by Alexia Praks
“It’s none of your business, Sebastian,” she said and unconsciously played with the pendant of her necklace, nervous all of a sudden.
Sebastian noticed. “Do they know about this? Mom and Dad?” he asked suspiciously.
“I haven’t told them yet,” she muttered. “I will later.”
“I suppose you’re old enough to go wherever you want,” he said finally, disappointed, his heart beating painfully.
“Yes, I am old enough to go wherever I want and do whatever I want,” she said. “And now I want to go home.” She finally removed her hand from the pendant to put on her helmet.
Sebastian had a good look at the pendant. It was beautiful, in the shape of the cherry blossom flower. Hadn’t she always been wearing that, since she was a child? It must have meant something to her, and he decided he’d find out later.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 19
Hearts Full of Envy
James eyed Beth’s standard coffee warily and wondered where Sakura had gone off to. He needed her delightful, full-flavored, aromatic coffee—not this tasteless, muddy-black water that didn’t deserve to be called coffee.
Beth saw the sour look on his face and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Princeton, but Sakura isn’t here. My standard coffee it is this afternoon.”
“Where is she?” James demanded, scowling darkly. “I thought she would have been back by now.”
Brenda, who was sitting beside him, knew her husband was having his craving once again. She chuckled and said, “James, do control yourself. Your sons are here after all. I’m sure Sakura will make you a cup after dinner.”
James didn’t like the sound of that. Dinner was still four hours away, too long for him. He turned to Mary, who was busy going through the many suitcases that Richard and Peter had brought along from New York. Katherine was beside her, also searching through the mountain of interesting contents that were for the wedding.
Mary glanced up in time to see her uncle addressing her. “Don’t look at me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Ask your sons. She was with them the last time I saw her.”
James glanced over at his sons. Darcy didn’t pay them any attention. He seemed to be lost in his own world as he stood there by the window, gazing out as though he were expecting someone. Conrad was sitting on the sofa, also facing the window. He is rather quiet today, James thought with concern. He wondered what was on his youngest son’s mind.
Nicolas was on the other side of the room, chatting with Richard and Peter. Little Michael, who had taken a real liking to Nicolas, was with them.
Tristan, Logan, and Hayden were on the sofa to the left side near James. Logan was eyeing the coffee with distaste. Hayden was biting his fingernails. And Tristan looked as though he were pissed about something but tried very hard to hide it.
James was very concerned indeed, because his sons were behaving very oddly. First, Hayden only bit his fingernails when he was upset or worried, and this was the first time in years James had seen his son bite his fingernails. Second, Logan had always been the happy-go-lucky type, but this afternoon he didn’t look happy-go-lucky at all. In fact, he looked worried. And thirdly, Tristan was the devil-may-care type, and now he too looked worried.
Only Alaina and Tara, who were sitting on the other side of the room sipping their coffees, seemed their usual selves.
“Well, Tristan?” James voiced, causing Tristan to jolt back to reality.
“What?” he asked.
“Sakura. Where is she?”
Tristan scowled then—darkly—as if her very name bothered the hell out of him. “The last time I knew, Sakura was with Sebastian.” Then he added coldly, “He stole her away.”
Logan scowled. “Sebastian stole her away? Sebastian again, eh?”
Tara choked on the hot coffee she was drinking the moment she heard Sebastian’s name. She coughed loudly, and after she’d managed to compose herself, she muttered under her breath. Alaina glanced over at her adopted sister with concern.
“Speak of the devil,” Conrad said, stood up, and rushed out the door.
Darcy watched from the window as the motorcycle and its riders came to a stop at the front of the house. He fisted his hands as he watched Sakura taking off her helmet. She was about to walk to the house when Sebastian caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. He was still holding on to her hand as he spoke to her, which really bothered Darcy. What was even worse was the fact that Sebastian was smiling as he was talking. From Sebastian’s stance, the way his brother turned his torso toward Sakura, Darcy knew Sebastian was interested in Sakura personally. What really bothered Darcy was the fact that Sakura was responding, even if she didn’t know it herself. From the looks of things, the two had come—to what? To an understanding? Something more?
