Chapter Twenty Two: Meeting A Familiar Stranger

Chapter Twenty Two: Meeting A Familiar Stranger

Daphne's POV

“Daphne, explain why the hell you are in the middle of the storm.” He growls. I wince at how loud his voice sounds in my ear and he is not even on speaker.

I look around to see if he is hidden somewhere in the van. My brows shoot up. Other than the camera in the driver's seat, there is nobody else.

“How did you know I'm out in the storm?” There is a short silence.

“That doesn't matter. You shouldn't be out in the storm and you know that.” He says in that soft tone of his that he uses to trap me. Suspicion brims within me.

“You tracked my phone, didn't you? I accuse. His continued silence tells me I'm right.

I sigh. “I don't have time for this right now. I'll deal with you later.” I hang up before he has the chance to get another word in.

Why does my life keep on being so complicated. The most annoying thing is that I can't even be properly mad at the idiot.

He obviously did it to keep me safe and as much as I would like to deny it, my heart warms that he remembers my aversion to rain.

Resting my head against the van, I take in deep breaths to steady myself and let out another sigh. I hear muffled laughter and crack my eyelids open.

“You heard that didn't you?” I groan and her laughter turns to full on giggles.

“Your cousin is really putting me through a lot of stress.”

“You really can't blame him. You cause people to worry over you. Considering the type of person he is, it's a wonder that he hasn't gone further than that.”

“What do you mean by the type of person he is?” My brows arch in curiosity.

“Nothing.” She quips. Cassidy turns her face sideways so she doesn't meet my eye. She is acting very suspiciously. Something tells me I might not like the answer I get if I press further so I change the subject.

“Speaking about your cousin,” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that she stiffens a little bit.

“Did you come to the States with him?” She relaxes now at my question, a mischievous grin in her face.

“I didn't tell him, after I begged him to tell me everything, I got the information and snuck out of the academy. Though knowing him, I'm sure he must have found out by now.” She rolls her eyes.

“But a hundred percent sure that he doesn't know I'm the new weather correspondent. You see, I applied under an alias.” Her eyes light up at the thought of having one up her cousin.

“Poor man would have a heart attack if he knew. He takes that promise he made to my parents to watch over me too damn far.” It's true, Ethan would never let her do a job he considers dangerous.

Cassidy always wanted to be a weather correspondent but because Ethan didn't approve, she had to settle for being a meteorological analyst, hence why she went to Switzerland to study. It may seem like he is controlling her life but he truly cares about her and Cass respects him. Even if she always says the contrary.

His sense of responsibility is probably why he is so protective of me. He must see me like Cassidy. Especially after my grandfather put me in his care. That's it, I'm nothing more than a concern to him, a responsibility he has to fulfil. Just like Cassidy.

Cassidy was very young when her parents died.
Surprisingly, they somehow put Ethan in charge of her inheritance instead of his parents, although they were her legal guardians. They also made a video where they implored him to take care of his little cousin. That was how Cassidy and I became such good friends.

She would tag along many times when Ethan came to visit but she was sent to boarding school and her visits became limited. Our friendship didn't die however, we became closer than ever.

“And what if he sees you on tv? Or finds out you left the programme? You really underestimate your cousin.” He really cares about his cousin so he makes sure he knows everything about her. I'm sure

“You're the one who's underestimating him” She mumbles.

“What's that mean?”

“Nothing. It's not like I'm clueless. I even got a bodyguard.” She points in the direction of the cameraman who is seated in the driver's seat, a partition separating us.

“Relax,” She bumps her shoulder against mine.

She crosses to the other side of the van where I am seated and hugs my arm.

“He's not going to find out. Why would he watch the weather reports anyways?” She rolls her eyes.

“That’s enough about my cousin. Let's get out of the rain and warm ourselves up.” She knocks on the partition.

“Let's go, Andrew.” The cameraman cum bodyguard starts the car. We arrive at the ‘Starlight Hotel.’, one of the most luxurious hotels in the city.

“So this is your idea of keeping a low profile? By checking into a hotel like this?”

“What are you talking about? It's barely just a four star hotel.” She shivers.

“I really am slumming it in this place. The fact that I didn't check into your family’s hotel is bad enough. Don't expect me to go any lower than that.” I roll my eyes at her antics.
“Let's just go in.” Cassidy dismisses her bodyguard and we head into the reception hall through the revolving doors. I look around, assessing the decor. It has a kind of understated elegance with a homey feel to it. It is probably why Cassidy chose it.

I turn around to tell her that but I bump into a brick wall. My hands flail around to steady myself until strong arms wrap themselves around my waist. I place my hand on a hard chest to steady myself.

“Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going.” I mumble into the chest in embarrassment.

“That's fine. I'm just glad you're alright.” A raspy baritone voice replies in a Scottish accent. My head flies up to meet familiar eyes.

My jaw drops open in shock. “What are you doing here?”


The next day, I leave the hotel and go straight to the office, stopping by a boutique for a change of clothes.

I walk into the office to see people cutting me strange looks and whispering. Well, it's normal. That probably will gossip until things settle down. I make my way straight to the board room.
“It took you long enough to get here, your majesty.” One of the board members, a stout middle aged man with thinning hair, named Mathew Stuarts spots out. I can practically see the droplets flying in the air. I take a step back to avoid the incoming missile.

“Is that anyway to talk to the CEO and owner of your company? It's very appropriate.” I stare down at him with an arrogant expression in place.

His face reddens in anger. “Appropriate? Appropriate? You have no right to talk about what is appropriate or not.”

“Have you no shame? Were at the brink of ruin.” He waves a newspaper in the air.

I arch an eyebrow. “What exactly are you talking about?” I ask. I am totally confused. Is this a ploy of my husband? Maybe he spread some rumors to undermine my authority.

He flings the newspaper and the table. I catch sight of the picture that is on the front page with the headline: European Heiress Caught In Hotel With Mystery Man.

“Care to explain the meaning of this? Don't even bother. We are voting you off the board!”