Miranda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Clearly, Christy must be lying. She had liked Alec and now that it was clear he didn’t share her feelings, she was acting bitter towards Miranda. But she couldn’t deny that what Christy was saying had some merit. She had wondered the very same things at the beginning but had pushed her thoughts away and integrated herself into her new environment and work. Now, however, everything came crashing back. All her doubts, all those questions she had in her mind at the beginning were screaming at her to be answered. She looked at Christy and saw that not a word she had said was a lie.
“How do you know any of this?” she asked feebly.
Christy cackled like an evil witch and said, “Mr. Freeman is not very good at keeping secrets when he’s had a bit to drink.” Oh, so it had come straight from the horse’s mouth too. Now, there was no doubt it was all true.
Just then Mr. Freeman’s voice came through the intercom and he said, “Christy dear, come collect these files and give them to Miss Stone.” Christy pushed her hair off her shoulder and gave Miranda a smug, satisfied smile as she went to get the files, leaving her to deal with all that had been disclosed.
Chapter 11
She dragged herself back up the elevator to Alec, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. She couldn’t believe she had been such a fool. Of course a man like Alec wouldn’t think twice before playing with someone’s livelihood or their feelings. He had made her let her guard down, pretended to be someone he wasn’t, just so that he could have his victory of taming the girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day.
She went to his office and without knocking walked inside. Alec sawed her and beamed, getting off his seat and moving towards her. “God, I missed you,” he laughed at himself, shaking his head. He moved to hold her in his arms but Miranda held up a hand stopping him. He looked at her puzzled and registered the storm brewing on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.
She gulped and forced herself to look at him. “Did you have Mr. Freeman buy the cruise and hire me?” she asked in a deadpan voice.
Alec’s eyes grew large and he looked around the room for a second, probably searching for an escape route. After a moment, he asked, “Who said that to you?”
Miranda glared at him and said, “It’s true, isn’t it? You made Mr. Freeman buy the Golden Star and you made him hire me just so you could swoop in, pretend you were shocked to see me and then whisk me to your office. Why would you do something like that? I was happy at the cruise ship and you uprooted my life just for your own amusement! Was any of it real? Why did you take me to Paris? There was no work for me there and you knew that yet you insisted I had to go. It was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You pretended to be something you’re not just so I would like you better. I wasn’t going to fall for you by your usual antics and you’ve never been rejected so you had to have me, isn’t that it? God, I can’t believe what an absolute fool I’ve been!”
Alec made his way to hold her but she backed away. “Don’t even dare to touch me. You disgust me, Mr. Bane.”
Miranda could see the hurt in his eyes when she refused to say his name. He drew a long breath, running his fingers through his hair like a madman before saying, “Look, it’s true that I did suggest to Stewart what a fine investment it would be to buy the cruise ship and yes, your hiring was no miracle either, nor was me walking in when I did. But you have to know that nothing I ever said or did was a lie. I genuinely couldn’t get you out of my mind, Miranda. You were all that I could think of and so I thought if you got to know me better, gave me a chance, you would realize I wasn’t as bad as you imagined. Over the month, I grew sure that you weren’t going to like me and so I wanted to just make things better between us and start over. That’s why I took you to Paris. It wasn’t a new angle to get you to fall for me, it was a way for me to start over. Every word I ever said to you was true and I beg you not to chalk it up to the way you got here. When we were up in that hot-air balloon, I couldn’t help myself and kissed you. I couldn’t believe my lucky stars when you kissed me back. It was never my intention to get you to fall for me during the trip, I promise you that.”
Miranda didn’t want to listen to any more of his lies. He was a cunning wolf and she was the unsuspecting sheep. He had her trapped in his web of lies and she wanted out as fast as she could. “I’m quitting this job, sir. You will have my resignation letter by tomorrow.”
Alec’s face lost all its color. “Please, Miranda, don’t do this. I was going to tell you about the whole thing in a day or two anyway, I swear it. Don’t throw away what we have because of a couple of stupid choices I made. You know that everything I said, the way I feel about you, it’s all genuine. I have never felt this way about anyone and I can’t lose you. Please, love, don’t do this.”
Miranda spat out, “Don’t ever call me love again, you hear me? I have had enough of your lies and won’t let you toy with me any longer. I won’t stay here a minute longer and that’s final.”
Alec stared at her before saying, “You signed a one-year contract.”
Miranda gaped at him. “Are you really going to force me to stay based on a contract? I will drag this to court if I have to!”
Alec shook his head, “Don’t be absurd, Miranda. There will be no need of courts and such. You really think I would hold you here against your will?”
Miranda spoke in a broken voice, “Frankly, I don’t know what to think anymore. All I know is that everything I thought I knew has turned out to be a big, fat lie. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a desk to clear.” And with that she made her way to the door.
