#31 An engagement party

My eyes darted from Sebastian to the wedding ring and then at the beautiful mansion outside. I blinked a few times as my mind tried to comprehend the billionaire's previous words.
"This is our engagement party?" I asked, shock painting my voice and my facial features.
He simply nodded, eyeing my expression carefully.
"And you knew about this?" I questioned once again.
"I just learned about it this morning when an invitation came in," Sebastian replied, pulling a white envelope from his jacket's inner pocket.
I took the invitation with trembling hands and opened it. Apparently, Sebastian and I invited our friends and family to a small party to celebrate our engagement. The invitation was written with curvy letters, and the paper was off white and slightly scented.
"This is insane! Your mother planned all this behind our backs… Why didn't you tell me?" I blurted out, suddenly feeling my blood pressure rising.
"Because I knew you'd overreact like you're doing right now…" Sebastian muttered and pressed a button that made the windows roll down.
I tilted my head towards the opened window, letting the cool air fan my face. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to steady my heartbeat.
"Your mom's better at forcing me into an arranged marriage than you. You should ask her for tips next time," I grumbled, turning to look at him.
"We're not going to get married. Let's just get over with this event tonight, and then I'll have a serious talk with my father and her," Sebastian said, a stern look plastered on his face.
"Why did you agree to come here, then?"
"Because it'd be rude towards our guests and the people that came here tonight to celebrate our engagement if we didn't come," he explained to me.
My lips formed an oh-shape as his words sank in. Once again, he had a point, as much as I hated to admit that.
"And what about the ring?" I inquired, my eyes landing on the small box he had dropped on the seat between us.
"It was my grandmother's. My dad gave it to me when I graduated college. I'm supposed to give it to the woman I'm going to marry…"
"Did you…" I whispered, the rest of my question dying in my throat.
"No! Jewelry like this wasn't her taste. I bought her a different one when I proposed," Sebastian answered, his grey eyes darkening.
This was insane, but we didn't have any other option than to play along. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the words I was going to utter.
"Okay, just for tonight, I'll be your pretended fiancée," I announced, my voice strangely calm.
Sebastian's eyes snapped at me, and a grin appeared on his lips. "Thank you, Evelyn. I couldn't have done this without you," he said, pulling the ring out of the little box.
"Don't tell me you're going to propose, too," I joked, as I extended my hand to him.
"Evelyn Rose Russell will do me the honor to be my pretended fiancée for tonight?" Sebastian inquired, his grey eyes boring into my light blue ones.
I blushed uncontrollably, hearing his proposal. It was somewhat funny, but at the same time, it felt right…
"Yes, it'll be my pleasure," I chuckled as Sebastian put the ring on my finger.
It fitted perfectly at my ring finger like it was custom made for me. The silver color matched my light skin tone, and the diamonds shined under the dim light inside the car's cabin.
Sebastian helped me out of the car and offered me his arm to take. We walked together towards the few marble stairs that lead to the entrance.
"How do you know my middle name," I muttered, giving him a side glance.
"You sign your resignation email using your whole name," Sebastian shrugged.
"And you read that email?"
"It was forwarded to me, too, so obviously," the billionaire replied, rolling his eyes at me.
I quit my job from the Leclair's Corp a few days after moving into Sebastian's loft. Sebastian wouldn't let me work there, and I couldn't keep being paid for a job I wasn't doing anymore...
My thoughts came to a halt as the front door opened, and a battler appeared right behind it.
"Mr. Leclair, Ms. Russell, congratulations on your engagement," the man said, bowing his head a little.
"Thank you, Gregory," Sebastian replied, giving him a tight smile.
"Finally, our favorite couple arrived," Clara's melodic voice reached my ears.
Sebastian's mother reached us, walking elegantly into her floor-length gold gown. She hugged her son and kissed my cheeks airily, careful not to smudge our makeup.
"Evelyn, you look absolutely ravishing!" the woman complimented me, caressing my tulle skirt.
"Thank you, Ms. Leclair. Your gown is stunning," I replied, giving her a small smile.
"Oh, it's Clara, dear. We're family, now. And let me see what this on your finger is…" the woman exclaimed, taking my hand in hers. She stared at the wedding ring, a few tears welling up in her greyish eyes.
"Mother, please don't make a scene…" Sebastian whispered, a scowl on his face.
