We tell the story of how Ace and I met and our other run-ins. Libby laughs at our regular run-ins, especially at me kneeing Ace in the balls in the stairwell.
'This is a very romantic and hilarious story. It sounds like this is also new to you, Ace; learning to socialise and being in a relationship. Is there a reason why you stop pursuing relationships with people?' Libby asks, focusing on Ace.
Placing my hand on Ace’s back, I give him a nod and an empathetic smile.
'It’s not just me who needs to heal, Ace,' I say reassuringly.
He nods and sighs, and tells Libby about the horrible upbringing he had with his mother, and his first serious long-term relationship with Ava, who his mother convinced him to date. Then how after a while his mother convinced him to propose to her, only to find her cheating on him. And then how his mother passed away, but not before reminding him he was a disappointment to her.
'Since that day, I haven’t pursued a relationship; friendship or romance,' Ace explains.
'Until you and Zurielle collided?’ Libby smiles. Ace and I stare at each other, and I blush as he smiles.
'Until Zurielle Summers entered my life, yes,' Ace whispers.
'Tell me, Ace. What was so different about Zurielle compared to other women? What made you pursue her and not anyone else?’ Libby asks.
'The moment I locked eyes with Zurielle, the switch inside me flicked back on. It was like we were instantly connected to each other. Although she was mad at me, I was mesmerized by her and her eyes. They hid a sadness that I was all too familiar with. The same sadness I hid. Something told me I had to see her again, that I had to know who she was; that she was meant for me,’ Ace says.
Libby is fanning her face with the notepad.
'Wow. That’s quite intense. I believe your feelings for her have only grown stronger?' Libby questions. Ace smiles and nods.
'Of course.'
'How does this make you feel hearing what Ace just said?' Libby asks me.
'I know he loves me and cares for me. To know how deep our connection really is, to know that the moment we met sparked something special between us; that I am the reason he gave himself a chance at love; it makes me feel happy and blissful.' I smile.
'I can definitely see the love you two have for each other.' Libby smiles. 'Ace tells me you have been having a lot of nightmares lately that are linked to the house fire and your kidnapping?' She says. Frowning, I nod.
'Tell me about the nightmares, mainly the recurring ones.'
My body language changes, I slump a little and wrap my arms around myself, and look down at the floor.
'I’m trapped in a small cupboard, the same cupboard I was locked in by Red Back. I can’t get out no matter how hard I try to break the cupboard door open. And no one comes for me no matter how loud I scream. In another recurring dream, Ace is running towards me but falls to the ground after Red Back shoots him. The other nightmares are a bit of everything, the fire, Red Back, Ace being shot, being locked in that cupboard.' I shake my head hoping to rid myself of the horrible memories.
'Other than sleep, is this affecting your life in any other way? Such as: at home, in the workplace, or even your relationship with Ace?' She asks, jotting down more notes.
Turning to Ace, I frown, and stare back at Libby, nervously scrunching my skirt. I'm uncomfortable. Ace reaches for one of my hands and holds it in his.
'It’s okay, Zurielle. Don’t be afraid to tell us,' he says, reassuringly.
'I haven’t told Ace about any of it. I didn’t want him to worry more than he already does about me. Being in the elevator makes me feel claustrophobic. I feel locked in that cupboard when I’m in there. When colleagues greet me in the kitchen or meeting room, I’m always startled by them. Every day I worry something bad will happen either to me or Ace.' I begin to cry. Ace wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close into his chest.
'Nothing bad will ever happen to us again, Zurielle,' he assures me.
'I know. I just can’t help think it though.' I sob.
'Zurielle, the trauma, you have suffered is causing you to become anxious in certain circumstances. I can give you some breathing exercises to help you cope in these moments of anxiety. If you feel they haven’t helped by the next time I see you, I’ll prescribe you with medication,’ she offers. Ace holds me close. It calms me, and stops my tears. I nod at Libby.
'Thank you.'
I practise some breathing techniques with Libby, then she shows us out.
'I’ll see you both in two weeks,’ she says, waving goodbye.
We sit silently in the Lamborghini as Ace drives us home. I'm hoping he isn’t mad at me.
'I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about feeling anxious,' I say, guiltily. He reaches for my hand and caresses it with his thumb.
'I do wish you would have told me. I'm glad you were able to open up and mention it today. I’m proud of you Zurielle. That would not have been easy,' he says, kissing the back of my hand.
In the evening, we sit on the balcony, snuggled up on the outdoor lounge with a blanket, watching the stars and enjoying the moon’s beauty.
'You know, you should be proud of yourself too, Ace. You opened up a lot as well today. When you said you felt we connected the day we met… I thought we did too.' I smile.
Ace smiles.