Dear God, Darcy thought. His heart was going to be ripped into two pieces if it kept beating like that—so hard, so fast, and so damn painful. Calm down, you old beast. Please calm down.
From where she sat, Tara had a good view of the two people outside and really wanted to scream until the house tumbled down. Sebastian and Sakura? No. No. No. How? Oh, God help her. She was going to go crazy in a second.
Finally Sakura walked away, and a moment later she was in the house along with Conrad.
“Sakura!” Michael shouted the moment she stepped into the drawing room. He got off his seat and raced to her, hugging her around the waist. Conrad couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of little Michael.
“Hey, Michael,” Sakura said warmly.
“You could’ve come up to the house with us.” Michael pouted, gazing up at her. “There was lots of room in our car.”
Sakura laughed. “I know, but… erm—”
Hayden, who’d suddenly stopped biting his nails, turned around and said, “I stole her away, and then Seb stole her away from me.”
“You know what?” Mary put in, looking up at the brothers. “You guys are weird today. It’s like you’re either trying to take Sakura away for yourself or else protecting her from someone else. It confuses the hell out of me.”
The brothers, in their own thoughts, came to the realization that Mary could be right. Yes, they were trying to take Sakura for themselves, and yes, they were also trying to protect her from each other.
“Now then,” Mary announced, turning her attention to Sakura. “My dear bridesmaid, we’ve been waiting, you know. Shall we go and try on our dresses?”
“Yes,” Katherine said, getting up, noticing the sudden tense atmosphere within the room. She was quite surprised that Mary seemed to be oblivious to it. But then again, Mary was oblivious to most things.
“Can I come, too?” Michael begged Sakura.
Peter chuckled. “Why don’t you stay here with us, Michael? I’m going to teach you how to be a proper ring bearer.”
Michael’s eyes lit up then, and he rushed back to Peter. “I’m staying here.”
Sakura laughed. “As you please,” she said, and as she turned, her eyes met Darcy’s. Her stomach fluttered the longer they gazed at each other. There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t begin to describe, and it really affected her in an odd way. Oh, God! She was getting dizzy again. Maybe she was dehydrated. Yes, she was dehydrated from the ride, she decided, and that was why she felt dizzy. Not because of the way Darcy was looking at her. Definitely not.
She quickly glanced away, feeling a bit confused.
“Come on,” Mary said, dragging her by the arm out the door, leaving Conrad to stand there all by himself. Katherine was following behind them, chuckling at Mary’s impatience.
Some half an hour later in Mary’s bedroom, Sakura watched in awe as Mary posed herself in front of her and Katherine.
It is perfect! The wedding dress was perfect for Mary: the off-the-shoulder sleeves, the delicately decorated beads, and the long train. It was beautiful, and Sakura couldn’t think of any other dress that fit Mary that perfectly.
She, however, couldn’t say the same of her ow
n bridesmaid’s gown. Yes, the color was a beautiful pastel pink, and the silk material was so soft and smooth it was literally caressing her skin. The problem, however, was that the A-line silhouette gown didn’t fit her. Period! It was far too big on her person.
“Sakura, did you lose weight?” Katherine asked, watching Sakura holding on to the material of the dress that was threatening to fall off her any moment now.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, gathering the material of the skirt and turning herself around to look at the full-length mirror. When she saw herself, she wanted to shriek in dismay. She looked like a little girl wearing her mother’s dress.
“Are you sure you gave the designer the right measurement?” Mary asked, suspicious.
“I’m pretty sure,” Sakura said. “Or maybe I didn’t. Or maybe I did lose weight,” she admitted. “Oh hell! What are we going to do? The wedding is only a week away.”
