Chapter Twenty Four

Dim lighting, soft music, and a half-empty bottle of wine and a glass of wine in each person's hand set the mood as Alice, Daniel, and Kimberly settled onto the couch. Alice had made up her mind to have fun and forget about Kelvin or the rules of her being married, after all her husband was not worth it.

Kimberly spoke, "We're starting with the game, Never have I ever...."

"Nice" Daniel smiled.

Kimberly turned to Alice, "You do know how to play, right?"

"Of course, I do" Alice smiled

"Perfect" Kimberly leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “Alright, let’s get this game started. I’ll go first.” She picked up her glass, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Never have I ever… kissed someone and regretted it.”

Alice’s fingers tensed around her glass. The memory of that night on the deck with Daniel resurfaced. The way she had allowed herself to be drawn in, the warmth of his body so close, the whisper of his lips against hers before she had pulled away—before reality had come crashing in. Slowly, she raised her glass and took a sip.

Kimberly gasped dramatically. “Alice! Now, this is getting interesting.”

Daniel was quiet, watching Alice closely a little smirk on the corner of his lips.

Kimberly’s grin widened. “Now, this I need details on, Alice.”

Alice shook her head, feigning nonchalance. “That’s not part of the game.”

"Come on Alice, where's your fun spirit?" Kimberly pressured.

"Okay....." Alice gave in, "It just happened that he kissed me and I sort of kissed back and I regretted it afterwards"

"who is he?" Kimberly asked again.

"Someone of no concern" Alice smiled

Kimberly pouted. “Ugh, fine. Daniel, your turn.”

Daniel leaned back, taking his time before saying, “Never have I ever… been in a fake marriage for money.”

Alice glared at him. “Really?”

Daniel shrugged. “Just trying to keep things interesting.”

"Well, I'm not married to Kelvin for money" Alice defended.

"But you're still in the marriage because of your inheritance deal with him" Daniel pointed out.

Kimberly chuckled as Alice, scowling, took another sip.

Daniel watched her for a moment, his expression unreadable before he murmured, “Thank you for your honesty.”

Alice sighed. “Fine. My turn. Never have I ever… been in love.”

Kimberly groaned and took a sip. “Ugh. Love. The most overrated thing on the planet.”

Alice and Daniel also sipped from their glasses.

Kimberly faced Daniel, "I have been in love with my useless ex. Alice is probably still in love with Kelvin. So who are you in love with or were once in love with?"

"The most amazing woman on the planet" he replied.

"mmmmmmm.......that's so sweet" Kimberly said while Alice avoided his gaze with a strange feeling stirring in her chest.

Kimberly, oblivious, continued. “Alright, moving on. Your turn, Daniel.”

Daniel tapped his fingers against his glass before saying, “Never have I ever… fallen for someone I shouldn’t have.”

Alice’s breath hitched.

Kimberly groaned and took a sip. “My ex-husband, obviously.”

Daniel, after a brief pause, took a sip of his own drink.

And Alice… hesitated at first. Then, with slow deliberation, she lifted her glass and drank.

Daniel noticed. Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them. A silent acknowledgment of truths Alice dared to voice.

Kimberly, still unaware of the thickening tension, smirked. “Daniel, is your amazing woman the one you're not supposed to fall in love with?.”

"Yes" he replied.

"Wow.... interesting" Kimberly turned to Alice, "what about you? who's the forbidden love interest?"

"It's not someone you should concern yourself with. And I'm not sure I'm all in love with him, it's just that he's the exact opposite of Kelvin and it kinda draws me to him" Alice said.

"I get that. Seeing the love you so crave from your husband in another man is tempting" Kimberly said.

"Very tempting" Daniel said and Alice gave him a quick glance to meet with his eyes.

Kimberly hummed, tapping her chin. “Alright. Never have I ever… been tempted to cheat on someone I was with.”

Alice stiffened and saw Daniel's gaze locked onto hers.

Kimberly sighed and took a sip. “My ex was a serial cheater. At one point, I was this close to giving him a taste of his own medicine. But I didn’t.”

Alice hesitated before shaking her head. “I haven’t.”

Daniel’s lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

Kimberly snapped her fingers. “Okay, let’s go deeper. Never have I ever… been with someone who I knew was bad for me.”

Alice’s stomach twisted as she thought of Kelvin. Of the way she had been tricked into this marriage. Silently, she took a sip.

Kimberly grinned again, seemingly determined to lighten the mood. “Alright, let's play a different game. This one seems to remind us of pain and regretful moments"

"Exactly" Alice agreed.