'It’s cold. Let’s go to bed. We have work tomorrow and I want you well-rested.' He stands up and carries me in his arms, and sits me gently on our bed. I stand, remove my clothes and put my nighty on, before crawling back into bed and snuggling up beside him.
Waking up, Ace's legs are tangled with mine, his head is on my chest, and he is snoring. He reminds me of a child snuggled up. I gently caress his cheek to stir him awake. After a few gruff noises, he sits up, yawns then smiles at me.
'Time for work, sleepy head.' I smile. Ace sighs.
'I know, but I’d rather stay in bed with you all day.' He begins nuzzling my neck, I giggle and playfully push him away.
'Come on, Ace. I’ll get the shower started.'
After we shower, we leave for work.
Arriving, we’re holding hands, and as usual, my colleagues admire us from their desks. We’re about to step into the elevator when my legs wobble slightly, and my chest begins to tighten. Ace notices.
'Look at me. Nothing else,' he says, gently taking my hands. I look up into his eyes and find myself standing in the elevator with him.
The doors close and the elevator starts to move upwards, my breathing becomes rapid again.
'Take a deep breath with me, just like Libby showed you.' I close my eyes as we inhale and exhale together.
'Again,' he says. I inhale and slowly exhale. The doors ding open.
'Very good. You did it.' Ace smiles. I smile back and nod. We exit the elevator and enter our office to begin our work for the day. I jump each time June enters the office. Ace scolds her, and reminds her to knock on the door.
'You didn’t have to scold her like that. She doesn’t know what I’m going through.' I point out.
‘You're right. I’m sorry. I just want everything to be easier for you. I’ll apologise to her later,' he assures me.
'Thanks.' I smile.
'Do you want to see some of my new designs?' He asks. I jump up out of my seat.
'I would love to!' I squeal and run around his desk, and make myself comfortable on his lap, while he shows me his drawings.
'These are amazing.' I beam. ‘You have drawn me as the model in all of these?'
'You are my inspiration.' He smiles and places a kiss on my shoulder. I turn myself around on his lap, and straddle him. I cup his face and kiss his lips.
The next day, I'm head-deep in my work. It’s almost lunchtime.'I have a, um... meeting. Will you be fine for a few hours?' Ace asks.‘Yep. I want to catch up with Cleo at some point. I’ll find her and have lunch with her.' I smile. Ace kisses me on the forehead and leaves. I have been going to all his meetings. Strange he doesn’t want me to attend this one.Stretching my arms out, I stand and take the staircase to the ground floor. I'm not comfortable being in the elevator on my own; the stairs will be the better option for now.Cleo runs up to me and embraces me in a tight hug.'Funny, we work in the same building yet we never see each other,' she jokes.'We have to make more of an effort to see each other. Also that's why I'm here. I'm hoping we can have lunch together.''Sure. I’m having lunch with the receptionists and a couple of models across the road. Come with me. You know the models. Have you met the receptionists?' She asks.My mind flashes back to when I threw cold tea at
Halfway through the work day, I suddenly remember Cora’s offer about having a girl’s weekend away glamping.'Ace, do you have anything planned for us this weekend or next weekend?''Not yet. Do you have something in mind?' He smiles.'Cora invited me and some of the other ladies to a weekend away glamping.''Glamping?' He says and raises an eyebrow.'Yeah. It’s camping, except we do girly things like paint our nails and have facials.' I laugh.'I’ll make sure you have the weekend free to join them, but I’ll organise a bodyguard or two to go with you. I’ll ask them to watch from a distance, so it will be less noticeable. I don’t want paps sneaking around, or potential threats anywhere near you.''Potential threat?' I ask with worry.'I don’t know Mark’s whereabouts, or if he plans on staying true to his word by staying away from us. My being a billionaire puts you at risk of being ransomed by thugs.''Oh... you know what? Don’t worry about it. I think I’ve changed my mind.' I say with
Hailey is literally sleeping on top of me, like I'm some kind of teddy bear. I can feel her drool dribble down my neck. I push the strands of her brown hair off my face and roll away from her. A moment later Hailey snuggles into my back and mutters something meant for Jack in her sleep. I try not to laugh and eventually fall asleep.'Rise and shine my Queens!' Cora stands in front of our beds looking like a soldier. She is wearing cargo pants with black boots and a green tank top.'Oh... were we meant to bring clothes like that?' Hailey asks, as she pulls out ten different little dresses from her bag.'Don’t forget swimwear underneath your clothes. Unless you prefer to swim in your birthday suit and wear solid shoes and pants, or your name is Hailey, and you didn’t bring any.' She laughs, and Hailey rolls her eyes at her.'I brought a couple sets of trackie pants. Here, you can wear these.' I say, handing her a pair.I'm wearing trackie pants and a crop top with boots, and my bikini u
