by Jerilee Kaye
“What happened?”
“Customs just held it, mistaken it for a shipment coming from the black market. Papers were lost,” Justin replied. “This should be easy to fix but we cannot afford a delay in this shipment. Otherwise, we’ll lose out. Plus, being linked to any black market operation will not be good for our reputation. Even if we’re proven not guilty in the end.”
“I’ll… I’ll go back to Chicago. I’ll sort out the documentation from there.”
“Can’t somebody else do it for you?” Adrienne asked, quite annoyed.
“Somebody else can, but I also need crisis control. River is already talking to the customs side. I need somebody to personally reassure our clients that this will not be a major train smash,” Justin said.
“I’ll go. I don’t mind, Justin. Seriously.”
“Ian, you just got here!” Adrienne protested.
“My job is important to me too, Adrienne. There will be another time.”
Justin looked at her uncertainly. “Are you sure? I mean, you’re already overworked as it is. I don’t want you to have another fainting spell.”
“I’m sure. Don’t worry, I’ll rest on the plane.”
“Okay, go. We’ll have Jared come back with us at the end of the week.”
Julianne didn’t like leaving Jared behind. Not now. Not when Jin Starck can spend more time with him and scrutinize his features and put two and two together.
“Um… Justin, can you please have Gian send him back tomorrow? I miss spending time with my son. I promised this week was for him.”
“Okay. I will do that,” Justin nodded. “Thanks for doing this.”
“I’ll go pack.”
Half an hour later, Julianne was boarding the Adams private jet on the way back to Chicago.
She sent a message to River.
Her: Thank you. I owe you one.
River: No. You owe me a story.
She smiled, quite thankful for the help she got when she needed it the most.
She knew that she had a huge problem ahead of her and she must confront it. She would. But she needed more time, more skillful planning, more strategic thinking. But for now, she was thankful that she was able to buy herself a little bit more time. Eventually, she would have to face Jin Starck again. When that happens, she wanted to be sure she’s armed with courage, and a solid plan.
6.
Paris. Seven years ago.
It was Julianne’s last day in Paris. She was having the time of her life in the most romantic city, with the most romantic guy on the face of the planet. She couldn’t remember a time in her life that she’d been happier.
Two weeks ago, she had randomly chosen a café. She ordered a cup of coffee and watched the sunset. Her heart pounded loudly inside her ribcage and the butterflies in her stomach went wild with each second that passed.
She didn’t know if he would come and she prayed with all her heart that he would. He was right. There must be a hundred cafés in Paris. And sunset usually only lasts about thirty minutes. And to make things more complicated, she’d chosen a coffee shop that was quite far from the city center, in a small residential area, a few blocks away from the main street. She chose it because it was small, but cozy and romantic, and it had a perfect view of the sunset. When she saw its name, she knew this was the perfect café for her test. The coffee shop was called ‘Destin Café’.
If he appeared, then she would know it was destiny’s will for them to be together. He was probably fate’s gift to her… before she lived in misery for the rest of her life.
Twenty-five minutes in, and he still hadn’t appeared. Her heart sank. She knew it was a long shot. And she wondered if she had made a mistake of playing this dangerous game. She might have lost her chance to see him, get to know him. He could be her soul mate and he would be lost to her forever.
She took the last sip of her coffee as she sadly watched the last rays of the sun descend on the horizon.
Just then, somebody placed a long-stemmed rose in front of her. She looked up and found him staring down at her. She smiled at him. Then she took the rose in her hand and brought it to her nose.
He sat in front of her and stared at her deeply.
“Now, do you believe in fate?” she asked.
“I believed in persistence and taking matters in your own hands,” he replied. “I was determined to find you. This must have been the twentieth coffee shop I went to in the last two hours. Not counting the number of coffee shops my friends went to in the last hour.”
“You’re telling me you still don’t believe in fate?”
“I wouldn’t have. I would have accounted that to persistence and determination. But then again, you chose this coffee shop.”
“Randomly,” she said. “Why? What about this coffee shop?”
He merely shook his head but did not give her an answer.
“What?”
“Let’s just say that… yes. I think I am starting to believe in destiny now. And I think destiny wants me to spend this evening with you, chérie.”
“Well, I think that is safe to say.”
“Can I have the pleasure of your company for dinner?” he asked, giving her a wistful glance.
She nodded.
He stood up from his seat and held his hand out to her. She took it. Face to face, she almost lost her breath as she stared at his devilishly handsome face. She grew up with beautiful men. All of them were hot beyond any woman’s standards. She should have been used to seeing hot guys, being constantly surrounded by them. But how come this guy still managed to steal her breath away?
“Jas Mathieu,” he said. “My name is Jas Mathieu.”