Kimberly went to the waste bin and returned, “We'll be playing Truth or Dare,” she declared with a grin, waving an empty wine bottle in the air. “Classic, fun, and maybe a little dangerous.”

Alice gave her a wary look. “Why do I feel like you have an ulterior motive?”

Kimberly winked. “Because I do.”

Daniel smirked, leaning back in his seat. “Lets do this!.”

Kimberly spun the bottle first. It landed on Alice.

Alice sighed. “Me, of course. Alright, truth.”

Kimberly’s grin widened. “Have you ever been in love?”

Alice replied, "Of course I have been"

Kimberly groaned. “That's true why would I even ask that?.”

Kimberly spun the bottle again. This time, it landed on Daniel.

Kimberly beamed. “Truth or dare?”

Daniel smirked. “Dare.”

Kimberly clapped her hands. “Ooooh, I like this. I dare you to tell the group about the last person you had a serious crush on.”

Alice stiffened slightly, suddenly finding the hem of her dress fascinating.

Daniel’s smirk faltered for a brief second before he regained composure. “Pass.”

Kimberly gasped. “What?! You can’t just pass.”

Daniel chuckled. “I just did.”

"And you can't. Tell us" Kimberly pushed.

Daniel sighed, "Okay, she is very beautiful, enchanting even. She's a strong and confident woman and has completely taken over my heart"

Alice risked a glance at him, only to find him already looking at her.

Kimberly huffed. “I know you don't want to tell us her name" Daniel nodded.

"Whatever" Kimberly said and spun the bottle, and this time, it landed on Alice again.

“Ugh,” Alice groaned. “Dare.”

Kimberly’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “I dare you to sit on Daniel’s lap for the next two rounds.”

Alice’s head snapped up. “What?”

Kimberly wiggled her eyebrows. “You heard me.”

Alice turned to Daniel, who simply raised an eyebrow in amusement, silently daring her to do it.

With an exasperated sigh, she stood and reluctantly sat on Daniel’s lap. She felt the warmth of his body beneath her, the strength of his arms resting casually at his sides, but the tension in his posture was unmistakable.

Daniel leaned in slightly, his voice low and teasing. “Comfortable?”

Alice glared at him. “Not in the slightest.”

Kimberly giggled. “Oh, this is so good. You guys have a good chemistry” she commented ignorantly.

The game continued, with dares ranging from harmless to downright embarrassing. Daniel was dared to whisper something intimate into Alice’s ear, which he did without hesitation. He whispered the words as romantic as he could, "I love you Alice." making her shiver.

Alice was dared to describe the most attractive quality in a man, and she found herself unintentionally describing Daniel. She felt a little flustered and embarrassed.

Then, the bottle landed on Daniel again.

Alice, still on his lap, crossed her arms. “Truth or dare?”

Daniel smirked. “Truth.”

Alice thought for a moment before asking, “Have you ever wanted something—or someone—you knew you couldn’t have?”

The air shifted.

Daniel held her gaze for a long moment before replying softly, “Yes.”

Alice swallowed hard.

Kimberly, oblivious to the rising tension, spun the bottle again. This time, it landed on her.

She picked truth and admitted that she had once considered giving her ex-husband a pay back by cheating on him too.

The game went on, till they were all tired and eventually slept off.

*********

Alice woke up that morning and realized that Kimberly was busy in her bathroom. She left the bedroom and went to the living room area where she surprisingly saw that Daniel was still around. He was seated on the sofa.

He heard her footsteps and looked at her, "How was your night?"

"Refreshing and yours?" she asked.

"Same" he flashed a smile.

"Good" Alice nodded and moved to the fridge to get something to drink. She grabbed a bottle of fruit juice and headed back to the bedroom.

"Don't you want to keep me company?" Daniel asked.

She stopped and thought for a while, "I guess it won't hurt" she turned and sat down.

They were quiet for a while. Alice looking away from him and carefully drinking her juice. Daniel kept his gaze on her.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

She looked at him, "A lot"

"Am I part of the 'lot'?" he asked.

"You are the centre of the 'lot'" Alice replied.

He gave a playful smirk at the corner of his lips and adjusted on the sofa, "I want to know all about it"

Alice lowered her voice, "Are you sure you really want to know?"

Daniel found her voice exciting, "Yes, I do" he smiled fully.

Seeing his beautiful smile brought a grin on her face. She was enjoying it at that moment.

"Well, I was having certain fantasies, beautiful and captivating fantasies......about you" she said.

Daniel felt his heart rate increase. He stood up and moved closer to her, still smiling. The eagerness in his manner made Alice laugh a little.

