It was well into the afternoon when Jade felt her feet dragging along, tired of walking and being stepped on by other tourists. Last-minute holiday shoppers were a whole different level of aggressive. They had stopped at almost every store along the way, starting with Armani, where Jade picked up a silk dress with tulle sleeves, a leather handbag, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. They circled back to East 57th Street, where they continued onto Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Burberry, Chanel, Dior, and Fendi.
In total, Jade had calculated that she had spent roughly over twenty-thousand dollars, and by the amount of bags on Cassandra's arms, she had a lot to show for it. Although Jade made it a point not to focus on price tags, she also didn't want to buy everything just for the sake of proving a point. The items that had caught her eye were few and far between, but they also were exceedingly expensive. Still, she never blinkeJade lifted her hands, inspecting the wrinkles that had developed on the beds of her fingertips, and then pulled the plug, allowing the dirty bathwater water drain out. The liquid had gone cold. While she was warming herself from the outside-in, Miguel had wandered off, leaving her to unwind from the day. The television was playing at full volume in the other room, and she wondered if he had decided to look at his credit card statement. She hoped not. Placing a dripping foot onto the bathmat, Jade reached for a towel. She wrapped it around herself and then headed for the closet in search of something to wear to bed.Miguel was in the bedroom where she anticipated him to be, going through the items from her bags. "You bought more than I was expecting," he said over his shoulder, holding up a chemise teddy with lace trim. His tone sounded approving. "I don't suppose you'd model this for me, hm?"She smirked, "If you like that, just wait until you see what I picke
It was Christmas morning when Jade emerged from the bedroom, sleepy-eyed and feet dragging like a child waiting to see what Santa had left her under the tree. "Miguel?" she called out, wondering what all the ruckus was about. Voices had woken her up, and even though they had only been loud whispers, sound traveled easily through the apartment. She tightened the belt on her robe before rounding the corner and then stopped, her jaw slack in astonishment. There was a Christmas tree, not a real one and not very big, but it had white twinkling lights and an assortment of beautiful ribbons, balls, and beads. All the staff members were there as well, standing around the four-foot-high tree, trying to help arrange the decorations that had been messed up during its relocation to their apartment. Miguel was crouched down on the floor, his back turned to her, placing something underneath it.Jade let out a low laugh, recognizing it. "Did you steal this from the lobby downstairs?" Sh
Jade steadied a foot on the side of the boat, clutched the wooden post with one hand, and then maneuvered herself onto the dock with the help of Miguel. Her hair, which she had fought to keep pulled back against the strong wind, was disheveled and tangled from the boat ride. She spat out a strand that had been caught in her mouth and walked to the edge of the pier, studying the scenery. A little way up the shoreline, on the top of a hill covered in the undergrowth of botanical plants and an orchard of fruit trees, there was a white-washed stucco house with a rustic-red, terracotta rooftop. Along the face of the house, she could see a blackened hollow where the front door should've been and several sets of opened shutters that allowed panels of sheer white curtains to escape out into the breeze.Miguel guardedly looked behind him, noticing that she had suddenly stopped and was now squatting on the edge of the pier. He patiently watched as she gripped a sneaker
Jade crouched on the end of a craggy boulder that was partially buried under the large dune, welcoming the warm and rough texture as she pulled her knees into her chest, resting her chin across her folded arms. Looking out over the water, the sun had begun receding into the horizon, casting a vermilion glow over the rolling swells of the ocean. The calming rhythm of the water that lapped against the shoreline filled her senses, easing the stress-induced tautness of her shoulders.Glancing back at the face of the house, a kaleidoscopic of warm hues saturated the landscape. It looked unbelievable, like one of those places that most people would only ever see while thumbing through a travel brochure. It felt too overwhelming to be at the house right now, to be anywhere near Miguel. Jade had to excuse herself during their earlier conversation, aware that it would be impolite to confront him in front of the D'aguilars. The last thin
Jade bounced on the balls of her feet as she headed down the stairs, her ponytail swaying with each footfall. "You remembered to bring the sunblock, right?" She questioned Cassandra, who was only steps behind her. The girl quickly rummaged through the bag, second-guessing herself. "Yes, I have it right here," the girl mumbled.The fabric of her dress fluttered in the wind as she stepped into the morning sunlight, pushing a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. It was officially her last day on the island, and she intended to enjoy every second of it.Their getaway hadn't gotten off to a great start. That first night, after they'd gone downstairs for dinner, the power had suddenly gone out, leaving them sitting in the dark. At first, Jade was convinced it was because of the storm. It turned out that the house ran off a diesel generator, and after investigating, it was determined they had run out of fuel. Jacob suspected someone had siphoned it all, "Probably one of
They pulled up to the estate late the next afternoon. Looking out into the vortex of a wintry flurry, Jade tried to hold onto the memories of the island, feeling the warmth of it in her heart all the more. Waving goodbye to the D'aguliars that morning as the boat pulled away from the pier had filled her with a void. There was so much she would miss about her time spent there. The long flight back to Philadelphia only gave her time to reflect over the past week and ponder the upcoming days. It was a relief when Miguel insisted they travel to Philadelphia first, stating that he needed to arrange a meeting with Mark Schuler, a man he worked with. He didn't tell her what for but seemed irritated by something he'd noticed while looking over the paperwork that Amelia had delivered to him.Now that she was back in Pennsylvania, the first thing she wanted to do was call her best friend. She'd made a promise to keep in touch and had every intention to
Jade pushed the glass door open, walking out into the bitter air. She turned to Marissa, wrapping her arms around her in a long embrace. "It was so good to see you again," she reluctantly pulled away, saddened that their lunch date was already over. She understood that Marissa had to get back to work, though. "I know you're busy, but one of these weekends, you'll have to come to the house. Just let me know a day you have off, and we'll schedule it." "Of course, let me know when you get back from visiting his parents, and we'll figure it out. Oh, and you'll keep me updated about the baby shower?" Jade nodded in agreement. She hadn't even thought of having a baby shower but had agreed to let her best friend throw her one.They said their goodbyes and then parted ways, Marissa heading to her car that she had parked at the front of the building. Jade stepped onto the asphalt, bundling her coat around herself as she traveled through the row of vehicles, headi
Jade found it hard to eat, her appetite being spoiled by the fact that she was being stalked. The first time, she thought maybe someone slashed her tires because she had parked too close to the line. This time? There was no way it was a coincidence that it happened twice in one day. While she picked at her food, Miguel took the liberty of calling Ethan and demanded that he get his ass over to the apartment. So much for giving staff the night off. In a sense, she felt better knowing that he would be there with them; if anything about what Cassandra had told her about his background was true.Jade tucked her knees into her chest, staring at her phone as Ethan brought up the security footage on the television screen. She was trying to appear uninterested in what they were doing, keeping her head down and not saying anything. She watched the screen with