Chapter 17
Diamond held Ben’s hand as they made their way up in his elevator to his business on the 9 th floor. He was facing forward, his face showing no emotion as they made their way up, but Diamond was getting better at reading Ben and knew that he was pleased to be holding her hand. His pupils were dilated slightly, and his thumb rubbed the soft skin on her hand back and forth. Showing her that he was aware of his wife even though he didn’t show his emotions like others did.
She smiled because she was beginning to feel like her husband cared about her. This morning their lovemaking had been different. It had been slow, and Ben took his time kissing and touching every part of her, worshipping her, making her feel wanted and loved. Their orgasm had built slowly between them, but this one she felt was the most powerful because of the deep connection he’d made her feel throughout their lovemaking.
Diamond could finally admit to herself that she’d fallen so deeply in love with her husband and was happy the circumstance had happened the way it did.
Working at home with him had given her a better insight into the quiet, intelligent person Ben was. She’d thought he was closed off from emotion just like everyone else had, but now she knew that wasn’t true. He just expressed it differently, and once you knew him very well, you knew what he was really all about. She had a feeling that the only person that really saw Ben was his mother and now her.
As if feeling her eyes on him, he turned his silver eyes staring down at her, and she leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss that he returned. She pulled back when the elevator dinged, and they headed to his office.
Ben forgot his laptop that he’d needed for an early morning meeting with another client and needed to stop by and get it before dropping Diamond off at work.
She was hoping that they could have a quickie in his office before leaving, and when he opened the door and stopped suddenly with her almost hitting his back, she knew from his tense shoulders that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Hi son, can you let Diamond into the room? We all need to have a discussion.” Diamond heard Carter Sr.’s voice from inside of the room, and her gut clenched before she put on her bored face and entered the room when Ben had stepped aside. She looked into the brown and white sea of faces that stared back at both her and Ben.
She smiled and rushed over to her parents, who stood up and brought her into their warm embrace. They both looked relaxed and very dark. She kissed them just as she felt their kisses on her cheeks, before she pulled back.
“Glad you are home, mom and dad.” Her parents searched her face, both showing concern, but her father looked pissed as hell, but his touch and demeanor were relaxed. And she knew he was waiting for answers before he reacted.
“Yes, we have a lot of catching up to do apparently.” Her mother looked at her pointedly and then turned to look at Ambra, including her as well.
Ben approached her parents. “Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson.” He began to reach out his hand but then thought better of it as her father glared and shook his head no. She knew that had to have hurt him even though his face didn’t show it. Ben’s mother approached him, pulling him into a hug and giving him a kiss on his cheek.
Diamond heard her whisper to him. “It is going to be okay.” Before she stepped back and gave Diamond an impromptu hug as well.
“Diamond, Ben, why don’t you both take a seat.” Ben’s mother sounded tired to Diamond’s ears and wondered what had transpired before they arrived in the room.
She took in the faces and saw both Michael, Carter, and Carter Sr., looking grim and angry while her sister’s body was strung tight, and her face was settled in a cold mask of anger and disdain.
Zahara was resting next to Carter, rubbing her pregnant belly and giving her a look of concern.
She and Ben moved to the twin seats available in his room.
“Oh brother, you guys are looking very dramatic today.” She said out loud into the silence, and then that is when all hell broke loose.
It looked like they had decided to defer the questioning to just her sister asking because she stood up, moving to stand by Ben’s desk, and fired questions at him about the money that went missing. Ben, of course, answered true to form, short and not very explanatory.
Her parents jumped in, asking her questions about that day, and she explained to them what happened and that she’d come to Ben for help.
They then moved on to why she and Ben had gotten married. She’d explained that she wanted to, and while everyone reacted with disbelief on their face, Diamond noticed how her mother had gotten quiet and was sitting back, observing her.
“Stop covering for him. I know you think Ben was your knight in shining armor who came in to save the day, but he is not Diamond. Tell them the truth, Diamond: Ben blackmailed you into marrying him.” Ambra stared at Diamond, and she sat still, frozen, because she saw the righteous look across her sister’s face and that she was about to drop a bomb on her.
“It was Ben that set up the whole thing and trapped you into marrying him.”
She shook her head. “No, I asked him if he did it, and he said no.”
“He lied.” Ambra said.
Diamond now turned her gaze to him and saw that his jaw was clenched, and he turned his face to hers, his eyes and visage showing nothing except for that telltale sign.
“I found evidence that he orchestrated all this. I was able to trace him moving the money and?”
The blood began to roar in her ears, her sister’s voice going in and out. Diamond missing what she was saying.
She took a deep breath, and the roaring lessened; she looked away from him when her sister continued.
“Diamond, Ben has been obsessed with you for a very long time and set this whole thing up.”
She frowned. Ambra walked over to his desk and took up another laptop, opening and clicking on something before turning the screen toward her, waving her over. Diamond stood up on shaking legs now and approached the screen of the laptop, her eyes looking at the images there, and she reached out her fingers to the finger pad on there, swiping it as she looked at the images that Ambra had found there.
“He also has them on his phone. Michael has seen them.” Ambra turned a cold look on Michael, and she turned to him to see Michael nod his head grimly.
She stepped back and turned to look at Ben, who stood suddenly without saying anything and left the room, leaving her standing there alone.