“You may rest assured, Miss Taylor. I mean no harm. My name is Virgil and Mr. Rowe sent me to speak with you.”
My mind went blank for a split second before I narrowed my eyes in suspicion at him.
“Please call Mr. Rowe if you are uncomfortable with me. You can confirm my identity with you before you speak to me.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I glance at my phone, hatching a plan in my head. There was no way in hell I would allow a stranger inside my house on his word alone.
“Please wait here,” I said and started closing the door. I saw him give a short nod before I shut it completely and bolted the door.
I walked into the kitchen and called Mr. Rowe quickly.
"Hello, Miss Taylor."
It sounded like he knew I would be calling. His voice dripped with smugness and I could practically see the smirk on that pretty face of his.
I sucked in a deep breath so that I didn’t reprimand him badly. “Mr. Rowe, there is a man at my front door, claiming that you sent him.”
“Yes. That is Virgil. You can trust him.”
I was tiptoeing at the edge of exploding in anger.
“I would have appreciated a text or a call warning me that you were sending a stranger to my house.”
He snorted. “And those are the words of a girl who may or may not have used illegal means to get a hand on my private information. If I didn’t play along, what fun would there be?”
I had to curse him for his comeback. He must have caught my reaction because he chuckled.
“You effectively scared me, thank you very much, Mr. Rowe.”
"You have no reason to be scared. Virgil can be a nice guy."
“If he is such a nice guy, why is he following me around?”
He was silent for a moment. "Virgil was complying with my wishes. I had some things that needed to be investigated."
I didn't understand what he was saying. He was speaking vaguely and I was growing tired of how he avoided the main issue at hand.
"Mr. Rowe, you have kept me waiting for a week without a word. Can you put me out of my misery and just tell me what your decision is?"
He clucked his tongue. “Patience… Listen to what Virgil has to say. And if you have any further questions, you may call me back.”
‘May?’ The nerve of this man!
"I ‘may’ call you back? Listen, you—"
"What was that?" he interrupted.
I snapped my lips shut before I could say something I would regret. "Nothing."
"Oh? I do like your fire, Willow."
If I ever met the man, I would show him how it felt to be burned by the fire. "You have only seen the tip of the iceberg," I said in a saccharine tone.
"Moving elements, are we? I'm counting on it," he replied coolly, continuing on before I could reply, "Will you speak to Virgil?"
"Do you promise he doesn’t have bad intentions? I do not like the idea of allowing a stranger inside my house."
“I can assure you that he bears you no ill will. I don’t have the time to send someone across the country to harm you.”
He had a point.
"You could be petty, for all I know. But if you aren’t pretty, maybe not."
“I am not petty.” He paused to think about what he would say next. "Virgil is my head of security and I trust him with my life."
I believed him. A breath I didn’t know I was holding left me.
“I will talk to him. But I will call you immediately after. I need to know what is happening since I am in midst of packing everything I own.”
"Trust me."
Trust him? How arrogant.
I walked back to the door after hanging up and peered through the peephole. Virgil was waiting patiently where I had left him. He hadn’t moved a muscle.
I opened the door slowly. “I spoke to Mr. Rowe. Please come in.” I really had no idea what to say or what his intentions were.
He entered slowly and stood in the hall, allowing me to put space between us if I so wished.
“I think you should sit down, Miss Taylor.”
I led him to the kitchen and took a seat as he had instructed. He sat down across from me and his eyes darted to the phone tightly gripped in my hand. I was prepared in case I needed to call the police.
Virgil reached into his suit and pulled out a letter. He slid it across the table toward me. I glanced at the envelope before looking back at him. He smiled at me warmly, making me feel less scared.
“I can see that you are uncomfortable, so I won’t waste time.”
I shifted in my seat. “I just want to know what is happening. Why are you here?”
He nodded. "I'm here to escort you to Quentin. We leave in the morning."
"What?"
He chuckled. "We leave for Quentin tomorrow morning," he repeated slowly.
I digested his words slowly. Did I understand the meaning of his words correctly? Was Mr. Rowe funding my college education?
"Miss Taylor?"
I shook my head to clear it and looked at Virgil, the security guy. He was still waiting for me to respond.
"I—what do you mean? Why am I going tomorrow? How am I going?" I babbled.
Virgil surely thought I was stupid. He tapped his finger on the envelope, trying to push my attention back to it. "Why don't you read the letter and then we can talk?"
I leaned forward and picked it up, wondering if I would get good news inside.
“Please,” I chanted to myself as I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. I treated it like a prized treasure as I read the first two words.
