Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 14

Rays of sunlight rushed when the curtain parted to allow for its greeting. It bounced against the warm gray wall as well as the green color of the plants in the room. The sun did not withhold its glory from dazzling the bronze skin of Millicent as she stepped out of her room clad in her black and white polka dotted blouse tucked in midi in her knee length pencil skirt which enhanced her figure. Her heels clicked on the ground with each step hoping that the man in the other room would come out to fulfill his ritual. A smile brightened her countenance as her loosely curled hair bounced around the low ponytail she had placed it in. Her bright doe eyes turned to check his door which had no evidence of him making her glossy lips tilt lower.

Over the past week, it had become an unspoken ritual for Jace to meet her in the doorway for his early hug. Some days when she was able to prepare breakfast, he would hug her after they had eaten. Her smile dimmed more when a minute had passed. She hadn't realized that she began to wait for him like a habitual affair just to feel his arms around her. Just a week of being around each other and she was already used to it all. Her smile dimmed further when he didn't show up after a minute. Checking her phone she decided she had roughly ten minutes to spare, so she leaned back on the wall and dropped her head to watch her shoes as she waited. Her arms crossed with her blue Prada bag.

Jace sat on his bed in his room with his phone next to his ear. His bare chest with stretches of hair evenly grating it was visible as the duvet covered his legs. His manager's grave voice assaulted his ears.

"You need to get the inspiration to start the work, Jace. Many people are awaiting your new collection with bids already in place." Jace grunted in a low voice.

"I think I found one Cole. I told you traveling would be great. It'll be done by the end of summer." Jace's bored tone commandingly asserted to the man on the other side. He could picture him pulling the roots of his brown hair in frustration in dealing with a notorious artist like him, but that was Jace, he liked to do his things his own way and that's what brought in the great value and big bucks.

"As always, I trust your capability, but I have never seen you more blank than the previous months. Even Sean was worried." Of course, he called Sean. Jace thought with distaste, a scowl as cold as an executioner's ax imprinted on his face. He had been woken up at 5am by Sean who was everywhere in the states, probably just after 9pm in California, so of course he was grumpy. He brought the phone away from his ear to see that it was five minutes to eight, making him shoot out of the bed with hurried steps.

"Cole." He cut off his manager from whatever he was saying. "I have to go." With that he did not even listen to what he said and threw his phone in the heap of his bed. Millicent left for work at eight to accommodate traffic in the forty minute drive. He always made it out to see her dressed and embraced her, drawing in her smell before he sent her off and began his day. Today was Friday and close to the weekend so hopefully she didn't rush out. Throwing on one of his white shirts because Millicent couldn't stand to see his bare torso without getting shy, he pulled the door to his room apart to find a feminine figure leaning on the wall with her gaze dropped down. He breathed out in relief feeling his chest uncoil at seeing the radiance of her beauty though her eyes were not on his yet. And she waited for him! His feet padded across the floor lightly ignoring the coolness of the tiles as he forgot to put on slippers in his haste.

Millicent did not hear his door shut nor his footsteps, so her face held some bewilderment when his bare feet appeared in front of her heels. She raised her head, her eyes glinting when she was met with his smile.

"Little M, hi." Jace's hoarse, thick voice called with delight.

"I thought you were sleeping." She spoke in her soft, musical voice, watching him with a sweet expectant look.