Vanessa lies on the carpet, propping herself up with one hand. If Waylen looks at her, he’ll see all of her curves displayed to their best advantage.
“Sorry,” Waylen says without a single glance toward the seductive woman. He tosses the wet towel to Robert and smooths Leilani’s messy hair.
“We’ve brought her back home,” he talks to Leilani as if she’s the only one in the room, “Shall we leave now?”
Upon hearing that Waylen plans to leave, Anthony begins to panic.
“Mr. Bamford, are you leaving so soon?” he asks worriedly.
Anthony has been looking forward to Waylen’s arrival. Ever since he learned that Waylen would be visiting, he has been working to use his son-in-law’s presence to his advantage. Though he’s only had a few hours to prepare, he has been busy spreading the news and inviting important friends and business associates to a welcome party. He’s eager to use his relationship with Waylen to his advantage; if people see him with Waylen it will immediately benefit the family business and fortune. If Mr. Bamford isn’t at the party, Anthony will be humiliated.
“Mr. Bamford, can you please tell us what Leilani did wrong?” Katherine asks “Why have you brought her back here?”
“Why have I brought her back here?” Waylen asks, confusedly.
He finally looks away from Leilani, raising his cold eyes to glare at Katherine. His glare makes Katherine uncomfortable, and she swallows nervously before speaking.
“I imagine it’s to get a divorce,” Katherine says.
Waylen smiles coldly and threateningly, “Who says we’re getting a divorce?”
Anthony glares at his wife.
“Mr. Bamford and Leilani love each other,” he says, reprimanding his wife, “Why would you think they’re getting a divorce?”
Then he turns to his daughter with a pleading look.
“Leilani, you haven’t been home for such a long time, and we’ve really missed you,” he says, “You should stay with us for a few days. I’ve had the servants prepare your room, and I’ve planned a party for you.”
Though Anthony’s tone is pleading, she can see the warning in his eyes. She knows her father doesn’t care about her; he just wants Waylen to spend the night in his home. She even suspects that the party is just a ploy for Anthony to show off his relationship with the Bamford family.
Leilani smiles bitterly. She has been married to Waylen for more than three years, and she has spent most of that time feeling incredibly homesick. Whenever Waylen’s grandmother punished her, she would steal a maid’s phone and begged her father to allow her to come home. Anthony always mercilessly refused her requests.
“A married daughter is no longer a member of the family,” he would say, “Why would I let you come back?”
Leilani gives her father a meaningful look.
“A married daughter is no longer a member of the family,” she says, “Why would I want to come back?”
Anthony recognizes his daughter’s words, and his smile seems to freeze in place.
“A married daughter is still my daughter,” he says with forced affection, “Leilani, you haven’t been home once in more than three years. I’ve missed you so much.”
Leilani’s lowers her eyes in sudden confusion. Her father has ignored her since childhood, but for a moment she feels moved. After a lifetime of neglect, she has no idea what paternal and familial love looks like, and she wants to believe that her father really does care for her. She shakes her head as if to clear it.
“No, Gabrielle and Nanny are my only family,” she thinks, “When I leave Waylen, I’ll take Gabrielle away from this place, but for now this is the safest option for her. It’s far too dangerous to bring her to the Bamford house with me. In the meantime, I need to make things as easy as possible for Gabrielle, and I should avoid antagonizing Anthony.”
“I wish I could stay,” Leilani says politely, “But Mr. Bamford is very busy.”
Waylen stares at her beautiful, delicate mouth and kisses her. The atmosphere in the small living room changes, and Leilani’s family looks away in embarrassment. Anthony feels the blood rush to his face and he coughs awkwardly. He is shocked that the relationship between Waylen and Leilani seems to have changed so much.
“I’ll stay if you want me to,” Waylen says.
His rough fingers gently trace her lips. His affection embarrasses Leilani, and she looks away from him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Leilani says, “You’ve fulfilled your promise to bring Gabrielle home. “
The Peters family suddenly seems to remember Gabrielle’s existence. Painfully shy and self-effacing, Gabrielle subconsciously hides behind Robert, trying to avoid her family’s attention. Katherine glares at Gabrielle as if she’s a c.o.c.kroach.
“Gabrielle? Why did you come back home with them?” Katherine asks accusingly, “Shouldn’t you be interning at the hospital?”
Gabrielle tries to speak, but the words don’t seem to come out of her throat. She looks helplessly at Leilani in the hopes that her sister will aid her. Gabrielle doesn’t know how to lie—her trembling voice and her blush always give her away.
“She was smart to avoid attention before,” Leilani thinks, “She’s completely incapable of dealing with this situation.”
“Waylen and I were traveling, but our plane was forced to land because of the torrential rain,” Leilani says smoothly, “We knew Gabrielle was interning at the hospital, and I wanted to see her. She said she was homesick, so we brought her back with us.”
Katherine casts a searching glance at Leilani. Though Leilani is a much better liar than her sister, Katherine knows that she’s being dishonest. Only Katherine knows that Gabrielle never took the internship at the hospital. Though she was offered the prestigious position, Katherine forced her to give it up so her niece could have it instead. Gabrielle didn’t dare to tell Anthony what Katherine had done, and it’s clear to Katherine that she hasn’t told Leilani either.
“Since you’re already here, you should stay for a few days,” Anthony says, persuasively, “Besides, you and Gabrielle haven’t been together for a long time. You used to be so close—I’m sure you want to catch up with each other.”
Leilani reaches into Waylen’s coat pocket. Her hand tickles against his side and he presses her hand through the outside of his pocket.
“What are you looking for?” he asks her.
“Your phone,” she replies.
Waylen takes out his cell phone and gives it to her without a moment of hesitation.
“There’s no need for me to stay when Gabrielle and I can be in touch over the phone,” Leilani says, “Gabrielle, if for some reason you can’t reach my phone contact your brother-in-law’s number. If someone bullies you, you can call your brother-in-law.”
Leilani adds Gabrielle’s number to Waylen’s phone and looks meaningfully at every member of her family. She hopes that Waylen’s involvement will protect her sister from the threats and torments of the rest of the family. Waylen gives Leilani a surprising look.
He suddenly takes a deep breath, “What did you tell Gabrielle to call me?”
“Brother-in-law,” Leilani answers, freeing herself from his grasp, “If you don’t like it, then forget it.”
Waylen seizes Leilani’s hands and holds them tightly.
He turns to Gabrielle and asks, “What should you call me?”
Gabrielle looks confusedly between her sister and Waylen.
“You should call Mr. Bamford your brother-in-law,” Robert prompts her.
Gabrielle seems to relax. She peers at Waylen from behind Robert’s back and looks shyly at Waylen.
“Thank you, brother-in-law,” she whispers.
Waylen suddenly wears a joyful expression. He nods at Robert and the butler summons a bodyguard. The guard enters carrying an exquisitely wrapped box and passes it to Robert. Robert presents the box to Gabrielle. He opens it and reveals a small white porcelain watch embedded with a beautifully cut diamond. The watch perfectly matches Gabrielle’s Chanel dress.
“Miss Peters, this is a gift for you in honor of our official introduction,” Waylen says.
Katherine and Vanessa inhale sharply. Waylen has just given Gabrielle the most expensive Chanel watch.
“It’s worth millions,” they think in amazement, “A mere gift from Waylen is worth millions!”
Gabrielle is stunned and she shakes her head demurely.
“No, Mr. Bamford,” she whispers, “I can’t accept it. It’s too nice, you’re too generous.”
“What did you just call me?” Waylen asks with a warning note in his voice.
Gabrielle trembles.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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