CHAPTER 1 - THE EFFIN' HELL

CECILIA'S POV

"Where are you? Call me." I lost count of how many times I called Frederick, my fiancée, today. He was supposed to pick us up for brunch at the Plaza hosted by my mom.

My mother is in the city and whenever she is back on the upper east side, a brunch is a must. Why? Well, only because she is the one and only Eleanor Astor-VanLeer, named the most talented and beautiful pianist known by many. She is the epitome of talent and beauty, and was married to the multi-billion business tycoon, the late Leonardo VanLeer--my dad.

Two powerful people who shaped an empire together. I was lucky to have them as my parents. They are my inspiration, especially my mom.

Sadly, it was only six years ago when my dad was taken away from us. This was also the time my mom retired and was splitting her time between charity work and the business my dad left behind. The VanLeer Industries, a leading New York City real estate conglomerate.

While it was sad to think their love was so short, my mom said it was still the best love ever. In fact, she has no plans of getting remarried or taking an interest in any gentlemen vying for her attention, even royalty! She was still young if you asked me, but she said my father set the standards so high that no one in this lifetime could match them. Unless my dad reincarnated or possessed someone else, replacing him was impossible.

They were young, and it was love at first sight. They met at The Royal Albert Hall in London for an exclusive charity ball hosted by the Royal Family. The prestigious Astor family was invited and requested my mom, who was already making a name at that time, to play for the queen.

My dad, the VanLeer billionaire heir, saw my mom and promised himself to do everything to make her his. He even said that someone as rare as her should be treated like a queen.

Though my mom was already used to being treated like royalty, since growing up in a prestigious and prominent Astor family, nothing beat the treatment my dad showed her. He really did make her feel like a queen, a rare jewel, a treasure.

My parents' love story is the reason I don't settle for less. Never. They are my reminder that this kind of love exists and I deserve to have it as well.

I know that I am worthy of that kind of love.

Thankfully I found mine. Frederick Harris, the son of Derek Harris, a hotel business tycoon in New York City, and Alicia Vanderbilt—yes, from a prominent family as well.

We were childhood friends and sweethearts. We were ten when he said he would marry me one day. And the moment I turned sixteen, one of Vanderbilt's family heirlooms--the Ruby diamond ring, was given to me to seal our engagement. It's not an arranged marriage at all, no, because our parents knew what Freddie and I have is true love.

Our love story was magical and it grew more beautiful as the years passed. Childhood sweethearts and soulmates. We shared an unbreakable bond, no matter the odds.

I gushed at the thought of us being together forever. Even though we're still young and in our teen years, I believed that nothing could ever come between us.

"Am I late?"

I sighed in frustration when it was not the person I was expecting. But still happy to see my best friend, Viv, finally decided to join the brunch after saying numerous times she would only try.

Vivienne Wildenstein comes from an affluent family just like Freddie and I. We all grew up together, and were known as the royals of Guilford Private School. We've been ruling, no, scratch that. It's only me because my self-righteous best friend refused to participate in the things I considered fun.

Ever since I stepped into this elite private school, I've been ruling and crowned as the queen. Please, as if I wasn't born for it. That didn't come off as a surprise really.

I am the type of person who always thinks I deserve the highest level of everything and should be treated as such. Why not, right? Self love is an important part of life, so I always remind myself that I am worth it and only deserve the best.

I've learned that from my parents.

Viv, however, is different in this regard. She thinks more maturely for her age. She's always been the voice of reason among us, and she's the one who usually offers the most sensible advice.

Vivienne, Freddie, and I were all raised with privilege, and we were used to getting what we wanted. But out of all of us, Viv was the most humble one--the down to earth. I just don't understand how a Wildenstein heiress can be like this in the world she lives in. In the fashion world and among socialites, their family is literally the center of everything.

But despite our different personalities, V and I have always been close--like sisters. We're not entirely different though. We're both rich, popular, and have an eye for the right things and people.

The only people we respect are those who have earned our respect and who share the same values, such as loyalty, friendship, and integrity with us.

"No, but Freddie is." I roll my eyes as I say this. "He hasn't answered any of my calls."

"Oh cheer up, C. Maybe he got caught up in something and can't get back to you right now. Instead of being grumpy, why don't we come to his place and surprise him instead?" Viv was doing her puppy dog eyes, trying to persuade me to agree with her plan. "Come on, Cece. Maybe something happened to him. Aren't you worried?"

Well, that was a valid point.

Honestly, I was starting to worry and I knew Viv was right, as always. Something might have happened to Freddie.

I always got a response from him, and he was never late.

And that was all I needed.

"Cora!" I called out Cora and asked her to arrange for a chauffeur to drive us to where Freddie was staying.

Oh Freddie, you better have a reasonable explanation for this.

* * * * * *

Freddie's house is undergoing another renovation, for the nth time now, in preparation for his mom's birthday. Alicia, who has impeccable taste in many things, always tell me the importance of making home a place where you love to be.

She's not wrong. Like her, I was a fan of putting love as a priority in everything I do.

If I love it, then it will definitely be on my list. If I don't love it, then it's not even worth considering.

Simple as that.

We finally arrived at the Harris Court Hotel where Freddie was staying. Since there was still no response from him, I was growing concerned that something had happened to him.

"Viv, he better be dead for this to be a valid reason. If not, I'm going to kill him."

Viv just laughed at my weird way of expressing my worries. "Relax, C. I bet he has a more valid reason for why he hasn't responded. But don't worry, I'll make sure he pays for this. Let's just go up and see if he's still alive." Vi, the voice of reason as always, got out of the car excitedly.

He better be. I said in my head before I stepped out of the car. Viv was blocking the way. She was just standing there like a statue.

She then turned to face me, "I bet he's not here."

I raised my brow at her, clearly starting to get cranky. "What do you mean? We haven't even stepped foot on the concierge yet. How do you know he's not here?"

As I was about to walk past her, she grabbed my arm and shook her head. "Let's just go straight to brunch, maybe he's there."

Something doesn't sit right. She tried to hide it, but I could tell something was wrong.

"You are acting weird, V."

Viv's face looked like she was struggling to keep her composure. She tried to maintain a brave face, but her voice quavered as she spoke. "I'm not acting weird," she said, but her body language suggested otherwise. "I just want us to go. We'll be late and your mom needs you there on time, right?

My lips twitched as I tried to suppress my suspicions. Something was wrong, and I wanted to find out what it was. I know I was generally stubborn, but if Vivienne say something, I always trust it. So, I decided to stay quiet and just follow her lead.

"Fine." I sighed. Just when I turned around, my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a certain someone I'd been looking for since this morning.

My eyes widened, almost unsure of what I saw.

I quickly gained my composure and slowly looked back to confirm my suspicions. Sure enough, there he was, Frederick Harris, my supposed to be fiance. Standing in the hotel courtyard with a blonde girl in his arms, kissing her even!

I felt my blood boil as I watched the scene unfold before me. I couldn't believe this was happening. How could he do this to me? Freddie? My childhood sweetheart? My supposed to be true love?

"What the effin' hell."

-END OF CHAPTER 1-

A/N: Hello Love! I'm excited to share this new story with you all! I hope you will enjoy it, too. This is like Must Date The Playboy meets She's in Love with A Geek in a Gossip Girl world setting!

Scheming, Revenge, Upper East Side, Enemies-to-lovers, HEA, Queenbee, love triangle, cheating, and more! Let me know what you think.

Thank you very much!