Leilani.
"Are you okay, Sweetcakes?" Jarek asked me for the nth time this night, but I simply nodded as I got out of his car and headed straight for the hotel's reception.
I had just arrived by the front desk, looking straight at the young woman with cropped jet black hair smiling warmly at me from behind her large desk when warm hands suddenly clamped around my wrist and spun me around so quickly, I nearly lost my footing.
I gasped. "Jarek, I said I am fine…" I began to say but stopped when he pinned with a look so intense, it had my mouth going dry for a second.
His eyes dropped to my lips for a second too long, but then he quickly looked away and sighed. "You don't look fine, Leilani. I am certain that that encounter with your godforsaken family at the party rattled you—"
I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, it didn't."
But Jarek didn't let go of me. He certainly didn't let the topic drop. He continued; "Oh, don't give me that bullshit!" And then glancing around suddenly. Coldly. He added; "Why don't you come to my penthouse with me tonight?"
But I didn't want to. I didn't want to be anywhere else but in my suite tonight. Today was already a long day as it is.
My breath hitched when his fibers lightly grazed my face. His index finger trailed over my bottom lip for a very brief second before he pulled away. He muttered; "I'm worried about you."
"And I know… I also appreciate it. But please, let me be tonight. I have a few things I need to work on."
"But you just got into the country!" He snorted, rolling his eyes at me, and in that minute, I couldn't help but smile. "What can you possibly be doing that would have you so busy?"
"Jay—"
"Moreover, we have a lot of catching up to do. I also need to tell you about the stupid crap that your sister and brother told me about you not so long ago."
At the mention of Gavin and Chalice, my mood plummeted again. I shrugged indifferently. "I don't want to know about it." I sighed. "Also, because I'm looking to settle in NYC, I've been looking around real estate websites for a house."
"I'll be traveling there in two days. Will you come with me? I could help you with settling in and looking for suitable houses." He offered softly, and this time, after noting the genuineness of his gaze and how reluctant he was to leave, I couldn't bring myself to refuse his help. So I nodded.
"Okay."
He smiled. "Fine then. Go to rest! I'll show you around Pennsylvania tomorrow—"
"But Jay, I…" I began to say but before I could get the words out of my mouth, he shook his head abruptly, his jaws set into a firm line.
"No excuses, Leilani. No buts." He snapped, turning around. "You've turned me down once tonight, and the only reason I'm backing down is because I think you deserve some rest."
I smiled. "Yeah, sure."
"So goodnight cupcake. I hope you strike us all with some of your dazzling beauty again tomorrow." He muttered, and with that, he walked away, leaving me staring at his retreating form with a mixture of confusion and appreciation.
I only turned back to the pretty receptionist after he was gone. I drawled; "My keys please. Suite 307."
The girl wasted no time giving me what I needed, that is after checking my data in her system. She bade me farewell as I strutted past, but at this time, I was too shaken to respond. Too tired to say anything.
And certainly too drained after everything that's happened today.
My tears burned at the corners of my eyes when I remembered how unreasonably cold my family had been to me earlier. It's been four years and not only did their hostility towards me grow, but they also became more stupid.
I kicked my shoes off my feet and left out a sigh of relief when my ankles finally breathed freely as I stepped into my suite.
And then I picked up my laptop, not bothering to wipe off my make up or take off my dress.
I'd paid rapt attention during Caelum's speech earlier today, not because I was interested in listening to him speak but because this had been my plan all along.
To watch them. To learn. To get better. To beat them.
And now, with me coming back, they wouldn't know what was just about to hit them.
—
I woke up with a pounding headache and a screaming phone. Groaning, I didn't even bother to check who was calling before slapping the cold device against my ear.
However, that was a wrong move.
Because a sharp voice bellowed from the other end of the call; "LEILANI SINCLAIR! How did you manage to sleep through the entire morning?!"
I winced, recoiling from the offensive object as I looked up at the wall clock opposite my bed. My breath caught in my chest when I saw what the time was: 01:36pm, and after realizing that the person on the other end of the phone was Jarek, I let out a long string of profanities.
"I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't. Did you work throughout the night? Again?"
The accusation in his voice made me smile softly, especially since I was aware that he wasn't so far from the truth.
My face flushed at the thought, and with a grin, I muttered; "I was invested in the Stormborn triplets' innovation…"
"And you tried to create something like it?" He teased in his usual 'I-see-through-you' tone, and I smiled again.
"It may sound now like I am blowing my trumpets, but I think I just made something better. We can talk about it over lunch, right? RIGHT?"
Jarek's rich chuckle filled my ears the next second, filling me with a kind of warmth that had my toes curling. He tsked excitedly and drawled; "Of course, your majesty. I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes."
"Please make it thirty!" I argued, rolling my eyes when I caught sight of my disheveled reflection in the bedside mirror.
I had half expected Jarek to protest but he didn't. Instead, he sighed and said; "Okay." And before the line went dead, he whispered; "I'm really glad you're back."
I had no idea what that meant or why he'd even taken the initiative to say it to me, but deciding to shrug it off, I dragged myself out of bed, washed up, quickly changed into something decent yet elegant; But I had just pulled open the door to my suite to walk out when I noticed a large bouquet of red roses waiting for me by the door.
I froze.
"What the fuck?"
My eyes darted around the empty corridor in confusion and when I still couldn't find any clues as to how this got here, I picked up the bouquet, sniffed it and then dumped it into the thrash can.
Spineless secret admirers can go to hell for all I care.