Alton Spencer was not aware of this, but he and Matilda Merryweather were arch enemies. From the time her friends had gotten together with their boyfriends, the elder Spencer had become a thorn in Matilda's side.

He was an elitist, arrogant, control-freak who thought it was his duty to protect Eric and Phil from "women who are unsuitable for them". From what Matilda had heard from Ursula and Mal—since she had never met the man herself—he was highly intelligent, very well connected and very cunning. He had been the one responsible for the one time Ursula and Eric had broken up back in college. 

Matilda still felt rage over how heartbroken both of them had been at being separated. It was just as well that they were fated to be together since not even the great Alton Spencer could go against fate. Still, the incident had cemented Alton as the worst being on the planet, for Matilda.

Alton Spencer had also been the one to tell Mal, on the eve of her wedding, that she should rethink her decision in marrying Phil. Mal's family were simple, working-class people while Phil's family were political elites with many members being prominent members of congress. Apparently, Alton had been very concerned that Mal was not making the right decision. Matilda still remembered how shaken Mal had been before her wedding and the pains Matilda and Ursula had taken to convince Mal that everything would be alright.

Despite her hatred for Alton Spencer, Matilda was still nervous about the lunch. According to Bas the man was very sharp and one had to be very careful with what information they revealed to Alton Spencer, since he could use it to his advantage.

Matilda worried about how he would treat someone like her. She hoped it would be with indifference. She wouldn't want a man like Alton to actually regard her as an enemy. Men like him could easily ruin commoner lives, simply for fun. Matilda almost suspected that he did actually ruin lives for fun, but right now she didn't want to think such thoughts. They would make her more anxious than she already was.

Feeling in need of comforting, she called up Mal and Ursula.

"I don't wanna look like an idiot. Ever since Bas invited me I've been so anxious that I can't eat anything." Matilda scrunched up her face as she held a plain tan dress in front of her to see how it would look in the mirror.

"Relax!" Mal's voice came from her phone that was lying on her bed, "You'll be fine. Just no suits."

Matilda held up another one of her plain old dresses. She didn't have many to begin with. "What's his deal with no suits? Bas told me the same thing."

"It's just not proper for a lunch. But don't go too casual either." Ursula elaborated. "He'll murder you if you show up in a t-shirt."

Matilda was tempted to dress as a hobo just to piss the elder Spencer off.

"What's he like in person?"

"Uhhh..." Mal trailed off.

"He's... nice..." Ursula sounded unsure.

"Come on guys! I'm really worried about this! Bas was acting really weird when he invited me. I don't think he actually wanted me to come."

"Well..." Mal said.

"Oh Alton's an asshole, isn't he? I'm totally screwed."

"Not really an ass..." Mal tried to interject.

"He's just... he notices everything you know. So you have to be careful about what you say and do in front of him."

"Wow. That really helps." Matilda deadpanned. Her stomach tying itself in knots.

"Relaaax. He might not even bother with you. He only likes rich people remember?"

"Right."

"Listen. I've gotta go. Phil is making me take these exercise classes for the baby. I'll see you on Saturday yeah?" Mal said. The gang's Friday dinner was off on account of the luncheon.

"Sure, Mal. See ya!" Ursula chimed.

"See yaa!" Matilda added.

An awkward pause passed between Matilda and Ursula as Matilda tried to come up with something to continue their chat. Conversations were easier when there was three of them. But when Matilda was left with either one, she found herself struggling to talk.

"You know I'm surprised Mal didn't start ranting about Alton." Ursula said.

"I know, right?"

"She hates the guy. Hates his guts."

"I want to punch Alton Spencer in the face for what he did to her." Matilda said.

"Okay, don't actually do that."

Matilda made a face that Ursula didn't get to see. "I know. I was kidding. I still wish I didn't have to meet this guy."

"Yeah well, he's Bas's brother. We can't exactly ignore him." Ursula sighed, "Okay Till, I gotta sign off too. Don't worry too much about Alton, okay? You'll be fine."

Matilda doubted it. She wanted to attend this luncheon even less now. But she had already said yes and saying no to Sebastian was never her strongsuit.

She rifled through her closet, hoping to find something suitable and "proper". The best she could come up with was a white, knee length, stretch-crepe dress. It was the least worn dress she had.

This is it I suppose.

Matilda hated the thought of meeting her arch enemy, but Ursula was right, he was Sebastian's brother. One of the only two people who were his family, the other being his younger sister Ophelia. Sebastian never talked about it, but he had lost his parents when he was fifteen. None of the gang discussed it either. 

