Chapter 13

"Okay, you need a little family history for this dinner, I guess." Troy says as we are on the road, driving straight to his parents house.

"Yeah, that would make me feel a little more...secure." I say with a nervous smile on my lips. Why do you care? You won't sign this freaking contract anyway, my subconsciousness says. Oh yes she will! Because she doesn't want to end up with a zillion cats! My inner goddess protests. I shake my head and look at Troy.

"As you already know I was adopted. At the age of six. Meredith Grey and Micheal Hamilton adopted me, making me part of their family. Adam is adopted as well. They weren't able to have any children - that is until Kelsi was born. She's the only biological child in this family. But that doesn't matter. Because biological or not - we are one family. Not a big one, but as I already said-"

"You don't want to expand your family." I finish his sentence.

"Yes."

"Why is your last name Bolton?" I ask him confused.

"That's my father's name. My biological father."

"Oh. Have you met him?"

He shakes his head, "Until this day, I wasn't able to find him."

"But he is still alive?" I ask him.

"Yes."

"What about your mother? Biological mother, I mean."

"She's not worth to talk about." he says, his dark eyes looking at me.

"Okay..." I just crossed the line. I got the message.

"Anyways, you should also know that my family... Well, nothing's as it seems."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I've told you my mother loves surgery, didn't I? She loves her work. Not only does she love it because of the surgery, but because my father doesn't work in that hospital. She also loves her mentor - Dr. Shepherd."

"What?" I ask him shocked. She's having an affair.

"Yeah, and he is Mark's best friend on top of that. They were at med school together in New York."

"That's..." I am speechless, "I thought your Dad is a laywer."

"My mother got divorced. New husband: plastic surgeon, Mark Sloane. Old husband: Lawyer, Micheal Hamilton."

"Was it a messy divorce?"

He shook his head, "They had everything arranged. It was a short and clean cut."

I nodd, "This is good... I mean, it is, isn't it?"

He shruggs, "I don't know if she's better off now. I mean, it's not like she's the only one with an affair in this marriage."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Mark is having an affair with her sister, Lexie."

"Does it get any crazier than this?" I ask him after a second.

He smiles, "Her son is a polyamorist."

I laugh, "No wonder you turned out this way..."

"The reason is another..." he stops. He doesn't want to talk about it. Not yet anyways.

"So will Mark hate me or was it the laywer who would hate me?"

"No Mark's... I guess, Mark's alright. At least, I hope. I don't know. I mean, I don't know him good enough to... I've only met him a couple of times."

"Weird family you have there." I say as we pass sevaral mansionmansions.

"Oh, I'm sure your family isn't normal as well." he adds as we stop in front of a mansion.

No it isn't. Anything but normal. Especially when... I shake my head and turn my eyes out of the window. Wow.

It's a huge European Mediterranean mansion with French and Spanish influences. It's so beautifull. Big enough for a whole family to live in.

"This house is... Amazing." I say as we get out of the car.

"It's their summer residence." he says as I notice the ocean behind the house.

"A pretty nice residence, if you ask me." I say as he takes my hand and we walk up the stairs to the front door.

"Ah, Adam and Sharpay are already here." he says, his eyes focused behind me. I turn around and stare at Adams white Ferarri. Of course.

"Ready, Miss Montez?" he asks me, his finger on the bell.

"Wait, " I say in a shaky voice. I look down myself. Maybe the dress was the wrong choice. Maybe I should have chosen the peach colored Cavalli instead of the mint green Gucci dress. Or maybe I should have left my hair open - instead of in a lose braid.

"You are perfect, Gabriella." he ensures me with a soft smile on his lips before he kisses me softly.

"I knew I heard voices!" I hear a female voice and abruptly let go of his lips.

I see a woman standing in the open doorframe. A brunette with soft waves and icy blue eyes. She is smiling at us and I feel my hot face. Damn it.

"Kelsi," Troy says, hugging his sister.

"Troy!" the woman says, smiling. "Gosh, I missed you."

"You have to tell me everything about Paris."

Kelsi nodds, "I will." she says, her eyes focused on me.

"Kelsi, this is Gabriella Montez. Gabriella, this is my little sister Kelsi."

"Well, I'm not so little anymore..." the woman says rolling her eyes before she huggs me. "Nice to see you can bring women home." she says and I gulp. If only she knew.

I smile at her as we both step into the Grey/Sloane/Bolton mansion.

"Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Dinning room with Adam and Shar... Sharlotte or something."

"Sharpay." we say out of one mouth.

She smiles at us in relief. The same smile as Meredith, "Yes. That's her name. Sharpay. Of course."

"She's Gabriella's roommate, you know?" Troy says as he leads me through the amazing hallway. I can't help but stare at the five feet tall hallway with a huge candelabrum. Amazing.

