I pointed at the paper “Draft up a letter demanding a retraction and stating defamation of character for this one so I can sign it and then email it. I want another one, a general one demanding that an apology be made to be sent to the others. Oh and Timothy” I said thinking about it “The likelihood is that Flair has no doubt seen the papers by now, considering that Rachel probably gets the papers sent to her house. Do you think you could arrange some more of those rainbow flowers she loves so much to be sent to the home as an apology of sorts?”
Timothy looked astounded. “You mean the rainbow roses that Mrs Oakes loves? I can do that, but Sir what’s with the apology? The news in the papers isn’t your fault” he protested.
I smiled grimly at him “Perhaps but nonetheless, I do feel somewhat responsible. I insisted we go to that damn engagement party, due to a certain conniving Grandfather of mine, so in retrospect what’s occurred is partially my fault.”
He sighed “I’ll arrange the roses immediately. Should I organize some for Miss Charlotte?” he suggested.
I paused. Part of me wanted to scoff at the man. Flowers for Charlotte? She wasn’t exactly being wronged. Still, perhaps it would go a long way to soothe the woman’s ruffled feathers. Then I paused. I had promised Flair something else when we had gotten married, had I not? Something which I had yet to deliver.
“Actually Timothy, I need you to make a phone call to this place,” I said, opening a web page on my laptop and showing it to him “I don’t care how much money it takes, get them to stay open late tonight. I promised Flair that we would rescue a pet and I intend to do that with her. I hate not keeping my promises” I said grimly “and this was meant to be done when we first got married. Forget about the roses ” I told him “this is far more important and will mean a lot more to her.”
Bless my wife for not bringing it up, but I was a man of my word. Timothy was grinning “I’ll get on that right now. Flair’s going to be ecstatic when you tell her.”
I grinned “If I know my wife, she’s going to be over the moon.”
I couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face when she realized where we were going and the reason for it.
Johnathon POV
I walked downstairs with a large yawn to the dining room, feeling sleepy despite the lateness of the hour, only to hear the sound of Charlotte’s voice shrieking at the top of her lungs.
“Not one paper has our picture mother, not one. How dare they” she screamed, practically frothing at the mouth as I entered warily, finding her, her mother, and her grandfather at the table, staring down at a pile of different newspapers.
“What is the problem?” I asked, moving to kiss a fuming Charlotte on the forehead as she glared down at the offending papers.
“This” she hissed, brandishing a paper towards me as I sat down, a maid putting a plate of breakfast in front of me “Just look. That bitch got put on the front page instead of us. It was our engagement party and instead of publishing about it, they focused on that useless brother of mine and that tart he married” she wailed, her eyes suspiciously shiny with tears that were about to fall.
I quietly took the newspaper out of her hand and smoothed it on the table, glancing down at the photo and feeling a spurt of jealousy. It was beautiful. It captured Flair’s likeness and personality perfectly. You could see the various hues of her hair, the brilliant shine to her smile, and the delicate frame she possessed as Grayson held her to him. They looked like a couple in love. They weren’t even glancing towards the camera, I thought grumpily, they were looking at each other as though they were the only two people in the room.
Charlotte burst into tears as her mother quietly rubbed circles on her back “It’s all ruined. All that work and effort into the engagement party and my pictures not even on the front page” she sobbed “I wore the perfect dress and everything!”
John, her grandfather, raised his eyes heavenward “Will you give it a rest already” he said impatiently “Anybody would think that you were facing a natural disaster or something with the way you are carrying on. It’s not the end of the bloody world is it?” he cursed, causing Karen to gasp and look at him in shock.
“But Grandfather” Charlotte sobbed “This was meant to be my big debut” she wailed.
I motioned for the maid to put the television on in the background and immediately wished I hadn’t.
“An anonymous source sent through this video of Charlotte Deluca having what one could only describe as a temper tantrum at none other than her own engagement party. That’s right, you heard it here first folks. I’m about to play the video, let’s see what you make of the heiress who spotted a ring on an innocent woman’s finger and decided she had to have it, and the reaction she showed when she was rightly told no. Rumors are that the ring itself is a family heirloom that Grayson, her brother, gifted to Flair, his new wife, causing a rift in the Deluca family. We can only speculate as to what Charlotte’s fiancee, Johnathon Rourke, thinks of his fiancee’s behavior in this telling video.”
Shit. The grandfather’s face turned mutinous as we glanced up towards the television screen and even Charlotte’s mother was gaping. It was video footage of Charlotte as she insulted Flair and demanded the ring last night. It didn’t look good by all accounts. I swallowed hard. Charlotte looked pale and ready to be sick.
“Well Charlotte,” John said sarcastically as he glanced at his granddaughter who was sweating profusely now “you were worried about not being published in the paper, but look at this” he thundered, motioning towards the screen as we watched Charlotte viciously trying to pull at Flair’s arm “you’re all over television for everybody to see.”
“I didn’t think anybody would tape it” Charlotte whimpered, as I glanced at her with condemnation “I had everybody’s phone checked before they left” she sniffled.
“I’ve told you before that your temper gets the best of you and that you act so entitled,” her grandfather said furiously “it was my decision to give Grayson that ring for his wife and you had no right to try and demand it back” he snarled.
Charlotte cowered slightly in the chair. “You knew he was getting married” she blurted out and her grandfather rolled his eyes.
“Yes I knew, what business is that of yours,” he said imperiously.
Charlotte flattened her lips in anger. Karen was quiet, aware of her father-in-law’s anger and the wrath he was close to letting loose.
“Perhaps we should make a statement apologizing” I broke in hastily “It might improve Charlotte’s reputation before it becomes too damaged” I suggested.
John snorted “The damage has already been done. She comes across as nothing more than a spoilt brat,” he said icily.
I sighed. “Well is there anything you would suggest John?”
I was attempting to be conciliatory for Charlotte’s sake. The grandfather looked disappointed at his granddaughter. “Are you pregnant?” he demanded frostily, and Charlotte and I gaped at him.
“What, no” she stammered as the grandfather’s eyes narrowed and he looked at her calculatingly “I know the conditions for getting the company.”
“Be certain” John snapped and Charlotte glared at him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.