Chapter 38 We have guests...
Dahlia.
" Can I have a word with Mrs Riggs. "My train of thoughts was broken by Dalton's deep and husky voice, and for a brief moment, my shoulders stiffened.
Mrs Riggs....I savoured the name in my mouth, over and over, and each time, something shifted in me.
I guess Dalton was right. I was now Mrs Riggs, of the real Riggs family, not some illegitimate branch I had broken my back trying to please, for years.
After taking a deep breath to still my emotions, I turned, and my heartbeat faltered when I saw the image before me.
Dalton had a pair of sandals in his hands, and the simple gesture had my heart warming up.
I had spent my whole life being thoughtful to others. To see such a gesture aimed my way, I was beyond touched.
And yeah, I looked forward to the future as Mrs Riggs....I had already made up my mind.
" Dalton," I acknowledged, my voice shaking with emotions I couldn't quite place.
"You have been gone for too long," He whispered, as he tucked away a strand of stray hair from my face.
" We still have to go for our honeymoon, remember?" He asked, and although there was a hint of teasing in his eyes, that didn't stop my heart from skipping beats.
Honeymoon, consumating the marriage....the mere thought had my cheeks heating up.
"Well, call me when you'll be searching for suitable names." Freya's mischievous voice rang out, and as the meaning behind her words sank in, my face went a shade red. Damn! She knew how to stir the pot, didn't she?
The tension between Dalton and I was already so thick, did she have to jump that far? We hadn't even had our first night, and she was already talking about baby names..
" Don't overthink anything." He gently patted my back as he reassured, and when I looked at his face, I didn't know what to feel at his calm and restrained demeanour.
" You must be tired. You've had a rough day too. I will take you to the villa. " Saying that, he crouched down and helped me put on the sandals before he held my hand, gently leading us in a certain direction.
Along the shores, we walked in silence, not the stifling type, the one you could easily breathe through.
Around us, the ocean waves crashed harder, and somehow, the sound was soothing, just like the warmth that spread from Dalton's hand to mine, then slowly to my heart.
After a few minutes of walking, we finally reached the beachside villa. It was beautiful, white-themed, and warm. It looked simple, and yet, every thing in it, the furniture, paint, and decor, they were all a whisper of class and elegance.
It looked like an ideal honeymoon place, with the beach nearby, the beautiful sunset in the evenings, and the sunbathing during the day, strolling around the shores in the morning, hands held, accompanied by silence and satisfied smiles,
It was just perfect, for the occasion....
" About meeting my family, " Lost, admiring the suite, I was yanked back to present by Dalton's clear voice, and the word family had my shoulders stiffening, briefly, before I recomposed myself.
By family, he also meant his mother, right?
" Well, I already met your mother." I stated, my voice laced with nonchalance that surprised even me. At my words, he seemed surprised, and shortly, anger morphed into his features, and judging from his reaction, it was clear, he had an idea of how our first meeting went down.
" She can be a little hard to get along with," He explained, the expression on his face unreadable.
"But you have nothing to worry about. You are my wife now. In the future, no one will give you trouble. " He added, and from how heavy his voice was, I could tell, the journey as Mrs Riggs was definitely going to be a hell of a ride.
" I have something to do take care of. Make yourself comfortable as you wait for me." As if he had just recalled something, Dalton informed, before he hastily kissed my forehead, and just like that, he was gone.
" Also, there is a folder in the kitchen table... Maybe you should take a look..". He paused briefly on the door before he informed.
" And about the test, I wasn't informed.." After saying that, he didn't linger longer to hear my thoughts, and even long after he was gone, I stood there, still in my wedding dreas, staring at the tightly shut door.
The first wedding night, a gone groom, a bride still in her wedding dress, and a folder...
The folder sounded exciting,
Chris Green, was the name written on the folder, and down, was a detailed history and a photograph, capturing a very familiar face.
'Chris Green.' I whispered the name in my lips, and it left a bitter taste.
That face, and that name, they were both very familiar to me.
He was the man that I had shot, my first kill. And the most ridiculous part? I would never have linked the man who confidently aimed a gun my way, ready to kill me, to that calm and docile boy that I went to school with.
Chris and I went to the same school. And for the longest time, he had been a constant in my life.
You see, that boy who'd ask to play with, the one who would silently hand you tissues when he saw you crying? That was Chris.
He had always been calm, quiet and introverted. For the longest time, he had nursed a crush on me, and he never tried to hide it, especially, not from me..
It was not untill after highschool that he mastered the courage to confess, though.. Back then, I was pinned on Jason, so, I had rejected him in an heartbeat, but still, politely.
I had seen how crushed he was, especially since, the expression he wore somehow mirrored my own. We somehow fell in love with people who couldn't reciprocate our feelings.
' Is it because of my poor background?' After the rejection, he had asked, sounding defeated. It had nothing to do with his financial status, actually, I had even explained it to him, but somehow, he never believed me.
From the confession, years stretched past and our paths never crossed. It was after I graduated from College when I saw Chris Green again.
He had looked different, polished, his posture pumped by confidence and something else, pride, maybe? He had looked like a man who wanted to reclaim his lost glory.
He had gone ahead and confessed, naming his assests and net worth, his gaze hopeful as he professed, hoping I would say yes. Well, after so long, I was still pinned on Jason, so just like the previous time, I had gone ahead and turned him down.
And that was the last time I saw him, until at my wedding day when he had his gun aimed at me...
Yes. That man that I shot, the one who wanted to kill me, he was the same man who had claimed to be in love with me for years.
Everything was detailed in the report, and the more I read, the darker my face went.
He had opened a company, which seemed to be doing well. He had been offered an investment by the Riggs, an irresistible deal, and in return, he had to shoot me.
He hadn't even hesitated. I was the woman he couldn't have. He was unwilling to let another have me.
To think I had felt guilty for killing a person like that? I couldn't have been more disappointed in myself.
And any traces of guilt and indecisiveness that previously clung to my conscience were gone after reading Dalton's detailed report..
For years, I had been soft, letting people walk all over me, but not anymore...That Dahlia was gone.
"Thanks for the report. " I whispered, as I set the papers on the table, my eyes glossed by storm as I looked into the distance.
I had been too lost, reading the report, that I didn't hear him approaching, and it wasn't until I was done that his presence registered.
" About .." I opened my mouth, ready to speak, but he stopped me with a wave of his hand.
" You might want to save whatever you want to say for later, Mrs Riggs..."
" We have guests..." There wasn't a shift in his eyes as he stated, pointing at the monitor, which displayed a recording of the villa's outer gates.
I hadn't noticed it before, a live feed...
And when I did,
I saw two familiar figures, holding gift boxes...