"How could I, my dearest son? I just can't believe it; you know this ring means a lot to your father. I'm glad you gave it to Evelyn," Clara said, a bright smile forming on her lips. "Now, come, my dear, everyone's looking forward to meeting you," the woman continued, pulling me with her.
I just followed Sebastian's mother, my eyes wandering around the opulent interior. The decoration was mainly in white, off white, and golden tones. The woman led me into a spacious living room that was full of people.
I felt everyone's eyes fall on me, and I was grateful for Sebastian's hand that snaked around my waist. A round of applause broke into the room, making me feel dizzy. I leaned towards the billionaire as we strolled around the room, shaking hands and thanking the guests for their wishes.
"At least tell me on time that I'm going to be your maid of honor, and not on the day of your wedding," Sophie scolded me when we finally reached Nickolas and her.
"Believe me, I learned about this when I was in the car outside the mansion," I mumbled under my breath.
Nickolas chuckled, earning a glare from his brother. "My mom is full of surprises," the youngest Leclair brother exclaimed.
"My parents are here, too!" I almost yell, noticing my parents talking to another couple a few steps away from us.
"They're supposed to be at their daughter's engagement party," Sophie shrugged.
"Oh, they're going to kill me…" I muttered, strolling towards them.
My parents were going to be livid with all this fiasco. They certainly didn't imagine their only daughter's engagement just like this. I hadn't even informed them that I was planning to get married.
"Oh my, Evelyn, you're beautiful," my mom said happily, hugging me tightly.
"Hello, mom, dad," I greeted them as my eyes studied their features.
"How are you and the baby, sweetheart?" my dad asked, pecking my temple.
"We're both well; nothing to worry about," I replied, frowning a bit because this was not the reaction I expected.
"Clara called us about ten days ago and told us about the party. We had to keep it a secret since both Sebastian and you didn't want to celebrate your engagement," my mom filled me in when she noticed my troubled expression.
"Mom, Sebastian and I are just pretending only for tonight. We're not going to get married," I whispered loud enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Grace, John, it's nice to see you again," Sebastian interrupted us, greeting my parents politely.
"Oh, come here, young man," my father laughed, giving Sebastian a side hug.
Sebastian seemed totally lost, and he just patted my dad's back awkwardly.
At that moment, I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry; all these looked surreal.
"You could have asked for our daughter's hand in marriage, though," my father scolded the young billionaire.
"We must have a talk with you two after all this is done," Sebastian said, his voice stern.
"Of course, you can come for dinner whenever you want," my mom replied, grinning at us.
"Here you are! Evelyn, darling, your parents are amazing. I love their company," Clara interjected, joining our little group.
"Actually, we need to talk to all of you in the next few days," Sebastian stated, causing all eyes to turn on him.
"Is something wrong with the baby?" Clara asked, her smile dying on her lips.
"No, mother. It's something different, but it's not the time nor the place. Let's just have fun tonight, shall we?"
Clara eyed her son suspiciously before saying, "Well then, you two have to greet a few more guests. If you excuse us."
I promised my parents that I'd see them later before following Clara and my supposed fiancé.
We greet some more guests and converse politely with them. They all seemed excited to be here. After all, this was the betrothal party of the most sought out bachelor in the whole New York.
However, not all of them were indeed that happy for Sebastian and me. I tried not to pay attention to the women who kept glaring at me, their eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. Also, I ignored all the flirtatious winks and smirks they sent Sebastian's way.
After all, this wasn't real…
My cheeks were hurting me from all the smiling I had to do, and I internally cursed my lucky stars. Not to mention the high heels that were killing me, making my back hurt like hell.
"Wish I could have one, too," I grumbled, watching Sebastian taking a sip from his golden champagne.
"You're not allowed, love. I'll ask for a glass of orange juice. Did you eat anything?" Sebastian asked, concern lacing his voice.
"There's a buffet over there, but I'm not that hungry," I replied, glancing towards the large lined up tables at the other end of the room with all the delicacies served on top of them.
"You must eat, Evelyn... Sebastian kept murmuring.
I stopped paying attention to him as my eyes landed on a familiar figure of a tall, red-haired man standing near the buffet. A small gasp escaped my lips when Owen's light brown eyes met mine.
I thought it couldn't get any worse, but if only I knew that Owen was going to be the least of my worries that night...