Chapter 8

• The doors burst open and all of a sudden, the luxurious bedroom I was in was alive with people – stylists, tailors, jewelers – a loud army descending upon me.
• I had just woken from what I wished was a dream, but reality was far crueler.
• I was divorced, disgraced… and now someone’s bride.
• A devil’s bride.
• And although the countdown to my inevitable wedding is in 2 days, Arlo wants to make sure that the wedding is grander than even the royal wedding of the king and queen of England with all these preparations.
• Amidst the chaos in the room, I remained in a daze and watched everything unfold. Velvet boxes were opened, branded items were laid out on a long table, while the stylists began lifting my unruly hair for inspection and tilting my chin up for a closer look of my face.
• Buzzing voices rang out, some of them arguing over what shade of lipstick would make me look “less tragic.”
• One of the stylists pulled a little harder on my hair, which made me wince in pain. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes and saw ‘hostility' written all over his face.
• Oh, great. With his line of work, he probably recognizes me as the villainous ex-wife.
• I wanted to tell them off, but I couldn’t. Even though I was divorced from Liam, I keep hearing his snarky voice in the back of my mind telling me to just keep quiet and stay in the shadows, to never cause any problems for him.
• So, I dropped my gaze to the floor and kept still like a rock while he circled around me, pointing out the unflattering things about my appearance: dark circles, dull skin, tired eyes, and chapped lips from dehydration.
• But then, a voice sliced through the chatters like a blade.
• “Back off, all of you.” The person didn’t raise their volume of speaking, yet the power in it instantly silenced everyone, and they all instinctively stepped aside to give way like parting a sea.
• I looked at the one who commanded the room with just a few words and saw a tall woman, dressed in a black business suit.
• She approached me with the confidence of someone who belonged in a chaotic boardroom, then she stopped just in front of me.
• The room stilled for a moment after her entrance, and everyone’s gazes were upon her while she glanced around with one raised brow, appearing to be upset.
• “Honestly, you people are amateurs. This isn’t a dog show, this is a wedding,” she turned to me then, brushing a strand from her perfect straight bob.
• Her gaze upon me was sharp but not unkind.
• “Kate Maitra,” She stuck out a hand to me, and I reluctantly shook it. “Chief assistant of operations at Frantz Corp. Arlo runs the empire, I keep it from collapsing under his ego.”
• I lightly widened my eyes, surprised by her bluntness about her boss.
• “And starting today, I am your new companion, partner-in-crime, and babysitter.”
• Her words somehow caused a tight and strange relief in my chest.
• This woman, Kate Maitra, wasn’t here to pity me but whip me into shape – something I needed if I wanted my revenge full force.
• With a clap of Kate’s hand, the buzzing continued again.
• Tailors circled me with measuring tapes, a jeweler dangled various necklaces in front of me, while stylists argued about which color palette suits my bright hair.
• On the other side of the room, Kate sits quietly on a sleek leather chair. She was perfectly composed, one leg over another, her dark heels gleaming under the morning sunlight seeping through the glassed window.
• She saw me staring at her, so she flashed a quick smile and a curt nod before shifting her gaze back to the tablet in her hands. Occasionally, she swiped, tapped or typed.
• While she reads whatever is shown on her tablet, she drops all emotions, no glimmer in her eyes, no expression. She turned unreadable just like her boss Arlo.
• In fact, everyone I have met so far all knew how to do the same blank look.
• Pierce with his soldier-like silence, the intimidating men dressed in black who guarded me as we walked through the hallway, and now Kate.
• It was unnerving.
• While, on the other hand, my desperation, my anger and hatred towards my ex-husband were all shown on my face like an open book.
• I could not help but think that having to hide your emotions was a requirement to survive in Arlo Frantz’ world.
• “It’s done,” The same stylist who pulled my hair hissed at me, then turned to Kate with a kind smile to repeat it.
• “We are done, madam Kate.”
• After being poked, prodded, and stripped down to colors, fabrics, and carats, I finally had the chance to sit down and rest my aching legs from standing too long.
• I huffed and prepared to lay back down on the bed, but Kate’s voice made me stand up again.
• “Come, join me for a walk,” Despite the command, her voice was kind to me.
• When I looked up, she was already walking towards the door but stopped to wait for me. “You need air after all that,”
• She was right. The room, no matter how large it was, felt stuffy, so I hurriedly trailed behind her.
