“Why did you bring me here?” she asks. “I always thought you preferred cold, and dank places.”
“I know you didn’t like your time at Misty Mansion,” Andrew says, helping her out of the car.
He reaches for her suitcase, but she slaps his hand away. She takes the bag and clutches it tightly in her hand as she looks at her new home. It’s undeniably romantic.
“You just chose this house because you thought it would make it easier for me to fall for you,” she says. “You want me to develop feelings for you.”
“I didn’t say anything about feelings,” Andrew says.
Before Leilani can respond, she sees a small sparkly object go flying through the air. It looks like a woman’s high-heeled shoe. She rubs her eyes and sees another shoe fly through the air and land among the hibiscus flowers. Andrew takes her arm and leads her down a pebbled path toward the front door. As they walk, Leilani sees dresses, shoes, shirts, and scarves littered along the path.
“What’s going on?” Andrew asks a bodyguard.
“It’s Miss Clifford,” the bodyguard whispers.
“What’s wrong with her now?” Andrew asks.
The bodyguard shrugs and opens the front door. They pause in the massive, bright entryway, and Leilani looks around. There are floor-to-ceiling views of the sweeping hillside and sea below. A modern, crystal chandelier hangs above, and the floor is covered in some sort of polished stone. On the right are glass and steel staircase.
“Miss Clifford, don’t do that,” a desperate voice shouts from the second floor. “Mr. Clifford will be so upset when he returns. He bought all that stuff, especially for Miss Peters.”
“I don’t care,” Jessica shouts. “I don’t want that woman to be my sister-in-law.”
“Jessica!” Andrew calls, climbing the stairs. A white high heel flies toward his face, and he swats it away. “What the hell are you doing?” he asks.
“Andrew!” Jessica screams, running down the stairs. “Why did you bring that woman here? You know, I don’t like her.”
“I don’t care whether you like her or not,” Andrew says. “Why are you here, anyway? I’ll ask the driver to take you to another house.”
“No, I won’t go,” Jessica says. “I don’t want her in this house. Her sister, Gabrielle, seduced Jackson, and she did the same to you. The Peters are all s.l.u.tty, scheming women!”
Andrew gestures to a bodyguard, and the man climbs the stairs. Jessica clings to the railing and screams at the top of her lungs.
“If anyone dares to touch me, I’ll come back and return with Mom,” she says. “I’m sure Mom will be thrilled to see that you’ve brought a divorced, pregnant woman into our family home.”
Leilani rolls her eyes at Jessica’s childish tantrum. I don’t want to live with Jessica, but she seems better than Leonie, Leilani thinks. At least Jessica is open about her feelings—she’s not trying to hide the fact that she hates me. Leonie pretends to be your friend while she secretly plans to stab you in the back.
“Get her out of here,” Andrew says with an impatient ave of his hand.
“I’m not leaving,” Jessica shouts. “I want to keep an eye on her and figure out what she’s after. I don’t want any of her evil schemes to succeed.”
“I’ll tell you what she’s after,” Andrew says, pointing at his chest. “She’s after this.”
Jessica stamps her high-heeled foot, “Andrew, I’m being serious! She doesn’t deserve you.”
Andrew pulls Jessica’s hand off the railing and says, “Please, sister, behave yourself.”
“I’m not leaving!” Jessica screams, kicking her legs and beating Andrew’s chest with her fists.
Andrew pushes her into the bodyguard’s waiting arms and says, “James, please deal with her.”
“James, if you dare to touch me, I’ll cut your hands off!” Jessica screams.
James seems unbothered by Jessica’s threats. He sweeps her off her feet and throws her over his shoulder. She hammers on his back and tries to kick his groin, but he holds her legs down with one hand. Jessica screams threats as James carries her down the stairs toward the front door.
Leilani yawns and stretches her arms above her head. Slowly, she climbs the first couple of stairs.
“I’m tired, and I want to relax a bit,” Leilani says. “If Jessica promises to stop screaming, I don’t mind if she stays for a while.”
James looks to Andrew for approval, and Andrew shrugs. James adjusts his grip on Jessica and starts to carry her up the stairs. She glares down at Leilani as she passes and snarls like a feral cat.
