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Chapter 293
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 294
‘Drop it!’ His voice had a stern warning ring—angry, even. Only it wasn’t aimed at her; instead, it was turned onto himself. The past few days had been hell—the past few weeks, in fact. Knowing his family would soon all be together, Elpido’s name would be said again. Like living in a sewer, the filth and grime seeped through the floorboards no matter how much he tried to gloss it over. And now here she stood—understanding in her voice, eyes that seemed to reach inside him—and it would be so, so easy to push aside doubt and convince himself that she actually was different, that here was someone he could tell.And how he wanted to tell. Only Gilberto’s warning was ringing in his ears like the doomsday bell, and eyes as blue as Maya’s were staring back at him, just as they had that fateful day."It shouldn’t be like that, Elmo...""How should it be, then?" Elmo fixed her with his glare and tried to warn her off—to get her the hell back—tried to ward her off, tried to keep his head, befor
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 295
But thankfully, he wasn’t taking his time tonight. He was swelling deeper inside her as she coiled into him, and she wasn’t sure if it was people in the next room knocking or the thud of the mirror against the wall. She didn’t even care where they were as he arched his body and leant back, as somehow he climbed deeper inside her. as somehow he took just a little bit more than she knew she should give.And after, when they were in bed, maybe she should have just left it, but bravely she didn’t. Boldly, yet terribly tentatively, her fingers traced the length of his jagged, raised scar. She watched as he closed his eyes—not gently, but sort of squeezing them together, as if anticipating the hurt her touch would cause, as if the wound was still raw—and Brianna knew then that it was."What happened here?"His fingers caught hers, and she closed around them. Brianna was sure he was about to pull her hand away, and mentally kicked herself for asking too much too soon, but instead of pushing
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 296
"I wish you’d told me," Brianna said, wondering how the sky could be so blue and the sun could be out, yet it was so cold as they emerged from the hotel. Finally, she was to be treated to a real glimpse of the Eternal City..."It wasn’t my place to tell.""So you let me think the worst?""You chose to think the worst," Elmo pointed out."So do you..." It was the hardest thing she’d ever said, offering a fact that was only based on her feelings. "Elmo, surely it’s something we should talk about—?"‘Not today.’ He silenced her with a kiss. "Let’s just enjoy today."There were only a few hours till they headed back to Australia—and though she’d braced herself for coldness and the distance between them, it was anything but. And once breakfast was over, he’d suggested they spend the day wandering Rome.They stopped in tiny cafés, where Brianna practiced her appalling Italian and Elmo winced in apology at the waiters. She took her camera out at every turn. She ate chestnuts out of the bag,
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 297
"Why wouldn’t they have a bridal registry?" Elmo was utterly perplexed as, smiling, she walked into his office. ‘Of all the stupid things… "What are you looking so happy about?""I just am."She’d never told him about her problems. The sum of money that was so huge to her was a drop in the ocean to Elmo, and worse for Brianna than him not understanding would have been the prospect of him sorting it out—the idea of somehow being beholden to him. As she took Evaristo Leonardo’s daughter’s wedding invitation from him, her smile widened. "I actually think it’s nice that they don’t have a registry!" It means that people like you can’t just click their mouse and have their gift dispatched—it means pompous, arrogant people like you actually have to stop and think about what their friends might want for a wedding gift."They are not my friends." Elmo flicked his hands skywards in exasperation. She is the daughter of a friend of mine—a daughter I have not seen for five years, and I have never
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 298
"What the hell do you want?" Elmo sneered out the words, contempt blazing in his eyes as he stared at the person he hated most in the world. "Who let you in?"Audrey let me up; she still remembers me. Maya flicked back her dark curls and strode across his office as if she owned it. I thought we should clear the air..."Clear the air?" Elmo spat. "The air stinks when you’re here." The stench of you makes me—’"Better out than in!" Maya’s red lips smiled sweetly at him. "I saw Brianna on the news—she’s good, I have to admit that." "When she sets her mind on something, she always gives it her best."‘What?’ Elmo snapped, then shook his head—because he didn’t want to hear it, didn’t need to hear it, and didn’t want to be in the same room as Maya for even a second. "Get out, Maya—you make me sick.""Did you fund her lawyers, Elmo?"‘Lawyers?’ Narrowed eyes watched his smudge of a frown appear. "I don’t know what you’re talking about.""You mean she didn’t tell you?" Did sweet little Briann
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 299
As soon as she walked into his office, Brianna realized he couldn’t have heard her knock. knew, somehow, that she was glimpsing a side of Elmo Nicoli that he would prefer no one, not even his lover, to see.His head was in his hands, his shoulders slumped, and his complexion was grey beneath his fingers. She should turn, Brianna thought, walk out and knock again, saving them both the embarrassment of explanations. But in that frozen second, he looked up.‘I’m sorry…’ She spilled the words out. "What I said to the press"—I know it was indiscreet; I know I should have called you straight after. I was just so embarrassed...His expression gave her nothing, no clue at all, and even though he was looking at her, it was as if he was looking straight through her—as if he wasn’t even hearing her."I was just put on the spot." I knew how important it was that it didn’t come out about Evaristo—what it would do to him if there was even a hint of an affair...The clap of his hands was like the cr
