CHAPTER 11 #2
“Yes, of course, Miss Nirah.”
I stepped aside, and Cesar walked past Antonio and out of my bedroom. “Don’t yell at him,” I walked toward Antonio. “Please,” I pleaded, looking up at him. “I made him sit and spend time with me.”
“So first you sneak away from him, then you force him to spend time with you?” He raised a brow at me. Oh, right. That . I may or may not have snuck away from Cesar when I wanted to pop into a lingerie store. But, I eventually found him again, so it was a win-win. And nothing bad happened.
“Yes…” I slowly trailed off.
“Nirah, Cesar is not here to be your friend or keep you company when you’re bored. He’s here to protect you.” Yes, of course. “We won’t have this conversation again,” he sternly said, and although I wanted to protest, I knew he was right.
* * *
After getting ready for dinner, Rosalia found me wandering around in the hallway and flashed me her most polite smile.
“Dinner is this way, Miss Nirah.”
When I reached the dining room, Antonio was sitting at the head of the table—obviously—as he spoke to one of the helpers. The seat to his right had been set, so I walked over, and his helper pulled the chair out for me. I thanked him, and he excused himself, leaving us.
“Are you mad at Cesar?” I asked, and he turned his head to me.
“You should be worried whether or not I’m mad at you,” he replied.
“You can’t be mad at me, De Luca,” I flashed him my most innocent smile and he rubbed his tongue on the inside of his cheek, desperately trying not to break out in a smile.
We almost had our dinner in comfortable silence until I realized that silence was a nonexistent concept to me. And he didn’t seem to mind one bit.
After the table was cleared, he reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a black velvet box. When he placed it down in front of me, I slowly leaned back, eyeing the little box.
“It won’t explode when I take it, right?” I asked, and he shook his head. Trusting him, I slowly reached forward and picked it up. “So I won’t be covered in chocolate when I open it?”
“No.”
“Confetti?”
“No, Nirah. You won’t be covered in anything.”
Holding the little box a great distance from my face, I slowly pulled the top back, and my eyes grew wide as I stared at the most beautiful diamond I had ever seen in real life. Woah .
“It’s your engagement ring,” he clarified, and I slammed the little box closed, snapping my head up to him.
My reply was breathless. “No.”
“Yes.”
I opened the box again, catching the sparkle before shutting it and darting my eyes back to him. “ No ”
He seemed to find amusement in this situation and only tilted his head to the right.
“But is it supposed to be this big—is it supposed to have this many diamonds?” I asked.
“Yours does,” he effortlessly replied, making me look down at the ring. A smile of pure excitement found its way to my lips before slowly fading. Nirah, you know you can’t take it.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I know it probably costs a fortune, but I can’t accept this.”
Without a word, he took the ring from me and slipped it onto my finger.
“I bought you an engagement ring, and you’re going to wear it,” he sternly said, the dominance in his voice taking me aback.
Like I said, the more I find out about this man, the more I like him.
But… I’ve never gotten something so expensive before. Or anything special for that matter.
With deep contemplation, I stared down at the ring, and my lungs tightened in my chest as I slipped the ring off my finger.
“Can’t I just get a ring pop instead?” I hesitantly asked, and his brows drew together.
“What?”
“You know…”
“No. I don’t.”
“If you want me to have a ring that badly, then you should buy me a watermelon ring pop. It’s what my dad used to propose to my mom.
And I’ve loved the idea ever since,” I confessed with a sharp exhale.
“And you should keep the ring for someone special and give it to her,” I said, handing it back to him.
I stood up, feeling a lump of reluctance build in my throat.
“It’s not fair to you. And just because of this agreement we have, doesn’t mean you can’t go out and find someone who’s perfect for you. ”
I didn’t give him time to protest as I turned, heading straight to my bedroom. You did the right thing, Nirah. History will not repeat itself.
* * *
I squeezed my eyes shut as the bright sunlight shone through the huge windows. Dammit. I forgot to close the curtains last night.
I groaned, turning to my other side. I laid for a while and lifted my head to check the time over my shoulder. 07:17 am.
I covered my head with the sheets and then froze. I sat up and looked back at my nightstand. I saw two little black velvet boxes and a note. I picked up the note and opened it, sitting upright.