• Kate led me out in the sunlit hallway and the moment I stepped out, I was reminded of Arlo’s immense wealth that I took notice last night when they brought me here to rest.
• Kate walked with the ease of someone who had memorized every step, while I trailed behind like a lost child, my eyes darting from side to side.
• A mansion was too small of a word to describe the place. It was an elaborately magnificent home, all-white neoclassical, overlooking a green yard that stretched far and wide until a bricked fence halts it.
• When the car passed through the gates last night, it was dark, but I noticed at least fifty guards patrolling every corner of the estate as if someone royal was residing in this mansion, but when I asked Kate who else lived here, I discovered that it was only Arlo... and his grandfather.
• “So, you have heard about Mr. Frantz, then.” Kate’s voice remained steady despite the fact that the ‘Mr. Frantz’ she spoke of is bedridden and extremely ill... and the reason why Arlo wanted a wife so badly.
• “Yes, it was very...sad,” I didn’t know what else to say and just kept walking.
• Beside me, Kate was still talking—about the staff, about how Frantz Corp’s visitors were often hosted here—but I barely caught half of it.
• All I could think was how sad it must be to watch your only family lose every life force with each passing second.
• Arlo told me about his dying grandfather and about his wish to see him married before he passes on.
• “So, you have also heard why Arlo chose you as his ‘bride’ then?” Kate asked as we just settled down around a glass table out on the porch while the mansion loomed behind us.
• The way she spoke the word ‘bride’ made me understand that she too knew of my deal with Arlo and I nodded in response. Considering that she is Arlo’s chief assistant, she probably arranged the contract I signed herself.
• I was about to speak again, but she raised her hand to stop me.
• Maids dressed in black and white, served plates in front of us with silver lids. They lifted it with practiced grace to reveal the scrumptious food they prepared, before stepping aside with a poised bow and left.
• “You were saying?” Kate continued, slicing through her croissant with perfect precision.
• “Well, he told me that he was formerly engaged with a woman... but that woman slept with... my ex-husband... so... their engagement was canceled.” It felt awkward to say that out loud, and it felt like what Liam did was partly my fault even though I had nothing to do with who he sleeps with.
• “The classic enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Kate sounded amused. There was laughter in her voice and she was throwing her head back while I kept sitting stiffly across from her.
• “I feel partly responsible for what my ex-husband did. Because of him, Arlo’s engagement was ruined.”
• “Don’t worry, my dear.” She quieted down. Her eyes, sharp and steady, locked with mine. “With Arlo by your side, Liam Tate’s fall is not a matter of if – only when.”
• There were no hesitations in her words, it slithered in my ear and pooled around my heart. For a moment, I forgot to breathe from excitement.
• Imagining Liam, defeated and broken, filled me with ecstasy.
• “I guess it is possible with the devil by my side,” I whispered, and she seemed to pick it up and pointed that out.
• “Devil? You mean Arlo? Hah!” Once again, she sounded amused. She leaned back comfortably, breaking her perfect poise.
• And without me noticing, I was also laughing alongside her. Throwing in dry remarks about Arlo and how intimidating he was. My guard had slipped, and my tensed shoulders had relaxed.
• For the first time in weeks, I found myself smiling. Either Kate offered me such warmth or because it had been so long since I had a good meal, or maybe both.
• By the time we reached Arlo’s office, Kate and I were still chatting as if we were two friends heading to class. I asked her about her job and learned that it was similar to what I do as an assistant. Then she asked me about mine and I told her with ease: my current situation and why I agreed to make a deal with the devil.
• “By the way,” she placed her hand on the door handle, and looked at me with curious eyes.
• “Why do you keep calling Arlo a devil?”
• I parted my lips to speak, but the question froze as Kate pushed the heavy doors inward and there he was...
• Arlo Frantz.
• His arms were folded over his chest, and he was casually pressing his polished shoe on the back of the very same stylist who roughly handled my hair this morning.
• “Ugh...” The man writhed in pain on the floor, slumped there like a rag. He kept letting out terrified whimpers while Arlo’s eyes burned with darkness that sent electrifying heaviness in the room.
• The scene unfolding in front of us was quiet violence, yet Arlo looked as if this was another Sunday morning for him, as though crushing a man beneath his foot was no more inconvenient than brushing off dust from his perfectly styled suit.
• I glanced at Katie and said, “There’s your answer,”