“This party is lovely, Rodrigo,” Aisha said. “Thank you for organizing it for me.”Rodrigo smiled at his sister-in-law. “It’s entirely my pleasure.” He exhaled and inhaled. He’d been standing in a corner, as usual, taking a break from all the crowd around him when Aisha had found him. He zoomed bac
At her nod, he continued. “You already know I had a rough childhood. I told you how my parents were too busy in their world to be concerned about me. What I didn’t tell you was how their life affected me.” He wet his dry lips. Talking about his past was hard. It made his heart palpitate, but he had
A tear fell from her eye. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. “It makes sense, now. Everything makes sense. Why you don’t like crowds and why you are a loner. I’m so sorry for all that you went through.” “It is what it is.” He shrugged. “But those times were hard. I usually didn’t even lea
She shut her eyes and pressed down on his arm. “Thank God, you did.” “Their lives were ruined by the wrong friendships they’d chosen and by the people they’d trusted the most in the world. And that’s why…” “And that’s why you don’t trust people. You keep your circle small and refuse to allow peopl
Jade stared at him silently, giving him no clue as to what she was thinking or feeling. And his heart raced with uncertainty. “You’ve accomplished so much,” she said. “You charted your own path in life. You could have taken any number of wrong turns and done so many wrong things, but you chose not
Anthony beamed. “Haven’t you heard? Ayden’s going to propose to her…now.” A buzzing began in his ears. Rodrigo’s heart twisted in pain. “What the fuck?” Rodrigo choked out. “Sorry to break it out to you like this,” Roy said, his tone apologetic. “Aisha was to tell you. I saw her talking to you ea
“Yes.” “Uh, okay…” He couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on. She tilted her head to study him. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a prince, and they were happy for a while. But then he rejected her. Again and again.” His muscles tightened. He understood
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I’m glad you pushed me away. Seeing you with Ayden opened my eyes. I hated it when he touched you. My heart burned when he touched your hair. Seeing you with him made me realize what a colossal fool I’d been. I figured that to get you back, I had to try
“Rodrigo and Jade are perfect for one another.” Jule smiled. Tony chuckled. “I think everything we did for them worked out, starting from that text you sent me telling me to encourage the dinner plan. After Rodrigo mentioned where he was going for dinner, I ensured we went to the same restaurant he
“Why?” “It was named ‘Playing by Her Rules’.” He smiled, understanding her hint. “And just like that lioness in that painting, I will always protect you.” Now it was his turn to laugh out loud. And she loved it. She loved seeing him like this, carefree and so much at ease. “You are magnificent,
The horse pushed further into her hand as if in agreement again. She smiled. Xerxes reinforced her belief that he understood what she was saying, always. “I love how you communicate with my horse.” She looked sideways and found Rodrigo leaning against a pillar, watching her, arms crossed. “He’sou
He turned to Kabier and Sameer. “Thank you for your support that day. You guys stood by me when you didn’t need to. You were ready to battle your wives for me, and I appreciate that.” Kabier shrugged. “We all needed closure on your silly and childish squabble with our women.” Sameer nodded. “Besid
Soon after Jade had proposed to him, Rodrigo had whisked her off to Delhi and to his home. He’d finally slept properly again with her in his arms. His insomnia was a thing of the past now. Jade had even returned to work at FF. His woman was brilliant. One day, he was certain, she’d head the FF team
Three months later Delhi The late afternoon sun rays washed over his stud farm, casting a golden light over everything they touched. Summer hadn’t set in yet, and a light cool breeze was blowing, adding to the surreal ambience. The weather was perfect, just as his wedding had been. A few hours ago
Aisha and Jade laughed. Rodrigo felt like his chest would split open with all the happiness he was feeling. Jule and Anthony approached them. “I’m so proud of you, Jade,” Jule said. “You are brave and strong. You battled hard to win him, and now you have.” Anthony patted Rodrigo’s back and hugged
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I’m glad you pushed me away. Seeing you with Ayden opened my eyes. I hated it when he touched you. My heart burned when he touched your hair. Seeing you with him made me realize what a colossal fool I’d been. I figured that to get you back, I had to try
“Yes.” “Uh, okay…” He couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on. She tilted her head to study him. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a prince, and they were happy for a while. But then he rejected her. Again and again.” His muscles tightened. He understood