Chapter 51

A sharp gasp slipped past my lips before I had a chance to stop it, having heard Edward’s dry comment regarding Evelyn. What on earth gave that man the thought of bringing up such a sore topic at an event like this—in front of the entire Derek Family??

I felt the tension around me swirl with flickers of anger and hostility. Both James and his sisters let out a threatening growl of displeasure, causing my whole body to go stiff in my seat.

I was too tempted to leave. I wanted to. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how much more of this public ridicule I could possibly take. First, it was the strange offer from Gavin Ellison, then it was the awkward dance with Michael...Now I’m being pinned against James’ ex-wife.

At the rate I was going, I wasn’t sure how much longer I was able to remain there.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea crashed over me. This event had caused me nothing but ongoing anxiety for days and now that I was trapped in a room amongst several aggressive people, my body was on the verge of shutting down.

I placed a hand over my hidden pregnant stomach and prayed that my nerves would eventually settle.

Just as James was about to speak, his mother opened her mouth to voice her own opinion on the matter. She glared at Edward and spoke firmly. “At least James is able to find himself a wife, such a shame that the same can’t be said about you, Edward.”

I was stunned. I never thought in my life that Diana would openly defend me like that. Perhaps that was her trying to make peace for our earlier encounters...Boy, was I wrong. A moment later, the older woman swiftly followed her earlier statement with a back-cutting remark.

“...Even though she’s below what I would consider to be average, she apparently makes my son happy. So, I suppose that’s something.”

‘Yep. And that’s my cue to leave,’ I thought briskly.

Without a second thought, I pushed my chair out from behind me and left the table. As soon as I was out of everyone’s line of sight, I made a mad dash to the restrooms. I couldn’t hold back the nausea any longer. My stomach was rolling and it was becoming too unbearable.

All of the muffled whispers and chatter, all the shameless leering and staring in my direction—I couldn’t take it anymore.

I headed into the first available stall I found and let my nerves expel the contents of my stomach. When I was finally through, I went over to the sinks to rinse out my mouth as best as I could.

“Home,” I mumbled to myself. “I want to go home.”

I faintly heard the calls of Kristen and Lana in the distance, asking if I was alright. God, I hadn’t meant to make such a scene. Good God, I feel like I’m suffocating—I wanted out of this dress and all the jewelry James had gifted me. None of them felt right.

Once I left the bathroom, I felt a little better, having gotten some space. But nothing could be done for my bruised feelings.

“Is this how it’s always going to be?” I asked myself. “No matter what I do, or how I look, I’ll always be compared to her?”

A deep voice spoke out, causing my body to tense and flinch. “I’m afraid so,” Rudolf said. I glared at the man, intensely startled. “As long as you’re with James Derek, no one will ever see you as your own person. You’ll always be compared to Evelyn.”

My brows furrowed with irritation. “What are you doing here?”

Rudolf gave me an amused look. “You do know that it’s an ‘Alpha Gathering’, don’t you?” he chuckled.

I felt myself flush with embarrassment. “Oh, yes...That...makes sense,” I muttered.

I watched him lean back against the opposite wall. “I saw what happened back in there,” he mentioned. “That Edward Derek has always been a right bastard even when my sister was still in the picture.”

“He sounded as though he knew Evelyn,” I said lightly.

Rudolf merely shrugged. “Hardly. Back then, Edward only made appearances when it could possibly benefit him in the long run.”

I found myself scoffing, “I think I have a relative like that as well.”

I had no idea what to make of the whole David and Michael situation. It was strange to say the very least. The moment David and I met face-to-face, I felt as though there was something behind that so-called pleasant mask of his. It seemed like the man was planning something, or that he was trying to...

And then there was Michael. That one dance we shared, felt like a harsh interrogation. The man tried asking everything he could about my current situation. He expressed his staggering disbelief over the fact that I was married to James, yet didn’t seem to look too convinced by the fact.

What really struck me as odd was how he kept complimenting me and reinforcing the idea that I was ‘too beautiful’ to be married off so quickly.

I crossed my arms over my chest and completely disregarded the fact that Rudolf had managed to make his way closer to me. It was then that I started to smell the alcohol on his breath. His large step forward had me backed into the wall behind me.

I began to feel terribly uncomfortable as he started to crowd me.

“M-Mr. Lawrence...Please, step back.”

“Tell me that you’ve at least considered my offer,” he hummed.

“What offer?”

He shot me a knowing smirk. “The one to quit Derek’s silly little company and come work for me. Trust me, I can promise you that you'll be well taken care of.”

My heart leaped into my throat when he reached out to stroke down my bare arm, making me flinch with disgust.

I thrashed my head. “N-No. I haven’t considered your offer, nor will I ever. I’m not interested, alright? Now, please, leave me alone.”

I tried pressing both my hands against the hard planes of his chest in hopes of pushing him away. Rudolf snatched both my wrists and pinned them above my head.

He let out a tight snarl and leaned in close.

“I didn’t say you could leave,” he growled.

Another horrifying, animalistic noise tore through the air. Rudolf and I turned our heads to find a very feral-looking James standing no more than a few feet away. With a strong hand, he grabbed Rudolf by the back of the collar and ripped him away from me.

My eyes went wide with fear when James curled that same hand into a mean fist and sent it flying into Lawrence's face.