Loved

Iris’s p. o. v.

Edward was just driving out of the arrival area while Hunter and I climbed up a flight of stairs to the Reid’s residence.

” Are you sure I shouldn’t change? I feel so casual” I whined but honestly I do.

I was wearing a leopard print gown that ended mid thigh and is off shoulder with long sleeves, but I’m stepping into the house where multimillionaires will be feeding.

I only hope Michelle will not mistake me for their kitchen rag.

” Miss Jules for the last time, you look amazing” Hunter groaned and I don’t blame him. This has got to be the twelfth time I’ve asked.

But still I pouted at his name referral.

” You said Jules” I plushed my lips in his direction.

” Yes, because I’ve been telling Iris she looks awesome but I haven’t told Jules yet” he whisper snapped.

That may be true.

” So I look okay?” I just wanted to be hundred percent sure.

” Arrrrgh!! I am not answering that” He marched towards the door and pressed the doorbell.

A ding dong was heard and not up to fifteen seconds a plump short man opened the door.

” Welcome Mr McConnell” the petite Butler gave a curt nod before excusing us and opening the door wide enough for us to go through.

Hunter gestured with his hand for me to go first .

Who would’ve guessed that chivalry was still existent.

I walked into the open room and my mouth fell agape.

Their house is larger from within.

The roof should be at least twenty extra feet above my head and golden chandeliers graced every corner with superb lighting.

This place was just an open hall but there were two doors on each wall from us.

” You coming or not?” Hunter’s voice brings my wandered mind back to the reason for being here.

He was biting down a smirk mockingly at my awe. I only sent him a glare and followed closely behind.

He stepped towards the first door on the right wall and gently pulled it open.

His lack of confusion made me realize he’s frequented this building more often than not.

Holding the door open for me as I walked in then he followed suit.

Mrs Reid was the first person who caught my eye as she whizzed around the dining table with a maid following her every movements.

They were setting plates all round like she was preparing to meet the president.

Is this how rich people eat meals?

The dining hall was an exquisite room with high class decor. The room giving off an eighty’s vibe due to it’s magnificent lighting.

Chairs and tables resembled the artistic carved interior work by the world finest sculptors and the wood looks like it was grown on a certified amazon.

I can see the Reid’s derive a sweet delight from the use of chandeliers as they did not fail to make use of it in the room before me.

“Mrs Reid?” Hunter calls out to the lady bustling with an unhidden excitement.

At first she seemed shocked and steered her head to the right in confusion to find who had called her, but no longer than a second she turned the opposite direction and met our eyes.

” My goodness! Hunter darling you look stunning” she slapped her hands together and took hurried strides in our direction.

Hunter in turn walked forward to welcome her embrace.

” So do you Ma’am. Where’s everyone?” He asked after the short hug.

” They’re all around somewhere. I’ve met this lady before haven’t I? Jules, am I right?” Mrs Reid asked as she approached me to hand my own share of the embrace.

” Yes it is. Nice to see you again Mrs Reid” I politely responded and smiled.

After pulling away from me she scrutinized me with her eyes and a smile formed on her lips before she turns back to the maid whom she abandoned by the table.

” Linda, please do inform everyone that Hunter is here with his date” her voice chirpy as she took Hunter by his hand and they walked side by side to where the maid once stood.

I glanced round the room awkwardly, not knowing what to do till Mrs Reid speaks up again.

” Jules sweetie, do have a seat please”

I nodded and moved to have a seat by the table, but before I could Mason appeared in the hallway whilst pushing someone on a wheelchair.

As soon as our eyes made contact, I couldn’t ignore the flutter and joy that resonated through me and I believe he felt it too cause he smiled broadly.

” Jules I believe you’ve met my son Mason previously, well here’s my other love, Michael. Michael meet Jules, Hunter’s date”

As they drew nearer I noticed Mason’s cringe when I was referred to as Hunter’s date but I wouldn’t blame him, I also cringed at the first reference.

