Chapter 53
Julian
“Go get dressed, and you’ll find out.” Uncaring to her naked state, she throws the covers back, nearly knocking the stuff on the tray over and bounds from the bed. My eyes gravitate straight to her tight little ass, and an image pops into my head.
Her belly is full of my seed, her eyes bright, and her smile big. She’s looking at me like I’m the goddamn world.
The image makes my stomach twist with knots, and a bitterness fills my mouth. Love. That’s what that image looked like. Shaking the image from my head, I shove off the bed and pad into the closet as well. When I enter, she is half-dressed and bouncing with excitement.
I take my time dressing, wanting to drag out the anticipation. A pout forms on her pink lips as I button the last few buttons on my dress shirt.
“Patience isn’t your strong suit.” I chuckle.
“Not when you dangle the apple right in front of me. I’m curious by nature, and it’s not like you do nice things often.”
“Touché.” I grin.
Is this the new normal for us? The banter, and dare I say, flirting.
“It’s true, and you know it.”
I finish getting dressed under her microscopic eyes and unlock the door. Taking her hand, I lead her downstairs. As we pass the kitchen, I hear Marie and Celeste giggling at something. Elena curiously looks into the room.
I didn’t plan on stopping, but Elena looking so excited to see Marie has my legs locked in place. Stopping beside me, she looks up at me with a hopeful expression. I know even without asking what she wants. It’s been days since she got to interact with Marie, and she’s craving the attention of someone other than me.
I shouldn’t care, but her happiness means something to me, so I decide to give her what I know will make her smile with glee.
Clearing my throat, I get the two women’s attention. Startled, they both stop laughing, spin around, and stand up a little straighter when they realize it’s me. Marie’s gaze briefly flickers to my side to where Elena is standing, and a small smile tugs on her lips. When I look down at my soon to be wife, I find her waving her hand timidly.
“You two, come with us,” I order, and watch as both Marie’s and Celeste’s eyes grow wide with shock and apprehension. They probably think I’m going to murder them, or god knows what. Without waiting for their response, I start walking away, pulling Elena along with me.
“Where are we going? I’ve never been in this part of the house,” Elena murmurs, with a slight hint of worry in her voice.
“You’ll see.”
I don’t have to look to know that the two women are following us, I lead all three of them to the large sitting room in the east wing of the mansion.
As soon as we walk in, Elena gasps.
“I had planned to pick something for you to wear, but I thought you might want to choose for yourself.”
She doesn’t say anything, but the twinkle in her eyes says it all. She squeezes my arm, and I walk her inside to introduce her to the older woman waiting next to the racks full of white dresses.NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
“Margaret is a seamstress, the best, of course. You pick a dress, and she will make sure it fits perfectly on our wedding day.”
“Thank you,” Elena whispers before getting on her tippy toes and placing a light kiss on my cheek. The notion is so foreign and unexpected, I almost push her away.
“I’ve got some work to do. I’m going to leave you to it,” I say before leaning down and whispering into the shell of her ear. “Don’t do anything foolish. This room is heavily guarded, and I’m trusting you.”
She nods, my threat not stopping her from smiling widely.
I turn and find Marie and Celeste standing a few feet behind us. “Help her pick out a dress,” I tell them as I walk out of the door.
I already told the guards to keep an eye on her, so I’m not worried about her escaping. Still, it feels odd leaving her here. She’s done nothing on her own, not so much as shower usually. Anxiety worms its way through me as I enter my office.
Shaking my head, I need to remind myself that I can’t keep her locked up in our bedroom forever, no matter how enticing that thought is. I need to at least let her roam the mansion. I guess I didn’t know how hard even that would be.
Picking up the phone on my desk, I go through the contacts until Xander Rossi’s name pops up. Hitting the green button, I listen to the dial tone.
“Julian,” Xander greets me.
“Old friend, just making sure you got my invite.”
“I got the first one and the second one.” He chuckles. “Why a change of date last minute? Can’t wait to put that ring on her?”
“Something like that. I hope you’re still able to join us, even with the last minute changes.”
“Of course. We’re actually thinking about flying in tomorrow. I’d like to discuss something with you, and Ella is eager to meet your Elena. You know how she is.”
“Sure, why not.” Xander is one of the very few people I associate with that I actually trust. You could say we are almost friends. Definitely allies. The thought of Elena meeting him and his wife is oddly pleasant. Like I’m sharing part of myself with her.
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We hang up, and I lean back in my chair. In two days, I will be a married man, implementing the last steps in my plan for revenge. Part of me feels guilty using Elena, taking away her small chance at finding love or happiness, but then the image of my mother’s dead body fills my mind. The stab wounds in her chest and stomach.
Elena’s happiness is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things, and when this is over, maybe I can still give her a sliver of joy, but right now, the prize is Romero dead just like my mother. Revenge will be mine soon, so soon.