Chapter 55 — A Familiar Face, No, Two!

I let out a relieved sigh, realizing my promise to Karen was finally kept, and more importantly, I was seeing my life getting back together just the way I had always dreamed. Hunter, by some miracle, changed drastically, acting all loving and caring, taking me shopping and buying loads of clothes, overlooking my protests. He even took me on an ice cream date.

Right now we sat outside an ice-skating rink which he rented for the day just for us, and I decided to ruin his plan by inviting Liliana, Matt, Beth and Lea which he wasn't much pleased about. Therefore he sat there with a grouchy face while I enjoyed the fanciful skating session of the charming couples.

Beth and Lea just skated around, hand in hand while holding Ana's hand, Matt spun her around like a pro. Then holding her from behind he lifted her and spun himself, Ana doing a perfect landing at the end with his support.

"Holy Shit!" I exclaimed, not having knowledge that Anna had it in her.

"Shit cannot be holy," a grumpy voice uttered from beside me.

"And Hunter King cannot have fun," I retorted, giving a roll of my eyes.

He gave me a side glance, a smirk curving on his lips.

Ignoring him I stood up and tied my pair of skating shoes deciding to try my luck. Holding the barricade I stepped on the slippery ground trying to balance myself, my feet rolling in two directions. Whoa!

"Em! Come on!" Ana yelled.

"Yes, girl. You can do it!" Beth joined.

Alright. Taking a deep breath I positioned myself and lightly pushed at the boundary, my heart squeezed in my chest as I rolled forward, eyes shut tight until the motion came to a cease. Opening my eyes I examined my circumstances and blew out in relief.

Yay! I did it without flattening my nose!

As I glanced up, everyone was staring, surprised. Did I do that good? Ah...no, they were not gaping at me. They were gaping at...I turned around and yelped, losing my balance, but before my head hit the ground a pair of strong hands wrapped around my waist. I opened my eyes to see Hunter hovering over me, his face inches away from mine. He leaned until his lips brushed my ears. "Are you ready to have fun?"

Another Yelp left my mouth as he yanked at my hand, and my body crashed into his, eyes widened and arms wrapping around his neck tight.

"What're you doing?"

He lifted me like a sack of feathers and spun around, squeals of fear escaping my mouth. "Hunter, put me down! We'll both fall!"

"Why, love? You wanted to have fun. Now enjoy it."

Wasn't quite sure if that was punishment for accusing him of being a boring man or display of his version of fun methods, either way I wasn't ready to meet God yet.

Lowering me down, he flashed me his rare, elegant smile, and all the fear vanished as I lost myself in the deep serenity of his sea-green eyes. He began circling around the rink with a firm hold around my waist, spinning and spiraling smoothly like an expert. Holding my hand up he twirled me around and snaked his arm around my tummy doing a slight lift to the side. It was as if we were waltzing across the icy ground.

Without warning he lifted me up once again and started rotating. This time instead of frightful screams a fit of giggles filled the air in the room, and I knew just how much I trusted him.

Putting me down he pressed his forehead against mine. "Come back home," he breathed against my lips.

"The King Mansion?" I asked uneasy since I wouldn't feel comfortable around Mr. Bryan King after everything he did.

Sensing my doubtful emotions he placed a kiss on my forehead. "Don't worry, love. It will be just fine."

Leaving the rink to the sweet, adorable love birds we took off for home. I realized even if I didn't want to go back there I was ready to face whatever or whoever as long as Hunter was with me. Yet I couldn't help the small lump forming in my throat until the car turned to the opposite direction of the way that led to the Kings Mansion.

"Ah...Hunter? Isn't home the other way?" I asked, frowning.

"No, we're going the right way. Trust me." He lightly squeezed my hand.

"I do."

He stared for a moment, a ghost of a smile playing in the corner of his lips and then went back to driving while I stayed silent impatiently awaiting the surprise he was planning on me. Was he taking me on another secret date, or had he found a new way to the mansion?

The car drove through a paved road, and my mouth formed a gap as my widened eyes fell on the opulent structure of a mermaid fountain. Behind it proudly stood a two-storied building of a grand mansion encompassed by a polished garden.

