Dread pools in my belly. “But he’s even older than you! He could be my father.”
“Wren! Don’t be so disrespectful.”
“Well, it’s true,” I mutter quietly, unable to stop the disdain from filling my face.
“Age is just a number. Besides, he told me he really likes you, and I think you’d be great together. He’s a very powerful man, and he can take care of you.”
A chill goes down my spine at the thought of Ivantaking careof me. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” I ask, my gaze lifting to meet his. Is that what this is all about? Is he tired of taking care of me? “Because I can move out if you don’t want me here.”
“No. Wren, of course not.” He moves to sit on the piano bench beside me, taking my hands and holding them between his as he continues. “It’s not about getting rid of you at all. I’d be happy for you to live with me forever. You are not a burden to me, not at all. But I want you to have a full life with a family of your own. I think Ivan can make that happen for you.”
“But I don’t like him like that.”
“You’ll learn to.” He pats my hands then stands, as if the conversation is over.
“I don’t get any say in it?” I ask in disbelief as he turns to leave.
He sighs, looking back at me with disappointment shining in his eyes, and making my stomach clench with the knowledge that I put it there.
“Wren, you know you don’t have the best track record of reading people. Let me decide for you, just like I’ve always done.” With that, he strolls out of the room, leaving me frowning at his back.
Something about what he said rubs me the wrong way. I mean… it's true. He makes all my decisions for me, especially about who I associate with, which has been pretty much nobody since my only friend ghosted me. Is that what he meant by my bad track record?
I spend the rest of the day doing some of my usual activities: studying languages, ballet, and cleaning. In the afternoon, Robert finds me taking a small rest in the back garden.
“Here you are, it’s four p.m. Why aren’t you working on dinner?”
“Dinner?” I ask in confusion. “I thought you said I’m going out with Ivan for dinner tonight?”
He stops right in front of where I’m sitting on the swing bench and smiles down at me as he shakes his head. “Oh, Wren, at least you have your looks.”
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
He sighs before turning to look out at our manicured lawn. “I said you were having dinner with him, I didn’t say anything about going out.”
The only good part about dinner with Ivan was that I thought I was going to leave the house for a change.
“So I’m supposed to cook?” I ask, remembering what he said when he first cameout here.
“Did you expect me not to eat?”
I press my lips together to keep myself from telling him to figure out his own dinner for once. Not only do I have to cook for him and Ivan, which is nothing new, but I have to spend alone time with Ivan as well?
“Can I at least eat the same thing as you guys today? Considering it’s a special day for me?”
“You know you need to eat your vegetables. Why don’t you make us beef wellington, and as a treat, you can have salmon with vegetables and a small amount of rice on the side instead of salad for a change?”
I just nod, trying, unsuccessfully, not to let my disappointment show through.
He’s totally forgotten what day it is.
When I finish making dinner, I serve Robert his in the dining room, and he instructs me to take Ivan and my plates to one of our formal rooms where Ivan is expecting me.
Once there, I see someone has placed a small dining table in the middle and set it up to look romantic, with a tablecloth, candles, sparkling silverware, and two chairs.
Ivan already occupies one.
When he sees me enter, he smiles, standing as he waits for me to set our plates down. When I move to take a seat, he grabs my hand, stopping me, and lifts it to his mouth to kiss the back of my palm.
