The Duke's Diamond

by Andromeda -

  Chapter Nineteen: Finally Free

  "It's a beautiful choice, sir. I think she'll love it," the jeweler said.

  Jonathan smiled as he looked at the ring in his palm. From the moment he saw Diamond, he knew one thing: he wanted her to be his and forever his. The last couple months had confirmed it, and he wanted to seal the deal. He wanted her to marry him, though getting up the courage to ask her had been tough.

  Their relationship so far seemed to be a dream with romantic dinners, dates, and lovemaking he never wanted to end. He respected Dalila, though, never doing it while she was at home. He did have one large problem coming: Violet.

  She had pushed back her visit until next summer because of some 'family business', but he didn’t know the complete truth to that. What he did know was that he didn’t want anything to do with the woman. He honestly wouldn't care if her deluxe private plane fell into the bottom of the ocean.

  However, over the past couple of weeks, he had noticed some slight changes with his love. She was becoming a bit distant and her eyes seemed to always be darting around as if she was looking for something. Every time her phone rang, she jumped, casting him a sideways look before looking at it, as if to decide whether to answer it or not.

  This series of events confused him. She couldn't be cheating on me, right? No, no she wouldn't have.

  But seeing how she jumped at her own shadow had him worrying.

  He had just walked through the door of their apartment when he got the call about Dalila. He was exasperated from his classes and hearing about Dalila didn't make him feel any better.

  Her father indeed… he scoffed. I'm her father. True, she might not share my blood, but she shares Diamond’s blood, and seeing as I plan to marry her, then that makes her my daughter.

  He was beyond livid when the police came. Of course, they asked him the routine questions, as they did when Diamond came, and then his fury turned to hurt when she mentioned the calls from Alfonzo.

  Why didn't she tell me about them? Was she afraid of what I would do? She has the right to because I knew that if I had known about those calls, there wasn't a force on earth that would have held me back from killing him.

  When the police left, he turned to her, trying to hold back his anger, but it all came crashing down on him when they began to argue. They never argued before. Never. Both of them had very even tempers, and for them to yell at each other like this… Then, he made the smart decision of calling her stupid. He didn't mean to, but the words came tumbling out and he couldn't take them back.

  Diamond looked at him with hurt written all over her face, and then she fled, running into Dalila's room and slamming the door in his face when he tried to follow her. He wanted to burst in, take her into his arms, but he knew she needed her space. He had hurt her, he had called her stupid for how she reacted to those calls and he had no right to.

  True, he was hurt that she didn't tell him about them, but he guessed he could see why she didn't. She was afraid of what he’d do. While he did have an even temper, like most, he could be quite brash at times. It just hurt that she didn't tell him.

  Walking back to the living room, he laid down on the couch to watch TV, but he soon fell asleep. As he slept, he was distantly awake. He could hear Diamond’s footsteps walking towards him, the feel of her lips on his forehead, then they disappeared. He didn’t know how long he had slept, but when he did wake up, the house was dark, and Diamond was gone.

  ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵

  He tried not to cry as he frantically searched the house, tearing the covers apart as he searched for something, something that could tell him where she went. He knew where she went: to get their daughter back.

  But she left me, she left me to do this on her own. Right now, she could be dead.

  He knew Alfonzo wasn’t going to risk her running again. He called the police, but they couldn't do anything. To them, Diamond just ran away because she didn't love him anymore. He knew better. She was going to sacrifice herself for their daughter and never more did he love her, but he had to find her.

  Suddenly, his phone began to ring and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw her name flash on the screen. Quickly, he answered it. "Hello? Princess, is that you?"

  No answer. Instead, he heard Alfonzo's voice. "You thought you could run away from me? I knew you'd come back for our daughter."

  His voice sounded a bit distant, as well as slightly muffled.

  Diamond then began to talk. "I wasn't trying to escape. I was trying to get your biggest score yet. Jonathan is the son of a duke. I was just using him to get you more money."

  Jonathan’s heart felt like lead in his chest, but something told him she didn't mean her words. Slowly, he began to piece together what was going on. She had her phone on, most likely in her purse or pocket, and was allowing him to listen in to what they were saying. Smart girl, if he must say so.

  "Oh, yeah?" Alfonzo sneered. "Then why did you run?"

  Diamond scoffed. "Because, if I would have stayed, then he would have thought I loved you. He gave me my own back account and everything. The fool thinks I love him, but he is completely wrong. I only love you, baby."

  Jonathan wanted to throw up at her tone, but he knew she was buying time. Quickly, he tried to think and then the answer came to him almost like a slap in the face. Most phones had a GPS on them; all their phones did. Diamond had Jonathan get it to watch for Dalila if anything happened.

  Swiftly, he pulled up the program on his phone, typing in Diamond’s number. The wait seemed like an eternity, but her location quickly showed up. She was at a place called the Clearwater Hotel. Jonathan was getting ready to leave when Alfonzo's next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

  "All right then," Alfonzo said. "Let’s hurry up and go to this bank. How much is in this account anyway?"

  "Over one million," Diamond said simply.

