana said, turning and leaving the room.

She walked over to the three options I had for my outfits. It felt like forever as she went back and forth between them before finally declaring she had decided.

“Okay, Wear this one tonight!” Ahar said, pushing the lavender colored sheath column off shoulder mid length dress into my hands.

Then she pointed to the dusty pink corset dress, “Wear that one tomorrow. You’ll definitely have some eyes on you then. Tonight, is mostly family and a few friends and business partners from out of town.”

 I ignored her comment but still took the lavender dress to change into.

“Hurry up!” Ahar yelled through the door.

Luckily I had done my makeup before hand and just to choose a dressed and accessories.

I walked back into the bedroom and Ahar whistled. “Damn you look hot!” She sang out.

“Okay, I think you should keep the accessories at a minimum.”

I nodded my head in response.” She handed me my diamond studs and my mother’s emerald ring.

When I was done putting them on she made me do a twirl.

“Perfect lets go!” She yelled out.

I had a feeling the night was going to go longer than I thought and in the pit of my stomach I knew something was going to go wrong.

I hoped I was wrong.

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“Mr. Christensen, I didn’t think I would hear from you again so soon.”

“I have a proposition for you, Accius.”