Evan
I couldn't get her out of my head for some reason.
At work, our kiss was all I could think about. The softness of her lips – she tasted like strawberries – and the warmth that had spread through me. Although I hadn't complimented her dress, I couldn't help but notice how beau –
I shook the thought away, frowning slightly.
That woman was way below my leagues and despite what my grandfather was scheming, I wanted nothing to do with a shameless woman like that. I intended to let my grandfather know during this dinner.
"You know," grandfather started, causing me to halt my thoughts. "You should have arrived with her."
I internally rolled my eyes. "She's a grown woman." I answered, letting him know how annoyed I was with this game he was playing. "I'm sure she can find her own way here."
"Oh, yeah?" he raised a brow. "Where is she now?"
I glanced at my watch. Grandfather was right, Elena was over thirty minutes late. What did she think she was playing at by keeping us waiting? Even if she had no respect for me – which I knew for a fact was impossible – she could t least show some for my grandfather.
I hated entitled women like her, especially the ones who loved to leech off others.
I stood to my feet, allowing my chair to scrape the tiled floor with a screech I knew my grandfather hated. "Well, that means she's not showing up then. That's the woman you chose as a granddaughter-in-law. She can't even respect you."
And where do you think you're going?" he asked, setting his cutleries on the table gently.
"Back to work, as you can see." I took a step away from the table. "I have better things to do than sit here waiting for someone who's clearly not gonna show."
"Sit down, Evan." My grandfather said through gritted teeth. "You will sit ere and wait for your wife till whenever she makes it here and then, we'll have dinner."
"But –"
"I don't care what you're doing. You will do as I say, or…"
"Fine," I answered, resuming my place on the table. "Fine. But if she's not here in an hour, I'll leave and we can call this whole thing off." I grumbled. "That woman isn't up to my standard anyway."
Grandfather tilted his head, giving me a dirty look. "And what are your standards? Victoria George? Is that the woman you'd rather be with?"
My eyes widened. 'What? How did you know –"
"I know everything there is to know." He answered stiffly. "If you think you can hide anything from me, then you are thoroughly mistaken."
"Tori and I are –" he cut me off with a raise of his hand before I could explain any further.
"I don't care what she is to you or what she isn't. You have a wife now and will end whatever is going on between you and that woman."
If it wasn't going to be considered disrespectful, I would have rolled my eyes. "A wife that couldn't bother to arrive early?" I grumbled, wondering what my grandfather saw in a woman like Elena anyway. It was apparent she was a gold-digging slut who was after nothing but his money – my money. Too bad he was the only one who couldn't see through it.
"Besides," I continued. "Tori is out of the country and has been for the last five years."
"Well, that hasn't stopped you both, has it?"
I fumed. Who the hell was feeding him information about my personal life? I opened my mouth to speak but grandfather was faster.
"Call your wife this instant. I want to know why she's late."
My grandfather was the only person who knew how to rile me up – wait, what?
"Did you say call Elena?" I repeated, suddenly feeling hot.
He eyed me suspiciously. "Did I stutter, Evan Price? I said call your wife!"
How the hell could I do that when I didn't have her contact information? For a minute, I panicked but kept my expression straight. I couldn't let grandfather know I hadn't bothered to get the contact information of the bride he got for me.
With a stiff nod, I pushed away from my seat. "Then excuse me." with that, I rushed to the foyer, pulling at the frustratingly at my tie. Instinctively, I called my personal secretary, John, sighing in relief when he answered on the second ring.
"Yes sir," he answered immediately.
"Get me Elena Madison's contact information right away." I barked into the phone, ending the call straight away. In less than a minute, a message pinged in my phone followed by a call from John.
"I just sent the information over sir." He said from the other end of the phone.
"Good, I just received it. I'll let you know if I need anything else."
Just when I was about to end the call, his voice filtered into my ears. "Oh, hold on, sir. I have information which might interest you."
I paused, returning the phone to my ear. "What is it?'
"It's about Victoria George."
Tori? My heart skipped a beat and my mouth suddenly felt dry. "What's the problem with her? Is she okay?"
"Yes, of course she is. But Ari Co just announced that she will be returning to te country in a month." He paused. "I just thought you'd like to know."
I loosened my tie more, swallowing hard. "Thank you."
Once John dropped the call, I tried not to think about the fact that the only woman in the world who managed to capture my heart was going to be returning to the country in a month ad tried to call Elena.
Her phone rang several times, each one redirecting me to voicemail. My face darkened when I called her a fifth and it wet to voicemail. What the hell was she thinking? Was this marriage a joke to her?
I could afford to treat it as a joke but she couldn't. I had to make her understand that. Fuming, I called my home and the butler answered the hone on the third ring.
"Where is Ms. Madison?" I barked into my phone.
"She is not with you sir?" the butler retorted. "She left the mansion a while ago and since hasn't returned I thought …"
I ended the call abruptly, marching angrily to my grandfather. "That's it! I can't continue with this charade. I want a divorce!"
My grandfather was calm as he stared at me like I had suddenly sprouted a second head. An amused expression flitted against his features and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.
"If you want a divorce, then you're ready to give up the company and your inheritance, I suppose?" he responded calmly, gently rising up from his seat. The housekeeper rushed forward immediately to clear the table but he stopped her.
"Pack it up and let Evan take it to his wife. I'm sure there is a reason why she couldn't make it."
"What?" I hissed. That twit just blatantly disrespected him and he'll just let it go? He was even asking me to take food to her? "I'm not a slave, grandfather. If she wanted to eat, then she'd have shown up!"
"No, you're not a slave. You're her husband and it's time you begin to act like it." He began to walk away but then suddenly halted at the foot of the stairs. "Did you call her as I asked you to?"
I frowned. "I did and she wouldn't take any of my calls. If you just –"
"Keep calling," he waved flippantly, cutting me off. "When she answers and gives you a reason for missing out on dinner with me, let me know."
With that, he ascended the stairs and my eyes followed him till he was out of sight. Fuck!
"Mr. Price, I am done packing up the food and have…"
A vein popped in my head and I seethed. How the hell could she do this?