Chapter 12
Ambra dragged herself through the door, tired from the airplane ride home. Michael followed, carrying their suitcases and closing the door as Ambra made it to her couch and threw herself down on top of it. It was now after 1o p.m. It had taken a little while to go through customs and get their luggage from the airline before hopping into a hired car and making their way to her place. To her surprise, instead of continuing on to his own place, Michael had gotten out of the car with her. After carrying their stuff into her room, he came back out empty-handed.
She sat up, and he must have seen her surprised look, because he shrugged.
“Might as well get used to it. Where you are, so am I.”
“You are moving in just like that?”
“Yes, for now. But we can look for a place together, stay here, or move to my place.” She just gaped at him, trying not to let the giddy feeling overtake her. Everything she ever wanted with him was coming true, and she secretly hoped that he was falling in love with her too. She was finally no longer in love with a man who did not love her back, but she felt like an angry storm was about to burst and take away her happiness. Whatever it was kept nipping at her subconscious, but right now, she was too tired to figure it out.
“Now, what do you want to eat? I am hungry, and I know you don’t have anything in that fridge of yours,” he said.
“Pizza with the works, of course.”
“Okay, done. Don’t move. I will get the plates, and we can eat in here.”
When he left, she decided it was time to turn on her phone, call her sister, and also check what messages she had missed.
She flipped on the light in her bedroom and spotted her small carry-on bag that had her phone in it. She grabbed it and sat down on her bed as she turned it on.
Her phone began to ping like crazy with all the missed messages and news from around the world. Notifications began to pop up and disappear, the last one making her freeze when she saw the title of the article.
‘ The Diamond princess marries Brooks heir in a quiet ceremony on the weekend .’
“What in the hell is this?!” she shrieked in surprise.
Ambra punched in her sister’s number and heard it ring and ring until her answering machine kicked in and her sister’s voice came on. “You know what this is. Leave a message and I will call you back when I make the time.”
She hung up and called again, doing it again and again when Diamond didn’t answer.
She texted her sister. ‘ Diamond, pick up the damn phone.’
She saw the bubbles begin to form and then disappear.
“Come on, I just saw you about to text. Where are you?” she said out loud to the phone as she watched the screen for a message from her sister.
The bubbles appeared again, and then a message came through. ‘ Talk tomorrow. Explain then…or talk to Michael.’
She looked up and knew that Michael was standing in the doorway watching her.
“What is going on Michael?” she demanded.
He sighed and then ran his hand through his hair in agitation.
“Your sister married Ben on the weekend.”
She sat there in silence, stunned. Then she whispered, “What, why? I don’t understand.”
He came over to her and sat down, trying to gather her hands in his, but she pulled them away from him, the realization hitting her that he knew all about it.
“You knew that this was happening back here in New York.” Her voice was dull and hurt.
He stared at her, and then his jaw flexed and his lips firmed.
“Your sister is in trouble,” he then said. “The money that came in from the auction has gone missing, and it looks like she took it.”
“That is a damn lie!” she snapped. “My sister would not do that!”
He just sat there, not saying anything.
“I am going to go see her and then find out what the hell happened.” She got off the bed, grabbing her bag and searching for her car keys.
Michael walked over to her, pulling the keys from her hand. “Ambra, the evidence is damning.”
“I don’t care. Give me the keys and tell me where she is.”
“She is with Ben, her husband.”
Ambra shook her head, dread pooling deeper into her gut.
“Ben is covering for her until they can figure out how the money went missing,” he continued.
“Okay, that is good to hear. If anyone can track down the truth, it’s your brother, and his soft spot for her will make him deter—” Her voice trailed off, her mind racing with everything she had just heard and read.
A dawning horror hit her. “Son of a bitch. Your family and their blackmail. Is that what your brother did? Used her situation to get her to marry him?!” she shouted with renewed anger.
He stared back with a guilty look on his face.
“Get the fuck out!”
“Ambra.”
“You knew that this was happening to my sister and said nothing.” Her chest was heaving up and down, her hands clenched into fists.
“Ben said he—”
“You trusted Ben with this—Ben, who has always had an unhealthy infatuation with my sister—instead of telling me and letting me be here for my sister and fixing things?!” She started pacing up and down. “Oh my God, my parents. I have figure out a way to reach them.”
“Don’t involve them until we have more information. Your sister wants to keep this from them for now. Wait till you talk to her tomorrow.”
“I—” She gripped her hair, a headache suddenly coming on.
“Just leave now, Michael.” Her mind was racing with what to do, and she just wanted him gone. He had hurt her so much, and now her sister was a part of the family’s craziness.
“I just wanted more time with you. I am sorry that I kept this to myself, but—”
“Get OUT!” she hissed, staring at him coldly.
He nodded, looking as if she had struck him. She wished she had as she followed him with her eyes, heading to the door.
“I will be back tomorrow.” He faced her with a sorrowful but determined expression on his face.
She glared and then blinked back the tears of anger, disbelief, and hurt when he disappeared from sight. She waited until she heard the click of the door and then grabbed her keys from off the bed, heading out to get some answers.
When she arrived at Ben’s home, she knocked insistently, as if she was trying to break in.
The door opened in a flash, and Ben stood there in front of her, wearing pajama pants that looked like they had been thrown on in a hurry. His face was flushed, and he had what looked like a scratch mark on his chest. She noticed that his nipples were pierced.
Wait, what? When did he do that? Never mind, she thought as she saw red at the stone-cold look on his face.
“You bastard. Where is my sister?”
“Come in,” Ben said solemnly, just as she pushed him roughly to the side and entered the foyer of his townhome.
