Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Forcing myself to focus, I concentrate on the road. For a change, the traffic isn’t a nightmare. This week, I’m working from nine to six while Annie is taking the eight to five shifts.
I arrive at work early enough to order coffee and croissants at the bakery. Carrying the breakfast to the kitchen, I stop at Vero’s office on my way. She motions me inside with a jovial, “Good morning,” when I knock on her open door.
“Thanks again for Friday night.” I put a latte and a croissant on her desk. “I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to Ethan.”
She puts down her pen and gives me her full attention. “Ethan told me he’s meeting with you again. I’m glad it worked out.”
“Nothing is for certain, but he sounded optimistic.”
“I can safely say that’s a good sign. Ethan is rarely optimistic.”
“I hope I can return your kindness in some way.”
“No payback necessary.” Her smile is radiant, making her beautiful face look even more gorgeous. “I do realize that I haven’t done myself any favors, seeing that I’m about to lose a talented tattoo artist.”
“I could still help out here,” I say quickly. “That’s to say if Ethan decides to give me a chance.”
“No.” She studies me with a friendly expression. “If you get a deal with Ethan, you should pour yourself into the new venture wholeheartedly. We’ll find someone else.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
She tilts her head. “I had a fairy godmother once. I’m only paying it forward.”
“I admire you for that.”
Shooing me away, she says, “Go on. Your coffee is getting cold.”
I give her a grateful smile before delivering Annie and Joseph’s coffee and having my own in the kitchen. While I’m sipping the strong brew, I pull the envelope from my pocket and read Leon’s message again.
I love you.
The words set off a fluttering in my stomach. It’s almost too good to be true, and that scares me. My life has never been perfect. I’ve learned not to get my hopes up, because experience taught me how much disappointment hurts. I became distrustful of anything happy or good because it never lasted. In the end, I believed I didn’t deserve luck or kindness.
When Leon forced me to marry him, I thought our marriage would be a prison just like my mom’s. On the contrary, Leon has set me free. He not only accepts me regardless, but he also likes me. He loves me. He encouraged me to follow my dream and to chase my ambition. Instead of locking me in his house, he gave me wings.
The only thing holding me back from taking the last gigantic step in our relationship is fear. I’m scared of losing it all. I’m terrified of losing him. But if I let this fear control me, I’ll never experience the full potential of what we can be. What’s the point of having wings if you don’t use them to fly? It’s time to lay down my demons and let down my guard. It’s time to accept the responsibility of loving someone without restraint. Yes, it may hurt, but like Aunt Ginger always said, living without trying is a major waste of a life.
I’m not going to call Leon. I don’t want to thank him for the enormous gift on the phone. I want to look into his eyes and kiss his lips when I tell him. I want to show him how much I appreciate his beautiful gesture.
An idea takes root in my mind. Leon and I never managed to have that restaurant dinner. Pulling my phone from my bag, I call Oscars. They’re booked up for months in advance, but I manage to get a reservation for the weekend when I mention Leon’s name.
I’m about to put the phone away when it rings. Leon’s name appears on the screen. Think about the devil…
I answer with a playful, “Hey,” and then add seductively, “I was just thinking about you.”
He sounds stressed. “Are you at work?”
“Yes.” I tense. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you to go home and lock yourself in the house. Set the alarm. I’m sending a few men I trust to guard you. A man named Walter is in charge.”
My pulse spikes. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on? Where are you?” A static noise pierced by the honking of a car reaches me through the phone. “Wait. Are you on your bike?”
He says in a quiet tone, “I shut down Starley Solutions this morning.”
“What?” I must’ve heard wrong. “What do you mean you shut them down?”
“The program you gave Elliot contained a virus. I planted a bug in the code.”
A hurricane of thoughts hits me all at once. He tricked Elliot. If Elliot uploaded a program with a virus, everyone would know Elliot didn’t create the program, and if Elliot was exposed, the video would’ve gone viral.