Divorced Heiress
Chapter 107

Abby

I knew something was wrong just by looking at Sarah's expression when she came back from talking to the venomous tarantulas. She was a bundle of nerves, and her face was as pale as if she had seen a ghost. I confirmed that something was not right when she asked us to meet in the villa.

This went beyond a silly argument with Alexander's family. She wouldn't react like that for just anything. She made it clear that she was leaving behind such an important night as the launch of her own brand to meet privately. Sofia and Jane were left in charge of the launch for the rest of the night.

Whatever was going on, it was more serious than I thought, and honestly, I had no idea what it could be. They didn't want to talk about it either, but I was sure it had nothing to do with the Lancaster witches.

-I'll give you a ride, my car is outside.- Bastian offered to take me when I got up from my seat, ready to leave as quickly as possible.

Truthfully, I was starting to get irritated thanks to my fake boyfriend. Despite putting on a good act for his ex-girlfriend, he looked for any excuse to get closer to me at unnecessary times. A clear example was when he kissed me out of nowhere minutes before Vincent appeared. Jane wasn't even around to pretend. Of course, I put him in his place.

I didn't even have the chance to respond to Bastian when Vincent stood up next to me to give his brother an answer on my behalf.

-You don't need to drive her, I will.-

I looked at Vincent with a raised eyebrow. He had gone mad.

Since he arrived at the table with Sarah, I realized he had had too much to drink and I wasn't going to get into the passenger seat of his car and put my life in danger.

Clearly, I wasn't happy with Vincent for behaving like a complete idiot, thinking he was Christian Grey with his stupid conditions to be with a woman, completely avoiding romance. But that didn't mean I didn't care about him.

-No, brother. Abby is my girlfriend for tonight, therefore, it is my responsibility to make sure she arrives safely at her destination.-

The cold look Vincent gave his brother for his words sent shivers down my spine, and I knew I had to stop this pair before the situation got out of control.

I turned my face to look at the confident Bastian, who defiantly stared at Vincent, and I shook my head to show my disagreement with what he said. I was already regretting having agreed to be part of Bastian's charade.

I had a slight suspicion that he was starting to confuse things, and that would only cause problems.

-Bastian, just shut up for a while. I'm not your girlfriend, and I'm old enough to take care of myself. Jane is very busy. She won't notice anything. Besides, she's your ex-girlfriend, and you don't owe her any explanations if she's about to marry another man.- I said completely serious and without measuring my words because he knew very well that I was still upset with him for taking the liberty of kissing me without my consent.

-Can't you see how your brother is? It's obvious that he's not fit to drive. I'll take him in his car. See you at the villa, Bastian.-

Bastian stood frozen in his place, with his mouth slightly open from the impression of how aggressively I spoke to him. But I was really not in the mood. I wanted to get to the villa as soon as possible, and I had zero patience to continue putting up with him at this moment.

I grabbed my clutch bag and tightly grabbed Vincent's arm to pull him towards the exit, without waiting for Bastian to say a word. Fortunately for me, the older idiot who was following in my footsteps wasn't as drunk or maybe he was just hiding it well. -I like it. I like it when you're aggressive.- Vincent said, causing me to roll my eyes at his comment, although it was funny to hear how he slurred his words. It was the first time I had seen him drunk. -Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Give me the keys to your car.- I avoided responding to his strange compliment.

However, I couldn't lie to myself, I had loved it. I stopped expressionless at the entrance of the hall, waiting for him to give me the car keys, but apparently, he didn't hear me or I didn't speak loud enough because his intense and devilishly sexy green gaze never left my face for a second.

And although it could be uncomfortable, I liked the way he looked at me, and if he continued to look at me like that, I would be capable of...

God, no. What was going through my head? One, two, three, self-control come back to me.

-Hello? Is Vincent Grey still there? The keys.-

-The keys.- Vincent repeated my words as if he were in automatic mode and I wanted to laugh at this new version of Mr. Anti-Romance. Where did the robot Lefebvre go? I couldn't even guess what was going through his head.

I sighed in resignation, understanding once and for all that Vincent became dumber than usual with excess alcohol in his system, and I decided to take a step towards him to search for the car keys in his pockets, without diverting my gaze from his scrutinizing eyes. My skin tingled when he cradled my cheeks in his warm hands and his attractive face slowly approached mine, his gaze shifting towards my lips, causing my legs to tremble slightly.

I had no intention of stepping away, not because I longed to taste his lips once again, but because I immediately understood that he misinterpreted my approach, taking it as an insinuation on my part, without even realizing that I was searching his pant pockets. So, I licked my lips when his face was inches away from mine and I smiled half-heartedly, suppressing the strong desire to eliminate the minimal space between us, before whispering as if it were a secret, ignoring the rapid beats of my heart.

-I found it.- I showed him the key I had found in the front pocket of his pants and quickly backed away, leaving him bewildered and breathless, with his hands in the air. I couldn't deny that I enjoyed seeing him in that way, he deserved it. -Huh?-

I couldn't hold back the laughter anymore at his confused expression in the midst of his drunkenness, but I covered my mouth with a hand so he wouldn't realize I was laughing at him.

-Shall we go?- I asked, turning halfway towards the parking lot to search among the many cars for Vincent's Rolls Royce.

-What...? What was that? Weren't you going to kiss me? But...- Vincent babbled, completely confused, and I took hold of his arm again when I spotted his car a few meters away.

-Why would I kiss you?- I asked nonchalantly as I practically dragged him without even looking at him.

-Don't get confused, I was just looking for the car key.-

-Do you like Bastian?-

His sudden question caught me off guard, and I stopped when we reached his car.

