Chapter Six
Natalia tightened her grip on her small handbag, feeling a coldness seeping into her bones as she stood in the middle of the hall, which felt desolate despite its luxury.
The suitcases lined up at the door resembled small coffins in which her old life was being buried.
Jonathan broke the silence with his regular, military-like steps and adjusted his wristwatch coldly: "Natalia.. let's go. The plane is waiting for us."
Natalia moved mechanically and walked out behind her father, inhaling the cold evening air. She instinctively headed toward her father's black Mercedes and reached out her hand to open the back door, where she felt safe by his side.
But Jonathan's hand rested on top of hers, preventing her from pulling the handle. Their gazes met; his eyes carried a command that accepted no interpretation.
Jonathan, in a resonant and low voice: "Nat.. you will ride with Cedric in his car."
Natalia froze in her place, feeling the ground sway beneath her feet. She turned toward the luxury sports car behind them, its engine growling quietly like the snarl of a leopard ready to pounce.
She caught Cedric's silhouette behind the tinted glass, sitting behind the steering wheel like a mysterious statue.
She swallowed with difficulty and said in a pleading tone she tried to wrap in logic: "It's okay, Father.. the distance to the airport is short, I will ride with you so we can finish our conversation."
Jonathan's eyes narrowed, and the veins on his forehead protruded slightly as he pressed on her hand with a sharpness that ended any room for maneuver: "Natalia.. go. You two must start getting used to each other's presence. Get in."
He released her hand and gestured toward the other car with his chin.
Natalia walked with stumbling steps, and every step that brought her closer to that car made her feel as though she were being led to her doom.
She opened the side door, and her face was met with the scent of luxury tobacco and a sharp cologne that belonged to Cedric alone.
As soon as she settled in the seat and closed the door, the car took off with a violence that made her body strike the backrest.
Cedric did not turn to her; instead, his hands gripped the steering wheel with a force that made his knuckles stand out clearly. The silence inside the car was suffocating, broken only by the sound of Natalia's rapid breathing.
Cedric's grip on the steering wheel grew more tense, the muscles of his forearms bulging under his shirt like the taut strings of a war machine.
The engine's sound rose to a continuous roar as he pressed violently on the accelerator, making Natalia feel the pressure of gravity pushing her body forcefully backward.
Natalia in a trembling voice, clutching the door handle: "Slow down a bit.. you'll kill us!"
Cedric did not bat an eyelid and did not bother to turn to her; rather, his only answer was to increase the car's speed insanely, until the streetlights began to overlap like faint colored lines.
Terror seized Natalia's heart, so she pressed against her seat and began watching the speedometer as it crossed logical limits, while her body swayed violently with every sharp turn.
She clamped her lips tightly, realizing that any other word might push him to commit a folly that would end their lives together.
In record time, the brakes shrieked violently in front of the private airport gate.
Cedric did not wait a single second; instead, he got out of the car, slamming the door behind him with a force that shook the vehicle's frame, and without looking back, he entered the airport with wide strides, muttering with resentment: "I can't believe I'm marrying this cursed girl tomorrow!"
Natalia remained inside the car for seconds, trying to regain her cut-off breath and feeling her limbs to make sure she was still alive. She stepped out with shaky steps and stood alone before the entrance, wrapping herself in her coat as if trying to shield herself from the night air and her coming fate.
When the rest of the cars arrived, Jonathan stepped toward her and scanned the place with a quick glance: "Where is Cedric?"
Natalia in a voice that tried to sound natural despite the turmoil: "He went inside.. as for me, I preferred to wait for you here."
Jonathan nodded his head and ordered the drivers to leave with a brief gesture, then they all entered the luxury reception lounge.
Inside the private plane, the air was charged with formality; Stuart and Jonathan sat face-to-face exchanging brief sentences, while Natalia secluded herself beside her mother Marilyn, trying to escape the gazes of Cedric, who chose to sit alone at the far end of the cabin, immersed in his absolute silence.
