Tempted by the Billionaire

Arabella’s POV

He seemed to stutter to find the right word, seemed to be waiting for a miracle that could free him out of the trap he had walked right into.

" It's for a friend, I was just helping him hold it" he finally managed to wheeze out.

I shook my head again at his pathetic attempt to lie.

" Liar! You think I don't see it? You think I don't see the blog posts? You are getting married to Celine? You are getting married to my own sister!" I yelled at him and he seemed to relax, as though he knew it was not worth lying about anyways.

" I did not want you to find out this way, we were going to talk about it with you over dinner tonight. I already talked to your parents and..." He was beginning to say it but I did not want to hear it.

" You talked to my parents and what? They allowed you to do the little switch between their daughters? Do you even think I'm a joke to you!" I yelled at him.

The tears were beginning to prick my eyes now and I felt like a weakling, trying to hold them from dropping onto my sunken face.

I could not let him see just how much he had broken me.

" It's not a big deal. I know I made the wrong choice with you ever since I saw Celine. She is the one I love and I don't want to let go of her. " He said.

My eyes were stinging, my heart pounding fast as I walked towards him, and with a swift motion, I hit him across the face, listening to the sound reverberate through the walls of the room.

He stared at me as though he was shocked I had actually hit him.

Then he placed his hands around my neck, choking me as his eyes blazed with anger.

" Never ever in your pathetic life raise your hands at me again, or I swear to the Lord that you won't live to tell the story" he said, letting go of my neck forcefully as my feet sank to the floor, dragging me along with them.

The door banged loudly and with that, he was gone. Just like that.

This was a new side of him that I was just discovering. This side of him that I never knew existed.

I had sat there, on the cold floor, And I willed all the tears to come out, to try and stop the ache that I felt in my heart.

When I got the call to attend the party that evening, it was the last thing I wanted to do.

It was a call from my parents, something about coming for our grandfather's memorial.

I contemplated calling in sick. I knew Celine and Louis would be there, and my parents too, it was the last thing I wanted.

But I put on a brave face, pulling out my most flattering gown as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked like I had gone through a lot, my eyes sunken in and my hair thin from the number of times I had yanked at them earlier that afternoon.

Nothing a little bit of make up could not fix. When I was done with my make up, I was satisfied. I did not look like the snivelling mess I was a few hours ago.

I looked like a woman who was ready to take the world at its feet and that was exactly what I wanted.

" I honestly don't even understand why you are thinking of this, you don't have to go to those bastard parties. All they would do is make you feel less" Tasha whined as she drove to the party but I smiled.

" That is why I'm taking you along, so you can remind me that they are all beneath me. Including the little perfect daughter of theirs" I said.

The set up was beautiful. A part of me wanted to ask why I did not have an idea what they were planning until now.

It was as though they did not even need my help planning it, and just decided to invite me to shoo away the negative questions that people might ask.

I took in a deep breath as I looked at the steady flow of people from the event center.

" You can do this girl. If you ever feel the need to leave, at any time at all, you just have to say the word and I would get us both out of there. I would be exploring the dinner setting just in case you need me" she said and with that, she was gone.

I knew her love for food always came before me.

I walked on, looking around as people stared at me, some pointing their fingers and giggling.

I guess the news of the marriage was no secret to most of them now.

" Why would you come wearing that? Are you trying to outshine poor Celine?" I heard a voice asking and I turned around to see my mother.

I tried to search her eyes, to see if I could find some hint of remorse for what she made me go through, to see if I could even get a bit of the motherly look I got from her when I was younger.

" But she is not supposed to be shining. It's our dead grandfather's memorial" I said.

She seemed to scowl.

"You know she is our biological child, and she needs to look immaculate more than you. And that gown is so revealing. Go change right this instant. You should find some old clothes from my closet and put them on. I did not raise you to be so open with your body" she said.