Dumping My Fiancé For His Uncle

[Miss Rowland, your customized wedding dress just landed at the hotel. Hit us up if you need anything.]

Thea Rowland was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement when she got the text from the wedding dress shop.

She was tying the knot with her boyfriend of eight years in just a week. Venue booked, invites out, and everything was ticking along nicely.

After clocking out from work, Thea was all set to hit the hotel and maybe sneak a peek at their new menu offerings on the way.

But the moment she stepped in, the hotel manager was there, giving her this weird, twitchy kind of smile. "Miss Rowland, didn't expect you! Everything alright? Need anything?" Thea, still riding that high vibe, said briskly, "Hey, my wedding dress is here, right? Can't wait to try it on."

"Oh, yes, got here about half an hour ago," the manager managed to say, but there was something off about his grin.

"By the way, we've got some new dishes we thought you might want to try out. If they hit the spot, we can add them to your menu. No extra charge."

"Let's hold that thought till after the dress," Thea said, making a beeline for the elevator.

"Miss Rowland!" the manager called out, trailing after her. "We've also got this recital team in today. Why not give them a listen and see if they vibe with your plans?" That was when Thea's spidey senses started tingling. "Hold up, is there a problem with the dress?" she asked, the smile slipping off her face.

"Well..." the manager stuttered, looking like he was about to melt into a puddle.

That pretty much sealed the deal for Thea. Something was definitely up. Dodging the manager's attempts to slow her down, she made a beeline for her dress. "Don't..." Only when she reached the door did she hear ambiguous sounds coming from inside the room. The woman was flirty, mixed with the man's moans. Thea looked down at the text message on her phone and confirmed the room number. She had the right room.

"Jake, it doesn't feel right. What if we get caught?"

"Madelyn, do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now? I can't wait!"

Moans and heavy breaths interspersed with bits of conversation came out.

Thea's brain began to run out of oxygen. She felt like she was suffocating, and her head went blank. She forgot how she had opened the door to get inside. Thea couldn't help but shake, feeling this intense ache in her heart, as she caught sight of the chaotic scene inside. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She had to dig her nails into her palms to stop herself from collapsing and screaming.

Inside the room, two bodies intertwined. Thea's fiancé, Jake Hendrix, who was supposed to be on a business trip, was making out with another woman at that moment.

The woman's gaze was tender, her shoulders were exposed, and the layers of Thea's gorgeous wedding dress hems were untidily pressed under her.

At a glance, Thea recognized the woman as none other than Madelyn Terell, Jake's assistant.

They were cheating on Thea, and Madelyn was wearing her wedding dress. Her boyfriend for eight years, on the eve of her wedding, dealt her a severe blow.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Thea was struggling to catch her breath, overwhelmed by a rollercoaster of emotions and feeling so dizzy she had to lean against the doorframe just to stay upright.

Hearing the noise, Jake pulled away from Madelyn as an afterthought, not forgetting to pull the covers over a startled Madelyn quickly.

Thea gritted her teeth and looked at them as if looking at two pieces of shit. "Mr. Hendrix, it looks like you're having a good time." Her breathing was a little unstable, and she forced her tears back. "Do you want me to capture this wonderful moment for you?"

The slightest hint of guilt crossed Jake's eyes, more annoyance at being caught.

Jake just hung his head, not bothering to deny it. "Well, it's probably better you found out now. I was planning on telling you sooner or later anyway. Thea, to be honest, I've been really over this for a while now. You're super controlling, and you keep me at arm's length all the time. I'm a man with physical needs.

"Just be clever about it, and our wedding will go off without a hitch. Once we're married, you'll officially be my wife. Oh, and just a heads up, Madelyn is going to be sticking around with us."

Thea felt like she was about to lose her lunch. A mix of anger and embarrassment was doing a number on her sanity.

She stormed over and gave Jake a solid slap, practically in a frenzy. "You really think I'd still want to marry you after all this?"

Jake quickly swiped his tongue over the inside of his cheek, not even getting a chance to chime in before Madelyn, tears streaming down her face, rushed forward to grab Thea's hand.

"Miss Rowland, this whole mess is on me. Don't be mad at Jake. I'll even drop to my knees and beg if that's what it takes, okay? And about the wedding dress, wearing it was never my intention. It's all "Madelyn explained.

Thea felt a shiver of annoyance. She yanked Madelyn's hands away, cutting her off, "Save the act for someone who's buying it!"

Madelyn stumbled backward, her foot catching on the wedding dress's hem, and she ended up smacking her head against the table corner.

Jake quickly ran over, shoved Thea aside roughly, and then reached out to help Madelyn up with a lot of care. He gazed at Thea, his eyes a deep crimson, and said in a chilly tone, "Look at you now, Thea. You're a crazy bitch. It's disgusting!" Seeing the disgust in his eyes, Thea managed to stay surprisingly cool, though her hands were shaking a bit, hidden away behind her back where nobody could see them.

After eight years together, Jake's parting shot was calling her disgusting, making her wonder who was really the disgusting one here.

Suddenly, the manager burst in, looking completely freaked out. "Mr. Hendrix, we've got a problem. There's a whole bunch of reporters outside, and they're about to come in."