"Where are we?" I was overwhelmed.

Not answering he exited the car and came around to my side. Opening the door he extended his hand. "Welcome to our new home, Mrs. Ember King."

Putting one hand on his I pressed the other over my mouth to suppress my excitement and got out of the car. "Really?"

"Yes. I couldn't let you stay somewhere you weren't comfortable."

Warmth surged throughout my heart. He cared so much. Turning I threw my hands over his shoulders hugging him tight. I breathed into his scent and the inner of my stomach fluttered. "Thank you, Hunter."

"Anything for my wife," he murmured, embracing me back and placed a kiss on my head.

In that moment I melted into his arms as each of my muscles lost its tension. The world seemed to stop on its axis. There was no time, no people, no worries. Just us. I was simply at peace. So much that I could just fall asleep.

"I didn't bring you home for you to fall asleep in the yard," whispering into my ear he picked me up in bridal style and began walking to the house.

Gasping I cackled. "I like you as a bed and pillow. Two in one," I quipped, my laughter turning into a full-fledged grin.

He sent me an arrogant side glance. "Just wait and you will find out more in me."

My cheeks turned red, and my ears burned. Biting my lip, I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck to hide my tomato face.

"If you tickle me, I won't be responsible for what happens next," he warned in his deep husky voice.

But like the knucklehead I was, only half of it went through my skull. "The big bad wolf's ticklish here?" The grin returned in a mischievous form in my face, and without thinking I drove my nose right into his neck gently running the tip all over his sensitive skin feeling his muscles tense under my touch.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he hissed, his voice huskier than ever and flung me into the soft mattress of a bed.

Before I could realize the consequences of my mischief and beg for mercy from the punishment to be undone, he crawled on top of me and smirked.

Uh oh.

His hands landed on my sides and fingers began stroking in a crazy manner, exciting a tingling sensation in the spots. My laughter filled the atmosphere in the room as I squirmed under him. "Nuu...Ah...Staph-staph...I'm- sorry..." I spewed out between laughs.

He stopped, watching me intently while I panted with my mouth pursed. His eyes darted from my eyes to my lips, and hardly was I prepared before he came down, undoing raging, fiery kisses on my lips, igniting fireworks in my core. Returning his kisses with equal passion, I ran my fingers through his hair, clutching a handful in my fist as he nibbled on my bottom lip, asking for permission.

Mischief found its home in me once again, and I refused him access sealing my lips tighter, but not for long as one of his hands pinned mines over my head and the other slowly, teasingly ran down my side grasping a cheek of my butt, drawing a gasp out of me. His tongue delved inside my mouth exploring while the sweetness sent me levitating off the ground, and my heart leaped in cloud nine. In an attempt to take dominance our tongues danced like two dandelions on a stormy night until no ounce of air was left in our system, and we broke apart gasping for breath.

"God, the things I wanna do to you," he breathed, sparking the fireworks in me into blazing flames.

Soon like a cool wind in a wildfire he began trailing butterfly kisses down my shin over my neck to the cleavage soothing the hot sensation running through me or spreading it even more, I had no idea for I was lost somewhere, in-between the seven colors of rainbow. Everything else was silenced, fading far, far away. Only our crazed breath enveloped the air.

Coming back up he planted a lingering kiss on my forehead, "Take some rest. You look tired."

Indeed I was, from the long day or from his delightful tortures I couldn't figure out. So I turned, putting my head on his chest, snaking my arm around his torso and uttered the words I had been holding in the tip of my tongue for eternity.

"I love you."

His arm around me tightened a fraction. "I love you too."