That question was totally stupid, of course I didn't like Bastian. Unfortunately, I had eyes only for the coldest man on the face of the earth. However, I wasn't going to tell him that, I preferred to remain silent, I wasn't going to answer him.

-Get in.- I ordered after opening the passenger door and I looked at him with irritation when I saw that he had no intention of getting in the car, he just looked at me as if he were waiting for the answer to his question. Patience is a virtue, which unfortunately I did not possess.

-As you wish.-

I shrugged and let go of him to go around the car carelessly and get into the driver's seat.

Vincent remained standing, not moving at all. How could I deal with this idiot without losing my patience?

It was not until I started the car's engine that he finally got in with a stern expression on his face.

His mood swings would end up driving me crazy, I didn't know how I had liked this animal for so many years, I hated him.

I drove in complete silence, avoiding Vincent's gaze at all costs. I didn't even know why I was taking on the task of taking care of him after the snubs he had given me, after going from me to the next day he kissed me.

I wanted to justify my pathetic feelings for him, but I couldn't ignore that I left my dignity on the table we shared for a few minutes. I would have let him drive alone to the villa, I was not his hero, I was nothing to him.

Upon arriving at the villa, I turned off the car's engine and immediately got out to take a breath of air. I had already fulfilled my duty of bringing him here, he could take care of himself for the rest of the night, he was a grown man, he didn't need a babysitter.

I walked as fast as my heels allowed me to, to the entrance of the house, feeling angry with myself for my hasty decisions, for my impulsiveness, but a hand stopped me when I was about to finish climbing the steps leading to the front door.

I looked at the owner of that hand, although I already knew from the first second that it was Vincent who quickly came to me, his gaze had softened and I didn't even know why. His mood swings would give me a headache. -Abby...-

A shiver ran down my spine when I heard my name with that gentle tone that almost melted me, but I stayed strong.

I hid all my emotions and sensations in an expressionless look, waiting for him to say what he had to say, although I could guess what he wanted to tell me.

"We must keep our distance. I am not a romantic man. Let's sign an agreement. The first clause is not to involve feelings. We will only f**k."

F**k it!

-Forgive me.-

My brow furrowed when I heard that word coming out of his mouth, for a moment I thought it had been a product of my imagination, but his expression confirmed that it was real, he looked defeated, sincere, and regretful. For the first time, he left me speechless and I didn't quite know what I should forgive him for, the first thing that came to mind was his behavior under the influence of alcohol.

-Okay, you're drunk, it's normal for you to lose control and have these mood swings, and...-

Vincent shook his head interrupting my words, while stepping onto the step I was standing on.

-That's not what I mean. Forgive me for being a jerk. He paused, taking the opportunity to let go of my arm and place his hand on my cheek.

I didn't know where he was going with this, I didn't know if it was the alcohol speaking for him or if it was the unfeeling Vincent Lefebvre talking.

-I've been trying to ignore my feelings, but it's getting harder and harder no matter how much I try. I like to have everything under control, but this got out of hand, I can't continue ignoring what I feel for you.-

I was frozen realizing the direction all this was taking. My heart began to beat so strongly in my chest that I wouldn't be surprised if Vincent could hear it.

-Honestly, I don't know what words to use at this moment to express myself, I've never done this in my life, but I can sum it up for you. Abby Dubois, I am madly in love with you.-

My mouth automatically opened in surprise and I was left breathless as I pinched my arm, thinking that I was lost in a dream, but the pain was as real as his words.

An intense tingling settled in my stomach and I wasn't sure if it was because the dinner didn't agree with me or if it was the famous butterflies they talk about in movies, although I felt them like bees.

It was hard for me to believe that Vincent was finally declaring his love for me and I was certain that it wasn't the effect of alcohol, I could see it in his genuine gaze, in those green eyes that shone under the dim light.

For the second time and in less than five minutes, he left me speechless, now it was me who didn't have the exact words to express myself or to respond to him.

In the next second, the least expected and most embarrassing thing happened to me and anyone in my place, taking all the romance out of this magical, unique, and long-awaited moment. I vomited on his perfect and expensive suit.

Why did this have to happen to me? The bees in my stomach betrayed me and now I had been left in ridicule in front of the man who thawed his heart, with this it is more than certain that he would retract his words and disappear definitively. How pathetic I was. -God, Abby, are you okay?-

When I thought Vincent would recoil from me in disgust, the opposite happened. He brushed away the hair falling over my shoulder and gently stroked my back as if it could comfort me.

When I stopped vomiting, he offered me his handkerchief that he had in his jacket pocket, and in complete embarrassment, I wiped the corners of my lips.

-Do you feel better? Let's go inside, I'll make you a drink to soothe you.- Vincent took me by the waist as if at any moment I could crash to the ground, and even though it wasn't serious, of course I could fall, but because of the nerves that were eating me alive and making me the clumsiest person in the world.

How was Vincent still here? Why didn't he run away when he could? I shook my head, resisting to take a single step or I would end up rolling down the stairs.

I dared to look at Vincent after such embarrassment and died of shame for soiling his clothes, I did not find the slightest hint of disgust on his face, rather he looked worried and I could even say that his drunkenness vanished because of anguish. Was Vincent real?

If he was, he was standing in front of me, with his perfect green eyes fixed on my face, with his warm and big hands holding me, obviously concerned about my health after confessing that he was in love with me.

Vincent was real, this moment was real, disgustingly and romantically real.

For a moment I forgot about the prank that my nerves caused and I smiled, praying to heaven that vomit did not stay on my face, that would be the icing on the cake.

-I am madly in love with you, Vincent Grey.-