"What, are you guys still in college or something?!" Kelsi asked dismissively.

Troy glances at her.

"I mean, it's awesome that you two are living together." she says in a nicer tone.

"We lived together at Yale. Then we decided to move to Manhattan." I explained as we walked through the amazing living room. French windows showed me the amazing ocean view. Wow.

"Oh. That explains it." Kelsi says and puts on a smile again as she walks ahead of us into the dinning room. "Look who I found kissing on the stairs, outside. Troy and his girlfriend." she says to the already eating group. I see Sharpay decided to put her blonde hair in an up-do. She's wearing a bright yellow Cavalli dress with black Louboutins. Adam himself is sitting right next to her, wearing a black jacket with a white oxford shirt beneath. The blonde smiles at me comfortably as she notices me standing behind Troy.

Kelsi gets seated as Meredith and her new husband - Mark - get up. The woman walks over to me. She's wearing a beige colored dress and her hair falls losely on her shoulders. Mark is blonde as well and has dark blue eyes. He's hot, definitely attractive. I bet a lot of women want to have a plastic surgery as soon as they see the surgeon.

"Gabriella, how nice to see you again!" Meredith says before he pulls me into a soft hugg. Oh. So many huggs.

"Mark, I'd like you to meet Gabriella Montez. Gabriella, this is Dr. Mark Sloane." Troy says and I shake hands with him.

"Nice to meet you."

"Call me Mark." the man says and smiles softly, "Well, let's get seated and have dinner then."

I nodd before we walk over to the table. I get seated between Kelsi and Troy. Across me sit Sharpay and Adam. Meredith and Mark sit on the end of the table.

"What, you won't greet your roommate?!" Kelsi asked me, "Did you argue or something?!"

"Kelsi!" Meredith hissed at her.

"Sorry." the blue eyed woman apologized, "But did you?"

"We did not argue, Kelsi." Sharpay ensures her in a soft voice. "We just..."

"Yeah." I say a little insecure.

"Well, what are the big news?"

"You mean, beside Adam showing up with a sudden blonde bimb- girlfriend and you showing up with a brunette whor- girlfriend?"

"Kelsi!" Mark warns her.

"Oh come on, like you have something to say in this family!"

"Kelsi, you really wanna do this?" Adam asks her worried, "You really want to turn this family dinner into-"

"Fine."

"Thank you." All Bolton/Grey/Sloane members say at once.

I glance at Sharpay, who shruggs.

"Troy told me that you live in Paris. It must've be amazing there."

"Sure, you probably never went there." she hissed at me. Ouch. Troy shot a look at her. "But it is indeed really nice in France. So nice that I decided to study art there."

"No more cooking?" Adam asks her.

"No more cooking." she announced as proud as possible with a huge grin on her lips.

"Oh thank god." Meredith says in relief and we all laugh a little, "You were a horrible cooker."

"Coming from you, mother." Kelsi says, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, I might not be the best cook, but that's why we have Mrs. Jefferson." the blonde woman announces. Seconds later the woman appears, holding a plate filled with delicious food on it. I wonder if I'm allowed to eat anything. I should've taken a look at the nourishment attachment of the contract. Damn it.

"So how is Paris? How are French boys?" Sharpay asks as we all start eating.

"French boys are so lame! Plus, they all have a horrible accent when they speak English! But they're good in bed, I must confess." she says and we all laugh again.

"Yeah, that's Kelsi. Not going to mince matters." Troy whispers to me. "She's just a little pissed that Adam and I brought company." he explains his sister.

I nodd, "Of course. I understand."

"So, Paris?" Mark asks her.

"Right, so the men are totally horrible. My cooking class was alright. I mean, I really learned a lot and..."

I stare at her confused as she continues to tell the story in a flawless French. I look around myself and notice that every other member on the table is still listening closely. They all speak French fluently, I assume.

I have no idea what she's talking about and look helplessly at Troy. He understands my look right away and asks Kelsi to talk in English again, so every member would understand it. Then she says something with my name in it, but I don't understand it. My three years of French in High School weren't enough for that.

I look at Sharpay who glances at me for a second before she rises from the chair, "I'll be right back." she looks at me. She wants to talk.

I rise from my chair as well.

"Oh come on, are you guys doing everything together?!" Kelsi asks, making the whole group laugh again.

I roll my eyes, before I follow Sharpay into the hallway.

"This is torture." I say to her as we are out of earshot.

"It wasn't before you guys showed up. She turned into a beast." The blonde says before she huggs me, "She hates you."

"Oh thanks for saying that out loud. I wouldn't have noticed it otherwise." I say and roll my eyes.

"You can do this. Just another hour and it'll be all over." she ensured me. "Good, you wanna go back now?"

