ALAYNABrandon is still asleep when I wake up at five, my usual hour at dawn. Still feeling tremulous and sore, I sneak out of the room and go to my station to prepare his breakfast. Sleeping with him doesn’t exempt me from my kitchen duties. I expect that he’ll go to his office today as well.
The house is quiet when I walk to the corridors. Although not on the list, I plan to prepare a quick-to-cook breakfast so I can deliver it to him before he wakes up. I dig into my storage, grab the ingredients, and boil water for tea—just the typical English breakfast.
Hurriedly, I cook the ingredients and place them on a tray until I notice a figure at the door. I gasp.
Pauline. I wonder what’s wrong with her. Despite her natural beauty, her glow is gone, and she has deep shadows around her eyes. She’s very skinny. All that’s left is a woman that seems restless and broken.
“Hi.” She gives me a forced smile and speaks in a low, throaty voice. “I’m sorry. I knew I could find you here at this hour. Can we talk?”
“I’m about to take this to Brandon. Can it wait?”
She looks at the food in front of me and bites her bottom lip anxiously. Her face goes hard. “This is going to be very quick. I’m sure he’s still asleep, and he might exercise first, so we’ve got time.”
I gape at her boldness. But surely, she memorized Brandon’s morning routine—which adds to my irritation. I sigh. “Fine. You’ve got five minutes.”
“How’s... How are you and Brandon?” she asks quietly.
Really? Is this how she’s going to start the conversation?
We fucked. Now back off. “We’re fine,” I answer.
I don’t know how many times she swallows and averts her eyes to the right, but her uneasiness makes me uncomfortable. “Did he tell you about his cousin?”
“Which cousin?” I ask, although I have an idea who she’s talking about.
“All of you might think that Ollie is missing because I came to this house; you are probably right,” she says in a rushed tone. “But I will not apologize for that. I want to help Brandon succeed, and as much as possible, I don’t want to be a problem. So if you think I am getting in his way, I am not. He decided to—”
I cut her off. “Pauline—I know your situation, okay?”
“Then he did tell you.” She grimaces a little.
“Hmm, about your fiancé too. Silvanus, is it?”
“And I’m not going to marry that devil, only Brandon,” she says bluntly.
I refuse to listen to her last sentence since I’ve already heard Brandon’s side. But what’s the point of this conversation? Why is she talking to me this way? She sounds so defensive.
“I saw you in Athens. I know who you are.”
“Yes, but I always think he did it for you, which I find hard to admit.” She looks down at her fingers.
I frown. “What do you mean he did for me?”
Her face shoots up again, but her expression is fiercer like she’s ready to headbutt me at any moment. “I know that it’s his attempt to divert everyone’s attention to me so they won’t know about you—to protect your name.” She flashes a smile of disappointment. “At first, I was insecure. At first, I was jealous....”
“And now?”
“I still am, but that’s just it,” she says. “He’s my first love, and I was his. Ever since I was born. I was destined to be with him. My family groomed me to be his. I may be Silvanus’s fiancé under our law, but not for long. Brandon is doing everything he can so that won’t happen. My parents picked him, and I choseI grit my teeth. “But as a man, he has a choice, and he loves me.”
“Yes, I won’t argue with that, but it’s me who he needsMy knees turn so frail that I have to hold on to the counter. Pauline’s statement isn’t enough to shake me, except that it’s the truth. I’ve had those thoughts resonating in my mind and blocked them. Yet Brandon still hasn’t told me why he needs Pauline’s help and what he plans with her. It’s probably more significant than what we have. She’s born of a powerful family, and she can provide anything he might need to succeed. And he can’t keep us both, can he? Maybe this is her point. I wouldn’t want to co-exist with her at his side.
But why does it suddenly turn out like I’m the villain of their love story? I can’t bear to hear this.
“And after all that happened with him, you still love him,” I murmur.
“With all my heart,” she says. “And I’m going to help him with everything I can to make sure he thrives. I’m sure you know he has enemies.”
I hold my breath as I’m already on the verge of breaking down. “I understand what you mean.”
“But it’s up to you now if you still wish to continue.”
I gather all my composure and transfer the tray to the food trolley, but the lump in my chest remains. “Is that everything? I need to take this to him now.”
“Thank you for listening, Alayna.”
