“What?”“You know better. I am very guarded about my property Mae Ricci, and for the entirety of our contract, you are mine. I won’t have you acting like a hussy where Cartwright is involved.” And we were back to square one.I huffed as I jumped from his lap, ignoring the erection he was sporting. His hands slipped off me easily. ” You know what Ethan. you can take your adjusted contract and shove it up your ass because I’m no longer interested.“And then I marched to my room like the bad ass queen that I was. Soon to be very hungry, but bad ass nevertheless.I slipped down the stairs an hour later unable to contain the rumbling of my stomach. Damn Ethan Crowe for making me act like a child. I bumped into Cecilia on my way down.She shrieked startled and then placed her hand on her chest. “Miss Ricci, you scared the shit outta me. I was actually coming to check on you.”“I’m sorry. I thought it would be just me and Ethan in the house.”“It should be, I’m here on my own. I left
We drove in silence because I did not want to ask Ethan where we were going, I wouldn't know if he told me anyway."We're late, you know." he said his eyes still focused on the road.“You should have called to tell me you wanted to take me out. ""But we already had plans.""Plans that were canceled because you were being an ass." He glanced at me, "I'm trying to rectify that." "You're doing great.” I told him with a grin.I felt euphoric. I did not realize I was looking forward to spending time with Ethan so much.He pulled up to the Malroy art museum and my mouth fell open. It looked even more fancier that evening, with garlands and other decorations hanging on the walls adding to the beautiful aesthetic of the timeless art pieces in the room. I looked at him for answers.“Julia Mackintosh does a spring show every year, celebrating her favorite time of the year, spring.” Did he just say Julia Makintosh?My head was spinning.“I was expecting some fancy dinner Ethan I didn't
When we separated, he clasped my hand tightly. “On to the next activity.”I blasted Mitski from the speakers as he drove us to our new destination. Once again, my breath was taken away by the sight. It was a small cozy restaurant that boasted of one of the classiest decor I had seen, with low hanging chandeliers and a low lighting.“I didn’t know if you wanted a private dinner or something more public.” He spoke into my ear. His hands gripping my hips. “I chose this because I don’t want to think of what I’ll do if i was alone with you.”When I looked up at him he was close enough to kiss. I swallowed hard and riveted my gaze, taking a wide step away from him.I crossed my hands over my chest. “You’re going to have to do more than sweet talk me, Ethan.” He smiled at me. “I’m starting to realize that.”We took our seats away from most of the other guests. When the waiter came to take our orders Ethan was in control of the conversation, frowning slightly when the waiter’s gaze would
The drive home was the same. I shivered in the passenger seat, as he sped through LA. We marched up the stairs together till we stooped by my room.“I had a good time at dinner.” I told him as I searched his eyes for the kinder Ethan. The one who had a soul behind his eyes.“I’m glad.” He responded shutting me out.Desperate for some kind of connection, i pressed my body flush against his and kissed him, waiting for him to respond. He remained frozen for a second, and then he gripped me tightly against his body.I wasn’t sure i wanted to make love to Ethan that night. I felt alone, even with him.“My new favorite thing is you kissing me.” He said hoarsely against my lips while I trembled at the ferocity of our kiss.He groaned as he pulled away from me.“I need to leave. I have a work emergency I need to attend to.”Discomfort snaked it’s way through my chest and found it’s home in my heart. All evening I hadn’t seen Ethan touch his phone. How did he hear of an emergency then?
