Rapine 2: Ravished by the Billionaire (The Trophy Wife) (22 page)

Love,

Julian

I’ve never in my entire l
ife received a love poem.
This is so incredibly sweet.
As savage, aggressive, and brutal as Julian is, he can at times also be sweet, romantic, and old-fashioned. I love that he is composed of two extreme sides: a devil and an angel.

I feel myself get emotional and a few tears run down my
cheeks. I never loved someone as much as I love Julian. My heart constricts and I unleash a flood of tears.

A
fter a while, I pull myself together. I wipe away my tears, get out of bed, and get dressed. I go downstairs into the living room, and I see Julian sitting on the couch, talking on his cell phone. He nods his head. “Okay, good, have a nice day,” Julian says kindly and finishes the call.

“Who was that?” I ask
, raising my eyebrows.

“That was my younger sister, Layla, she’s eager to meet you.
I also have an older sister.”

“I’d love to meet your sister
s.”

“We have a whole life time together, you will meet them in time.”

“Layla is such a pretty name, what is the name of your other sister?”

“Michelle,” Julian responds. “She’s the one that is married.”

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me you had sisters sooner.”

“Getting to know someone is like peeling an onion, layer after layer
until reaching the core. I still don’t know everything about you.”

“I think you know me well,” I murmur.

“Not as well as I’d like to, Cheryl,” Julian whispers. “I want to peel layer after layer until I get inside your brain.”

I suddenly recall that my friend Yula was pregnant with her first child the last time
I saw her, right before I was taken from New York by Julian. Yula had planned to use the name Layla if it would be a girl. However, at the time she still wasn’t sure of the baby’s sex.

“I need to
call my friend,” I tell Julian abruptly. I realize I hadn’t even bothered to call or email to ask her about her child and how she’s doing. I called my mother and my friend Tanya a while back at the start of our honeymoon, but for some reason Yula completely slipped from my mind. I’ve gotten so wrapped up in my new life with Julian and our honeymoon that I completely forgot. I’ve neglected my friendships, simply blasting out an email to my entire email list, and only having called my mother recently. I reason that during our honeymoon, I haven’t had much time to myself, it’s really been a whirlwind of travel, love and sex.

“Okay
, Cheryl. Go ahead,” Julian says.

I rush
upstairs to the master bedroom and close the door. I get my iPhone from my purse. I sit at the edge of the bed, tap at the screen and initiate the call.

Yula appears on the screen, her familiar face
makes me smile wide. She looks just as beautiful as I remember. Her waist-length, jet-black hair flows down in loose, cascading waves. Her emerald green eyes widen as she gazes at me.

“Cheryl
,” she shrieks in her high-pitched, girly voice. “I haven’t heard from you for an eternity!”

“I know, I’m so sorry, I’ve
—”

“Tanya told me everything. I can’t believe you are with Julian,” she shrieks, her eyes wide
n even more.

“I know
and he’s wonderful, I’ve never been happier.” I smile, knowing that words cannot even begin to convey how happy I am. “But I’ve called to find out how you’re doing, how is your baby?”

“
I’m seven months pregnant now and it’s a boy!”

“
Oh Yula. I’m so happy for you,” I cry out. “What will be his name?”

“I’ve named him
Valentino,” she says, grinning wide.

“That’s wonderful!” I shriek.

She moves the camera down to show me her bulging belly and back up to her face. “He’s really been kicking lately.”

“Wow you’re so big, this is so exciting,” I comment.

“I know, but please tell me when you are coming back to New York? I’ve missed you so much.”

“I don’t think I’ll be coming back to New York,” I say gravely. “Julian lives primarily in Switzerland.”

“I’ve heard Switzerland is beautiful.”

“Oh there’s so much more to tell you,” I gasp.

“Do tell! I have lots of time,” she encourages.

“It’s too much to say in one phone call Yula,” I say, feeling overwhelmed. “And Julian is taking me to Germany
soon. Whereas, most people just go to one tropical spot on their honeymoon, we’ve been traveling the whole world during our honeymoon and it’s been so incredible.”

I hear a knock
at the door.

“Yula
, I have to run, that’s probably him right now telling me we have to go,” I say quickly.

“Okay
, honey, but please tell me everything, when you have some free time write me an email. I want to know everything, down to the smallest detail you can provide.”

“Okay, I promise I will,” I respond. “
Bye, honey. I’ve got to go.”

“Bye
, Cheryl.”

I
tap the screen to end the call and Yula disappears from the screen.

I walk over to the door and open it.

“Cheryl, who were you talking to?” Julian asks sternly.

“I had to call my friend Yula, who I haven’t talked to in a long time. She is seven month pregnant.”

“We can visit your friends in New York sometime if you like,” Julian suggests.

“Really? I’d love that,” I say
and suddenly my mind flashes with images of Derek and my life with him.

Julian frowns, appearing to already know what I’ve brought to mind.

“Maybe it would be better if you invited them to Switzerland,” Julian says, still frowning.

“Yes, that would work as well if they agree.”

