CHAPTER 41: OFFICIALLY TOGETHER

For a moment, it did occur to me that perhaps I could get used to living with Raphael as my stepbrother. I honestly thought that things might smooth over between us, and if he learned to be a little less touchy, then our relationship as step-siblings might just work out. Many of the things that he talked about were related to my integration into my new family, and I appreciated the effort that he took to make me feel more at home in the mansion. I could feel that he was taking the promise to make me feel part of the family that he made to our parents seriously. With that in mind, I told myself that the least that I could do was be cooperative and attend the party marking the new launch of the hotel as his stepsister.

...

**The Day of the Party**

The day of the party finally arrives, although I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to it. The party would be the first time that Raphael would introduce me to society formally as his stepsister. I wasn’t sure what was expected of me and what I was supposed to do because I wasn’t exactly just a guest at the party but part of the host family. The grand opening of the new hotel felt like a grand opening for people to get to know me as one of the newest additions to the Hayes family.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" I asked Raphael as I sat next to him in the back of a large limousine.

I was dressed in one of the dresses that Raphael had chosen. The deep green color of the dress made it feel luxurious, and on top of that, I had on the very extravagant emerald necklace that Raphael had purchased for me that day at the mall. While I felt that I was overdressed, Raphael seemed extremely pleased with the way that I looked.

"You don’t have to do anything extra special. Just look happy and try to be yourself," Raphael instructed before showing me a supportive smile.

"Is there anything else?" I asked because I couldn’t stop myself from worrying.

It felt like it was better for me to be prepared and safe rather than sorry.

"Just don’t forget to stay by my side throughout the party," Raphael said before shooting me a warning look. I nodded my head slowly in agreement, recalling what happened the last time that I ignored his warning at my mother’s wedding.

"Fine, I’ll keep that in mind," I replied in agreement.

When we arrived at the party, I found that the hotel was extremely luxurious, and everything about the party was just as elegant and extravagant as the attire and jewelry that I had on. At first, I thought that I was overdressed, but after seeing how the other women were dressed at the event, I felt slightly thankful to Raphael for picking out the right outfit for me so that I wouldn’t bring shame to the Hayes family or invite troublesome gossip about my mother and myself. That didn’t mean that I felt comfortable walking around in high heels and the gown that I had on.

Around half an hour into the party, I found out that Raphael was absolutely right that I didn’t have to do anything but look happy and smile. So many people came up to us, and Raphael practically introduced me to all of them.

"It’s a pleasure to see you again. Let me introduce you to my sister, Abigail," Raphael introduced me politely, and I smiled while offering my very polite greetings to the guests.

I had no idea how many times Raphael repeated that same line during the event that evening because I no longer bothered to count. On top of that, the names and faces of the people that we met seemed to fly over my head like a sudden storm that came and went because I could not clearly remember a single one of them. I guess I was fine as long as I took note that they were important business partners or prominent members of society, with some of them being rich and famous.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming to our event. I’m sorry that my father can’t be here because he’s on his honeymoon right now," Raphael said when a middle-aged couple came up to greet us.

I could tell from the way that they were dressed and the air around them that these two must be important. The two of them smiled at Raphael politely before their eyes drifted in my direction. Raphael picked up on that clue and quickly introduced me to them.

"Let me introduce you to my stepsister. This is Abigail," Raphael introduced me flawlessly as he placed his hand on the small of my back.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," I agreed politely, just like I did with the other people that I met that evening.

The couple greeted me in a very friendly way before making many comments to compliment the event so far. Raphael chatted with them smoothly as he played the perfect host. Whenever I heard him refer to me as his stepsister, I couldn’t help feeling slightly uncomfortable inside, although he was doing exactly what I wanted him to do. Just like he had promised when we struck our deal, Raphael was acting as a perfect stepbrother in every way.

"Now the real trouble starts," Raphael muttered after the guests left us alone.

"What? What trouble?" I replied cluelessly, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

What kind of trouble is about to start? What could possibly happen?

"Don’t worry, all you have to do is stay by my side," Raphael said with a hint of warning in his tone.

I nodded my head solmenly, not wanting to find out what kind of price I had to pay if I disobeyed his orders.

–To be continued...