Chapter 35
CAESAR
Henry ushers Jayla into the office and I have to grab my table to keep myself firmly planted in my seat instead of flying across the room to ask if Amaya is alright.
She takes one look at Elle and a corner of her lips lifts in displeasure.
“Jayla. Please, sit. My mother and Elle were just leaving.”
“So you’re really going to send us away because of her?” Elle sneers. “How can you do this to your own mother? I wasn’t convinced before, but now, I really believe that that woman has bewitched you. I cannot put it past her to use her powers to trap a billionaire.”
Choosing to ignore Elle and my mother, Jayla is already walking towards the empty seat; but once she hears Elle’s statement, she stops, her entire body stiffening with rage.
Jayla turns in Elle’s diregion and says in an almost growl;
“Talk trash about my best friend one more time and watch me snatch that fake wig off your head. Try me, see what happens.”
To my surprise, Elle actually clamps her mouth shut, although she currently shoots daggers at Jayla with her eyes.
“I thought I heard him ask you to leave. What are you waiting for?”
“You have no right…”
Jayla takes one threatening step in her direction and fear flashes in her eyes. I watch, completely amused as Elle grabs my mother’s wrist and pulls her out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” She grunts triumphantly, turning and walking towards me.
“Do you have a job right now or are you interested in joining my team of bodyguards?” I ask as she takes her seat.
She purses her lips and mutters; “I’ll think about it.”
“You do realize that Elle is taller and much stronger than you.”
Jayla shrugs. “And what has that got to do with anything? I’d still beat the shit out of her if she ever stepped on my toes. Besides, who was that woman with her?”
My mood takes an instant nosedive and I wipe off every trace of amusement from my face. “None of your business, actually. Why are you here? Is there a problem?”
She gives me a suspicious look before reaching into her bag. “No there’s no problem. But I have something for you.”
She retrieves a folded piece of paper from her purse and hands it to me. My brain whirls with curiosity and suspicion as I unfold the paper and scan through it. The heading says;
-AGREEMENT TO ENFORCE THE WELL–BEING OF MISS AMAYA MILLER DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR
MARRIAGE.
I frown. “What is this?”
She looks me point blank in the face and says; “you’re supposed to sign that, Mr. Caesar. Seeing that I’m entrusting the well- being of my best girl into your hands, I need something to assure me that you’ll treat her well and she won’t suffer any
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emotional or physical abuse
This woman never ceases to amaze me.
“Did you even hire a lawyer to draft this?” I ask, reading the horribly constructed legal terminologies in the agreement.
“Nope. I couldn’t afford one. I just need your signature on the bottom line right there.”
I place the paper on the table between us and shake my head. “Does Amaya know you’re doing this?”
“Of course not. Amaya is too good to ask you for anything, including the assurance that you’ll treat her like the queen that she is during the course of this marriage. I’m here to ask for all of those things on her behalf.”
I lean back in my seat and regard her with a shuttered expression. “Do you really think I would hurt her?”
Jayla almost growls at me. “I met her bawling her eyes out in the dark throughout last night. You’re already hurting her Caesar. I just need you to assure me that she’s safe with you.”
“Amaya was crying?”
My wolf snarls as images of Amaya with her face streaked with tears fills my mind – and my wolf rarely ever makes an appearance
I get off my chair and pace to the windows overlooking the city. I feel restless. I’ve felt unimaginably restless for the past week. My wolf feels like it’s close to the surface. I can literally hear it growling beneath my skin.
“I cannot make any promises, but I can assure you that I’ll try my best to take care of her. She’ll be safe with me. No one will ever hurt her.”
“And what about you?” Jayla asks quietly. “Will she be safe from you?”
I fist my fingers until my nails dig into my skin.
Will Amaya be safe from me?
No. I don’t think so.
***
WEDDING DAY
I thought my nerves would cool down before the day of my wedding and this burning sensation beneath my skin would disappear. But what happens is the exact opposite.
I woke up early this morning after getting only two hours of sleep to the sounds of my wolf growling in my ears.
It feels like the day I turned eighteen and had my coming of age ceremony all over again. The day I first turned into a real werewolf.
Right now, I stare at my reflection in the floor–to–ceiling mirrors as my stylist arranges my cufflinks. Suddenly, the door is pushed open and Solomon walks in, already dressed in his navy blue three piece suit and blinding white shirt.
“Hello, soon–to–be married man.” He teases. “How do
you feel?”
“Great.” I manage to choke out.
Solomon rolls his eyes. “Sure, and I saw a little pink unicorn in the bushes last night. I can smell your nerves all the way from here. The great Caesar Manchester is nervous. I never thought I’d see the day.”
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Solomon is right to be surprised. I’ve played host in a hall filled to the brim with over two hundred of the world’s richest, most powerful men. I’ve addressed a room full of skilled army generals and undercover anti–terrorist assassins, but I never felt this nervous. What the hell is wrong with me?
Solomon comes closer and pats my back, looking into my eyes through the mirror.
“This woman has you fucked in ways I cannot even begin to explain, ways which you’ve refused to admit to yourself… and I can’t wait to see where this goes.”
He grins widely. “It’s safe to say that I’m Team Amaya.”
AMAYA
The Marabella Estate is everything I ever imagined and more. I didn’t get the opportunity to ogle the luxurious estate as much as I wanted because I was dropped off at my dressing suite in a thickly tinted limo, but from the few sights I was able to see, it’s like stepping into a different dimension.
It’s definitely worth the wo hundred million dollars that Caesar paid for it, although I’m still of the opinion that that amount was just outrageous.
Oh, and my dressing suite has an indoor swimming pool. I’d never heard of a “pool room” before today. I didn’t even know it existed. But my suite has a pool room and that pool is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
Right now, I’m standing in my dressing room, staring at my reflection in the mirror, my mouth hanging half open in utter disbelief.
“I look like a princess.” I whisper to myself.
“You sure do, baby!!”
I turn around to see Jayla saunter into the room, half dressed and clutching two confetti cannons.
“What are you doing with those?”
“Girl, do you know how hard I had to search to find these?” She asks, handing me one of the cannons.
“I asked all the staff and almost gave up until I opened my door this morning and found these two babies seated prettily in a basket right outside. The goddess is definitely in the business of answering prayers today.”
I shake my head. “Jayla, what do you intend to do with these?”
Her expression suddenly turns serious;
“Look, Amaya, I know you never wanted this marriage. I know you’re not happy and of course, that’s perfectly understandable. But this marriage is happening and the least we can do is make the best of it.
You’re gonna be married for the next two years, my girl, and I believe that alone deserves a blast of confetti.”
She positions her cannon in the air and continues; “at the count of three, we’ll blast our confetti to celebrate new beginnings. Okay?”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Okay.”
Jayla grins. “Great. Here goes nothing! One, two, three!!”
It all happens in a blur. One moment, we’re happily blasting our confetti, expecting a shower of shiny, colorful little paper. The next moment, after releasing the cannon, a strong metallic odor pierces the air and I watch in absolute horror as thick,
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blue powder erupts from the confetti cannon.
The powder lands everywhere
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in my hair, my wedding dress, my skin, everywhere! It even leaves horrible stains on all
the other wedding dresses on the rack.
Oh, goddess. This is bad…
O