“Please, love, don’t do this,” Alec whispered but Miranda ignored it and went out the door. She had her things packed, her resignation typed and printed and everything in order by the end of the day. She looked around at the room that had been her office for the last month or so and sighed. She had been a fool to fall into a trap she had known was there. Now, her heart would pay the price for that foolishness.
Over the next few weeks, Alec tried his level best to get her to talk to him, to forgive him. He sat outside her apartment, he called every few minutes, he sent dozens upon dozens of flowers and sorry cards. He had the word sorry spelled out on a pizza that he sent her. He tried catching her on the street once in a while. But through all of it, Miranda stood strong. She didn’t let herself succumb to his charms once again, fall into his trap, even though her heart badly wanted to put everything aside and fall back into his arms.
She found a job at another cruise ship soon enough and then she sailed away from Alec and his lies but her heart, it seemed, didn’t make it on the trip with her, staying back to mourn for the man she had fallen so hard for.
***
Two years later, Miranda found herself in a wedding dress at sunrise on the waterfront. Her face was tear-stained, her heart was in shatters and her entire world had come undone. She couldn’t believe the luck she had when it came to men. Ever since she had run away from her wedding, she had walked around aimlessly, tears rolling off her cheeks. She had spent the night sitting on this very bench and the cold had seeped into her bones. She couldn’t feel her fingers, she couldn’t feel her tears, all she could feel was the continuous breaking of her heart. She sat there, her face buried in her hands, unable to stop the pain taking hold of her body as the sun rose into the sky, lighting everything around her.
“Excuse me, miss,” a man’s voice broke through her thoughts. The voice sounded like a far-off dream in her pain-induced state. “Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to help? Anything I can get you?”
“GO AWAY!” came her reply, muffled by her hands. “I’ve been humiliated enough to be seen in all my shame and glory by some stranger. Just leave me alone, please!” And a fresh spurt of tears burst out from behind her hands.
“Look, miss, I’m not comfortable leaving you here like this. Is there anyone I can call for you? A friend, maybe that you’d want with you right now?”
Who was this jerk who wouldn’t leave her alone? Miranda thought. Couldn’t he see that she was distressed and wouldn’t want to be disturbed in a state like that? She lifted her head, a scolding already leaving her lips. “God! Can’t you leave me…” The words died on her lips as she lifted her head and finally registered a pair of dark blue eyes staring at her, concern radiating from them. Recognition sparkled in those eyes as he saw the damsel in distress and Miranda’s mouth fell open. She swallowed and said, “You!” as if taking her last dying breath.
“Oh my God, Miranda. What are you doing here?” Alec exclaimed, coming to sit with her. Miranda just wanted to die of humiliation at that moment. She saw Alec take in her ruined dress, her tearstained face, and a strike of agony passed over his face before he hid it. He shrugged off his jacket he was using while jogging she assumed and draped it over her shoulders.
“How long have you been out here, love? You are absolutely freezing. Do you want me to call someone, your husband maybe?” It seemed that the word husband was causing him physical pain to say it but he wanted to help her and so he put his feelings aside for the moment.
Miranda shook her head and said, “I didn’t get married obviously or I wouldn’t be here.”
“Oh,” was all Alec said for a moment before asking, “well, should I call some other friend for you? Your best friend, perhaps? What was her name? Jenny?”
At the mention of Jenny, Miranda burst into tears and Alec didn’t know what to do. He gently took her in his arms as she cried and cried, her heart breaking in every breath. Alec just sat with her, patting her and comforting her as best he could. After a while, Miranda eased up on the crying and Alec found the opportunity to ask, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
Miranda just shook her head, the tears never really receding. “Can you just take me home, please?” she asked and Alec nodded at once. “Of course, let me call Sergio to come pick us up.”
Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Sergio?” she asked.
Alec grinned, “My driver had to have a name, right? Well, it’s Sergio.” Recognition clouded her eyes and she realized that she had never tried to find out his driver’s name. She nodded as she stared out at the waterfront. Alec called for the car and ten minutes later they were making their way to her apartment. It seemed Miranda was so tired that she fell asleep on the ride over, leaned against his shoulder. He made sure not to move a muscle and to let her get some much-needed rest. One glance at her was more than enough to tell him she had been to hell and back.
The car stopped at her apartment building but still Miranda slept on. Not wanting to wake her, Alec scooped her petite body into his strong arms and took her upstairs to her apartment. When he reached the door, he realized that he didn’t have a key to the apartment. He bent and whispered in Miranda’s ear, “Where’s the key to the apartment, love?”
Miranda mumbled a response, “In the small purse.” He glanced down and sure enough there was a small white purse hanging from her wrist. He maneuvered her into a position that freed his hand to grab the key from her purse and open the door. Once he got it open, he carried her to the bedroom. Her dress was a mess but she seemed so tired that he thought that maybe it was best if she changed after a few hours of sleep and she had some of her strength back.
