CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER FIVE
Reigna watched as the limousine rolled through the gates of the Nyeusian embassy, and her chest tightened with just the slightest bit of concern. While she’d been at the consulate in Brooklyn many times throughout the course of their relationship and recently when she’d barged into Jasiri’s office to call him out on his BS the moment she’d learned that Ace had willed him half of her family home, she realized now that she’d never been here .
The wide and high iron gates reminded her that this place was beyond her power and her privilege as an American citizen. Knowing what she was here to do made the hairs at the back of her neck stand at attention, as if someone were walking over her grave.
She was marrying the ambassador of Nyeusi beyond these gates and for all intents and purposes had stepped onto Nyeusi soil to do so.
Is past happiness worth giving Jasiri what he wants?
Her sister’s words echoed in her head, each reverberation of her voice shaking Reigna’s confidence in the wisdom of her accepting Jasiri’s terms.
What the absolute hell had she been thinking to do this? Regina was right: she could buy any house she wanted. It didn’t have to be that one. She didn’t have to essentially sell herself to Jasiri to gain ownership of a home. She could just walk away.
But then the memory of Ace’s black casket being lowered into the cold ground played behind her eyes as if she were standing there again, reliving the horror and the pain, and she knew she couldn’t just walk away. It wasn’t about having a house. It was about having a piece of the father figure she’d loved and lost. A piece she could keep with her forever, despite him being gone.
“Madam,” the detached voice interrupted the troubling train of her thoughts, forcing her to remember where she was and what she was here to do. She met the gaze of the driver looking at her through the lowered privacy glass. “They’re waiting for you inside. Are you ready?”
Reigna sat straight in her seat, making sure to still herself. She might question her own sanity in doing this, but no one in this embassy, including Jasiri himself, would know she was anything but strong and confident. It didn’t matter if her insides felt like a bowl of wobbly jelly. It didn’t matter if her mind kept asking her if it was wise to get this deeply involved with a man who’d caused so much havoc in her life. She would not let Jasiri be the thing that stopped her from honoring her promise to Ace and to herself. This was her heritage, and as she’d told her sister, Regina, it was well worth the cost.
Meeting the questioning gaze of the driver, she put on her Gemini Queens CEO smile and said, “I was born ready.”
She watched as people she assumed were embassy staff lined up on the stairs leading to the front doors. When the driver opened her door, she placed one sleek Louboutin heel on the pavement and then the other, standing to her full height with her shoulders back, removing any doubt from anyone who looked at her that she was a self-made woman who owned every place she stepped inside of.
She shoved the last bit of uncertainty she had to the pit of her stomach and focused on each step, smiling along the way up the stairs until she was met by Sherard in the foyer.
“Welcome, Ms. Devereaux. Let me take you to your quarters.”
As always, Sherard’s words were short and to the point. She followed him, taking in the large spacious foyer adorned with dark wood paneling that screamed luxury and understated opulence. The upstairs was much of the same. Thick, plush carpeting that silenced her stiletto heels covered the expansive hall. When they reached the end of it, Sherard opened the door and ushered her in.
When she stepped inside, there were two women and a man dressed in black with their hands positioned behind their backs. “Jenna, Asha, and Deshawn are here to get you ready,” Sherard informed her. “The ceremony starts in exactly two hours. I will return for you and bring you downstairs for the ceremony. Should you need anything, pick up any telephone and dial one to call me. Everything you need should be here in your suite.”
She gave him a brief nod to acknowledge him before he exited the room. When she turned around and saw the strange faces staring back at her, she doubted very seriously everything she needed was here as Sherard had said. How could that be true when her sister wasn’t standing in front of her with her signature, no-nonsense scowl she always donned whenever they both knew Reigna was about to do something reckless that was going to land her in hot water?
“Are you having second thoughts? Because if you are, I’ve already figured out an escape route through the basement.”
Reigna’s heart thudded against her chest as she followed the sound of the familiar voice to a doorway she hadn’t seen when she’d walked in. There, in all her surly glory was Regina, her identical twin, standing with her arms folded across her chest.
Reigna ignored the three strangers, walking over to her sister and grabbing her into a fierce hug that nearly made the woman stumble back into the room. Happy to see her sister but aware they weren’t alone, Reigna closed the door to what a quick glance told her was a bedroom before turning back to her sister.
“What are you doing here, Regina?”
“The question isn’t why am I here,” Regina replied, “but why didn’t you tell me this was going down today? I had to get a call from that blowhard of a fiancé of yours telling me my sister needed me to stand up for her at her wedding.”
Shame forced Reigna to drop her eyes from her sister’s gaze. It was one of the difficulties of having an identical twin. When the same eyes you saw in the mirror were taking you to task, it made you feel even worse about yourself.
“Regina,” Reigna huffed, “because of me, everything at work is being thrown in your lap. That, and I know you don’t necessarily agree with my decision. I didn’t feel right asking you to take part in this knowing why all this is happening. Besides, the original plan was for the wedding to take place on Nyeusi. I didn’t think you could get away for that.”
