by Anna Santos
Jade arched an eyebrow, waiting for the snarky remark.
“I can respect that,” Dominic added. “As long as it’s good publicity. I guess what I’m trying to say is that your union is being well-accepted by the viewers. So, I’m not against it anymore.”
“Really?” Jade’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, don’t look so shocked. We had some backlash when you were taken against your will. A few activists signed a petition to release you from your contract.”
Jade’s stomach dropped. “Are you serious?”
“I am. You have been all over the news.”
“I hope I didn’t cause Daniel any trouble.”
“You did, but nothing we can’t fix now that your animosity toward him is gone.”
Jade looked at the couples around them and wished that Dominic would stop spinning around.
“Of course, there are still people who want Daniel to get back together with Emma,” Dominic continued. “However, it’s clear that you’re his favorite. After all, you are his beloved.”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
“I’m glad you agree. You should know that by law, you are allowed to be turned into a vampire. Therefore, it’s in my best interest that you allow Daniel to date you.”
“Hmm.” Jade frowned deeply. “What do you really want from me?”
Dominic smirked. “ The director warned me that tomorrow, we will have a special edition of the show. Just remember this, Jade. If you truly love Daniel, save him the trouble of having to participate in this show once again because you were too proud to tell him yes.”
“Say yes to what?”
Dominic turned Jade around and she stumbled against a man behind her. Strong and warm hands secured her on her feet.
“She’s all yours, Son,” Dominic said.
Jade realized when she looked up that she had bumped into Daniel.
“Are you all right?” he asked with caring eyes.
She nodded.
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to give us his blessing, I think.”
Daniel’s brows furrowed as his lips pursed. “The auction is starting. Let’s sit down.”
He led her to their designated seats, and more appetizers were served.
The auction went by without Jade realizing since her attention was on the beautiful paintings and Daniel’s explanations about who the painters were and what era they were from. Nevertheless, once everything was sold, her date was once again shadowed by guests wanting to talk to him.
Jade made her way to the balcony and watched the city below. Minutes later, Sam showed up beside her, carrying a glass of orange juice which she offered to Jade.
“Thank you.”
“Are you bored?” Sam asked.
Jade nodded.
“It’s always like this. You will need to get used to it.”
“At least the auction was a success.”
“Yes. Daniel is pleased. He sent me here to take you upstairs.”
“To the suite?”
“Yes. He will be joining you soon enough.”
Jade nibbled on her lower lip. “Does Daniel bring a lot of girls to attend his parties?”
“No. Not really. He dated Miss Emma for a while, but she was always too busy to come with him. Mr. Wolfe is…a remarkable man. His life isn’t how it’s portrayed by the press. The majority of gossip items are made up to sell magazines. My boss is a philanthropist and not a womanizer.”
Jade took in her words with an elevated heartbeat. She needed the confirmation that Daniel was a good guy.
“Shall we go?” Sam asked.
Jade gave her another nod.
Shortly after, they were exiting through a safety door and entering an elevator that would take them to the room Daniel had booked for them. She wasn’t going to pretend that she didn’t want to be with him. Her body missed him. She was going to wait for him and enjoy their time alone—away from other people and the cameras.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Important Plans
Daniel tapped his fingers on his desk as he looked at the screen of his computer. Leaning back in his seat, he instructed his virtual assistant, “Jaz, could you call my father?”
Jaz was Daniel’s artificial intelligence software that ran all aspects of his business and his home.
“It’s ringing, sir,” the virtual assistant warned.
Dominic’s hologram showed up from across the desk. “What can I do for you, Daniel?”
Daniel sat straight and fixed his jacket. “Good afternoon, Father. I’m calling to make sure that Jack warned you about the modifications that were made to tonight’s contest.”
“I knew about this since yesterday. He just called me to confirm that everything was ready,” Dominic informed with a serious face.
“And?” Daniel crossed his arms. “What do you think? Are you going to talk me out of it?”
Dominic fixed his cuffs before smirking. “No. I believe it will be beneficial for the ratings. I’m just worried that you’ll make a fool of yourself. After all, you are going live and there’s no way we can edit it after or remove it completely.”
Daniel opened his arms and gestured Dominic to calm down. “Let me worry about that. I just want to make sure that you’ll not boycott my intentions.”
Frowning, Dominic assured, “I would never do that, Son.”
Daniel arched an eyebrow. “Last time we’ve talked about Jade being my beloved, you didn’t seem that excited.”
“How did your night go? Did you have fun? You left the party early.”
Daniel pursed his lips, aware that his father was changing the subject. “It was good. I spent the night getting to know Jade.”
“I heard that you went for a helicopter ride with her.”
“Yes. I showed her the city before we returned home.”
“That’s nice. I’m glad you are happy. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this happy.”
Daniel’s lips curved into a smile. “Thank you. I’ll call you to tell you how it goes.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll see it live tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Dominic said, waving his hand and disconnecting the call.
