Chapter 29
AMAYA
One minute, I’m looking into Caesar’s bottomless eyes and the next, I’m pressed tightly against his chest, wondering what the hell is going on as I feel my feet slowly leave the ground.
It takes me a moment to realize that Caesar is lifting me towards one of the closed doors on the empty hallway. That’s when I start to panic
“Wh–where are you taking me?” I stutter. “Phit me down right now! Let go!”
Caesar says nothing, intently focused instead on making sure I do not escape his fierce grip. By the time we get to the door. I’ve fought and struggled away almost all of my energy-
Caesar steps into the room and slams the door shut. My heart drops to the bottom of my stilettos when I hear him turn the key in the lock.
“I’ll scream. I swear I’ll scream this whole place down if you don’t let me out right now.”
He calmly and gently drops me atop the only table in the room, then steps back and starts taking off his tie, all the while keeping his eyes trained on me.
will hear you. But “This is my office.” He deadpans. “I don’t work well with even the slightest bit of noise, so I asked Solomon to make this room soundproof when I first started working here. Why am I telling you all of this? If you scream, no one wi you’re welcome to try,”
I stare at him incredulously, not bothering to hide my anger.
“Why are you even doing this? All of this? You got what you wanted, didn’t you? I didn’t get the job. What the hell do you still want from me?”
His eyes darken as he finally slides the silk tie off his neck and takes a step in my direction.
“You know what I want, Firefly.”
Despite the fact that that name calls to something deep within me, I frown anyways.
“Don’t call me that.”
“No.”
Damn, this man is mule–headed as hell.
I bare my teeth at him. It’s either that or I burst into tears over the loss of a job opportunity that I didn’t even deserve in the first place. And I’m not crying in front of this man Never.
“Let Me. Go.”
“I told you I was willing to play dirty to get what I want. I was not joking.”
I scoff sarcastically. “I wonder what gave it away? The fact that you told Solomon about my babies behind my back, or the fact that you have me trapped in this goddamn office, I really wonder.
T’expect him to lash out at me. Instead, one corner gorgeous this man truly is.
of his lips lifts in a half–smile and I’m left awestruck at just how utterly
“That
t smart mouth. I swear to
the goddess, Amaya, you make me crazy”
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Chapter 29
I frown at him:
“You say that like it’s a good thing”
Something flashes in his eyes. Something dark.
“If you were someone else, the entire pack would’ve found your utilated body by the river bank tomorrow night.” My blood runs cold at the seriousness in his tone. To crown it alloff, he keeps walking towards me, slowly but surely “S–stop there.” I mumble, hating how shaky my voice sounds. “I’m warning you. Don’t come any closer.”
He doesn’t listen.
My heart is on the verge of thudding out of my ribcage as he pauses in front of me. Before I can react or even fight back, he grabs both my wrists and slams them together, wrapping his silk tie around them.
“What the hell are you doing?!” I squeal, trying to wrestle my wrists from his grip.
He’s too strong. Caesar’s face is a mask of concentration as he proceeds to ensure that I’m tied up securely. When he’s done. he steps back to inspect his work with a smirk of satisfaction.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you have a tendency of using your hands on me when you’re upset. I want to make sure no one gets hurt for the duration of this talk”
I’m boiling. Only the goddess knows what I’d do to this man if he released me right now.
“What. Do. You, Want?
His eyes narrow angrily. “What I did was for your own good, Amaya…
I finally explode..
“No, it wasn’t! It was for your own selfish gain! I just…” I take a deep breath, trying to gain a better control of my emotions. 1 just wish you’d leave me alone. Is that too much to ask?”
He’s quiet for a moment, but those eyes do all the talking. And they’re saying that he’s going to do the exact opposite of what I’ve just asked.
“Marry me, Amaya. That’s all I ask. Marry me and I’ll make sure you never have to work or worry about money again. Our marriage will only last for two years. After that, you’re free to do whatever you want”
“Do you really think everything is about money?” I ask angrily. “You can buy the entire world with your money, Caesar, but you’ll never be able to buy me. I agreed to your stupid contract once and what did you do? You accused me without evidence and kicked me out of your house. I will not put myself or the people I love through that kind of humiliation ever again. I hope you understand.”
He opens his mouth to speak but just then, the shrill sound of my ringtone pierces the air.
