“She finally rolls in.”
Kali closed the door, throwing her purse on the couch and kicking off her heels with a moan. She looked exhausted, which was nothing new on days when she came home late. Samuel helped her out of her jacket and neatly set her shoes aside. He knelt down and tucked her hair behind her face.
“Bad day?”
“Parts of it.” Her hands framed his face, and she kissed him deeply. “It’s getting better.”
Samuel smiled. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yeah.” She didn’t sound excited by the prospect of it. That made him nervous. “Can I get something to eat first?”
“Sure. You are in luck. I decided to cook this evening.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah.” He grinned and helped her stand. “You can tell me what happened over a hot plate and cool glass of juice.”
“Can I also make requests?&rdq
Kali thanked the maids one last time for the evening before dashing out the door to meet an impatient Samuel. Dinner had gone swimmingly despite the last-minute changes Ysabel had made. Ember helped with the planning, and Kali believed she handled her guests, especially Mr Claudius, with enough grace to make her husband proud. And if she hadn't been sure he was, he told her so the minute the door closed behind the last guest.Now, they were on their way to the address of a clubhouse Ember forwarded the previous day. Kali had taken longer to change out of her gown, and Samuel had been waiting on her.
"Shh." Samuel laughed, burying Kali's face into his neck until she could compose herself. Kali wasn't drunk, but she also didn't have much control over herself either. It was almost one, and Giovanna was obviously in bed. The jangling of the keys travelled far, so he wrestled them from her hands and set them down quietly in the bowl. He didn't want to wake his sister because he remembered Giovanna had a hard time falling asleep once she woke. "Come on," He whispered to Kali, gathering her in his arms and pressing his front of her back. "It's time we got to bed. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." "Indeed we do." She rubbed her palm over his forearm, playfully dragging her nails down his skin til he hissed. She waddled up the staircase with him behind her. He left her at the door of their room to check on Giovanna, returning after he confirmed his sister was fast asleep. "I hope we can wake up tomorrow." He shared, and Kali laughed.
"Good evening." Giovanna sang, swinging back and forth as she used the frame of the kitchen door for support. "Good evening." Kali beamed. "How was work?" "Maddening." Kali smiled, humouring the girl until she decided to drop the charades. "Can you believe how much typing is in my everyday life? I have never written and corrected so much code in my life. A second more, and I'll be seeing things like I am in the matrix. Zeros and ones." "Really." "You wouldn't believe it." Giovanna pointed to the dinner table. "Package came in for you. It was here when I got back from school." She disappeared into the kitchen, and Kali stared after her before padding to the dinner table. There was a small package on the table. A white rectangular box with a red bow tied at the centre. Pinned to the ribbon was another card. Kali ripped it off as she slipped into a chair. "I thought about you today. I know it's been hard now that you started working. I hope this can cheer you up. Can't wait to
Samuel closed the box when Kali came into the room, and he set it down on the bed beside him. "I was going to tell you. You know that, right?" "Yes. I am not mad." "You look mad." "I am not. This is me being worried." "Worried?" "Doesn't this...I don't know, scare you?" "That some weirdo is playing an expensive game of "who sent it?"" "That this weirdo is spending so much money on you. You haven't met this guy before, but he knows work is hard for you and how stressed you are with all the gossip. He misses your eyes, your beauty." Kali stared at the box. "How many times did you read that card." "Is that what matters now? Listen to me. This guy can be dangerous. If he is making fantasies in his head and convincing himself that there is a relationship between the two of you. He could do something dangerous one of these days." Kali seemed to understand where he was going. She immediately shifted from sceptical to worried. He didn't want to scare her, but it was something that t
"And this." Samuel came up behind Kali as she reached for her necklace. He leaned down to kiss the back of her neck and shoulder before lowering the necklace he held to her chest. "Is for you."It wasn't sapphires like the one the stranger sent, even though he had been tempted, but it was an equal match. The necklace was made from rubies and diamonds and matched the dress she had chosen for the night. One of the bright sides of her picking her outfits weeks before an event.He hadn't been sure when he ordered the necklace, but seeing her face light up with amazement and joy-filled him with confidence.Kali gasped. "What is this?""Last Friday, you got a necklace that upset you. I don't know; I thought I could get you one that made you smile. The event tonight was a perfect excuse to do it.""Oh, Samuel. It's gorgeous.""Like you.""You cheesy bastard." She popped to her feet and threw herself at him.Her arms went around his sh
Kali left the gallery for the garden in search of Samuel. He had disappeared for a while, and she soon began to worry about him. So, she walked through the maze of hedges and colourful flowers, whispering his name.“Kali?” She finally heard.She followed his voice around another wall of plants before she saw him. Relieved, Kali ran to him, throwing herself into his arms and laughing.
Samuel helped her out of her coat when they got home. It felt heavenly to step out of her heels and feel the cool tiles on the soles of her feet. Hours of standing and walking around the big gallery made her sore. Plus, the night had been one big rollercoaster after another. It wasn't enough to have Ysabel on her back; it seemed she also couldn't get enough talking down to from Samuel's grandfather.The conversation with Samuel in the garden also filled her with a whirlwind of emotions. They didn't talk about it, but she did wonder if he wanted kids. Personally, she wouldn't want to have a child until she was sure they wouldn't be breaking up the next day, but she did love the idea of a child.He said he didn't want to divorce her. She could feel her heart tremble when she remembered the directness with which he said those words. She looked at him now, his face otherwise blank as he folded her coat and dropped it on the sofa. When he caught her staring, he smiled.
Christen rushed up the stairs, throwing herself against the door as she banged it in urgency. Her head had been so full she forgot to take her jacket with her when she left the house, and walking in the nippy cold had left her chilly. But there were other things to worry about. Things that kept her from enjoying the rest of the party or falling asleep as her mind wouldn’t stop racing.She banged again, calling for Vincent, wondering if he was asleep. She hadn’t thought about that. It was pretty late at night, and though he wasn't an early sleeper, she couldn't see any of the lights on in the house. She was desperate and needed to talk to someone before she folded in on herself. Vincent was the next best thing.Relief filled her when she saw a light come on before the door opened, and a sleepy eyes Vincent stood in front of her.&