I try to think of something to say, but I’m out of words. What else can I possibly say to her? She utterly defeated me this time. She isn’t wrong, either. If someone asks me about my future with Brandon, I most likely won’t have the answer. But it doesn’t matter. I care more about the present.
I nod and walk past her, pushing the trolley.
As Pauline expected, Brandon has just finished his workout and is looking luscious in a black muscle-cut tank top and slim fit gym shorts. His arms and shoulders are glistening with beads of sweat. His body has defined cuts with enough bulk on his biceps and pectorals. How can he look so glorious in everything he wears? My fingers suddenly itch to rub his arms, his wide chest, and his stomach.
This man. How could I not fall in love with him?
I avert my eyes to the food and place the dishes on his dining table by the window.
“Good morning. I have your breakfast. But it’s not on your list, by the way.”
He moves over to me, still panting, and kisses my cheek. “Good morning. When did you ever follow the list?” he jokes, smiling. And God, even if he’s covered with sweat, his natural masculine odor and mild soap smell are divine.
I pout. “I follow the list, you know, but I’ve added some variation.”
“Doesn’t matter. I always love your cooking.” He disappears into his closet and comes back, wiping the back of his neck with a towel. “Join me.”
My eyes flicker. “Not gonna ask Pauline instead?”
He rolls his eyes. “Oh, don’t start.” He opens the lid and sniffs the food. “Mm. Looks delicious, as always.”
“Why not? You’re always dining with her,” I insist, and my voice is more serious now. Maybe it’s because she pissed me off.
“She helped me with work. Oliver’s not here, and I needed an assistant,” he says, then sits behind the table. “But jealousy certainly looks good on you.” He smirks in amusement and starts digging through the food.
My face burns. “I have every reason to feel that way.”
“Why don’t you sit?”
I pull out a chair across from him and slump on it. This is where she always sits.
Brandon hands me his plate with breakfast food on it. “Now eat and tell me what is bothering you.” He serves food on another plate for himself.
I’m not bothered by his present connection with Pauline. He told me he doesn’t love her, and I believe him. But the likelihood of their marriage aggravates me, though it is pointless to tell Brandon that. He’ll just dismiss the conversation.
I pick up my fork and knife and slice the waffle. “What are we going to tell them about us?”
He starts eating his food too. “Is that what you really want to ask?”
“Yes, because we don’t want to shock them.” Pauline already got the idea, which is good, but Casey thinks I’ll date her brother since our dinner date. Cassius is still waiting for my answer.
His jaw twitches. “Shock Cassius, “But it’s not like that. Besides, you went through all these measures so people won’t know about our relationship, and suddenly we’re... back together again.”
“It’s simple, Alayna. We go outside, and we tell everyone.”
My shoulders drop. “You made it so complicated for us the past year, and now you’re saying it like it’s so simple.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything else because you are safer now in my house.” He picks up his teacup, takes a sip, then speaks again. “What happened last year was the result of my negligence, but I’ve learned from that. They’ll die first if they ever try to take you away from me,” he warns, but I’m not sure if he’s only referring to his enemies, although his words reassure me.
My teeth play with my bottom lip. Maybe I should really tell him about Pauline, even just a little fragment of our conversation. “Pauline said you used her as a diversion. Is this true?”
His hands stop moving. His face shows some emotion, but he shifts to looking impassive again. “You spoke to Pauline?”
“She came to my station. There’s a difference,” I murmur, then continue to eat my food.
“Is that all she told you?”
“What else would she tell me?” I will not say anything about it until he discloses everything to me. I’m not opening all my cards, and also, I’m going to give him a chance to tell me his side before coming to conclusions. But that’s only when he opens up.
“That’s partly true, and that’s unintentional,” he admits.
“But you’re still not going to explain that, will you?”
“Because now isn’t the right time.”
“And at this right“Hmm.” He eats the last portion of his breakfast and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Why don’t we save this for later? I need to get ready. Without my CEO, I have a company to run. I can’t appoint anyone else to Ollie’s post, or they will suspect his absence.”
I instantly imagine Brandon at an office desk behind the New York City skyline, looking imperious in his business suit and ordering people around him. A sight I’d love to see. He’ll probably look so damn sexy.
He springs up, comes around to my side, and kisses me deeply. “I don’t wish to be late, but you’re so tempting right now,” he mumbles. “I’d like to be with you again tonight.”
“Will you be home early?”
“Yes, I will.” He digs his hand into my hair and claims my mouth again.