Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I finally pull my eyes away from the table and look up at Darius. He looks…I’m not sure. I can’t really tell since I don’t know him well enough. Wrecked, I guess…a little. His eyes have an unusual sheen, and his lips are pressed together. I can also see a muscle leap in his jaw. He’s a good man. Everything that happened so far was unfortunate, but he’s not horrible. I know I’m too generous, and those thoughts are far too hopeful, especially since I can’t know that for sure.
All of a sudden, he reaches under the table for something, and then he passes me my phone. “Here. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to try and attempt to escape. Trust me when I say I was more worried about you hurting yourself. You were recovering from being drugged, and you weren’t thinking properly. You were also confused, and I didn’t want you to do anything rash. If you’re going to stay, I’ll have a contract drawn up. You’ll be able to come and go as you please as long as you abide by the terms of the agreement, which is, if we’re married, we share a home, and the outside world has to believe it’s real. You can visit your family as often as you like, and I’ll give you the use of my jet and anything else you need to get there. What I have is yours while you’re here. I don’t do public engagements, so you’re safe on that front. If you want to work, I’ll find you something appropriate, and you can either agree or disagree with the position. You’ll have an allowance as well. I’ll set up an account for you. I despise vehicles, but if you require one, a suitable one will be purchased for you.”
My meal has been entirely forgotten. I don’t know why the walls still feel like they’re closing in on me. This is more kindness and generosity than I could have ever hoped for, and it’s totally not something Darius has to offer. “Could you…would you please tell me where we are?”
That makes him smile, just a shadow of it, but my heart still goes on an irrational walkabout in my chest. “Just outside Chicago.”
“What?” I gasp. “That’s like, really far from Philly.”
“Yes, but with private jets and all that, you can be back there fast.” He clears his throat. “The house has grounds. Gardens and space for your enjoyment outdoors. And inside, there’s a gym, a pool, a rec room—”
“Please tell me it has a bowling alley.”
He grunts. “No. I don’t bowl.”
“That’s depressing. You should,” I say.
“I’m shite with my left hand, even if I’ve been forced to get better.”
Oh, right. There is that. “I…well, you don’t have to be good to enjoy it.” I clasp my phone, curling my hand around it and tucking it into my lap protectively.
“Nah. Even before the accident, I didn’t like it.”
“Well, you’re missing out.” I eat a few more bites of the meal I just can’t waste before setting my fork down again. “I’d like to call my family now if that’s okay? I have a lot to explain. If…if there’s a contract coming or something, I’ll sign it. That is if we’re in agreement?”
I still have the urge to bolt, but that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to hide. I’m going to face this, even if the next six months last a lifetime. This man has the power to destroy me, and I could easily do the same to him by going to the media, but we’re not going to do that. He’s being kind to me, and I’m sitting here instead, agreeing not to flee, not to leave, not to sell his secrets.
One brief nod. That’s my answer. No handshake, nothing yet. I’m sure there will be some kind of paperwork later. “We’re in agreement.” His word. For right now, it’s more than enough. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I trust it.
Chapter five
Everleigh
Ican’t sleep, and is it any wonder? I called my family right after dinner to let them know how my spiraling dark fairy tale was working out for me. Right, okay, so I told them only as much as I had to tell them since it was already insanely late, and they’d been waiting to hear from me. I knew they were worried about me, but I played it off with smiles and laughter and told them that everything is hunky forking dory with extra forks, extra dory, and a little of the hunky because, my god, could Darius be any more pleasing to the eye? Naturally, I didn’t mention that. I focused instead on telling them that everything was taken care of. I didn’t tell them I was a freshly minted millionaire, compliments of the one million dollars that appeared in my bank account before I called them.