Original Sins by Faith Summers

25

Evie

He looked right at me.

Georgiou looked directly at me.

It’s the first time he’s done that.

I almost moved away from the window, but then I remembered no one could see inside. That’s my father’s doing again.

Henry walked on ahead of Georgiou, deep in thought. Georgiou followed, turning away from me.

Normally I’m so confident they never look that I sometimes have the window open. However, I’m up so high, I’d probably look like a ghost to them.

The type of ghost in their lives I will become next week.

I watch their car pull away, and it feels like I’ve slipped back into my old life, to that girl I was only weeks ago.

What am I going to do?

I move away from the window, and, at the same time, I hear Dad coming up the stairs.

He knocks on the door tentatively, the way he would when I’ve fallen asleep with the lights on.

“Come in,” I call out even though he would normally just push the door open.

He steps in, and I can tell from the tension in his eyes that something is going on. Something he’ll never tell me.

The general rule is: women out of business. If you’re me, then you stay out of everything.

“Just came to check on you?” he says. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m going to miss you when I leave. I hope you’ll come and visit in September, though, once I make the big move.”

Any talk of September makes me think of school.

“Of course. I’ll miss you too.”

He walks over to me and sets his hands on my shoulders. “You look just like her, your beautiful mother. Just like her, even when you're mad at me.”

I search his eyes, knowing he’d be furious if he ever found out what I did. But he pushed me and nearly pushed me over the edge. Still, if I hadn’t done the auction, I would never have met Georgiou or Henry.

“I’m tired,” I tell him because it’s best we don’t talk. Best we don’t say any more than we have.

“Alright, Bellezza. I love you.”

He never says that as much as he used to. Now I can’t help but think he’s saying it as a form of goodbye because of what’s to come.

Nevertheless, and despite everything, I do love my father.

“I love you too.”

He dips his head to give me a kiss on my forehead, and then he leaves.

I shower and change for bed, but I don’t sleep at all.

Tomorrow night is on my mind, and I just want to get it over and done with.

I go through the motions the next day.

All the women in the family join me as I get ready at five for the engagement party I want to run away from.

I smile when my aunts come to the house and tell me how beautiful I look and how I look like my mother.

It’s Aunt Francine who says that, and since she was the one I heard called my mother a gold-digger, I don’t even answer her.

Usually, I would humor her with a fake smile, but I’m going with the change I had since meeting the guys and decided to ignore her fake bitch ass.

Cordelia’s mother, Helen, is my favorite aunt. She flew over from Scotland with her husband for the occasion. I stayed close to her and Cordelia until the event started.

“Just breathe,” Cordelia whispers to me as we walk through the doors of Rochester Hall.

It’s stunning and completely breathtaking. It’s the type of dream location for a wedding that’s booked out years in advance but available to a man like my father whenever he wants, especially when he booked it for both my engagement party and for the wedding.

I just wish I were here under better circumstances.

“I’m trying,” I reply, and she gives my arm a gentle squeeze.

Peter is waiting by the door and the entrance of the function hall. We’re supposed to walk in as a couple.

As he makes his way over to me, I glance back at Cordelia.

“Just breathe.” She nods. “It will be over soon.”

I tear my eyes away from my cousin as Peter gets to us, and when Cordelia leaves my side to join her mother, it feels like my safety net is gone.

Peter reaches for my hand, and I give it to him because I can’t act up and displease him in any way.

He kisses my knuckles and gives me a lascivious smile.

“You look beautiful, Bellezza.”

“Don’t call me that,” I mutter keeping my voice low.

He straightens up and moves to my ear. “Behave yourself. Remember my warning. Your father is inside. If you piss me off, I’ll tell him he should check to see what his little girl has been up to.”

“Let’s just go inside, Peter,” I rasp.

“Yes, let’s, wife-to-be. By the way, on Friday I’ll be back from my project for the rest of the summer. I’m requesting you stay at my place.”

“Why do I need to do that?” That’s my last Friday with Georgiou and Henry.

“Because I’m going to fuck you. That’s why. We’ll be engaged, and you’ll have my ring on your finger. Your father can’t refuse me. That’s why, Bellezza. Now let’s go in.”

I feel like a shell as he takes my arm and ushers me inside the hall.

I’m so shaken that it takes me a moment before I realize the hall contains more people than I expected.

This is more people than I’ve seen since school. I thought this was just going to be a family gathering. That’s what Dad said when we spoke weeks ago.

