“Mm?” She was in his arms, her head nestled against the crook of his shoulder.
“I love you.”
Ayah hugged him tightly. “I love you, too.”
It should have ended like that. Perhaps if he had been a good man, it would have.
But it did not.
When they arrived at his hotel, a woman walked swiftly towards Luuk, throwing her arms around him as she gave him a passionate kiss. Pulling back, the stunning woman said throatily, “I missed you so much, Nic.”
~ Eight ~
The broken silence between the three of them was exactly what Thelma Laarson had hoped for. She had been keeping tabs on the little slut for over a year now, doing her best to poison Nic de Koningh’s mind against marrying the cheap gold digger in subtle ways.
She had known from the very start that the two had an inexplicable connection, and she had also been smart enough not to mention it. Instead, she had played her cards carefully, doing her best to undermine the relationship by constantly making digs about love in Nic’s presence. She had needed him cynical about love because it was the only way to get him – and she had almost won. She would have won if not for that snooty and nosy Farica.
That girl was the only one who could have convinced Nic to fly here and take his chances on this nobody. If not for Farica’s interference, Thelma knew a little more time was all she needed before she had a de Koningh ring around her finger.
But she wasn’t giving up just yet, Thelma thought as she pasted a fake curious smile on her lips upon turning to the pale-faced girl next to Nic. “Is she a friend of yours?” She let her eyes go wide. “Oh, dear! Don’t tell me this is—-”
Nic stiffened, realizing where this was heading. “Shut up, Thelma.”
“—-the infamous Ayah Chandler?”
Ayah whitened even more at hearing her name fall from the other woman’s lips. There was too much tension in the air for her to ignore the words, no matter how badly she wanted to pretend that nothing was happening.
“Yes.” She forced a smile. “I’m Ayah. But I’m afraid—-”
Thelma deliberately cut the girl off with a sneering laugh. “I know all about you, Ms. Chandler. I know how you’ve tried to seduce Nic on the plane and have forever pestered him since then with emails and calls—-”
Ayah took a step back, the vitriol in the other woman’s words making her feel physically sick. “I didn’t...I’m not...” She looked at Luuk, and the only thing she could think of asking was, “Why is she calling you Nic?”
Thelma snapped, “Because that’s what his name is, you stupid slut.”
“Get the fuck away from us now, Thelma,” Nic growled without taking his gaze off Ayah’s stricken face. “Ayah, I can—-”
She whispered, “Why would you lie to me?”
Thelma pushed herself between the two. “Oh, please. Isn’t it obvious? He’s just been fooling around with you.” She gave the younger girl a nasty smile. “Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re special, honey. Nic’s a billionaire and the flight here’s no more expensive than what he spends on his clothes.”
She tried to take a step closer towards the other girl, but Nic was suddenly holding her back. “Let go—-”
“Security,” Nic barked.
Thelma turned red. “How dare you call security on me?”
“Because you’re making a fucking scene—-”
The disgust on Nic’s face stung, and she poured out all of her rage on the other girl, turning to face her again. “Don’t think you’ve won, bitch!”
The hotel’s security crew had finally arrived and they took over holding her. Enraged, Thelma screamed, “He was always planning to dump you. In fact, he practically proposed marriage to me. Did you know that?” Seeing her words had found its mark, Thelma laughed. “Aww...did that hurt? Maybe he tried to propose to you, too? Well, I wouldn’t blame him for trying. It could be he was wondering if with marriage you’d finally give him your virginity—-”
Unable to bear hearing anything more, Ayah turned her back and walked away.
“Ayah, wait—-”
She nearly fell in her haste to get away from him.
Stunned, Nic slowly let his arm fall to the side.
“What’s your real name?”
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. He didn’t like hearing her like that. “Ayah, let’s talk—-”
She whirled around, crying out, “What’s your damn name?”
There wasn’t any sign of fury on her face. All he could see instead was hurt. “Nic,” he said tautly. “Nicolaas de Koningh.”
“And...you’re rich? Like she said?”
He gave her a curt nod.
She sucked in her breath at that, nearly doubling over at the pain his admission caused. “Everything she said was true, wasn’t it?” she asked tonelessly. “You never planned to marry me when you came here. You never...you never...” Ayah gasped out, the only way she could make herself breathe through the pain. “Oh, God, you...never...”