*************

Sebastian's brother owned a townhouse in Market Nickering, one of the classy areas of the Upper Fielding district. Sebastian had described it as a small, quaint place but when Matilda arrived to the house she whispered, "Lying bastard," to herself. The place was anything but small or quaint. It was a six storied, elaborate beaux-arts style house with limestone and red brick façade. The center entryway was white with a black iron gate.

Sebastian, Phil and Eric stood outside, a little down the sidewalk, laughing at something Phil had just said. Phil was smoking. Eric and Bas didn't smoke but they often joined Phil outside when he needed a breather. They greeted Matilda when they saw her approach.

"Hey! We were just talking about you." Phil said with a grin, crushing his cigarette butt under his heel.

"Oh really? What about me?"

"Just that it's nice that you and Bas have finally taken this to the next step." Eric put his arm around Phil's shoulders, both grinning.

"You guys are idiots." Sebastian said.

"Aw, look Eric, Bas is being shy." Phil teased.

"We think it's super important to meet the family before tying the knot." Eric nodded mockingly.

"Don't joke around like that in front of my brother okay?" Bas warned them. "Shit's gonna to hit the fan if you do."

"Aw." Phil cooed, "Bas is worried about introducing his girlfriend to his scary big brother."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Matilda waved her hand dismissively, "Let's meet this brother of yours. Then we can make sweet love back at my place." She winked at Bas who chuckled. His cheeks were a little red and Matilda tucked that picture away, with the thousands of his pther little expressions that he made.

The foursome turned towards the house and then stopped in their tracks. On top the steps that led to the main door, stood a blond haired, bespectacled man. He leaned effortlessly against closed front door, his delicate hand resting on the doorknob.

Matilda blinked. She recognized the man.

"Riley?" She asked. Sebastian turned to her and gave her a strange look.

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "We've met before." He said with an affected speech that commonly denoted fine breeding and a cultured upbringing.

"Yeah. Do you remember me?"

"No." He snapped. It was like a thwack on the face. He looked at the boys. "Sebastian, Eric, Phil. Come inside, would you? Your dates are missing you." He went inside without even a glance towards Matilda.

The boys looked at each other like naughty school children who had just been scolded as they followed Alton inside. Sebastian fell back in line with Matilda.

"How'd you know his name was Riley?" He whispered to her.

"That's the name he gave me. I didn't know that he was Alton."

"Alton's his middle name. He prefers it because it's sounds classier than Riley."

Matilda only responded with raised brows and nothing else. She felt suddenly very conscious of the obnoxious clacking sound her heels made on the hardwood floor. They went through the entry way that had a staircase to the right, and to the left, a wall lined with photos of Sebastian and his family that led into the inner rooms on the ground floor.

Matilda looked at the pictures. Most of them were Sebastian and his younger sister Ophelia. A Recent one showed the two of them at some exotic, rocky location, one picture was taken at some important gala dressed to the nines, and another one at some red carpet event.

Then there were photographs from back in the day: Sebastian and Ophelia smiling at the camera with missing teeth, a baby Ophelia between Sebastian and Alton, the three of them in front of their childhood home with their mother and father, Alton and Sebastian as babies in their mother's arms, the wedding photo of their parents, Sebastian's high school graduation picture, Ophelia with her cat in her lap.

In his younger years, Bas had sported a bowl cut which, coupled with his braces and geeky glasses made him look like the perfect target for bullying. Which he had been. Sebastian had once admitted to Matilda how difficult a time he had had as a teen and how insecure about himself. He had felt like he existed in the shadow of his popular older brother. 

"Girls often used me," Sebastian had said, "just to get close to Alton. I would always think they were into me but no, they were into him." 

Looking at the pictures now, Matilda saw no evidence of this. Even in his nerdy childhood, Matilda felt he looked better than anyone.

Those high school girls were idiots. How could someone not have a crush on that loveable dork? She thought as she saw the picture of Sebastian swinging from a low tree branch, braces revealed in his generous smile.

In the living room, Mal and Ursula were already seated on couches that lined the opposite walls. Eric went to Ursula, Phil went to Mal. They all sat on the ends of the couch, leaving plenty of room between them. It felt inappropriate to just go and sit between them so Matilda aimed for the L shaped sofa in the farther corner.

