The five star hotel was a majestic looking structure with the restaurant at the ground floor.
I peeked through the glass walls hoping to see where Rowan and his so-called 'old friends' were seated but it was futile. I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I walked in.
The restaurant's atmosphere was warm and inviting, and a good looking waiter even passed a smile to me.
The smell of food was strong in the air, making me remember how hungry I was but had been too frustrated in the past few hours to notice.
There were dimmed pendant lights hanging above each table, creating a soothing and intimate feeling, but when my eyes rested on Camille sitting so close to Rowan, my blood ran cold, every trace of warmth gone.
I couldn't tell what it was they were saying but Rowan's gaze was intensely focused on her, as if Camille was making the most important thing he had ever heard.
With me, he never had time to talk.
I looked away from them and saw that there were three other men and one woman seated in the booth. The woman's fingers were interlaced with the man's own beside her and I could tell they were the couple yet to be married.
Rowan, naturally, stood out among the other men, effortlessly handsome and composed. He was the kind who you couldn't help but glance at a second time if they passed by.
The man who looked the youngest among them suddenly groped Rowan's shoulder and let out a short laugh.
"Man! I still can't believe we got to see you again! How did you find him, Camille?"
"We just...Bumped into each other," Camille shrugged her slender shoulders.
"Ah! Quite the love story if you ask me," the man exclaimed. "We've always said that fate would bring you two together again. I thought you both were going to be a thing and I don't know how in the world Duncan beat you to that."
My ears pricked up at the sound of that.
Wait, what were they talking about now?
"I'm equally surprised! I remember you two even had a fight over her one time," the yet-to-be-married man said and I let out a gasp.
So whatever it was he had with Camille was more than just her being "an old friend"?
"That's all in the past, you guys," I overheard Rowan say with a dismissive tone. "Duncan and I grew the fuck up and even became close friends. Besides, I don't think now's the right time to talk about him," he gave Camille a sympathetic look and she hung her head low.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Cami. I'm just too overwhelmed," the younger man said and then turned to Rowan with enthusiasm.
"Well, are you married now?"
My brows pushed together. They didn't know he was married? For three years now?
It was arranged, yes, but it was a marriage after all! Was he that embarrassed about me?
I took his question as my cue to interfere. Taking in a deep breath, I flashed my best smile as I walked towards them.
"Hey, I was searching for you two. Hello," I waved to the group and they stared back at me with slightly confused expressions.
I noticed Rowan let out a soft exasperated sigh before he stood from his chair and came around to introduce me.
"Everyone," he announced as he walked to my side and held my arm briefly. "Meet my wife, Maya. I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to introduce her before now—"
His eyes met mine for a fleeting second then he looked away, too fast for me to read his expression.
"–But I'm happy you've all finally met her."
"Christ, Rowan! Did you keep her a secret because she was so beautiful?" The man who had been quiet exclaimed and reached out for a handshake, smiling widely. He introduced himself as Chris.
"Maybe," Rowan said with a shrug and the group laughed. Deep down, I knew his reply was anything but funny.
After a minute of exchanging pleasantries and congratulating the couple about to be married, I took my seat beside Camille and was slightly embarrassed when Rowan still walked over to Camille's other side instead of sitting beside me.
"Ever considered modeling for Vogue?" Lucille asked as she regarded me with admiration.
"No, I haven't. Why?"
"They could really use all this beauty," she waved her hand around my face. "You'd be the new it-girl."
I smiled at her compliment. "Thank you, Lucille, and congratulations again."
She and her fiance smiled at each other and held hands.
"Why didn't you tell us about her, Rowan?" The young man asked.
"Oh, he told me. He sent an invitation," Camille said and reached forward to grab the bottle of Leroy Les Charmes. "I just wasn't available to come for the wedding for unavoidable reasons," she added with a shrug and the others looked at her with surprise.
Something clicked in my head. Did that mean that of all his friends, Camille was the only one invited for our wedding?
"He did?" The young man asked with his jaw almost to the table.
I passed a questioning glance at Rowan who equally shot me a look. I'm sure he could see that I was about to say something.
"Excuse me," he said suddenly, smiling gently and standing. "Love, can you help me for a moment? I need an adjustment to my collar pin."
I blinked at his words. It had been so long he called me anything but my name and so the sudden endearment sent a cold chill down my spine.
"Uh, sure," I murmured and stood, playing along even though my mind was spinning.
He led me a few feet away and the moment we were alone and out of earshot, the atmosphere around us changed.
The warmth in Rowan's smile quickly vanished. He stepped closer, his breath brushing my cheek, his fingers sliding down the length of my arm before tightly gripping my wrist and bringing it to his collar.
I sucked in a breath and the scent of his cologne filled my nostrils. His intense brown eyes on mine sent goosebumps covering every inch of my skin.
"W-what are you doing? I thought we were fixing your collar pin," I whispered in a shaky voice.
"I called you aside to warn you to keep silent. This is not your conversation, do you understand?" he murmured into my ear, his voice a low growl.
I looked up to meet his eyes.
"I never said it was. It's not a big deal that your friends don't know you're married and that only Camille was invited to our wedding afterall," I responded, using his words from earlier.
"Good thing you understand that. Because I'd prefer to spare them the boring details of knowing that our marriage was arranged, that you were a nobody from a lowly family when I met you and I gave you a life by marrying you."
"A nobody?" I swallowed, hurt by his words. I looked away and pulled some strands of hair behind my ear. "How can you say that?"
He leaned in close to my ear, his voice barely a whisper but filled with command.
With his body so close to mine, invading my senses, I could barely breathe and was trying way too hard to hold myself together. "The point is, I don't care how you act when it's just the two of us, but out there, you'll act according to the script, smile and stay fucking quiet. No questions, no side eyes, no drama. Do not embarrass me. Understood?"
When we returned to the table, my pulse was still racing. The group looked at us with amused smiles and went on with the conversation smoothly, not knowing what had just transpired.
I forced a tight smile and swallowed, hoping the rest of the evening went by quickly.