THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 75: GRACE

Chapter 75: GRACE

Everyone present at the dining tables’ mouths were agape, as they stared wide-eyed at the couple.

The room was so silent, the only audible noises were the soft beating of their hearts.

Ace and Fay stared at each other, unable to pull away.

"It’s fake," Ace told himself.

"It’s a game. An act," Fay whispered in her heart.

Anything to keep these brand-new feelings away. Gabriel had been the only man she had ever loved. His betrayal made her believe she could never love again. She wouldn’t exactly say she was in love with Ace, but she could admit she had feelings for him.

Scary feelings that made her want to hide under the table, and bury her body with a cover cloth. Or jump on top of a tree, and let the leaves shield her.

It also made her want to keep staring at his deep blue eyes, not a care in the world about the devil within.

Colin Atticus broke the spell when he cleared his throat.

"Well I guess that answered everyone in doubt. They’re in love, and he’s clearly not a woman abuser. Can we move on now?"

"Good advice son," his father said, and tapped his shoulders proudly.

"Fools the lot of you!" Celine suddenly jumped to her feet.

Ace’s eyes left Fay, and turned to his Aunt who had once again not gotten her way with painting him as this fucking horrible person.

"What is it, Aunt? Angry, your little rumor is just not sticking?" He raised a cocky brow, as the corner of his lip twitched in amusement.

Colin watched him with glee in his heart. Sometimes, Aunt Celine needed to be knocked down a peg.

She single handedly ruled their hearts with fear of her. Only Ace had been able to stand up to her, and for that, he was eternally grateful.

"My rumor? If you didn’t do anything, no rumor would spread about you. But that’s okay. You’re going to be found out sooner or later. Your precious wife is going to discover you’re only using her. I mean isn’t that why you went to your ex’s house the other day? Or how you kissed a girl at the bar you hung out with your friend?!"

The same second she dropped another bomb, the cooks came in with dinner.

They paused awkwardly at the door, staring into space. Pretending not to have heard the accusations Celine just laid.

"What are you talking about?" Gabrielle Atticus, who had come in with the cooks, asked.

She had spoken with her mother-in-law, who had told her there was nothing to worry about. Ace was not abusive. Only for her sister-in-law to double down and call her son a cheat?

He would never cheat on a soul as pure as Fay’s. She knew he had his vices, but surely she had raised him better than being a cheat.

"Ask your filthy son. He’s like you anyway. A whore wouldn’t give birth to anything less!"

"Celine!" Caleb, and his mother, the matriarch of the house both called at the same time.

She didn’t respond, as she walked out of the dining room.

"Get out of my way!" She yelled at the cooks just by the door, and they scampered for safety.

Ace spotted a grin on his face as she left. It confused Colin, and made Fay feel like he was just trying to save face.

Deep down, she worried about doubting him. Even if anything Celine had accused him of doing were true, she had no reason to hold a grudge.

Once again, her high had been quenched. Reality set in. She was the bought bride. Rented wife. Contract partner. In one year, she would be gone from his life.

"Why are you smiling?" His grandmother asked.

"Because the rantings of a madwoman are always fun to watch," Ace replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Fay wondered if that was his way of denying the allegations. Like a fool, she hoped that at least he was kind enough not to mess around during their time together.

She would never do that to him. Not when she was already developing these strange feelings for him.

"You can’t say that about your Aunt, Ace," his grandmother scolded.

"Why can’t he?" One of the twins jumped into the conversation.

"Claire?" Her mother, who was sometimes the only one who could differentiate between the both of them, called in a warning voice.

"Claire is right!" Her sister backed her up. "Aunt Celine is always so nasty to mum, and Ace. I’m tired of pretending not to see it."

She rose to her feet, and her twin followed. "I don’t think I have enough appetite to stomach this meal," they both said at the same time, and in sync.

"Claire?! Blaire?!" Their mother called, but they marched away, not looking back, or bothering to answer.

"Please excuse me," she said, turning around.

"Gabrielle!" The matriarch called, and she swiftly came to a halt. "Come sit. The girls will be fine. I’ll tell the cooks to bring them some food in their rooms. Let them process their feelings in peace."

Fay’s heart rate somersaulted. The dinner was gearing up to be another disaster. She thought her own family was a mess. Idolized the Atticus for at least being one.

With everything that had unfolded in her eyes, it was safe to say every family had their own issues. Some, bigger than the rest.

Her eyes went to Ace. He still spotted that amused look on his face, but there was something in his eyes. It had appeared when his sisters spoke. Spread when his mother did as she was instructed by the matriarch, and sat quietly.

She recognized the look too, because she had seen it in the mirror before. Being caught between a rock, and a hard place. He wanted to defend his family, but it would come at a price.

Feeling her heart weeping for him, she made an impulsive decision, and reached out under the table to grab his hands in hers.

He stiffened when he felt her touch. Not only was it unexpected, it happened to be the one thing he required at that moment.

She squeezed it reassuringly, and then stroked it with her smoother one.

That was the nicest thing anyone had done for him in a while. So nice, it made his heart stir.

"Serve the meal," the matriarch ordered calmly.

The cooks that had been waiting patiently strode forward. Carefully, they began to do as they were instructed.

Shortly after, they were done. They all bowed, and walked away.

"I don’t like this foul mood. What did I teach you?" She turned to her two kids present at the table.

"To always finish our food?" Her last said, pulling a chuckle out of some of the others on the table. Except Ace, and Colin.

Fay took notice of this. The two cousins were kinda similar in a way. The only difference was where Ace was brooding and silent, Colin seemed more cheeky.

"That’s not the lesson I’m talking about, you glutton!" She scolded, and everyone laughed again.

This time, Fay noticed the cousins looked a little pleased.

It was settled then. They didn’t just like their youngest uncle.

"Not to keep gloomy faces on the table because it takes away from the effort put into turning ingredients into a meal," Colin’s father said in a nostalgic voice.

"Thank you for remembering. Now let’s forget everything else, and dig in," Her last already grabbed his spoon before she was done speaking. "But not until someone says grace. I suggest the newest comer in our midst." She turned to her side, and smiled encouragingly at Fay.

It wasn’t until she looked at her, Fay realized she was referring to her.

A prayer was a very special request. She was never asked to pray in her aunt’s house. If anything, she was the one prayed for. Taken to different churches to be delivered from the demon that resided in her.

To be asked to say grace right now was a privilege she was glad to honor.

Gently, she withdrew her hands from Ace’s. He gave her a questioning look which she didn’t see, as she was too busy joining her hands together.

Their brows lifted as they watched her face lit up.

Any other person in the family would have mumbled a quick prayer so everyone could eat. Obviously not Fay. She looked serious as hell, and it raised their curiosity.

"Let’s say grace," she began, closing her eyes. "Father lord, we thank you for the gift of life. We thank you for loving us unconditionally. We thank you for provision...."

Ace couldn’t help the glimmer of intrigue in his eyes as he watched her thank God for everything down to the table they were sitting on.

He didn’t know his wife loved to pray. His experience with trauma had left him resenting every kind of higher power. Why believe, when you could be a god yourself?

But it would seem that his wife’s trauma had led her to cling to God. If only she knew everyone’s eyes were opened now, waiting for her to wrap it up.

"Thank you for—" she circled back just after praying for the food, and someone let out a groan of protest.

He chuckled as she just kept going on, oblivious of the contorted faces around her.

"We pray through Christ our lord," she finally said, and popped her eyes open to find half of the table already eating.