Tranquility gliding from his words filled all the voids in me as I fell asleep in the soft sweet melody of his rhythmic heartbeats.

~~~

My eyes opened from the disturbing vibration in my bum. Groaning, I pulled out my phone from my jean's pocket and gently moved away from the sleeping form of Hunter. Couldn't believe I fell asleep with the phone in there. Thank God, it wasn't broken.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Hey, Ember- Wait, you were sleeping?" came the voice of Christian from the other end.

"Oh, no. I'm here." I hadn't met him since the hospital incident, let alone show up to work, and it'd been two days. "Listen, Christian, I'm sorry, I hadn't come to work. It's—”

"Hey, it's alright. You don't have to apologize. I totally understand your state."

"Thanks."

"Though could you meet me now? I had some things to discuss with you."

I glanced at the watch on the bedside table. It was almost evening. "Yeah. I have some things to discuss with you too. I'll be there," saying I cut the call.

I decided to resign from the Delgado Industry and join back with Hunter. Talking about him, I looked back at his peaceful form. I knew he wouldn't like me interacting with his rival, but I had to go ask Christian why he lied about Hunter and Vienna, let alone accuse Hunter of such heinous crime. If anything I hated the most in my life right now, it was lies. I hated it with passion.

Planting a gentle kiss on Hunter's temple, I got out of the bed and got ready. Hunter had all my belongings brought here. Such a sweetheart he was!

Taking a cab to the Delgado mansion, I approached the front door and knocked when the door opened on its own.

Huh?

Frowning, I stepped inside, no sign of a soul caught my sight. It wasn't like many souls lived here anyway. "Christian?"

No answer came.

"Christian," I called again, yet no one answered.

Perhaps he was upstairs. Not wasting another second, I started ascending the stairs towards his room when a familiar sound of groaning stopped me in my track, and my heart palpitated in a frightful manner.

"Who's there?"

There was the sound once again. I turned my eyes down to the staff section in the corner of the stupendous hall, darkness was all that radiated off the place. Goosebumps rose in me as I decided to go check. I knew it was foolish, yet my gut said something was wrong, someone was hurt. Perhaps they needed my help.

Taking a deep breath I turned my phone's light on and stepped in the hall leading to the staff accommodation. "H-Hello? Christian? Are you okay?"

No words came, but the groans seemed to increase with every step I took forward until I came across the last of the doors behind which it was confirmed by the intensity of the sounds that someone was hurt.

With a shaky hand I pushed open the door, and my eyes widened at the familiar face tied with a cloth, blood trickling down a gash on one side of his forehead, and his body roped tight to a chair.

"Caleb!" I ran to his side holding his face. "Oh my God, are you okay? Who did this to you?"

His droopy eyes widened as well and he moaned, shaking his head.

With great difficulty I untied the knotted dirty handkerchief from around his mouth as he began coughing blood, making my heart clench at the sight. Not wasting any time I got to untying all the ropes.

"Em," he coughed. "Ember, what're you doing here? No, no. Stop."

"What do you mean? Don't worry! I'm gonna get you out of here," I assured him.

"No, you don't understand. You shouldn't be here. They're dangerous. Leave. Run for your life while you can," he panted, fear lacing his voice as well his face.

"No. I'm not going without you." I kept working on the ropes with my shaky hands, fear striking in my heart. Did he? No, he couldn't. Oh God… "Wait. Let me call the cops." Dialing the emergency contact, I put my phone in-between my ear and shoulder while untying Caleb's ropes.

A gasp from Caleb snapped my attention, and I gazed up to see him looking behind me with saucer-like eyes.

Holding my phone, I slowly turned around, and a frown etched between my brows, all my worries vanishing and replacing with confusion. "Bella? What're you doing here?"

The delicate blonde’s stiff figure stood in the doorway in a dark leather suit, but what specifically caught my sight was her eyes, instead of blue dove eyes, staring back at me were those big mysterious hazel eyes.

"Your eyes..." I trailed, frozen in my spot.

Her lips curved into a smirk as her hand brought out something from behind her. It glinted in the light of my phone.

Hardly I realized what it was when she lifted it in the air. "Surprise, surprise!"

Pain shot through the skull of my head, and dots appeared on my vision as my body hit the floor numb, but what hurt the most was the betrayal of the person I once called my friend. I twitched trying hard to stay awake but in vain. Before my eyes closed I heard the painful screams of the former receptionist.

"No, Vienna! Don't hurt her!"