  She was exaggerating a bit. Jonathan had made bank accounts for both her and Dalila not long ago. In her own personal account, he had put five hundred thousand for her to do whatever she wanted. Dalila had two hundred and fifty thousand.

  "Oh," Alfonzo said, and Jonathan could almost hear him smirking. "Then that changes everything."

  Jonathan knew what bank they had to go to to get the money, and knew he had to rush to get there first. Quickly, he hastily got to his car. Putting the phone to his ear, he whispered, "I'm coming, love."

  There was no response at first, and Jonathan wondered if she even heard him. But then a gentle voice said, "Red."

  ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵

  Red? Jonathan wondered to himself as he drove down the route toward the bank. What did she mean by that?

  He had his phone on speaker as he drove, listening to Alfonzo promising Diamond all sorts of things and what he planned to do with the money once he got it. Jonathan wanted to puke. There was no way he would allow that man to put his hands on his girl again, whatsoever.

  When Jonathan pulled up to a red light, he so happened to look to his left and saw a cherry red Mustang. Inside, he saw a man talking to a woman who held a little girl in her lap. His heart froze in his chest as he squinted his eyes to try to get a better look.

  It was Diamond.

  Jonathan could tell because of her outline, and he could read the man's lips as he talked to her. They were the same words he heard Alfonzo saying on the phone. Diamond looked to the left, her eyes widening when she saw him for a moment before turning back to Alfonzo. Jonathan’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, so tight his knuckles turned white, but he kept his temper. For now.

  As the car pulled away, Jonathan got behind them, not wanting them to get out of his sight. As he drove, he tried to figure out what to do, when the idea came to him. It was stupid and dangerous as all hell, but it just might work.

  "Buckle Dalila up, and hold on tight," he whispered into the phone.

  Jonathan watched as she did as instructed, buckling their daughter in as she held her tightly, and then he ra
mmed them.

  At first, he lightly tapped them, but he pushed harder and harder. He heard Alfonzo curse, yelling at the top of his lungs as he tried to pull away, but Jonathan stayed on his bumper. Exhaling deeply, he pulled himself back, braced himself, then shot forward. There was a sickening crunch as the bumpers folded in on themselves. The Mustang lurched forward, spinning before crashing into a pole.

  Jonathan heard the screams of Dalila and Diamond, the yowls of Alfonzo as the car crashed, and then all went silent as it smashed into the pole. Quickly, he parked his car and got out, praying he didn't kill them.

  "Dia?" he called out. "Dia, are you OK? Dalila?"

  Yanking open the car door, Alfonzo groaned as he slumped out. His face was covered in blood, but Jonathan couldn’t care less about him. Yanking him out of the way, he lowered the seat and looked in the back. Diamond was hunched over Dalila and the little girl's eyes were wide with fear, but she seemed unharmed. Slowly, he reached a hand in and stroked Diamond’s cheek.

  "Princess?" he whispered softly.

  A soft groan rumbled in her throat as she sat up. Her eyes looked dazed, but overall, she was OK. She offered me a rueful smile. "Next time, warn me before you do something that dumb, Jon."

  Chuckling, he helped her and Dalila out. "I'll try to make sure there isn't a next time, love. Are you all right?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking her body over. He noticed her hand fluttered over her stomach a moment before looking to him. "Jon, I have something to tell you. I—"

  The click of a trigger broke the tender moment. Looking up, they saw Alfonzo pointing a gun at them.

  "Well, isn't this a surprise," he sneered. "The duke's son in the flesh. You know, I lost a lot because of you. After that bitch ran off, a lot of my girls thought it was OK to do the same."

  "And that's my fault?" Jonathan snapped, pushing Diamond and Dalila behind him.

  Diamond held Dalila close to her, her hand resting on her stomach before picking Dalila up and holding her in her arms.

  "Everything is your fault!" Alfonzo barked. "I lost my kingdom because of you! All because this bitch had to go and be all 'noble'. But I'm going to take it back. I'm going to take it all back!"

  "Alfonzo, please," Diamond begged. "Please don't. You can take your anger out on me, but don't hurt my babies."

  His eyes snapped to her, a wild look in his eyes. "Well, then, maybe I will kill the bastard first. That will straighten you out."

  He clicked the gun again and Jonathan seized the chance. Shoving Diamond to the side, he lunged for him, knocking the man to the ground. Rolling on the pavement, they exchanged blows, cursing and yelling, trying to get a leg up on the other.

  Alfonzo’s fist crashed against Jonathan’s cheek, and for a moment, he saw stars, but he quickly shook it off. Grabbing Alfonzo’s shoulders, Jonathan headbutted him, and in his dazed state, he dropped the gun. Jonathan quickly grabbed it and pointed it at him as he stood to his feet. Yowling like a mad man, Alfonzo lunged for him and Jonathan had no choice but to pull the trigger.

  BANG!

  The shot rang out and everything seemed to freeze in time. Diamond turned Dalila away so she couldn’t see what was happening. Alfonzo looked down at his chest and then back up at them. Slowly, he took another step and Jonathan pulled the trigger again.

  BANG!

  Alfonzo tried to take two more steps, and two more times, Jonathan was forced to pull the trigger. He wasn’t going to take any chances.