As soon as the plane landed in Los Angeles and they exited the gate, they were greeted by Christina Stuart's wife with a face radiating an artificial joy that did not suit the bitterness of the situation.
She rushed toward Natalia and hugged her with exaggerated warmth, saying in a loud voice: "I am so happy, Nat! You can't imagine how joyful I am because you will become my son's wife!"
Natalia painted a faint smile and shook her head mechanically.
She felt nauseous; everyone was happy with this cursed marriage except for her and Cedric.
Christina turned toward Jonathan and said in a tone of reproach wrapped in endearment: "Jonathan, you have no right to do this to us! A wedding with this speed? We should have prepared ceremonies befitting the family dresses, invitations.."
Jonathan with a decisive coldness: "There is no need for all that.. it will be a narrow family dinner, and that is enough."
Marilyn with a sigh: "Jonathan.. Christina is right, the matter seems truncated this way."
Stuart, noticing the tension in the atmosphere and the stiffness of his son standing far away: "Enough for now.. we will talk about all the details when we reach the house."
The procession moved toward the waiting cars. For the first time in hours, Natalia felt a slight relief; Christina clung to her and insisted that she ride with her in the same car to talk to her about "bride preparations," which saved her from a second seclusion with Cedric, who set off in his own car behind them like a black shadow.
The cars stopped in front of the entrance of the palace, which stood in Los Angeles as a majestic white architectural mass, reflecting the lights of the vast garden stretching on both sides.
Natalia stepped out with heavy steps, contemplating the place she had often heard about but never visited; the palace was bathed in matte white, with carefully selected decorations that betrayed Christina's aristocratic touches, as if every piece of furniture was placed to prove immense wealth and false tranquility.
Inside the great hall, the air was saturated with the scent of flowers and luxury dishes that the maids had begun to line up on the massive dining table.
Cedric moved like an angry shadow, bypassing everyone without a word, and climbed the stairs with quick steps, as if the walls of the hall were tightening on his breath with every talk of the "wedding."
Christina with an enthusiasm that covered the silence of the atmosphere: "Let's go.. dinner is ready."
Natalia stepped forward to pull a chair at the edge of the table, but Christina's hand rested on her shoulder with a gentle command and pointed to a seat in the middle of the right side: "No, Natalia.. come here. This is your place from now on."
Natalia sat down and felt the coldness of the leather seat seeping into her. She looked at the empty chair beside her, and her gall rose; she realized that this vacancy was reserved for the man who wished to choke her instead of sharing food with her.
After a few moments, Cedric came down from his room, having taken off his jacket and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt with annoyance. When his eyes fell on Natalia sitting in their shared "place," he stopped at the edge of the table, and his features stiffened.
Cedric in a dry voice and a gaze that turned away from her: "Enjoy your meal.. I have no desire to eat."
The water glass trembled in Natalia's hand; the message had arrived clearly her presence beside him was enough to spoil his appetite.
Jonathan in a low and calm voice, but carrying a tone of threat that the ear could not miss: "Cedric.. do I understand from this behavior of yours that you have decided to abandon our respect?"
Cedric froze in his place. A suffocating silence prevailed, in which Stuart and Jonathan exchanged sharp looks, before Stuart intervened trying to gather the situation, while eyeing his son with a rebuking look: "Of course not, brother.. you know the rebellion of today's youth and the pressures of work."
Under the pressure of those looks, Cedric pulled the chair next to Natalia with a force that created an annoying sound and friction with the wood, and sat with a completely rigid back.
Only a few centimeters separated them, to the point that Natalia felt the heat of his rage emanating from him. She placed her hands under the table, squeezing them tightly to hide their trembling.
Christina broke this explosive silence as she tilted her head toward Natalia with a wide smile: "Natalia dear.. right after dinner, we must choose the wedding dress.
I have brought you some exclusive designs that will make you look like a queen."