Billionaire Temptations: Rich, Ruthless & Obsessed

Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Wes

“Hey, buddy. I need you to sign this before I send it to our lawyers,” Christopher spoke as he handed me a contract.

I picked up my pen, gave the contract a final look over, and signed on the dotted line.

“Want to go grab some lunch?”

“I’d love to, but I can’t. I told Anna I’d drop by the shop. Tomorrow is the grand opening.”

“Damn. Already?”

“Yeah. She’s been working so hard. I just hope it goes well for her.”

“You have your doubts?”

I leaned back in my chair and placed my hands behind my head.

“A little. I just don’t think a shop like that will survive. She’s going to take a big loss the first year.”

“Wes, come on, she practically ran an international wine company. She knows what running a business involves. You don’t need to protect her.”

“But I want to protect her. I can’t help it. I was walking by Cartier yesterday, and I saw this beautiful ring in the window that caught my eye. I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“Seriously? Already?”

“She’s the one, Christopher. The only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love her, and I want her to be my wife.”

“Wow. Congratulations.” He grinned.

“Thanks. But don’t congratulate me yet. She might not say yes.”

“Or she might say yes and then ditch you at the altar.” He laughed. “Just kidding.” He put his hands up.

I grabbed my suitcoat from the back of the chair and put it on before walking out of my office and heading over to the Cupcake Nook. I walked through the door and smiled as I saw Anna standing there yelling at a contractor about something. She handed him a check, and he walked away in a huff.

“What was that all about?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her.

“He tried to rip me off and thought he could get away with it. He tried to charge me for material that wasn’t even used in the store. Shady motherfucker.”

I chuckled. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”

“No. Not when it’s my money. I’m happy you’re here. What do you think?”

“I think it’s amazing. You did a great job, sweetheart. Where’s Francine?”

“Right over there. Francine, come say hi to Wes.”

I stared at the woman walking towards me in disbelief that it was actually Francine.

“Hi, Mr. Carter. Welcome to the Cupcake Nook.” She smiled.

“Hello, Francine. The place looks great.”

“Thanks. Anna and I worked really hard.”

“I know you did.”

“Excuse me. I’m going to go check on the cupcakes that are in the oven.”

I gave her a friendly nod and then looked at Anna.

“That is not the same woman I met four months ago.”

“Pretty spectacular, right? I told you I was helping her make herself over.”

“She looks like a completely different woman, and she seems more confident.”

“That’s because I taught her how to be a confident woman. Her ex-husband really shattered her self-confidence. She feels good about her makeover, which gives her more self-confidence.”

“You did, good, sweetheart.” I kissed her lips. “I need to get back to the office. I’ll see you later. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She smiled.

After leaving the shop, I went over to Cartier and paid a visit to my friend, Marcus.

“Wes, welcome. It’s always a pleasure to see you. How are your parents?”

“Good day, Marcus. The parents are good. Still traveling the world and enjoying the retired life.”

“Ah. Good for them. What brings you in today?”

“I would like to take a look at a ring I saw in the window.”

“Very nice. Which one?”

We walked over to the window, and I pointed to the one on the pedestal that sat at the front and center.

“Excellent taste, Wes. Does this mean what I think it does?”

A bright smile crossed my lips. “Yes, Marcus.”

“How exciting. Let’s go have a seat, and you can take a better look at it. This is one of our finest platinum rings with a four-carat cushion-cut, high-quality, flawless diamond. As you can see, the ring is set with all these brilliant pave diamonds going down each side. We just got this in a few days ago. It’s part of our new exclusive collection. This is the only one made.”

I held the ring up and looked at the diamonds through an eyepiece. It was truly flawless. I knew in my heart this was the ring for Anna.

“This is the one, Marcus. How much?”

“Because it’s a limited ring, it’s priced at a hundred thousand dollars.”

“I’ll take it.” I grinned.

I walked out of Cartier with the ring box in my pocket. Now that I had it, I needed to find the perfect time and place to propose to her.