CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Desmond
“Are you sure about this?” Carlson, the lawyer I had employed to meet with Lorelei, asks me. “You know that her status is an easy way for you to end the marriage.” “And who tells you that is my wish?” I ask him calmly.
He apologizes immediately, telling me that he will make it clear to Lorelei what her choices are.
While he had made it clear that there isn’t any risk of prosecution at the moment, I need him to paint things a bit darker for Lorelei, who might still be nursing the idea that she could still end things between us.
She doesn’t want to admit it yet, but Lorelei and I fit perfectly, even if she doesn’t want to believe it yet.
It is my job to open her eyes to how perfectly we fit with each other.
Once Carlson leaves, I turn to Timothy, who tells me that I have another meeting in an hour.
I have handled almost everything that might make Lorelei think of the possibility of getting an annulment.
The media and blogs are talking about our marriage as a fairytale, and while I had made sure no one painted Lorelei in a bad image, it is pretty clear what would happen if they discovered that we did not marry for love like we claim to have.
Now, once she meets with Carlson, Lorelei will realize that we’re stuck together, at least for a while, which would be more than enough to make her fall in love with me.
With my grandfather awake, I can now settle down here at Westward Logistics, working on taking over as CEO.
Another issue Lorelei and I had fought over is that she wants to work, telling me she is uncomfortable spending my money.
To that, I had a simple suggestion: I need a personal assistant, and she’ll do a good job.
Dealing with her has been a bit tough, especially since she now stays in her room most of the time.
She doesn’t completely ignore me as she eats dinner with me and we try to talk for a while, but I really wish we could go back to when things were good between us.
Sadly, I have so many things calling for my attention that I don’t get to spend as much quality time as I would like to with her.
Timothy had tried to raise an objection, pointing out that I do have a secretary, but I dismissed him. Stacey is the secretary to the CEO, and Lorelei would be my personal assistant.
“And what would my new role be?”
“My right hand,” I say with a smile.
Timothy had given in, but not before telling me that my grandfather might not like this.
I rub the base of my neck as I flip through the contents of the report right in front of me.
My thought flickers to my grandfather, who isn’t exactly pleased to hear about my marriage.
Lorelei and I were supposed to go see him, but between the intense lovemaking and her trying to sneak back here, I had completely skipped it.
He had made it clear that he doesn’t approve of this whole situation, but I simply made it clear that everything is under control.
So far, he hasn’t offered any objection, but you can never know with Damian Sinclair.
I lean back into the chair as I try to imagine what it would be like having her work right next to me. I am still fairly new to this whole CEO thing, and while people might have something to say about Lorelei being my PA, I believe she is the right person for the job, apart from being my wife.
The truth is that I want her close to me, where I can protect her.
Asking her to abandon her whole life, especially for someone like Lorelei who enjoys working, will only cause cracks.
It is one of the things that drove my parents’ marriage to the rocks.
My father wanted my mother to give up her entire life for his, and she couldn’t do that.
I intend not to make the mistakes my parents made in their marriage.
“I need to get an updated report on this,” I mutter out loud.
My phone chimes, and I cast a glance at it, realizing it is a text from Lorelei.
Ever since we came back into the city and met with her grandmother, Lorelei has been surprisingly distant.
Grandma Lillian had quite a lot to talk to me about.
She wanted to know what my intentions for Lorelei were, and I admitted to her that I love her daughter.
“Love at first sight?” She had asked when Lorelei had stepped out of the room.
“Something like that, even though Lorelei doesn’t believe it.”
I enjoyed every bit of the moment I spent with her, and I really look forward to spending more time with her, though Lorelei has been using her as an excuse to stay away from me.
I wonder if it had to do with the hot sex we had on the bus, an act that she had made clear we would never do again.
Heaven knows that I can’t get enough of the woman, and the two-day trip down here to Daston has been nothing but pure pleasure for me.
Which is why I find it crazy that she is staying away from me. In fact, the door to her room is always closed, and I can tell she is keeping her distance.
With time, I will win her over.
Opening her text, my eyes widen as I read that my grandfather is currently at the penthouse. “Did Damian tell you he’d be coming here?” I ask Timothy as I jump to my feet.
“Damian? His secretary didn’t mention anything to me.”
I let out a curse as I run out of my office.
The last thing I need is for my grandfather to offer to help me end things with Lorelei.
I should have known that there was a good reason for his silence.
All the way to my place, I keep texting Lorelei, who only tells me that she is currently keeping him company.
Stepping into the room, I am a bit surprised to find both of them sitting together chatting over tea.
“Now, would you look at that. In all his life, I have never seen him rush over to greet me,” my grandfather says in a merry tone, though there is no way I’m buying his cherry mood.
He is up to something.
“I didn’t know you’d be coming, grandfather,” I say as I kiss Lorelei on the lips.
She looks at me, something different in her eyes, and I wonder if the damage has been done already.
My grandfather, as always, is dressed in a suit, and he places his cup down as he studies the two of us.
“It’s nice to see you finally married, though I wish you had informed me about your wedding.
” “With what you had going on, I didn’t want you getting too excited,” I retort as I sit next to Lorelei.
I take her hands in mine, a little bit surprised at how she just allows me to hold her. The past few days have been nothing but pure torture as I desperately crave her touch, but she won’t let me get close to her.
“I should leave you both to chat,” Lorelei whispers into my ear.
“Don’t worry. I will join you soon,” I whisper back to her, kissing her on the cheek.
She smiles at me before excusing herself. My grandfather doesn’t say anything until she is out of the room.
“Looks like you’re in love, Desi.”
“And why are you here when you should be back in Velhaven resting?” I question him, not holding back any punches.