"No, because unlike you, I really do need to pee. Where's their bathroom?" I ask her confused about where I am. This isn't the same hallway.

The blonde smiles at me, "Follow me."

"How long are you already here?" I ask her, following every step she takes. We walk through another huge room filled with books and an open fireplace.

"About thirty minutes. Adam wanted to be here a little ealier."

"To not be late, I guess." I say and she stops in front of a wooden door.

"I'll wait for you."

"Thanks." I say before I disappear in their guestbathroom.

I wash my hands and stare at my reflection. Who am I trying to fool? I don't fit into this world. I am not rich. I am not nearly as wealthy as he is. I don't have the right clothings. I don't have the right attitude. I don't even have the right education. I don't fit and Kelsi seems to notice it. Just like me she knows I will never be a part of this world.

God, this dinner is a disaster!

I take one last deep breath, before I open the door and step out.

"You're okay?"

"As okay as I can be." I say and put on a smile. "But this dinner is a disaster!"

"Look at the bright side..."

"Which would be?"

"I don't know. I thought something would come from you. There is no bright side, honey." Sharpay says and I fake a laugh.

"Exactly." I say as we slowly reach the dinning room again.

Suddenly I hear Kelsi yelling something in French.

Sharpay raises her hands, "Wait here, okay?"

"What, why?!" I ask her confused, still hearing Kelsi yelling in French. Then I hear Troy trying to calm her down in soft French. Meredith is trying to do the same. Mark says something causing them all to stop. Then I hear Sharpay walking in, saying something in French as well. Adam says "Nothing." the only English word.

Kelsi mumbles something in French again. The next thing I hear is someone rising from a chair. Then I hear fast steps. Steps into my direction.

Confused I watch Troy walking into my direction. He's angry. More than angry. He's furious.

"Troy get back here!" I hear Meredith saying, her footsteps follows. I hide behind a wall.

"She's unbelievable!" he nearly yells at his mother.

"Don't go. Please."

"No!" He says in a loud voice. "How dare she say this?! She doesn't even know Gabriella!"

They were talking about me. In French. The whole time?

"Troy, she just wanted this dinner to be a little more private."

"What, so Adam can bring along his girlfriend, but I can't?"

"She just wanted to be alone with us."

"Well that's her bad." he says and I can see him running his fingers through his hair in his shadow. "She called her a whore, mother!"

"It was inapropriate and she will apologize."

"She might apologize for it but I won't accept her apology." he says to her. "She crossed the line. She has no right to call her that... She..."

"Christopher,"

"Don't go all Christopher on me, mother. She is your daughter. You should educate her correctly." he says in a warning tone.

"Troy, please."

"She said she would never be a part of this world. She said that Sharpay would be the better choice. She- Gabriella!" he yells.

I wait a couple of seconds before I walk into their direction. His nearly black eyes glace at me as soon as he sees me.

"What's going on?" I ask innocently, trying to hide the pain inside of me. Gosh, his family hates me!

"We're going!"

"What?"

"Now!" he says walking into my direction.

"Troy!" Meredith calls after him as he takes my hand.

The man stops and turns around, "No. I'm saying no."

The woman nodded, her eyes filled with sorrow. "It was nice to see you again, Gabriella."

"Yeah, you too." I say and smile sadly. Then I see Kelsi walking up to her.

She starts yelling in French, saying words like whore. That's pretty much the only word I understand.

Troy tears the front door open, "Go to hell, Kelsi!" he says to her before he drags me out of the house. I feel his strong hands almost hurting me as he walks away in a fast speed. He unlocks the car with his key and I stop as I realize what he's about to do.

"I'm not getting into that car." I say in a calm voice.

"What?" he shoots an angry glace at me.

"Give me the keys." I say, holding out my hand.

"Ella, do you want to fuck me up as well?!" he hisses at me.

"Car keys." I demand, still holding out my hand.

He sighs and hands me the keys, "Fucking evening." he says before he kicks the car, making a pretty big bump into the sport car. I jump up in fear of what he might do next. At least he won't drive. He looks at me, surprised by my reaction. "Let's get the hell away from here."

I get seated into the sport car and start the motor. As I drive of, I see Meredith, Mark, Adam and Sharpay standing on the porch. All sad.

I don't ask what the destination is. I just drive. We pass the sevaral beautifull mansions and I wonder if they have the very same problem as we. Perhaps not, since the wealthy people like to stay among wealthy people. Why does this have to be so complicated?

Then we hit the highway. I press down the gas pedal as far as possible, feeling the speed beneath me. The whole twenty minutes from the mansion to the highway Troy says nothing. Then out of the sudden he starts mumbling something in French. Abusive French words.

I give him another twenty minutes until he starts mumbling in English. Still abusive words.