“Diamond, Ambra is here,” he said, pressing an intercom button by the door. He walked around her to wait by the stairs as they both heard Diamond’s high-heel satin slippers on the floor and she came into view.
Diamond looked like a Hollywood star as she made her way down the stairs. She looked beautiful and immaculate in her night wear, her hair perfectly done. But as she got closer, her sister noticed how tired she looked. She glared at Ben when he stood in her way, until he gave her a look and moved away when she raised her chin.
“I will leave the two of you to talk. Good night.” As usual, Ben was a man of few words. He left them at the bottom of the stairs.
Diamond glared at his back as he made his way up, and Ambra could have sworn she heard, “You’d better finish what you started.” But then her sister pasted a smile on her face and turned to hug Ambra, shocking her, because even though they were close, Diamond was not much of a hugger.
“Come on Diamond, we can talk in the car. I will take you home and we can fix—”
“No, you can’t. You can’t get involved; I don’t want you anywhere near this. You just go home; I will be okay, and we can talk tomorrow. I want to hear everything that happened with you and Michael.”
“Diamond, I can’t leave you like this.”
“It’s okay, I am not in any danger. Just in trouble right now, and Ben is helping me out.”
“By forcing you to marry him. Diamond. Come on.”
“Yes, that is the price for me getting out of this mess,” Diamond said bitterly before pasting on another false smile. “But you know me. I will make this situation work and come out with the upper hand.”
She then eyed Ambra with concern. “Go home before you fall down, and get some rest. Everything is okay for now, and hopefully we will have all of this resolved soon.”
“Yes, I will see what I can find.”
“No, stay out of this please. I can’t be worried about this having an impact on you too,” Diamond said, suddenly looking even more tired.
Ambra paused, knowing that she should wait and revisit this with her sister another time. She knew how stubborn Diamond could be, especially when she was protecting the ones she loved. “Okay sis, I will back off for now, but not for very long. We can’t let whoever did this get away with it.”
“Yes, thank you.” Diamond just nodded, and for a second, her mind seemed to go somewhere else. She looked flustered.
Ambra cleared her throat, adding, “And then we can get this sham of a marriage annulled.”
Her sister suddenly looked funny.
Ambra recalled what Ben had looked like coming down the stairs. His hair had looked as if someone had messed it up, and the scratch on his chest... “Sis, did—”
Diamond interrupted her. “We agreed to stay married for at least a year after everything is all cleared up. For appearances’ sake and all.” She waved her hand around, not looking her sister in the eye.
Ambra’s mouth opened and closed.
Diamond leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning her around towards the door.
“Call me when you are back home so that I know you are safe. I really wanted you to not have to come over tonight because I knew you and Michael had just gotten back, but I am glad you did. I missed you.”
“Ummm. Me too. Love you,” she whispered, her mind whirling as she tried to process this new chain of events.
“Love you too. And don’t be too hard on Michael. I told him to wait until you came back to New York because I didn’t want what is happening to me to get in the way of you both finally admitting you love each other. Now go home, rest, and then call him to come back so you can work it out. You were always meant to be together, and I need you both to finally be happy and stop getting on my last nerve with this friendship business.”
Her sister kissed her on the cheek again and then shut the door in her face.
Ambra shook her head over the strange turn of events and everything that had happened in only a matter of weeks.
Even though seeing her sister had given her some relief, now she had a whole new bunch of questions and knew there was more being hidden from her, especially by Diamond.
Ambra was tired and hurt that Michael had kept this from her. They would need to sort it out later—maybe not for a while yet, but she was now very worried for her sister and hoped that Ben would find out who had set her up, despite forcing her to marry him.
She opened the door to her apartment for the second time that night, and silence greeted her, making her feel bereft. She missed Michael’s presence, even though she was hurt and angry with him. She had gotten used to having him around, and her apartment now felt empty without him.
She took off her shoes and unbuttoned her pants, making her way to her bedroom. She was about to turn on the light when she saw a dark shadow move away from her window. Then the light suddenly came on, revealing Michael. He looked disheveled, his tired silver eyes looking into hers as he straightened up from leaning down to turn on her lamp.
“I tried leaving you alone for the night but couldn’t do it. Please don’t send me away tonight. I will just hold you until we fall asleep and then head out in the morning if you still want me to go.”
She lifted her chin and opened her mouth but then just nodded, too tired to fight to get him to go home. She also needed him to be near tonight because she was scared for her sister.
They undressed in silence and then moved to the bed at the same time and got in. She turned on her side with her back resting against his chest, and he pulled her tight against him, his nose in her neck, breathing in the scent of her. She laid her hand on top of his on her stomach and then closed her eyes.
“I am sorry about your sister Ambra.”
Her eyes popped back open.
“But I would do it again to have that time with you. The time we had changed our friendship into something more. I know now that we were always meant to be together, and seeing how much I hurt you is tearing me up inside. I am sorry baby. I can’t live without you and want you by my side. I have fallen in love with you and will fight for a future with you until you forgive me. I won’t be going anywhere.”
He waited silently behind her for her answer. But she couldn’t say anything just yet.
Then she felt a delicate kiss on her neck and heard a sigh. “Wherever you go, so will I,” he whispered his promise.
Ambra scowled and gave a tiny smile, closing her eyes and falling asleep in the arms of the man who had been her childhood friend, then her crush as a young teenager in love, and now her true love as a grown woman. She now knew her best friend as a man in every sense of the word. She knew all his faults, and despite them, she knew deep down inside that she still wanted to be with him and loved him as much as he professed to love her.
Oh, don’t worry. He isn’t getting away with this so easily.