Love Me One More Time (Nick and Alaia) novel Chapter 76

Killian

“Grace,” I said, sensing her entering the office after the Judge I had hired for the wedding had left. He had just handed me Nick and Barbara’s marriage certificate. Everything was going according to plan.

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” she commented, showing slight remorse. She had always been a fool.

“We are doing it, Grace. Your son must live up to a family like ours. We will not allow him to stray from the path again. He will learn everything from me. We will go even further than we are now, the sky’s the limit,” I said proudly. “A marriage without love is perfect. Love is nothing more than a useless distraction.”

“That girl…”

“That girl is a problem. We have to get rid of her. It seems your son has a weakness, and it is that insignificant woman. I will get rid of her for good. She didn’t trust your son, and I can’t give her options,” I explained, straightening my suit jacket.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.“

” I gestured to the door.”

“I’ll go take care of it,” I said, offering no further details.

Grace left the office without another word. This morning, I had been informed that the girl was pregnant, so all the more reason to take care of her and that matter. Luckily for her, Nick had

pushed her aside, or I would have had to think about making her disappear. So for now, I would only take care of the pregnancy.

Nick

I walked away from the guests to go after Killian. “It’s done,” I said, entering the office. This morning, we had signed the documents that accredited me as the main heir to my family fortune, and the decisions regarding my father would be in my hands.

“That’s right, we just have to legalize them.” He looked at his watch. “Something important has come up that I have to take care of right now. I won’t be long.” He walked out of the house. I watched him go, my jaw clenching. I needed to get this over with so I could be with the woman I loved, so my father would have a fighting chance.

I checked the time a couple of times while people enjoyed my fake wedding and decided to call him.

“Son,” he answered, and I had to play my part, so I spoke as if I liked him.

“Grandpa, did you take care of it?” I asked, and Barbara walked over to my mother. They had liked each other at first sight.

“I’m on it. You don’t have to worry. That will be resolved today. You can go on your honeymoon without worry,” he stated.

“There will be no honeymoon,” I thought to myself.

“Don’t be late,” I said, and my little sister came over to hug me.

“Nick, you married a plastic girl,” she said, making me laugh. She was right.

“I’ll be there in no time,” Killian replied.

“We’ll be waiting for you,” I said and kissed my sister’s head. “In a few days, you’ll meet my real wife,” I told her, and she frowned. “You’ll understand.” I hugged her by the shoulders, and we approached my cousin.

“They told me you were waiting for me,” Killian commented when he returned from whatever he was doing.

“That’s right, I want to get this over with,” I said, exhaling.

“In such a hurry?” he laughed.

“I want to start a new life soon, hire a new lab for my father,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“Everything is in order. The legalization of the signatures will only take a couple of days,” he said simply, and I swallowed the annoyance of waiting any longer to go to Alaia. I massaged my chin with one hand, closing my eyes.

“You can go on your honeymoon, for now.”

“There will be no honeymoon,” I replied quickly, and Killian looked at me. “My father is more important now,” I clarified.

“Fine, whatever you want,” he said and left the office.

Days later…

The damn legalization of the documents took two days, two more days. I exhaled, but they had finally arrived. Yesterday, I had gone to Alaia’s house at night, taking the necessary precautions, and I could see her for a few seconds through her bedroom window. I had resisted the urge to go for her, but we were so close to finishing this that I just took a breath and left before making a wrong move.

“Here are the papers.” Killian dropped the thick folder on the desk in my new office. “You are the heir to all this,” he said with satisfaction, “and legally, you will make the decisions regarding your father.”

I sat down, taking the papers and pressing them in my hands. Finally.

“We have to meet, talk to the board and introduce you, organize what we will do from now on.

There are several contracts with some South American countries that represent several million to our companies,” he mentioned. I looked at him from where I was sitting and remained silent. Was it too early to shatter his illusions?

“I have something to do first,” I said, taking the package of papers and standing up to go get my wife, the real one.

I drove quickly through the city streets. My father’s Rolls–Royce was the only car available. I would be sure to buy others in the next few days. I had already been looking at a new house for Alaia, but I thought she should be the one to choose it.

I smiled, finally feeling free, even though I knew my wife must have been hating me and wouldn’t want to see me at first. I just hoped she would understand that I did it for her, for my father.

I stopped the car in front of her house and hurried to the door, where I knocked, but there was no answer.

I put my hands on my hips and took two steps back to get a better look at the whole house. I walked around it until I reached the backyard. The silence was deafening, and I felt something I didn’t like in the pit of my stomach.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” We left the building, and he drove me to the house I shared with Barbara. We were just waiting to legalize the inheritance papers, and each of us would go our separate ways: me with Alaia, and she would go to some country in Europe.

I entered and went straight to the bar, pouring one, two, three, four drinks that I downed one after the other. Lost in my thoughts, I walked, holding a glass and the bottle in my hands.

“Nico!” I heard Barbara, and she approached as I sat on a step leading to the backyard of the house.

“Is it all over? Did you talk to her?” she asked, and I looked at her sideways.

“No,” I said under my breath. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling. I needed to find her, or I would lose my mind. The only thing keeping me going was the hope of finding her soon.

“What do you mean?” she said, sitting down next to me.

“She disappeared.” I took another drink.

“She couldn’t have gone far. You’ll find her,” my friend encouraged me, and I slowly nodded, wishing it were true.

“I know what I’m going to do on my trip to Europe.” She distracted me, and I lowered the bottle from my lips.

“I’m going to study at the Drama School of the UK.” She moved her hands and spoke happily. I looked at her sideways. “It’s always been my secret dream to be an actress, but my parents hate the idea. They say it doesn’t suit a woman from a good family like me. Now I’m free, and I’m going to do it even if it bothers them. Our fake wedding was perfect for me. Maybe I’ll ask to live here.” She looked at the house. “I pretend to get away from them, from their yoke. I’ll only come on vacations and when I have time.” She shrugged.

“Do whatever you want, Barbara. This house has only been part of this failed plan,” I said bitterly and took another swig from the bottle.

“It wasn’t all bad. Your father is safe, and so is she.” Barbara squeezed my arm and wrinkled her nose, and even though her words should have helped me with what I was feeling, they didn’t. I didn’t answer, thinking that Barbara rarely spoke seriously. I must have looked like crap for her to have decided to do it.

My phone rang, announcing a call from the investigator. I fumbled with my phone as fast as my fingers would allow.

“Did you find her?” I asked quickly.

“No, sir, there’s still no sign of her. She’s disappeared from the city records. It’s like she just vanished.”

No, no, no. You couldn’t have flown so far away from me, butterfly.

“Look for every Alaia in this country,” I ordered.

“There are over 50,000, sir,” the man said.

“I don’t care how many there are. Look for every single one of them until you find her.”

“Sir…”

“Search for her by air, sea, and land. Search under rocks if you have to. I need you to find my wife!” I shouted, feeling something break inside me and a pain shoot through my chest.