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I have three floors that belong to me, a rooftop pool, and an outdoor space that most people can only dream of. Oh, and the view doesn’t hurt. It would be a perfect place to raise a family, but the thought of giving Jasmine a way to tie herself to me for eighteen years makes me want to get a fucking vasectomy. Hell, that’s how I ended up married to her. Her period was late, and she came to me, crying. And I fucking believed her, thinking she didn’t have it in her to lie to me. The first of many mistakes I made when it came to her.
Inside, I make my way to my bedroom, where I hear a soft meow.
“There’s my girl,” I say as my cat stretches on my bed.
She comes toward me, purring loudly when I pet her. I never thought I’d be the type of guy to have a pet, much less a cat, but Elizabeth Bennet forced her way into my life via Ellie, and I’d like to think I’m a bit better because of it. I carry her across the room while she purrs contentedly. She loves being held. Probably because I carried her around a lot when she was a kitten, when I wasn’t sure if she was going to make it.
My men would definitely give me shit if they knew I had her, which is why she stays hidden away in my room. Only my housekeeper knows about her. Since she’s all black, she blends in with the dark tones of the room. I pet her a while longer before she gets bored and hops from my arms, going to her bed in the room's corner. Just hearing her purr is enough to get rid of the shit mood I’m in.
I slip from the room, going to my office. Razoul wasn’t wrong when he asked if he was going to be sent to Kansas. I’ve kept tabs on the men in Ellie’s life for a while now, getting rid of them before they get too close to her. I pull up Ellie’s boss online and run a search on him. When Jasmine said Ellie was working for a Dr. Kelly, I stupidly assumed it was a woman. Imagine my surprise when I found out the good doctor is a man. If I find one fucking thing out of place, he’s dead. Just like all the others. At best, he’ll be warned to move far away from Kansas and never speak to Ellie again.
After an hour-long search, I’m pissed to find he’s clean. Shit. Guess I can’t kill him. Not until he touches what’s mine. And then it’ll be too late for him.
4
Ellie
Be on the lookout for events that will change your life.
Mondays are always hard, but today might be the worst Monday I’ve had in a while, no thanks to my horoscope. Nerves make my stomach flutter with unease. It feels like the first day of school and I hate that feeling more than anything. Opening the doors, I step into the Met. The familiar scent calms me a bit. Jasmine said she would wait for me. I hope she didn’t forget. Thankfully, I see her. She squeals, running toward me. The sound of her high heels echoes off the walls and floor, and people look our way. Guess museum etiquette doesn’t apply to her. I wave and make my way toward her. My flats don’t even make a sound as I walk.
“I still can’t believe you’re here! What did you do last night?”
“Unpacked.” And ate my weight in cookies. “I can’t believe I’m here either.”
“Come on. I have so much to show you. Oh! And you have to meet everyone.”
Jasmine rattles off the names of people I’ll be meeting, though I know I’ll never remember them. I can remember a face but give me a name to go with that face and I go blank. Now, after I get to know them, I’ll remember, but it’s going to be hairy at first.
“—super late to be joining, but money talks.” Her laugh tinkles like little bells. “And Jafar keeps saying I need to stay busy, so this is perfect.”
“About that, I didn’t know you quit the firm. I thought you liked it there?”
She doesn’t question how I know this new bit of information. I want to ask about the bar exam, too, but I can already tell that she’s going to be snippy about the subject.
“You know I only went to law school so I could land a catch like Jafar. Men in his position value a woman with a career they can brag about.” Her laugh tinkles in the air. “I mean, can you imagine Jafar bragging aboutyourjob?”
“First, I love my job and I don’t need a man to say if it’s good enough or not. Second, no, I didn’t know you only went to law school to get a husband. So all that talk about wanting to make a difference in the world wasn’t real?”
She clicks her tongue against the top of her mouth, a habit she’s had since I’ve known her, and something she only does when she’s annoyed.
“I have money, Ellie. That means I can do things like this, where I can make a differenceandhave fun.”
I could point out a lot of things that are wrong with her statement, like it’s not her money talking. It’s Jafar’s. I don’t say anything, though. I know when to pick my battles with her, and this isn’t one of them.
“What are we doing first?”
“I’m glad you asked.”
Several hours later, Jasmine and I leave the meeting with the others who are helping plan the gala. I didn’t miss the looks some of them shot at Jasmine each time she opened her mouth to speak. I get it. They’ve been planning the gala for over a year, and she’s waltzing in at the last minute, trying to put her spin on it. The theme this year is Royal Haute Couture, but Jasmine thinks there should be a fairytale twist added. They vetoed almost immediately. Only me and one other person sided with her, and I think it’s because of the death glare she shot the poor man.
She huffs as we make our way to her office, which I guess will be my office, too, while I help her. All the offices are trendy and have blue glass walls and doors. Jasmine’s office is decorated in dark purples and gold, which are very much her style. There’s a desk with two chairs in front of it. Jasmine enters the office first, and I’m right behind her.
“Close the door.”
I do as she says, knowing she’s at her melting point.
“How dare they laugh at my idea! Don’t they know my husband can have them killed if I ask?”
