A Beast Sees No Beauty

Chapter Sixteen

Vincent groaned when he heard the voices downstairs. He counted more than just the three people staying here, which meant there were guests. After the events of yesterday evening, he didn't feel like being around other people.

Sighing, he made himself presentable before heading downstairs. The first face he saw was Juliet, who smiled and laughed with pink cheeks. He paused for a moment at the sheer amount of beauty she radiated. Then his eyes caught Harris Jones, who smiled and laughed with her as they conversed with one another.

His gaze broke away as he continued down the few steps left. "Vincent! You'll never guess who the cat dragged in!" Jeremiah was by his side, dragging him across the room from Juliet and towards Serena and-

"Rosaline?" The woman turned and smiled, her dark eyes enchanting him just as they used to. Her dark hair fell across her back in long gorgeous waves, her lips painted red like they always were, and her brown eyes pulling him into an endless river of temptation.

"Vincent! It's been a while, hasn't it? You didn't write like you promised, you dog!" She pulled him into a hug, holding on longer than was necessary. "Lucky for you, my cousin is that lovesick puppy over there ogling the girl you brought from the South. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known to come to visit my dear friends!"

Vincent just stared at the woman, surprised to hear that this beauty was related to the clumsy fool on the other side of the room. That must have been why he recognized the man. The thought of Harris was enough for Vincent to turn his attention back over, only to find the two of them gone. "Where did they-"

"Come now, Vincent! We were just getting the chance to talk just like old times!"

LuLu's words rang loudly in his skull. He needed to find another girl willing to marry him. Enough worrying over Juliet. He had to fight with himself. He hated losing bets, but was Juliet worth more than his pride? Could he pull himself together enough to make her love him? It would be easier to go with the woman throwing herself at his feet and let Juliet go and throw herself at another man. They can finally live in peace without yelling at one another ever again.

Finally, Vincent turned back towards Rosaline with a smile, letting his gaze travel to Serena and Jeremiah to see their approval. Serena seemed less than pleased, but still put on a smile for him, and Jeremiah seemed none-the-wiser to everything happening around him.

Juliet wanted nothing more than to enjoy her time with Harris, but the world seemed to be working against her. All she could think about was Vincent, how he held her as she cried, how he reasoned with her. She even went back to remembering his kiss, over and over and over again.

Then there's this Rosaline character. Vincent was completely taken with her, and it was obvious. They had some sort of connection, some sort of bond that formed long before she was ever in the picture.

Serena's advice continued to echo in her head. She needed to slow down. If she wanted to fall in love with Harris, then she needed to go through it one step at a time and not all at once. She needed to think clearly and not let her heart get ahead of her brain.

"We were invited to join everyone at the pub later tonight if you'd like?" Juliet watched as Vincent and Rosaline exited the house while laughing gleefully and holding on to one another's arms like newlyweds.

"Yes, I think that would be nice." She hardly paid attention to what she spoke before turning back and giving Harris a dazzling smile. It's what he'd want to see her do. So long as she did everything to his expectation, then they'd be fine.

Of course, Vincent turned just in time to see Juliet smiling as beautifully as always at Harris, which only irked him more. It was a competition now. Who could prove they were more in love by the end of the night?