"Those pesky snakes tricked us!" Mrs Val shouted to her husband, hands balled in a fist. The exterior she had kept up for the wedding had instantly vanished the moment they were out of sight, and she was beyond pissed off by that deception.

"Calm down my love. The wedding has already been finalized," her husband responded with ease. He chugged down the last of his beer as he watched his wife pace up and down.

"Calm down!" she exclaimed, scandalized by such a statement. She stopped pacing and turned to glare at her husband. "My son just got married to a good for nothing woman, and you are telling me to calm down!?"

Mr Val didn't dare to speak anymore and kept his gaze on his now empty glass. He swirled the large ice cubes that had yet to fully melt. The noise irritated his wife though.

"Quit making my brain ring. This headache is already terrible enough - like that Cece girl."

Mrs Val sat down onto the bed, graceful in movement despite her boiling anger. How could the June family just turn their backs on them last minute? They promised her son Kyle Val, Vanessa June, their perfect daughter who had a spectacular reputation. Instead of that though, they gave them Cécilia Rouge, their illegitimate daughter who was born out of wedlock.

"They need to divorce as soon as possible!"

"But my love, it will become suspicious to the media. Maybe give them some time. Maybe six months."

The woman rolled her eyes, but she couldn't disagree with his argument. This wedding was already topping headlines and everyone was talking about how the Val family standards had decreased so significantly after such a public stunt. After all, Cécilia Rouge did not have the best public reputation in that family.

"Fine. But only six months. Nothing more."

"Tell Kyle of the arrangements. We can figure out some excuses for why they had to get a divorce so early later on."

"And our partnership with that family will end in six months. They honestly disgust me."

Mrs Val then stood up and removed her jacket. After such a long day she needed a shower to calm herself down.

All her accessories were kept in her special box and soon enough, she had a towel wrapped around her body.

"Join me if you will. I need something to relax to after such a stressful day."

Her husband smirked behind his glass, his eyes dancing over her body as all the dirty thoughts began to cloud his mind once more.

"Sure thing my darling. What more could this man ever want. Such a beautiful body deserves to be treated with so much love and respect," he spoke confidently as his wife entered the bathroom. She did not bother to close the door.

He quickly placed his glass onto the table and dressed out of the expensive and eye-catching clothes. He didn't need them in the shower anyway.

"Do hurry up. It is very rude to keep a woman waiting."

Cécilia went over her looks one last time. This would be the first time she would be sitting at the table with the Val family, and she needed to impress them as best as she could.

She made sure that her makeup was in check and the outfit she wore was eye-catching and spectacular. Her hair was well done, and she pinned back that one strand that refused to join the rest of her hair in the low ponytail.

When one of the servants called her for breakfast, she wasted no time. She was the first one at the table, and she hoped that she could impress her new parents in law.

All the family members made an appearance not so long after. Kyle sat next to her but did not speak to her. His older brother Knox sat on the other side with his wife Laura. His father sat at the head of the table and his wife to his right, next to her oldest son.

Cécilia had greeted them sheepishly however, only Knox and Laura responded to it. They tried to ease her nerves by smiling, but clearly they were not very good at it. Their smile looked awkward and did little to calm Cécilia.

So, part of breakfast was awkward and shrouded in silence. That was until Mrs Val decided to speak.

"You are to get a divorce in six months time," she put it simply, showing no ounce of sympathy or sorrow. Kyle was the only one who didn't glance up from his plate, as well as his father who had already known before.

Cécilia found herself failing to swallow the pancake piece she was already chewing. Not that the news was unexpected, but it was still shocking, and it did sadden her. She knew that she would not be able to live up to the standards of this family. Her reputation as being the illegitimate child of Mr and Mrs June was already bad enough.

"Is that clear?"

"Understood, Mrs Val," Cécilia accepted without any fight. What was the point anyway. She wasn't Vanessa after all - the perfect daughter anyone would want their son to marry. She was pretty, had a good reputation and was rich. Most importantly, she wasn't an illegitimate child.

"Good. I don't want any trouble from you at all. You are to keep our family name high and avoid any unnecessary scandals. If you dare tarnish our name, I'll make your life a living hell. Understood?"

"Yes, Mrs Val."

Mrs Val didn't say anything else and resumed with her meal as though nothing happened. Cécilia tried to hold back the tears. No one truly accepted her at all. They saw her as a nuisance everywhere she went. Even her own husband refused to share a room with her, pushing her to an unoccupied guest room.

"I don't know if you remember," Laura spoke up, defusing the tension somewhat, "but there is a business party being held tonight."

"Thank you, Laura. I had nearly forgotten."

The tone she used when talking to her first daughter-in-law was much gentler and sweeter. Clearly, Cécilia was just the problem here. It stung her heart.

Then in a harsher tone.

"Your dress will be arriving this afternoon. Make sure you look stunning. We can't be having a daughter-in-law who can't blend into the splendor of the event," she addressed to Cécilia.

"Understood, Mrs Val."

"Laura will help you with that."

"How far with seducing our new target?" Mrs June asked her daughter who had returned home this morning.

"Going well mother. Benjamin will soon be so attached to me, and we will get married!" Vanessa exclaimed in excitement, twirling around in her floral dress.

"That's good to hear. I know for a fact that the Val family will remove themselves from our partnership. As long as we can secure the Wycombe family, we are good to go. After all, they rank much higher than the Val business."

"Yes, mother. And Benjamin is way hotter than that Kyle. He has more money too, and quite a charming man. I can't wait!"

As the two females were having their conversation, the youngest child of the household rolled his eyes. Zayn wasn't a fan of these talks because they always had to be so decisive and full of unnecessary expectations. Right now, he was the youngest and his parents were fully focused on Vanessa's love life so until then he was spared from this marriage talk.

He stared at his phone screen which was currently off. Cécilia had not once texted or called back to say how it was at her new home. She had promised though and Zayn was starting to feel betrayed.

As weird as it may sound, Zayn was closer to his half-sister than to his blood one. Cécilia was calmer and sweeter, treating him like a baby even though he was now a legal adult. Vanessa on the other hand always ignored his existence and worried about her own life. She was, unfortunately, the most spoiled of the three and therefore the most entitled.

"Should I wear that sexy green dress or that more modest blue one?" Vanessa asked as she scrolled through her phone. Her long pink nails were tapping on her screen and it annoyed Zayn. He rolled his eyes a second time.

Why was he still stuck in this household?

"The green one. It attracts the eye more, and it gives off enough hints," Mrs June replied with a smirk and a suggestive raise of the eyebrow.

Zayn found himself cringing hard. This conversation forced him to pick up his headphones and play his music on full blast. It helped to drown their conversation, and he was once more left to his own world.

"Okay then. With those silver stiletto heels I wore for my birthday?"

"Great choice my daughter. Do you want me to call the usual stylist today?"

"Yes mother."

Vanessa then placed her phone on the counter and went to pour some orange juice for herself. She smiled at her reflection on the fridge, feeling beautiful as always.

"Vanessa Wycombe," she said to her reflection as she drank her juice. "What a perfect name to have."

"Should I start planning for your wedding?" her mother asked.

"That will be too early mother. After I supposedly ran away from my own wedding."

Vanessa and her mother shared a laugh even though nothing about that statement was funny.

"True."