"I don't fucking care what you have to do, shut her ass down" Jade seethes into the phone to her P.R team. The news spread like wildfire, which normally wouldn't be a problem but since we were in public it made everything worse. Ultimately, we had to cut our day short, Leya was overwhelmed, Jade was pissed, and the crowd wouldn't leave us alone. It was a shit show, all because two people, Cash and this Shana woman thrive on drama. Cash wouldn't stop his slick ass comments either, a good day turned to ass and I wasn't feeling up to being with anyone anymore.
I came home and Jade insisted on joining me and now she's going off on her team while watching me cook dinner. I haven't been in the mood to say much, the guilt of seeing Leya so anxious still sitting with me. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid, why did I just stand there? I stir the pasta and listen to Jade speak with her team to get control of the narrative of the marriage. She already discussed what we would tell the public, something about keeping it as close to the truth as she can. I didn't question her, I didn't even want to know, all I cared about was taking care of Leya. She got over it once we got home and after a few movies she went off to play with her toys.
Although Leya's spirit was easily lifted again it did nothing to calm Jade down. She's furious, I think she's more bothered than I am at this point. She wouldn't stop apologizing to me even though I told her it's not her fault. It's not the first time we've been out and a crowd forms, but it's usually under control. We both should've expected an uproar when people found out we're married. I couldn't understand how it all came out so fast, it literally happened yesterday, but Jade said that she saw Shana near our table at the restaurant. She probably overheard Cash's outbursts.
Jade sighs, hanging up the phone irritation rolling off of her in waves. "I'm sorry, Angel, this is my fault".
"Jade stop apologizing, we're fine, Leya is fine, we're safe. It wasn't your fault, so no more blaming yourself".
"I can't help but feel like your life was much better before me. All I've brought you is trouble and now it is affecting Cataleya. I knew I wasn't cut out for this shit. So many problems have risen because of my interference in your life". The guilt is heavy in her voice, unlike I've ever heard her before so I turn off the stove, and go to Jade. She has a deep frown and she's staring down at her balled up fist. I grab her hand and lift her head so she's looking me in the eye.
"Do you regret being with me Jade?"
"No, I don't but..."
"No, no "buts" Jade, because I don't regret this not one second. Not the good, not the bad, not the drama, I wouldn't change anything".
"You wouldn't?" Jade's disbelieving tone has my heart cracking, it's so sad that she can't see how amazing she is. Jade truly believes she doesn't deserve love which is the furthest thing from the truth. Even if she didn't, I'm sure I'd love her regardless. Instead of answering her doubt directly, I reach up and give her a drawn out kiss, my tongue moving slowly with her as I try to communicate what she means to me, how I feel about her. I moan my approval as her hands travel across my body, settling firmly on my ass, giving my cheeks a soft squeeze. I loop my arms around her neck as she deepens the kiss, walking us back into the island. Our kiss is full of passion and hunger that seemed to multiply in our absence from each other.
Jade sucks and bites my lips, lifting me onto the island and spreading my legs, stepping between them and pulling me to the edge. Jade doesn't rush her movements, every stroke and touch of fingers is intentional, meant to derive the most pleasure possible from me. And she is more than successful, her touch, kiss, voice, the way she looks at me is more than pleasing. The feelings that well-up inside of me on account of Jade transcend pleasure and have climbed up to my heart, where she seems to have nestled her way in my life.
Her hand travels under my shirt, intent on lifting it over my head when a throat clears behind us. I recognize it as my aunt immediately and swat Jade's hands away instinctively, hopping down from the island and fixing myself up. Jade smirks, wiping her mouth as she steps back, getting dishes out for dinner, throwing a last look my way that tells me we'll finish this later.
"Good evening, Ms. Raya".
"Hola, tia" my aunt simply hums as she sets Leya down, who runs over to help Jade. My tia looks between us both, her brows raise and I feel my face heat up while Jade just smirks and talks to Leya.
"Is there something you two need to tell me?" My aunt's tone is accusatory, worsening my pink cheeks that turn red, looking between me and Jade, who's snickering at my nervousness.
"Don't get shy now, I heard about it all from mis amigas y tus primos. The internet too". My aunt motions between me and Jade and I just shrug.
"It sounds like you've heard it all then". My smart ass comment doesn't go over well with my aunt as she cuts her ass at me, coming over to hit my ass and point her freshly manicured nails in my face. I smirk remembering how she told me she'd never pay for her nails when she can do it herself, it looks like Enrique is taking good care of her.
"Angel" she says my name in a light warning and I sigh, finishing up the food. My aunt knows about the contract and deal I have with Jade but I don't know if she'll accept me taking such a big step.