She smiled at him. “Ju…” she paused. She remembered that she was here for a last adventure. And if she truly wanted to be free to enjoy this—no holds barred, then she couldn’t use her real name. She took a deep breath and said, “Arabella. My name is Arabella Adams.”
That night was the start of a full-blown romance. Jas Mathieu was a wonderful man. He was sweet, funny, sensitive and down to earth. He wasn’t as rich as her cousins, he did not live in a life of luxury, but he was a perfect gentleman with impeccable manners.
She loved how he could make the most out of simple things and situations. He didn’t take her to expensive restaurants and luxurious cafés. Instead, he took her to parks, museums and art galleries. They went to simple, cozy, and romantic places.
On her last night in Paris, she was filled with a heavy heart. She hated the fact that she lied to him. She hadn’t even told him her real name. And she could tell, he’d grown very fond of her too. She hated the fact that she would break his heart when she told him who she really was and why they could no longer be together after that night. Even at the last minute, she was debating with herself if she would be honest with him, or just leave everything as it was.
He took her to his apartment. It was in a quiet neighborhood, away from the city center. As they walked towards his building, she thought that the street looked quite familiar.
“I feel like I’ve been in this part of the city before,” she said.
He laughed. “You have.”
“When?”
“I’ll show you in a while,” he replied.
He took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. He turned to a corner and a familiar coffee shop greeted her.
“Destin Café,” she breathed.
“Yes,” he said. “Remember I told you before, even when I found you that day, I still wouldn’t believe in destiny?”
“You never told me what changed your mind.”
“I went to at least twenty coffee shops, even asked some of my friends to join in the hunt and call me as soon as they find a beautiful blonde sitting alone having coffee in any of the places they went to.”
“One of them called you?”
He shook his head. “No. I found you myself. But it’s because I found you in this coffee shop that I actually changed my mind about not believing in fat
e.”
“Why?”
“If I were to choose only one coffee shop to wait in, I would wait here too,” he replied. “Every morning… well, at least every chance I get, I grab a cup of coffee from here.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
They went past the coffee shop and he led her to the side entrance of the building.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I live… um… my apartment is upstairs.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
He swiped his access card and the door opened. He smiled at her.
“I’m not kidding. And you, ma belle, made me believe in destiny,” he said. “Maybe we were meant to be together, after all.”
His face descended towards hers and he gently brushed his lips on hers. She kissed him back. His last words echoed in her mind as guilt and happiness battled themselves inside her.
His apartment wasn’t small nor huge. It was just the right size and it was simple, neat and minimalistic, without any unnecessary decorations and appliances. It only had what he needed.
She saw the easel and art supplies sitting in front of the window.
“Do you paint for a living?” she asked.
He smiled thoughtfully, “When I get a big break, then probably, painting will be enough to get me by. We artists have our time.” He sighed. “Time. Sometimes, I wish I could freeze time so I can paint as much as I want.”
“But you’re really, really good,” she said, studying the paintings he stacked in a section of his apartment. All of them had the name ‘JAS’ signed on the bottom right corner. “You should get this to a broker or an agent,”
“Someday,” he said. “I just hope my break won’t come after I’m six feet under. You know it happens a lot in this… er… profession.”
She giggled. “You’re brilliant! I’m sure your time will come earlier than you think. Get a good broker to market your work and I’m sure you’ll be famous in no time.”
“I have something for you, by the way,” he said. He went to his desk and returned with a scroll tied with a red ribbon.
She stared up at him. “What is this?”
He shrugged. “Merci… for letting me find you.”
She untied the ribbon and unrolled the scroll. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at her own image in the parchment. It was a perfect impression of her face. At the bottom of the parchment, he wrote J’adore and he signed his name, JAS.
Tears filled her eyes and she lost her voice. Her heart broke into a million pieces and she wanted nothing more than to stay with him—forever, if destiny would permit it.
How could she hurt this poor soul? How could she tell him the truth and break his heart? More importantly, how could she escape her own destiny, and stay with him instead?
He saw the tears in her eyes. He pulled her to him and tilted her chin up. “Why are you crying?”
She shook her head. “I’m just… I’m touched. Your painting is beautiful.”
“The subject is more beautiful. To capture her beauty is far beyond what my skillful hands could do.”
He wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then his face descended towards hers once again as he kissed her with fevered passion.
She wanted nothing more than stay in his world forever. But she knew that if she fought for this, her family would never accept it. They would not accept him. And what chance would a struggling artist like him have against her family? Against her fiancé’s family?
Her father was Edward Sanders, CEO and founder of several companies. Her fiancé was Patrick McAllister from the McAllister political clan.
How could Jas fight for me when they come to take me away? They will destroy him and he would be helpless to fight them.
The world she came from had rules and responsibilities. Her family had an empire to run and protect. Her own life had been compromised to further her family’s ambition.
