"Darina, what a pleasant surprise having you here," Ari bolts upright from the couch rubbing his palms together, greeting Darina as she enters the living room looking like a vision in an orange figure-hugging dress.

I perform no such courtesy as my brother and remain glued to the couch. 

The strong note of her signature perfume fills the space. 

I'd once found it to be heavily sensual. 

I was severely mistaken. 

There's nothing as sensual as my rose's scent. 

So evocative and arousing. The thought makes my cock stir to life.

My eyes drift upstairs and I silently pray to whichever divine force is listening to me to keep Belle from waking up for at least until Darina is gone. 

I just don't want her to be more disturbed upon seeing her. She's already had her fill to last a couple of days by running into the girl from her rehab.

"Arion, darling," she purrs as they air kiss, her voice so sensual as usual that can make men kneel in front of her.

A young blonde guy in a suit follows her. He's almost my age range if I am not mistaken.

Her creamy hand with long red nails travels to the guy's chest. "This is Ira Cadwalader The XI. He's the Chief Marketing Officer of Cadwalader Shipping Corp. I have appointed him as one of the members of the board of directors for my foundation. Ira, honey. This is His Royal Highness Prince Arion of Caravaggio from the Royal House of De L'Aquila," she slips her hand under his shirt between his buttons.

If Belle were to see her it'll just shoot her temper past the roof.

"A pleasure to meet you, your royal highness," he says, shaking hands with my brother before sliding it back around Darina's waist with a sense of arrogant pride beaming off his face. "Apologies if I am lacking in my manners. It's my first time meeting a member of a royal family."

"Well, if that's the case then here's a tip. We royals love it when people bow in greeting and are respectful of not rushing to slip their arms in the waist of their partners," Ari mocks the dimwit, causing him to flush and even Darina.

I tend to forget what kind of a huge bully my brother is just because he's a mother hen and a teddy bear for Gus, me, and the rest of the family. He's a real viper when he wants to be.

"I have to leave. I'll see you around," my brother nods at me, making an exit.

"Areston, lyubov moya. Are you planning to acknowledge my presence at all?" Darina appears genuinely taken aback from my lack of warm welcome for her.

Her endearment that used to make me feel so good is somehow making me feel uneasy these days, I realize as I drag myself up from the couch.

I shove my hands in the pockets of my jeans. "I am on my personal time off and we aren't scheduled to be meeting until the next two weeks so I'm assuming this surprise visit is a necessity. Is everything alright?"

"I am appalled to know that I'm not welcome to see you apart from your working hours. The two of us are in the same city so I figured why not? It's not a crime for me to want to see you or is it?" she responds, delinking her arm from the guy and bridging the gap between us.

"Not a crime but I do not appreciate being interrupted during my private time reserved for my wife to be."

"I understand you're newly in love again so you want to be available for your girlfriend as much as you can. I apologize, dorogoi moy," her voice is a delicate purr as she leans forward to offer a cursory kiss on both the sides of my face, deliberately letting her lips touch my skin and linger.

She knows I hate it. I politely take a step back.

She frowns a little, not appreciating my detachment, and turns to introduce her boytoy. We shake hands.

"Please be seated," I gesture at the couch across mine. The staff serves them champagne as they settle down.

"You're not drinking?" She raises a haughty brow when she notices me declining the drink.

"No."

"I am so glad you've taken my advice and decided to ditch the habit once again."

"Actually, Belle doesn't want me drinking again after I managed to abstain from alcohol for so long. I agree with her."

Her face falls. 

Darina's discomfort is quite visible. She looks like a wild cat who's ready to scratch someone's eyes.

"Apologies, your highnesses," Horace appears, "Princess Adrianna is here."

Before I even have time to process his words, my eyes zero upon her. I notice everyone rising up in a greeting as a sign of respect excluding me.

Why the hell is she here?

She takes confident, powerful strides in her high heels towards Darina. 

No matter how pissed I am at her arrival, I can't help but notice the overpowering presence of her, which makes Darina look like a mere mortal. Everything about her screams power. 

They say Gus and I take after her. I don't want to acknowledge it, but even I know it's the truth.

"Darina, mio amico, this is a lovely surprise," she says, greeting her long-time pal, "Ah, I see you have brought a friend along."

Darina introduces him to her and she interacts with him before turning to me.

"Hello, son," she smiles brightly.

I grit my jaw. I hate it when she calls me that and she knows it. 

"I thought we had discussed all that we needed to over the phone?" I ask, restraining my rising temper.

"Of course, we haven't," she raises her chin in defiance with a sarcastic gleam on her face. She takes advantage of the audience and uses her free hand to run her long-manicured fingers in my hair, messing with them as if I'm some child. "You wouldn't let Ms. Rothschild come see me so I had to come myself, honey."

