Chapter 2 Bizarre Options

ERINA -

Once more, she looked at the menu and then back up at the waitress.

What is wrong with me tonight? She internally berated herself.

First, Richard's weird behavior all day, then the crazy reflection and park, and now this.

"Uh..." She exhaled the word.

"We'll take a bottle of your finest red." Richard supplied for her.

Normally, she would argue and ask for a white wine or champagne as she disliked most red wines, but she was so tripped up by what happened that she just let it slide. Besides, Giselle would love it. Red wine was her favorite, especially if it was expensive.

Similar to Erina, Giselle and her mother preferred the finer things in life, but unlike Erina, they would make a scene until their specific expectations were met.

It didn't matter that this night was for her and Richard. Giselle would do something to make it about her.

The waitress smiled and gave a brief nod before she turned and walked away.

Erina set the drink menu aside and went to pick up the larger one when Giselle said, "You look really pretty tonight, Erina."

As normal, Giselle pronounced her name wrong. Instead of Ah-ray-na, she slid in a soft I, which sounded like Ah-ree-na. It was a habit she'd picked up from Regina.

Originally, it was a mistake on Regina's part, but when Giselle was born, it became more about how best she could isolate Erina and make her feel uncomfortable. When Erina came of age and her mother's Will was finally revealed to everyone, their behavior towards her only worsened.

They could never accept that when she married Richard, she'd be the richest woman in all of Seattle.

Erina smiled up at Giselle and responded with, "Thank you. You look lovely as well." While the words were sour on her tongue, they weren't wrong.

Giselle did look lovely. She wore a long, silk dress that was cream colored. It helped highlight her fake olive complexion perfectly. Her black hair had been done up in a braided bun, with elegant wisps falling around her face.

"Oh, she's absolutely right, my dear. You look so fashionable tonight." Regina told Erina, with a half smile that lifted up one side of her mouth.

This is so weird. She couldn't help but think. These two were never nice to her. They went out of their way to make sure every moment in their company was hell.

"Thank you." She all but whispered in response.

Richard cleared his throat and picked up his menu, asking, "What is everyone thinking tonight?" His voice was tinted with nervous stress.

Ever the diplomat.

"Oh!" Came from Giselle as she focused on her menu.

Regina was still smirking at Erina, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Trying to ignore it, Erina picked up her menu and looked over what it offered, but once more, she couldn’t wrap her head around what she saw.

Like some nightmare, the words and letters jumbled together until they made descriptions and names that didn't make any sense.

The appetizers were all weird chunks of mushrooms and flowers that said things like “Eat Me” cakes. A dessert shake literally danced on the page as its name changed to "Drink Me" Frappe.

She turned the page to the dinner meals, and the top option was the Mad Hatter’s Tea-Smoked Quail, but the picture showed a string of black pearls wrapped around a weird chunk of fur.

"Well?" Richard asked. He'd leaned down, and his deep whisper was loud in her ears, causing her to jump, sending the menu flying from her hands and onto the table.

"Oh!" Regina gasped. Before anyone could say anything else, the waitress arrived with the wine and began pouring drinks.

Trying to compose herself, Erina snatched up the menu, but to her confusion, everything was normal.

As she looked over the dinner options, Richard and Giselle were whispering to each other, and although they had always been friends, the action made her feel conspiratorial.

It wasn't until it seemed like the whispers had turned into breathy arguments that Erina placed her hand on Richard's thigh, causing him to jump before she said, "I think I'd like to do it now."

He jerked to face her, as Giselle peeked around his body to look at her with her mouth open, mid-whisper.

"You mean..." He started. "Right now? You don't want to wait until after the meal?" He began grinding his teeth, sending the muscle in his jaw into a fast-paced twitching.

"No, right now." The words came out breathy, and she forced out a smile. The nerves in her stomach were doubling down, and after the things she was seeing, she felt she needed to get home and crawl into bed. Maybe make an emergency appointment with her therapist.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Regina watching her like she was waiting for something to grow out of her head. Or maybe that was the crazy talking because... that's what's happening, right? She was going crazy. Only crazy people saw things that weren't there.

"I'm not sure that's..." He paused and met Regina's gaze across from him. She shrugged her shoulder at him and nodded before he turned back to Erina.

What was that about?

He closed his eyes and tightened his lips before he whispered, "Okay. Here it goes."

He stood, grabbed his wine glass, and said, "I have a wonderful announcement."

The butterflies went into overdrive, and her heart slammed hard against her chest.

This is it!

Finally, the world would know that the love of her life was all hers. Finally, her family would have to give her the respect she deserved. After tonight, none of them would have any ground to stand on to be able to look down on her.

It didn't matter that she'd gone to college and learned the business side of her mother's empire. It didn't matter that she was smarter than both Regina and Giselle combined. They'd always treated her like nothing she did was good enough to earn their respect.

However, after tonight, they would have to. Otherwise, any money that went their way would dry up. Her father had all but squandered his inheritance on the extravagant life his new wife and daughter demanded. They would be required to depend on her.

After tonight, she wouldn't have to fight to feel a sense of belonging. She would own it.

"We have finally decided to make it official." Richard continued.

Wanting to be next to him when he said her name, she stood, but so did Giselle.

Confused, she looked around Richard's broad chest to question Giselle, when Richard finished with, "I've asked Giselle to marry me, and she's said yes."

"WHAT?!" The word exploded out of Erina's mouth.

It was Giselle's turn to look Erina's way with a questioning expression, only it turned into a sneer that pulled the sides of her lips up. "What?" She asked. Then she slapped a fake empathetic look on her face and said, "Oh! Did you think he was going to say your name?"