“Let’s go, Cheryl,” Julian says, smiling. “I’d like to take you to a famous café in Vienna before we leave to go to Germany.”

I grab my purse, and follow behind Julian.
 

We arrive at a cute little coffee shop that Julian informs me has been in operation for many years. Julian orders two coffees and some pastries. We sit at a small table outside overlooking a river and mountains.

I take a sip of coffee
and my eyes widen. It’s one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever tried. It doesn’t compare to the popular, franchised coffee shops in America.

Jul
ian explains the itinerary for Germany as we sip on our coffee and nibble at the pastries.

We sit in silence for a while, just taking in the beautiful
Austrian scenery and enjoying our unparalleled coffee.

“I never imagined I’d ever be
as happy as I am with you,” I say as I turn my gaze away from the scenery and onto Julian’s face.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Julian responds, his blue eyes flashing.

“And I really appreciate your generosity and all that you have provided me with,” I murmur. “But you know I love you for more than just the money.”

“I know
, Cheryl. I can see it very clearly,” Julian responds and takes a sip of his coffee.

We both gaze out over the
natural scenery again, appreciating the moment. I hear many birds chirping loudly and the soothing sound of the river flowing.

Suddenly, Julian turns his attention back onto me. “
You know that everything I own is yours and if something should ever happen to me, which I’ll make sure it won’t—”

“Don’t say such things,” I interrupt.

“I know, but remember, all that I own is yours.”

Our limo driver
takes us back home, where he begins to load our luggage into the trunk.

Just before we leave, I grab the numerology book that I notice still
lying on the coffee table in the living room.

CHAPTE
R TWENTY-TWO

In the private plane, on the way to our next destination, I read the numerology book, in the chapter about the compatibility of life path 1 and 2. Julian is tapping away at his laptop beside me as I read to myself.

Number 1 is for Sun and number 2 is for Moon. Number 1 is aggressive, dominating, and determined while number 2 is gentle, emotional, understanding and dependent on others. This combination is beneficial for any relationship where the number 1 person is leading and the number 2 person is supporting. For marriage, if number 1 person is the chief earner of the family and number 2 is taking care of the family, this combination could be an excellent compatible match.

So Julian is the sun and I am the moon. I recall when Julian kept me confined in his home in Switzerland and I asked why he thought men and women are not equal. He told me that men and women are created to be different and serve different roles in the same way as the sun and the moon are different and serve different roles. Both are valuable and have great worth, illuminating the Earth at different times.

I
put my attention back onto the book and continue to read through it for the remainder of the flight.

After a while,
Julian puts his warm mouth to my ear. “We’ve arrived,” Julian whispers. I peek up at him from the book. I’ve become completely engrossed by the book, and am nearly halfway through it.

“We’re in Germany?” I say excitedly.

“I have a little surprise for you.” His eyes gleam. “Before we go to Germany, we’ve made a stop in your country, the Czech Republic.”

I gasp with surprise.

“I have an even bigger surprise waiting for you.” He flashes a wide grin.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

“The last time I visited my country was when I was really small and I don’t remember
it very well.” I wrap my arm around Julian’s thick arm and nuzzle him. “Thank you.”

When we get out of the private plane, there is a limo waiting for us. We go inside the lim
o and I gasp.

“Mom
my,” I shriek.

“Cheryl,” my mother shrieks
and hugs me tightly.

“I miss you so much,” I say through tears, squeezing her tightly.
I haven’t seen her in person for such a long time, so just touching her and smelling her distinct flowery perfume makes me feel emotional.
I love her so much.

I pull away
and take a good look at her. She looks very much like me with her long, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. Her smile is warm and caring, putting me right at ease. She looks happy to see me.

I haven’t even noticed,
but the limo has started moving and Julian has slipped into the limo beside me. He remains silent, giving us time to reunite and talk.

I go into great detail, telling her about whe
re we had our marriage ceremony and all the places we have visited during our honeymoon. I also inform her that Julian and I will have another wedding just for family and friends.

I’ve been talking excitedly with her for a while until I feel out of breath. I realize I haven’t even given them a chance to talk.

“This is Julian, my amazing husband,” I say spiritedly.

“
I finally have a chance to meet the man who has makes my daughter so happy,” my mother says, smiling.

Julian takes her hand and kisses the dorsal. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

My mother blushes and turns to me. “What a charming man,” she murmurs.

Julian talks with her for a w
hile, telling her about himself and I lean back and relax in my seat, so happy to have the two people I love more than anything in the world with me in the same place.

As
we drive through Prague, where my mother and father were born and met each other, my mind is wandering and thinking random thoughts as I listen with half an ear to Julian and my mother talking.

“So ladies, I’d like for us to have some lunch first, how does that sound?” Julian asks us.

My mother and I nod.

I take
ahold of Julian’s arm and squeeze gently. “Thank you so much for this,” I whisper.

He grabs hold of my hand and kisses the dorsal. “My pleasure.”

“So how did you arrange all of this?” I ask Julian.