“That was your first mistake,” Regina responded. “Thinking.”
Reigna smiled, knowing whatever came next out of her matter-of-fact twin’s mouth was either going to burn her britches or make her laugh. Probably some combination of the two if she knew her sister. And she did.
“I’m the brainy twin. How about you leave all the thinking to me? You’re the twin with all the heart. Your heart is telling you this is the right thing to do. Your heart has never led you wrong, Reigna. Trust it. Trust me when I tell you nobody has your back ten toes down like I do. I don’t care about the circumstances. My sister is getting married today. There isn’t a devil in hell that could keep me from standing by her side. Not even a foreign dignitary with all his diplomatic powers.”
For the first time since all of this began, Reigna felt reassured. Her nerves stopped shaking as her sister’s words soothed her. Regina was right. All Reigna had to do to make this work was trust her heart.
“I love you, sister,” Reigna crooned as she pulled Regina into another hug.
“Of course you do,” Reigna answered. “I’m the best.”
* * *
Reigna stared down at the large diamond engagement ring, now accompanied by an eternity band, on her finger. Three hours ago, she’d married Jasiri in a small ceremony in the foyer of the embassy with an officiant and with her sister and Sherard as witnesses. After the businesslike ceremony where they’d answered in the affirmative in all the right places, they’d had a lovely brunch with her sister, and then they were off to a private airport and heading for Nyeusi.
“Why did you do it?”
Reigna said the words as she kept looking down at the wedding ring Jasiri had placed there.
“Why did I do what?” His voice was strong but soft, reminding her of the many times they’d been in a room alone talking without looking at one another.
Back then, it was because they were so in tune, they didn’t need to see each other to know what the other was thinking or saying. Now…now she wasn’t so sure why she refused to bring her eyes to his.
“Why did you bring my sister to the embassy? That was uncharacteristically kind of you.”
The plane cabin was quiet. They were alone inside this section of it, but she knew there were guards beyond the closed doors of where they sat now.
“I know you think me a monster, Reigna. The truth is, when I need to be, I am. But I’m not unnecessarily cruel either. I’m taking you away from your entire life for the next two years. The least I could do is have your closest family member there before I take you.”
A knock on the door prevented her from saying anything else. Not that she had anything to say. She was too busy mulling over his words to want to speak any of her own. Had Jasiri ever been cruel to her? No. But the moment she’d rejected him, he’d shut down on her so quickly she’d had a hard time believing anyone who could freeze her out so completely had ever cared for her in the first place.
But this…this was an act of care. Even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it and even if she didn’t want to believe it. She just didn’t know what to do with that.
“Sir,” Sherard nodded before stepping into the room and standing next to Jasiri’s seat. “We will land in ten minutes. Might we prepare Mrs. Adebesi for what she should expect?”
Reigna stiffened at the sound of that name. She knew Sherard was referring to her, but it felt so strange and disconnected from her, it forced her to draw her eyes across the table to watch the two men.
There was something silent happening between them. Sherard’s expression was expectant, and Jasiri’s was cold and unyielding.
Sherard cleared his throat before saying, “Fine, sir. I’ll leave it to you.”
She waited for Sherard to leave before she locked gazes with Jasiri.
“What was all that about? What do I need to be prepared for?”
“My position on Nyeusi is a lot more complicated than you know, and I need to bring you up to speed on some pertinent details you need to be aware of before we step off the plane and encounter what waits for us.”
“If you mean your constant entourage, Jasiri, I figured it would probably be bigger in your own country.”
“More than you can imagine.”
She crossed one leg over the other and grabbed both armrests. It was something her sister called her bad news posture . Whenever one of her executives had something bad to tell her, she adopted this pose to maintain her calm and keep the WTF resting on the tip of her tongue from leaping out into the air.
“Jasiri, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that when we get off this plane, I need you to follow my lead. You are the wife of a very visible man. From the moment we touch down, all eyes will be on you. Just smile, stay close to me, and look like you’re thrilled to be in my country. If you do this for me, I promise to explain everything to you the moment we are inside my private quarters.”
She tensed. Her spidey sense was tingling something terrible.
“I come from a billionaire family. I’ve been around wealth and fame before, Jasiri. Don’t worry, I know how to act right in bougie circles. I won’t embarrass you.”
His face was drawn straight as he looked across the table at her.
“You’ve been in wealthy circles before, Reigna. But you’ve never been in royal circles.”
She gripped her armrest tighter as she tried to process what he’d said.
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?”
He leaned forward, making sure her gaze was fastened on his before he spoke again.
“Reigna,” he spoke her name with quiet strength that let her know he was in control of this conversation. “I am Jasiri Issa Nguvu of the royal house of Adebesi, son of King Omari Jasiri Sahel of the royal house of Adebesi, crown prince and heir apparent to the throne of Nyeusi.”
