Throughout their childhood and adolescence, Janetta always tried to drive wedges between family members, and she was always the one to stir things up in the Peters’ house. Once she even locked Leilani in a storeroom and told Anthony Leilani had skipped curfew to spend time with boys. She frequently robbed Leilani’s allowance and made all kinds of accusations about her to their father. It’s due to Janetta that Anthony has such an aversion to Leilani. Leilani’s eyes sharpen as she recalls the past.
“Now it’s time for you to make a decision,” Leilani says, “Do you want to leave our house or swim in the estuary?”
“I’m not leaving here,” Janetta says defiantly, “You’re already married, and you have no business meddling with this family or asking me to leave.”
Waylen looks coldly at Janetta and she seems frozen by the force of his anger. “Take her out and throw her in the estuary,” Waylen orders cruelly.
Two guards seize Janetta’s arms and begin to drag her from the room
“Wait!” Janetta screams desperately, “Waylen, I have something to show you. It’s about Leilani.”
Waylen turns around, and his expression is sublimely horrifying, “Bring it here.”
Leilani’s breath caught in her throat as a bodyguard presents the green diamond ring. Waylen recognizes it as the one Leilani claimed that her mother left for her. She strides over to take it from Waylen’s hand, but he acts quickly and wraps his fist around it. Leilani touches his hand, but the ring is safely hidden from her.
“Can’t wait to get hold of the ring?” Waylen asks.
He has been observing her cool, organized demeanor for the last few hours, but all of that seemed to shatter when she saw the ring. Leilani bites her lip and tensed her shoulders. She’s furious with herself for losing her cool and revealing how much she cares about the ring. She knows that Waylen has no idea it’s Charles’ and she also knows he hates deception and betrayal. If he learns she deceived him about the ring, he will take it as a huge betrayal.
She takes a deep breath and musters up the courage to face the consequences. She’s ashamed of her behavior. Even though they’ve signed a divorce agreement, she’s still Waylen’s wife. It’s inappropriate for her to accept a ring from another man. She doesn’t try to stop Waylen from examining the ring, and she doesn’t make excuses. Instead, she squares her shoulders and waits to see what will happen.
“Leilani told me her mother left this for her when she died,” Waylen says to Anthony, “Is that true?”
Anthony squints as if he can’t see the ring. He takes a step closer and shakes his head instantly.
“I’ve never seen it before in my life,” he says.
“It’s not from her mother!” Janetta says, seizing her opportunity and wriggling away from the bodyguards, “That ring is a Meyers’ family heirloom.”
Waylen ignores her struggle and continues to examine the ring.
“Charles Meyer is the rightful owner,” Vanessa chimes in, “It’s called Love for Life if I’m not wrong.”
“Yes,” Janetta continues, “It’s for Charles’ future wife. But I heard that Leilani has had it all along.”
Janetta knows she doesn’t have to explicitly state that Leilani has cheated on Waylen—the mere implication is enough for a man as jealous and possessive as Waylen Bamford. She looks almost gleeful as if she’s already forgotten that her life was in danger. Leilani frowns severely.
“For Charles’s wife?” he repeats.
He can’t believe that Leilani is going to such lengths to divorce him just so she can marry Charles. The pain of it seems to stab his heart. Waylen’s tall figure slightly shakes and he smiles a horrible, sinister smile.
“She’s lost the chance to marry him,” he thinks, almost deranged with jealousy, “Charles has vanished from this world. I won’t take this seriously if it involves a dead man.”.
Leilani is used to Waylen’s fierce temper, and she’s shocked that he’s taking this news in silence. This realization startles Leilani. She can’t help feeling fearful and doubtful and wondering why Waylen is acting so uncharacteristically calm. She can’t believe that this is the same man as the one who sent a photo of their kiss to Charles or ordered his guards to peel the skin off Rupert’s thigh.
Suddenly a horrible thought barges into Leilani’s mind, but she shakes her head quickly to dispel it.
“No!” she thinks, “Nothing could have happened to Charles. Waylen’s possessiveness is strong and demonic, but he wouldn’t kill a man. Wait. Am I defending Waylen or am I just too scared of the emotional wreckage if something happened to Charles because of me?”
In a daze, Leilani watches Waylen put the ring in his pocket. Then he orders the guards to throw Janetta in the estuary. Janetta assumed that the ring would make up for, or at least distract from, her misdeed. Much to her surprise, the ring didn’t even seem to faze Waylen.
“Give me back the ring!” Leilani says, shakily.
She hasn’t forgotten her plans to return the ring to Charles.
“What?” Waylen glowers at her, “You want to wear it knowing it’s Charles’s?”
“I don’t want to wear it,” Leilani replies, “I simply want to give it back to whoever owns it.”
“Whoever owns it,” Waylen slowly and emotionlessly says, “I’ll send it back to Charles’s house.”
Leilani knows it’s dangerous to continue arguing. Reluctantly, she presses her lips together and falls quiet. She suddenly feels a soft warmth on her finger. Waylen has taken her hand, and he gently kisses her ring finger.
“I owe you one wedding ring,” he whispers.
Leilani can’t believe that he would think about that now. She snatches her hand back coldly.
“That’s not necessary,” she says, “Besides, I’d have to give it back to you in six months anyway.”
She thinks about the ring he casually gave to Leonie as a gift and her blood runs cold. She wonders if he thinks he can buy her with a trinket like that. Waylen inhales sharply.
“Does Leilani enjoy pissing me off?” he thinks, “I thought all women loved diamonds. If it weren’t for the fact that Leonie somehow has the Peerless Love ring, it would already be on Leilani’s finger.
“Sir,” Robert rushes in, out of breath, “There is no sign of Andrew.”
“Do I need to tell you to keep looking?” Waylen snaps.
He’s furious that Andrew somehow eluded him, and he can feel Leilani’s disdain and dissatisfaction. Leilani forces a chilly smile. She knows that Waylen’s men are incompetent—it was only his powerful obsession with her that drove them to find her when she ran away.
“What are you smiling at?” Waylen asks, “Don’t give me that look.”
“I’m tired,” Leilani says quietly, “I want to get some sleep.”
He stares into her eyes, trying to see her soul, but he only sees his own reflection in the dark pupils. She seems distant, far out of his reach, almost intangible. In the green gown, she looks like an ethereal spirit, fading away.
“I’ll bring Gabrielle back in one piece,” he vows.
“I’m really curious what right you had to let Andrew take Gabrielle away,” Leilani says, “How do you sleep with a guilty conscience?”
“I told you I’d bring Gabrielle back,” Waylen says, his voice deep and gloomy, “What are you worried about?”
“Then why don’t you do it already?” Leilani snaps, “You gave her to Andrew and it’s all your fault. Why don’t you go find her yourself?”
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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