There is no way he simply makes the trip down here to check up on Lorelei and me. Something else is at play, and the quicker I can get it out of him, the better.
“Just like I told your beautiful wife, I wanted to meet her,” my grandfather answers as he places his hand on the armchair. “That and I want to discuss with you how your marriage has made quite the wave, and I want to know exactly what your intentions were.”
There it is.
Even though he always complains that he is nothing like my father, the truth is that both of them are cut from the same cloth. They never do anything without some sort of scheme. He wants me to provide him with a good reason to support my marriage, and I have something good for him.
“Settling down with the woman I love. You know, Dad was the one who revealed to the world that we are married.”
I cringe at the word ‘Dad’. I have never used that in years because Alexander Sinclair is many things to me, but a dad is not one of them.
If I could have my way, we would never be in the same room again, but I know that won’t happen.
My grandfather leans forward, his hands interlocked.
He pauses for a few seconds before asking if my father had already approved of this marriage.
“Not yet, but I’m sure he’d approve if I tell him I would support him with his plans.”
My grandfather’s eyes flare with anger, and I can tell that he does not like what I have just said. All Sinclair men are the same, and we hate being threatened.
“Are you bargaining with me, boy?”
“Maybe. I would do anything to protect my dear Lorelei, and whoever would let me do that is someone worth allying with.” Silence descends upon the room, and for a few seconds, my grandfather continues to stare at me before he finally sighs.
He picks up his cup of tea, takes a sip from it, then places it down.
This isn’t the first time he has acted this way; in fact, he does this intentionally whenever he wants to make people tense.
I know you quite well, old man.
He makes it clear that the only way he would support our marriage is if I do a good job with Westward Logistics and plan to join Sinclair Holdings as a member of the board in ten months' time. Almost immediately, I want to ask him why that long, but I hold my tongue, realizing he isn’t done with his demands.
I listen rapidly as he lists the milestones I have to mark as CEO, most of them quite achievable, and I realize that I might have fallen into my grandfather’s trap.
“Will that be all?” I finally ask him when he is done.
“Oh, a grandchild. I prefer a granddaughter if you don’t mind. God knows I’ve wanted a girl.” He was never going to object in the first place!
My desire to get him to approve of our marriage had made me so blind to the possibility that he might truly be happy that I am married to Lorelei.
My parents’ marriage, Uncle Dean’s poor dating life, and my lack of interest in settling down had always been quite a pain to him, but still, I expected him to have a few reservations about Lorelei.
“You were never going to object in the first place, were you?”
He smiles, then admits. “I was, but I have to admit that you really made the right choice in your woman. She is quite impressive, and you don’t get to meet girls like her often. Just like me, you have the right taste in women, and she reminds me of your grandmother.”
My grandmother has been dead for twelve years now, and since then, he has remained single despite how much we all tried to get him to remarry.
“She is a good woman, and I think she is good for you.” I laugh at his statement, and I feel my shoulders become light. We switch the conversation back to my transition as CEO, and he listens with rapt attention. He offers a few suggestions, which I find useful, and soon it is time for him to go.
“So sorry, I can’t hang any longer, Lorelei,” my grandfather says as we all walk towards the elevator.
“It is nothing, Damian. I’m sorry, we couldn’t host you better,” Lorelei says.
I look at both of them in surprise, realizing how easily she is calling my grandfather by his name.
He rarely allows people to call him by his name, which further proves just how well she had won him over.
She waves at him as he gets into his car and drives away, and I wait until he is completely out of sight before I turn to her.
“My grandfather likes you.”
“Really? I don’t think he does,” Lorelei admits as she rubs her shoulder.
“You have all the Sinclair men wrapped around your fingers,” I tell her as I pull her into my embrace, desperately wanting to hold her.
She hugs me back but begins to pull away when she feels my cock poke her in the stomach.
“Is that what I think it is?” I do not deny it, but instead switch the conversation, asking if she wants to go on a date tonight.
She tries to remind me that I must have work to do, but there is no way I’m letting her wiggle out of this.
“Just this evening, Lorelei. I missed talking with you,” I lean close to her, my face inches away from her. “You’ve been distant since we got back.”
Even though we are standing in the parking lot, to me, the rest of the world doesn’t exist. I desperately want to claim this woman right where I stand, and it is taking all of my self-control to stop myself from picking her up and taking her upstairs.
I need to break that cold, icy wall she has erected between us.
“I… I’m a bit tired,” she stammers, but I can tell her resolve is weak.
“We can spend some quality time together, you know. Without clothes, our bodies linked together,” I whisper into her ears.
The way her face turns scarlet red is satisfying, and Lorelei walks away telling me that she would go out to dinner with me if I promise to just keep it at that.
“Fine, but just for tonight,” I say through forced composure as she walks away.
I watch her go, realizing that I can’t risk getting into the same elevator with her. I won’t be able to hold myself back, and at the moment, I need to win Lorelei over while showing how much of a gentleman I am.
Pacing the parking lot, I spot what seems to be a man on the opposite side of the street, looking at me.
I am not sure how long he has been standing there, but it must have been a while.
All my life, I have always had to deal with journalists and paparazzi who want my picture, but something tells me the man across the street is different.
I have never seen the man before, and he moves away almost immediately, making me wonder if I had mistaken things.
“Any reason why you are hanging here?” Timothy calls out from an open elevator.
Looking at the street again, I dismiss my concern as I walk over to him. “Just wanted to catch my breath. I have a date with my lady tonight, so cancel all meetings.”
I can almost hear Timothy object, but he doesn’t. Instead, he asks if my grandfather had threatened Lorelei and me. I gladly relate everything that happened to him, enjoying the surprise on his face as he admits that maybe Lorelei does know how to charm the Sinclair’s.