Chapterfour
914 Words
On a private jet en route to Cape Town, South Africa for a business trip.
Amanda wished they had traveled separately.
She sat like a statute in the luxurious leather chair of the Martin private jet with an untouched glass of champagne in her hand. Across from her sat Shawn effortlessly composed like a king. He leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed mindlessly tapping his glass of champagne.
“Take a chill pill,” he said without looking at her. “You Should look at yourself in a mirror right now”
“Why?”
“You look like you are being sent out to be executed”
Amanda tightened her grip on the glass. “I’m not a fan of traveling by air”
He smirked, “That’s very funny. You looked fine on our honeymoon trip to Maldives”
She felt ill in her stomach. That was entirely different.
That trip was a play in their grand performance of displaying the billionaire heir and his elegant wife in perfect harmony. Pictures were taken, and articles were written. They played their parts effortlessly.
But now?
There was no camera. No article is to be written.
Just dead silence.
“Why are we going on this trip together anyway?” Amanda questioned finally shifting in her seat.
Shawn raised his head and gave her a puzzled look for a moment. Before laying it back. “Investors want to see a responsible man. They want to see stability. A family man. Not some bachelor with a failing marriage.”
”So, that’s why?” Amanda swallowed “So it’s just for the show.”
“What else were you expecting?”
His words stung like a scorpion sting. It hurt more than it should.
She turned and faced the window staring into the clouds.
She had spent so much time trying to shield herself against him. Trying to be steeled against his coldness and indifference. But something was slowly and subtly changing.
And she was not sure she was ready for it.
****
In the ultra-luxurious penthouse suite of the silo hotel suite, Cape Town.
“This is a mistake,” she said quietly looking at the single impossibly large bed in the suite.
The room was utterly elegant. It had windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling allowing access to a breathtaking broad-gauged view of the city. But Amanda’s only focus was on the large bed before her.
“One bed…?”
“…For both of us?”
Shawn stepped into the room rolling his sleeves up; utterly unbothered “It is not like we have not shared a room before.”
Her heart skipped. “Well, that was…different”
He raised a brow. “How?”
Amanda opened her mouth. Then shut it.
She could not find an answer.
“Come on, relax,” Shawn said as he laid his watch on the nightstand. “I, in no way have plans of touching you if that’s what scares you.”
Amanda’s skin itched at the implication.
“I wasn’t—” Amanda started, but before she could say more, Shawn had already left her heading for the balcony.
She sunk into the large bed. Then exhaled sharply.
This is going to be a very long journey.
****
Later that night a rooftop event with investors and media was held.
Amanda was drooling in a sea of luxury.
The event was brilliant. Soft golden lights, champagne, and high net figures in bespoke designer suits and dresses. Shawn as usual was in his element commanding respect and attention effortlessly.
And Amanda?
She was choking.
It was not the crowd.
It was Shawn.
The way he held her firmly on her waist. His grip lastly a little longer than necessary. The way leaned down and murmured low words into her ears when an investor complimented them as the perfect couple.
It was all for the show. Right?
“You are tense” he whispered as they moved through the crowd.
Amanda forced a smile. “I’m fine”
He looked at her for a moment observing to fully understand her situation. For a moment there you would think he cared.
“Then, what is Julius doing here?”
Amanda froze.
Tardily, she turned.
And. There. He. Was.
Julius stood near the bar, with a glass of brown whiskey, watching her with a look that made her breath stiffen and her spine chill.
“What is he doing here?” She muttered under her breath.
“Well, I don’t know” Shawn tightened his grip on her.
And for the first time, she heard something that seemed foreign in his voice. Something her ears had never heard before from him.
Possessiveness.
She barely had time to process before Julius approached them with his signature smirk in place.
“Shawn” he greeted gently, raising his glass. “Gracious event”
Shawn clenched his fists. “What do you want, brother?”
Julius tilted his head to the right. Ignoring Shawn's tone. Then he tilted to the left. His eyes flickered on Amanda. Then he takes a sip off his glass looking at Shawn with a smirk. “Just visiting an old friend.”
Amanda’s breath hobbled.
Shawn dugged his fingers slightly into Amanda’s waist.
It was an unspoken warning.
A claim of territorial superiority.
And she has never been more afraid.
Not of Julius.
But of the impending war that was brewing.
- Writer
