6. Alec
Chapter six
Alec
“I’m going to buy you a car,” I tell Jasmine. “So, you don’t have to go everywhere in an Uber; I don’t trust it.”
Jasmine laughs, thinking it’s a joke. When my face remains blank, the laughter clears from her eyes.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“No. Don’t do that,” she says.
“Why not?”
“It’s too much,” she cries. “I still don’t know how I feel about all this—” she points to all the shopping bags in the backseat. “It makes me uncomfortable.”
After I picked her up from Ana’s place, we stopped by an eatery for lunch before heading uptown for a shopping spree. Unlike other women I’ve been with, it took me an hour to convince Jasmine to let me buy her clothes and shoes. I made her try on all the pretty dresses and bought every one she liked.
When the bill arrived, the total was about fifteen thousand, and Jasmine had a meltdown. I spent another half hour convincing her it was okay. Now we’re sitting in my car waiting for her Uber because she wouldn’t let me drive her home because of Riley.
I don’t want Jasmine to leave because she’s the only one holding me down. The Ace family private jet is now waiting at the hangar, ready to take me back to France for breakfast with my family tomorrow morning. I should tell Jasmine that I’ll be unavailable for a couple of days, but I don’t want her asking questions that I won’t be able to answer. I like her a lot, and there’s no denying it any longer. But if I’m to be with her, there are a lot of battles I’ll have to fight.
“I don’t want you spending so much money on me.”
“You better get used to it,” I tell her. “My card has no limit.”
She rolls her eyes playfully, and my heart lurches when I see a vehicle pull in. “That must be your ride.”
She confirms the plate number on the app before nodding. “You’re right. It is. I’ve got to go.” She smiles. “Thank you for everything.” She points to the bags.
I lean forward and claim her lips because it will be a while before I see her again. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. “Come on.” I grab all the bags and walk her toward the vehicle. After one last hug, Jasmine slides into the car, and they pull away .
When I return to my vehicle, Damien is already in the driver’s seat. He stepped out earlier to give Jasmine and me some privacy. I order him to follow Jasmine’s Uber, and he turns to me with disbelief.
“Master Alec, we are already one hour late for our flight,” he says. “You don’t want to be late for breakfast with your parents.”
“We’ll make it in time,” I answer. “Follow her.”
He knows better than to argue, so he obeys, his body stiff with reproof. When Jasmine walks safely into her house, we hurry home, grab our luggage, and head to the private airline the Ace family uses. One hour later, I’m air-bound to France, with Damien still frowning in the seat across from me.
The farther we fly away from New York, the unhappier I become. Even though I know I’ll be back, it feels like I’m leaving Jasmine behind. She will probably wonder why I don’t call or text her for the next few weeks. She may also try to reach me, but it’ll be impossible to. I usually have no problem leaving New York behind and embracing my responsibilities in France, but this time, it’s almost unbearable.
“Do you think Jasmine will love France?” I ask aloud.
Damien meets my gaze, and to my surprise, he smiles. “She will. It’s a beautiful country.”
“Hmm.” I smile back and stretch my muscles as I stand. “The ETA is nine a.m. There won’t be enough time to rest before breakfast with my family, so I’m going to nap,” I tell Damien. “It’s a ten-hour flight; I should be able to get about seven hours in.”
“Okay.” Damien nods. “I’m on standby. ”
“My man.” We share a handshake before I walk into my room.
***
It was ten a.m. in Lyon, France, when I walked into the dining room, meeting my parents for the first time since my arrival about an hour ago. The dining room is enormous, and as I walk across the large expanse towards the table, I see a smile on my father’s face. He has always been more lenient than my mother, but I resent him because he’s never been able to call her out on her extremities. Several times, I’ve wanted to put her in her place, but my father always stopped me.
“Alec.” My father draws me into a warm hug. “My son.” He ruffles my hair affectionately. “It’s so good to see you.”
“And you too, Father.” I’m reminded that despite my resentment and annoyance, I still love my parents.
I turn to my mother, who is sitting stoically, her beady eyes on me. She’s dressed regally as always in a tweed skirt suit and a colorful fascinator. “Hello, Mother.”
“You are one minute late,” she says. “An Ace is never late.”
“You should be glad I’m here,” I tell her. “I almost didn’t come.”
“Alec!” My father scolds me when my mother flinches at my retort. How’s this my fault? She’s the one whining about being one minute late.
“I’ll pretend you never said that” she says with an air of importance. “You haven’t been sleeping. Your eyes are swollen.”
“It’s work,” I answer distractedly.
“Work,” she spits. “Isn’t Damien supposed to do all the work?”
“Not that type of work, Mother.”
“Then what type?” She insists with a deep frown. “Do you have a job in New York? You know you can’t do that. Your father is retiring soon, and you’re taking over this business. …”
“Mother, please,” I return calmly. “Can we eat? I’m starving.”
The table is full of assorted drinks and dishes; I can’t wait to have some. I haven’t eaten in about twelve hours.
“Not yet,” she says stiffly. “We’re expecting guests.”
“Guests?” I glance at my father. “Who are they?”
As if on cue, the doors to the dining room swing open, and three people walk in. I instantly recognize them, and my blood boils. The long-legged beauty in front is Eve Sicily, and the two older adults a few steps behind are her parents, Lugard and Dorcas Sicily, owners of Sicilian Corps, another billion-dollar enterprise headquartered in France.
I dislike Eve immensely, not because she’s spoiled, which she is, but because she’s the embodiment of the life that I do not want. Since I was ten years old, my family has drummed it into me that I was going to marry her someday. The marriage would birth the alliance of two powerful conglomerates, resulting in a business force unlike the world has ever seen before. I have always been weary of that notion, but now I hate it. I don’t want Eve—I want Jasmine .
“Oh, Alec,” Eve cries, throwing her arms around me. Her sweet scent floats into my nose, giving me a headache. I politely stand to embrace her. “It’s good to see you, Eve.”
To my shock, she presses her lips to mine for a moment. “It’s always a pleasure, Alec.” She turns to my mother. “Oh, Lillian, you’re so good at surprises.” While the two women greet each other, I do the same with her parents. A few minutes later, we were all seated.
Eve is beside me, and she won’t stop touching me. I’m still annoyed that she kissed my lips, but I struggle to remain polite and get through breakfast. All I can think about is Jasmine. Is this considered cheating? I know I’ll go crazy if some other guy kisses her on the lips. My blood boils just thinking about it.
“—Alec?”
I blink to see the entire table staring at me, my mother’s judgmental stare the harshest. “Eve was speaking to you,” she says.
“Are you okay?” Eve touches my arm. “You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine.” I coyly shrug her arm off. “Can we start breakfast?” I meet my mother’s gaze. “I’m starving.”
Thankfully, my mother calls in the servers, and another few minutes later, I have food in front of me. This is the most challenging breakfast I’ve ever had with my family, and it would have been better if Eve wasn’t around. Usually, I pretended to tolerate her. But today? It was almost impossible, and I struggled to even smile at her.
Thoughts of Jasmine drive me crazy, and it takes everything in me not to storm out of the dining room and take the jet back to New York. After breakfast, I have a business meeting with my father. It will be a long few weeks, and I hope I get through it.