  BANG! BANG!

  Blood bubbled from his wound, from his mouth, and Alfonzo looked at the two of them with clear hatred in his eyes. Slowly, he began to fall to the ground. Coughing, spraying blood, he exhaled deeply and laid still on the ground, dead.

  Dalila was sobbing and Diamond rubbed her cheek as she whispered soothing words in her ears, trying to calm her down. However, she looked to Jonathan, tears in her own eyes and he knew what they were: a mixture of emotional tears. Tears of sadness it had to come to this, but also tears of joy that finally, finally she was free.

  Epilogue – Ten years later…

  "Mom! Arthur's been in my room!"

  "I did not! Mom, you can't believe her!"

  Looking up from my desk, I see Dalila and Arthur standing in the doorway of my office. Looking at my eighteen-year-old daughter, and my ten-year-old son made me smile.

  "Arthur, have you been in Dal's room?" I asked, trying my best to sound strict and firm.

  "No!" he said. "Well, not really, but she took my video game!"

  "Because he had it up too loud!" Dalila protested.

  "Dalila, give Arthur back his video game, and Arthur, please do not go back into your sister’s room. OK?" I instructed. “Mommy is going to be busy later today, and you can’t be acting like this.”

  "Yes, Mum," Arthur said.

  "Yes, Mom," Dalila said.

  "Good, now why don't you guys help me cook dinner,” I said. “Your father will be home soon."

  At the mention of Jonathan, both grinned widely, and then rushed off to get their younger siblings to help. Sighing with a smile, I looked to my left, where in the rocker, my youngest baby, a girl named Anne, laid. She gummed on her chubby fist, then grinned at me as I picked her up and carried her to the kitchen.

  My beehive of five children buzzed around, talking all at once, mainly to argue about things like who was going to greet Jonathan at the door to who was going to help me cook. I looked over them, remembering their names and ages.

  There was Dalila, who was eighteen. Henry, who was twelve, Arthur, who was born less than a year after Henry because Jonathan couldn't keep his hands off me, and who was eleven because of his recent birthday. After him came Mary, who was eight, Elizabeth, who was five, and then Anne, who was six months. Jonathan and I had made a habit of naming our children after English kings and queens.

  "All right, guys, let’s make dinner. Dalila, can you take Anne for me a second, please?" I asked.

  Everyone got to work immediately.

  Dalila took Anne and put her in her rocker before joining us in the kitchen. As I stirred the mashed potatoes, I marveled at how my life had changed. I was a world-known author, my organization had helped get millions of girls and women off the streets, and into schools and rehab clinics, and I was married to the best man in the world. It wasn’t easy to get here, though.

  We had to deal with Violet, who told Jonathan’s father, who then flew to New Haven to see this ‘darkie’ for himself. The old man was enraged that Jonathan was with me and loved me, and threatened to disown him if he didn’t leave me. Jonathan refused and was more than willing to cut all ties with his father for his racist behavior.

  Jonathan was more than willing to follow with his promise, but after a couple of years—and a couple of children—his father figured we weren’t going to leave each other, so he gave us his blessing. A wedding quickly followed, sealing our bond forever.

  There were still shadows of our past, and Dalila would sometimes have nightmares, or she would ask me more about Alfonzo. Now that she was eighteen, I didn’t try to hold anything back from her and answered as truthfully as I could. Yet, as it seems, my little girl wasn’t so little anymore. She had grown up, and had her own ideals and values, and who she valued as her father was Jonathan.

  "Hey, where is everyone?" a voice called out as the door opened and closed.

  Everyone looked at each other with a grin, before charging to the front door and tackling Jonathan, who laughed to his heart's content.

  "Look at what we have," he chuckled. "Have you five miscreants been giving your mum trouble?"

  "Don't they always?" I asked with a smile.

  He looked up and beamed at me, and I knew then, like I've always known, that I would love this man forever. Who would have thought two people from two different worlds, a duke and a prostitute, could fall in love and make such wonderful things happen? I guess I really turned out to be the Duke’s Diamond.

  Author’s Note

>   Andromeda was born in the Bay Area of California and spent much of her childhood in both the Westcoast as well as the Southeast state of Georgia. She was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

  Because she wasn’t that open to other humans, young Andromeda would turn to books, reading at an early age, and was always found with a pile of books near her person. Her imagination grew because of her reading ability and she began to tell stories to her friends and families. Her mother always told her her dreams were as numerous as the stars and she later took it, along with the first name, Andromeda, to make her current pen name.

  Starting to write in middle school, she didn’t exactly begin to go out into the world and begin writing until her second year of college when she discovered the online community of Wattpad, a site that allows people to vote, write and comment on stories. It has well over 45 million members and grows every day. Realizing how good a tool this could be, Andromeda joined, and over the course of two years, has gotten a following of over six thousand, that continues to grow every day.

  When she isn’t writing, she is studying, as her dream is to go into the law field and write for fun, not a job. However, if the option ever did arise for her writing to become full time, she would take it, but continue her studies in law nonetheless. Her hobbies include cooking, hanging with her family, volunteering and listening to music. Normally, she writes with headphones as music helps inspire her.

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