Chapter 8 When did it start

Nicholas picked up a glass from the waiter's tray downing the wine in a single gulp. His dark eyes looked like storm clouds and he didn't seem to be in a good mood. He looked like someone who could get pissed with just the snap of a finger.

An image once again replayed in his head making him tighten his grip around the glass.

Standing on the top of the stairs in a deep red dress that made her look like a beautiful fairytale dream. Her eyes behind the red mask looked soft and innocent, cluelessly staring down at him.

Nicholas gritted his teeth in anger, once again the image of her was hounding his mind.

He wanted to smash the glass in his hand due to the annoyance he was feeling but he was aware that he was in a public event, so he controlled his temper.

When had it started?

In the past, he used to ignore and disregard her presence, she would do everything to get his attention, even using his mother's help, but not once had he ever felt any single emotion towards her at all, he would ruthlessly cast her aside and treat her harshly and he never once felt guilt for it.

So when had the guilt started?

Ah, it was that morning. The very morning after their wedding when she had softly called him by the name 'Nick.'

For some reason, he felt there had been some deep emotion in her voice. But what did he care? She was Diana Wilbert, the girl he despised more than anything in this world.

His mother had bugged him repeatedly to agree to the marriage and Nicholas was someone who couldn't refuse his mother, but another reason why he had agreed to marry her was specifically to make her suffer.

He wanted to see tears in her eyes, make her regret making his mother like her and forcing him to marry her, but why was it that...the first time he saw her tears he had felt...strange?

Nicholas remembered the morning after their wedding night, that pained look in her eyes, the disbelief. He recalled the moment he shut the doors on her face leaving her to spend the night outside on the balcony, and the fear in her eyes when he had backed her onto the wall the night she pretended to cook for him like a loving wife.

Nicholas grabbed another passing waiter picking up a glass of wine and sipping from it again. He broke himself out of the train of thought about 'Diana'.

She was a great actress he acknowledged internally. She should have pursued acting instead of joining her father's company, she would have gotten an Oscars.

'That woman is nothing but a scheming bitch. She doesn't deserve to be pitied.'

Nicholas internally scolded himself for even feeling a single alms of guilt for her. He had just been about to turn around and leave the bustling hall to maybe find a secluded place to drink peacefully and get his thoughts together so that she wouldn't to appear in his mind again when he suddenly collided with someone. Even without looking up, the strong scent of the person's perfume made him feel incredibly repulsed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" A woman's sultry voice travelled to his ears.

Nicholas's brows furrowed in deep annoyance as he looked down at the wine stain that had spilled on his suit and the woman eagerly had her hand all over him trying to clean the stain but instead making it worse.

Nicholas grabbed her wrist stopping her frantic act of cleaning his suit, he didn't even spare her a glance uttering coldly, "Stop."

Just her act of touching him while cleaning his suit had repulsed him immensely, he felt the urge to puke at just the smell of her perfume. For some reason, being in the presence of other women repulsed him greatly.

He made to walk away, but at that moment, the woman once again collided with him, he could feel the round lumps on her chest deliberately pressed against him.

"I'm sorry, I was just going the other way. I feel bad for ruining your suit, can you please come with me so I can help you get it cleaned?"

Nicholas finally raised his head to look at the woman in front of him making sure she could see the displeasure written all over his face, but as if she couldn't sense his anger she bit her lips seductively, the look in her eyes undeniably suggestive.

She was a beauty undeniably, but regardless of her looks and sultry gestures, Nicholas didn't at all feel moved, instead he felt disgust rise within him, the disgust was even twice what he usually felt for 'Diana'.

"If you really feel sorry, then scram." Nicholas spat roughly brushing past her to walk away. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with a troublesome woman trying to seduce him.

Kate stood stunned staring in shock at the man who'd just disregarded her obvious seduction and walked out on her. No man had ever rejected her like that. She had even pushed herself into him showing him her intentions, but he had still walked out on her?

"Is that damn Diana more appealing than me that you walk away from me like that?" She gritted her teeth clenching her fist in rage as she watched the direction Nicholas disappeared in angrily.

What was so special about that Diana that men would always go crazy for her? She had heard rumors that Nicholas didn't really like Diana but had just married her because he had no choice due to his mother's insistence.

Kate had thought it would be easy to seduce him, unexpectedly he hadn't just rejected her, but looked enraged at her.

"Fine, I'll just show you what kind of a hopeless slut Diana is. You rejected me for her right? Let's see how you'll continue to like her from now on. Tonight I have big plans for your beloved little wife." Her rivalry with Diana had gone on for some time that Kate already hated her to the bones, which was why she had prepared something big for the party tonight. Kate's anger had eaten her deeply, and at the moment Nicholas's obvious rejection of her advances bit her ego, so she was unwilling to accept defeat that easily.

***

"May I have this dance?"

Angelica was busy looking around wondering where Nicholas had gone when someone had suddenly approached her to ask for a dance.

Mrs. Donald had told her to go find Nicholas and join in the dance that was currently going on between the couples, but Angelica had no idea where Nicholas had gone to.

"I'm sorry, I'm waiting for my husband." She politely declined the handsome looking young man with a smile.

The man hummed looking around, "Well, I don't see your husband around, I think he won't mind if you dance for a few minutes right?"

Angelica stared at the man for a few seconds, she remembered seeing him sitting at the same table as Kate just some minutes ago. Looking over at the dance floor, Kate was wrapped in the arms of a handsome looking man smiling sultrily, and her dance partner evidently entranced by her seductive gestures. From what Angelica had come to know about Kate from Diana, Angelica couldn't help but feel that the woman must be up to something.

Looking over at the man asking her for a dance, Angelica declined once again, "I'm sorry, but my husband is quite possessive, so he'll get upset if he finds me dancing with another man. If you'll excuse me." Angelica quietly walked away.

She went back to sit at the table where Mrs. Donald and a few people were. The woman smiled at Angelica seeing her return and began to introduce Angelica to the women with her at the table.

Angelica thought she was finally safe from whatever scheme Kate could possibly b cooking up by hanging around the host of the party herself Mrs. Donald, but little did she know, that a huge scandal was just about to happen.