Notice Me

  “Shannon, I can’t let you go. None of this makes sense. I know you, remember?” Charlie looked closer into my eyes before he studied my face. “What’s that on your face?” Charlie’s eyes widened in anger.

  “Charlie, just go please,” I begged closing my eyes. I needed him to leave. This was so hard every cell in my body wanted to run to him.

  “Did Will do that? I am not leaving without you now, Shannon. Something is wrong. What has he done to you?” Charlie shook the glass in anger.

  “Charlie, stop this. I am going back with Will. I love him.”

  “I don’t believe you. You told me you wanted me forever Shannon. That cannot have changed overnight.” Charlie’s eyes were burning into mine through the thick glass. I could feel the tears begin to appear. Charlie noticed them. “Shannon, please. Let’s talk about this. Just come out of the lounge. I can’t get in. I tried. I haven’t got a boarding pass. They only let me this far.” Charlie leaned down to watch my eyes even closer. The tears began to trickle down my face. I didn’t know what to do. “Shannon, I love you don’t let them ruin this.”

  Suddenly the glass divide was too much. I needed to be in Charlie’s arms. I didn’t even think about it as I moved towards the glass doors watching Charlie outside waiting for me with a look of hope in his eyes. We could run away now. Jump on a plane anywhere as long as Charlie was safe. Once he knew the whole story Charlie would know what to do.

  Before I even reached the doors a tight grip grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you are going? The plane is ready to board now.” Will glared. I could tell he hadn’t noticed Charlie yet. “You weren’t thinking of making a run for it were you?” Will laughed.

  “No, I was…” I tried to distract Will, but Charlie was making a lot of noise trying to break through security.

  “I did underestimate him,” Will muttered to himself. “You stay here. I’ll get rid of him.”

  “Will please,” I touched his arm. “Don’t hurt him. It’s not his fault I…”

  “I won’t hurt him. I just want to warn him off myself. It is allowed, seeing as you are mine now.” Will touched my face with an evil smirk.

  My heart sank as Will walked towards Charlie and the five security men holding Charlie down. I could hardly watch. I had no idea what Will was saying, but Charlie was breaking from the inside by the look on his face. The security men kept hold of Charlie as Will spoke to him. Charlie flinched trying to lurch to hit Will. I ran through the glass doors before it got out of hand.

  “Oh, Shannon darling. Please explain to Charlie that you are in love with me not him. He is under some illusion you want to be with him,” Will replied wrapping his arms around me. Charlie saw red, struggling in the security men’s arms.

  “Don’t you touch her Will!” Charlie shouted before looking at me softly. “Shannon, please.”

  “I’m sorry Charlie. Will is right. I was only coming to tell you to stay away from me.”

  Charlie struggled almost breaking free from his hold by the security men as Will led me back into the lounge.

  “Shannon! Shannon! NO!… NO,” Charlie shouted his voice breaking. I couldn’t turn to look at him.

  “Get over it Charlie. The better man won,” Will chuckled over his shoulder.

  “I won’t give up on you, Shannon.”

  “Then you are a fool Charlie Collins. If you can’t see that I do not want you and never loved you.” I had to spit the words at Charlie imagining he was Will instead. I turned my glance towards Charlie for a slight second before we disappeared into the departures lounge wishing I hadn’t. Charlie’s tortured face would give me eternal nightmares.

  I slept most of the plane journey to numb the throbbing pain in my heart.

  We were only an hour from London when I awoke. Will was sat in the seat across from mine watching me.

  “Do you have to watch me like that?” I moaned.

  “Sorry, it has been a while since I watched you sleep. You looked so peaceful and beautiful of course,” Will smiled.

  “It will be the only time I am peaceful. At least in my dreams I get what I really want.” I smiled as I watched Will cringe.

  “We used to be happy before Shannon. I am sure we can get it back.”

  “Will, what planet are you living on?” Will put his finger to my lips. I knew I was talking too loud, but I really didn’t care. “You have destroyed everything. We can never move on from that.”

  “We will have to. I want to marry you, Shannon.”

  “You are delusional.”

  “That is my price if you want Charlie safe,” Will whispered in my ear.

  I knew I couldn’t argue with him. What else was there for me to do, but agree to his absurd demands? “I’ll marry you, but I will never love you Will,” I whispered. “My heart will always belong to Charlie.”

  “That doesn’t bother me.”

  “It doesn’t?” I asked annoyed. I was really hoping to have hurt him.

  “No, because Charlie will never know that. He thinks you love me.” Will laughed.

  “You really are twisted.”

  “Only to you, but it’s true. I do enjoy getting one up on Charlie.”

  “Most people wouldn’t care about that. They would be more bothered about how the one they love feels. I am not some prize, Will.”

