“Are you kidding, that would have been permanently etched in her memory” Rachel said in awe “The great Ian Grant saying no to the likes of Charlotte Deluca? Man, I can’t wait until she runs into you at this party.”
“I plan on staying in the background,” Ian said uncomfortably, the tip of his ears turning pink “so she probably won’t notice.”
“I plan on shoving you into her,” Knox said blandly, eyeing his twin “So that won’t work” he advised Ian with a mischievous grin that had him blanching as Grayson came back and put a plate of food in front of me.
Johnathon POV
“I can’t breathe” Charlotte gasped, clutching her chest dramatically and panting as her mother began to rub her back with small circles.
“Just take deep breaths dear, deep breaths,” Karen told her as Charlotte sobbed pitifully “That’s it, that’s better” she soothed as though Charlotte was still a small child that needed comforting.
“Let’s fix your makeup,” Karen said, while Charlotte glanced in the mirror, scowling darkly “You can’t go back to the party like that. You look like a raccoon now that your eyeliner has begun to run,” she said crinkling her brow.
I leaned against the doorway of Charlotte’s bedroom, watching as my fiancee tried to regain her composure. Charlotte’s hands were shaking as she tried to tidy and fix her hair.
“Johnathon” she pouted, as I walked inside and sat down on the bed “Johnathon, why didn’t you say anything more?” she complained.
I sighed. It was just a damn ring as far as I was concerned. I chose my words carefully “Charlotte, your grandfather made his decision. I know that you’re feeling hurt but in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t the fact that we’re getting married, matter to you more?” I asked her, studying her face.
I had always thought that marriage was more important than the ring. I was still struggling to digest the fact that Flair had married Grayson. I was shocked. What was even more difficult to imagine was that Grayson seemed to be enamored with my ex-wife and protective of her. He disliked it when somebody made a comment against her. He had even gone so far as to threaten anybody who laid a hand on her.
“I can’t believe he married her” Charlotte sniffed, pursing her lips and applying a fresh round of lipstick on her lips “I mean, what was he thinking? She’s a nobody”
Karen sniffed “Perhaps but Charlotte do you understand what this means? Grayson is already married, which means he could produce an heir at any time,” she told her daughter in disgust “And the first one to produce a living heir, is the one to get…”
Charlotte’s eyes widened “The company” she shrieked “That son of a bitch did it to get his hands on my company. Oooh” she seethed, waving her hands, her mother trying gingerly to reapply eyeliner and almost poking her daughter’s eye out “sneaky, conniving little…” she vented.
“Hold still” her mother snapped “Before I poke your eye out” she warned.
Karen quickly applied fresh eyeliner and Charlotte resumed talking “Now what? I wanted a lengthy engagement” she complained, looking over at me “And now we don’t have a choice but to get married quickly.”
Say what now? I coughed, trying to disguise my uneasy laughter. “Charlotte, we don’t need to get married instantly just because Grayson has. It can take people months to get pregnant” I told her knowingly “and you wanted a grand wedding. That can’t be done on such a quick timeline.”
There, that should stop her from racing to the altar with me.
“I did,” Charlotte said glancing at Karen who frowned “But I want the company even more. Johnathon, we can’t afford to wait,” she said grimly.
“Charlotte, be reasonable” I urged her, feeling out of my depth “You’re upset about the ring and about Grayson being married. I think you just need a little time to come to terms with it” I said, feeling like I was balancing on a tightrope that was about to be pulled out from under me “and your feelings.”
Her lips twisted and she shot me a savage look “Are you saying that you don’t love me, Johnathon?” she demanded icily, while her mother glared at me “Are you saying that’s why you don’t want to get married?”
She wasn’t listening to a single word I had said. I swallowed hard, my mouth feeling dry. “That’s not what I’m saying Charlotte, of course, I love you” I denied “but we just got engaged officially tonight. Not to mention I only got divorced this week. Don’t you think it would be better to give it time?”
“It didn’t stop Flair from marrying Grayson, that bitch” she seethed, whirling around and looking directly at me “She didn’t seem too bothered about waiting long once she was divorced.”
I had nothing to say to that. It had stung to realize that my ex-wife was married and that she was happily married from the looks of it to another man. She could be pretending but the way she and Grayson looked at each other, was hard to mimic in real life unless you were in love.
“Today’s our engagement party,” I said, glancing away from Charlotte who was beginning to look mutinous “I think that we should focus on that for now. Mingle with our guests and celebrate. We can discuss wedding plans later. Surely there’s some people here that you want to see?” I asked with a hint of desperation.
Her mother fiddled with Charlotte’s hair, tidying up some curls and nodding in satisfaction.
“Johnathon’s right,” Karen said, surprising me “Tonight is about your engagement. You need to mingle, get your photo taken with Johnathon, and have fun. You can worry about getting married tomorrow, but for now, you have guests who are waiting” she pointed out.
“Let them wait” Charlotte muttered, “it’s my party after all.”
But she obediently smoothed down her dress. I was relieved she wasn’t obsessing over that ring anymore. We exited the room and headed back outside. Just as we were about to head into the marquee, Charlotte bumped into somebody rather forcibly. Almost as though the man had been shoved into her.
“Watch where you’re going” she cried indignantly, turning and then gaping as she came face to face with none other than Ian Grant.
“I..I,, Ian” she stammered as the man glanced at her coolly “How are you doing?” she squeaked, turning bright red.
“Forgive my untimely exit,” he said, turning and glaring over his shoulder at someone “I was just about to leave” he added, causing Charlotte’s face to fall.
“Already?” she asked meekly.
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.