Page 182 of Delilah In Discretion

Obviously, I wanted to slip a ring on her finger the moment I met her… but this wasn’t right. I had to tell her, but how could I?

This all just seemed like some business deal over which I have no real control. At least, that’s how my father and her father will probably perceive it. And I had no argument, not when I couldn’t accept the idea of our love being fabricated, all to satisfy my father’s agenda.

And despite that revelation, despite me realizing I was groomed to love her, despite the bitter taste of my father’s manipulation lingering, I couldn’t see myself walking away from my princess… regardless of how our love is caught up in this intricate game of deceit anddiscretion.

Chapter sixty-three

Omniscient

A Few Weeks Later

Delilah looked around the room as Killian guided her, Ivory, and Zachary into the ballroom. It was a special dinner that she didn’t care to ask about, and she’d only attended to keep her mother home and stress-free.

After all, the first words coming from Killian after their fight and Brielle’s pregnancy scare were nothing but a command to attend the event. Her brother was still angry at her decision to continue being with Archer, and her father even more so. Despite that, she did her best to ignore the silent treatment, although it was slightly killing her.

Speaking of the devil, she locked eyes with Archer sitting at his father’s table, looking uninterested in anything but her. She rolled her eyes, taking notice of his pocket square that was thesame emerald green as her dress. It could’ve been a coincidence, but he helped her pick out the satin dress himself, so it definitely wasn’t.

“Blaine and Shin should be around here somewhere,” Killian muttered as they arrived at their table.

Delilah remained silent and kept her eyes trained on her shoes as he spoke again.

“Zachary and I are going to greet some of my business partners,” he stated, already noticing a few wanting to speak to him. He excused himself, his eyes lingering on Delilah as he left with his son.

“I wish Mom were here,” Ivory muttered.

Delilah sighed. “Only she would know how to keep us together even in the middle of an ongoing war,” she mumbled, and Ivory simply nodded.

Noticing Jin by his father, Delilah shooed Ivory away as she tried not to make it obvious she wanted to go over to him. She took a seat at the table and jumped when the seat beside her was pulled abruptly.

“How could they leave you here all by yourself?” Kimiko snarled as she crossed her arms.

Delilah gave a sad smile as Sterling took a seat beside Kimiko as well.

“It’s okay, Kimi, really. I was even thinking about getting some fresh air in a bit. I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do,” Sterling chimed in, and Kimiko rolled her eyes. “This place is fucking dry, the food won’t be served for another hour, and my father-in-law keeps yapping about how he’s beaten me in not only mahjong but chess too, dammit!” he snapped.

Kimi simply rubbed her eyebrows in frustration as Delilah held in a laugh. Kimiko turned to him, exhausted, as Delilah locked eyes with Archer again.He was keeping a very safe distance, which was expected, my father being only a few feetaway, but I felt sad for a moment; sad that this would probably be my fate forever, torn between my father and soon-to-be husband, as Archer stated.

She knew she was exaggerating just a bit, but it was beginning to feel a bit suffocating.

She stood up slowly and excused herself from the bickering couple as she walked to the back of the building, which held a garden and fountain. She gazed down into the fountain at the water and sighed at her reflection. She felt as if the night couldn’t get any worse.

“My, my, doll… things just seem to be falling into place relatively smoothly for me, aren’t they,” Luca muttered, approaching her as he appeared in the reflection as well.

Delilah sighed. She wanted to fight back and stand up for herself, but more than ever, she wanted to experience what she’d been feeling: she just wanted to bealone.

She wordlessly turned away from him as she sat silently on the platform ledge. Her thoughts filled her mind with endless what-ifs or unfavorable scenarios between her father and Archer.

Luca stepped over to continue speaking, but stopped once he saw something in her eyes... unshed tears. They sparkled in the moonlight, and she looked as beautiful as ever, but he couldn’t tell her that. No… she was with Archer, and as much as Luca wanted to see her happy, he wanted to see her cry. He leaned down to face her eye to eye, and she looked down, wanting to be as far away from him as possible.

“Just go away,” she muttered, and he gave a small chuckle.

“Gladly. I just wanted to get a bit of joy out of my long-awaited accomplishment in tearing your family apart.”

She continued to ignore him as she listened to his footsteps fade away. She laid her head on her arm, and soon, she heard another set of footsteps.

He stood behind her for a moment, and she already knew who it was.

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