” Nice to meet you Jules. I’ve heard so much about you” Michael said when he was at a closer range, so he extended his hand for a shake.

” Oh really? I hope it’s all positive” I leaned down to return his shake with a smile and sent a brief look at Mason.

” With my source, I doubt it will ever be bad” Michael’s reply made everyone present laugh. Including Hunter, and I think I sighted a few maids who were lurking around the corner laugh too.

” Well then, I’m grateful to your source” restoring my posture, I was able to look Mason in the eye.

” Michael, bro it’s been a while” Hunter called from the other side of the table, still standing and having a conversation with Mrs Reid.

” I know dude. You ditched me!” Everyone got laughing once again till another voice interfered.

” Hunter, I’m glad you accepted” Mason acknowledged with a smile.

” Have I ever declined?” Came Hunter’s response.

” Seriously dude, has he?” Michael’s question directed to his brother Mason but it was able to extract a chuckle from both I and Mason.

I took it as an opportunity to regard the second gentleman before me.

” Mr Mason”

” Miss Jules” he responded with a smile that appears to be growing by the second.

But I couldn’t blow our cover, not with all these people under this roof.

I was about to go ahead with my formalities when the clicking of heels attracted everyone’s attention to the stairs.

Michelle appeared, looking as graceful as ever. Wearing a peach gown with her straight hair in a tight bun, her simple attire looked so expensive.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

” Evening everyone” she sent her greetings with a smile and eye movement that probably lingered longer than expected to Hunter.

Mason being the betrayal he is, started coughing out of the blue and I understood why.

I don’t know if it’s only me, or is someone else noticing Hunter’s blush?

” Mason, you alright?” His mom questioned in concern.

” Yeah, I’m all good just a little slip” he responded and I bit my lower lip hard enough to swallow my laughter.

She nodded in understanding and returned to her conversation with Hunter and now Michelle joined the group.

” So, you’re Hunter’s secretary?” Michael asked me as Mason is still standing behind him with a grip on the handles of his wheelchair.

” Yes I am”

” How does working with him feel? Cause for all I know, he’s a douchebag” Michael’s smirk was entirely playful and even despite his facade, I could see the love he really possess for the McConnell son.

It really seems to me that Michael is the easy going and most cheery person to talk to in this family.

Wait!?

There’s a sister missing.

An as if on cue. Mr Reid appeared from the same door Mason and Michael emerged from with a lady by his side.

That lady is who I presume to be the first child of the Reid family.

Her elegance is beyond stunning and her physique is more chic than many teens.

I think I remember Meredith saying something between the lines of her sister having two kids.

This lady doesn’t look like someone who’s exchanged wedding vows yet.

” Hunter, so glad you could make it” Mr Reid says with a hint of appreciation in his voice.

” It is an honor Mr Reid. Mary, how’s the family” Hunter walked up to the man of the house for a handshake too.

The eldest sister who was asked a question only nodded her reply and started scanning the area like she was spotting out impurities.

Maybe she’s not the talkative type.

” Shall we then?” Mrs Reid asks everybody impatiently.

” Of course, everyone do have a seat” Mr Reid addresses and I take the seat directly by my side.

” Good. Hunter darling please help me with the condiments on the kitchen counter” Mrs Reid kindly requested and Hunter didn’t delay before leaving.

” I’ll help” Michelle jumped from her seat and followed Hunter into the next room.

Well our condiments may be delayed a while.

” Tell me more about Meredith” it was then I saw Michael was situated by my side and I couldn’t be happier with the choice.

” Meredith huh?”

That’s how I spent my night chatting away.

Third person pov

————————

Little conversations here and there were enough to distract the surprising note of whatever was going on.

But I’ve never been one to be blind.

Whatever was going on.. though I know not about it, was hanging so thick in the air that I could even taste it.

It wasn’t tension, No. No one looked frightened or at unease one bit.

It wasn’t hatred. All eye coordinations were outright, meaning no one had ugly thoughts against the other.

It wasn’t absolute cheer either. For the fact that people kept to their own circles of discussion.

