“Mild?” Ares snaps. “Mild? He practically leered at you.”
I wrap my hand around his upper arm and smile up at him. “How do you deal with being around Hannah? I might be well known, but I’m pretty sure Hannah is even more famous. Models generally aren’t as popular as A-list actresses. How do you deal with the attention she gets if this annoys you?”
Ares sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I think you underestimate your popularity. Besides, your sister has bodyguards around at all times, so I don’t need to worry about her. You, on the other hand? You’re a stubborn one.”
I huff and turn back around to check out the jewelry on display, my eyes trailing over the engagement rings. The mere thought of me ever getting engaged seems so inconceivable. I can’t imagine ever wanting to marry anyone other than Ares. There’s one ring that catches my eye, and for a single moment I let myself imagine what it’d look like on my finger.
I sigh and pull Ares toward the section where the necklaces are displayed, my gaze settling on a diamond choker necklace. “How about something like that?”
Ares calls Andy over, and he hands the necklace to me before pointing to the mirror behind me. I hold the choker up against my neck, wanting to check what it’ll look like, and Ares gently lifts my hair for me, wrapping it over my shoulder and out of the way.
“Try it on,” he tells me.
I shake my head. “Oh no, I can’t. This is for Hannah. I can tell she’d love it without trying it on.”
Ares shakes his head and reaches around me, putting the necklace on me. The way his fingers graze over my skin sends a shiver running down my spine, and he doesn’t even realize it.
“If you like it, I’ll buy it for you, Raven. We can find something else for Hannah.”
My eyes widen, and he smiles at me through the mirror. “Your birthday is coming up soon as well, remember?”
“It’s too much,” I tell him, my fingers curling around the clasp at the back. “But thank you. She’ll love it. You should definitely buy her this.”
Ares nods and takes the necklace from me, his gaze lingering on my face. “Hey,” he says, his voice soft. “Are we okay, Rave? I feel like you’ve been avoiding me lately, you know? Is it the pressure Hannah has put on you with the wedding? I know you’ve been doing a lot of the prep that she was supposed to do. Just tell me if it’s too much, okay? You know I hate it when you suddenly go quiet.”
I wrap my hand around his upper arm and smile at him. “We’re fine, Ares. I’ve just been really busy, that’s all.”
His expression tells me that he knows I’m lying, but thankfully he lets it go. How do I tell him that the mere thought of him marrying Hannah makes everything feel so final? I’m truly losing him now, every last bit of hope going up in smoke. How do I tell him that my heart is breaking in a way it never has before, and I’m not sure the pieces can ever be recovered?
Chapter Three
Raven
“I’m not sure we can seat the Astors that close to Ares’s brothers,” Mom says. “We definitely must invite them. Their family is on par with the Windsors, after all… but we cannot seat them that closely together. If I recall correctly, Adrian Astor strongly dislikes Ares’s brother, Lexington.”
I frown and look up from the charts. “Adrian doesn’t like Lex?” I ask, surprised. How could that be? Lexington is one of my favorite people in the whole world, and he attended Astor College with Leia. He’s the one who introduced me to Leia and Adrian in the first place.
“Yes, that’s what I heard. From what I understand, Adrian does not appreciate Lexington’s playfulness.”
Ah. I smirk knowingly. Lex must’ve provoked Adrian by flirting with Leia. Yeah, I can see that. Adrian isn’t very forgiving in the slightest, and I have no doubt he’d bear a grudge.
“Fine, we’ll just seat them further apart.”
Mom nods and rearranges their name cards on the tiny replica model she’s had made of Hannah’s wedding venue. “Everything has to be perfect,” Mom mutters. “Hannah has waited so long for this day.”
I just about keep from rolling my eyes. “She’s postponed the wedding three times, Mom. I don’t think she’s all that impatient.”
Mom looks up sharply, anger flashing through her eyes. “That’s because her work is demanding, Raven. You would never understand what it’s like to be an actress. All you need to do is stand still and look pretty all day. It isn’t the same for Hannah. She doesn’t get to go home after one measly photoshoot. She’s away from home for weeks on end, working on sets that aren’t even remotely comfortable. Do you really think she wanted to postpone the wedding? She did that because she had no choice. Like I said, you would never understand, but the least you can do is keep silent if you have nothing good to say.”
I bite down on my lip harshly to keep from talking back to her. She knows how demanding photographers can be, and how hard I work. Just a few weeks ago, I suffered from hypothermia because I’d been forced to shoot a commercial in the snow. I know better than to compare myself to Hannah, but I wish she wouldn’t dismiss my work as merely standing still and looking pretty.
I suppose it doesn’t matter what I do. All she cares about is that I didn’t follow in her footsteps like Hannah did. My mother was a famous actress when she was my age, and she despises that I never had an interest in acting. No matter how hard I work, nothing else will ever be good enough.
My hands tremble as I go through our list of vendors. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I keep coming home to help with a wedding I want no part of, just so I can spend time with a mother that’ll always consider me second-best to her golden child? I’m not even asking her to treat me the way she treats Hannah. All I’ve ever wanted was an ounce of her love. Is that too much to ask?
“I’m sorry,” Mom says, her voice strained. “The wedding has put so much pressure on me, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry, Raven. You understand, don’t you? This wedding means a lot to both of our families. This merger has been years in the making, and once this wedding is behind us, we can finalize the remaining paperwork and leave the merged company in Hannah and Ares’s hands. The Windsors refuse to proceed any further until the wedding is over, and your father and I need their funding.”
I nod, my head bowed. “I get it, Mom.”
She smiles at me then. “You’ve always been such a sweet girl, Raven. Hannah and I are both lucky to have you. I definitely couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
I smile back at her, glad the endless hours of work I’ve put into this haven’t gone unnoticed. Hannah has barely been involved with the wedding preparations, and though it hurts to be constantly reminded of her upcoming wedding, I’m glad I get to spend some time with Mom. It’s rare for us to spend any quality time together.
“I can’t believe my little girl is going to be someone’s wife soon,” Mom murmurs as she rearranges the flowers in the replica of the vineyard Ares and Hannah will be getting married in. “When your sister was little, I wasn’t sure she’d even live long enough to fall in love. There were so many things I never thought she’d experience, yet here she is, an international superstar, about to marry one of the most eligible billionaires in the world. In the process, she’s taking care of both Dad and me too, allowing us to retire at last, knowing our company is in safe hands.”