Caesar looks from me to my bag. With a low curse, he picks up the pink purse and rummages through it in search of the phone.
He finally finds it and pulls it out. When he looks down at the caller ID, the coldness in his eyes becomes a fucking icicle
“Why is he calling you?” He growls, giving me a death glare.
I frown, totally confused. “Who?”
“Fucking Pierce.” Caesar responds in an almost growl.
Chapter 29
Why is he calling me? My eyes widen in horror when Caesar answers the call and puts it on speakerphone.
“Hello, Pierce?” He all but snarls. “Amaya is a hit busy at the moment, I’m afraid. You’ll have to call her back.”
There’s a slight scuffle on the other end of the line. Suddenly, Jayla’s frantic, high pitched voice comes over the speakers;
“Amaya, where the hell are you? You need to come to the hospit immediately! Neveah is in danger!”
I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my entire life. I remember when I first got pregnant and almost went into depression because I’d thought I would never make a good mom. I thought I would never be able to form a bond with my babies or love them like I was supposed to. But here I am, cold, shivering, and overthinking about the state of my son. The moment Jayla said that Neveah had been admitted to the hospital, I went into shock. I was literally glued to the table. All I remember is Caesar taking his tie off my wrists and asking I was okay, if I could hear him. He had to lift me into the car and right now, my left hand is firmly clasped in his while he speeds towards the New City Hospital.
“He’s fine.” I hear him whisper over and over. “Everything will be okay.”
I subtly register that his presence is strangely comforting, but the greater part of my mind is already at the hospital with my
We arrive at the hospital exactly fifteen minutes later in a flurry of squealing tires, I snap my seatbelts off and push my door open even before the car comes to a stop.
“Amaya! Calm down, damnit!” Caesar calls after me. I don’t listen
I run off into the building barefoot, totally forgetting about my stilettos.
I grab the first nurse I can find and burst into tears before I even start speaking:
“I’m looking for my son, please. He’s just a baby. Please…”
The kind nurse wraps her arms around my shoulder and slowly leads me down the hall. “A baby boy was rushed here over thirty minutes ago. The doctors are working on him as we speak. The people who brought him are in front of the ICU.”
My entire vision is blurred with tears and I have no idea where we’re going. Suddenly, someone screams my name. Jayla.
“Amaya! Over here!”
I wipe my eyes and finally spot her standing a few feet away. Unable to speak, I give the nurse a grateful nod and sprint in Jayla’s direction. The first thing I notice when I’m standing in front of her is how utterly distraught she looks. Her eyes are red–rimmed and her cheeks are streaked with tears. Jayla barely ever cries. If she’d cried today, it would mean the situation is more serious than I thought.
“What happened to him?” I sob, taking her hands in mine. “What happened to my baby?”
“I don’t know.” Jayla whispers with a voice that’s filled with guilt. I’d just put him down for a nap after feeding him and all of sudden, he started screaming his head off and turning blue. Pierce helped me to rush him here. I’honestly don’t know what happened. This is all my fault.”
ו.
I shake my head frantically and pull her against my chest, patting her back softly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Jayla Neveah is a strong little man. He’ll be okay. Where’s Heaven?”
“She’s napping in the hospital’s nursery.” Jayla says with a sniffle have the baby monitor with me.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. After two minutes of just standing there, shaking in each other’s arms. I hear Pierce’s voi
hind
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Chapter 29
“Miss Amava?”
I turn to see him hurrying towards us. “I’m very sorry I had to go back and close the inn because there was no one to man the front. Is he okay?”
Overcome with gratitude, I smile at him. “Thank you so much for helping us out. We haven’t heard from the doctor yet so we can’t tell if he’s okay right now.”
He nods and to my surprise, opens his arms to me. “Come here I’ll give you a hug. It’ll help you feel better.”
Jayla and I exchange surprised glances. To avoid looking ungrateful, I step away from my best friend and walk into his arms, surprised at how relieved I feel when he cradles my head against his chest.
“Don’t you feel much better?” He whispers against my
I shut my eyes and nod. “Yes, I do. Thank you.”
“Let go of her, right now
I instinctively shove my head away from Pierce’s chest, my stomach tightening with dread when I see the murderous glare
on Caesar’s face.
Caesar is just about to say something more when the ICU doors swing open and a doctor appears, garbed in white overalls.
Who amongst you is the child’s parent?”
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