Chapter 3
For our wedding celebration, the Strathmore family hosted a family dinner.
Driving through the Halcyra suburbs, the car rounded a bend. Halfway up the mountain, Strathmore Estate came into view, rising silently among the trees.
I slipped my arm through Edward's.
[So this is Strathmore Estate? Way better than my family's flashy, nouveau riche villa.]
[Damn, is this what real old money looks like? Edward's mom has skin so flawless. What kind of miracle cream does she use? It's even more natural and glowing than the pricey skin treatments my mom spends tens of thousands on.
[Edward's dad has this scholarly vibe, totally different from my dad, who's always plotting his next big bar location for maximum profit. And his grandpa? He looks so young.]
[Wait, the woman sitting next to Edward's mom is totally glaring at me.]
Picking up on the vibe, I glanced in her direction.
A woman in an elegant designer dress held a glass of red wine. Her eyes lingered on our clasped hands before sliding up, fixing her gaze on me.
Edward leaned in close to my ear. "That's Cassandra Langley. She's a family friend," he murmured.
[Oh, so she's his childhood sweetheart.]
[When is she gonna stop glaring at me?]
Edward's grip on my arm tightened, pulling me a little closer.
Everyone took their seats. Cassandra took the seat right across from me.
The dishes were being served one after another. Just as Edward reached out with his fork for the chicken with forty cloves of garlic, another fork intercepted him, blocking his move.
Cassandra frowned, her tone familiar and a little too close for comfort.
"Edward, there's garlic in that. You always used to get dizzy just from the smell," she said.
She turned to me, her lips curling into a smile, but her eyes were cold.
"Grace, you probably don't know this. Edward's always eaten light, and he can't stand anything too strong. As his wife, you really ought to pay more attention to what he likes," she said, her tone dripping with fake sweetness.
An awkward silence fell over the table.
Edward's mom paused with her fork, her gaze shifting back and forth between the three of us.
I set down my juice and blinked.
[Wait. He doesn't eat garlic?]
[But last night, when we ordered room service, he demolished a whole plate of pasta aglio e olio all by himself.]
[He went to town on it. Cleaned the plate like a pro.]
[He must have been starving after all that "cardio" last night.]
Edward's hand paused mid-motion, and his deep eyes swept over me from across the table. Something in his gaze made me shiver.
Edward's grandfather's expression turned grim.
"Edward, stop dawdling and eat," he said.
Edward withdrew his gaze and, without missing a beat, continued eating.
I looked back at him, giving him my best innocent look.
[Why are you staring at me? I'm not the one who made you chow down on garlic pasta.]
[Wow. Caught red-handed and still playing cool.]
[Guess he was drained last night.]
Edward's temple vein twitched.
Cassandra saw Edward freeze and assumed she'd struck a nerve. She sat up straighter, looking all smug like she'd just won some secret battle.
"Grace, don't stress about it. Edward and I practically grew up together, so I know all his quirks. You guys are just an arranged couple, so it's normal you don't really get him yet," she said.
She grabbed the serving fork and spoon and started picking out every clove of garlic from the chicken, stacking them on the side of her plate like she was showing off.
"Little stuff like this, I'll remind you in the future," she added.
I watched the way she picked it out like a pro.
[Seriously, picking it out? Such a waste.]
[Is it even chicken with forty cloves of garlic without the garlic? Where's the soul?]
[She says they grew up together, but she doesn't even know that he likes it now. What is she so superior about?]
[No way Edward's gonna hold back from eating it.]
I was just about to say something.
Before I could speak, Edward reached over and took the plate of chicken—garlic and all—before Cassandra finished picking it out.
Cassandra's hand froze in mid-air.
Edward set the plate in front of himself, picked up a big forkful of chicken with a whole roasted garlic clove, and put it straight into his mouth.
He chewed and swallowed. His movements were smooth and graceful.
The whole room went dead silent.
Cassandra's face froze, her expression shattering for everyone to see.
Edward grabbed his cloth napkin, wiped the corner of his mouth, and locked eyes with Cassandra across the table.
"Cassandra, People change." Edward said.
He turned, and right in front of everyone, took my hand from my lap, his palm warm as his fingers gently traced the back of my hand.
"I actually really like garlic now.
"And as for Grace and me, we're doing just fine. We don't need anyone else meddling." Edward added.
Cassandra clenched her cloth napkin so hard that her knuckles went white, her neck turning red with embarrassment.