“Well, I called your mother
and asked if she wanted to meet us in her home country. She agreed and I bought her a first-class plane ticket to Prague and had the limo pick her up from the airport. I’ve arranged for your mother to stay in the presidential suite of the best hotel in Prague, while we stay at another hotel owned by a good friend of mine. We will be spending a full week in Prague.”

The limo stops in front of a restaurant
overlooking a river that I know to be the River Vltava. We go up to the outdoor rooftop terrace of the restaurant and we are promptly seated.

The table
we are sitting at has a magnificent view over Prague, the River Vltava and all the bridges crossing over it. I notice in the distance that there are groups of white swans swimming over the river. Even though I’ve visited as a little girl, I guess I didn’t remember how stunning my parent’s country is.

During the course of lunch, Julian turns on his charm to the maximum. He tells my mother intriguing
and funny stories about when he was very young that I haven’t even heard yet, like how he would crawl into the kitchen cabinet and hide for the fun of it. Julian’s mother was unable to find him even though she knew he was somewhere in the house and so she called the police.

The manner in which Julian speaks and describes some of the events in his life has us both giggling and laughing
loudly. Julian’s eyes glow as he entertains us. I haven’t come to appreciate until now that Julian really has impeccable and charismatic social and conversion skills. I can see by the look in my mother’s eyes that Julian has charmed his way into her heart.

We finish eating lunch and as the waiter clears our plates, he interrupts in the middle of an entertaining story being told by Julian. “Would you like dessert, tea
, or coffee?”

W
e each order a shot of espresso and Czech poppy seed torte, a popular dessert in the Czech Republic, which I remember eating frequently when I was younger.

When the waiter leaves, m
y mother smiles warmly at Julian. “I’d like to hear the story of how you two met and fell in love.”

“I’ll tell the story,” I say before Julian has a chance to say any
thing.

The waiter brings our dessert and espresso.
My mother turns her full attention on me, waiting to hear the story.

I compose my thoughts and I decide to tell her the story
with as much truth as I can manage and skip the very inappropriate details. I think it through a little longer and I decide I will only skip the part about how Julian kept me confined in his home in Switzerland.

“
I first met Julian in New York when I was out with my girlfriends. He approached me and he didn’t notice that I was engaged. He was very intent on going out with me. I refused his advances and told him I was engaged.”

My mother arches an
eyebrow.

Julian g
azes at me, his lips tightening into a hard line.

“
When things didn’t work out with Derek I decided to take a vacation to clear my head.” I clear my throat and further compose my thoughts.
This is more challenging than I thought.

“
I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland,” I murmur. “So when I decided where I would go on vacation after the broken engagement, I decided Switzerland would be the perfect place.”

My mother nods, encouraging me to continue.

“At that time that Julian was in New York, he was simply there on business, but he was originally born, raised, and living in Switzerland. So I happened to see him there again and gave him a chance. After spending some time and getting to know him, I fell in love.”

My mother look
s intrigued.

“Julian t
ook me via helicopter to a mountain peak one evening. It was the most breathtaking view I’ve ever seen. We were over 15,000 feet high, holding each other and gazing into each other’s eyes. Julian dropped down to one knee and proposed to me. I said yes and then there was an explosion of multicolored fireworks. It was the happiest moment of my life.”

My mother’s eyes widen. “That’s beautiful.”

Julian smiles, pleased with the way I told the story.

My mother smiles and turns her attention toward Julian.
“Truthfully, I was a little concerned at first. My daughter sent me an email to tell me she broke off the engagement with Derek, a man whom I really respected and liked for my daughter. She told me she went away to clear her head. Soon after receiving that email, my daughter calls me and tells me she’s gotten married. So you can understand my surprise. I was also very disappointed that she eloped rather than having a family wedding.”

My mother takes a sip of espresso
. “Now that I’ve met you Julian, I’m very happy you two have married and I can see why you make my daughter so happy. You are a wonderful man and I might add that I feel you are an even better match for my daughter than Derek was, and whether you planned it out or whether you accidently met, I’m just glad the two of you met.”

I beam and Julian
grins. My mother’s wisdom and inner knowing seems to have kicked in and she really doesn’t care how we truly met even if Julian may have manipulated the situation in his favor a little bit. She only seems to care that I am happy, because really when it comes down to it, that’s all that really matters.

We spend the entire week with my mother, visiting the popular sites in the Czech Republic and going to restaurants, allowing my mother to get to know Julian better. We also briefly visit some relatives on my mother’s side of the family. I tell my mother that I’d like her to give me her full analysis of Julian at the end of the week once she’s spent some time with him.

At the end of the week, just before my mother gets into the limo that will drop her off at the airport so she can fly back to New York, my mother squeezes me tightly. “He’s perfect for you,” she whispers into my
ear. She hugs Julian and says she will call when she is ready to move to Switzerland. She gets into the limo and it pulls away.

Julian pins me to his side as we watch the limo drive away into the distance.

“That was one of the best surprises,” I murmur. “Thank you.”

“I have many more pleasant surprises in store,” Julian whispers.