The mood in the room shifted immediately. Jake was quick to respond, his expression turning stormy as he stepped up and grabbed Thea's wrist. "Thea, you've really stirred the pot, haven't you?"

Thea felt like her head was spinning. 'Why on earth would reporters be here?' she wondered.

Even as Jake's words hit her, Thea couldn't help but snap back, her voice laced with defiance despite feeling weak. "Well, maybe you should've thought about that before cheating on me. This is on you, not me."

"Bitch!" Jake cursed and pushed her down, his voice cold and clear. "If anyone hears about today, I'll be having a chat with your big brother. And trust me, if my day gets ruined, you're tagging along for whatever comes next." With that, he quickly walked away with Madelyn.

Thea's heart skipped a beat, that all-too-familiar feeling of being trapped washing over her. After spending so much time together, Jake had figured out exactly how to get under her skin.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. The urge to just lie down and let the tears flow was overwhelming. But, of course, life wasn't about to give her a break to just sit and wallow.

With a deep breath and a clenched jaw, she pushed herself off the ground and left the room, only to run into a bunch of paparazzi ready to snap away.

Thea didn't miss a beat-she dodged and weaved, sprinting away. A couple of reporters tried to keep up. Behind her, footsteps tried to close the gap, and distant voices were pleading for her to wait. Accidentally, she ended up in a man's embrace. She was immediately struck by the cool, refreshing smell of peppermint mixed with a hint of nicotine.

Despite the warmth from the man's body, Thea couldn't shake off the feeling of a chilly stare fixed on her. Behind her, the reporter halted, and someone gasped, shocked.

Frozen in place, Thea managed a shaky plea. "Sir, please help me."

This area was for the presidential suite. Guests here had to be either loaded or titled. Thea was betting on her luck.

The cigarette between the man's fingers was still lit, its smoke making his already striking, frosty appearance seem even more intense.

He glanced down at Thea. Her hands were pressed against her chest, her eyes wide and filled with a haunting sadness, like a deer caught in headlights.

The man paused, giving a subtle wink to his assistant, his gaze narrowing ever so slightly.

The assistant stepped up, all smiles on the outside but radiating a vibe that was hard to pin down. "Hey, are you folks snapping pics of my boss?"

A few journalists shook their heads, their attention reluctantly shifting back to Thea.

"Hand over the memory card from your camera before you get lost," the assistant said, his smile now gone.

The sound of the reporters leaving dwindled away.

Thea let out a quiet sigh of relief, even as she heard the man's raspy voice, cool and detached. "Getting cozy in there?" he asked.

Taking a few steps back, Thea kept her head down, too scared to meet the man's gaze.

The man flicked his cigarette into the ashtray on the side table and crushed it, his interest in Thea visibly waning. "Get her out of here."

Approaching Thea, the assistant offered a friendly gesture. "Miss Rowland, let me get someone to escort you out."

'Miss Rowland? How did this random guy know who I am?' Thea couldn't help but wonder.

Asking him seemed too risky, almost like she was trying too hard to climb his ladder.

After walking a bit, she couldn't resist looking back. The guy was still there, tall and standing with such poise. At that glimpse, Thea felt a weird sense of familiarity. Once she made it outside the hotel, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the swarm of reporters at the entrance, looking like something out of a zombie movie. Thinking back on the cringy scene back in the hotel room made all those mixed feelings bubble up again.

Trying to shake off that icky feeling, she grabbed her phone and hit dial. "Hey Darwin, about the wedding with Jake next week... yeah, let's just call the whole thing off."

"What is wrong with you to call off the marriage with the Hendrix family?" Ivy Rowland pointed at Thea, scolding, right after Thea got back to the Rowland mansion. "The Hendrix family is big league. Can't you just pretend nothing happened? Ditching the engagement will drag our name through the mud," Ivy continued.

Thea, feeling hot under the collar and as uncomfortable as ever, pulled a face and shot back, "Mum, if Emmalie was in my shoes, would you have made her stick it out?"

Ivy, slightly irked, retorted, "Always dragging Emmalie into this when you mess up. Do you think she'd be as lost as you? She even told me yesterday how much she missed you. What's with the attitude now?" Thea couldn't help but scoff, "That's all Emmalie's sweet talk to keep you in the dark."

Ivy, trying to cool down, snapped, "Enough. Pull yourself together. Emmalie will be back tonight, and you're not skipping the welcome-back banquet tomorrow. The Hendrix family's on the guest list, too."

Thea suddenly stared at Ivy, her eyes tinting red. "Mum, I think I'm sick. Can we go to the hospital?"

Ivy just gave her a cold stare, visibly annoyed. Thea managed a weak smile, fighting back tears, and hurried upstairs to be alone with her thoughts.

Ivy's voice trailed after her, filled with frustration. "I can't believe I raised a daughter who plays sick whenever things get tough. Why couldn't it have been her that got lost?

"My sweet Emmalie has been through so much, and here I've been, pouring my heart into raising Thea, only for her to turn out so selfish and moody. Anyway, Emmalie's coming back. Let's go check on the soup I made for her in the kitchen." Thea's limbs were numb and cold, just like her heart. Ever since that thing happened when she was sixteen, she had become the family's black sheep, always on the fringes.

