Astrid Wilder
A soft knock pulled me from sleep.
Groggy, I got up and opened the door without much thought. Freya stood there, bright-eyed and smiling, and followed me inside without waiting for an invitation.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully.
"Morning," I mumbled, yawning and scratching my face.
"Were you sleeping?"
I plopped down on the couch beside my bed while she sat comfortably on the mattress. "Yeah. What's up?"
"Well… Jaxon called me. He asked me to check on you," she said with a wink.
My eyes widened in disbelief. "Jaxon did what?"
"You heard me. He said to keep you company," she repeated, grinning.
"Wow…" I scoffed, still processing. "Last night he acted like a complete jerk. Why does he do that? One minute he's playing the good guy, then the next he's a dick. Is he bipolar or something?"
I started undressing to take a shower, my back to her.
"Tell me," I said, "what's going on with you?"
Freya sighed. "Me and Luca? It's a situationship. I want more, but I don't think he's ready."
"That sucks," I muttered as I entered the bathroom.
She followed me, standing at the door like a clingy baby. "You know… we started hooking up the day after I moved in."
I peeked out. "What?"
"Yup. He came on to me. Said he noticed how I was looking at him at the apartment. Apparently, he came over to get some." She chuckled.
"So you just let him fuck you? Jesus Christ, Freya."
"I wanted him to. Girl, grow up," she laughed.
I walked out of the bathroom, slipping into a pink polo and black bum shorts. We headed downstairs for brunch. I had skipped breakfast—I'd cried myself to sleep after what Jaxon said last night.
His words had hurt, but I couldn't blame him. He was right. It's always been about the business for him, never about me. I blamed myself for getting too involved, too delusional. I thought something might happen between us. But the truth? He's way out of my league. I'm just an orphan who didn't finish school. He's… everything I'm not.
From now on, I need to focus on myself.
"You're not eating, child. Is something wrong with the food?" Madam Pat's voice cut through my thoughts.
"No, ma'am. The food's great," I said quickly, digging into the pasta.
Freya sat next to me, demolishing her plate. Then her phone rang. She answered it, nodded a few times, and hung up with a strange expression.
She turned to me, eyes wide. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?!"
"Umm… I just found out yesterday. It's in six days," I said quietly.
She gawked. "Girl, why are you sad? It's a fake marriage, right? All for the money." She smiled, trying to cheer me up.
"Well… who called?" I asked.
"Luca. He said we should get ready. He's taking you shopping—on your future husband's orders," she said, dragging me out of my seat.
"But I'm not done eating!"
"You weren't even eating before!" she laughed.
Back in my room, she raided my closet and picked out a black mini dress for me. I did light makeup, let my hair down, grabbed a pink purse, and slipped into matching pink heels. We headed to her apartment to get her ready.
She picked out a pink mini gown and paired it with black heels and a purse. As we were heading downstairs, I spotted a used condom in her trash.
"Seriously?" I raised a brow at her.
She smirked. "We were kind of in the middle of something when Jaxon called Luca about you. We had to pause for Mr. Jaxon's fiancée."
"Oh," I said, trying not to overthink it.
We headed downstairs to wait for Luca.
—
The ride was quiet. Freya sat up front with Luca while I sat at the back, staring out the window. A few minutes later, we pulled up to the boutique, and both our jaws dropped.
The place was stunning.
Inside, Luca introduced us to a woman.
"Melissa, this is Astrid and Freya," he said.
Melissa looked us over with thinly veiled contempt. "Okay."
"She's here to shop for a wedding dress," Luca added.
"I know. Jaxon called. So this is her?" She scoffed. "He could've done better."
Luca shot her a look that could bury a person six feet under. I tensed.
What did she mean by that? Had she and Jaxon discussed me? Was she the woman he's been sleeping with?
She was beautiful. Blonde. Long legs. Green eyes. A perfect nose and pouty lips. I suddenly felt like I couldn't compete. But maybe… maybe I was overthinking.
We moved to the bridal section. I picked a dress and went into the dressing room with Freya. When I stepped out, I froze.
Jaxon was sitting on the couch, legs crossed like a damn king. Luca stood beside him. He looked… godly. He wore a black suit with no inner shirt, his toned chest exposed, his hair perfectly tousled, and a Rolex glinting on his wrist.
My pussy clenched at the mere sight of him. Fuck.
He didn't say a word. Just stared at me, then the dress. Then he waved a hand dismissively. Change.
I scowled and went back in.
This continued until I stepped out in the dress. A white gown adorned with silver stones, hugging my body from chest to knee before flaring out. The V-neck dipped beneath my bust, and the open back gave it a seductive but elegant touch.
He finally nodded.
I went in to change so the dress could be packed. When I came out, my heart stopped.
Jaxon was holding Melissa by the waist. He whispered something to Luca, then leaned down to kiss her and spanked her ass. She giggled.
"I'll be waiting," she said as he walked out.
I stood frozen, trying to blink back tears. Don't cry, Astrid. Don't let him see he has this effect on you.
Freya grabbed my hand gently, her eyes burning with fury. She didn't say a word, but her presence grounded me.
We moved to another section and shopped for designer clothes and accessories. I bought a few things for Freya too and paid using Jaxon's black card, handed to me by Luca.
Afterward, we stopped by an amusement park to unwind, then had dinner at a five-star restaurant. It should've been fun.
But my heart felt hollow.
We returned home. Freya headed to her apartment while one of the guards helped carry my things to the penthouse.
As I stepped inside, I heard a voice snap like a whip.
"Where the fuck have you been? And why are you coming back at this time?"
I froze mid-step, heart thudding. The voice belonged to the man who'd just kissed someone else like I meant nothing. And yet, here he was acting like I belonged to him.