Page 101 of Bittersweet Revenge

He kissed my forehead. “Always,” he whispered. I knew then that we were going to be okay.

I looked at Taylor standing by her parents. She would be my decoy after a few minutes. I was supposed to take her upstairs to show her some wedding preps. She would then stay in my room, whilst I went into Jacklyn’s room to see what I could find.

Neither Caleb nor Archie were thrilled about getting me involved in the plan, but I was the main reason for all this. It would have taken everything they had to keep me away.

“I need to ask Sophia to take care of Jacklyn.”” I turned around and froze. “No, this has to be a mistake. Ben?” I whispered with incredulity as he turned from his spot. There was no denying Ben was here.

I looked up at Caleb with horror. “Caleb, no, I swear it wasn't me.”

He cupped my cheek, redirecting my attention toward him. “No, I know. I asked him here.”

I frowned. That was a cruel thing to do. Not that Ben and I were ever that close, but flaunting it in his face was still so unkind. “It’s bad, that, Caleb.”

He shook his head. “I didn't ask him here to be bad. He did something for me and we need to discuss it with you. And look -” he jerked his head toward our fathers, who were not fixed on Ben - “it’s bound to keep them occupied.”

“But–”

He nudged me toward Sophia. “We need to move. Go tell your stepmother to distract Jacklyn and get Oppenheimer. Keep your phone on you at all times, okay?”

I walked to Sophia. “Thank you so much for coming.” I pulled her into a hug. “Keep Jacklyn busy and text me if she leaves the room,” I whispered into her ear before stepping back.

She smiled back at me, but the confusion was clear in her eyes. “Of course, anything for my beautiful stepdaughter.”

I nodded, the fake smile starting to hurt my cheeks. “I just need to borrow Tay for a few minutes.” I pointed to where the Oppenheimers were. Taylor was talking to a couple I'd never seen before.

“Sometimes I forget that these types of weddings are not for the actual bride and groom.

“Tay!” I exclaimed a bit too cheerfully. I needed to rein it in.

“Esmeralda! I was just about to come find you.”

I greeted her parents before interlacing her arm with mine. “Do you mind if I borrow my maid of honor from you? I have a couple of orders to make tomorrow and would like some help with color schemes.”

Taylor’s mother nodded. “Of course. Please do. My daughter has impeccable taste.”

That I could not deny. Taylor was always the epitome of fashion.

“We’ll be back soon,” Taylor chirped.

“Take your time, sweetheart.” Her father kissed her forehead. “We’ll be here.”

“Your family is amazing, you know,” I whispered. We made our way out of the room as nonchalantly as we could. I couldn’t help but wonder if my brother was already gone or if Caleb was already sniffing around. Most of all, I worried about poor Ben. He thought he was stepping into a high-society party. He didn't know he was surrounded by sharks wanting to shred him to pieces.

“Don’t worry about your friend Ben,” Taylor said, almost reading my thoughts. “He knows what to expect. He’s been briefed.”

“How do you know?” I asked curiously.

“He told me.”

I almost missed a step up. “You talked to him? Why?”

She shrugged. “I’ve got your back. I thought he was crashing. I wanted to kick him to the curb, but he is here on a mission.”

“What mission?”

She shook her head. “He didn’t say and I didn’t ask. We have other things to worry about now.”

I nodded. She was right. I needed to keep my head in the game, find something to save us. We had three chances to get it right tonight. I couldn’t mess up my part.

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