The ring is yours and yours alone.
I saw it. I thought of you. And I bought it. So no, I can’t give it to anyone else and even if I could, I wouldn’t.
PS. You can wear either one. Preferably the real one.
I placed both boxes on my lap, opening each.
My heart fluttered when I looked down at the watermelon-flavored ring pop. I smiled and softly chuckled. He bought me the ring pop .
I brought the little box with the ring pop up to my face, smelling the scent. The memories came flooding back as I closed my eyes. I miss you, Dad.
I placed it on my nightstand and looked at the real ring for a minute. I slowly slid it onto my finger, and it looked perfect. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Excitedly, I hopped out of bed and placed the ring back in the little box. I happily skipped to my bathroom and started getting ready for the day.
After I finished up, I slipped my ring on and smiled down at my hand for the millionth time this morning.
I practically floated downstairs with my purse and cell phone in my hands. I opened the front door but felt someone else pull it on the other side as well. Antonio . “Oh,” I hiccuped. Jesus! Why did I just hiccup?
He looked behind me, then scanned my outfit from head to toe before finally looking at me. “Where are you going?”
“The cafe.”
“By yourself?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
He simply stepped aside. “Let’s go.”
“No, I’ll—“ My steps came to an immediate halt.
“Have your pick,” he gestured to three cars parked in front of us. A black G-wagon, a red Porsche, and a white Rolls-Royce, to be exact. He did not .
I glanced over at him, and he stood beside me, patiently waiting. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I looked back at the cars. “Porsche.”
With a single nod, he approached the car and pulled a key from his breast pocket. He unlocked the car and opened the driver’s side for me. I hurried over, snatching the key from him before slipping inside.
He closed the door and rounded the hood of the car. I watched him hand one of his men two sets of car keys before he slipped into the passenger seat.
“You’re still working at the cafe?” he asked as I turned the key in the ignition, and the engine came to life with a satisfying roar. Oh yeah.
“No, I’m actually quitting. The cafe is too far for me, so I’ll just find one close to your house,” I answered, slowly trailing my hands over the clean steering wheel. “There are cafes close to you, right?” I asked, glancing over at him as I pulled away.
“Yes. With godawful coffee,” he mused, and I couldn’t help but snicker.
“Well, it won’t be for long since I will be working there.”
“Nirah—”
“I’m not fighting you on this, De Luca,” I sighed as we got off his property, and I picked up speed.
“You don’t need the extra job anymore,” he tried to reason with me, and I opened my mouth to speak but shut it immediately.
“And think about it… there’s someone out there who really needs the job more than you.
” He’s right… “How dare you steal that opportunity away from them, Nirah Joy?” he humorously asked, and my jaw dropped.
“No,” I shook my head. “How dare you use my selflessness against me?” I narrowed my eyes at him, and he victoriously grinned. “Fine. You’ve got a point.” He seemed oddly satisfied with himself for the rest of the drive. “Does that little mouth always get you what you want?”
His answer sounded almost arrogant as I pulled up to the cafe. “Yeah, most of the time.”
“Most of the time,” I mimicked his deep voice as I grabbed my bag before opening the door and getting out.
I walked into the cafe and it wasn’t as busy as expected. Madeline was at the register, smiling at a customer. I greeted her by kissing her cheek before I headed into my boss’s office.
Although this was Jordan’s cafe, he didn’t care for all the formalities, hence Malaysia.
I eventually left Malaysia’s office, and exited the building to find Antonio leaning against the car, smoking a blunt. I tossed him the keys, and he opened the passenger door for me.
“I’m too sad to drive,” I dramatically sighed, and the corners of his lips tilted upwards.
I slipped inside, and he closed the door behind me before getting into the drivers seat.
“It looks good on you,” he admitted, starting the ignition.
“Resignation?” I heavily sighed, and he chuckled, shaking his head at me.
“The ring, Nirah.”
“Oh,” I said, lifting my hand. I held my hand out in front of myself, studying the ring. I moved my hand in front of him, resting it on the steering wheel, and smiled. “It does, doesn’t it?”
I guess I could get used to this whole fiancée thing.