She knows I'm fuming inside on her arrival. I glower at her and she dismisses my reaction with her lips widening in a big grin. Annoying me has to be her favorite pastime. Now more than ever.

"Belle is upstairs. I don't this fucking circus here," I murmur, annoyed.

"Language, son. Be assured there shall not be any circus of any manner. Besides, I am not much of an athletic or comedic person myself to be able to participate in a circus anyway," she humors me, making herself comfortable next to me and Darina's boytoy engages her in a conversation.

"I need to take this," Darina's interrupted by a call so she excuses herself, but not before throwing me a bitter look.

What the fuck is the matter with her? Why's she acting so strange? It's unlike her. 

I frown as I watch her disappear into the adjoining rooftop terrace.

Ira is talking to Adrianna about some marine conservation project when he pauses as we hear Belle's angelic voice.

"You know what I was thinking, your highness? I wasted three hours of our time sleeping. I need you to pound me hard and destroy..." she halts in the middle of the stairs.

She's looking like a goddess in her messy hair and pale blue sundress that ends in the middle of her thighs, flaunting her endlessly long, perfectly sculpted, and creamy legs. She's hot without any effort... and she's braless again. 

I can't even tell how much I love it when I know she's not covering her breasts underneath. She'll start marching around more without bra being the cocktease she is and it won't be healthy for my sanity.

Focus, fucker. I snap at myself.

She flushes, "Oh, I didn't realize we have visitors," she lets out an embarrassed laugh.

She comes to stand in front of us and bends in a flawlessly smooth courtesy for my mother.

"It's my fault I showed up unannounced. Well, most of us," my father's wife shoots my rose a warm smile, taking her hand and guiding her to sit next to me and transfers herself on the single seater. "I requested your presence at my place for tea. I figured why not take advantage of being in the same place, but my son said you were not feeling well. I came here to see you. I hope you're feeling better now?"

I slide my arm around my rose possessively, drawing her closer to me, making her blush.

"I am feeling much better now, your royal highness. It's so wonderful of you to have come here to see me," my angel smiles.

"It's the least I could do."

"I am embarrassed. I am really sorry for what you heard..." Belle flushes.

"No apologies necessary, Ms. Rothschild. I am a mother to three fully grown sons. Nothing fazes me," she teases Belle, causing her to blush deeper, and places an assuring hand on top of Belle's. "Ms. Rothschild, this wonderful gentleman is Ira Cadwalader The XI. This is Juliette Rothschild, Mr. Cadawalader. She's my son's childhood sweetheart."

Darina's boytoy lifts himself off his feet and scrambles in Belle's direction. I have a good mind to ask him to stay away from her, but I restrain myself from causing a scene at my own place. I run my fingers in my hair in exaggeration as I watch the asshole taking my Belle's delicate hand in his. I have a good mind to tear his hand off his body.

"It's an absolute pleasure meeting you, Ms. Rothschild," The asshole lifts her hand to his mouth to her knuckles.

The nerve of this fucker.

I glare at him. 

I am about to leap to snatch her hand away from him when as if sensing my instincts, Belle beats me to it and pulls it away.

"A pleasure, Mr. Cadawalader," she smiles and returns to me.

"Feeling better?" I whisper in her hair, tucking her into my arms as she settles next to me.

Her returning smile thickens my blood, it's impact I feel in my groin. "Much. Thank you for taking care of me," she whispers, entwining her fingers with mine.

She's jaw-droppingly exquisite. It's just impossible to look away from her. 

This woman is my sanity. 

She has been struggling with her past for so long that she has learned how to disguise her pain and not let people see it. Only in her moment of weakness does she let it out. 

Her meeting with Veronica was her moment of weakness and I bet there will be many. I just need to ensure she finds me always by her side, giving her all kinds of support she seeks from me without her having to ask for it.

"I love you," I brush the tip of her cute nose with mine.

"You better," she tosses snobbishly, turning her attention to my father's wife. "If it isn't intrusive, what brings you to Boston, your royal highness?"

"Not intrusive at all. It happens to be that my dearest baby brother resides here in Boston. He fractured leg from a mountaineering trip so I have been with him for the past week," Adrianna is only too happy to respond to her.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I hope he's doing alright?"

"He's doing much better, but he's a stubborn man. He wants to be taken to work every day which interrupts his healing process."

Andreas and I used to share a warm bond eleven years ago. When I wasn't aware that he was my uncle. Back then, I knew him as the best friend of Althea who'd visit her every other month. A lie I had been fed like several others. He was one member in the Grosvenor family who knew everything. He knew all about the web of deceit his elder sister had weaved to keep me away from my family and yet he supported her. 

He betrayed his other sister to side with his eldest and yet this woman still gives a shit about him because he's blood and you never turn away from blood come what may is her philosophy.

