Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
I held out the paper bag with the cutest tiny knitted yellow shoes inside it out to her. “This is for you. To say I’m sincerely and really sorry, and I’m really happy for you on your big day.”
She snatched the bag, yanked at the tissue roughly, and fished out the little shoes. For a few seconds she looked at the shoes with something like disgust on her face, then she flung them across the room and looked at me with such fury I was shocked.
“I hate you. I really, really loathe you. You ruin everything. Everything. And now you’ve even ruined my wedding. Why don’t you take a break from sucking his cock and go crawl under a stone and die?” she snarled viciously.
I stared at her in amazement.
“You think you’re too good for Steven? You’re giving him away to me now like an unwanted hand-me-down because you think you landed the bigger fish?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “What? No. I’m trying to apologize for my behavior these past two days.”
“Well, I got news for you, bitch. I’m not taking your leftovers. I too can find better.”
“What about the baby?” the woman who was doing her veil asked in a scandalized voice.
“Fuck the baby,” she shouted, her chest heaving.
We were staring at each other and the room had gone deathly silent when Olivia burst through the door.
“Oh my God, Willow,” she cried, totally unaware of the hate and tension simmering in the room. “Why didn’t you tell us who Rex really is?”
I had no idea what Olivia was talking about, but even if I did, I was too stunned by Tiffany’s outburst to speak or respond.
“Who is he?” Tiffany shrieked. Her face was white and her whole body seemed to vibrate with wild animosity and rage.
“His name is not Rex Hunter. It’s actually Rex Hunter Rothermere. He’s the great-great-grandson of Arthur C Rothermere, you know, the Rothermeres, one of the richest families in the world.”
My mouth opened with astonishment and a gasp of surprise ran through the room. Suddenly, Tiffany gave a screech of fury and pain and ran out of the room, her veil and long skirt flying out behind her.
“You didn’t know either, did you?” Olivia asked.
I turned to look at her in a daze. She was wide-eyed with her news. “How did you find out?”
“The best man finally remembered where he’d seen Rex. He’d been pointed out to him at an award ceremony. We went online to check it out and yeah, he’s the real deal.”
Nicole strode into the room, her face anxious. “What’s going on here? Where’s Tiff?”
“I don’t know, she ran out of here when I told her about Rex,” Olivia said.
Nicole glanced at me, her face unfriendly, before turning her attention back to Olivia. “What about Rex?”
“Steven’s best man just told us all that he is actually a Rothermere.”
“What?” she gasped, her eyes narrowing.
“Yeah, he’s the great-great-grandson of Arthur C Rothermere,” Olivia explained again.
Nicole turned to me slowly. “Clever girl. Very well played. Now what the hell did you say to my daughter to make her run away on her wedding day?”
“Nothing. I said nothing. I only came to say I was sorry for the way I’ve behaved in the last two days and to give her my best wishes for her wedding and her new married life.”
Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “You sly little witch. You made her feel small, didn’t you? Now that you’ve bagged a man from one of the most famous families in the world, you’ve come here to brag and make her feel small.”
“Mom, she didn’t even know.”
“Shut up, Olivia. You’re a kid. You don’t know her like I do.” She walked up to me. “You came here with the intention of ruining that poor girl’s wedding and you have. I hope you’re happy now.”
“I didn’t ruin her wedding, Nicole, you did. If you had once in a while said no to her she wouldn’t have turned out to be the spoiled, selfish, psychopath that she is now.”
“How dare you?” she said, and slapped me so hard my head swung to the side. I held my burning cheek and faced her.
“Good. You took your mask off. Finally, we can all stop pretending that we’re one big happy family or that you’re the perfect stepmother.”
“Get out,” she gritted between her teeth.
“With pleasure,” I said, and walked out.
30
WILLOW
I cuddled Pogo in my arms and thought about my weekend.
My memories seemed almost like a dream. Did it really happen? Even Rex seemed unreal. A snowbound fantasy I had dreamed up in my head. I read his note over and over again. Always, my eyes went back to the two little kisses.
It had to mean something.
But now that I researched and understood who he really was it was starting to mean less and less. What would a man from one of the richest families want with me? Although, everything that had confused me before now made complete sense. No wonder he would never reveal even a little bit about himself, his family, or his past.