“What else? Fix it!” Mary said. “Beth knows how to sew, doesn’t she?” She came over to Sakura and pinched out the material in her hand so the dress sculpted perfectly about Sakura’s slender body, showing off her hourglass shape. “Yes. Just a bit on the sides and you’ll be fine.”
Sakura nodded, understanding what her friend meant.
“You’ll look great. No worries,” Mary said. “Now then, shall we find our lovely Beth and see what magic she can do?”
Katherine chuckled. “You better take off your wedding dress before we go down.”
“Yes, of course,” Mary said.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 20
Calamity
Approximately fifteen minutes later and in her own bedroom, Sakura found herself being inspected by Beth’s critical eyes. Mary and Katherine, on the other hand, left once again after informing her they had to help Brenda prepare dinner since Sakura had stolen Beth away from the kitchen. Sakura chuckled and said loudly before they closed the door, “Not my fault. Yours, Mary, yours!”
“Stop talking, missy,” Beth muttered under her breath. “And stay still.”
Sakura hid a smile as Beth pinched the silk material out from the side of her waist.
“What did I tell you?” She went on. “You never eat right. What with you missing lunch here and there. Now you’ve lost weight and who’s to blame but yourself?”
“I didn’t think I’d missed that many lunches,” Sakura murmured.
Beth stood straight, her plump face sour. “It’s all that Ned’s fault. If he hadn’t taught you how to draw and paint, then you wouldn’t have become so obsessed and spent hours on them.”
“I like my paintings, Beth,” Sakura said. “And you do, too.”
Beth scoffed. “Me? Don’t you dare contradict me, missy. Now, my dear girl, you’ve got to fatten up. Otherwise, what man’s going to ask you to marry him?”
Uh-ho! Here we go again.
“Mark is a good man,” she continued. “He doesn’t mind that you’re a bit on the thin side. He hasn’t proposed yet, has he?”
Sakura cocked her head to one side. “What makes you think he’d propose?”
Beth looked up to her. “You two are dating, aren’t you?”
Sakura chuckled. “No, of course not.”
She frowned. “I thought so.”
Sakura blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
Beth cocked her head to one side. “You don’t actually like Mark like that, do you?”
“Beth, you’re the first person who’s said that.”
“Ah, I see. So it’s the brothers, then?”
“Huh?” Sakura blinked, wondering where Beth was going now.
“Which one is it?” Beth teased. “They’re all mighty handsome and still single. God bless them. Now then, tell me your pick.”
Sakura laughed. “Beth, I think you’re actually going senile.”
Beth was offended. “I may be old, but I’m not senile, my girl. Conrad seems to be taking a liking to you, but then again, he’s too young. Now Sebastian, that man is to die for. If you have your eyes on him, better make it quick before he’s snaffled away. Yes, he’ll make you an excellent husband. A perfect husband, no doubt, who would love you and cherish you until the day you’re gone from this earth.”
Sakura laughed. “Really?”
“Stop contradicting me, my girl. Now Darcy, there’s my man. Dark and mysteriously handsome. He doesn’t show much emotion, but we know he’s very sensitive and sincere. Once he loves you, my girl, he’d never let you go nor will he ever lay his eyes on another woman. Now that’s what I like about a man. And yes, he will love you and cherish you to bits.”
Sakura shook her head. She wanted to tell Beth there was no way she was going to fall in love with any of the brothers. First off, they were supposed to be siblings, albeit not blood related. Secondly, she knew they didn’t like her, let alone love her.
Deep down inside, however, she was beginning to have doubts. Why had they been so nice to her since their return? She was sure if they had to endure one another’s presence, then a word here and there would suffice. Then there was also the fact that her emotions were beginning to play havoc with her lately. She’d been feeling very restless since the day they arrived, and her mind kept wandering off thinking about them. Not to mention she kept seeing their faces in her mind’s eye—especially Sebastian and Darcy. Was it because seeing them again brought back so many unpleasant memories? Or was it something else?