I had confronted him when I'd met him for the first time after the truth came out. My blood boils as I remember the confrontation. He had whipped up the similar philosophical shit Adrianna believes in. He said he couldn't have turned away from Althea regardless of what she had done. It was too late by the time he had found out. His excuse to keep it that way was that Adrianna had a family. Althea had no one except me. I had punched him in the face so hard he had to get several stitches done and I haven't allowed him to come anywhere near me since.

My grip unknowingly tightens around Belle. 

She flinches a bit, frowning in my direction, her eyes silently searching mine as if she's able to sense my thoughts.

"What?" She mouths.

"I apologize it took a while..." Darina returns, interrupting us, and becomes immediately tongue-tied spotting Belle, her incisive gaze roaming over to my arm around Belle and our entwined fingers.

Belle scrunches her nose in distaste as she watches her settle next to her boytoy and take his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers.

"Hello, Ms. Ivanov. We meet again," she greets her with a chilling smile.

Her ladyship looks flustered, it's not a common sight, as her lips curl into a smile. "I did not expect you here, Ms. Rothschild. This is a surprise."

"Well, where else do you expect me to be if not by my boyfriend's side?" My rose counters.

"Ms. Rothschild, I would be delighted if you would join us tomorrow at my garden party?" Adrianna smiles, rising off her single seater couch. "And perhaps if it's not too much to ask, see if you can bring my son along?"

"Thank you for your kind invitation, your royal highness," Belle replies, giving my hand an assuring squeeze as she lifts herself off the couch. "I'll have to discuss it with Ares if he has any other plans otherwise we'll be there."

"I appreciate it. I look forward to seeing you there. I hope my son doesn't come up with an abrupt plan to avoid coming."

Belle plants a kiss on my bicep. "He wouldn't. It means a lot that you dropped by, your royal highness."

"I couldn't not meet my son's first official girlfriend while being in the same city," she squeezes Belle's arm gently, there's a fondness on her face. "I'll take a leave now. Darina, I'll see you around. Mr. Cadawalader, I am interested to hear your pitch on the marine conservation initiative on my way to the helipad if you're available to join me?"

The desperate bastard joins her, leaving Belle, Darina, and I alone.

"How long do you intend to stay in Cambridge?" I ask to make a conversation.

"Hopefully for longer," Belle answers on her behalf, "Massachusetts is where her philanthropic endeavors for the underage and young youth takes place, isn't it? Harvard. MIT. Northeastern."

I wrap my arm around her, huddling her close, and narrow my eyes in a warning. Of course it doesn't work on her. She entwines her fingers in mine. Her skin is so soft that I develop a sudden desire to ravish it with kisses. How can every inch of her be so beautiful? I brush my fingers over her delicate skin.

"Indeed, Ms. Rothschild. You must head to my website and read all about my philanthropic initiatives," Darina retorts in a chilly tone. "A benefactor like you would be a huge help."

"Oh, I know all that I need to know about you already. You must be so proud of what you're doing," my siren doesn't mince her words when it comes to shooting a calculated jibe.

"I can see the two of you have already met," I interrupt them before it breaks into a war.

I should have told her about my discussion with Darina and the truth about the sex club. 

She still believes it's her involvement in the underage thing and has no clue about the Qatari brothers trapping Darina for their advantage.

"Yes, we have," Darina says, none-too-pleased and plasters a smile on her face.

"I'm immensely glad you were there for my man like a rock during his period of great distress, Darina," Belle places her hand possessively on my heart as to make a statement to Darina. I do not like this show, but I am somehow enjoying that she's boldly claiming me as her territory just like I do to her. "I can't imagine the lengths you must have gone through to hold the kind of influence and deep respect that he has for you. I am deeply grateful for you to have taken care of the love of my life so far. I'll be looking forward to being able to repay you to the best of my capability."

The exaggerated amount of sweetness in her voice surprises me. 

She's trying to raise Darina's hackles. 

Why? 

Christ, is she seriously jealous despite all my assurances? 

I run my hand frustratedly in my hair as I stare at her absolutely dumbfounded at the possibility that she feels threatened by Darina for some reason. I'll have to fuck that fear out of her if my verbal assurances do not work on her.

"Not needed. I did what I had to because I care for him and always will. I do not need anyone thanking me for it," Darina answers, turning to me. "How did you find Ira, darling? He's a gem, isn't he? He gets so jealous when I talk to him about you. Makes him quite jealous and competitive," she takes a box of cigarettes out of her purse and lights it. "We are madly in love."

"Well, good for you."

I thought she didn't do love because love is for the weak? At least that's what she taught me.

I realize Belle might be thirsty. 

Instead of calling for help, I get up and head to the wet bar, and pour batched dirty martini in a pre-chilled glass with five olives just as my rose likes. 

