AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He left the crowd and greeted Xander warmly. “Nice to see you again.”
“Same here, Mr. Crane,” Xander said to him.
“Call me Paul.” He then came to me, and my pulse quickened as he gave me a once-over. “You look beautiful, Nadia.”
I peered at him through my lashes. “You think so, Mr. Crane?”
“Always,” he said without hesitation.
My heart skipped a beat. “I’m surprised you’re here.”
“Justus asked me if I could arrange for you to see him tonight.”
I snorted. Justus had no right to use Paul to talk to me.
“Gunnar has been in contact with his lawyers to ensure he knows you’re represented and protected by me. There will be no more private investigators. All findings collected are in litigation.”
I sighed and my tension eased. Paul’s heavy hand over my life at times felt overpowering. However, in the case of Justus, I was grateful.Now Justus realizes he can’t treat me like Nora.I’m not alone. I have Paul and his powerful team looking out for me.Not only that, but Paul also rearranged his schedule to be here to support me.
“Thank you….” I swallowed hard. I was so touched by his thoughtfulness.
“I wanted to be here for you, Nadia.” His eyes bore into mine, and all I wanted was to be closer to him. For him to touch me all over. But it wasn’t the time. Still, he eyed me inquisitively. And I felt my skin flush under his scrutiny. Yes. In the middle of all the chaos, I still needed our connection, our bond.
There was a hint of surprise in his expression, but it quickly darkened with desire, and my heart pumped harder.
A flash of light reminded me that cameras were capturing us.Another time. Hopefully soon.
I would meet Justus Black, which meant one thing.
Justus was sure I was his biological daughter.
Walking inside Madison Square Garden for the first time was nothing short of out of this world. I’d seen stadium concerts before, but nothing as grand as this. The crowd of thousands packed the stands that tiered into the heavens. They were singing along with the female singer powering out a pop ballad on stage.
Paul held my hand, and with Xander, we moved within a circle of security and bodyguards to the side entrance leading backstage. Right away, people there approached Paul.
And inadvertently, Xander and I were cast in the role of his entourage, receiving associated handshakes.
“Is it always like this with him?” Xander asked when we had a moment to ourselves. He was usually cynical about most things, and it was fascinating to see him awestruck.
I nodded. “Only when we go to large events.”
But that wasn’t the whole truth. Paul had a magnetism about him that drew people to him.Just like Justus Black. Standing there I couldn’t help but think of Nora. She had been out of my life longer than she’d been a part of it. Yet somehow, I ended up just like her, captivated by a powerful, famous man.
We grouped to the side of the stage, and I scanned the hundreds of faces in the pit up front. The more I stared, the more the faces blended. Nothing stood out. Nothing connected. Then again, what was I looking for? A young girl with long brown hair? That Nora was long gone by now. She could be standing before me, and I wouldn’t even know.Do I want to know?
“Nadia,” Paul said my name, breaking the trance. His eyes narrowed as he scanned over me. “This is too much too soon. We can leave—”
“No. I want to stay.” I forced a smile and squeezed his hand. Clapping erupted around us as The Moody Mondays left the stage. And the lead singer came rushing over to where we stood.
“Paul Crane? Wow. I can’t believe it. Paul Crane came to my show,” she gushed and hugged him.
Paul let her go and turned towards us. “Yasmin and I worked together on her first album.”
She beamed at him. “Paul’s being modest. He changed my life. I was in coffee houses, and now I’m at Madison Square Garden.”
The crowd stomped their feet and clapped for an encore.
“Will you join me on stage? I’ll sing Love The Way You Love Me?” Yasmin pleaded with Paul.