“Nicolas, now there’s a good man for you. He’d look after you well if he’s your husband. He’d love you to bits, very much like James. He’d protect you and your children. You’d never have to worry about a thing.”
“Have you finished your lecturing yet, Beth?” Sakura teased.
Beth frowned at her and pulled the material a bit too tightly to show Sakura that she wasn’t pleased. “Listen to your elders, my girl. I’m only telling you what’s good for you.”
Sakura laughed.
“Now, Tristan is a bit of a flirt, but he’ll settle down when he finds the one. And Logan, he’s just like Tristan. Hayden, on the other hand, we know he’s a bit wild. He’ll settle down when he finds his girl.”
Sakura cocked her head to one side. “So at the moment, none of them have found their so-called girls yet?”
Beth thought about that for a moment. Then she stood up and harrumphed loudly. “They seemed to be settling down. They seemed to have changed. Maybe they have.” She looked at Sakura closely. She wondered if the girl the brothers had all fallen for was in fact their adopted sister.
“Are we done?” Sakura asked, wondering why Beth was looking at her so weirdly.
“Yes, just about,” the housekeeper replied, pulling the material of the dress this way and that again and Sakura along with it. A few moments later, she said, “Now you wait a minute while I go and get my sewing basket.”
Sakura nodded, and the woman left. Alone, she sat down on her bed and sighed with relief. She hoped when Beth returned she wasn’t going to continue with her lecture.
Out of the blue, her mind—of its own accord—started wandering off to la-la land again. It was Sebastian who came to her thoughts first.
Why was he being so overprotective of her all of a sudden? And he did say neither he nor his brothers were stupid. Had they known all along that it had never been her who had been telling on them when they were children?
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the door open. When she heard it closing again, she expected Beth to return and hastily got up, readying herself for the woman to do her magic. But it wasn’t Beth who came in the door. It was Alaina and Tara.
“Good Lord!” Tara said. “Is that the dress you’re wearing for the wedding?”
Alaina chuckled. “Well, ugly dress for an ugly girl.”
Sakura knew the moment they stepped into her room that they were there to hurt her. She braced herself for the oncoming bullying and said, “Who told you to come into my room?”
Alaina cocked her head to one side. �
��No one, bitch. But this is my house, so I go into any room I want. You don’t belong here. You know that.”
Sakura decided she’d cock her head to one side to show them she was no longer afraid of them. And to that she added a smile as well, for good measure. “I believe I belong here, Alaina. After all, I have been living here for the past few years, and you haven’t.”
Alaina couldn’t help herself. She charged forward like a raging bull and slapped Sakura on the cheek, causing the girl to swing her face to the right.
Tara smirked from behind, obviously pleased with what was happening.
Sakura felt pain burning her cheek. She closed her eyes and counted to ten because otherwise she’d surely explode and retaliate. She didn’t want to do that. Not yet anyway. She could still handle this. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of this. After all, they’d only be here for another week, and once the wedding was over, they’d be gone, out of her life once again. Yes, she could do this.
“I’ll let it go just this one time,” she said under her breath.
“Let what go this one time?” Alaina snapped. “Why are you being such a bitch? Don’t you get it? No one wants you here. Everyone hates you.”
Sakura didn’t respond to that. She simply glared at Tara, who was sniggering behind Alaina.
“Do you have something to say, Tara Byrd?” Sakura asked, knowing the other woman hated it when people reminded her of her real last name.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” Tara shouted at her. “Who do you think you are? Living here like you own the place. And of all things, rubbing in with James and Brenda as if they’re your real parents.”
“I can’t believe you’re friends with Mary,” Alaina said. “I can’t believe she didn’t see you for what you really are.”
“Did you beg her to be her bridesmaid?” Tara asked. “Oh, I could just see it. Mary must have felt so sorry for you.”
“Hmm,” Alaina said. “Maybe we should help her fix it.”
“Fix what?” Tara asked, pretending confusion.
