Page 92 of The Wallflower

Girlfriend?What the fuck? My lips press into a thin line, and with zero choice, I move us closer to my father, giving him a vicious smile. All teeth and no heart. Spencer blushes beside me at the attention we garner. Everyone gushes and makes comments about how beautiful of a couple we are. If only they knew the truth.

My father grips me by the shoulder hard and turns to the room as if he's looking for something. "Ah, young lady, please bring your tray over. We need to make a toast."

I realize he's motioned to Bel, and she looks like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Regardless, she weaves through the crowd and extends the tray to my father. She keeps her eyes on the floor, refusing to look at me. I can’t say I blame her. My father gives her a grateful smile and passes flutes of champagne to me, Spencer, her mother, and then takes one for himself.

"It's my pleasure to announce the engagement of my son, Drew, to Ms. Spencer Kelly. With their marriage, we'll join our two great firms and become an unstoppable powerhouse.”

There's a pause before the crowd applauds, but I hear nothing and see nothing. Nothing but Bel’s horrified expression. Every single part of me wishes to reach for her and explain that it isn’t what she thinks, but I can’t. I can't fucking fix it, not here in front of everyone in this room.

Spencer grabs my hand, and my father comes over to shake my other hand, pressing something hard into my palm. "Do it. Now."

I glance down to find a velvet ring box.Is he fucking kidding me?

Spencer pulls me back to her side, and I feel like a Ping-Pong ball with no control over my landing. A familiar ache in my chestthreatens to drown me. No. I can't do this. When I don't hold out the ring, Spencer opens the box for me and gasps.

I stare down at the glittering diamond and band that has to be at least two carats. Of course my father would spare no expense on my fake engagement ring. Spencer slips the ring onto her finger and waves it out in front of the crowd. Holy shit, she is even crazier than I thought. This is merely an act. She can’t actually think that I’ll marry her, right? She turns to face me and lifts her chin like she wants a kiss. My father squeezes my shoulder, and once again, I'm stuck between them. I lean down and brush her cheek with my lips. It's not really a kiss. It's not real, either way.

When I stand again, Bel is in my vision, and I freeze. She looks...broken. Turned inside out. This is my fault, and causing her this kind of pain is something else entirely from the pain I enjoy causing her. She takes a wobbly step back, and I spot Sebastian in the crowd. He’s directly behind her now, and for once, I'm glad to see them together. At least he can get her out of here, save her from me, and what I might do if I get her alone again.

The crowd simmers down, and my father continues to speak, but I’m done listening. I'm pinned between the betrayal in Bel's eyes and the way Spencer grasps my arm tight against her body. There's nowhere to go, and I've never felt more powerless in my fucking life.

Sebastian leans down to whisper in Bel's ear, and again there’s no surge of jealousy, nothing but relief that he’s here for her.

Lee cuts through the crowd, a smile on his face as he grabs my hand from Spencer’s, shaking it vigorously. "Man, I'm so excited for you."

Then he leans in and whispers into my ear, "What do you need? What can we do?"

It's as if he can tell I'm on the edge. Of breaking open and killing my father, maybe? Of walking away from this room and never looking back?

"Let's go get another drink to celebrate," he suggests, tugging me back toward the bar. Sebastian holds Bel's arms, and I can see the fresh tears on her cheeks.

Fuck. This goddamn hurts.

When we reach the bar, Lee casually turns to me so my back is to the rest of the room, nothing but Lee in my face. "What do you need? Want me to get you out of here?"

I shake my head. "It's pointless. He'll just hunt me down and make me pay in another way for embarrassing him or our family name."

I clutch my ribs, and he eyes me up and down. "Wait, did he already hit you? That fucking bastard."

My father's discipline has never been a secret among my closest friends. They try to help, but they can do nothing except save me from the destructive warpath I go on afterward.

He grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a little shake. "Snap the fuck out of it, man. This isn't you. You control the school, The Mill, all of it. You don’t bow to the whims of one damn asshole. Get yourself together and take care of this. Or are you going to let your father continue to humiliate your girl?"

I turn and find Bel had been beckoned once again to pass out drinks. There's a spotlight on Spencer's glowing face as she shows everyone within six feet the fat princess-cut diamond on her finger.

I’m hopeless. "There's nothing I can do. Not yet at least. Once this is over, maybe there's something, but you guys aren't going to like it."

He snorts and takes a swig of a beer. "We don't like throwing ourselves in front of three-hundred-pound linebackers to save you either, yet we still do it."

My father seeks me out in the crowd, his pensive gaze on me, and I let out a sigh of defeat and walk back out to the floor. It's all a circus act. My father may be the ringleader for now, but he can't hold the crowd's attention for long. I just have to wait until he passes the baton. And when he does, I'm going to fucking destroy his pride and joy, his company, his entire fucking world from the top down.

CHAPTER 34

BEL

All I can do is stand herelike a fucking lawn ornament and offer people drinks. I wonder if he's been engaged the entire time he's been...well...fucking me. A slimy feeling coats my insides. I feel sick and duped. He was right before when he said we never made any promises. He made demands, and I acceded to him. He doesn't owe me anything, and I don't owe him anything. If that’s true, then why does it feel like my chest is caving in? Like he put his big foot inside and stomped all over my damn heart?

I circle the group, keeping my eyes locked on the tray. I countdown the seconds until I'm out of drinks so I can run away to safety. I’m desperate to get out from under the scrutiny and judgment of all these fucked-up people. Or hell, even worse, their indifference. They don’t think I see it, but I do. The way their noses tick up at me as I pass by. I’m nothing more than a walking drink dispenser to these fucking people. I keep my distance from Spencer and the sparkling symbol of my stupidity on her finger.

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