"What's our destination?"

"I don't fucking care." he says, staring out of the window.

I nodd. Good. At least he's talking in English now. Perhaps a good sign. We drive by the ocean and I put on the turn signal.

"What the hell you think you're doing?!" Troy asks as I drive into a parking area.

I turn off the motor and sit there for a second. Then I get out of the car. I look out at the ocean in the middle of the night. The sun has already set an hour ago, leaving the sky with bright stars. I sigh and notice the stones on the floor, surrounding the parking area. I start to collect a couple. Then I wait for five minutes until I walk over to the passengers seat. I open the door and lean down, "Get out."

"What?"

"I said get out of the freaking car!" I say in a more violent way.

He mumbles something in French before he gets out of the car. "What are we doing here?"

"Get a stone." I say to him.

"Why the hell should I-"

"Pick up the god damn stone, Troy!" I yell at him. His aggressivness is making me aggressiv as well.

He picks up a stone and looks at me. His eyes are still black, "And what now, Mrs. Know-it-all?!"

"Throw it into the ocean. With all the strength you have." I say and he looks at me confused. "Go ahead."

And with all his powers he throws the stone into the stone.

"Better?"

"A little."

"Good. Do it again. As long as you don't feel better you keep throwing the fucking stones into the ocean, got it?!" I ask him.

He nodds and picks up another stone. "Where are you going?"

"You do your thing, I do mine." I say before I leave him behind me.

I sit on a stone and watch the waves crash against each other in the darkness. The cold satly ocean air blows through my hair and I shiver lightly as I look up in the sky. I hear the stones dropping into the ocean every now and then. If only the stars could tell me what to do. Or what not to do. That would be good. I have no idea what to do. How to handle this situation. Can I be with a man like Troy? Am I able to be in a relationship which... Isn't a relationship at all? A relationship based on sex? A relationship he had with 56 other women before me? A relationship he has with seven other women at the same time he is in a relationship with me? Am I able to share him? Let him be with other women? Can my heart bare this? Or will he break it into a thousand fucking pieces?

I sigh and get up from the stone. I turn around and slowly walk back. There is no sound of stones dropping into the ocean. I scan the area in front of me and only see the car. No Troy. Oh fuck!

In a milisecond my eyes move to the ocean. Oh no! "Troy!" I yell.

"What?" his voice appears behind me. I jump up.

"Fuck! Never ever scare me this way again!" I warn him, feeling my pulse rising. I take a deep breath, "You're feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you very much, Miss Montez." Oh so he is feeling better.

I nodd, "Well, we should get back to the hotel then." I say as we walk to the car.

"But I will drive." he says, taking the keys from my hand.

"Why?" I ask him surprised. I'm not that bad for a driver.

"You're a horrible driver."

"I am not! It's the shoes." I say and look down at my Louboutins. Pretty shoes but not good for driving.

"Mhm... Yeah. Whatever you say, Ella." he says as we get into the car.

I shake my head and smile as he starts the car. I stare out at the stars as we drive by the ocean.

"Don't you want to know why I am so mad?"

"Not now."

"Why because it would upset me again?"

"No because you're driving and I don't want you getting mad with 525 PS beneath you." I answer, my eyes still focused on the sky.

"Hey, look at me." he says to me, placing his hand on my right thigh and I do as he says, "I can control myself."

"Oh your car definitely approves." I say talking about the bump.

"Well, that was..."

"You being mad."

"But I am not mad at you."

"Oh really? You seemed awfully mad as you kept mumbling abusive words in French. Every now and then you would mention my name. You are mad at me."

"I am mad at Kelsi, that's all."

"And you're mother."

"Yes, I am a little mad at her as well."

"For what?"

"For raising a daughter like her." he says, pushing the gas pedal down.

"Troy," I say in a warning tone.

"I can control myself. Trust me. Do you trust me?" he asks me, taking my hand.

I nodd, "Yes. I trust you."

"Good." he says and kisses my hand. I feel my heart skip a beat as we lace our fingers together. He focuses his eyes on the road again and I observe him. He has such perfect hair. Such perfect lips. So beautifull eyes. He's caring and protective. He would never do anything to hurt me. He wouldn't even think that far. He would do anything to make me happy. To make me laugh. I have goofy smiles on my face when I see him. I blush whenever he makes a compliment to me. I feel my pulse rising whenever he looks at me. I want to feel his arms around me 24/7. I can't help but think of him all the time. I even dream about him!

"Fuck." I breath out.

"What?" he asks me confused, his dark blue orbs staring into mine. My pulse is rising again. My heart stops beating for a second as his eyes lock with mine. I feel my cheeks blush and look away.

"Nothing." I lie. Although, I know what's really going on.

I am in love with him.