Chapter 20—To Scotland

"It has been reported that the young heiress of King Corporations went missing a few minutes before her wedding. It is said that she was abducted—"

Cian turned off the receiver, but Ivette didn't stop peering out the window. They hadn't said much to each other since she did the craziest thing she had ever done in her life.

Run away from her wedding.

What had she been thinking? And of course, rather than admit it to the general public that she'd run from her wedding, they would report her missing and abducted.

"I have a couple of clothes in my luggage," Cian said, breaking the silence and Ivette's train of thoughts. She turned slightly as he added, "they're in the back."

"And if the news has reached the airport? If they're searching for me? You don't know my father. He'll find—"

"Change out of that miserable dress, lass. I'll take care of the rest."

She eyed him sceptically, wondering just how he could 'take care of the rest' in this case. If her father was searching for her, he would find her. It was only a matter of time before he did.

Misunderstanding the wariness in her eyes—or not—he flashed her an enigmatic grin. "I won't peek."

She huffed a breath and hefted herself up with the sides of either front seat and half stumbled into the back seat when Cian stepped on the brakes for absolutely no reason.

"Are you nuts?!" she cried, gripping the chair's shoulder for support.

He only chuckled and kept driving.

She glared at this perfect broad head and turned around to sort through his luggage. She picked the first shirt and dropped it. Too big. Too blue. Too white. She stopped on a horrible-looking orange shirt and pulled it out.

Right. It was something she would never wear.

"You like orange?" she asked, reaching behind her to pull at the lacing of her gown.

Cian stared at her through the rare view mirror. "No. It was a gift. From Rosalind, last Thanksgiving."

Ivette said nothing to that, tucking the information for later. She was grateful for the tinted glasses of the man's car. She had never had to change in a car before. A moving car made it much more difficult. Her gaze kept darting to the rearview mirror to ensure he really wasn't looking.

He wasn't.

After a struggle of what felt like forever, she shrugged off the dress and threw on the ugly-looking shirt. She fished out a pair of pants and an unused belt from his luggage to hold the pants that were overly sized, saved for the small grip around her backside. Ignoring the awkward silence that was filled with sounds of cloth caressing skin, she settled into the pants.

She glanced down at her feet when she was done. "My feet? I can't get on a plane without shoes."

He mumbled something unintelligible before saying, "Will flip-flops do?"

Her toes wiggled slightly, and she nodded. Not like she had a choice. At least, her father wouldn't be looking for a hobo in oversized clothes and flip-flops.

"Under the seat, lass."

A few minutes later, she was in the front seat again, fully dressed like a hobo. She'd found a black baseball hat somewhere in his luggage and it settled on her head perfectly, almost covering her entire face.

"You look ridiculous," Cian said, even if she was sure he hadn't looked in her direction for a while. They were closer to the airport now, and she couldn't help her racing heart.

She was really leaving. It settled in like a rock would in a pool and she closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath.

"I can take you back home if you wish to. You need just ask me."

Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled the cap further down. She could now see the structure of the airport. They had arrived. She was too far into the mess she had started to go back now.

She shook her head. "No. I'm not going back."

****

Ivette had no idea what she'd been so bothered about. All it had taken was one phone call, and she hadn't been asked any questions when she passed the checkpoint.

She had influences in a lot of places, but Cian MacGregor was pretty impressive. They hadn't even asked for an ID. She might have well been invisible beside him.

"Eat something, lass. We are still more than seven hours away from Inverness. You cannot keep sulking for the entirety of the journey."

Ivette was pretty sure she could sulk for the entire journey, but he was right. Two hours in and her stomach kept grumbling, embarrassing her. Even the flight attendant had heard the sounds when she was speaking to Cian. It was why she'd brought an entire tray of food and placed it in front of her with a vain smile. "Have something to eat, dear."

Like she was some beggar Cian had found by the roadside. She supposed she looked like one with her mismatched and makeup-stained face. She had gone to the washroom twice to get it off, but the kohl had blotched the area around her eyes and refused to go.

She looked like a zombie.

Seriously.

Ivette stared at the plate again. She really should eat. She had not had anything to eat other than the parfait Ann had handed her earlier.

Two hours ago, she had been uninterested in eating. Now, she was on the verge of biting off her nails.

"I'm not hungry," she snapped.

"Aye, lass. I hear you."

"I really am not!"

He only nodded, never taking his eyes off his work tablet.

Ivette stole a side glance at her companion. For someone who had pleaded with her not to get married hours ago, he seemed oddly nonchalant. For someone who had helped 'kidnap' her, he was oddly relaxed.

As if feeling her gaze on him, his head turned and Ivette dropped her gaze abruptly, looking at the food.

She picked up the fork and dug into the food, munching on it slowly. "What's Inverness like?"

"I may tell you about it, but it is nothing your expectations may cover."

"So, no?"

He simply nodded again, not looking at her. She couldn't tell if she was grateful he didn't, or if she was getting slightly irritated.

But then, why would she be? They had said goodbye to each other hours ago. There was nothing between them—and she wasn't going to think about any of it. About the fact that she'd turned around to tell him to stay.

"A private residence?"

"Nay. Family house."

Ivette jerked back violently, fork falling back in the tray and she whirled, staring at Cian with wide eyes. "You're taking me to your family?!"

He finally looked up from whatever had him occupied, and his brown eyes seared through her. "Nay. My family home. You said you doona want to be found. Inverness is my home, far away from the cluster of the Emerald City. It is the last place anyone would look for you, lass."

Yes. She had told him she didn't want to be found. She had private residences in a couple of countries but Aaron knew all of them. They'd visited them during business travels and getaways.

A sudden pang of guilt hit her at the surfacing memory, but she shoved it aside. She'd think about what she had done later. Her betrayal...she knew it would have consequences. It was only a matter of 'how soon'.

"I didn't expect you to be taking me to your family home!" she screeched, and she was so damn grateful it was a private jet. She could rant as much as she could, and maybe vent out the entire day's frustration without the fear of being videoed and turned into a social media meme.

A dark brow lifted and the soft light danced enticingly in his eyes as amusement lit them up. "You have a problem with meeting my family?"

Ivette gaped. "Why wouldn't I?! And don't make it sound like we're something—cuz we are NOT anything to each other."

He flashed her a pant-melting grin and she glimpsed his perfect white teeth. She was immediately reminded of what his teeth felt like when it teased her neck—Christ. The temperature hiked a significant fraction.

What was wrong with her? She had only just left one man standing at the altar, and here she was thinking of another man in her bed, doing things to her. If anything, the guilt in her heart tripled and she suddenly lost her appetite.

She turned away from him and stared out the window, at the view of the sky.

"Lass," Cian called out softly, voice light with worry.

"I'm full and I would like to rest."

He said nothing after that and Ivette kept staring out into the world beyond, wondering how Aaron was holding up. Maybe she shouldn't have run. Maybe they could have worked things out.

But she knew it deep in her heart that she wouldn't have gone through with the wedding, even if Annet hadn't so conveniently created a path for her.

She shut her eyes and let out a weary sigh. Her life sucked.