So what is it?

I’ve been analysing everyone here for the past hour and I couldn’t draw rational conclusions.

But I did make presumptions from the presented obvious.

Jules.

That girl is the hidden center of attention and she doesn’t even realize that.

Every now and then someone spares her either a brief look or a lasting one.

Lingering gazes from Michelle and Mason keep building my suspicions to a hike, but nothing can be culled out of it.

Except they had been acquainted with Jules previously, there had to be a reason why she’s pulling eyes effortlessly.

Even from me. And I’m not someone to do that.

Everybody’s opinion about her seems to differ, judging by the time and manner of observing her.

Yes, that’s what is going on. Everybody’s observing her.

But why?

I personally took interest in the so called secretary that had managed to appear by Hunter’s side twice. Something no girl had done.

I also detected a hint in the mainstream whenever she’s called Jules.

A dim light flickers through her eyes. It’s not like the name hurts her or brings out a hidden joy.

It looks like that isn’t her real name or a name she’s accustomed to.

I’ve watched her for a while and I can’t tell if her intentions of hiding her true name is for good or evil, but I do see something.

Jules looks like a girl who is building herself up. Beneath that facade she looks like a girl who was broken and is only just recovering.

She looks like a prized piece of ceramic. An extremely delicate gold. A beautiful work of art made from the finest glass.

But what happens when such work is thrown down one too many times?

It gets broken. Terribly broken.

Now here comes the hard part. When you want to fix something that is as good as dead.

That’s all I see in this lady named Jules. I’ve seen it before, but today looks different. It almost looks like she’s taken a big step towards healing.

Probably, gathering little information about her isn’t the best idea. But I need to know about everyone in Meredith’s life.

If no one cares about that lovely red head, I do.

Although, It seems like I’m not the only one who noticed or can see what is buried deep in the lady’s heart while she ate.

The way Mason looks at her, like he’s admiring a million dollar jewelry.

The way his eyes took all of her in, almost as if he knew her scars, he wanted to hold her tight and clean all her wounds not minding the amount of blood that stained him.

Every time he looked at her, there was always a smile that appeared on his face. A smile that went deep into his heart and I don’t think he even noticed the silent effect she was having on him.

If I didn’t know better, I would have argued this thought but I wouldn’t. Mason Reid was smitten with the one we referred to as Jules.

I smirked in their direction and brought my glass of wine to my lips for another gulp.

But then, I could read the emotion in every other person’s eyes like crystal, especially Michelle’s which seems to be competition.

Like I said previously, there is a but. Hunter is that but.

Hunter had made more looks to her this evening than anyone had, but no one seemed to notice.

He was trapped in a discussion that he looked somewhat interested in, but it was like his mind needed to be somewhere else.

He looked over to Jules once more and the look in his eyes raw and deep.

Before we assume it’s love. It is not!.

Even I thought that could be the emotion existing within that man’s chest, I realized it was not.

It took me time to read but I later had it figured out.

It’s a look of pain.

It’s a look of regret, hurt, infliction, torment but yet admiration.

You see why I’m confused?

How could you feel two contrasting things towards someone at once?

I understood love and hate because there’s a very thin line between them.

He’s is regret and admiration.

His admiration glowed anytime he saw her smile, whenever she adjusted her hair or each time she nearly choked out of laughter.

But once the admiring is done, it is replaced by a full blanket of regrets. That’s what I don’t understand.

He’s acting like she’s so near to him yet very far away. Like she’s within his reach but he’s scared to reach out.

Each time his eyes fell in sadness he blinked it away, maybe to remind himself that he’s exaggerating.

I took another gulp of wine and squinted my eyes at the young man that became my new interest.

His focus was back on the lady beside him who never noticed his flailing mind.

His smile towards her was actually oddly genuine, such that it had an infectious glint which the lady reciprocated.

So this may be who Hunter’s in love with. How fascinating?

The only problem was, he didn’t notice how much more of his attention the lady across him drew than the one at his side.