  “But Shannon you are. Truly you are.” Will laughed darkly. “Charlie had this coming to him anyway. He has interfered with my family enough over the last year.” I stared out the window too angry to even want to fight anymore. If Will thought it was going to be easy being with me he was wrong. I wanted to make his life as miserable as he was making mine!

  London should have seemed like a magical place when I returned, but it felt like a prison. I finally understood the pressure Megan had been under from her family. It was now all directed towards me.

  Megan was still away which gave me a chance to try and cry out the pain in my heart. It was no good. I knew it would never heal. Charlie would always be there deep inside no matter how much Will tried to change it.

  “So you will stay with Megan for a while. I will have to look for a property for us. I mean seeing as we are going to be husband and wife soon enough.” Will gloated as we arrived at Megan’s new house in London.

  “Do whatever you want, Will. You have already destroyed my life. It can’t get any worse,” I replied numbly watching London. It all seemed so grey, dull as if my life had no colour anymore. Which was true, the best parts of my life were all gone now, left broken-hearted in New York.

  “You could try and act a bit more excited, Shannon. I mean you are going to marry into a multibillionaire family.”

  “Money is nothing without love Will. Has no one ever told you that?” I glared. Will for once had no answer.

  Chapter 23

  The months drifted by into one huge daze. I was almost robotic. My body was working hiding the lie, but my mind was somewhere else completely.

  All the Field family, especially Megan, were ecstatic with the news of Will and me. Will made our story sound like a fairy tale as he told his family in Cheshire. I had apparently bumped into him in Central Park in New York. Once I saw him I realised how much I loved him and couldn’t wait to finish my work placement. We decided I would just leave seeing as we couldn’t be apart any longer. I found it hard to keep smiling, but I knew I had no choice. My true love’s life depended on it.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Megan beamed when she arrived to find me in the front room with the warm inviting fireplace at her family home in Cheshire.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” I replied hugging her.

  “Well, I am glad my brother told me. Really, I can’t cope with that much excitement in one day. Mind you I am glad I rushed back from Japan. This has to be the best family meeting I have ever had.”

  “Sorry, you had to rush back.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I just can’t believe it. You and my brother getting married. This is huge, no it�
�s more than huge. We are going to be sisters.” Megan grabbed me in a tight hug. “It is what we have always wanted.”

  I took a long deep breath trying to stop the tears flooding my eyes. “I know it is amazing.”

  “I knew you would fall in love with Will in the end.”

  “You know me too well Megan,” I smiled.

  “I know. I can’t wait to start wedding shopping.”

  “Easy, Megan. We haven’t set a date yet.”

  “Well, I don’t think it will take long. I am pretty sure Will wants to marry you by the end of next year.”

  “We need to decide together. I want to get settled in Field Organisation first.” My job was the only distraction I had.

  “Okay, Miss Marketing Director,” Megan giggled. My new job role was the only thing that was keeping me sane. I didn’t really like Megan making fun of it.

  “Sorry, if I want to help your family businesses succeed, Megan. Do you not know how low the marketing figures are at the moment?” I shouted back at her.

  “I didn’t mean that Shan. I think it’s great.” Megan looked concerned. “Are you alright?”

  “Sorry, just tired I guess. It has been a long week settling back here. I still wake up on New York time.”

  “Tell me about it. All this travelling is doing my head in. At least I have a few weeks off now. We can really catch up. I have missed you so much.”

  “Me too.”

  “At least we know we will always be together now no matter what,” Megan smiled trying to drag her large suitcases up the grand staircase to her room. “Can you help with my bags Shan? The butler is busy.” I just rolled my eyes. Amazing how quickly things can go back to normal.

  Christmas came and disappeared. I had been congratulated by so many different faces, faces that I couldn’t even remember now. I wanted to scream at every one of them. All it would take was someone to notice how unhappy I was. Perhaps they would have taken pity on me? No one did. When you are marrying into a billionaire business no one ever asks questions. They already knew the answers.

  Megan was away a lot of the time, but at least I had my job to keep me busy. All I was really doing was checking all the major accounts, number crunching all day. Not quite the role Will had described to me. I missed my New York marketing job, the coffee chats with Lorna, the fast pace of the chase that was New York.

  Giving up my New York life meant I had to leave behind everyone.

  Lorna’s last telephone call a few days after I got to London still affected me.

  “Seriously Lorna. I am marrying Will,” I had told her for the sixth time.

  “But you love Charlie,” Lorna asked confused.

  “I got it wrong. Will is who I want.”

  “Bullshit. What is going on Shannon?”

  “Nothing, I just want to be with Will.”

  “I just can’t believe you left without as much as a goodbye. I thought we were friends. Anyway, you hate William Field.”

  “I’m sorry, it all happened so fast. I love Will, please believe me.”

