CHASING TEMPTATION

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The silence in Vicky’s Mercedes was deafening but the tension was hard to miss. Due to the hangover, she had let Juliet drive.

“Honestly I don’t get why you are mad Juliet,” Vicky sighed, breaking the silence.

“Seriously? I’m the f*****g trending topic in New York and my phone won’t stop blowing up with new numbers,” she cussed as she pulled the car over towards the powers mansion, sitting majestically over a wide area of land. They were immediately ushered in through the gold-coated gates and after another fifteen minutes they finally reached the main house.

They pulled the car up the front of the house and had barely stepped out when a well-dressed man probably in his mid-twenties rushed over to them. A broad, warm smile seemed to be etched on his face permanently.

“You must be Juliet McCann and Victoria Stewart. I’m Scott and I’ll be at your service,” Juliet shot him an  intense, irritated look.

“We literally just arrived here. I doubt we’ll be needing your services,” Juliet snapped already making her way to the front door.

Behind her, Vicky quickly offered an apology to Scott before storming after Juliet.

“What the hell was that? The guy was only doing his job,”

“I guess it comes with the fact that I had no wink of sleep since three in the morning because someone found it really fun to announce to the whole I was getting married to Byron,” she snapped.

“Come on Juliet, I was drunk and besides people were going to find out soon enough anyway,”

“How do you even get into this damn mansion,” Juliet grumbled instead as she searched for a door bell. There was none, just the double front doors. She tried knocking but that didn’t seem to work.

“May I?” She sighed, letting Scott pass.

He tapped a place on the left side of the wall just about Juliet’s height and something like a computer screen appeared on it. Both Juliet and Vicky almost had a double back at that.

“Damn! I should have asked for one million dollars,” Vicky gasped lightly.

It performed a quick scan on them before the doors opened to reveal an extravagant inside. Everything in that bloody house screamed money and even though Juliet’s family was a little bit rich, compared to this, they would be just a drop in the sea.

“This way,” Scott led them to an inner room, where the entire Powers family was sitting already but arguing about something.

“I don’t want to f*****g marry her dad,” Byron shouted rather frustrated.

That makes the two of us, Juliet thought. She had known she would regret this and now seeing Byron confirmed it. Damn! What had she been thinking when she agreed to Vicky’s ridiculous offer? Right, out of her rage, she had probably made the worst mistake of her life.

“Miss McCann,” Mrs. Powers chorused, working up a clearly faked sweet smile.

“Mrs. Powers. It’s such an honor to meet you all,”

Before she could even have a space to breath, Mr. Powers opened his lips, already getting down to business.

“I have a really important meeting in the next one hour, so I’d appreciate it if we skipped all this chit chat and instead get straight to business. Miss McCann I trust that Victoria briefed you on everything?”

“Yeah. That I’m going to marry your son? She told me that, “she replied simply. From the corner of her eye, she caught Byron practically glaring at her. Somebody didn’t like her and well, that made the two of them. He might have turned out to be gay but that make her hate him any less. He was still an arrogant, rich bastard for all she cared.

“Yes. You’ll be pledged to all the privileges of the Powers family, including a paid three day Vacation every month to your place of choice, your own chauffer, three prepaid credit cards refilled every three weeks and Byron will fill you in on the rest. By the way that is beside your p*****t for being our son’s wife. Remember this is just business Miss McCann. You try one sinister move or you try to snitch up on us and your ass will end up in prison or better yet six feet under the ground,” Wow, the old man never smiled at all. He was intimidating enough when he was on television or gracing the front pages of magazines with his wife but a face to face with him made Juliet realize he was the type of man you would cross and he’d never let you slide by easily.

“That is quiet a generous offer Mr. Powers and in all truth I’m flattered,”

“Now that we are all clear, how about a toast to that?” Mrs. Powers finally chirped in, clapping her hands once. A rather timid old woman probably in her sixties appeared and judging from the knitted apron hanging around her frame, she had to be the maid of the house.

“A bottle of champagne and some glasses,” She ordered.

She quickly scurried off and in less than two minutes, another maid, slightly younger than the first came back with the items. From the way she hurried set down everything and rushed back to where she came from, one could tell that they feared Mrs. Powers.

“Here is to our son and new daughter-in-law,” She raised her own glass after filling everyone’s.

“Soon to be daughter-in-law,” Vicky interrupted making Mrs. Powers shoot her a death glare.

“Well that will be rectified in a few minutes dear,” It was hard not to notice the iciness in her tone.

“In a few minutes?” Juliet muttered.

“Yes dear. In a few minutes you will be my wife Juliet,” This time Byron spoke, looking at her with his piercing sapphire blue eyes.