Cordelia said so too, but a quick glance at her and I can see she looks just as surprised as me, just more on edge.

The instant I think that I know why she looks this way.

It’s because these people are my father’s associates and people who he works with.

When I look to my left and notice a guy by the buffet, who looks like Georgiou and an older man who’s the spitting image of him, my heart races, that has to be Georgiou’s brother and father. A beautiful dark-haired woman, who I assume is his mother, joins them.

When I look at Cordelia and see the bewildered look in her eyes, I know what fate awaits me as I walk inside.

All eyes turn my way as Peter escorts me, and those who don’t know me know who I must be for the way he links his arm with mine and the way I’m dressed.

They know I’m Evangeline Ricci, daughter of Donatello Ricci, the man they all bow down and worship.

Cordelia and I planned everything with a fine-toothed comb, but we never factored in a surprise like this. A surprise that only my father could have arranged.

And why wouldn’t he?

This is exactly what an engagement party is supposed to be. Any father would do this, and if I had friends, they’d all be here too.

I don’t have to wait too long to add to my doom. I find Dad over in the far corner talking to the two men I never wanted to see me like this.

It’s Henry who sees me first, and he pales.

We’re far apart, but I know his face so well that I know exactly what shade of blue his eyes would turn from the surprise of seeing me on Peter’s arm.

Georgiou sees me next, and for some reason, I feel worse when he looks at me.

And that’s not because I loved him more than Henry.

I can’t quite explain it, but I think it could be more to do with the fact that he tried to ask me several times what was wrong with me.

This is it. This is what’s wrong with me.

I want to run away now for a whole other sphere of reasons, but I couldn’t do that and make this even worse than it is.

Fuck my life. Fuck everything, fuck my heart.

Dad walks over to Peter and me, and he’s saying something, but I can’t hear him.

People clap, and I think he must be saying congratulations or introducing me or something.

I can’t hear over the drumming of my heart in my ears and the hammering of my blood pumping through my veins.

Mostly because I can’t tear my eyes away from Georgiou’s, I’m numb to everything, and the bile churning my stomach is making me light-headed.

“See something to interest you?” the devil whispers into my ear.

It’s only then that I look away from Georgiou and face Peter’s suspicious glare.

He cuts Georgiou a glance, too, and I wonder what he might suspect.

I didn’t exactly hide my emotions, and neither did Georgiou or Henry.

Dad was talking to someone but comes closer and takes my hand.

“Come, my dear, there are two people I would like to introduce you to,” Dad says. “I’m sure Peter won’t mind if I borrow you.”

“Not at all,” Peter replies in that smug as fuck manner.

As if things aren’t bad enough, of course, Dad ushers me over to Georgiou and Henry.

Both tense when they see me coming, and I hold back the tears, along with the screams in my throat.

They both rid themselves of the shock and straighten up when Dad and I get to them.

“Hi, guys,” Dad booms in a hearty voice. “This is my dear daughter, Evangeline. Sweetie, these two guys are my closest business associates, Georgiou Giordano and Henry Dubois.”

Dad looks at them respectively as he introduces them to me, and I don’t miss the pride in his eyes and the tone of his voice.

Georgiou is the first to put out his hand to shake mine.

I lift my trembling hand and give it to him, keeping my eyes on his endless dark gaze.

“A pleasure to meet you, Evangeline.”

My nerves scatter, and I wonder if he can hear how fast my heart is beating or see how sorry I am that I lied.

He always knew when I was lying. When I stumbled over my name at our first meeting, it was he who looked at me first, and I knew he was always aware something was off with me.

“You too,” I tell him, and he releases my hand.

Henry is next, and I can barely look at him.

This is the first time I’ve been with him, and I can’t feel that strength in his personality that usually soothes my soul.

Henry is the kind of guy you could fall in love with every day for as long as you live, and I shattered that with my lies.

“Good to meet you,” he says, and as he takes my hand, there’s a twinkle in his eyes I don’t deserve.

“Good to meet you too.”

When he releases my hand, he looks back to Georgiou, who steps closer.

“Donny, I know the evening has just begun, but we have that thing we have to look into. I’ll call you later.”

“Thank you,” Dad replies.

Georgiou then looks back at me. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you.” The words come out of my mouth, but they feel like they're coming by default.

As they walk away, my knees turn to water, and I also realize my plans have gone to hell.

All of them, and I’ve just made things worse because right now, my biggest loss is Georgiou and Henry.