  “You do realise Charlie is a mess don’t you?”

  “I know, but I just had to do it.” My heart thudded hearing his name.

  “I think you are heartless Shannon Davis. Charlie would have given you everything, but you go and throw him away just because Mr Billionaire pops the question to you. I thought you wanted more than that. Or has the fairy tale always been about the money to you?”

  “I don’t have to listen to this.” I knew I had to cut all my contacts to Charlie. I had to make it easier on myself.

  “Fine. To be honest I think Charlie had a lucky escape. He deserves better. You enjoy your meaningless life with William Field. Bye.” Lorna hung up.

  It still played on my mind because my life was meaningless now. I had no reason to even get up in the morning. My only reason for living was in New York thinking I never loved him. Charlie hadn’t contacted me once, no letters, nothing, it was for the best, but it still cut me deep. All I had left of him was my emerald necklace which never left my skin and my beautiful book that sent me to sleep crying every night.

  I had never felt so alone in my whole life. Not even when I was younger at the orphanage. It was worse because I had held it all in the palm of my hands, then watched it all slip away like grains of sand.

  “So Shan we are going wedding dress shopping today I think.” Megan beamed her beautiful smile at me one afternoon in her townhouse. “Mrs Gray told me how uninterested you were with her the other day. You really don’t have time to waste.”

  “I still have three months.” I reminded her. I had tried to put the wedding off for as long as possible, but what was the point? Sooner or later I had to take the plunge.

  “I know, but I never thought it would happen,” Megan laughed.

  “Why not?” I asked interested.

  “I don’t know, but it is so exciting,” Megan pulled me off her sofa helping me into my red cord coat Will had bought me for Christmas.

  I really didn’t care what dress I wore on my wedding day. I would still be doomed for eternity either way. Megan knew I hated shopping so didn’t see any difference in my face as I tried dress after dress on.

  “Oh, I love that one Shan. What do you think?” Megan clapped her hands excited.

  “It’s very white,” I replied uninterested.

  “It’s gorgeous. I think it’s the one,” Megan beamed. I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, with its stunning lace trail. The dress curved around my figure perfectly and plunged at my chest delicately. The small detail of the thousands of tiny crystal beads would catch the sun effortlessly on my wedding day. Which was a good idea seeing as we were getting married on a beach. If I had been a normal bride not someone being forced secretly into married life, I would have beamed with excitement. “Shan, are you okay?” Megan asked studying my face.

  “Just a lot to take in,” I sighed still looking at myself in the mirror.

  “Are you sure? It’s just well, you have been so different since you came back from New York.”

  “No, I’m fine really,” I grinned at Megan trying to lift myself out of my crushing grief.

  “It’s just you remind me of myself sometimes. Especially when you don’t realise I am watching you.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked wary.

  “When Charlie and I spilt up it was hard. I didn’t want to show you just how hard. New York was important to you, but it took me a long time to get over him.” Megan put her hand in mine. “You seem really sad like you have lost something.”

  “No, really I am fine.”

  “I know you Shan. You can tell me anything,” Megan looked deep into my eyes. I had to look away before I said anything. I could feel the words bubbling up towards my lips.

  “I think you are right about this dress it’s the one,” I replied trying to change the subject.

  “Really? Wow, you are going to take Will’s breath away in that.” Megan put her arms around me hugging me. “I am so happy for you. That you have found someone you can spend your life with.” I just kept on hugging her, shielding her from my tears weaving down my face. “I should have held onto Charlie better,” Megan whispered. More tears trickled down my face at that very same thought.

  “So are you coming to Cheshire next week?” Megan asked me later that day. I was glad I was still living with Megan. Will had decided we would buy a house after we got married seeing as we could not agree on where to live. The only place I wanted to be was New York, but of course that was the last place Will wanted to settle down.

  “Yeah, it will be nice to have all the family together.” I wasn’t excited at all. It would be another prison to me.

  “Mother is so excited about the wedding. I still can’t believe it is only three months away.”

  “I know,” I sighed nervously. Everything seemed to be moving so fast from the moment I landed back in London. The wedding was the main priority, it was bizarre. I could tell
the entire family were desperate for me to marry Will. I had no idea that a wedding could be planned in just eight months.

  I was relieved it wasn’t going to be a large wedding. Firstly, I had no family, but the Field family wanted Will’s wedding to be more private like his personality. Will wasn’t lavish like his sisters.

  The idea of marrying Will on an island just off New Zealand was perfect if it hadn’t been for the simple fact I hated him. The island belonged to the Field family. It had been in their generation for centuries. Pale white sands, crystal blue water, palm trees swaying in the breeze. Megan had painted a beautiful picture of Paradise Island. It still didn’t comfort me.