Vince’s POV
The rage seeping through me is uncontrollable. Not only is Ryan calling her after I warned him never to call her again last night before I slept off in her arms. But Mark is also calling.
What the hell do these men want from my wife? Do I need to show them who I truly am? Do I need to use my power to make them stay away from her?
I guess Mark still doesn’t know me well enough but Ryan ought to back down. He is married to Clara and Clara knows me so well.
“Hi, Mark…” Ann mutters with a smile playing on her lips.
I stare at her from my peripheral view, desperate to hear what that jerk is saying from the other end.
I wish I could grab the phone from her and warn him not to call her again, just like I did with Ryan. But I know she wouldn’t like it. She hasn’t been going to the academy since I punched Mark.
I should have done more than punch him. That punch didn’t teach him any lessons.
Ann bites her lower lip and stares at me suspiciously.
“Oh, yes! Everything is fine,” she replies sharply and stands up, moving towards the door. I find myself scrambling out of bed and following her. “I just did not know how to show up after what happened.”
I halt.
“I’m really sorry, Mark,” she apologizes again, as a fresh wave of anger pours through me.
She shouldn’t be sorry because I am not.
“I will come,” she spins around, almost bumping into me. When she raises a brow, I pretend to be taking the door out but stop when I have my hands on the doorknob.
I want to know why he is calling.
“Thanks Mark,” she smiles and drops the call before heading to the bathroom.
“Why is he calling you?” I ask, stopping her from going into the bathroom. She turns around slowly and flashes me a quick smile.
“To ask why I have missed two classes in a row,” she replies and I nod, trying to be understanding. “He says there’s going to be an announcement today after the class and he also told me this is my last chance to avoid getting suspended.”
“Ok,” I leave the doorknob. “What do you want to do?”
She seems puzzled at my question. “What do you mean what I want to do? I should go, of course.”
I can’t stop her. Stopping her would mean I punched Mark intentionally, just to stop her from going to the academy.
I can’t bear seeing her close to a guy like Mark, who doesn’t know his boundaries.
“Should I come with…”
“No, Vince!” She opposes it quickly. “Not this time. I would be fine on my own, okay?”
Her phone starts to ring again, and she takes her eyes off me to watch the screen. It continues to ring but she doesn’t pick it up.
“Ryan?” I ask, and she nods before dropping the call and heading to the bathroom. I am tempted to grab the phone and pick up the call again.
If he keeps doing this, I would have no choice but to invite him to my torture room. Maybe when I do that, he will know his place.
Seeing how upset Ann was when his name flashes across the screen, I felt nothing but relief.
Relief that she is finally getting over him and hating him.
It means something good to me.
I begin to pace to and fro, juggling my mind between the two men. Apparently, Mark likes Ann but I don’t know if she likes him in return, even though she denies liking him romantically.
Ryan is a loser already. Ann doesn’t like him anymore, and he has no chance with her.
Why she keeps bringing up the issue of an annulment is still a baffle to me. Perhaps I should have told her mother was right but I know she isn’t.
I know what mother is trying to do. She was indirectly telling Ann we can’t get divorced. She is only doing that to ensure I don’t opt out of this marriage eventually and end up single as she dreads.
I really don’t know what Ann thinks, but I know I don’t want her to leave.
Just yet.
Or maybe never.
Do you love her, Vince? A voice demands internally and I turn around sharply, just in time for her to step out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel.
The gracious, long legs are the first to catch my eyes.
Dripping with water, she takes her steps one after the other.
“You are still here?” She asks, not surprised though. I am unable to find my voice, and I nod.
She moves to the dresser after watching me for a moment, probably to figure out what must be going through my head.
My gaze shifts to her backside and, finally, her shoulders. When she begins to rub some oil lotion onto her legs, I decide I can’t do it anymore and move out.
My heart is ricocheting so hard in my ribcage. It feels strange and, at the same time, sweet.
I’ve never felt anything like this before.
Even though it bothers me, I can’t help but accept the feeling of exhilaration that it comes with.
My heart palpitations mean something. Was I excited to have seen her in nothing but a towel?
I remember she was wearing just a robe the night we first saw each other. I didn’t feel this way. Why do I feel this way now?
I also recall seeing Isabel in a towel before, too, but I never felt this strange jolting, nor did I feel any sort of excitement or some sort of throbbing in my pants.
Does this mean Kyra is right? Am I attracted to Ann?
As much as I want to deny this, I know there is a lot of proof to believe that I am. Not only do I feel jealous when she is with any other man, but I always want to see and have her around.
Not only did I sleep dreamlessly like a baby just because I was sleeping right next to her, but I also felt her absence the moment she sat up in bed and watched me.
I felt her gaze on me, before her touch.
Her touch sent tingles of excitement running through me. Making me feel the desire for her to do more. To drag her fingers all through my hair, down the nape of my neck, and to my face and body.
I wanted to feel her touch in every part of my body.
The door opens behind me, jolting me out of my reverie.
“Vince?” She steps out and closes the door behind quietly. “You are still here?”
I nod. I want to insist on taking her to the academy, but I know she wouldn’t allow that.
“I’ll get going. I should be back before noon. I’ll go with Luca.” She mutters the last part just to stop me from protesting about her going out alone.
“Take care.”
Surprise flickers in her eyes. Before she leaves, walking down the staircase in a long jean trouser and a tank top.
She looks good in everything.
Did I just tell her to take care? I don’t think I have ever said that to anyone before. Not even my mother.
When I am sure she is gone and probably driving out of the courtyard, I jog forward.
I have a lot of work to do, but I don’t feel the need to do anything else other than accompany her to the academy. I just want to ensure she is there safely, then I can come back.
But I know deep down I am not following her just for that. I want Mark to see me so he can stay within the boundaries I have set for him.
The car is already out by the time I am in the courtyard. I signal to Martinez, and he gets into one of the cars while I walk towards the door.
I open the door myself and get in.
The car is in sight. It is driving at a slow pace so I ask Martinez to do the same. A few meters away from the academy, I notice the car taking a left turn instead of right.
My brows shoot up and I signal to him to move in faster on them.
With urgency, I bring out my phone to message Luca. He is the one driving her. Why is he taking a left turn instead of the right? Where is he going?
“Luca, where are you going?” I tap on the send button.
He doesn’t reply. So I send another.
“Luca…”
It’s going to be very hard for him to reply to me since he is driving, but if I call him, he would be able to speak.
I dial his number without hesitation.
“Luca, where the hell are you going? The academy is on the right.”
“Yes, boss,” he replies sharply, almost cutting me short.
“Where are you going?”
“Madam asked me to.”
“What? Why?” He knows we are following behind already, so he keeps answering in short syllables so Annette wouldn’t suspect a thing.
“Don’t know, sir.”
“Call me back as soon as she is out of the car, and watch out for any threats too.”
“Sure, boss.” He disconnects the call immediately.
Suddenly, the car slows down, and Martinez does the same. When he stops, Ann comes out of the car without waiting for Luca to get her the door.
She speaks to him through the window before walking into a store.
My brows raise further in confusion. Is she here to buy something?
The ringing sound of my phone jerks me out of my thoughts just as a familiar figure steps out of another car right in front of us.
Dressed in a jean like Ann and wearing a sunshade.
He keeps glancing around like a thief in the dead of the night, making him look a bit suspicious.
I grab the car door to go out when he takes the sunshade off and I see his face.
Ryan.