As the sun rises, the sound of a helicopter is heard hovering in the sky. We jump up and down, and wave our arms in the air, trying to get the pilot’s attention.We slump in disappointment, as it flies past us. Sighing, I lean against a tree.‘I’m so tired, and so hungry I can barely stay awake.’ I sob.‘It’ll be okay.’ Hailey says and hugs me. I bury my face in her shoulder and look up to see Carol giving me a sympathetic look. I grab her arm, and pull her into us, hugging them both.‘I’m sorry I slapped you, Carol.’ I cry.‘No, I should be the one apologising. To both of you. You might be a little on the crazy side Hailey, but you’re quite fun to be around and you’re definitely not a bitch. If anything, I have been the bitch. Zurielle, I’m sorry about what I said about you and Ace. I was jealous because I had a crush on Ace and he turned me down a couple of years ago,’ she confesses.‘I had no idea that you liked Ace that way. He hasn’t mentioned it.’‘I used to like him. I moved on
We arrive at the penthouse, where, Martin, our chef is in the kitchen with heaps of already-made food for me to eat. I eat more than two meals. After I’ve finished, Ace suggests a shower before I sleep.‘Do I have to? I can barely keep my eyes open,’ I grumble.‘You have a bird’s nest in your hair. You don’t want the dirt on your face going onto your pillow. I’ll help you wash, then you can stay in bed and rest for as long as you want to.’ He smiles.‘For a whole week?’ I ask, and he laughs.‘If that's what you wish.’ He takes my hand, leads me upstairs, undresses me, and I step into the shower and instantly relax under the hot water. He rubs soap all over my back and down my arms. I apply double the amount of shampoo I usually would to get all the dirt out of my hair.After rinsing out the shampoo, Ace applies the conditioner and runs his fingers through my hair, to remove knots and twigs. I wash the rest of my body while Ace gets a fresh towel for me. I step out and accept the towel
I spend the next two weeks working from home until the media storm dies down.On Friday, Ace returns home, and it's the same routine as always: I stop what I'm doing, run to the door and jump up for him to catch me, and wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him passionately.Some days he carries me straight to the bedroom where we ravish eachother, or sit on the balcony with coffees, and chat, or relax on the couch and watch a movie. Yesterday afternoon we didn’t even make it to the bedroom. We ended up halfway up the staircase completely nude. Thankfully, Martin and Belinda had gone home.‘You might want to change out of your track pants. Not that it bothers me, but, I’m taking you out tonight.’ He smiles.‘Where are we going?’‘I think it’s time we visit your friends and have some fun at the Snake Pit. What do you say?’ He asks with a grin.‘Yes!’ I run upstairs, excitedly, and step into the shower. I run into my walk-in wardrobe and toss different dresses around, trying to choose
After a magical night on the Yarra River, I’m engaged to Ace, and we beam with happiness and don’t stop smiling at eachother.‘Well, Mrs Brightly. Looks like we have a wedding to plan.’ He smiles.‘We do.’‘We’ll announce it to the media on Monday,’ Ace says, kissing my forehead.Hailey, Carol and Cleo come over to the penthouse the next day with a pile of bridal magazines.‘Oh, this dress is so you!’ Hailey squeals.‘It is very nice,’ Cleo agrees. Hailey turns the magazine around so I can view the dress.‘It’s nice, but it might be a little too revealing.’‘Well, you do have a great set of boobs Zurielle, so you should totally flaunt them.’ Hailey smirks.Ace enters the room, takes the magazine from Hailey and scrunches his face up.‘Hailey, I can practically see her nipples. I’d rather not have Zurielle’s boobs on the front cover of every magazine,’ he says.‘Okay.’ Hailey rolls her eyes. I giggle at them, before Martin places a large platter of savoury nibbles down on the coffee ta
We arrive at work the next day to a frenzy of paparazzi chasing us to the entrance of the building.‘Is money really more important than love?’ A journalist asks me, shoving the microphone in my face. I push it away only for other microphones to be shoved closer.‘Do you have something you would like to say to Mark? Perhaps an apology?’ Another asks.‘How long were you dating Mark before your affair with Ace?’ I try to keep a straight face and focus on getting through the journalists, photographers and camera operators and into the building.A sense of relief washes over me once I’m inside. Many employees have stopped what they’re doing to stare at us. At least they’re looks of sympathy. Everyone who works here knows we love eachother; they see how happy we are every day, and how Ace has changed, for the better. They don’t believe the news and are annoyed with Mark for tarnishing my reputation.Lunch can’t come quickly enough; Ace spoils me with a fancy platter of different sandwiches