“Okay, send me the details.” I told her finally. This was part of my deal, blending with his people. “Oh Wynona, there’s the fashion show, the Legacy luxe by Anna-“ “Yeah, what about it? Wait are you going to be on it?” “I donno…” I said slowly.“Of course you are, and so am I.” So was Ava. “I could not make it to her last one we’ll do this one together. We’re going to have so much fun!”“I’m glad you’re excited.” I grinned, getting on my knees to retrieve the glue-gun from underneath the center table in the living room.“You should be too, I heard she’s displaying Saskia van der Meer’s works. Do you know how rare it is to see even a single dress that belongs in her collection, and we’re getting nearly a dozen!” “I gotta see that.” I admitted.“Exactly, i don’t know if I’ll ever get to wear a Saskia dress in my entire life. Now’s a good fucking time.”“Fine, I’m convinced.” I said with a laugh, still sitting on my knees. “Send your party thing okay, I’ve gotta get back to wreckin
Ethan’s grandfather made sure I was in riding gear, complete with an helmet before he let me mount one of his horses, Sage.I tried to stay calm as the horse bristled underneath me and he spoke to it like a kid.“Does baby talk usually work on horses?” I asked, amusement in my voice. He gave my horse final pats on it bottom before he mounted his in one fluid motion. His age had not limited his agility.“Oh yes, they’re basically oversize puppies. They can be cheeky as well. Which is why I told you. You gotta stay calm. If she senses your fear, she’ll react to it.”“It’s hard to stay calm when you’re on a self operating beast.”He chuckled. “You remind me of Ethan’s first rides. His father let him come with me after he turned fourteen. He refused to get on until I swore, the horse would not move an inch while he was on.”“How did that work out?”“Oh the usual, the horse made a run for it and your fiancé screamed to high heavens as he fell behind.” I cracked up at the picture of
The guilt of lying to Bron followed me all the way back home. Without thinking my feet led me to Ethan’s office, where I found him behind his desk, working.He shut off a tablet when I stepped in.“Hey,” I muttered drawing closer to him.“How’d your day go.” I let out a big sigh.”that bad huh?”“No it was good, I think. It went well. A little too well.”I though about what he said about finding love with Ethan. He was genuinely happy for his grandson and we were here faking it.“Come here.” He urged me.I jumped onto his desk and swung my legs at the bottom before he grabbed a hold of one and began undoing the lacing on my shoe. “Tell me how it went.”“Well we talked,” I shrugged “about his horses, their skills…he told me about your first riding experience.“Ethan chuckled as he slipped of the shoe and started with the second one. “My father still doesn’t know about that incident till this day.”“He asked about the restaurant.”“And?”“That went well too.”“So what’s both
“I bless my stars that your Fiancé decided to unveil you to the rest of us.” Anna spoke as she made her way to me. “You. You will wear the dress.”“But it’s a statement piece!” Ava protested as she battled her way through the women. “It was literally the last thing Saskia’s hands touched before she chucked herself off the roof.” I winced at her wording. ”a more experienced model should wear it.” She finished.“That dress highlights the suddenness of her death, as it is incomplete…” Anna explained her eyes burning into mine. “You showed up into our world unannounced, it’s so perfect I could cry.” “That’s ridiculous.” Ava scoffed in disbelief and looked around for support. “I think the dress should be removed from the show-to honor her family.” She said finally. A few women murmured in agreement.“That’s a bunch of crap.” Wynona shot back. “The first sighting of this collection since Saskia’s passing and you think the right thing to do is hide the dress? Stick to modeling Ava, not ha
“What are you doing, Jace?” My voice trembled with fear. Jace ignored my question, his eyes locked into mine. I struggled to be free from his grip but he was stronger. “Stay still, I'm not doing anything to you Mae. I just want to hold you.” “You can hold me but not in this inappropriate manner. I have a husband.”“A husband that has his Ex lurking around. You deserve better.”“Better? What do you mean?” I averted my gaze. This conversation was about to go southwards. A conversation I’d love to avoid.He let go of me and took three steps backwards, his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture. “By better, I surely don't mean me, of course.” He chuckled. “I had you there, didn't I? I'm sorry if my actions caught you off guard, I wanted to check something.”“And what is that?”“To see if you fit in my hands perfectly. You didn't, because of your tiny figure. I like my girls taller and thicker.”“Jace!”“Sorry.”“You are fucking, Psychopath.” I giggled. “Well, that sounds familia
“You don't have to act like this, Mae”“Really? Please tell me how to act, Ethan. Tell me.” I pinched my brows tightly as I sighed deeply, “Mae, I'm sorry. Alright. I shouldn't have danced with her or even said anything to her.” I explained while walking behind her. She had her back against me the entire time I spoke. Her long strides led her to the door. Mae twisted the knob and pulled open the door, “Leave my room.” She demanded. Her hand was on her hip and the other was on the knob. I have never seen Mae this mad.Why did I let Ava get to me? Why did I even dance with her tonight? She let me know and now, her actions want to ruin my marriage? Not happening. I lo...like Mae and I'm not letting her go no matter what. Moving from the spot where I stood rooted in shock, I took three steps closer to her, “Mae—”“Leave,”I sighed in defeat and proceeded to leave. Nothing will make her change her mind once it has been made.I heard her scoff as my legs began to move. “Of course.”I
Ethan had his eyes on me the entire night throughout the remaining ceremony process. He watched me like a sniper watching his victim, ready to pull the cock and fire the shot of questions probably piled up in his mind. I pretended not to notice his little sighs, the way his hands twitch and involuntarily ball up into a fist. He would release it whenever he caught himself. I wanted to wrap my hands around him, to take his sweet scent but the anger was greater than my feelings. Ethan has been nothing but kind to me except for the few times he has been a dick. He is a good man, the little voice in my head reminded me. He doesn't deserve this mental torture. I pushed back the thought and went on with my night till the event was over and we went back home.The door of the car swung open with a little bit of force as I was impatient to wait for him to open the door even though he was already there. The door grazed past his knees and I heard him cuss under his breath. Climbing down from