He gently laid her down on the bed, tucked the covers around her and turned to make his way back out the door when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned around and Miranda squinted up at him, her eyes barely open. “Please, don’t leave me alone. Please stay.”
Alec sat down beside her on the bed and said, “Of course. I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled feebly and then fell back to sleep, too exhausted to even keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds. Alec called Sergio and told him he would be staying here and if he needed him he would call. Then he pulled up one of her chairs near to the head of the bed and sat down. He looked at the beautiful mess sleeping soundly in front of him and wondered what had happened to her. Who had hurt her so badly on such a special occasion? The thought made Alec’s blood boil and he wanted to murder whoever had done this to her. Yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her. For two years he hadn’t seen her, hadn’t heard from her and now here she was, mere inches away from him.
Miranda slept through most of the day and at some point Alec too dozed off in his chair. He woke to find Miranda’s eyes opened and staring at him. “You stayed,” she said, her voice full of wonder.
Alec smiled and replied, “Of course I did. You asked me to.” Miranda nodded absently and her thoughts seemed to wander off again. Pain clouded her face and Alec found himself thinking of ways to distract her from whatever it was that was causing her such agony.
“Do you want something to eat? Coffee? God knows I’m starved and you know how I like to eat.” He winked at her as if only she could understand his plight.
She giggled and said, “Yes, that sounds good.”
Alec stood and rubbed his hands together. “Alrighty then, I’ll draw you a nice hot bath and you clean up while I go make us something to eat.” And with that he went into the washroom, turning on the hot water for her bath.
Chapter 12
Once Miranda had cleaned up and changed into something much more comfortable, she made her way out to the kitchen. A delicious smell was coming from there and she sniffed curiously. She made her way to the little island counter in the center and perched herself on one of the seats. Alec smiled at her as he stir-fried something.
“Mm… it smells really good. What are you making?” she asked.
He grinned and loaded a plate with food, placing it in front of her. “It’s all you had in your fridge, I’m afraid.” She looked down and her mouth watered. He had made her some stir-fry noodles using any ingredients he could find in the refrigerator. It looked appetizing and Miranda realized how amazingly hungry she was. She dug in and began to stuff her mouth, moaning when she grasped how delicious it tasted.
Alec grabbed his own plate of food and began eating as well. He had been with her the entire time and he probably was just as hungry as Miranda. Still taking huge bites, she said, “I didn’t know you could cook.”
Alec smiled at her for a second before saying, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Miranda nodded. “True.” She finished her food and then turned to Alec. “Thank you. Not just for the food but for staying and for stopping to see if I was alright even though you didn’t know it was me to begin with.”
Alec waved a hand. “You would’ve done the same. It’s not a big deal.”
Miranda shook her head. “All the same, thank you a lot.”
Alec nodded in acknowledgement. A few minutes of silence went by before he mustered up the courage to ask, “What happened, love? I don’t want to pry but seeing you like that was something I hope I never have to see again. Who did that to you?” His voice started out calm, though a bit worried, but got angrier by the end of it as he thought of how lost and broken she had seemed.
Miranda looked around her apartment, hoping she didn’t have to answer that question. But he had rescued her in a way, brought her home, put her to bed, stayed with her when she didn’t want to be alone and then cooked her a nice meal. He had earned the right to know, she thought.
“Yesterday was my wedding,” she began. “Well, maybe I should start out from the beginning. After I left work at your office, I was hired on another cruise ship. It was kind of the same job and I was happy to get back to my old life. Six months into the job, I met someone. His name was Jeremiah Blake. He was the captain of the ship and we started spending a lot of time together. He was nice, kind and funny. He made me laugh and made me try new things. I felt alive with him and I liked that feeling. We started dating and around six months ago, he asked me to marry him. I was ecstatic and I called up Jenny. We were both in between cruises so she began hanging out with me and Jerry. We all started to do everything together. If Jerry wanted an opinion about me or what I’d like he’d go to J
enny.
“I should’ve seen it coming, but I was so happy and in love that I guess I purposefully ignored the signs. Then yesterday was my wedding. I was looking for my garter and I couldn’t find it so I set off in search of Jenny. She knew how to keep me calm and she probably knew where the thing was anyway. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find her. Then I walked into one of the small rooms where people don’t usually go to see if maybe Jenny had left it with other forgotten things in there. Well, I found something alright, it just wasn’t what I expected.
“Jeremiah and Jenny were going at it, his pants down to his ankles and she was sitting on a table, her dress riding up. The minute they saw me, they jumped away from each other but the deed was done. I had seen the two of them. I just turned and started running. People tried stopping me, asking what was wrong, why I was crying but I didn’t stop. What would I say? That my fiancé was banging my best friend? No, I took what little dignity I had and fled. I walked until I couldn’t anymore and then I just crashed on that bench you found me on. And that is my humiliating story.”
Priceless Love Page 8