"Now I really do want to know" he pleaded with his eyes.

Alice, staring into his eyes was enthralled by them. She blushed as she felt his eyes tease her sweetly.

"No, I can't tell you" Alice said, tucking her hair behind her ears shyly.

"Come on Alice, just for the fun of it - tell me" Daniel pushed

"Okay fine" Alice began "It's nothing much. I simply imagined us dancing under the stars on the ship's deck.....That's all"

"That can't be all" Daniel smiled, fascinated by her shyness.

"I'm not saying any more. My fantasies are for me alone, to get through this emotional torture" She said.

"Fine, keep it all to yourself. At least, I'm very very happy, that you fantasize about me" Daniel said.

For a moment, they held each other's gaze, speaking volumes of words in their silence.

Soon, Kimberly came out to them and unknowingly interrupted their moment. Alice excused herself to freshen up, leaving Kimberly and Daniel to their little chat.

*********

Kelvin was very frustrated. Alice intentionally refused to take his calls all night and made his grandmother raise an eyebrow about her absence during the video call.

Grandma Janet had questioned Kelvin's actions towards Alice to make her not to be by his side. The next thing Grandma Janet said to him was,

"I think I'll have to come on that ship myself and find out how you're treating my poor Alice"

Kelvin was restless all through the night and the moment it was morning, he dialled Alice's number several times, which Alice had purposely ignored.

His grandmother was already making plans to join them on the ship. He needed to do something fast - to find Alice and try to win her over since she had proven that she was not the type to threaten and manipulate with anger and force.

After freshening up, he went out to the cafe, hoping to find Alice there and fortunately for him, she was there having breakfast with Kimberly and Daniel. He smirked and left briefly.

******

Alice sat at a cozy corner table with Kimberly and Daniel, stirring her tea absentmindedly. She was trying her best to stay engaged in the conversation, but her mind was cluttered with conflicting emotions.

Daniel, seated across from her, stole subtle glances in her direction, as if sensing her distraction. Kimberly, on the other hand, was animatedly talking about the next set of activities on the ship, trying to keep the morning lighthearted.

Then, the café’s gentle ambiance shifted. A quiet murmur started at the entrance, rippling through the guests like a wave. Alice frowned slightly, looking up just as the waiter approached their table with an elegant tray. On it sat a delicate plate with a single red rose resting beside a carefully arranged selection of her favorite breakfast items—fluffy pancakes, fresh strawberries, and a small cup of warm honey on the side.

Alice’s brows furrowed. "What is this?"

The waiter cleared his throat. “This is from Mr. Kelvin Sanders,” he said, stepping aside.

And then, there he was - Kelvin.

Kelvin stood near the café entrance. In his hand, he held a bouquet of lilies. The entire café had fallen into hushed whispers, customers stealing curious glances as they witnessed the rare sight of a billionaire husband making a public display of affection.

Alice felt the weight of Daniel’s stare beside her, but she refused to meet it. Her fingers tightened around her teacup as Kelvin took measured steps toward her table.

He stopped right beside her and, with surprising gentleness, placed the bouquet down in front of her. “Good morning, Alice,” he said, his voice unusually soft.

Kimberly’s eyes widened, while Daniel leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

Alice stared at the bouquet, then at the breakfast. “What is this?” she asked, her voice guarded.

Kelvin let out a small breath, as if choosing his words carefully. “I know I’ve acted unruly, not treating you the way you deserve,” he said, his tone holding an edge of sincerity that made Alice’s heart clench. “But I want to change that....at least while we're on this cruise”

A beat of silence.

“Alice,” Kelvin continued, leaned closer to Alice, lowering his voice so that only Alice could hear, “I see you. I see how much I’ve hurt you. And I don’t want to keep being the man who makes you miserable.” His gaze softened, and for the first time in a long time, Alice saw something raw in his eyes—something dangerously close to regret.

Kimberly glanced between them, and even Daniel, though stoic, was clearly paying close attention.

Alice swallowed, feeling an odd mix of emotions she wasn’t ready to face. Was this genuine? Or was it another calculated move?

Kelvin stepped back slightly and gestured toward an empty table by the window. “Have breakfast with me,” he asked. “Just the two of us.”

Alice’s breath hitched.

She had a choice. She could brush him off in front of everyone, including Daniel. Or she could see what this was really about.

But then she said, "I'm already having breakfast with my friends"

"Please Alice" Kelvin pleaded, "Your friends will understand" then he faced Kimberly, "Won't you?"

"Ummm.......sure" Kimberly said, facing Alice, "Just go see what this is about" she gave her a knowing look.

Alice sighed.