[Dear Miss Taylor,
I have looked into the mixup regarding the Rowe Scholarship personally after our conversation. It was an error on our end that led to this misunderstanding. Mr. Grant was and is the rightful recipient of the scholarship. His expansive extracurricular activity background and scholastic achievements are the reason for this decision.
However, I took it upon myself to read your essay and other documents. I found your ideas and experiences intriguing, which doesn’t happen often.
You must already know that my head of security has checked on you. I felt that it was necessary to use the same methods like you to find out about your background. What was found has piqued my interest and that bodes well for you, Miss Taylor.
Of course, that is only if you so wish.
On that note, I will assure you that your concerns regarding your scholarship will be taken care of. I have decided that you will be taken care of after we discuss some serious matters.
The first condition is a meeting between the two of us.I have confirmed that you no longer have any responsibilities in Atkins and therefore, I would like to invite you to Quentin. It would be at my expense and I would like to further discuss your future.
Deepest regards,
Nicholas Rowe.]
I read the letter multiple times and remained in shock. I was sure Virgil could hear my heart pounding from across the table. I looked up to find him scrutinizing me.
Mr. Rowe had billions of dollars to his name. Paying my tuition would be like handing fifty bucks to a homeless person, which I would be in a few days. Still, I didn’t understand why he wanted to meet me when he knew everything there was to know.
“I don’t understand why he wants to meet me.” I was on edge but Virgil remained perfectly calm.
"Miss Taylor, it is not my place to divulge the reason."
I sighed at how formal he was. "You can call me Willow."
He ignored my request.
"You have to tell me something! You said I could ask you questions after I read the letter. Why does he insist on meeting me?"
He remained silent for a good minute. "Are you scared of actually meeting him? Your determination made it seem like you were fearless."
I shook my head. "No, I'm not scared. I am intimidated and I don't like being kept in the dark."
"Well,” he started. “I can only confirm that Mr. Rowe only wishes the best for you. I could say with authority that he is taken with you."
My eyes widened at his assertion and swallowed thickly. "Taken with me?" I squeaked.
He gave a short nod and smiled. "He wouldn’t have sent me to escort you otherwise.""What does that mean?"
He smirked. "I'm the best."
I snorted. "The best at what?" It seemed my personality came out even in the face of fear and confusion.
He laughed. "In general, a lot of things. But with regards to you: protection."
We were talking in circles again. I had to get back on the right track.
"Why would I need protection?"
Virgil removed a piece of lint from his pants. "As I said, Mr. Rowe is taken with you. I should add that he is a worrywart."
I suddenly understood.
"I understand that he is hesitant to pay for my tuition. I promise I would never abuse his trust or use the money for anything other than college."
Virgil blinked quickly as if in confusion. “Out of everything I said, you took that away?” he asked. The look on his face was almost offensive.“Is there another way to understand it? I recognize that he is wary because of how aggressive I was. I just want to reassure him that I would never do something that would make him doubt his decision to help fund my education. He is rightfully protective of his assets and privacy. And I respect that.”He chuckled again. "I am glad you got one part of it correct." He shook his head and then his eyes shifted to look around the house. “Are you packed to leave in the morning?”"Can you estimate how long this trip will be? I planned on moving to Quentin with my friend in a few weeks' time.""I know," Virgil said cryptically."Should I ask how you know?" I narrowed my eyes again. “There is little I don’t know about you. As I said, I am the best in the industry.” He shot me a cocky grin and I huffed."Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, can you answer my questio
"Oh, yes, you do! You will have Mr. Rowe eating out of your palm. Didn’t you always want to live the high life, here is your one-way ticket to it. But you have to act like you belong there. You have to do that to make the best of it. What are your thoughts?"“He is willing to help me with my tuition. Don’t immerse yourself in a flight of fantasy that will never happen. Moreover, I am not trying to seduce him, Lory.”I kept to myself how the fantasy made the butterflies in my stomach flutter.Could I be sexy and seductive?I snorted. Mr. Rowe had socialites and celebrities hanging from his arm at every public event he had been photographed at. I could not compare to those women who had a team of people keeping them pretty and classy. I had to get my head out of the clouds before I plummeted to the ground without a parachute. My aim was to work my ass off at college and make something out of myself. I had to remember that I was not on a mission to seduce an older, rich man.“I know exac
Only a few seconds passed since that sentence was uttered that my phone started to ring."It's him," I whispered to Lory, looking down at the cellphone screen to find Mr. Rowe’s name flashing on it. My heart was about to pound out of my ribcage as my finger hovered over the accept button. I sucked in a deep breath before pressing it. “Hello?” I answered after a moment of complete silence."Willow." His breathing was heavy. He sounded anxious and relieved at the same time to hear my voice. “Are you well?”"Um... yeah," I said tentatively. I had no idea why he was calling. Moreover, I still hadn’t wrapped my head around what had happened earlier."He didn't hurt you?" He bit out.I hesitated to respond as my mind became completely blank. I had zero ideas what he was referring to. It took me a moment to consider that Virgil had already called and told him about the incident. Why would Virgil do that, though?“Are you speaking of what just happened with Chris?”“Is that what his name is?
