“I’m not pregnant you stupid old man” she yelled.
“Charlotte have some respect” Karen broke in, finally discovering her voice and admonishing her daughter.
“Well thank goodness for small mercies” John drawled, sipping his coffee “The only thing that can be done in order to counteract this scandal, one of many I might add,” he said narrowing his eyes at Charlotte who bit her lip “is to organize the wedding as soon as possible and give the media something new to talk about.”
Oh god no. No, no, no. I thought I was going to have much more time than this. I opened my mouth to protest, but one scathing glance from Charlotte had the words die in my throat.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” Karen said approvingly.
Charlotte perked up “At least I’ll still get to have a fancy one,” she said bitingly “unlike Grayson who evidently just did it at the courthouse.”
“Charlotte Deluca” her grandfather thundered, causing us all to jump, startled out of our wits “A wedding at the courthouse is not something to tease someone about. It’s not the wedding itself that makes the marriage” he scolded her, his tone cutting and vicious “but the people themselves committing to one another.”
“You don’t have to bite my head off” Charlotte groused, folding her arms across her chest and flipping her hair over her shoulder, a sulkly expression on her face.
The old man looked as though he was about to keel over from apoplexy. He looked so angry, I was worried he was going to have a heart attack.
“John, she doesn’t mean any offense” Karen jumped in smoothly “You know how children are these days.”
He harrumphed “I suggest you help your daughter plan this wedding. Johnathon” he eyed me carefully and I kept a neutral expression on my face “Although that apology was a bad idea, you at least tried. I admire that,” he said gravely “and I hope that you will be somewhat of a good influence on my granddaughter and her spoilt rotten ways. I will give you one piece of advice, get your affairs in order before the wedding, otherwise, it will be far too late to do anything afterward.”
Was the old man suggesting a prenup so that Charlotte couldn’t get her hands on my law firm? Or was he worried about me putting my hands on hers? Charlotte evidently knew what he was thinking “We don’t need a prenup Grandfather, we’re in love. I would never take anything off of Johnathon and he would never do anything to hurt me. We’re in this for life, aren’t we honey?” she cooed at me.
I swallowed hard. Somehow the notion of my law firm being taken from me didn’t sit well. But Charlotte loved me, didn’t she? If I were advising a client in this exact same position, I would be advising them to do a prenup. But the idea of trying to get Charlotte to sign one made me fearful of her reaction. I couldn’t start another law firm from scratch. As it was I still hadn’t paid out the original investor and the law firm was worth a hefty sum of money now.
“Well it’s your decision, even if it’s a stupid one,” the grandfather said wryly, shaking his head at us both “The folly of youth” he muttered.
“Two weeks” he muttered “You will have two weeks to get the wedding up and running. I suggest you cut out all the luxuries and go for simple and elegant” he added, spearing me and Charlotte with a look “Otherwise you can use the courthouse.”
Charlotte looked furious at the suggestion, but the grandfather shot her a look while motioning for the television to be turned off. He got to his feet and then shuffled out of the dining room while Charlotte looked at her mother hopelessly.
“Don’t worry honey” Karen said soothingly as Charlotte flung herself into her mother’s arms, like a helpless child “I can help get you started. I love weddings” she gushed.
I pushed my plate away, no longer feeling hungry. Most of the food sat there, while my stomach churned, feeling like there was a leaden weight inside of it.
“I need to get to work,” I said stiffly as Charlotte looked at me bewildered “I have important work to do. I’ll be home late” I added, “So don’t wait up for me.”
“Johnathon” Charlotte protested “You can’t just abandon me like this, the press will be waiting for you” she pointed out.
“I’ll deal with them,” I told her automatically “but I need to work Charlotte.”
If only to get away from this madhouse for a little while. Karen nodded in agreement and I got up woodenly, grabbing my briefcase and wallet. I sensed the grandfather’s eyes on me as I began to head towards the front door, my steps stiff and indecisive. I made it to the car, but instead of directing it to the office, I directed it to go somewhere else entirely, needing to drown my sorrows and all my worries at the bottom of a beer glass in the nearest pub.
Flair POV
The designs had been finished and sent off and all of our business correspondence was taken care of. It was a busy day for both Rachel and me and by the time I had bid goodbye to her, it was already late in the afternoon. I persuaded the driver to take me past a local grocery shop to pick up a few items and began to unpack them in preparation for cooking dinner when Grayson himself came waltzing in with a pleased expression on his face. I eyed him guiltily “I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to get changed or start cooking dinner” I apologized, glancing at the clock.
Truth be told, I had expected him to be later. He was a lawyer after all and I understood how heavy their workloads could be. I appreciated that he was taking the time to spend with me, but I didn’t want his work to suffer as a result either.
“I told you” he scolded me, coming and putting his arms around me good-naturedly “I don’t expect you to do the cooking every time. Now, let’s go” he added mysteriously, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the kitchen before I could protest.
I blinked “Are we going out for dinner?” I asked a little dismayed.
I preferred to cook. I had found this new recipe for a Thai green vegan curry with rice and pappadums and wanted to try it out. Grayson’s eyes were twinkling as we headed out of the house and he helped me into the car. “Let’s just say that we’re going out, to do something we should have done a long time ago,” he said cheerfully.
I narrowed my eyes as he sat opposite me. He was keeping a secret from me. I decided to see what he was up to and silently glanced out the window, observing the scenery, relaxing in my husband’s company and comfortable in each other’s silence.
We pulled to a stop and I glanced at the sign outside the large brick building. The building itself was nondescript and didn’t stand out, but the sign was large and white with the words “Sunny Animal Haven.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was this what I thought it might be? I glanced at Grayson and saw he was grinning widely. “Is this…?” I held my breath as he got out of the car and assisted me.
“I promised we would rescue an animal,” he said solemnly as I broke into an excited smile “And I always keep my word,” he said, leading me into the building as I gazed about in wonder.
There was a gorgeous blonde woman waiting for us. She was dressed in casual clothing, jeans and a shirt, with a hat on her head. She reached out and shook our hands “Welcome to Sunny Animal Haven” she chirped “Your husband said you were interested in rescuing a dog?” she asked curiously.
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.