Page 38 of Sold to Her Enemy

“You, Sir.” I hate myself for saying it.

“That’s right. Here’s how today is going to go. First, we have an appointment with a stylist. You need something to wear other than those rags you brought,” he said, pressing a finger against my lips. “Before the engagement party, Ava is performing at the Orchestra Hall.”

“No,” I close my eyes.

“Oh, yes.” That snarky tone of his voice tells me that he knows exactly how much I’m not going to enjoy this

“That’s so like her, to have a performance and then a party all about her right after.”

“Yeah, she’s quite pleased with how the schedule worked out.”

“Want to skip the engagement party and go to Hawaii?” The cool, angry gaze in his eyes told me that I said the wrong words.

“No, I do not. Hurry up, we are leaving in five minutes.” Adrian stood from the table. I willed myself not to feel bad about hurting his feelings, but I couldn’t pull it off. The stark truth is, I never wanted to hurt him.

“She’s really playing over there?” I gesture now to the massive building on the corner, the Orchestra Hall.

“To a sold-out crowd of two thousand, she’s debuting a score from her new album by Jean Phillipe.”

“And your parents are coming?” A wave of panic rolls through my body.

I don’t want to face them. I’m angry that they left my father to fend for himself.

“No, they are away and will host another party for Ava this summer. The wedding is next year. The groom-to-be, Oliver, is from Detroit.”

“Lucky him to be getting her.”

“Let’s go, Mckenna. You will be on your best behavior tonight.”

Adrian pulls my arm, and I come off the brick wall.

We cross the street, and while I’m not a bitter person or a jealous person, I do wonder why good things happen to a bitch like Ava.

She terrorized me all through our childhood and into our teen years, and if it wasn’t for her, maybe things would have worked out differently.

I swallow bile as we pass the Orchestra Hall.

If it wasn’t for Ava, I would have said yes to Adrian at least once.

Ava made my life hell and relished in it.

My only saving grace was I was better at riding horses than her. Horses terrified her. She’d ride but interact with the horse as little as possible, and she never placed in competitions. Even when she’d cut my strips and blame it on the staff.

I remember the look on her mother’s face when she realized it was Ava who had damaged my tack. But they always let Ava get away with everything because she was a prodigy and needed to be protected.

Eventually, her parents gave in to her demand to stop riding–they always gave in to her -and my competition life got easier. I went on to win the State Championship and several National Junior titles.

“Here we are.” Adrian steers me up the steps of an old brick building.

He presses the doorbell, and a moment later, the heavy wooden door swings open, revealing a petite woman with red, frizzy hair.

“Mr. McIntyre, it’s so nice to see you again. I’ve put aside some gowns at your request. Come, this way.”

“Thank you, Veronica.”

My head reels as Adrian pushes me to follow the woman. Her high heels clack on the thin carpet as she leads us down a long hallway to a room with white walls and racks of dresses on the perimeter of the room.

The place is elegant and upscale, with pedestal vases of flowers by the doorways, mirrors everywhere, and tear-drop lights offset the pot lighting from above.

---