Her jaw dropped as her eyes searched for any hint that he was joking. Unfortunately, the straight set of his jaw and his level gaze didn’t say Girl, you know I’m just playing with you . Nope, that was a No lies detected face staring back at her if she ever saw one.
“You’re…you’re a…prince?”
“Not a prince, the prince. As the heir to the throne, I stand above all other princes in the royal line.”
She peeled her hand away from the armrest and pointed to herself. “And that makes me…?”
He continued smoothly as if they were having a normal everyday conversation and not one that was literally life-changing. “As my wife, you are now Princess Reigna of the royal house of Adebesi, consort to the heir and future queen of Nyeusi.”
Her mind was racing to match the pounding tattoo of her heart. This man, once her lover, now her fake husband, had dropped an unbelievable bomb on her as their plane descended from the sky. And when the wheels hit the tarmac, shaking them in the cabin, four words came out of her mouth.
“Damn. Your. Lying. Ass.”
* * *
Jasiri watched Reigna as she remained seated in her chair, the picture of calm. He was surprised at just how still and reserved she was. Granted, Damn. Your. Lying. Ass. could’ve been seen as a tad bit aggressive in his circles. But he’d seen Reigna pissed off before, and her response to his admission was pretty tame, considering how he’d thought she’d respond.
Reigna was not a physically violent person. But if you crossed her, she’d cut you into tiny pieces with her tongue, leaving you wondering how someone so beautiful was so lethal that she could make grown men cry.
“You waited until you married me and brought me to your country to tell me you’re freakin’ royalty? What the absolute hell, Jasiri?”
She unlatched her seat belt with more force than was necessary and stood in the aisle looking down at him. He made the mistake of looking up and meeting the fire flickering in her gaze.
Reigna on any given day was a beautiful woman who could take a man’s breath away. Her full curves made him long for the nights he’d had that plush body of hers pressed against him. But the fire in her eyes was indicative of the passion that flamed hot and steady between the two of them. How many times had they argued over something inconsequential that had made desire burn through both like a short fuse to dynamite? Too many to count or too scorching hot to forget.
Watching that familiar flame flash in her eyes made his body tighten in ways and places that he didn’t need to entertain at this moment.
She was here to help him save his father and his country. His traitorous body didn’t factor into the equation at all.
An ache thrummed through him as if his flesh was saying Okay, buddy. If you say so.
Stay focused, Jasiri.
“You are a right SOB, and I knew I shouldn’t have trusted your shady ass.”
“Reigna,” he called, stopping the angry pacing she’d started in the narrow aisle. “We both know if I’d told you before we left America, you would’ve never agreed to come with me.”
“You’re damn right,” she replied through gritted teeth.
He stood up, blocking her path, making her stand still before him. “My father’s health is at stake, and an entire nation rests in the balance. My ascension is about more than me and you. I had to do whatever was necessary to make sure you accepted this deal.”
She titled her head, her eyes wide in disbelief as she just stared at him.
“You say that like it excuses this humongous lie. You’ve been lying to me since you’ve known me. Your father hasn’t been sick all this time, Jasiri. You’ve been lying to me since day one.”
There it was. The real reason for her anger. Oh, he was not the least bit disillusioned in thinking she was mad about finding out his true identity in this moment. This was about their past and all they’d been to each other.
There, in the depths of her angry eyes he could see the sliver of hurt all that fury covered up. He could see it. It called to the soft spot he had for her that he’d buried beneath all the anger and pain of her rejection. It begged to be set free to comfort her.
He closed his eyes, pinching his brow as he actively worked to get a grip on himself. Reigna was not his priority. His father and his country were. That was all he could focus on. All he would allow himself to focus on.
“There are more important things in the world than your feelings of betrayal, Reigna. As the future, albeit temporary, queen of this nation, you’d better learn that the crown comes before everything and everyone.”
A tap at the door followed by Sherard stepping into the room stopped all conversation.
“Your Highness.” Sherard’s greeting made cold coil in Jasiri’s chest. It was a reminder that there was no such thing as privacy when you were a royal, something else he was going to have to explain to Reigna. Outbursts where you could be overheard by staff was a hard and fast no.
Sherard and everyone else in Jasiri’s service had been forbidden from using any of his royal titles or styles of address when in Reigna’s presence. Sir had been the only honorific he’d allowed. Sherard’s reference to His Royal Highness meant he’d heard every word of the conversation he and Reigna had just had.
“The king requests an audience with you and the princess,” Sherard continued. “We should leave at once if you don’t want to keep His Majesty waiting.”
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Jasiri ground out, knowing his longtime adjutant could read the annoyance in his voice. He turned to Reigna, watching the simmer of concealed anger thrum through her tightly held stance that told him she was using every bit of strength she had to bite her tongue in the moment.
Jasiri extended a hand to her, letting it hang in the air as they engaged in a silent battle with nothing but their gazes before she finally took his offered hand.
“Come, Princess. Our king awaits.”