Chapter 7 Am I overthinking?

Alice

I sat at the side of the large pool. The weather was nice and warm. I closed my eyes and enjoyed feeling the sunshine on my skin.

I quickly turned around when I heard a familiar voice.

“Alice, so here you are. I was looking for you.”

Mrs. Sullivan walked closer, and I stood up suddenly.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Sullivan.”

“Oh, don’t apologise. I just thought you stayed in your room. So, I have some great news for you. You are going to meet the family today. I invited everyone to dinner. Get yourself ready. They will be here in an hour.”

“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan.” I nodded.

I felt like a pet again. She had got me now, so she invited everyone to look at me. Somehow, I accepted that it would be like this from now on. After meeting Lilly, I only hoped that it was only me who thought too much and that they just wanted their son to marry someone they chose. I felt like I’d be happy to be their pet if that meant I could die naturally.

“Come, Alice; I’ll help you. We will choose a nice dress for you.”

She held my hand and looked quite excited. Okay. Somehow, I felt excited when I thought about meeting Gideon. Unfortunately, I found him really handsome after seeing him in that picture.

When we arrived in my room, she opened the huge built-in wardrobe in the dressing room. She ran her fingers through the dresses like she enjoyed feeling their material. Apparently, she loved shopping, so I was certain she chose all the wardrobe contents.

“This is the one.”

She said this with some possession while she grabbed a dress and took it out of the wardrobe. I have to admit that it was nice. Its skirt was short, showing a bit of my body but not too much.

Then she went to the shoes. She took white sandals, which were nice even though they were flat. She looked at me with a smile.

“Come on, Alice, what are you waiting for? Take a shower quickly. We don't have much time.”

My eyes widened, and I immediately went into the bathroom. I did what she said, of course. I was about to enter the shower cabin when I heard her voice again.

“Don’t forget to shave yourself, Alice. Do not leave a single hair on you.”

She shouted from the dressing room, which was next to the bathroom.

So I started the procedure. I tried to be as quick as possible. When I finished, I stepped out in a bathrobe.

She smiled at me and gave the dress and underwear to me.

“Put them on."

I took them and wanted to return to the bathroom, but she stopped me. When I heard her, my heart stopped for a second.

“Get dressed here. Let me see you.”

First, I didn’t understand her, and then I tried to convince myself I understood her wrong. But when she clarified her intention by staring at me, I nodded in fear. Even though her commands crossed all the lines, I thought obeying was better.

I opened my robe and put it on the white sofa beside me. I took the dress and wanted to put it on when I heard her again.

“Stop.”

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

“Put the dress on the sofa and stand straight.”

I did what she said. I stood there completely naked. She ran her eyes through me. The way she checked my naked body made me feel terrible. She moved my hair behind my shoulders, gently running her index fingers over my chest, and her gaze stopped at my breasts. She stared at them for a second. Then she continued the procedure.

Her gaze slowly moved down between my legs. She looked at my bare skin for a while.

“Spread your legs, Alice. Spread them wide.”

She squatted down, and I closed my eyes when she moved to see me from closer.

I only hoped that she wasn’t a lesbian or something, as I didn't know how much more I could take, but finally, she stood up with a satisfied smile.

“Perfectly shaved. Men are like that. I’m sure my son will like that too. Your skin is nice and soft, and you are muscular, but not too much. You are perfect for my Gideon. I will choose the right product to keep your skin nice and smooth. Put the underwear on first, then the dress, Alice.”

I had many things to say, but I swallowed them back. I just wanted to escape, and that was the place and time when I swore to myself I would succeed one time.

After I finished, she put on a dry robe and motioned for me to sit down at the dressing table. She brushed my hair and gave me a gentle head massage. Even if I should have enjoyed it, it couldn't calm me in that situation.

“I know you’re scared now. But you don’t have to be afraid. You will belong to this family, and we love our family members.”

I forced myself to smile at her. Wish I could believe in her words.

After she finished my hair, she put light makeup on me. In the letter, Gideon forbade that to me, but I didn’t dare to speak.

Finally, she looked at me, satisfied.

“You look beautiful, Alice. Now I want you to wait for me here. I will change too, then come back to take you down.”

“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan.”

Then she left. I exhaled while I closed my eyes. It was hard not to cry. I wondered if Gideon would treat me the same way after the wedding. What if he is the same? What if he mistreats me? What if he'll hate me?

A short time passed. These thoughts were in my mind when I heard a knock on my door. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Mrs. Sullivan stepped in. She wore a dress like mine, but her dress was purple, and she'd got high heels on.

“Are you ready, my dear?”

I nodded, and she took my hand. We walked out into the garden. A few enormous tents were there; under them was comfortable and beautiful furniture.

“Look at the two stunning beauties.”

Mr. Sullivan smiled at us; I think his appearance was the first nice thing I saw in this place. He looked at his wife with admiration, and she smiled back at him like a woman in love. She let my hand go and walked to her husband and kissed him. Then she sat beside him, resting her hand on his thigh.

“Sit down, Alice.”

He said. I sat down opposite them. He handed me a glass of water with a piece of lemon. But as soon as he gave that to me, I could hear a child shouting.

“Grandpa, Grandpa…”

I turned to see who that was. Mr Sullivan walked towards them, happily holding the little girl in his arms and kissing her. He stood there while the couple reached him, too. I recognized the man. He was Gideon's brother. Mrs. Sullivan went to greet them as well. They hugged and kissed each other. I stood up before they walked close.

“Let me introduce our new member of the family. She is Alice, Gideon’s bride.”

The handsome man first looked at me with a frown; then, he greeted me with a nod.

“This is Seth, my oldest son, and his wife, Leah.”

Leah stepped towards me and gave me two kisses. She looked beautiful, with black hair, blue eyes, and a slender body.

“And this cheeky little one is our granddaughter, Ava.”

Mrs. Sullivan said.

“Nice to meet you all,” I said.

Everyone sat down and started chatting while Mr. Sullivan played with Ava. I was curious about Leah. I wondered if she had become a Sullivan like me. She looked happy, and she chatted with the older Sullivan couple confidently.

We all turned over when we heard another voice. I saw a girl approaching. She was beautiful, too. She had long black hair and blue eyes. I recognized her from the picture. When she reached us, she hugged Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, then kissed all the others.

“Sloane, let me introduce Alice to you. Alice, this is my daughter, my youngest child.”

She smiled and nodded; then she sat down.

They continued chatting until Mrs. Sullivan looked at her gold watch and then at Seth.

“Seth, did you talk to Gideon?”

He had an apologetic look.

“Yes, mum, but he can’t come today. He is too busy with his business.”

Both their parents looked disappointed, but finally, Mr. Sullivan broke the silence.

“Never mind, it’s time for dinner. If he is foolish enough to refuse to have a good time with his family, then let it be. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

We all stood up and went to another tent. There was a huge dining table. We sat down, and the servants served the food.

“Mum, last time you told me you'd got to show us something.”

Seth told his mum, and she was thinking at first, but then she nodded.

“Seth Sloane, please come with me. We’ll be back soon.”

Mr. Sullivan looked curious, but he nodded.