Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
"I asked his secretary," Jonas admitted. "He's out attending some party."
Emmy struggled to keep her face blank. A party. He was out attending a party, likely with another woman whose job had nothing to do with mucking out stables.
"And I've already spoken with security. They'll let you in."
"I'm just starting to think this is a bad idea..."
Jonas was in a panic when he realized Emmy was thinking of backing out. "Please, Emmy. Today's open house, and you know how important it is for us to make the VIPs happy."
"I know that, but..."
"Please, Emmy. I wouldn't ask you to come back if there was any other way. But there isn't. And Princess has never been the same since you left."
Emmy forgot all about her own pain as Jonas explained the change in Princess' temperament in the past two months. There wasn't a day that had gone by without Emmy suffering from the guilt of having to leave the horses behind so abruptly, and it killed her to hear about Princess being affected by her absence.
"I just need you to work with her for an hour or so, keep her calm while the guests take photos with her. Today's by-invite only, and we can't afford to piss off any of the VIPs..."
Rowland was still reeling from Charlotte's revelations when his secretary sent him a text that rocked his world anew.
Anita: One of our staff requested temporary HQ access for Ms. Watson to assist in today's open house.
Rowland swiftly texted back while ordering Mack to have the chopper ready.
Rowland: Don't let her leave until I get there.
He didn't want to waste even a single second; the sooner he was in San Antonio, the sooner he could beg for Emerald's forgiveness.
Anita: I'll let Jonas know he's to remain by Ms. Watson's side until ordered otherwise.
Something cold enveloped his entire being as Rowland boarded his chopper, and it took him a while to realize it was fear. He couldn't even remember the last time he was afraid, but there was no mistake about what he was feeling now.
Was Emerald dating Jonas now?
Because he now knew that his Emerald was everything his heart believed her to be, Rowland also knew that his wife would never have returned to his ranch without a good reason. And while he desperately wanted to think her reason for coming back was the four-legged type, what if it wasn't?
With how shitty Rowland had been as a husband, no one would blame Emerald for finding solace in the boy's arms—-
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
His mind suddenly tortured him with images of Jonas undressing his Emerald, and Rowland felt violently sick.
He had never really cared to pray in the past, not even if just to ask God for a second set of parents. But when he thought about how he absolutely hadn't any chance of winning Emerald back...
God, I'm begging you.
The Big Guy Above was his only hope, and Rowland knew it.
Please give me another chance to love her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EMMY'S JOY IN BEING reunited with her babies was impossible to quantify. Surrounded by the horses she had lovingly cared for day after day, she was able to forget - even just for a while - about the pain of her divorce.
She fed them with their favorite treats and brushed their coats while telling them how much she missed and loved them. Her eyes started stinging when she thought about having to leave them once her job here was finished, and it almost made Emmy wish she hadn't been so high and mighty in refusing a settlement for her divorce.
With the money he had offered, she could've had the means to buy her own place outside the city and take care of her babies on her own. But in return, she would have given him a reason to believe that stable girls like her only cared about the money.
This is how it should be, Emmy told herself. If she had the chance to turn back time, there wouldn't be a divorce or a marriage in the first place. She would rather go back to her old life, and he would simply be her billionaire boss and nothing else.
The VIPs started coming in soon after, and Emmy shoved all such thoughts out of her mind so she could concentrate on Princess. Her baby had always been skittish around strangers, and now more so than ever. In the two months Emmy had been gone, it seemed as if Princess had forgotten everything they had worked on, and Emmy was starting to think having Princess included in today's open house was a good idea.
Jonas came to Princess' stall at that moment, but before Emmy had the chance to share her misgivings, another woman strode inside the stall, and Emmy knew it was too late to make any changes.
"Is this Princess then?" the woman asked Jonas in a tone that could only be described as haughty.