After having breakfast at home, Gideon and I drove to the Everette hotels. Upon arrival, we found the media was already outside waiting for me. Gideon drove past the main entrance, and we used the back entrance with the underground parking. We got into the VIP elevator and Elaine was already waiting for us. "It's about time you showed your-" Elaine's statement drifted off when she saw Gideon. "How was your weekend, sis?" I asked her. "Good morning, Elaine," Gideon stated. She turned around and walked toward the office without a word. Gideon murmured, "Patience." We walked into my office and Elaine moved to sit by the couch. "Why weren't you picking up calls?"I walked to sit at the desk and Gideon moved further away from Elaine to stand by the desk. "I already told you that I was with Wade," I calmly said. I knew that Elaine was agitated and having Gideon around did not help much. "Ma was worried still. The media has been going crazy and Vera Bexley has been doing interv
The next day flew by and by evening Elaine was pacing up and down the west wing while I tried to reach Gideon. He picked up on the fourth ring. "Where the hell are you?" "We had a last-minute meeting with Pa's office. Please proceed without me. I will join you later," Gideon said and disconnected the call. Elaine huffed and muttered, "Why the hell did he not communicate this earlier?""He has been trying to secure a meeting with the Secretary of State about Ma's issue," I informed Elaine."Okay, let us go. I'm so nervous," Elaine whispered, making me laugh. "Why do you sound like a bride going to meet the groom's parents?" I jested. "Tsk, I bet you were as nervous as I was when you visited the Malkiel villa the first time," Elaine laughed. We were laughing as we walked out of the west wing and found Ma by the foyer all dressed up and waiting."You said we are going for dinner, right?" Her eyes sparkled. We sped off on the Valletta roads and arrived at the Malkiel villa.
WADE'S POVOur relationship had taken such a good turn and now Vaughn had moved in. Pa was so excited that Uncle Malkiel and Auden kept laughing at his ridiculous panic. It surprised Vaughn when he learned that Damien was living with us, and Uncle Malkiel was finalizing his adoption papers. Every dinner during the week was so hearty that we all rushed home to Pa at the end of the day. It was such a blissful moment that I prayed for it to always be like this. Elaine and Gideon joined us for dinner twice and, to our surprise, we noticed that Damien looked relaxed around Gideon.Gideon's father had garnered help from the party members who were in support of Mayor Everette. Somehow, the pressure to remove her from the party had quieted down. We knew it was only for a while until Sam Bexley came up with more plans. "Something is going on between those two," I whispered to Vaughn. "Gideon likes women, Wade," Vaughn responded. "I doubt it. My eyes tell me that Gideon is in love with
I was deep in sleep when I heard Vaughn's voice waking me up. Opening my eyes, the bright light from the windows blazed, and I plucked the pillow from my head and covered my eyes. "What time is it?" I asked him in a muffled voice. "It's eight in the morning," he responded. "Auden has been calling since six. It sounded urgent." He handed me the phone, and I sat up on the bed, putting the pillow aside. I called Auden immediately, and he answered on the second ring. "You b*stard, I have been looking for you since dawn. Did you oversleep and forget that we had a meeting?" "Yes," I responded calmly. The calmness in my tone made Auden shut up. "Okay. As suggested to Damien and Pa, I bought the largest shares in the Malta Daily LTD for both print and digital.""What?" I gasped. "I was only angry at that time. How much did that cost me?" Auden laughed. "Not much. Don't worry, your money is safe Mr. Billionaire." "Pfft shut up. What time is the meeting? I need to meet the team from
VAUGHN'S POVI was so engrossed in work when Gideon and Elaine busted into my office. "What is it?""Wade Malkiel is something else. Have you watched the news?" Gideon laughed."I have been busy working as you can see. What is happening?" I asked Elaine. She took the remote and switched on the TV, searching for the Malta Daily channel. Auden's face came into view. "The Malkiel Holding will keep supporting the Valletta community by introducing the art school under the Museum of Arts and Gallery. We invite everyone interested to come for the registration. Thank you all." And then the press briefing ended. I raised my eyebrows in question and Gideon smiled. "It is what he said before. That they have withdrawn from the Bexley Foundation. And that they will be investing in the Everette hotels and opening a new hotel in Gozo. Your boyfriend is going all out."Elaine beamed. "My brother-in-law is outstanding. But Vaughn you don't seem excited by the news."I leaned back on the se
I tried to open my eyes, but they seemed too heavy. I could not move my body. The light above seemed to hit my eyes and then I blacked out again. When I came to again, I was lying on a bed. I opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings trying to get my bearing when I realized that I was still at the hotel, in one of the rooms. I tried to sit up, but my body was burning. I was in my underwear and all my clothes were placed by the seat. I could not remember what happened but there was a clear smell of perfume in the room. Vera Bexley's perfume! I hated that smell and I deduced that she had drugged me. I staggered to the couch and struggled to get dressed. I slowly walked to the bathroom and put my head under the sink. I needed to sober up. What did the damn woman do to me?After five minutes the haze had cleared, and I felt a little bit better. I walked to the door of the room and realized that she had chosen the room that Elaine and I used when we needed to rest. That f*cking b*
"Vaughn, Wade, wake up." I heard Auden's voice as it boomed loud in my ear. "Go away," Wade sleepily said."The police are here. You better wake up," Auden scolded. "Get out and give us a few minutes," Wade said.Auden groaned in response. We listened to his footsteps walk away and then the door closed. I opened my eyes and when I tried to move, I felt Wade's hard-on pressing on my crotch. "You can't be serious," I whispered. "There is nothing wrong with my body. I am a healthy male." I felt the tremors of his body as he laughed. Disentangling from his hold, I stood up and walked straight to the bathroom to wash my face. A minute later he joined me and pressed his body against my back. "Did you want Auden to see the state of my c*ck?" "Shut up." I covered my face in embarrassment. He laughed and then moved to the sink to wash his face. After brushing our teeth, we stood staring at each other through the mirror. "Can we talk?" Wade asked. I nodded and then turned to
WADE'S POV Pacing up and down the office, I cursed. Vaughn had been compromised in this war that I had started when I returned to Valletta. The panic in Elaine's voice when she called me to say she couldn't reach Vaughn and that he had a meeting with Vera made my skin crawl.My mind raced back to Gideon's call demanding I rush up to the penthouse suite and when I walked into the room and saw Vaughn lying on the bed, I felt fear for the first time in ten years. My body trembled all the way to the hospital. The test results came, and I heaved a sigh of relief. But something kept nagging me at the back of my head.What was Vera's goal? I could not put a finger on it, but I knew that she would reveal it sooner or later. Auden walked into the office and immediately advised, "You need to calm down, Wade. Only then can you be rational and think of a plan to counteract this." "How? They drugged him, carried him to the hotel, and God knows what they did to him. Cleaned him up and then l