There was a time when being sad wasn't really in her vocabulary because she had someone by her side, someone who'd smile at her like the sun breaking through the clouds. His eyes sparkled whenever he looked at her. He made her promises.

"Thea, I'm sticking by you forever."

"Think of me as your family now,"

"I'm going to love you for all my days, and I won't let anything hurt you, not even a little."

Back then, Thea thought she was over feeling sad. She brushed it off like it was nothing. But old memories had a way of crashing back in, like a tidal wave she didn't see coming. Suddenly, she was hit with the realization that those old hurts hadn't healed. They were still there, aching.

Now, with what little strength she had left falling apart, she found herself curled up in a ball at the corner of the stairs, hugging her knees and just letting the tears flow.

*****

The next day, Thea turned heads at the banquet with her choice of a dark green evening dress.

Her wild, curly hair flowed behind her like seaweed, paired with these striking red lips that popped against her pale skin. Her features were gentle and understated, yet this chilly, detached vibe came from her eyes. That mix of red lips with the green dress was bold. Only Thea could rock something that gutsy.

Ivy, hanging out with a bunch of noble ladies with Emmalie by her side, spotted a bold figure lurking in the background, and her eyes popped wide open.

Right when she was about to lose it, someone gently grabbed her from behind, pulling her back.

"Mum, there's no need to get on Thea's case. With so many people around today, it's only natural she'd want to spruce up and look her best," Emmalie said, her doe-like eyes blinking.

Ivy gave a helpless tap on her nose. "You're the only one who really spoils Thea in her moods. Honestly, I'd worry way less if she could be as sweet as you."

Immediately, everyone around chimed in, praising Emmalie for being a good daughter.

The Rowland family had two daughters and two sons.

The youngest daughter, Emmalie, had a rough start, getting kidnapped as a kid, but she bounced back incredibly, turning out super smart and well-mannered.

She even snagged a VP position at the International Piano Association at a surprisingly young age.

The eldest son had climbed his way up to become a young vice president at the Rowland Group, while the other son was the family's surprise packet, having set up a new venture overseas. Then there was Thea. She became the black sheep, notorious for her troubling past with bullying both at school and at home.

Emmalie, noticing the tension, sighed and said with a hint of irony, "Seems like Thea isn't too happy. Guess I should go and smooth things over."

Thea, always on alert, had seen Emmalie approaching, set her glass down, and turned to leave.

Whenever Emmalie headed over, it almost always ended in some "accidental" drama, like a mysterious fall or a "why did you push me?" scenario. Thea was heading to the restroom to freshen up her lipstick. It was only when she reached the restroom that she heard a strange wailing sound. Thea paused, sneaking a peek around the corner with a mix of curiosity and caution.

She spotted a well-built woman tumbling into a man's embrace. The lady's face was flushed red, her halter dress slipping to reveal more skin than intended.

The man stood with his back to Thea, his tall and slender figure all that was visible.

Thea clicked her tongue in disapproval, ready to walk away, but then she overheard the woman's soft plea. "President Hendrix, I think I've hurt my leg. Could you check it for me?"

'Wait, President Hendrix?' Thea did a double-take. The only "President Hendrix" in the Hendrix family was Jake's enigmatic uncle, Nicolas Hendrix. 'Him, at a party like this? Unheard of. What's he doing here?' Thea wondered. Mulling over his known temper and dark reputation, Thea decided she wanted no part of this drama. She was sneaking off when her phone blared.

Flustered, she killed the call before looking up and locking eyes with Nicolas.

The light cast his features into sharp relief, the shadows accentuating his face and the brooding look in his eyes. Known for his icy demeanor, Nicolas seemed even more intimidating now.

Caught, Thea stammered, "Uncle Nicolas, I, uh, just got here. Didn't see a thing..." Immediately, she wanted to facepalm. 'Great, that probably made things worse,' she thought.

Nicolas simply shifted his gaze away, his face a mask of indifference, and coldly told the woman in his arms, "Get lost."

The woman's face lost all its color. Nicolas spun around and strolled off, his indifferent gaze briefly meeting Thea's. It was quick, but enough to give Thea chills.

After he had left, Thea quickly touched up her lipstick and headed out.

As soon as she stepped outside, Ivy, with a frosty expression, grabbed her arm. "So, you couldn't even drop a hello when your sister got back into town, and you've been ignoring my calls. What's up with that?" Thea rolled her eyes and replied with a sneer, "Weren't we supposed to be clearing the air with Jake today? Why would I be chasing after Emmalie?"

Despite Ivy's frustration at Thea's attitude, she insisted Thea should seek out the Hendrix family.

Jake's expression turned even sourer as he saw her gutsy outfit. The tension was palpable as their eyes met, but Thea quickly looked away.

She made it a point to warmly greet every Hendrix family member, except Jake, of course.

Some elders joked, "Thea, it's normal for young couples to fight. They always make up afterwards."

With a laugh, Thea playfully asked, "Want to guess what Jake had done?"