A butler appeared out of nowhere to take her coat. She awkwardly gave it to him. She stepped towards Alton to give him the wine bottle that she had bought. It was the most expensive item that she could afford but judging by the luxuriously decorated house, it was still cheap.

"Um, I got this for you. Thank you for inviting me." Matilda told Alton who looked at her with brows raised. The man had very enviable brows. They were delicate and arched beautifully on his face. He flicked his eyes to the butler.

The butler took the paper bag from Matilda and she handed it to him, feeling idiotic and lost. Already, she felt like she did not belong there. She forced herself to stay calm and took a seat after greeting Mal and Ursula.

Alton stood by the ornate fireplace, resting his wrist on the mantle gracefully. "So, where were we?" He began and continued the conversation he had interrupted to fetch the boys. Since Matilda was sitting the farthest from Alton, she missed some of what was being said. She looked to Mal and Ursula for help. Both sat by their respective lovers in a poised manner. Their poses were unnatural to how they usually were. Ursula even had her ankles crossed like a princess. They were engaging with Alton as if they could follow what he was going on about and even spoke in that tailored manner that he carried. 

Matilda also noticed that her friends weren't dressed in their regular clothes but rather very chic, and expensive looking dresses. Her own dress, worn and overused, looked drabby by comparison. Besides Eric and Phil, who both wore a formal jacket over informal shirts, the women looked like they belonged there. They looked expensive, upper class.

Matilda unconsciously curled her fingers in a nervous fist.

The discussion was about the economy. Matilda was not learned about such subjects. All she knew was inflation meant high prices and good economy meant more jobs. She had never learned the buzzwords everyone seemed to use. Eric and Phil however, were animatedly participating in the discussion, talking about the current tax rates and relaxations and how they were affecting the cost of production. Matilda couldn't make heads or tails.

"But that is relevant to the industries relying on production of tangible goods and services. What about the service industry like Software? That is mostly labor intensive. Miss Merryweather, don't you work at a tech firm? Care to share your thoughts?"

Matilda was suddenly aware that Alton was referring to her.

"You call me Matilda." She offered politely. Alton didn't respond and she realized he was waiting for her answer. The worst thing she could say was that she didn't know. Motivational speakers often advised that one should admit when they lacked knowledge on something but that was bullshit. If you didn't know the answer, you had to make something up. The world had no place for people without answers.

But what could she say? She had to be quick. Everyone was staring. Had she read something about this in the papers? Or did one of her bosses mention something about taxes? The longer she waited, the more awkward the silence got.

She gulped, "I'm sorry I don't know."

"You don't know how the current fiscal policies are affecting your own company?" The way Alton posed the question made Matilda feel like she had committed a crime. It felt like another slap in the face, to the point where Matilda felt sore.

"Neither do I, Alton." Sebastian cut in. "But the point isn't about what happens to labor intensive markets." Matilda exhaled in relief as the others went back to their conversation, ignoring her. Matilda wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

She looked at Alton, standing all smug and arrogant. From head to toe the man oozed arrogance. From his perfect posture, to his graceful gestures, to the properly enunciated syllables in each word. Even the way he shook his head in disagreement felt arrogant. As if he was too important. A King who would not deign to care for anything and anyone.

Matilda hated him.

She recalled the first time she had met him or rather, when she had met Riley. She had not realized it then, but seeing him now made it obvious how much he resembled Sebastian. Same upturned nose, same high, flat cheekbones, same swoop of the mouth though Alton's lips were thinner. They even had the same cut of the eyes though Alton's were blue and sharper, more scrutinizing even when shielded by thin rimmed, round, metal glasses.

Despite their many similarities, Matilda could easily notice many differences as well. Alton Spencer seemed more groomed and manicured. His curls framed his face in a more deliberate manner while Sebastian's hair was more naturally styled and wavy. Sebastian was a head taller than Alton, and more well-built.

There were other differences, internal ones. Where Bas was a warm summer with his chocolate hair and eyes, and tanned skin, Alton Spencer was winter; cold, harsh and colorless. Pale blonde hair, icy blue eyes and pale, sallow skin. Sebastian seemed affectionate with his open smile. Alton spencer was sharp and pointy like a blade.

After a while of trying to maintain proper posture where she sat, Matilda slouched backward. Everyone was too busy with Alton to notice her anyways. But this wasn't a good thing. It made her feel out of place and unwanted. She fiddled around with the hem of her dress, having nothing else to do.

"You wore the white one," Sebastian came over and sat by her as Alton droned on with Phil and Eric.