"Ms. Raya, I should take responsibility for everything you've heard concerning my relationship with your niece". Jade steps in as she gets Leya washed up and settled at the table, making me smile to myself. She is going to be a great mother one day, she's already a great step-mom without even realizing it.
"Stop being so formal and professional with me, now tell me is it true you married my niece without even telling me?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, things have gotten a bit out of my control, which is very embarrassing for me to admit out loud. So, selfishly, I sought out the only person I knew could and would help. Honestly, I had never expected her to agree but when she did, I realized that there's nobody in my life that I fully trust, aside from Angel". I hide my smile as Jade speaks with my aunt, trying to calm my rapid beating heart from her sweet words. Jade isn't very affectionate but when she is, the world pauses for a moment. I've never heard Jade express her feelings about me towards anyone except for my aunt and whenever I enter the room they change the conversation.
I know Jade cares about me, and is intent on taking care of me, she's attracted to me, obviously, and she likes me as a friend or fuck buddies, at least, but if there's anything more than that, I don't know. I only hope that she feels as strongly about me as I do her, if there's a semblance of her loving me at all, I think this unconventional marriage has potential to last.
"Hm, be honest with me Jade, how do you feel about my niece? I can't control what she does, Angel has always stuck by what she wants to do. I love my niece and I will always support her but I will also protect her from herself so tell me, is my baby only a business deal to you?"
"Tia" I groan, feeling my face heat as she waves me off, this is so embarrassing. Like a parent asking your prom date what their intentions are at the end of the night. I fix Leya's plate as we all get settled in to have dinner. Jade has a small, considering smile on her face as she watches me fix the plates for everyone.
"I'll admit that in the beginning I only saw this relationship as a business deal, a means to an end, but as we continued to spend time together my view of Angel developed into something invaluable. I have never been in a traditional relationship, never had a girlfriend or boyfriend, I've never been in love, never deemed myself worthy of it". Jade chuckles dryly and I watch her speak about me to my aunt, entranced as my love continues to grow at her every word.
"Growing up, love and money meant the same thing, relationships were developed on business deals. Angel provided me with a different perspective, the love she shows to me makes me believe that I'm worthy of such affection. Even if I'm not, I have no intention of letting her love go, until she sees fit to take it away". Of course Jade knows that I love her, in a way I'm relieved that she does. But I have no intention of ever taking it away. The sincerity and vulnerability that Jade is exposing to us at this moment is something I'll never take for granted. Hearing how she feels about me solidified my decision to marry her.
I love Jade and I want to spend as much time with her as possible. I want to make sure that she knows she's worthy of so much more than money and business but love and respect too.
"I've never been in love but Angel is someone I can see myself loving, she's not just a business deal Ms. Raya. If she told me to walk away from Knight Industries, I would". I feel my eyes well up with tears at the genuineness in her words. Jade loving me? I never believed that it could happen but I'm not going to question her at all. I'm just going to indulge. My aunt claps satisfied with Jade's honest answer and we all start eating and talking together, like a family. It's safe to say I'm officially loving my life.
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Shana walks into her job, still reeling in the joy that her announcement at the amusement park this weekend caused such a surge in her blog. She's been getting paid steadily from the articles she's done on Jade, now all that's left is her promotion. With these reads and ratings there's no way that her boss can right her off any longer. She will be taken as a serious writer here and this is just the beginning.
Shana walks to her desk, oblivious to the position she's put her magazine in. Unbeknownst to her, Jade Knight knows exactly who she is and who she works for, and this time Shana crossed the line. Affecting Jade's mental health is one thing, but affecting the lives of the people she holds dear was Shana's greatest mistake. Miles quickly finds Shana, all too aware of the power that the Knight family holds, he's worried that the woman he loves has overstepped and is in trouble. He'll do anything to shield her from the wrath of Jade and their boss.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"Shana, what the hell were you thinking? The boss is pissed" Miles urgent whispers full of concern are written off by Shana. She waves her hand, settling into her desk, looking at her friend. He's handsome, but she's too focused on her career to give Miles what he deserves, that doesn't stop her from admiring him from time-to-time.
"He's always pissed off, especially in the morning. You worry too much, Miles" Shana hadn't told him about her schemes at the amusement park knowing he would object. His concern is sweet but she won't let anything stand in her way of success.
"Can you just listen please? I'm serious" Miles makes a bolder move than he ever has grabbing Shana's hand and giving it a slight squeeze. Shana smiles, stepping forward and giving Miles a kiss on the cheek, effectively stunning the man into silence.
"Don't worry about it, it'll all work..." her sentence trails off as her boss and his assistant storms over to her and Miles, a look of fury on his face.
"Shana Rogers, do you want to explain why the hell I just got a call from the CEO saying there is a restraining order against our company from Jade Knight! If we do another piece on her we're getting SUED!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Shana's world slows to a pause as the realization of the consequences of her actions begin to dawn on her. She realizes she probably stepped too far. This is not good.
