The Forced Marriage

Chapter 10: An Unconventional Party

My eyes widened at the lights blinking rapidly outside of the limo. People were huddled together in two corners while a red carpet in the middle lead to the inside of the 5-star hotel. My breath hitched as 2 huge gaurds pushed the people with cameras further away from us. I bit the bottom of my lip and stared at my black heels. The blood-red cocktail dress I was wearing accentuated my curves. A black ribbon wrapped around my waist. It's knee-length and very revealing. Not really my type of clothing but it's appropriate for this event. My brown hair was swept to one side, the curls cascading over my shoulder. I have light make up on, just mascara, blush, and red lipstick.

Today is the day I get to meet Hal's family. I was feeling nervous and scared. I'm pretty sure I left a huge dent on Mr. Brougham's cheek after my bithday party. I sighed as my palm itched to slap the man's face again. I never forgot the look he gave to my father, and to me. He looked at us as if we were trash. Marrying Hal was the only way to get Sinclair Corporations back on track. It was the only way.

As the limousine came to a halt, I took a deep breath and twiddled my thumbs together. The door to my side opened and voices disturbed the silence. The flash noise of cameras caused me to flinch. The bright lights blinding my peripheral vision. I wasn't used to this kind of thing. Sure, my parent's company was huge and all but I always hid from the paparazzi. My face was never on the magazines or on TV. It actually shocked the media that they found out there was a heiress to Sinclair Corporations.

"Hey, you gonna' get out or just sit in there?" Hal's low voice brought me back to Earth and I slid out of my seat, taking Hal's huge hand. His warm contact made my body relax and I found myself leaning against him. No longer did I feel the need to worry. It confused me even more.

Hal chuckled and as we walked hand-in-hand on the red carpet, paparazzi started to throw a bunch of questions at us, mainly on Hal. He mouthed let me handle this and I watched as he answered questions about his company and my company with ease. He looked stunning in a black Armani suit. His tie matched the color of my dress and a white blouse underneath the blazer showed off his muscles. Man, I really am a lucky chick.

Heading into the interior of my company hotel, my jaw nearly touched the marble floor. People in expensive dresses and suits filled the whole place. Gold chandeliers lighting up the entire room, showing off its Victorian Era style. Magnificent paintings dotting the cream-colored walls. Soft classical music played in the background as people idled, daink wine, and feasted on the fancy looking food. I have to say, I'm impressed at the interior of this place. I should talk to the general manager that is keeping this place bustling!

"Wow, you Broughams really know how to throw a party." I said, looking around with astonishment written all over my face.

"Don't you ever go to parties like this?" Hal asked, dragging me towards an empty table with a small paper scribbled Reserved for Hal Brougham and Alana Sinclair etc.

I looked up at him with an unlady-like snort and sat down on one of the chairs, "Please, do I seem like the type of girl to be going to these events?" Hal shook his head with a chuckle and sat next to me. I stared at the empty chairs occupying our table. "Hey, who else is sitting with us?"

"My family." he replied, scratching his clean-shaven jaw. "They'll be here in a moment. My father is hosting this party so of course he'll be busy. We'll barely get to talk to him..." trailing off, he smirked at me and I raised a brow.

"What?" I asked.

Hal chuckled again and wrapped his arm around my waist, "So don't worry about my father getting angry at you. That slap was nothing to him, trust me. He's gotten worse from my mother." I blushed and looked away from him, staring at nothing but the wall. He laughed and I felt something soft peck my cheek. "Geez, you're so adorable."

"Stop teasing me." I grumbled, shoving Hal gently away from me. He was getting too close again. Clearing my throat, I shifted myself so that I was facing Hal, changing the subject. "Um, my parents never told me when, you know..." I bit the bottom of my lip and twiddled my thumbs together, ignoring his gaze, "...when we'll get married."

