Page 25 of Marry Lies
And biscuits.Somany posh biscuits.
Of course, I refused to let him pay for any of it.
I enjoy Liam’s company. He’s casual, kind, and yet, there’s something deep about him. He quotes Shakespeare on the regular, wears glasses to read, and though he’s never listened to a Taylor Swift song—a tragedy, to be sure—we still settle into a lovely camaraderie.
It’s nice to know that I’ve made a friend in California so quickly. But…it’s sad to think that I know Liam and Luna better than I know Miles.
The second and third day, it’s Luna who drives me to consignment shops and discount stores to purchase new things for the castle. Keeping busy helps me, and this is the perfect project to help me settle in. I learn that she and her partner, Emma, have been living at and running the castle for over ten years. She left her job as a project manager at a Fortune 500 company to work for Miles.
Apparently, he can be very persuasive.
In the afternoons, Niro drives me to my meetings with Thread. It’s invigorating to be part of their board meetings, and I tamp down my excitement at being able to make important decisions.Soon, I will have my own company to run.I spend my evenings re-decorating, listening to my audiobooks, and exploring more of the castle. I’m able to map out the entire layout, aside from the cellar, which—according to Luna—is off limits to everyone but the main occupant of the castle.
My very own fake fiancé.
Speaking of which…
Perhaps I’m still bitter about Miles deciding we had to get married without consulting me, or perhaps I’m just annoyed that I haven’t heard from him at all, but I find myself growing more and more aggravated with him as the days wear on. I start doing things that I know will get a reaction out of him when he gets home. Things I know he’ll hate.
Things such as the brand new, fuchsia-colored sofa, and the other touches of color I’ve placed throughout the living quarters. Luna arranged to have my things flown from my London flat to the castle, and it’s nice to have some familiarity. Of course, my meager possessions looktinyin comparison to the enormous living room, but the new things I’d purchased have made all the difference.
On the evening of my third day at Ravage Castle, I’m lying down on the new couch with my Bluetooth earphones in, listening to my audiobook, when Miles enters the living quarters. He stops moving when he sees me, his eyes slowly registering the new look ofourhome.
A small part of me feels victorious.
He’s the one who got us into this predicament by lying to the owners of Thread, after all.
I pop my earphones out and into their case, setting my phone down next to me.
“What the hell isthat?” he asks, pointing to the new pink couch. He sets his small suitcase by the door as he eyes me suspiciously.
I laugh. “You don’t like it? I think it livens the place up a bit.”
His eyes catch on the fresh tulips sitting in my bright yellow vases on either side of the front door.
“Luna heard about my love of tulips, so she offered to stock the living area with them. Isn’t that sweet? She’s lovely, by the way. I think you should give her a raise.”
He turns in a slow circle as he takes in my decorations. “I can assure you that Luna is very fairly compensated, but I’m glad you’ve taken it upon yourself to interfere in household matters only three days in,” he drawls. “Should I have the household budget drawn up and sent for your approval? If you want to go all out, I can buy you one of thoseMrs.monogrammed aprons…?”
I snort. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Miles. I don’t cook.”
He smirks as he walks over to where I’m sitting on the couch and picks up one of the Emma Shipley cushions I brought from home. It’s light pink velvet with bright pink leopards who happen to have teal wings and peacock feathers for tails.
Sighing, he sets it down, looking resigned.
“It’s a lot, I know. You’ve probably never seen a non-beige wall.”
He scowls as his eyes track over the orange lamp, the round, pink rug underneath the dining table, and the eccentric vases all over the place—all holding fresh tulips.
“For the sake of transparency, I had Luna order some curtains to match the pillows, which is very British, by the way,” I add, smirking. “I got them for a bargain, so I couldn’t resist.”
Though, now that I think about it, I doubt Miles ever has to worry about bargains.
“Where are the old pillows? The old couch?” he asks, and he’s giving nothing away about how he feels.
“Luna has them in storage. Don’t worry, once I’m gone, you can have your boring gray pillows and furniture back.”
“Anything else I should know? Any other insulting colors you’d like to show me?”