"If you can't clean up this damn mess, you're fired". Her boss storms away and all Shana can do is stare, as stunned as everyone else in the office. Soon the gossip begins and the snide remarks, frowning against her selfish ambition can be heard. Through it all Miles stays by her side, getting a firm grip on Shana's shoulders and turning the shocked woman towards him.
"We'll figure this out together, like you said it'll all work out" Miles says the words to be reassuring but they both know the truth. Even begging, pleading, and offering all they have combined may not get them out of this mess.
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It's been about 2 months since the news of Jade and I being married surfaced and things have finally settled down. Jade's parents had no choice but to give Jade complete ownership of the company, as pissed as they were even they had to commend her resilience. That hasn't stopped Mrs. Knight's meddling, however, if anything it's worse than before. She insists on being a grandmother to Leya which I declined, and she demands that Jade and I have a proper ceremony. All for appearances, I'm sure, so again I declined and told her I'm perfectly happy with how things are. That hasn't stopped her though, she visits almost every week with new wedding plans.
Thankfully, Jade anticipated this when Leya and I moved in and had her locks changed. I waited about a month to move in with Jade after we got "married", we both agreed we'd wait for Leya to adjust to our new dynamic before changing her environment. Since Leya already adores Jade, she adjusted quickly and fell in love with her new extravagant and completely over the top bedroom toy room, not to mention the second toy room and theater Jade had installed in her home just for her.
As for Jade and I, we got used to married life and built a routine. We'd drop Leya off together in the morning before going our separate ways for work. I'd pick Leya up, sometimes Jade will join me if she gets off of work early, then we come home. I give Leya a snack and after we either read a story, do a workbook, or arts and craft, before I send her off to play and cook dinner.
Jade will come home, get Leya washed up and we'd have dinner, mostly filled with Leya talking about her day. Jade cleans after dinner and I get Leya bathed and ready for bed, we put her to bed, before getting ready together. Sometimes Jade and I end the night filled with passionate sex that steals my breath and carries me to another universe, or we talk about anything we can think of and she holds me until we sleep.
It's a life I never expected myself to have, I assumed I'd be a struggling single mom forever, but Jade came and changed my life around. She offered me a chance and a love I wasn't even looking for. I'm grateful for her and her constant care, as unconventional as this has all been, she's been the best wife she can be. We argue of course, but we always manage to talk it out and make up later, sometimes hours later, if it's really bad, about two days, but we still find our way back to each other. I'm magnetized to Jade, I can't stay away.
Things have been calm and great and I was starting to get worried that things were going too good, but I decided to just enjoy my new life. But of course, there is always something that will try to hinder whatever progress you make and this hindrance came in the form of a message from my parents. More specifically an invitation. I haven't been invited to a family event since I got disowned, but now that I'm married to Jade, they want to reach out. What's worse is it's an invitation to a party for my grandmother, her 80th birthday. They know there's now a chance in hell I'd want to miss it. They made sure I stayed away at all her other parties but now I'm getting sent an invitation, it's a set up, but I don't know what to do about it.
What could they possibly want after all this time? Money, fame, popularity for my dad's bar? Bragging rights for my mother? I have no idea but they are so damn selfish to do this to me. I frown and grumble as I prepare dinner for the night. I got the invitation this morning and it's been bothering me all day. I could barely focus and when Alexia called me out I had no choice but to explain the situation. I told her that my parents and my relationship is estranged but now they're reaching out using the person I love in my family as much as my aunt. She suggested I go to the party for the sake of seeing my grandmother alone, it's not like I owe them anything, however, she doesn't understand how vindictive and manipulative my parents can be. If I thought the reports digging into my life were bad, it's nothing compared to what my parents can expose.
"Angel? I'm home" Jade announces from the front entrance and I call back that I'm in the kitchen. Her heeled shoes sound against the spotless marble floor as she comes into the kitchen, hugging me from behind with a sigh. I relax in her arms, taking the momentarily solace and peace before thoughts of my parents and the stress they bring come flooding back.
"Long day?" I ask Jade as I finish cooking the chicken and shrimp for tacos. Jade nods against my shoulder before kissing my neck, her tongue leaving a delicate trail to my neck. I shudder against her body and try to tilt my head away, only giving her better access to tease me.
"Jade, the food is going to burn" I sigh and gasp, as she bites my ear, tightening her arms around my waist.