"I'm starting to think I'm under dressed." Matilda said quietly. She felt she would be too loud in this place of she spoke at her normal volume.

"Nah. It's perfect." Sebastian gave her arm a little squeeze and Matilda have him a grateful, shy smile. "Makes you look angelic."

"Uh huh?" she said dripping with sarcasm.

"Ignore my brother. He's an ass and his opinions don't mean anything."

"I know."

"And you look nice."

"Thank you."

A pause. Despite Bas coming over to sit with her, Matilda still felt awkward.

"You think Mal and Phil ever role play as a lawyer and a criminal at home when they get it on?"

"Pfft! What?" Matilda laughed too loudly and the room fell silent, everyone looking at her. She quickly straightened up and everyone went back to their own little bubble. She smacked Sebastian on the arm.

"Why would you say that?" she hissed in the lowest possible voice.

"You looked so awkward. I wanted to snap you out of it." Sebastian whispered back.

"I have that image in my head now!" Matilda said with a suppressed stream of giggles. Sebastian grinned triumphantly.

And that was all it took to make Matilda feel at ease and one of the gang again. She wasn't unwanted. Sebastian wanted her there. These were the things that made Sebastian so magnetic. True, his beautiful face was also a factor. But Matilda felt that it was his personality that was his winning trait. He could tell she was nervous, he had paid attention. Attention would make any girl feel special.

If only he could stick his attentions to one girl, permanently. Preferably a girl who was also a witch.

They both sat in silence as Alton, Eric and Phil droned on. Even Mal and Ursula had left their talk and had relocated next to each other to gossip in hushed tones.

"Alton makes everything sound so boring don't you think?"

"I thought you cared about that sort of thing." Sebastian was someone who kept himself updated about all latest national developments and would often engage in heated debates about governmental policies.

"I do. But this, this is just pretentious." He pointed his thumb towards his brother. "They don't actually care about what happens. But because you're rich you have to talk about things like that otherwise you're not considered to have good tailoring."

"Forget about it then. Talk to me instead." She bumped her shoulder to his arm. Sebastian smiled.

"Lunch is served," the maid announced.

The group slowly moved towards the dining area on the upper floor. Alton stood with his arm extended to welcome them upstairs. Eric and Phil moved in the front, Mal and Ursula followed behind. As Matilda reached him, Alton sharply put his arm down and walked ahead, cutting her off from everyone else.

It was a tiny thing, one that when pointed out would seem like an exaggeration. But Matilda felt like she was being told she was not one of them. And it hurt.

The upper area had a massive dining space with another living room in the corner. Dark blue walls were coupled with a white roof and pillars. The furniture was all dark wood accented by white cushioning. A different maid was laying out food for them on the table.

Everyone took their seat soundlessly but a loud screech sounded when Matilda pulled her chair out. She made an apologetic face to Alton's sharp glare. 

Lunch was delicious. There was chicken, ham, lamb, and the vegan variety of items Matilda did not know the name of, prepared in dishes Matilda couldn't pronounce. Matilda looked to others for cues on how to act and which cutlery to choose since there seemed to be a dozen different sized spoons, knives and forks. Matilda was only used to using a simple knife and a fork. Spoon was only for soups.

When did Mal and Ursula get etiquette lessons and why didn't they give me some? She thought sulkily when she looked to her friends who clearly knew what they were doing. Sebastian, who had taken the seat facing her, picked up on Matilda's hesitation. The minute she glanced at him he gave a quick wag of his brows and glanced downward.

Just follow me, the gesture implied. So she did. She did mess up a few times when she tried to cut into the chicken and the small piece flew off her plate and in Sebastian's face but he just quietly chuckled. The chicken slid down his cheek, onto the corner of his lips from where he took it in his mouth and chewed with a grin. Then he quickly wiped off the sauce before anyone noticed what had happened.

After lunch everyone returned to the living room adjacent to the dining area where desert was served and enjoyed, lounging in the beautiful room.

This part had walls lined from top to bottom with paintings. Some of them looked old, expensive and authentic. Matilda could only recognize the Monet but expected the rest to be the work of some famous artist or the other. All of them were nature centric. There were rarely people in any of them.

On one side, the wall had French doors that opened into a balcony. They were open now and the cool, fall breeze was floating in. The group continued their discussions but Matilda slipped onto the balcony. She peered onto the vibrant street below. In this part of town, the houses were colored in different pastel shades that made it look like a row of candy houses. The sky was pink as well, making the scenery a fantasy like feeling.