Virgil’s presence kept me grounded and calm during takeoff. He even gave me chewing gum so that I didn’t suffer from ear aches when the air pressure changed. The flight was grueling and long, but it went by quicker than I had imagined. The flight attendant was polite and came often to ask if I needed anything. She even condoned my tinkering with the entertainment system and helped me function it. I must have succumbed to exhaustion somewhere in the middle of the second movie I chose to watch because when I woke up, Virgil was gently nudging me to say that we had arrived.As we got off the jet, I saw a car stop on the runway in a distance. We got off the jet and I was led into the back of the limousine. It was already early evening, and I stared at the Quentin scenery as we passed it. I had been to the central cities before, Fairview was near Atkins and if someone wanted to go out for a trip, that was where they went.But Fairview was nothing like Quentin.Time seemed to flow and ebb a
He let out a soft laugh. "Come. Laura went ahead to prepare our dinner, so I will show you to the terrace. The weather is too nice to dine inside." He took my hand gently in his and led me out the glass door of the top floor.The scenery outside was surreal. I could barely believe my eyes when I saw the sugared stoned of the floor perfectly aligned and stretching throughout the terrace. I smiled at the cozy table setting, complete with candles.But my eyes were stuck on the sparkling water of the rooftop swimming pool."Do you like it?" His excitement made me grin. "It's rare in this city to have a private pool because of the space crunch." He pulled me closer to the pool, showing me how half of it was indoors. "The glass goes down into the water to form a tunnel you can swim through from the outside to the inside," he explained. As beautiful as it looked, the thought of swimming under it made me feel slightly claustrophobic. Well, I wasn’t going to swim there, so I didn’t need to thi
'Please… please, kiss me,’ I screamed inside. My hormones had taken full control of my body. Still, I had the presence of mind to only say, "Okay." His hands inched up gently, cupping my heated cheeks. I closed my eyes when he brushed his thumb across my cheekbones. My heart skipped a beat when his soft lips pressed against mine. There was no urgency in his actions… no sense of dominance. His tender kiss only filled me with sweetness. When he slid his tongue along my bottom lip, I opened my mouth instinctively. He tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss. God, he tasted like chocolate, wine, spices, secrets, and dreams. His hand moved to support the back of my neck. Tingles ran down my spine and I was certain I would have jumped off a building if he asked me to at that moment. "Mmmm," he hummed, brushing my lips lightly a few more times before his nose skimmed along my jaw. He placed a small kiss below my ear before whispering, “thank you.” I couldn’t come up with a suitable
He offered me a small smile. “Excellent question, Willow. I am comfortable facing this with some control over the situation and the people involved. I have been looking for the right woman and nobody threw me off as you did from the first moment we spoke.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles in a gentlemanly manner. “I want you. I like that you lead an uncomplicated life and have no ties holding you back. I like that you are determined and feisty—” he gave me another flirtatious wink. “And I want you to be mine. I want you to be completely devoted and invested in me… in our family.I was lightheaded from all the information he had dumped on me. The sensation was bizarre; I was hovering over us, watching myself sitting with this handsome yet lonely man.A part of me was yelling profanities at myself for entertaining this absurd conversation. I wondered what I would be called if I accepted this proposal. I couldn’t be called a ‘prostitute’ because Nicholas wanted to marry me. Slave
Was I willing to sign a contract, to be married to Nicholas even though I knew he didn’t love me? Moreover, I didn’t love him either. On the other hand, our feelings could transform into love later on. But was I willing to risk the chance that we might never love each other? Nicholas insisted that I had a choice. That I could leave when I was no longer happy. But if we already had kids by then? What kind of damage would our kids suffer if Nicholas and I split because of a loveless marriage? Was this the right way to marry and bring life into the world? ‘Children.’ I choked up at the thought. Was I really ready to have children? It was clear to me that Nicholas wanted children from the very beginning of the arrangement. Of course, he would want that; he wouldn’t be the one carrying the children around for nine months and suffering through morning sickness and too many other complications. The idea of having children excited me. In fact, the thought of a large family surrounding me w