The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)(25)

Dion smiles at me. “Maybe Sierra is right, you know? Maybe Grams does know what’s best for you.”

I shake my head and grit my teeth. “Fuck you,” I tell him. “All of you.”

I turn to walk away and slam the door closed behind me, the sound of their chuckles following soon after. Fucking traitors, each and every one of them.





Chapter Fifteen





Raven





A hint of unease runs down my spine as I walk into my parents’ house. Mom rarely calls me, and the way she spoke to me made me uncomfortable. She was too sweet, too soft-spoken. I’m not sure what it is she wants, but I’m sure it won’t bode well for me.

My suspicions are confirmed when I find my parents in the sitting room, Grandma Anne seated opposite them, their expressions tense.

“Raven,” my mother says. She exhales with relief as I walk toward her and pats the seat next to her. I’m hesitant as I sit down next to her, unable to read the room. What exactly is going on here? Wedding drama, perhaps? Did I mess something up with the preparations?

Grandma Anne smiles at me reassuringly, but I can’t calm my racing heart. It’s as though every instinct is telling me that something is wrong, and it has everything to do with me.

“Hannah and Ares ended their engagement,” Grandma Anne says. “She wants to focus on her career for a bit longer, and as such, she has chosen to end their relationship.”

I blink in disbelief. She… what? I clear my throat and turn to look at my parents, but their grave expressions tell me this isn’t a joke.

“I… are we… are we rescheduling the wedding?” I ask, confused. Hannah has postponed the wedding three times so far, so this doesn’t exactly surprise me, but it’s definitely really late notice. Most things, including the venue, I won’t be able to cancel without penalty.

Grandma Anne shakes her head. “We won’t cancel the wedding. This marriage is long overdue, and it was always meant to be an arranged marriage.” She looks at my parents pointedly. “We’ve let these youngsters run wild, and now we’re paying the price. It’s best to get things back on track as soon as we can.”

Mom and Dad turn to me, their expressions grim. “You have to marry Ares,” Mom says.

A nervous laugh escapes my lips, and Dad clenches his jaw. They can’t be serious, can he?

“Mom,” I murmur. “Is this some kind of joke? Hannah and Ares have postponed their marriage several times. This isn’t something new. We’ll handle it.”

Grandma Anne smiles at me and shakes her head. “This is not a joke, sweetheart. I will no longer accept Hannah into our family. If this merger is to proceed, the bride must be you.”

I run a hand through my hair, confused. “Have you spoken to Hannah and Ares? I’m not sure what’s going on, Grandma Anne, but this must be some kind of misunderstanding. How about I speak to Hannah?”

She shakes her head. “Even if she were to change her mind, I’m no longer willing to accept her. The woman I wanted Ares to marry has always been you, and perhaps this is just life’s way of allowing me to correct my mistake before it was too late. The wedding will go ahead, and the bride must be you.”

I glance at my parents, but neither of them can face me. This… this can’t be real. “Does Ares know?”

Grandma Anne nods. “He’s been informed. The Windsors have a history of successful arranged marriages, and he’s well aware of that. He knows what is expected of him.”

I frown, my stomach churning. What exactly is going on? Hannah never even told me she’d ended things with Ares again, and now I’m being informed that I’m marrying him in her stead? This is ridiculous, and there’s no way either Hannah or Ares would accept this.

I rise from my seat and walk toward the door, my thoughts reeling. I need some time to think, to speak to Hannah and Ares. I’m sure it’s a mere misunderstanding that’s resulted in Grandma’s radical decision-making.

“Raven.” Grandma’s voice stops me in my tracks just as I wrap my hand around the doorknob. “Your efforts will be futile. Should you wish for this merger to proceed, you’ll have to do your part. You will have to marry Ares.”

I glance back at her, noting the determination in her eyes. I nod politely before I walk out, her words resounding in my mind. Grandma is the sweetest woman I know, but once she’s made up her mind, there’s no changing it. She rules the Windsor family with an iron fist.

I’m absentminded as I walk through the house, unsure of what to even think. “Sweetheart!”

I turn at the sound of my father’s voice and find him walking toward me, an apologetic expression on his face. “I’m sorry to overwhelm you with this so suddenly. The Windsors only just informed us of this change. I wish I could’ve broken the news to you differently.”

I nod as he falls into step with me. “This… Dad, you do realize that this is ridiculous, right? Ares and Hannah love each other.”

Dad shakes his head. “I’m not sure that’s enough anymore. Now that they’ve decided that they’ll no longer accept her as Ares’s wife, love can’t save them. She made her choice, Rave.”

I pause in the hallway and turn toward him. “She made her choice, but I’m the one who has to pay the price.”