章 26: Brewing War

"Ba-dum!" "Ba-dum!" sounded Arianna's heart like a beating drum. Every step she took was taking her closer to her miserable fate. She was scared and wanted to run, sadly, where could she run to? They would hunt her down like a chicken on a Christmas morning about to be sacrificed for breakfast. Hence she had to be brave because she needed to survive.

"We are here," said one of the men who has escorted her here. There were three of them in total and although the situation looked grand as if she was some big shot protected by her security details, Arianna knew she was nothing but a prisoner. They were not here to protect but enslave her.

At once, he went to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and pushed the huge frame open to an audience. Arianna's jaw dropped to the ground, what in the name of the lord is going on here?

When Arianna was told she would meet Big Joe today, she thought it would be a casual meeting and not this splendid ceremony going on right now. She should have known a casual meeting wouldn't involve her wearing a magnificent evening gown. God, this was not what she wanted.

Arianna gulped, all eyes were on her as if she was the star of the occasion. Well, she was supposedly the star since she hasn't met this many people since she was kidnapped here.

The guard cleared his throat subtly from behind and she knew that was the cue for her to get in. With her head held high and her back straightened, Arianna walked in like she was some royalty.

She was not the only one dressed to the nines here, Arianna noticed. Women as expected craved attention and so they made sure they surpassed each other in dressing as if they were competing for some prize at a fashion contest. Arianna couldn't help but wonder if they came to witness her engagement or to steal the show from her. Well, who knows, they might have eyes for her soon-to-be husband.

Arianna was sure if Big Joe loses interest in the marriage thing, they would kill her first before harassing her uncle for the rest of the money. Even if they kept her alive, there was no telling what they could do to her - gosh, they could even r*pe her and use her to their contentment. As Cassie said, the only reason she was standing here and well, still alive, was because of her usefulness, so she had to be on guard.

She stood like a lost sheep in the midst of wolves and as if the universe heard her prayer, Kenith finally emerged from the crowd and came to her.

"As I thought, the dress fits you just well," He complimented her, his eyes twinkling.

Arianna didn't know what to feel towards this man. She was mad at him for having left her standing these past days yet was relieved that he was here and at the same time was grossed out. The only way he was able to know her size must be after noticing her body and being overly familiar with a woman's body to have been able to guess her right. It made her skin crawl. This man was creepy yet he was her only anchor in this place.

"Yes, you indeed have an eye for fashion," Arianna didn't just say that to flatter him. It was sincere.

Unlike the others here, Kenith looked dashing in his red suit and some women were beginning to glare at her. Seriously, women never change. However, looking this handsome, was he trying to steal the limelight from Big Joe? After the confession from Cassie, Arianna was beginning to see some hints the others weren't able to see.

"Thank you," Kenith said and took her hand, placing a light kiss on the top of her palm.

Arianna tried not to notice the glares boring into her back. She would surely be careful tonight.

"When you said I was meeting Big Joe, you didn't tell me it would be a big celebration," she went straight to her question.

However, Kenith didn't reply immediately and instead, picked two flutes from one of the passing waiters.

"Want one?" he offered.

"Sorry, I don't drink," she rejected his offer without a second thought. She had to be somber tonight to make the right decision.

"It would calm your nerves and a drink won't get you drunk unless you're really light-headed," He urged her.

Well, his persuasive ability was really great because she reached out and grabbed one of the flutes, downing the drink in one go, and God, it felt good.

"Most of the people here are Big Joe's family members with their friends and business acquaintances," Kenith explained.

Oh, there was no one to help her then. Arianna had to kick away the idea of using one of them in her long run.

"Don't speak to any of them," Kenith said to her, causing her brows to raise.

"Why shouldn't I talk with any of them?" She was curious. Did he see through her plan?

"You're not exactly trustable after your last stunt and you don't want to create a bad first impression in front of your husband-to-be," Kenith told her.

Of course, he knew what she was thinking. Come to think of it, why was he looking out for her? What's his real motive?

"Where's my husband to be then? I don't think he's cowardly enough to let his second in command welcome me," Arianna subtly reminded him of his place.

"He's running a little late and in the meantime, I'll be the one keeping you company. With that being said, have a dance with me," He didn't even offer rather compel her to the dancing floor where other couples were dancing.

"I don't think this is a good…." Arianna was still saying when the man wrapped his hand around her waist and took her hands and kept it on his chest. Before she could even say jack Robinson, they were already swaying on the dance floor.

It took a while before Arianna could compose herself and when she finally did, she knew something was not right with this man or her husband to be. She had to find a way to leave here before she became a casualty loss in this brewing war she could sense.