But she couldn’t help the way she felt for this man now. She had never met a man who could make her laugh, tickle her senses, and could endure a verbal judo with her. No one had treated her like a queen before, made her feel powerful and fragile at the same time.
“Mon amour,” he whispered against her ear.
She pulled away so she could stare at his handsome face again. He looked devilishly handsome as he stared down at her deeply.
“J’adore,” he whispered.
Slowly, he led her to his bed. He nuzzled her neck and kissed the skin under her ears. She moaned. He caressed her skin, sending electricity towards her core. He made her feel precious with every touch, and woke every single nerve in her body.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with the same passion he was showing her. She had never felt like this before. Desire overtook her sense of reason. All logic seemed to fly out the window as his kisses became more demanding.
Before she knew it, they were both naked in bed. Jas was kissing her slowly, biting at her skin gently.
“Tu es ravissante, ma chérie,” he said in between kisses.
He made her lose all control. She had not felt passion as strong as this for any other man before.
Then he gently thrust inside her.
For a while, both of them were afraid to move. When he looked at her, his eyes had turned greener and darker with desire. Yet, she could see the gentleness on his face.
He made love to her very slowly, very gently. She could feel arousal build up in her, pushing her to the point of no return.
“Jas…” she moaned.
He took her higher and higher as he moved within her… faster and faster.
“Oh my God, Jas!”
Her thirst wanted to be quenched, her peak needed to be reached. Her hunger needed to be satisfied. And then she couldn’t hold back anymore. She held on to him and she screamed his name when she finally jumped off the edge of her sanity.
He held her tightly, as he rode with her through her climax. He made sure she was complete in her pleasure. Then he gently thrust in again and again, a little faster than before until she felt his body rock within her.
“Ma chérie … Ma cher…” he whispered. He stared at her deeply. “J’adore.”
She smiled and reached up to kiss him on the lips.
“I adore you, ma belle,” he whispered again. “Je chérirai ce moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi…”
Exhausted and spent, they slept in each other’s arms. For the whole night, there was love in her life. There was warmth. There was a little bit of pain… but more than that, there was passion… there was pleasure. She knew she would hold on to this memory for the rest of her life. She was in love with this man. They may not have a future, but she knew she would love him forever.
Around five in the morning, she woke up, still wrapped in his arms. It broke her heart to leave him. But she had to go back to her world… a world that was different from Jas Mathieu’s world. A world that she couldn’t take him to.
If she insisted on this, if she fought for him, the repercussions would be great and the damage would be irreparable. Her family’s reputation would be destroyed. Who knew what Patrick McAllister would do to them?
Moreover, she knew that her father was a difficult, vindictive man. He would do anything to take her back, take her away from Jas. He would stop at nothing. And he would ruin Jas’s life.
She loved Jas too much to put his life in jeopardy. If not her father, then Patrick McAllister would make sure Jas Mathieu would pay the price of their broken engagement.
No. She would not ruin Jas’s life. He deserved better. She loved him enough to protect him.
And so, she slipped out of his bed. She dressed quietly, with tears in her eyes, trying her best not to whimper.
With a heavy heart and without the courage to break his heart face to face, she left a note on his bedside table.
“J’adore… mon amour… but I’m sorry.”
She
wasn’t even sure her French was correct, but she knew he would get the idea once he found her gone in the morning.
She slipped out of his apartment and rushed to her hotel. In her haste, she even left the parchment he gave her. She packed her bags in less than an hour and checked out. She went to the airport to where the Adams’s private jet was waiting for her.
She left him. And she never gave him a chance to run after her. She left him with no number, no real information about herself… not even her real name.
7.
When Julianne arrived in Chicago, she received word that things were already under control. She knew that since River made up the disaster, he took it upon himself to fix everything before she arrived. So, she really didn’t have to do anything.
“I know you wouldn’t ask me this if it weren’t really that important. You’ve had a long flight. Go have a rest,” he told her on the phone. “I’ll call you the day after tomorrow and we can have dinner. You’re gonna have to tell me all about it.”
She was reluctant to tell River the whole story, but she owed him the truth. And she knew he would take nothing less from her. Besides, it would feel good to take this all out of her chest.
True to his word, two days later, she received a text message from him telling her he would take her out for dinner. It had been a long time since she went out on a date. She almost forgot how to dress properly.
Finally, when River Jefferson picked her up at the Adams mansion, Julianne looked beautiful and elegant, dressed in a sleeveless white dress with a flared knee-length skirt. It hugged her body to perfection and displayed her long legs.
“Wow,” River breathed. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself.”
He took her to an Italian restaurant, which she was grateful for. Living in Italy for a long time, she had grown accustomed to its food. But since she returned to Chicago, she barely ate Italian food.
“So, Justin’s quite happy that the so-called disaster, had been fully placed under control,” Julianne said after they both placed their orders. She took a sip of her wine.