She felt Sebastian walk up behind her and she smiled. For some reason goosebumps rose on her arms. It was probably the breeze, she reasoned.

"Despite his demeanor, I think your brother has good taste in art. Art and houses. This place is amazing."

"Thank you for the compliment. Although I do not understand what you mean by despite my demeanor."

It was said with the pretense of politeness, but there was a hard edge to it. She kept her eyes on the view and put on a bored face. She reminded herself she was a witch and had nothing to fear from some spoiled rich man.

"I thought you were Sebastian." She turned.

"I gathered." He came forward and leaned beside her on the railing, his elbow placed delicately on the ornate metal.

"What are you doing here?"

"Getting right to the point." He said approvingly. Thin lines appeared on his flat cheeks as he gave a sardonic smile.

"What else would I say to you?"

He smacked his lips, "What exactly do you do Miss Merryweather?"

Matilda was confused. "What?"

"Your job."

"I'm a Business Analyst."

"So you studied Business in school?"

"Yes."

"Which college?"

Was this an interview? "Kinghaven. Same as Bas."

Alton's brows flicked up in surprise. "Isn't that a little too expensive for you?"

Matilda started, "Wow, that's rude."

"I prefer being straightforward over being polite."

"But just with me, I'm guessing," She gave him a dirty look. He remained undeterred, not denying her statement. "It was expensive. I'm still paying off my loans." She wasn't but it seemed more plausible that she would still be in debt. After graduation she had her loan records magically removed. Her mother would have killed her for that but she figured she deserved a good education at least.

"Were you the first person in your family to attend college?"

"Yeah..." Matilda was unsure of where he was taking this.

"Your family must be proud of you."

Matilda bit her tongue to keep herself from saying that she wasn't really in touch with her family. Dysfunctional family was another point that went against her and she didn't need Alton to have any arsenal against her.

"And where do you work?" He asked.

"You don't know? Bas and I work together."

This was a surprise to him, "You do?" He looked back into the room where the gang were chatting merrily. "Funny he never mentioned it."

Matilda blinked. It was one thing that she never met Alton till now, but it was quite another that Bas didn't talk about her to his family.

"Well... we do. I work at the same company he does."

"Hmm. And what is the scope of your designation? Do you manage a team? Lead a department?"

"No, I just... do the work my boss assigns me. I don't manage anybody." Unless he counted Cara but managing her was more a consequence of being seated at the same desk.

"Hmm. And what do you do besides work?"

"Are you interviewing me for a job, dude?"

Alton made a disapproving face. Matilda inwardly chided herself for calling him a dude. Clearly the word did not suit his royal highness.

"I am simply trying to understand why my brother is wasting time with you."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know that Sebastian had scholarship offers from many reputable universities? He turned them down because he wanted to stay close to home, close to our sister. And even for his job, he had many opportunities to work in a real company. One with actual presence in the stock market and multinational credibility. He only chose to work at your little start up--"

"--it's not a start up--"

"--because he claimed he wanted to make it on his own instead of depending on my contacts. Imagine that." Alton said as if he didn't believe Sebastian's audacity. "My brother has been educated from the top schools of this city, Miss Merryweather. He speaks six languages and before college he spent an entire year in Italy studying art and music. Have you heard his interpretation of Rachmaninoff?"

"No, I have not." Matilda said plainly.

"Oh it's wonderful. You should request it some time. My point is, I did not afford my brother the best that life has to offer simply so he could squander his time with—"

Matilda raised her hand, "What exactly do you think is going on between me and Sebastian?"

"Are you going to act like you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"He hasn't left your side all day, and when he has, you have kept looking at him... in a certain manner. No, don't make that face." Matilda was squinting her eyes in disbelief, brows furrowed, "I can tell when a woman is in love with my brother."

"Every woman is in love with your brother."

"Precisely," he gave a dry smirk, the word slithering from his mouth like the hiss of a snake. His teeth were small and sharp which, while made for a beautiful smile, made him all the more menacing. Matilda held the blank, disinterested look on her face.

"Woah, woah, woah. Sebastian and I are just friends." Matilda put her hands up like a criminal being told to freeze.

"I am positive that makes for a compelling argument for those who would believe it. But forgive me for not buying into your claims when I can plainly see that you two are involved." He said it with such an authoritative attitude that she almost doubted herself.

