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Jason nodded, asking Claudine and her assistant to follow him.
I walked back into the office, beckoning my wife and sister to follow me.
Elizabeth was the first to whisper to Mia that Claudine was a world-renowned designer once she saw the well-dressed woman unpacking her bags.
“Claudine, this is my wife, and this is my sister. I trust that you’ll have them sorted for the ball in a few days.”
Pulling her face tighter than the botox did, Claudine nodded hesitant about being given a deadline to complete two custom dresses.
It was last minute but when you had money in abundance, anything was possible, and Claudine knew that.
Therefore, I planned to use everything at my fingertips to ensure my wife was always comfortable and satisfied, even if it rustled a few feathers along the way. She was my priority.
Before I left to give the girls their space, my wife walked to me and stood on her tippy toes, laying a kiss on my cheek. She then muttered, “Thank you,” before skipping back to Elizabeth’s side.
And for once, I genuinely smile.
Chapter Seventeen
MIA
When Elias ordered me home, I had no idea what he had planned, but I should’ve known that my husband never half-stepped.
When he told me not to worry or that he would handle everything, he did. It wasn’t an empty promise. He stuck to his word and so, I trusted that in his will to protect me, he would.
I didn’t just say thank you for the designer or the gorgeous dress that would come of his efforts but for everything he had done for me.
When he didn’t have to, he stepped in and married me, going so far as to ensure that I was comfortable as I stood and laid by his side.
He said he couldn’t promise me love but as a widower of one of the most gruesome men on this earth, this was enough. I couldn’t ask more of him.
As Elizabeth was being measured and fitted for her dress, I couldn’t help but think of the ball that I would be attending. The Callahans were a formidable family, granted not as great as the Galdurs, but they could hold their own.
I went to the ball once when I first got married to Ilya. It was an escape from my horrid life, only if for a night, because it was a diplomatic occasion.
No wars, no fights, no murders were supposed to happen as the most powerful and dangerous people gathered in the halls at the Callahan Manor.
This is how I knew my life would be spared for another night; Ilya would be too drunk to lift a whip to my back or push one of his objects into me to fulfill his filthy fantasies.
The next year, I looked forward to the ball, but Ilya told me I wouldn’t be going. He didn’t want the ball to ruin his fun. And dear he stopped tormenting me, his wife, for at least one night. Instead, he went God knows where and returned to do his worst to my body.
Ilya was never one to miss an opportunity to brag about his wealth or power, so I knew it had to be more than belittling his wife that stopped him from attending the ball. My common sense told me he had not been invited.
God knows why since my husband never failed to leave a bad impression on whoever he met or wherever he went.
As I stood, I held my arms wide as Claudine began to measure my body. When I dropped my hands to my side, she wrapped the tape around my breasts.
“40.” She shouted to her assistant who scrambled to write the correct digits.
Claudine looked at me, her blue eyes light with age, “Your husband must love you, si?”
I offered her a tight-lipped smile.
When the tape went around my waist, she said, “Perfect hips for childbearing, si. You and Mr. Galdur have children?”
I shook my head no, a slight red hue to my cheeks as I thought about our night together. We were careless, not using protection but that was the furthest thing from my mind as my husband hosed the fire between my legs.
Did I want children?