The sound from her cheek, as my hand landed on it with full force, resounded around us, piercing through the solemn music playing in the background. How can she be so desperate? First a picture, now a kiss? I couldn't take it anymore. The music paused abruptly, a pause that turned all eyes in our direction. Soon, whispers and gasps swallowed the silence from the crowd watching us.Ava held her cheek in disbelief, her widened eyes locked into mine and I returned it with a fierce gaze. She should know not to mess with me. Ava has been on my nerves ever since I entered Ethan’s life but all this has to stop. I hope this will put her in her place.“Did you just slap me?” She confronted as though she just realized what had happened.“I did,” I responded in agreement. “ It seemed you were drunk, that was meant to sober you up. How are you feeling?”“How dare you?!” She shrieked. I shook my head slightly in scorn, “Exactly. The same damn question I asked myself. Why are you so desperate to
My whole body froze as my name slipped out of his beautiful lips in public. It was unexpected and I didn't know how to react but to sit tight and smile.He caught me off guard with that one. My heart raced with joy, warmth spread through my body as I stared at him on stage.He stood tall like a Greek god dressed in a perfectly tailored maroon colored suit that seemed to almost match the color of my gown. I blush inwardly at the thought of it.His usually stoic demeanor has somehow softened as his eyes stayed glued to mine during his speech.Ethan paused after a long address to the crowd, his voice softened and he began to address his grandfather directly.“Grandfather, you have always told me that success isn't making money. It's about making a difference. It's about creating something that will outlive us. And I want to make this promise to you tonight. I will do everything in my power to honor what you have built. I will always carry forward the values you have imbued in me—- integr
“Ava is in the banquet,”“How do you know?” She asked again, her face furrowed.“Cartwright sent a text to inform me about it,” I explained.Mae scoffed, “Great, just great,” She relaxed her face, stretching out the slight crease on her makeup and a tight smile that disappeared almost immediately. “ A good start to ruin my evening.” She murmured.“Are you cold?” I asked concerned about her bare back being exposed to the chilly air of the evening.“Are you bothered?” She fired back, although her voice was low, the irritation was evident.“You know I'm not. Let's go.” I instructed, pointing to the door. She lifted the hem of her gown off the floor and proceeded to walk out of the living room into the garage. I followed behind a guide to watch her steps. As we got to the garage, we entered the BMW Vantablack car and drove off in the direction of the event.As we arrived, a valet rushed forward to collect the keys and I handed it over to him. After he drove off, I curved my hand gesturing
“How is Mae?” My grandfather's voice resounded in the glass walls of the office.“The news broke her but she is good now, I hope,” I explained to the old man who stared at me blankly. No emotion on his face.“What are you going to do about Ava?”“Errmm—- I…” I started but of course, he interrupted like always.“You don't know how to handle the issue? How am I supposed to hand over my company to you when you can't even handle a minor case like this?”“I will handle it. Relax and have faith in me.” I cajoled.“Relax? You want me to relax.” He scoffed cynically. “Because of whatever silly relationship you had with that girl—who was up to no good, my company is about to fall apart and you want me to relax? You haven't even given me a grandchild!.” He snapped.“Grandfather.”He sighed deeply, “The handover ceremony will be a good solution.” He pinched his brows and released it, stretching his thumbs opposite ways to the end of his brows. “Prepare for the banquet and make sure you appear ha
“Why did you marry me if you were still in love with her? I never wanted all these. You took advantage of my family's situation because you knew I was vulnerable at that time. Now I watch you write my story while I'm forced to read a version of myself I don't know.”“Mae!” Ethan cried out, “please just listen to me. “I can explain.”“Don't you understand, Ethan? Your explanation will not change the fact that you fucked her and lied in my face about it. How could I have been so stupid to believe you? Handling issues?” I scoffed, “ More like handling her in bed. I don't even know why I am so angry about this. This is nothing but an arranged marriage, you can have sex with whomever you choose. Now, please open the door.“You got it all wrong, Mae”“Huh?”“Whatever you saw was from years ago. Ava and I are done, thoroughly done.” He explained. “I don't know why she posted an old private picture of us kissing or what she was aiming at us but please me when I say, I don't have feelings for
You know that feeling when your life is falling apart and you have no one to talk to about it? That is how I feel. Maybe I shouldn't have accepted his proposal, I should have found another way to raid his plans, why did I do it? Maybe because I wanted to be close to him.My decision has led me to this life-crumbling end. Was it worth it? I don't think it is anymore. I wish I could talk to Father about this but he does not even know about our relationship and Mother's advice won't be soul-lifting.My throat tightened as I struggled to breathe. I tapped on Jace’s seat and he glanced at me through the mirror.“Pull over,” I demanded.“But….”“Jace, please.” I insisted, my voice low with misery.He sighed and steered to the roadside meant for parking. As the car stopped, I pushed open the door with hesitation and walked out. Jace ran after me but I asked him to give me some privacy. Although he was quite persuasive at first but gave up later.The dimly lit road seemed empty as I walked on