"Ask Sebastian. He and I are not--"

"Of course he will deny it. He knows I would definitely not approve of this." He looked at her repulsively. Matilda scowled at his gaze.

"You are misunderstanding the situation Riley—"

"It's Alton." His jaw tensed a little and Matilda's mouth quirked. He disliked being called by his first name.

"Rye-lee," she said deliberately, stretching the word to his irritation. His eyes flicked to her mouth, probably wishing he could tape it up. "I think you're jumping to conclusions without understanding the entire situation." She said slowly.

"And I think you are a liar who latches on to wealthy men in order to get them to buy you nice things."

"Now wait a minute."

He spoke over her, the edge in his voice sharpening with each word, "Just look at you. You're dressed in shabby clothes, you've contributed nothing intellectual in any conversation we have had all day, your table manners are appalling and even the wine you've brought is likely to be too cheap for my dogs. You are way out of your league, Miss Merryweather. So why don't you do yourself a favor and stay away from my brother?"

She looked at him, looked into his eyes. They seemed normal. Human. And yet she felt he was the last person she would call that. A picture popped into her head. Alton Spencer perched on a throne; one hand lazily placed over the armrest while the other held his bored, tilted chin. An over exaggerated crown adorning his pompous head. A spoiled brat who thought he ruled everything.

A king with a heart of ice.

She blinked and a thick, hot tear escaped her eye, much to her surprise. Her cheap mascara ran down with it. Alton appeared unaffected by this. She angrily wiped her cheek, ashamed that she could be reduced to tears by just words. The confrontation felt like too much, she walked away but stopped at the balcony entrance.

Alton Spencer didn't get to make her feel this way. He didn't get to make her feel small and unwanted. He didn't get to walk all over her. She was a witch. She could turn him into a toad if she wanted to. And she really wanted to.

She swiveled around on her heels and carried an angry, almost evil smile. With the mascara now smudged around her right eye, it looked positively maniacal. She walked up to him, and slammed her hands on the railing, one on each side. He backed up uncomfortably. 

She spoke, with an even voice that slowly grew sinister. "Listen bud, you may think you know everything, but you don't know courtesy, or kindness. I doubt you even have a heart to begin with. But your brother does. The only reason he stuck by my side today was because you were being an ass and he felt bad about it. Don't worry about what feeling bad about something means. Your pathetic little brain probably can't compute that." Her smile had now stretched into a venomous grin, each word was carefully spat out.

"And I'm sure you're just drawing your conclusions from what you heard outside. Rest assured that was just a joke. You can ask Eric and Phil if you don't believe me."

Her breathing was rough from all the rage she was feeling. Alton Spencer blinked rapidly. He hadn't expected Matilda to be someone like this.

"And don't think I didn't notice how you excluded me from every conversation and kept me away from everyone else. I did. And so did your brother. You may not get this, but your brother was just being nice. And, let me say this slow enough for you to understand, I am not stupid enough to mistake kindness for in-ter-est. Did you get that? Want me to repeat it?" She tilted her head in mock innocence.

Alton gulped and Matilda's crazy demeanor only grew more gleeful, "Good."

She backed up and saw him let out a shaky breath, though he did it in such a measured way that anyone without an eye for detail would have missed it.

For a second, she felt bad. Sure, Alton had been a douche, but that didn't mean she should have returned the favor. Her reputation as being curt and harsh tongued echoed in her mind. She bit her lip and continued in a more calm manner.

"Look. I'm not trying to make enemies here. Sebastian is a good person. And I'd like to have him around. As a friend. I don't know that many good people so sue me if I want to keep at least one good guy around."

Alton's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You have nothing to worry about. Sebastian doesn't like me that way." Matilda thought of Kat and felt a little deflated. "He won't ever like me that way. If this lunch has proven anything, it is that I am completely out of my depth here. I mean I don't even know how to use your spoons correctly. So you're right, I don't belong in this classy house, at this classy luncheon... I don't belong with Sebastian."

She leveled her eyes against his and hoped he got that she meant what she said. But his expression gave nothing away. He remained silent. Not having anything else to say, she went straight through the living room and to the bathroom, ignoring the stares from the gang who were surprised to see Matilda storm out of the balcony.

Her face was still a little red. There were remnants of mascara on her cheek and around her eyes. In the light of the bathroom mirror, her little white dress looked shabbier than when she had put it on. There was no spell to make it less shabby, there was no spell to make her more refined, there was no spell to make her rich.

There was no spell to make her good enough for Sebastian Spencer.