Daniel placed his hands on his desk as his eyes focused on the painting on the other side of this office. Seconds later, someone knocked on the door.
“Sam is outside,” Jaz warned.
“Let her in,” Daniel ordered.
“Good afternoon, sir.” His personal assistant entered with a reader in her hand. “I hope you had a good rest. There’s a lot of paperwork to be done, and I have a few documents that require your signature.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair, a sigh leaving his chest. “Hi, Sam. How are you?”
The young woman smiled. “I’m great, sir. Only a bit busy with all the preparation for tonight.”
“Did you find what I asked you to?”
Sam sat in front of his desk. “Jaz, please show Mr. Wolfe the contracts that need to be signed right away.” She tapped on her reader and swapped the documents to upload them to the computer’s main system. “And yes, sir. I have your order.”
“Great.” Daniel looked at his desk that lit up and showed a document. “I’ll take care of business and sign all you want. Yet I need you to tell me when Stevie arrives from school. I want to spend some time with the kid.”
“Okay,” Sam replied.
Daniel looked up. “Jaz, is Jade still sleeping?”
“Yes. Do you want me to open the shades?”
“No. Let her rest. She’ll have a stressful contest tonight. Where’s Jenna and Emma?”
“By the pool.”
“Could you tell one of the servants to pack Emma’s belongings? She won’t stay here for much longer.”
“I’ll take care of that, sir.”
“Mr. Wolfe, do you think that’s wise?” Sam asked with an apprehensive expression.
“After tonight, her presence here won’t be required.”
&nb
sp; Sam hugged her reader against her chest. “I’m happy for you. I am. But I still believe we should investigate the girl and her brother, further. There’s a lot of things we don’t know. The whole incident in the club wasn’t favorable for your image. She didn’t want to come…”
Daniel raised his hand to stop her from talking. “We are over that. Jade is happy with me here. She understands what she means to me and that she’s safe.”
Sam bit her lower lip. “Still…”
Daniel folded his hands over his desk. His voice was calm when he spoke. “Sam, Jade is my beloved. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I don’t care about what is being said on the news or tabloids.”
“It can damage the company’s value.”
Daniel shrugged as he rested his back in his chair and folded his arms on the back of his head. “I have more money than I need.”
“And if… I don’t want to see you have your heart broken, sir.”
“I appreciate your concern. But everything will be fine.”
Sam half-smiled and nodded.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Speed Dating
“Welcome to ‘Who wants to be a Vampire?’” the host of the show announced, gesticulating as if he was conducting an orchestra. “In tonight’s show, our bachelor has prepared a five-questions quiz for a speed date contest. According to their answers, our bachelor will choose a date for tonight. The chosen one will have the opportunity of dining and going on a boat ride with Daniel.”
Daniel fixed his collar before stepping into the set and grinning at the host.
“Welcome, Daniel. Yesterday, you had a date with Jade. How did it go?”
“It was wonderful. We danced and talked. I had the opportunity of getting to know her a lot better.”
The host opened his arms in a theatrical gesture. “And that’s the point of tonight’s contest. You’ll have three speed dates with them in which you will ask them five questions. In the end, you’ll choose who you want to have a date with. Do you think you’ll have a hard time choosing?”
The host grinned at Daniel who smirked in return. “Not at all. But I hope that this contest proves me right.”
“Then you have a favorite, already?” the host’s voice hit a high pitch note that made Daniel cringe.
“That’s a secret,” he whispered as he leaned forward. “Let’s say that I’ll surprise everybody before the night ends.”
The host’s eyes widened. “Oh! Now, I’m curious.”
Daniel’s eyes lowered to his shoes and a smile tugged at his lips. “Shall we begin?”
“Who will be the first?” the host questioned, looking at the inexistent crowd that had previously clapped. “Our random choice generator will decide.”
Daniel and the host looked at the screen where Jade, Jenna, and Emma’s pictures were flashing in turns. It finally showed Jenna’s picture as the first one to go on the speed date.
The girls weren’t far from the main set. They were all dressed up and looking nervous.
Daniel flashed a smile at Jade when their eyes met, and he noticed that her face lit up. She looked stunning in a golden short dress with high heels and loose hair that fell in waves of curls down her back and about her face. His mouth became dry and his heart pounded. The nerves were taking the best of him, but he hasn’t going to give up on the surprise he had prepared for that night.
Jade waited impatiently as Daniel and Jenna had a private conversation that no one could hear because of the soundproofed force field. It was a speed date contest. She only had to endure a bit more before spending time with Daniel. If he chose her. She would feel a lot more confident if they hadn’t spent the day apart.
The buzzing sound announced that Jenna’s speed date was over. Startled, Jade returned to reality and bit her bottom lip as she witnessed the computer picking Daniel’s next date. Her picture remained on the screen. For a few moments, she didn’t know what to do.
“Jade, it’s your turn,” the host informed.
Her legs obeyed, and she walked to Daniel. Jenna passed by her and returned to the podium where Emma awaited.
