Aaron's angry blue eyes swept down Ivette's form, noting Ivette's disheveled hair, her lips swollen from kissing and the state of her clothes.Then he looked to Cian whose gaze remained on Ivette, completely ignoring Aaron's sudden presence and Aaron's eyes flared."You stay away from her. You stay away," he fumed.Cian smirked and it was an arrogant and cocky grin that had Ivette's heart thudding against her chest. "I will, if the lass tells me to."Aaron dashed forward, drawing a fist to hit Cian but Ivette place her body between them, touching Aaron's chest, placating him. "Please, Ron. Don't--" He shoved her aside, hard. Pain shot into her rib as she crashed into the guardrail on the left wall of the elevator and a whimper left her lips. Hands were instantly on her arms and cheeks, scanning her for any injuries and Cian's eyes burned with rage. "Have you lost your mind?" He yelled, but Ivette slapped his hands off her. He didn't have that right. He had done th
“You look absolutely stunning!” Riley squealed, playing around with the lacy veil in her hands. Ivette shied away from the brush stained with powder that attacked her cheeks in the most unpleasant manner. Not early as unpleasant as her mood. The makeup artist had enough wits about her to keep the false smile in place, even if Ivette was being irritable. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were off to a funeral,” Amelia said, gripping Ivette’s chin softly, forcing her to look into those hazel eyes that mirrored hers. Ivette dropped her gaze in time to see her mother’s blood red lips move as she whispered, “Smile, Ivy. This is just as important to you as it is your father. I know you’re mad about the merger, but you’ve never been one to think with your heart. So smile. It’ll be over soon. After the wedding, you can vent as much as you want.” Ivette swallowed and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. This was Amelia King. The woman who made sure everyt
Ivette took another step toward the door and the world outside it and her heart pounded in her chest like a drum. Her fingers shook as she clutched the bouquet, the white lilies feeling almost as suffocating as the ring on her finger. She hated lilies. She hated white. She hated her wedding dress. This should be every woman’s happiest day, but all she felt was a sense of impending doom. Thoughts of what her life with Aaron might be like assaulted her thoughts, but she could hardly think past the church, the altar and the wedding rings. She couldn’t picture a future with him now, even if she had practically been dreaming of it for years. It no longer had anything to do with the merger. She didn’t want to get married to him. He was probably already waiting at the altar. She could almost imagine Aaron’s confident smile and pose while he waited. Her father would take her hand outside the door and lead her down the aisle as the sound of the organ music greeted them. Jus
Cian sat back in his black Ford, staring at nothing in particular. He had left the lass several minutes ago, but he had been unable to remove himself from her lawn.He wanted to see her one last time, even if it meant seeing her in that dress, getting shipped off to another man.Melancholy had a mighty claim over him in a way he couldn't understand. He couldn't function. He couldn't think. Though, the aircon blasted cool air through its vents, he was sweaty. His hands shook around the steering wheel and he gripped the leather tight enough that it squeaked under his hold. His phone rang somewhere around him and though he knew it was Rosalind calling him to remind him of his flight, he didn't care to take the call.He swallowed hard, willing his raging heart to freeze over, but he had no control over the burning organ anymore. The lass had taken it from him and she didn't even know that.So she probably wouldn't know to return it to him either, because he was losing his mind withou
"It has been reported that the young heiress of King Corporations went missing a few minutes before her wedding. It is said that she was abducted--"Cian turned off the receiver, but Ivette didn't stop peering out the window. They hadn't said much to each other since she did the craziest thing she had ever done in her life.Run away from her wedding.What had she been thinking? And of course, rather than admit it to the general public that she'd run from her wedding, they would report her missing and abducted."I have a couple of clothes in my luggage," Cian said, breaking the silence and Ivette's train of thoughts. She turned slightly as he added, "they're in the back.""And if the news has reached the airport? If they're searching for me? You don't know my father. He'll find--""Change out of that miserable dress, lass. I'll take care of the rest."She eyed him skeptically, wondering just how he could 'take care of the rest' in this case. If her father was searching for her, he
Ivette was jarred awake by the incessant screeching of a child. She thought she might have been dreaming but something pulled painfully at her hair and her eyes snapped open to see startling eyes of amber, peering up at her with wonder.The child blinked. Ivette blinked too. The child blinked again, twice. Ivette frowned, and as though, that single motion had broken a spell she hadn’t known existed, the child small mouth widened so much and a horrendous screech escaped it. “Uncle Cian brought home lassie!”Ivette winced at the high pitched scream that followed a giggle that threatened to rip her eardrums, but it was nothing compared to Cian’s low growl as he lifted the child into his arms and untangled his fingers from Ivette’s hair, eying him with suspicion. “Niall, what did I tell you about screaming at my visitors?”“You never bring home lasses, Uncle!”“How do you even know that?” Cian scowled, dropping the child when another seemed to pop out from another corner, racing for him w
Ivette looked out the window, at the river beyond. She rubbed her hands as she sipped from her coffee cup, gaze resting upon the glittering waters.It was calming to watch.It felt strange. Standing by the window and having a cup of coffee. She'd never had the time to do this. She'd either always been in a rush or had her nose in piles of documents pending her approval.Now, however, she was jobless with nowhere to go. Her stomach grumbled and she sighed, dropping the coffee on the stand beside her. She'd refused to go down for lunch when Fiona had invited her. She didn't belong with them. She didn't belong here. It didn't matter how accommodating they were. She didn't want to overstep.She smoothened her dress as she sat by the edge of the bed. It was a pretty thing, the dress. Nothing like what she was used to wearing. It hugged her upper frame, its corset pushing up her breasts in a way that was both feminine and alluring.It flowed freely from her waist, pooling about her feet and
“Let me come with you.”Cian turned from the car and his eyes flickered slightly when his gaze met hers. It was the first time she had seen him in two day. He was gone every morning before she was up, and he only came back when she had gone to bed.If she didn’t know better, she would think he was avoiding her. . .but why would he?He had no reason to.Just to be sure she wasn’t imagining it, she had woken earlier than usual—before dawn, freshened up, and slipped into one of the many dresses that had been stuffed in her closet before running out of her room at the sound of light footsteps walking past her door.Cian peered down at where her fingers circled his forearm and rose to her face. “You doona know where I am going, but you wish to come with me?”Her grip on his arm tightened. "The view is great and all, but I am unused to staying put and looking out through a window every day like some miserable princess. It is bad enough that I can't make a call back home or try to contact my