CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIX.
All members of the Dominick family were seated in the grand living room at the mansion, waiting for the big announcement that had to be made by Jamal. Except Adele, no one else knew that he had gathered them all to introduce them to Reid Bradfords, Shannelle’s betrothed.
Aliya was getting impatient and the fact that she was sitting in the same bedroom with Adele made her stomach churn. She hated the girl and hated being anywhere around her.
“Jamal, we have been sitting here for over thirty minutes! What is…”
“Ten minutes mother, ten minutes.” Jamal rudely cut her off with a correction. “And by the way, he is here.” Said Jamal as he averted his gaze from his wrist watch to the door.
“Who is h…”
“Oh my God!” Shannelle screamed in excitement when she followed her brother’s gaze to the door and saw Reid standing by it. She quickly rose to her feet and looked from her brother to Reid in excitement.
She was confused about what to do. Reid opened his arms for her and when Jamal nodded to give her the go ahead, she rushed over to Reid and crashed into his arms.
“Hello, cupcake.” He greeted sweetly as he gently squeezed Shannelle in his arms. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you after all these years.” He whispered to Shanelle who just kept hugging him.
Jamal smiled heartily at the public display of emotions that he was currently witnessing. He rose to his feet and looked at his parents who looked very pleased by the union.
“I’m guessing by now everyone understands why this meeting was called.” He spoke out and his parents looked at him and nodded their heads.
The rest of the meeting went on with introductions and a day for Adele’s announcement to the world was set as well.
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THE PARTY.
A clothing and makeup team were brought to the villa that morning. Throughout the preparation, Adele didn’t choose anything nor made any comment, she fully trusted them because she wasn’t very experienced in that field.
The team chose a dress she wouldn’t even dare look at in her wildest dreams, it was just a piece of art and it exposed a better part of her back.
When she was all dressed up, she finally admitted that her body wasn’t so bad. Her curvy figure was printed out by the straight long gown that flushed to the ground. She realized she had been wearing the wrong clothes her whole life.
She looked amazing.
The team took care of both Grandma and Shannelle as well as they were both going to attend the party.
All their outfits were gorgeous and Adele knew her husband probably spent half his fortune buying them.
“Were you the one who chose my dress?” Adele asked one of the members of the dressing team.
“We didn’t choose your dress.” The man who seemed
in charge said to her surprise. He looked at Adele with a worried expression. “Mr. King suggested this particular dress for you, he said you can change it if you wish to.” He further explained and Adele finally admitted that Jamal indeed had an eye for fashion when her makeup and hair were done and her look was completed.
She really looked like someone’s first love, like a woman who could be an exception in the eyes of the richest man in the country.
Soon, there was a knock on the door and when Adele signaled whoever it was to come in, Jamal walked into the bedroom already dressed up for the party. He looked like he did everyday when he went to work and Adele just chuckled.
“May we be excused?” He asked the leader of the clothing and make up team and immediately, they all left the bedroom.
He stood right behind her and kept looking at her reflection for a long time without saying a word.
Then when she least expected it, he suddenly crossed the distance that separated them, becoming almost stuck on her back.
At that moment, she was frozen, especially when he
pushed a few locks of her hair behind her ear to fall on her back. Adele could feel his breaths on her bare back.
She just kept observing actions with her eyes almost popping out of her head and her breaths getting quicker.
He calmly circled her waist with his palms then he bent
his head and kissed her back.
Adele had never been approached by a man in that way. That little kiss electrocuted her entire body and caused her to shudder as goosebumps appeared all over her body.
Then with a quick movement he made her turn to face
him and they were dangerously close to each other.
His gaze was intense, so different from all the times they
looked at each other since there were a lot of borders
that separated them in the past. When they were finally
lifted, Jamal refused to restrain his eyes from really
looking at her.
Adele loved that man from the depth of her heart and she was convinced that he loved her too. His eyes were filled with love and a hint of uncertainty.
Adele wondered what he was uncertain about.
He carefully cupped her cheeks between his palms and then bent to kiss her.
“Jamal.” Adele whispered his name, but he did not answer. He brought his lips closer to hers and locked their lips together. Adele felt sparks all over her body and the butterflies in her stomach rose.
Her heart was beating at an increasingly rapid pace and her face had turned red. It was burning with heat from blushing too much.
The kiss was slow and passionate and when Jamal broke it, Adele felt disappointed because she wanted more.
“You look ravishing. This dress should thank you for wearing it.” He complimented and Adele blushed even harder.
“And I should thank you for choosing it for me.”
“I didn’t really do any work. You look good in anything you wear.” He further complimented and Adele chuckled and blushed yet again
He walked over to the dressing table and opened one of the drawers and took out a rectangular box from it. It was red in color and had blinks all over. Adele had no idea what he was doing so she just sat still and watched him open the box and took out a necklace from it.
He closed the little distance that separated him from Adele and put the necklace around her neck.
Adele looked at it through the mirror. It looked very
expensive.
There was a huge golden gem shining right in the
middle, then all around her neck were smaller white ones
extending like tree leaves shining on her skin.
She had wondered why the stylist only selected shoes and a bag for her, but no jewelry. It was then she realized it was because her husband wanted to do that step for her.
She felt so emotional looking at the necklace.
“It’s beautiful.” She whispered as she calmly touched it.
“Do you like it?” Jamal calmly asked and she nodded with a smile.
“I love it! Are these diamonds?”
“Yes,” Jamal whispered.
“This looks so expansive.” Adele commented while
carefully touching the necklace. Jamal calmly leaned closer and kissed her forehead.
“You deserve every expensive jewelry in the world, my love.”
All Adele did was chuckle as she kept looking at her reflection in the mirror.
“I feel reluctant to take you down there.” He added and Adele turned behind to face him.
“Why?”
“There’s too many guests. Both friends and enemies. You never know who might try to do something stupid.”
“Jamal, leave that to the security. I’m sure they have everything under control. Nothing will happen to me, I promise.” Adele tried to make him feel better but she could see from his looks that he was not convinced with these words at all, he only continued to stare at her with no comment.
Looking at him with all the love she had for him, she genuinely asked:
“Do you think I look plain?”
Jamal’s expression changed drastically the moment he heard the word “plain”.
” You are beautiful! You’re always the most beautiful and no you do not look plain. You look ravishing!”
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” He said and planted another kiss on her forehead. “I’m guessing you are done?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then let’s go down, everyone is patiently waiting.”
Needless to say that when they went downstairs and Adele was introduced to the public as Mrs King, everyone was shocked to the core, especially the employees at Dominick Co. Her coworkers couldn’t believe the news.
The entire country was talking about the issue when Adele’s pictures circulated online.
Jamal did not leave her side even for one second and the guards were always on high alert. The only person who wasn’t smiling at that occasion was Aliya. She was haunted by the fact that Jamal had shown Adele to the world as his wife, but there was nothing she could do.
The deed had been done already.