Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Ethan held my arms tighter. “Maya?”
Then, the waiter took out a long black box.
Wait.
I recognized it immediately. “Oh. It’s the diamond rose.”
Ethan blinked. “What? How did you know that?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I waved his comment away. “Just ignore me.”
Ethan took the box from the waiter. “Only three people knew about the diamond rose—my jeweler, my new assistant Jackson, and me. That’s it.”
The waiter left us.
I scanned the place searching for other waiters.
“Maya?”
I turned back to him. “Yes.”
“Which one of them told you?”
“None.”
“Are you protecting them?” He frowned. “I really wanted this to be a surprise, not for you to already—”
“No one told me.” I let out a long breath. “I guess I can just tell you now. It won’t matter anyway. This whole moment will probably repeat itself once again if I get killed.”
“Killed? Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes. That’s another long story.”
“I don’t quite understand, but no one will hurt you tonight.” He tenderly took my hand and led me away. This time his pace was faster than before. “We’ll go to my office where I know you’ll be safe.”
I snorted.
He frowned. “What?”
“Just make sure none of your waiters come in.”
“I will.”
“No champagne or anything. In fact, we should lock the doors.”
“Whatever will make you feel comfortable.”
Goodness.
He should have thought I was crazy, not try to protect me. For all he knew, there was no threat to my life at all. Instead, he chose to believe me and try to protect me.
My heart warmed.
God. . .please don’t let me die anymore. . .I want to love him. . .and feel his love all over me.
Chapter 9
A New Strategy
Ethan could help me find this killer. It was his property and waiters. Surely, he had access to any security footage on the property.
The main problem was how could I convince him that there was a real threat against me, when the waiter hadn’t tried to kill me yet? Even more. . .how much could I tell him?
Shit.
It doesn’t matter. That’s what I truly had to understand. What happened in this moment could be tweaked or changed in the repeat. I didn’t know how many times I would keep reliving this night, but it made sense to just. . .try the ridiculous and have faith that Ethan would possibly believe it.
Alright. Let’s see.
When we made it to his door, I stopped him. “Hold on.”
Ethan leaned his head to the side. “Yes?”
“So. . .” I let out a long breath. “What I am going to tell you will be unbelievable and I will completely understand if you want to kick me out of your home afterwards—”
“That will never happen.”
“We’ll see.” I swallowed. “So. . .I’ve been in your office before. Does that make sense?”
“It does not.” He quirked it brows. “How could you have been in there without my knowing?”
“You were in there with me.”
He blinked. “That I would have remembered.”
“Okay. Let me just give this to you in small doses.” I pointed to the door. “Inside of your office, you have two couches and a table in the middle. The walls are stacked with tons of book shelves. Umm. . .what else? Oh! Your desk is messy like mine always is—lots of papers and pens scattered all over the place.”
Instead of backing up in horror, he curved his sexy lips into a smile. “This is a very intriguing trick.”
“And I can’t forget the grandfather clock. It’s a work of art—crescent moons, stars, hourglasses. Even the pendulum looks like a sorcerer’s—”
“Staff.” He nodded. “This is interesting because my having this clock is another secret.”
“It is.” I parted my lips. “Why?”
“It was found in the basement when I was a child. My father believed that since it was an ancient artifact, it would be a valuable historical item. One that museums and historical institutions would bother us about. Perhaps even consider taking legal action to get it.”
“But. . .why is the grandfather’s clock historical?”
“It was made by the witch that lived on this property.”
I tensed. “Aria—the witch who could control time?”
“You know of her?”
“No. You told me about her.”
He chuckled.
Surely, I showed no humor on my face.
He stopped chuckling. “I’m sorry, Maya, but again I would have surely remembered having a conversation with you.”
“I know, but that’s why everything I am going to tell you will sound crazy.”
Far off at the end of the candle lit hallway, a waiter strolled forward, carrying a tray of champagne.
“Oh hell no.” I hurried with turning the door knob. Once it opened, I rushed in. “Come on!”
Not even questioning me, he followed me in fast, shut the door for me, and locked it.
My heart hammered in my chest. “We may not have much time.”
“O-kay.”
I glanced over at the other end of the office. “Can we close the curtains on that window?”
“The window?”
“Yes.” I hurried over there. Only darkness served as the window’s view. It was a perfect place for my killer to stand outside of it with a gun, point, and shoot me.