Daniel’s hand reached for hers and it gave her a sense of calm and relief. Breathing deep, she sat opposite him and the sounds around them disappeared. The camera filming them hovered above their heads, searching for the best angle. Jade focused on her vampire lover as he leaned back in his seat and smiled at her.
It was as if that night’s contest never ended. Time passed terribly slow when Emma was on her speed date with Daniel. With squinted eyes, Jade could almost swear that Daniel was smirking at his ex while having a pleasant chat with her. She thought jealousy wouldn’t take over her emotions, but she was wrong. Daniel was her boyfriend, and she didn’t want him near Emma.
“Calm down or they will use your angry face to create more drama.” Jenna held Jade’s hand that was closed into a fist.
Jade looked at her friend and nodded. “I was just…”
Jenna’s hand covered her microphone and she whispered, “Thinking of different ways to murder Emma if she touches Daniel?”
Widening her eyes, Jade shook her head. “No. Of course not.”
“Then breathe in and smile,” Jenna advised as she removed her hand and smoothed her dress down.
A few more minutes were gone before the buzzing sound was heard. Emma returned to her seat, and the host kept doing his job. Jade tuned him out, aware that Daniel was gone and that the host was just creating suspense before the winner was announced.
They stopped recording for a few minutes, and Daniel was nowhere to be found. Jade did her best to be still in her seat. Jenna kept talking about how her day had been.
“Then, one of Emma’s agent came here to visit her. He brought a photographer and they shot some pictures. Emma was looking gorgeous in the new bikini line. They asked me to join her and I did. I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and give the rights for them to use my image. It was fun. The guy said I was a natural.”
“I’m glad that you enjoyed your afternoon,” Jade said, looking at her bouncing feet.
“Where were you? Were you really sleeping or having fun with Daniel?”
“Are the mics off?” Jade put her hand over her mic and looked at Jenna.
Her friend shrugged but covered hers. “They said you were sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“I was sleeping. I spent the night with Daniel, but I spent the day sleeping.”
Jenna smirked. “Did he exhaust you?” Wiggling her eyes, she added, “You know.”
“No. We just talked after leaving the reception. We went to a charity auction and danced. It was…nice.”
“Just nice?”
“I got to know a side of him that’s a bit scary. He’s beyond rich and important. Yet he has a good heart. Our lives couldn’t be more different.”
“Do you think we’ll be famous after the show is over?”
“I have no idea, but I hope not. I can’t deal with the media following my every move and talking about my private life.”
“He’ll—”
“Everybody return to your places. We are going to record again,” a voice announced.
People rushed to the set and prepared everything.
Jade and Jenna focused their attention on the host while Emma returned to her place.
“Three beautiful women. One bachelor handsome vampire. Who will the billionaire Daniel Wolfe choose to be his beloved?” the host began his speech. “On tonight’s show, our bachelor had three speed dates with these gorgeous beauties. One conquered his heart for the night and is going on a date. Who will it be? The answer is in this envelope.” He showed the golden envelope. “The lucky winner will have dinner with him, followed by a boat ride on his private yacht. Under the stars, they will share a drink and get to know each other even better. It’s a unique opportunity to conquer our bachelor’s heart and become his chosen one.”
The suspense sound effect echoed in the background. The host smiled as he began to
shred the envelope. His eyes focused on the paper when he screamed and showed it to the cameras, “Jade!”
Jade’s heart leaped in her chest, and she looked at the paper with her written name on it. She had been holding her breath, her hands squeezing her dress. Getting up, she walked to the host who was waving for her to join him.
“How do you feel?” his arm circled her shoulders as he spoke closer to her.
“I’m happy for being chosen,” she managed to say.
“Do you think that because you won two times in a row you are his favorite so far?”
Jade blinked several times, unsure what to reply to the host.
The vampire reformulated his question, “Did you want to win, Jade?”
“Yes.”
“Are you eager to go to Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“He’s waiting for you upstairs. We are going to escort you to him.” The host let go of Jade and redirected his attention to the camera hovering in front of them. “And you are going to join us in a few minutes, after the commercials, to watch all the best parts of their date. Don’t miss out on the most important moment of this show.”
“Cut,” the director shouted.
The host’s shoulders slumped, and he lost his smile. “Someone bring me a glass of blood. The heat in here is killing me.”
Loosening his tie, he strolled away and left Jade behind without even looking back.
“Jade,” someone called her name.
She looked across the set and saw Daniel’s assistant waving at her. Smiling, she walked to her.
“Hi!” the young woman said with a happy smile. “I’m here to take you to Daniel. He’s waiting upstairs in his bedroom to talk to you before they start recording again.”
“Okay.”
“Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I’m feeling a lot better now.”
“Let’s go, then. Daniel is eager to see you.”
Moments later, Jade entered Daniel’s bedroom and smiled at the sight of him.
Walking to her, Daniel wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.
“Did you miss me?” he asked.