"I would appreciate it if we could be excused, Darina. As I mentioned before, this is my private time with Belle, and I wish to spend it without any intrusion," I say, returning, leaving her no choice, but to oblige.

"Don't be so rude to our guest, baby. I am enjoying talking to your close friend," Belle says, accepting the glass from me. 

I scowl at her and she seems completely unbothered by it and she tugs at my hand to sit beside her. Unwillingly, I oblige and put my arm around her. 

"This may sound intrusive, Ms. Ivanov. But might I ask, why should you be bragging about Areston to your underage... oops. No, this one's an adult. I mean... your cub... boyfriend?" Belle slaps her fingers over her lips, flashing her a mocking grin.

I knew she had something going on in her mind. The minx. I choke back a smile. My rose is a spitfire. I tug at her waist in a silent gesture to tell her not to proceed in whatever it is that she's doing, but she offers me a smug smile.

"Why wouldn't I brag about Areston to him? Areston is everything a man can only dream of. He's the epitome of perfection. He has money, power, status, and the love of countless women," Darina retorts, in a tone none too friendly.

"But none of those things define the man he is," Belle raises her chin in defiance. "He does not have the love of countless women. That's just pure lust or greed. The only women who love him are his mother, his nonna, and me. His wife-to-be," she deliberately flashes her promise ring to her. "Besides, I am sorry but bragging about him to your partner? That's just plain disrespectful and sad. I can't imagine why a self-respecting man would endure that kind of treatment."

If I wasn't already in love with her, I would have fallen in love with her at this moment. 

I have never bothered with what anyone perceives of me, but her perception of me and how beautifully she puts it forth, stirs several unnamed emotions in me.

"You know what? I had a faint idea that we had met before, but I wasn't sure. I do now," Belle says, her body almost leaping out of seat if it's not for my hold on her. It's as if she has had a sudden revelation, "You're the lady I met in Devil's Den the same night Ares and I met for the first time in eleven years."

What the hell?

They have met already?

I rub my jaw as I assimilate the information, casting Belle a searching look.

She purses her lips and pats her index finger against her mouth. She appears to be recollecting something, her brows drawn together, as she stares at Darina, her gaze unwavering.

"Yeah, yeah, I recall quite vividly now. It was you." She points her index finger at Darina. "I was getting wasted when you appeared on the stool next to me at the bar and asked me what sorrows I was drowning in. I was sad because it was April 27th and I was missing you," Belle's expressive gaze averts to me, they're full of sadness as she seems to recall the day.

I am not surprised she remembers such a detail about our life. She is my soulmate who loves me boundless and has spent eleven years loving me. Thirteen years ago on the morning of April 27th 2010 I had told her how I felt about her. In an overly dramatic way, just as I knew she'd love, I'd gone down on one knee with the Harry Winston ring I'd helped design myself and told her I was in love with her.

I've restrained myself a lot because I've been apprehensive that if things don't work out between us or your feelings differ from mine, it could jeopardize our friendship. But I've reached a point where I can no longer keep my feelings to myself. I've been going through sheer agony, every second, realizing you're oblivious to the fact that I'm hopelessly in love with you, Belle. I know it's corny, but it is what it is, and I have no shame admitting it. You complete me, Belle. You are my once-in-a-lifetime love. Regardless of how archaic you find it, you should know that in my mind, you're already mine, baby. Be my girlfriend. Please.

I just realize now that it was our fate to meet again on the very same date thirteen years later.

Darina's posture stiffens, she raises one hand to touch her neck. "I do not seem to recall any such encounter," she offers plainly.

"Strange. I was sloshed and yet I remember it quite clearly now," Belle shakes her head, not buying her words. "No, no. I am not mistaken. I am 100 percent sure it was you. Holding on would cause more damage than letting go. Isn't that what you told me after I'd narrated my entire love story?"

"Ms. Rothschild—"

"Pain is a choice. I can help you liberate yourself from it. That's what you told me, Ms. Ivanov," Belle doesn't let her finish, her tone brooks no obfuscation or denial. "Imagine giving complete control of yourself over to someone who comprehends the very essence of your agony, who can turn it into ecstasy. I can introduce you to a community where surrendering your thoughts and control to a position of power can heal and free you from your pain. You can be guided to explore your own desires and limits in ways you have never imagined. It won't just be about forgetting him. By giving up control of your emotions, you would be rediscovering yourself, and through the path of discipline and liberation, you'll crawl out of your grief. That's exactly what you had said to me."

She states with the tactical precision of a seasoned criminal lawyer, her tone unyielding and authoritative. 

She is not even asking Darina if those were her words. 

She's confidently asserting they were hers. 

What the fuck?

How was the chapter? 

What was the best part? 

Do you believe Darina had an ulterior motive at club that night?