EMILEE
I get off the elevator and march into the Royal Suite.
“Em?” I hear the door shut behind me.
I ignore Titan and make my way to his room. My eyes catch site of his balcony, and I shove open the sliding glass door and walk out onto it. I suck in a deep breath of fresh air.
“Emilee?” Titan sighs.
I spin around to face him. When we woke up this morning, he asked me if I trusted him. After what he did for me last night, there was no way for me to say no. He then informed me that he had a meeting today, and he wanted me to attend it. I had no idea that it was going to be with my father. “What, Titan?” I ask, angrily wiping the tear from my cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
I chuckle at that. “You did nothing wrong.”
“I’m sorry you had to hear that.” He walks over to me and pushes a strand of dark hair behind my ear.
“No, you’re not,” I say.
“You’re right. I wanted you to see what he did to you. How he put himself first. You needed to know what kind of person he truly is.”
I always thought he was a saint. A man who had everything in the world. A reputable business. A loving wife. How many people had he used? How far would he have gone if Titan wouldn’t have intervened last night? “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, Em.” He cups my face. “I hate to see that look on your face. And I hate that he wasn’t the man you thought he was.”
I reach out, grip his shirt, and pull him toward me. “Titan …”
“Yeah, Em?” His eyes search mine.
“I love you.” I say the words that I’ve never told another man. I have no regrets or second thoughts. This man is the one for me. And I hold my breath, hoping that he feels the same about me.
He brings his lips to mine. “I love you too.” Then he’s kissing me.
EPILOGUE
EMILEE
I STAND IN front of Titan’s bathroom mirror, wringing my hair out with my towel. He messaged me earlier that he wanted to have dinner tonight. After everything went down with my father in the conference room last week, he took a couple of days off. We spent them in bed with room service. It was nice. But things quickly went back to normal, and he had to return to Kingdom. I’ve spent every day with the girls, trying to get back to our routine and let go of everything else.
I want to move on. I want to be happy with Titan and let go of my father and everything that has happened since I returned from Chicago. I’m going to enjoy every second I have with this man. I saw him at his worst. He killed not only one, but two men. In brutal fashion. But he did so for me. He protected me. He cared about my well-being. Who else can I say has done that lately? No one.
I haven’t heard from my father. Honestly, I don’t want to see him. I feel betrayed. I was excited and caught up when I realized he was truly alive to see how much he had lied to me. He should have come to me. Told me. I would have kept his secret. Now I just want to forget his betrayal. What I did when I thought I had no way to help my mother other than fuck his business partner.
I exit the bathroom and enter Titan’s bedroom. The sun set an hour ago. The dark curtains that cover the floor-to-ceiling windows are pulled back and open, showcasing the lit-up city.
My eyes fall to his king-size bed and see a box sitting on it. “Titan?” I call out but get nothing in return. His bedroom door is shut, and he had told me earlier that he had to work late tonight.
Walking over to it, I look over the black box. It has a yellow ribbon wrapped around that ties into a bow in the middle. A card is sitting on top.
My Em,
You deserved something special. Get ready and meet me upstairs.
I place the card on the white comforter and read GUCCI in white letters across the box. I pull the lid off and push back the yellow tissue paper. I gasp when I see the black sequin dress. It’s one shoulder, ankle length with a slit up the side to the thigh. I hold it up to my body and run back into the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror.
He’s up to something, and I can’t wait to see what it is.
TITAN
I sit at my desk in my office when Bones enters. I look at the clock, and say, “Make it quick. I have plans tonight.”
He smirks, falling down into his seat. “I know. You’ve reminded me ten times today.”