Chapter 7 Am I overthinking?

Alice

I sat by the edge of the large pool, enjoying the warm weather. I closed my eyes and savoured the feeling of the sunshine on my skin.

Suddenly, I turned around at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Alice, there you are! I was looking for you,” Mrs Sullivan said as she walked closer. I stood up abruptly.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Sullivan.”

“Oh, don’t apologise. I thought you were still in your room. I have great news to share with you. You’ll meet the family today! I’ve invited everyone to dinner. Get yourself ready; they will be here in an

hour.”

“Yes, Mrs Sullivan,” I nodded.

I felt like a pet again. She had me now, inviting everyone to look at me. Somehow, I accepted that this was how it would be from now on. After meeting Lilly, I only hoped that it wasn’t just me overthinking things and that they genuinely wanted their son to marry someone they had chosen. I felt like I would be happy to be their pet if it meant I could live a long life and die naturally.

“Come, Alice; I’ll help you. We’ll choose a nice dress for you.”

She took my hand, looking quite excited. Okay, I felt a bit of excitement too at the thought of meeting Gideon. Unfortunately, I found him handsome after seeing his picture.

When we arrived in my room, she opened the huge built-in wardrobe in the dressing room. Running her fingers through the dresses, it was clear she enjoyed the feel of their fabric. She loved shopping; I was certain she had chosen all the clothes there.

“This is the one,” she said possessively as she grabbed a dress and took it out. I had to admit it looked nice, with a short skirt that showed a bit of my body, but not too much.

Then she went to the shoes and selected white sandals. They were nice, even though they were flat. She looked at me with a smile.

“Come on, Alice, what are you waiting for? Take a shower quickly. We don’t have much time.”

My eyes widened, and I rushed into the bathroom, doing as she instructed. Just as I was about to step into the shower, I heard her voice again.

“Don’t forget to shave yourself, Alice. Leave no hair.”

She shouted from the dressing room next door.

I began the procedure, trying to be as quick as possible. When I finished, I stepped out in a bathrobe.

She smiled at me and handed me the dress and underwear.

“Put them on.”

I took them and started toward the bathroom, but she stopped me. My heart raced.

“Get dressed here. I want to see you.”

At first, I didn’t understand, and I tried to convince myself that I had misheard. But when she clarified by staring at me, I nodded in fear. Although her commands crossed every line, I figured obeying was the better option.

I opened my robe and placed it on the white sofa beside me. I picked up the dress when I heard her voice again.

“Stop.”

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

“Put the dress on the sofa and stand straight.”

I followed her instructions, standing there completely naked. She ran her eyes over my body, and I felt terrible as she inspected me. She moved my hair behind my shoulders, gently running her fingers over my chest. Her gaze lingered on my breasts for a moment before continuing its downward path.

She looked at my bare skin between my legs for a while.

“Spread your legs, Alice. Spread them wide.”

She squatted down, and I closed my eyes as she moved closer.

I only hoped she wasn’t a lesbian or something because I didn’t know how much more I could take. Finally, she stood up with a satisfied smile.

“Perfectly shaved. Men like that. I’m sure my son will appreciate it as well. Your skin is nice and soft, and you have a muscular build, but not too much. You are perfect for my Gideon. I’ll choose the ideal product to keep your skin looking nice and smooth. Now put on the underwear first, then the dress, Alice.”

I had many things to say, but I swallowed them back. All I wanted was to escape, and in that moment, I swore to myself that I would succeed one day.

After I finished getting dressed, she put on a dry robe and motioned for me to sit at the dressing table. She brushed my hair and gave me a gentle head massage. Even though I should have enjoyed it, I couldn’t calm down in that situation.

“I know you’re scared right now, but there’s no need to be. You will belong to this family, and we care for our family members.”

I forced myself to smile at her, wishing I could believe her words.

After styling my hair, she applied light makeup. In the letter, Gideon had forbidden me from wearing any makeup, but I didn’t dare to say anything.

Finally, she looked at me, satisfied with the result.

“You look beautiful, Alice. Now, I want you to wait for me here. I will change too and then come back to take you down.”

“Yes, Mrs Sullivan.”

Then she left. I exhaled and closed my eyes. It was hard not to cry. I wondered if Gideon would treat me the same way after the wedding. What if he is the same? What if he mistreats me? What if he hates me?

A short time passed, and these thoughts filled my mind when I heard a knock at my door. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Mrs Sullivan stepped in. She wore a dress similar to mine, but hers was purple, and she had on high heels.

“Are you ready, my dear?” she asked.

I nodded, and she took my hand. We walked out into the garden, where a few enormous tents had been set up, filled with comfortable and beautiful furniture.

“Look at the two stunning beauties!” Mr Sullivan smiled at us. I think his appearance was the first nice thing I saw in this place. He looked at his wife with admiration, and she smiled back at him like a woman in love. She let go of my hand and walked over to her husband, kissing him before sitting beside him and resting her hand on his thigh.

“Sit down, Alice,” he said. I sat down opposite them. He handed me a glass of water with a slice of lemon. Just then, I heard a child shouting.

“Grandpa, Grandpa!”

I turned to see who it was. Mr Sullivan walked toward them, happily holding a little girl in his arms and kissing her. He stood there while the couple arrived, too. I recognised the man; he was Gideon's brother. Mrs Sullivan also went to greet them. They hugged and kissed each other. I stood up before they approached.

“Let me introduce our new family member. This is Alice, Gideon’s bride.”

The handsome man looked at me with a frown at first, then greeted me with a nod.

“This is Seth, my oldest son, and his wife, Leah.”

Leah stepped toward me and gave me two kisses. She looked beautiful with her black hair, blue eyes, and slender physique.

“And this cheeky little one is our granddaughter, Ava,” Mrs Sullivan said.

“Nice to meet you all,” I said.

Everyone sat down and began chatting while Mr Sullivan played with Ava. I was curious about Leah. I wondered if she had become a Sullivan like me. She looked happy and confidently chatted with the older Sullivan couple.

We all turned when we heard another voice. A girl approached, and she was beautiful too, with long black hair and blue eyes. I recognised her from a picture. When she reached us, she hugged Mr and Mrs Sullivan and then kissed everyone else.

“Sloane, let me introduce you to Alice. Alice, this is my daughter, my youngest child,” Mrs Sullivan said.

Sloane smiled and nodded before taking a seat. They continued chatting until Mrs Sullivan glanced at her gold watch and then at Seth.

“Seth, did you talk to Gideon?”

He had an apologetic look on his face. “Yes, Mum, but he can’t come today. He is too busy with his business.”

Both of their parents looked disappointed, but finally, Mr Sullivan broke the silence.

“Never mind; it’s time for dinner. If he is foolish enough to miss a good time with his family, then let it be. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

We all stood up and walked to another tent, which housed a vast dining table. We sat down, and the servants began serving the food.

“Mum, last time you mentioned you had something to show us,” Seth told his mother.

She thought for a moment but then nodded. “Seth, Sloane, please come with me. We’ll be back soon.”

Mr Sullivan looked curious but nodded in agreement.