"I missed you, Kitten" she says as if it's a perfectly reasonable excuse to let our dinner turn to shit. The way she's kissing and purring in my ear, I'm getting inclined to believe her. I turn off the stove and she quickly turns me in her arms, stealing my breath with her lips. Her kiss is slow, passionate, not a movement is rushed at all. Her lips move with my expertly, perfectly in sync with what my body wants and needs. She doesn't try to dominate me with her kiss, her tongue and lips caressing mine, making my knees weak. Sensing my impending collapse, Jade lifts me in her arms and sits me on the counter, letting her hands rest at the top of my thighs.
"Did you miss me?" Jade's sultry, sexy rasp travels down to my core and my body instinctively answers her, I thrust my hips and pull her close so our chest rubs with every breath.
"You know I did" I say honestly, bringing her lips back to mine. I can't get enough of her. She's more delicious than any food I could ever make. Jade moves her hands under my shirt, caressing my sides moving closer to my breast with every stroke. I sigh and moan as her thumb circles my nipples, sending tidal waves of pleasure straight to my core.
"Jade, please" Jade groans, kissing my neck, leaving her mark to rest proudly on my neck.
"I love the way you beg, Kitten" Jade begins lifting my shirt over my head when the ringing of my phone interrupts our moment. Jade seems intent on ignoring the ringing phone but I know I have no choice but to answer.
"Give me a sec?" Jade nods, stepping back allowing me to hop off the counter. I go to my phone seeing A.J's number and sigh. It looks like it's about that time, I never expected this day to come. I figured I would never tell anyone the truth about A.J and the hell I went through 7 years ago. But, this secret can't be kept forever and Jade and I agreed that we wouldn't have any more secrets. She deserves to know everything about me, even the parts of me that I hate.
Jade excuses herself from the kitchen to get Leya ready for dinner, while I finish getting our plates and talk to A.J. I need to collect my thoughts so I can explain the entire story to Jade. I know she's going to be pissed off and upset as well, I need to brace myself for the worst.
"Angel?!" I laugh at his enthusiasm, pushing down the guilt and stress to deal with later.
"Yes, A.J, how are you? I miss you".
"I miss you too, I'm good, guess what mom said?" I smile, already knowing about him moving here since I spoke with my Godmother earlier. Around the time I got Leya registered for school, I got A.J registered and bought my Godparents a house close to me so I can take care of A.J whenever I can.
"Hm, what did she say?"
"We're moving to Oakside, mom says it's really close to you. Will you come to my games now?" I feel my heartbreak knowing I've missed out on so much of his life. Him being on the other side of the world isn't an excuse to me, videos and phone calls just aren't enough.
"Of course, I'll bring Leya too, she can finally keep up with you now" A.J's cheer and bubbly personality is infectious, just like his father.
"Are you coming to Abuela's party?" I bite my lip to stop myself from saying no. I love my grandmother and would love to see her but the idea of being around my "family" is less than appealing.
"Do you want me to?"
"Yeah, Ley-Ley too" I inwardly sigh, I can't say no to this kid.
"Okay, we'll be there" I hear Jade and Leya walking towards the kitchen. Leya's trying to convince Jade to take her shopping which doesn't take much since Jade agrees almost immediately. "Remember the woman I told you I was seeing?"
"Mhm, the famous one".
"I married her".
"Really?! Does that mean you're famous now?" I laugh at his enthusiasm and shake my head.
"No, but I can take care of you and Leya better now, which means we can spend more time together if you like". The sound of little sniffles fill my ears and I frown as worry creeps into my bones.
"A.J, what's wrong?"
"I miss you, Angel".
"I miss you too kid, I'll see you soon I promise. We can do whatever you want".
"Can we all go to a soccer game? All of us? Mom, dad, you, me, Ley-Ley, and Jade too".
"Of course we can, I love you kid".
"I love you too".
"Do you want to talk to Leya?"
"Yeah, Ley-Ley" I laugh and call Leya over who comes running, screaming A.J's name. I give her the phone before going to fix everyone's plates.
"So, who's A.J?" I take a deep breath as I set down the plates, buying time from having to tell this story to Jade. Only the kids, my Godparents, my parents, my aunt, and grandmother know what I'm about to tell Jade. It's never spoken about and the entire situation was pushed under the rug, it's also a very touchy subject, but Jade deserves to know.
"There's actually something I need to tell you that I haven't told anyone else. Only a few select members of my family even know but it's something I should've told you a while ago. It's just a bit hard to talk about. I'm sure you'll be upset that I've kept this from you but hopefully one day you'll understand why".
"What are you talking about Angel? You're getting me worried". Leya runs over all smiles, handing me the phone. I see that she hung up with A.J so I gesture for us to sit at the table. Jade eyes me but doesn't pressure me to speak, which I'm grateful for. I need to gain the courage to talk about this subject without going to a dark place. This particular moment in my past is something I'd rather push behind me, it's memories filled with bittersweet agony.
"There's something I haven't told you yet".