Chapter 5 After The Party

• Sarah sat in her dark lighted room, it was morning but she didn’t want the light of the morning entering into her room. Their marriage, a contract born of convenience and necessity, was unravelling before her eyes.
• “What do I do?”
• Sarah turned away from the window, her gaze falling on the stack of paintings in the corner of her room. Each one represented a piece of her soul, the emotions she couldn’t express in words.
• “I had no idea Dave would be there”
• She spoke to herself.
• Tracing the edge of her coffee cup, her mind went back to what transpired at the ballroom.
• **********
• “Ah, your ex-boyfriend. What a coincidence.”
• He murmured, his tone dripping with haughtiness.
• “It’s not what you think, Lucas”
• Sarah started to explain but he cut her off with a sharp look. At this point they were both left alone.
• “You think I don’t know what this is?”
• Lucas voice was low, but his fury was palpable.
• “This isn’t a coincidence Sarah. He’s here because he knows you’re here. He wants to cause trouble”
• Confusion was evident on Sarah’s face. She knew she was in serious trouble this time. This was different from missing family diner.
• “Dave wouldn’t do that, he’s not like that”
• Sarah found the courage to protest. She had lied earlier that Dave was her ex-boyfriend and she wasn’t going to watch her husband make him look bad.
• “You still have feelings for him, don’t you?”
• Lucas’s eyes hardened.
• Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. This was obviously not how she wanted the evening to go. Lucas had warned her sternly to be of good behaviour, but here she was getting scolded because the love of her life showed up at the party and disgraced him.
• “Lucas, please, this isn’t the place for this.”
• She whispered trying to keep her voice steady.
• “How about we both enjoy the rest of the evening just like we planned, we can talk about this later on.”
• Sarah suggested forcing a smile.
• But Lucas was relentless “The look in your eyes was passionate, Sarah, and my investors saw that”
• Sarah’s eyes flashed with anger. “And what about you, Lucas? Do you even care about anything other than your empire? This marriage is just a business deal to you”
• “Of course it is” He snapped.
• “And you’re part of that deal, wife. Or have you forgotten?”
• Sarah felt a surge of dissent. “I haven’t forgotten. But that doesn’t mean I have to be your pawn.”
• Lucas eyes blazed with anger.
• “You’re pushing me, Sarah. The consequences can be deadly. You knew what you were getting into.”
• “Did I?” Sarah shot back, not willing to back down.
• “Because sometimes I wonder if I really understood what I was signing up for”
• They stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. The noise of the party fading into the background. The tension between them was palpable, a thinly veiled storm ready to break.
• “We will discuss this later like you said. For now maintain your composure. We’re in public, after all. And you need to remedy this situation”
• Lucas finally spoke, his voice icy.
• Sarah nodded stiffly, her heart pounding. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this confrontation was far from over. What was ahead of her was probably greater than she could handle.
• “I suggest you avoid Dave or whatever his name is. I do not need you associating with his kind; it is not a good image for me”
• Lucas warned as they warmed their way back into the crowd again. Sarah looked at him with annoyance in her eyes.
• “Okay”
• As the evening wore on, Sarah actually did try to avoid Dave, knowing that any encounter with him was going to spell doom for her and her family.
• Dave on the other hand, was looking out for means to be alone with her.
• They bumped into each other near the grand piano. Lucas had left her to attend to interested investors.
• “Sarah” Dave said, taking hold of her arm, his voice was soft and full of concern.
• “Are you alright?” he asked.
• Sarah looked at him, her eyes filled with both fear and concern.
• “Dave, what are you doing here?” she asked in a hushed tone as she searched the room for any trace of her husband.
• “I wanted to talk to you, Sarah. How are you truly? Are you happy? Your mom said you finally got married to him.”
• He asked all his questions in a hurry.
• “It’s complicated,” she said, still glancing nervously around.
• Dave tightened his hold of her hand; his touch was warm and familiar.
• “It doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to stay with him. We can run away like you wanted. I came here knowing that you’ll be here. I had to beg to be part of the sommeliers”
• Sarah pulled her hand away, aware of Lucas’s watchful eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her burning cheeks.
• “You don’t understand. It’s not that...”
• Lucas appeared then, his expression a mask of cold fury. Without warning, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close, his lips crashing down on her.
• The kiss was hard, punishing, filled with froth anger. It wasn’t the tender, passionate kiss of lovers; it was a battle of wills, a struggle for dominance.
• “Yes Lucas!”
• The happy crowd cheered seeing them both, but they didn’t understand the true nature of that kiss. Only Sarah did.
• Sarah’s eyes were cold as he pulled away, her lips still tingling from the force of the kiss.
• “You chose to defile me, Mrs Anderson. There will be consequences.”
• Lucas held her petite frame to himself as he whispered into her ears. Every word that came out of his mouth sent chills down her spine.
• "Smile, wife" He said noticing that she was carried away by his actions earlier.
• “To Lucas Anderson...”
• A properly groomed old man raised his glass as he expressed his joy towards Lucas’ agreements with him.
• Sarah was lost in a world of terror. That kiss was born out of anger; she knew the road ahead would be fraught with challenges and she wondered if she’ll be able to handle them.
• **********
• Suddenly, her phone rang, jolting her back to reality. She glanced at the screen, recognizing the number. Her heart raced as she answered.
• “Hello”
• “Meet me in my study in five minutes”
• That ice cold voice she was now used to, spoke over the phone.