The teapot that came with its matching teacups had intricate flowery patterns on them in various pastel colors and curvy lines of gold that sparkled as the lighting in the room shone against it. The design felt romantic and extremely artistic at the same time. It was probably the most beautiful tea set that I had ever seen, and I knew instantly that it must be quite expensive as well.
“This tea set is extremely beautiful...” I complimented the tea set as I reached my hand to grab the handle of a teacup.
“Don’t touch it!” Anthony yelled loudly.
His sudden outburst and warning did not make any sense to me. My eyes widened as I turned to face him in absolute surprise. The handle of the teacup against the tips of my fingers felt smooth.
“Diana!” Anthony cried out in clear panic as he reached for my hand.
I was too shocked and confused at that point for me to be able to do anything. My mind failed to understand why Anthony was acting the way that he was or why it seemed like he didn’t want me to touch the teacup. The moment that Anthony yanked my hand away, the sound of something breaking filled my ears. I stared at the teacup that I had touched as cracks started to form and then deepen. Before I even understood what I was seeing, the teacup that was right in front of me broke into pieces.
“Ahh!” I let out a scream as the cup broke completely and the tea poured out to wet the table.
Why did the teacup break? All I did was touch its handle...
“Are you ok?” Anthony asked with evident concern.
“I’m fine...” I murmured as I tried to force my eyes away the shattered teacup to his face.
I could see and sense his genuine concern for my safety. Although I appreciated that fact that he worried about my safety, I couldn’t focus on the care that he was showing me. Instead, I wondered how I could have broken the teacup simply with a brief touch of my fingers.
Is this particular teacup extra fragile?
“Oh no...I am so sorry about this...” I apologized profusely when what had happened finally hit me.
It didn’t matter how I managed to break the teacup. The fact remained that I had just broken a teacup during my first official meeting with Anthony who is supposed to be my sister’s fiancé and the ticket for our family to remain financially viable. I felt my entire face go numb and then my hands were so icy cold that I couldn’t quite feel my fingers.
This is bad...
“Let me see your hands. Did you cut it anywhere?” Anthony asked as he frowned a little.
The weight of my mistake crushed down on me like I had just committed a heinous crime. I bit down on my lower lip as I started directing my anger toward myself. It felt like I had failed Diana because she would never make such a grave mistake like this.
“Show me your hands,” Anthony repeated again.
Since I was too pinned down by my worries to move, Anthony simply grabbed my hands in his and began inspecting them. His touch on my icy hands felt so warm and I found myself feeling surprised at how his touch seemed to comfort me.
“I’m fine, honestly. Thank you. I’m very sorry...” I mumbled.
“You don’t have to apologize. This isn’t your fault...” he said before he smiled at me.
Anthony’s smile was so beautiful that it felt blinding. His smile was so perfect, and it made me wonder if he was really smiling at all. All emotions seemed to have drained from his eyes and they appeared a few shades darker than before. I should have known that he must have felt mad or upset that I had broken the teacup even though he couldn’t directly show it.
“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry...” I whispered.
Before Anthony could say anything, the door to the room was opened with a loud sound. I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned toward the door. It felt like I had been caught red-handed in the act of stealing something. My lower lips quivered as I imagined the look on my parents’ faces when they find out about my untimely slip up.
“What happened in here? We heard such a loud sound...” Anthony’s mother inquired the moment that she walked into the room.
Everyone was suddenly back in the room as if on cue. Whatever paperwork that they had to settle must have been over and done with already. I cursed my lack of luck silently inside my head as our parents walked into the room followed by a couple of maids.
“Did something happen?” my mother asked as she narrowed her eyes slightly at me.
I felt a lump form in my throat and my lips suddenly felt very dry. It was obvious that everyone had realized that something had gone wrong. I took in a deep breath as I tried my best to gather my courage to admit to the fact that I had broken a valuable teacup.
“Oh my! What happened here? This...oh...this tea set...it’s...it’s one of our family heirlooms. How can such a thing happen?” Anthony’s mother cried out in panic as a look of utter shock overcame her face.
“It’s broken. How did this happen?” Anthony’s father asked as his eyes rested on us.
Their words told me that the situation was much worse than I had already anticipated. Not only was the teacup a valuable item, but it also happened to be one of the Vulkan’s family heirlooms. No wonder it looked so eye-catching, and Anthony seemed worried about using it. I wanted to scream and rip out my hair in my own frustration.
Why didn’t catch on to any of that?
Why did the maid serve tea to us in their family heirloom tea set?
“I...” I mumbled as I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
“I broke it,” Anthony announced bluntly.
--To be continued...