The Blackmail Bride

Chapter 38

Hello! I'm Eirene.

I'm not sure how long you've been following me or my stories. But it's been more than a year since I last sat down to pour out my emotions and mold them into these scenes I have in my head. In that time span I was gone, I was depressed mostly. And I didn't know if I was going to be able to go back to writing but I'm here again.

What I'm trying to say is... I hope you're all well. Physically, mentally, emotionally. And if you're not there yet, be patient with yourself. You're gonna get yourself back. And s/he'll be as glowing as you need her/him to be.

My heart goes out to all our depressed folks out there.

Home

"I said I'm going with you. Let's... go home."

In less than half an hour, I was shoved into a helicopter and was shipped back to the mainland. It was a whirlwind of events and I repeatedly tripped trying to stay above water with everything that my life was becoming.

Go home? Really, Isla?

I did want to go home.

But the place that I was talking about was not where I belonged to now.

My eyes fell on Jace. I was married to this man and everything has shifted out of axis. And as if that information, that was barely sinking in, wasn't enough to challenge my sanity...

Jace Black made a one-eighty as soon as he boarded the chopper.

As if he didn't threaten to run amok during our wedding reception, Jace coolly dropped instructions on our pilot's ear... like some calm coherent person that he wasn't earlier. They discussed travel time, the weather, and other office-specific jargons I could not care enough to decipher.

The best/worst part was that I was largely ignored in the middle of their interaction. As if I was some invisible ornament sitting beside him.

Maybe he needed to cool down, I told myself. There were serious doubts about the legitimacy of this sudden calm demeanor but I could only pray this was real.

I also tried to calm myself during the four-hour flight, gather my wits. But when we transferred to a waiting black Mercedes at the airport and he still wouldn't look at me, all the calmness I thought I managed started dissipating.

The driver politely inclined his head in my direction and put my luggage in the trunk. Jace went in to sit on the back seat-right side while the driver opened the left door for me. I went in, sitting gingerly beside Jace. With a gingerly questioning glance at the both of us, the driver took his seat and started for our next destination... which I assumed was Jace's house.

It wasn't long before a phone started ringing. Jace's eyelids flung open to reveal clear gray eyes. And his hand immediately went to the inner coat pocket of his wedding tux to fish out the blaring device. He placed it to his ear.

That was the start of a series of exhausting work-related calls.

It seemed even on his wedding day, at this late hour, duties never ceased. It was one client after another for which afterwards, and unsuspecting staff would be called and efficiently be assigned to specific tasks. It was a barrage of calls to which unsuspecting underlings were suddenly racing to meet the barked out demands.

There was a distinct call I couldn't help but listen in on though.

"Vinn," he said. And as if for the first time, an almost playful smirk lingered on his lips at whatever his youngest friend was saying on the other side. The open expression caught me captive.