"That's why we're here. My parents and I haven't discussed when the date of our marriage is but I'm hoping it's soon." he smiled at me and skimmed my cheek with the pad of his thumb, "Of course, it'll be a delight if we got married in a week or maybe tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes and nudged his hip, causing him to twist out of his chair. I covered my mouth with my hand and stiffled a laugh. Hal stood up right away, nodding at the laughing guests before unwrinkling his suit. "Well, that's attractive." I let out a soft laugh. His cheeks turned a pinkish color and I smiled. Who knew Hal could blush.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked, his cheeks turning even more flushed. I giggled as he resumed his place on his seat, looking really embarrased. Aw, it's actually kind of cute.

Recovering from my giggle fit, I took a wine glass from a waiter, "I dunno' but I'm glad I did it." taking a sip of the wine, I sighed in relief and placed the glass down on the table. Hal shook his head with a smile that almost made me choke on my wine.

"Oh my goodness! Hal, you're here!" a high-pitched voice that could break my wine glass almost made me wince. Hal's attention diverted to the skipping blond. She was wearing a black evening dress and nude heels with a bunch of jewelry around her neck and wrists, diamonds to be exact. As she neared closer to us, I felt my blood boil.

"Antoinette..." Hal muttered before getting engulfed into a hug. His face was literally in her breasts and as she loosened the hug, she shot me a dirty look that just made me want to toss the bimbo in a trash can. When she finally let Hal breath, her eyes were all over him. "Hey, why are you here?" Hal asked.

She flicked her hair back, causing it to slightly hit my face. Oh that bitch. "Why ask such an obvious question babe? I'm here to see you of course! Shall we dance?" then as if in cue, a slow song played and the blond abruptly grabbed Hal's arm, dragging him out of his seat. As she entwined her fingers with Hal's she shot me another dirty look then left with my smiling spouse.

I felt my chest tighten as I watched the two press against each other, Hal's arm wrapped around her waist as she wrapped her slender arms around his neck. She lay her head down on the nape of his neck, smirking at me every time their bodies would turn to my direction. They looked perfect together. I shifted away from the two and sipped my wine. I started to feel self-conscious and tugged on the hem of my dress. Suddenly I felt my cheeks warm up and my body started to shiver. There was no one else around me. I was alone.

I took a deep breath and stood up from my seat. Breaking down in front of everyone would just ruin the whole party so I left. I didn't know where I was going but I didn't care. Being abandoned or lonely were my weakest parts. It sounds selfish but I needed someone to be next to me. A lonely child will forevr be a lonely child after all. I couldn't change how I felt about being left alone.

Deep in thought, I felt my nose bump against something hard and I gasped, breaking away from my thoughts. Rubbing my aching nose I mumbled a "Sorry..." before walking ahead again. A warm hand grabbed my arm and tugged me back. I looked up at the person with a glare but immediately wiped it off as I saw who the mystery person was.

"Jesus woman, slow down." Ron said with a huge smile on his features. I bit the bottom of my lip as it quivered and immediately gave him a full-on hug. Hiding my face on his gray Nordstrom suit I held in my tears. His large arms comfortably wrapped around my small body. His warmth made my trembling body relax and I found myself smiling up at my best friend. "Who should I beat up?" he asked with a dark expression before it returned to his playful smile.

I laughed at his rhetorical question, "We're not in high school anymore. Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"I was invited by your husband." he replied with a grimace, "I swear, I did not expect him to be your husband...or the CEO of Broughams Corp. Never even met the guy before. Weird right?" I nodded at his response and leaned against him.

"I didn't expect to be married as well. At such a young age I should be finishing my college and not be wasting time on parties or worrying about marriage. I'm still not used to this Ron. It's killing me on the inside."

Ron nodded and gave me a reassuring smile. As our hands entwined, he brought me out of the hotel to a beautiful garden behind it. Lamps lit up around the garden, showing off the vibrant colors of green plants and red roses. On the middle of the garden was a fountain with an angelic figure spitting out water. It was made of stone and carved beautifully. I felt like I was in a different country.

As we neared the fountain, Ron grabbed my hips and shifted me so that we were face-to-face. His lips were inches away from mine and I felt my heart beat rapidly. Somehow, the space between us closed...

A/N*

Thanks for reading :) Alana's dress on ze side! :3

Updates are going to be slower since I didn't even have the chance to start Chapter 11 yesterday :(