Leilani sighs and asks Andrew to show her to the living room. Andrew leads her to a big, modern room, and Leilani collapses onto the large leather sofa. She grabs a magazine from the coffee table and starts flipping through the glossy pages. After a while, she feels like someone is staring at her. She lowers the magazine and sees Jessica glaring at her from the doorway.
“Why would you divorce Waylen and choose my brother?” Jessica asks. “It’s weird.”
Leilani raises the magazine and looks at a series of photos from a recent runway show. She can hear Jessica walking across the room, and she feels the sofa cushion sink slightly as Jessica sits down.
“I’m bored of being Mrs. Bamford,” Leilani says, flipping a page. “And I want to be Mrs. Clifford.”
Jessica snatches the magazine and throws it across the room. Leilani looks up at her, trying to keep her expression calm and emotionless.
“Why are you so shameless?” Jessica asks. “You’ll be a mother soon! Is this the kind of example you want to set for your child?”
Leilani pushes herself up into a sitting position without looking away from Jessica. She stares at her calmly and confidently and watches with amus.e.m.e.nt as Jessica’s forehead wrinkled with confusion. I know her type, Leilani thinks. She’s used to getting everything she wants. Everyone around her is scared of her moods and temper tantrums. She doesn’t know what to make of me.
Andrew clears his throat, walks into the room, and sits next to Leilani. His thigh brushes against hers, and she scoots away from him.
Jessica’s eyes narrow, and she says, “When did you become so tame, Andrew? It’s clear this woman doesn’t even like you. Why are you so obsessed with her?”
“James, why don’t you take Jessica back to her room?” Andrew says. “I’m getting tired of her attitude.”
James walks over to the sofa, blocking the light. Leilani looks up at him—his face is thin-lipped and handsome, but his eyes are expressionless and mysterious. There’s something about him that sets him apart from other bodyguards, but she’s not sure what it is.
“Miss Clifford, please come with me,” James says.
“You’re my personal bodyguard,” Jessica complains. “Why are you listening to my brother’s orders?”
James sighs and grabs Jessica by her upper arm. She stands and allows him to lead her toward the door, but she complains and whines the whole way. Leilani closes her eyes and rubs her temples. I thought she’d be better than Leonie, but now I’m not so sure, Leilani thinks. She seems so melodramatic—it’ll be exhausting to live with her.
As soon as Jessica leaves, Andrew slides closer to Leilani. He puts his arm around her shoulder and nudges her thigh with his. He leans down and brushes his lips along her collarbone.
“At last, we’re alone,” he whispers. “And I’ve been keeping track of your pregnancy very carefully. I know it’s finally safe for you to make love again.”
Leilani’s stomach lurches, and she shouts, “Actually, Jessica, come back. If we’re going to live together, I want to get to know you.”
Andrew scowls as Jessica stomps back into the room and throws herself onto a yellow velvet lounge chair. She plays with her long red hair and stares sulkily at both Leilani and Andrew. Leilani calls for some snacks, but the servant returns with a letter instead.
The servant passes it to Andrew and says, “I believe it’s an invitation from Mr. Jackson Oliver.”
Andrew grabs the envelope and tears it open, tossing the creamy paper onto the floor. He pulls out a card decorated with dark flowers and a seahorse. He glances at it, and Leilani watches his eyes dart back and forth as he reads the message.
Jessica jumps out of her chair and grabs it asking, “What is it? Why did Jackson want to invite you to something? Why didn’t he invite me?”
“You’ll have to ask him,” Andrew says, snatching the invitation out of her hands.
Jessica stomps her foot and balls her hands into fists. Her face is red with anger, but Leilani recognizes the uncertainty and insecurity in her eyes. She stamps across the room and jabs one long red fingernail into James’ chest.
“Give me my cell phone,” she says.
Leilani sees her opportunity to escape and says, “I’m tired, and I think I want a nap. I’m going to go upstairs for a bit.”
“Do you want company?” Andrew asks, hopefully.
“No, I don’t,” she says.
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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