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 300
What the hell had he done?Elmo paced the lobby, his hand clamped over his mouth, his breath hyperventilating into his hand, as his staff watched on bemused. Dylan was the only one with the nerve to approach him."Is everything okay, sir?"He didn’t answer—I didn't even hear him. His mind was with Brianna, hating what he’d done to her. He could see her in his mind’s eye, standing frozen as he’d shamed and humiliated her—and for what?Because once she’d wanted him?Because all this time she’d loved him?It was like an axe splitting his skull open—and he hated himself more as he remembered that night they’d first met. Hell, if he’d had a photo of her, if she’d been in a magazine...Maya was poison—she twisted things, blurred the truth—and she wasn’t Brianna.Just as he wasn’t Elpido, so Maya wasn’t Brianna.sweet, trusting Brianna—which she was.She was!He trusted her. For the first time in the longest time, he trusted someone—actually believed in someone—and it truly terrified him.‘S
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 301
Only one man could literally stop her heart as she walked into the hotel bar and saw him sitting there. Only one man she’d actually have done this for—whether it made her brave or stupid that when he’d called her and asked that they might meet, she’d agreed.For closure.closure for him as much as for her.‘Thank you.’ It was impossible to look him in the eye when he greeted her—impossible, because if she did, she’d start crying. "Thank you for coming."‘It’s fine.’ She’d insisted they meet in the bar, unable to face his office. I’m sorry it’s so public. I just couldn’t face the...She couldn’t even say it—she couldn't stand to go back to the office where it had all happened.Elmo understood. "I know how you feel.""I know you do." She gave a tight smile, because he must—because she didn’t actually know how he did it, how he sat in the same office not just where Gilberto had been so vile but where he’d fought so bitterly with Elpido.why he put himself through it.Even if Brianna coul
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 440
He moved suddenly, turned to her, and gripped her arms; she glimpsed the desperation in his eyes as he dragged her against his chest. "I will do whatever it takes to win you back, Kalila." "You are my wife, the love of my life, and I won’t let you go." His warm breath fanning the curls that framed her face, he pressed his lips to her temple, his eyes briefly closing as if in pain."I have told my father to name his brother Sulim as the interim ruler of Qubbah in the event of his dying before Hazem comes of age." Kate stared at him, shocked beyond words. "But... but why?" she finally stumbled.I thought that you were to rule until Hazem was older. "You are the King’s only son, and it is your duty." Ahsan shook his head. "My first duty is to my wife, and my father agrees." Even if he did not, I would still be here for you."Don't you understand, Kalila?" he asked urgently. "You are more important to me than Qubbah, my father, everything." You, me, and Hazem are a family, and the only thin
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 439
The still silence in the garden that followed his astounding statement was broken by the piercingly sweet song of a blackbird. Kate licked her suddenly dry lips, her heart beating so fast she was sure it would explode. "I don’t understand.""It’s quite simple." He sounded impatient and stared at her haughtily. But to her amazement, streaks of dull color highlighted his cheekbones, and his eyes veered from hers as if he were afraid to meet her gaze. "I love you, Kate."Her rebuttal was fierce and immediate. "No, you don’t.""I should have known you would want to argue about it, Kalila." A little of his tension left him, and his smile stole her breath."You don’t love me," she said again. It was probably some cruel trick, and she had more sense than to be fooled. "You married me for Hazem." You love Farrah. Malika said so.Malika said a lot of things, most of them untrue. Ahsan’s voice was suddenly harsh."But not the things she said about me," Kate said thickly. "My mother was a prosti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 438
The blue sky was dotted with cotton wool clouds, and the warm breeze carried a scent of lavender and old-fashioned roses. There was no place on earth more beautiful than Ingledean on a spring day, Kate mused—except an oasis in the middle of the desert, where palm trees provided shade from the scorching sun and an azure pool glinted beneath a cloudless sky.She had been home for a month—although Ingledean no longer felt like home without Hazem. The image of his huge brown eyes and impish smile caused the familiar agonizing pain in her chest, and she bit down hard on her lip, tasted blood, and cursed the tears that slid unchecked down her face. She couldn’t cry forever. Somehow she was going to have to find the strength to move on, pick up the threads of her life, or maybe make a new one, far away from Ingledean and all its memories. But since she had left Qubbah, a terrible lassitude had settled on her, and she could not plan anything when the only two people she loved were far away on
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 437
