Chapter 2

Trinity woke up with a throbbing headache the next morning, hungover from the night before. She was still on the settee of the living room, the lights of which were blinding to wake up to. She had been out with friends for the evening and somewhere along the line it all went blank. She vaguely remembered getting a lashing from her mother but didn't really know what was precisely said.

Squinting her eyes from the sunlight that crept into the mansion through the windows and the glow from the bright chandeliers, she struggled to sit up, groaning from pain and rubbing her hands over her eyelids. At least, she hadn't thrown up all over the place. It would have been very embarrassing if she did considering the fact that nobody in the house liked her, especially her parents. In fact, the only person she knew could only bear her was her sister Donna, the pride of Mr and Mrs Everton.

"I see you've finally decided to wake yourself up."

Trinity heard the stinging voice of her mother before she realised the harsh woman had been staring down at her the entire time, watching her struggle in a hangover. She looked up to find her mother looking at her in pure disgust, crossing her arms like the disappointed parent she was.

"Get up and get yourself ready for today. The D'alores are coming over. Your father and I have decided to introduce you to their lovely son and you'll be married to him in less than a week."

Trinity snorted. She wasn't even sure if she was fully awake yet and here her mother was, talking to her about some crazy setup.

"Right." Trinity replied cynically and got up to go to her bed where she planned on sleeping for the entire day.

"I won't repeat myself, Trinity. You will see to it that you are ready before dinner time." Regina said

"Wait…" Trinity paused, pinching her forehead slightly. "You're not being serious are you? You can't be serious." She was slowly starting to believe what her mother was saying now, and the thought of it disgusted her.

"Why not? What use are you to us?" Regina spat bluntly. "If you were more responsible like your sister, perhaps you would have made it somewhere in life by now, not leeching off of your legal guardians."

That was what Regina Everton had always referred to herself as, the legal guardian of both Trinity and Donna. It sounded to Trinity as if she meant to say she wasn't her mother.

"I don't even know him… how can you and dad do that?" Trinity asked painfully.

"We obviously need more investors, and since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful for us. Don't be selfish, it's your family's wealth at stake."

"You would trade me so easily to strangers." Tears welled up in Trinity's eyes, threatening to break loose and fall, revealing what her mother hated to see most- human emotions.

"Make sure you dress nicely. I had the maid drop something good to wear on your bed." Mrs. Everton turned to leave but held on when she heard the words from her daughter's mouth.

"No."

With a swift swing of her right palm, Regina struck her daughter across the face. Trinity almost lost her balance from the painful hit to her cheek. The tears rolled down freely then.

"You insolent wrench, you will do as I tell you to or you will finally realise that you have no place in this house. Your marriage is in three days, and your life will be sorted out by your husband." Regina said firmly and walked out, ignoring the tears and redness of Trinity's face.

"You and dad have always hated me!" Trinity yelled loud enough for her mother to hear. Regina didn't bother to turn back or say anything in contradiction. "But that's fine." Trinity said softly to herself.

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"Danny? Are you ready? The Evertons will be here any minute now." Margerie called out to Daniel as she knocked lightly on the door to his room. "Make sure you're downstairs in less than a minute. Don't offend them by being late."

Daniel didn't bother to respond. He was already buttoning his t-shirt when she called him, not that any of what would transpire at the dinner table would be his wish. He spent the last twenty four hours going over his parents' decision in his head, it's not like he had any commitment or was planning to have one soon. And if all went well, what if he actually liked the girl? More importantly, what if his own company benefited from the whole deal? What exactly did he have to lose?

He paused for a moment.

Quickly he grabbed his phone and dialled a number.

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The butler welcomed the Evertons into the spacious entry salon that led to the rest of the house. Soon, Mr and Mrs D'alore were at the parlour greeting the family with beaming smiles and handshakes. Regina hugged and kissed Margerie while Paul Everton, the proud owner of the Lexington companies, gifted a bottle of wine to the homeowner. Trinity stood beside Regina, with a look of annoyance written all over her face, but that didn't stop Margerie from kissing her on the cheek and pulling her into an eager embrace. Daniel was nowhere to be found. His mother silently prayed he didn't embarrass them tonight.

"You're very welcome Paul, and it's really good to see you Regina." George said pleasantly. "Right this way."

The maids did a fine job taking the jackets of the guests as they were led to the dinner table. The table was filled with fine wine and neat cutlery, and the Evertons were urged to have their seats. Paul and George were already talking about business while the moms talked about the newest fancy spa they needed to visit soon. Trinity simply had her eyes glued to her phone, texting her boyfriend. She hadn't told him yet about her parents' arrangement since she still believed it wouldn't fall through. Hopefully, this Daniel person made a no show tonight. His lateness suggested he also wanted no part in this marriage.

"Well dinner cannot possibly be enjoyed without the star of the evening." Regina said smilingly, looking at the D'alores in slight confusion. The food was already being served and it was fifteen minutes past seven.

"Pardon my son's lateness, I'm sure he'll be here in a split second." Margerie laughed nervously.

Trinity had her hopes up. Maybe he wasn't going to show after all. It would mean the world to her if the dinner was cancelled.

"I should go check on him." Margerie smiled and stood up from the table, it was already twenty minutes gone and Daniel wasn't at the table yet. She walked up to his room and knocked furiously.

"Danny! Everyone is waiting for you to come downstairs." She banged on the door several times before deciding to try opening his door. It was locked.

Mr. D'alore, sensing there was a problem, excused himself from the table and went up to join his wife in knocking on their son's door. "Danny, you better drag yourself out of there before I break the door down!" He thundered angrily. He soon decided he was done banging on the door and proceeded to break the lock. Both of them stepped in quietly, shocked and enraged to see that there was no one in the room.