Chapter 45 - out of control

If this was what it felt like to be in eternal damnation, Wren Austin was ready to repent and avoid going there at all costs. Sitting through dinner, the cranking of metals against plates, the movement of eyes from one person to the next and Giovanni’s pathetic attempts at engaging in a conversation felt like the flames of hell burning against her skin.
It made her sick to the very core.
While the dinner itself tasted heavenly and simply divine, the atmosphere in the room was horrible.
Wren Austin’s eyes have been glued to her plate and not once did she raise her head to make eye contact. But now, she did. She needed to see the look on their faces and confirm if she was the only one who felt that way.
Nana Denise and Gwendolyn seem to be enjoying their food. Why would Gwendolyn be uncomfortable in the first place? She seemed a little too excited about it.
Unika, well. She didn’t care. While she ate, she typed away on her phone.
Then, her gaze shifted to Topaz O’Connell and Giovanni who seemed to be the only ones who looked uncomfortable because when Wren’s gaze landed on Sierra, she furrowed her brows because she looked unfazed.
The blonde couldn’t quite decipher if it was all just a façade.
“This is great Nana Denise” Gwendolyn’s voice filled the silence in the room, making every pair of eyes land on her.
The older woman blushed. “Thank you, my dear,” she said before returning to her meal.
By the end of the meal, Wren Austin felt relieved because she thought that was the end of an hour of torture, but when Sierra’s voice filled her ears, she realized she had spoken too soon.
Topaz O’Connell was smart enough to know that the blonde was ready to call it a day and return home, which is why she tried to speak up in Wren’s favour. But her plans went down the drain when Sierra insisted, and strangely, Gwendolyn agreed.
With bemusement evident on her face, Topaz O’Connell turned to her big brother for a little intervention but was left dumbfounded when he took sides with the girls.
Defeated, Topaz rolled her eyes and gave in. then, she turned to the blonde and gave her a smile that said; “I tried” and Wren gave her a firm smile, acknowledging her efforts.
The girls made their way to the terrace while Giovanni made his way to the cave to fetch wine as well as wine glasses, while Nana Denise stayed back to clear off the table.
By the time Giovanni returned, the girls had already taken their seats. Gwendolyn Jefferson sat next to her girlfriend while Wren Austin took the seat that was closer to them. Sierra on the other end made sure to sit next further from Wren but opposite Topaz and Gwen.
Giovanni made an appearance with two bottles of wine in one hand and juggled five wine glasses in his other hand. He made his way to sit next to Wren but Sierra called him out and made him sit next to her.
The wine served, Sierra was the first to speak up.
“So, Gio. You didn’t tell me much about your life here in Craigsburg. What was it like growing up? Any girlfriends” she asked the last part with amusement in her voice.
Everyone’s gaze, including Giovanni’s, shifted to Wren who shredded up in her seat.
“Uh, well. It was pretty normal. Craigsburg is a small town you must have noticed so there wasn’t much to do. I hate school, so Gary, Mason, Joshua and I would sometimes boycott classes to smoke weed” he explained without any enthusiasm as he brought the glass of wine to his lips.
“That sounds like fun to me,” she remarked. “Any girlfriends?” she asked further.
Wren scoffed at Sierra’s questions. The blonde couldn’t understand what she wanted to achieve with her line of questioning, but she knew it was nothing good.
“Uh, actually” Giovanni stuttered.
“Actually, he fooled around a lot” Topaz stepped in when she noticed her big brother struggle to answer Sierra’s question.
“He did, but only one girl was able to steal his heart. And that girl is none other than our dear Wren seated her” Gwendolyn butted in and her reply made Wren want to drop dead.
Wren’s eyes widened as she looked at her friend, who by the way, had not realized that her reply made her uncomfortable.
“Oh! I didn’t know that” Sierra commented.
Lies! Wren Austin wanted to yell that out. You knew that Giovanni and I were once lovers else why would you seat here acting territorial over him?
Then turned to Giovanni; “Gio, baby. Is this true?” she asked Giovanni in a dull-like voice that made Wren want to empty the contents of her dinner.
“Uh, yeah. We dated until I left town” Giovanni said.
Do you mean until you broke my heart when you went out of town without informing me? Again, Wren wanted to yell that but she had to keep her composure.
“Oh? Was that when you got the scholarship to study at daddy’s college” the brunette inquired with a smile on her face, earning a nod from Giovanni.
“Sparks flew between Giovanni and me when we first met. It wasn’t long before we started dating and we have been glued to each other since then” Sierra explained, although no one took interest in what she was saying.
“Isn’t that right, Gio Baby?” this time when she spoke out, Sierra snarled her hand in Giovanni’s arm and rested her head on his sure.
“Sure” came his plain reply.
“Oh, that’s sweet” Gwen retorted, making Sierra smile at it, dismissing the sarcasm that was quite evident there.
“How did you handle it when Gio left, Wren?” Sierra turned her attention to Wren.
Wren Austin took a deep breath. She wanted to avoid any altercation with the brunette as much as possible, but sensing that this conversation would soon spiral into something more, Wren wondered how long she could be civil.
“Very well actually. It was bound to end at some point” the blonde spoke confidently, so much so that it made Gwendolyn doubt if the days and nights she spent consoling her friend were just fictions of her imagination.
“Great. I would have thought it was the reason why you chose your line job” Sierra retorted.
Oh, no. she didn’t just go there. She didn’t just go the fuck there.
Wren Austin fisted the hand that was free until her knuckles were already turning white. Anger flowed through her veins and she had to repeatedly take in several deep breaths to chase away the rage that was pulsating through her.
At this point, she was barely counting the seconds before she exploded and knocked Sierra right into next week.
“Although my Gio and I clicked at first sight, there was an emptiness in him that took longer for me to fill. Although I never asked him, I knew it had something to do with a girl. Hence why I brought up the topic” she explained in an innocent tone.
Then, she leaned again on his shoulders and said words that made the blonde explode.
“I could only imagine how he felt, returning to his hometown and finding out that his first love is now popular amongst men for her amazing skills” she provoked with a smirk on her face as her gaze landed on Wren.
That was it. That was the final straw for Wren. She refused to sit her another second and be disrespected by daddy’s girl.
The blonde stood from her sit and flashed the contents of her glass at the brunette’s face, making everyone gasp. Sierra stood with fury in her and was about to yell at Wren when she felt a sharp pang across her cheek, making her fall to the ground.
“You do not speak to me like that” she yelled out as she began to pant frantically

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