In less than an hour, she was expected to attend the lavish dinner organized in honor of King Kabir’s recovery and his return as supreme ruler of Qubbah. And somehow she was going to have to do so without revealing that she was breaking up inside, which Kate acknowledged despairingly as she stared in the mirror at her paper-white face and red-rimmed eyes.When she first returned to the palace after her explosive confrontation with Malika, she locked herself in her dressing room and recalled, in stunned disbelief, everything the young Arab woman had told her. Could it be true? Had Ahsan always intended to divorce her once he’d gained custody of Hazem and marry his beautiful advisor?She did not know how long she’d sat there, but eventually her maid had knocked on the door and reminded her that it was time to prepare for the banquet. She should have made the excuse that she was ill—no one who saw her pallor would fail to believe her. But the steely backbone of pride that had seen her th
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 436
Despite the warmth of the early-evening sunshine, Kate shivered. "You’re talking nonsense," she said firmly, striving to sound confident despite the sudden lurch of her heart. She was perfectly aware of why Ahsan had married her, but he had given no hint that he wanted a divorce. Ahsan told me he was never engaged to you. She lifted her chin and glared at Malika, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach."He wasn’t," Malika agreed, looking surprised. "I was engaged to Farhan; Ahsan was engaged to Farrah."The world seemed to tilt alarmingly for a few seconds, and Kate actually gripped the edge of the wall for support. Ahsan and Farrah! It couldn’t possibly be true, could it? "Jamila told me that Ahsan was in love with his fiancée," she said faintly. "She doesn’t know why the marriage didn’t take place."Malika gave a careless shrug. ‘Jamila knows. Everyone at the palace knows that Ahsan adored Farrah and that she eloped with his brother on the eve of their wedding.
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 435
He was suddenly aware that the children had finished their dance and everyone was waiting for his response. Kate had turned her head to him, frowning at his inattention, and he quickly clapped his hands in applause. Once the dancers had filed out of the marquee, his personal assistant Zaid appeared at his side and informed him that a group of local potters had brought their best work for his gracious inspection. Stifling a sigh, he led the royal party out into the blazing sunshine.The garden party continued all afternoon, and Ahsan was not in the best of moods when he strode back to the palace. He suddenly realized that he was too far ahead and slowed his pace, waiting for Kate to catch up with him. He frowned when he noted how pale she looked beneath her wide-brimmed hat. She made no attempt to speed up, and the dejected droop of her shoulders fueled his impatience."I appreciate that an afternoon spent admiring traditional crafts and customs is not likely to top your list of exciti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 434
Her feet briefly touched the floor, and he spun her around, tugged her zip down her spine, and removed her dress before she had time to catch her breath. Her bra went the same way before he lifted her again and threw her onto the bed as if she were a rag doll, his eyes glittering with a mixture of anger and sexual hunger that made Kate’s stomach dip."At night, I’m happy to give you all the attention you could possibly want," he growled, his shoes, trousers, and shirt hitting the floor with barely controlled savagery until he stood in his silk boxers. "This is the only bed you’ll ever sleep in." The boxers joined the rest of his clothes, revealing his powerful, unashamedly aroused body in all its glory. "But I wouldn’t bank on sleeping for many hours yet."Kate stared up at him, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she struggled to control the wild excitement that was pounding through her veins. She was conscious that she was wearing nothing but a pair of tiny lace pants and the pric
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 433
Clearly embarrassed, Aaliyah determinedly changed the subject to Hazem and how fast he was growing. But although Kate smiled and made token conversation, her mind was whirling. If Malika’s family had expected her to marry Ahsan, was she the woman he had been engaged to years ago—the woman Jamila had said he had loved? But, if so, why had they not married? It didn’t make sense, and she brooded miserably as she stared at Ahsan. He was smiling at Malika and clearly enjoying her company. Perhaps they had argued and broken off their engagement. Was he now regretting his lost chance to marry a beautiful, clever Arab girl who would have made him the perfect wife?From that moment on, the party became a blur of faces and stilted conversation with people she had never met before. She was sure they viewed her as an oddity, with her pale skin and vivid hair—and her glaring lack of sophistication. But until his father had recovered, Ahsan was king, and one of her wifely duties outside of the bedr
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 432
As Ahsan had predicted, his team of advisors was waiting for him when they arrived back at the palace. Even on the journey across the desert, he’d had his mobile phone clamped to his ear, and Kate had sat silently beside him, lost in her thoughts. The honeymoon was over, and he had made it abundantly clear that he now saw her role as his wife as a walk-on part—or perhaps a lie-down part, she thought bitterly. But what had she expected? She had married him for Hazem, and he had married her for sex, and they had each gotten what they wanted.At least she had Hazem, she told herself later that evening, when she tucked the toddler into bed. She had missed him desperately, and his evident delight that she was back was a comforting balm to her raw emotions. She was Ahsan’s wife, a member of the Royal Family of Qubbah, and no one could ever take him away from her now.But as she prepared for the state banquet, her insecurities returned, and she felt sick with nerves. She had been horrified w
