Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides #1) (22 page)

“Give me your phone,” Delores demanded, holding out her hand.

“No.” Ella took a step back. “I'm going to bed.”

“Give me your phone,” Delores commanded again. This time she reached out and took it directly from Ella's hands. The scent of rum filled Ella's nose, overpowering her for a moment. Ella fought to keep the phone, but Delores had the element of surprise and a viciousness that Ella wasn't prepared for.

“You can't take that!” Ella growled, lunging for the phone, but Delores was ready and simply moved out of reach.

“You are back on my time, Ella. Your day off is over. You want this inn? You have to earn it.” Delores slid the phone into her dress where Ella couldn't get it. “All it takes is one bad word from me and you get nothing. I own you.”

Ella stared at her stepmother for a moment. The woman was obviously drunk. And angry.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,
thought Ella. And despite the fact that Ella had nothing to do with the scorning, she was going to take the brunt of it.

“What can I do for you, Stepmother?” Ella asked. Perhaps if she just did as Delores asked, the old woman would just calm down. If Ella was lucky, Delores would pass out at her desk in a rum induced sleep within the hour and she could get her phone back then.

“I want you to go to the cellar and get more wine for the bar.” Delores crossed her arms. “You should've noticed we were low while you were back there cleaning.”

A cold settled in Ella's stomach. Delores had seen her at the bar. No wonder the woman was crazy with rage.

“Yes, ma'am,” Ella replied meekly. Delores wasn't in a rational place right now. Far better to just appease the dragon for a few hours. Ella had weathered Delores Storms like this before. This was the worst Ella had ever seen, but it would blow over. “May I have my phone back?”

Delores pointed her finger in the direction of the cellar. “When I can trust you to do your work and not sit around being lazy.”

Ella pressed her lips together and turned on her heel. She wasn't about to press the woman who was making drunken threats. Delores couldn't fall asleep soon enough. Ella would get that wine and whatever else Delores demanded. This wasn't the end of the world. Delores just wanted her to feel as miserable as she did.

Ella opened the door to the cellar and made sure to prop the door with the brick before turning and picking up several boxes of wine to bring back up to the bar. Her back was turned to the door when she heard a creak and a thud.

Turning around, Ella found the cellar door closed and locked. Delores's faint laughter filtered through the thin wall before fading away.

She was trapped.

“S
ir, it's time to go.”

Jace sighed and glanced around the empty hotel lobby. He checked his watch, even though he knew it was long past when Ella should have arrived. Especially after all those text messages. Yet, still, he had hoped she would show up. The time was only two minutes and fifteen seconds different than the last time he had checked.

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T
his isn't going to work out.

I can't lie to you anymore. I have someone else.

You aren't special.

You were going to find out eventually, so I'll just spare you now. I don't want this.

I'm not coming tomorrow.

You need to leave.

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T
he text messages still burned on his phone. There were more, but just looking at them made him want to cry. They seared into his soul. He had missed the first two he was so busy working. He'd immediately messaged her back, begging her to let him come see her. She'd said no, that it would only hurt them both.

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T
his weekend was magical. But magic isn't real. I don't want to hurt you. Please, just leave me alone. Go back to your real life.

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T
he messages had come all night. From her phone. There wasn't anyone else who could have sent them. The woman of his dreams was just that. In his dreams. It was over.

The lobby was empty. Most of the guests from the wedding were either already checked out, or still sleeping. It was far more peaceful now than the first time he had seen it. Without the celebrities, their entourages, and mass amounts of security, the place was calm and welcoming. He could see himself coming back to visit if it was like this.

“Sir?”

He wanted to see her one last time, to smell her hair and feel her pressed against him. He wanted the text messages to be a figment of his imagination. He wanted her to walk into the lobby and fall into his arms, telling him that not a single one of the messages real.

“Just a minute more,” Jace told his driver. “The plane will wait.”

Just a few more minutes, he thought. He checked his phone and his watch again, hoping that time had slowed. As much as the plane would wait, his business would not. He couldn't stay here forever. This isn't how he wanted to end things with her.

“Sir? Are you ready?” The driver stepped forward, ready to usher him to the waiting car.

Jace didn't see her anywhere. Maybe she was waiting for him to come somewhere else? Somewhere private?

“I'll be right back,” he told the driver as he headed to the front door. Jace's steps were fast and sure as he hurried along the path to the gazebo.

His polished leather shoes squished gently on the dewy ground as he ran up the dirt path to the small gazebo. His thoughts were on their conversation there, the way the sunlight had sparkled in her hair....

But the structure was empty. Somewhere, a lonely bird called out across the water.

The barn. She had to be at the barn. If she wasn't at the gazebo, she would be at the barn. He smiled, turning quickly and heading back down the path. He could just see her smile in his mind's eye as he walked in and found her grooming one of the white horses. She'd be so pleased.

But the barn was empty except for the two horses.

Commander popped his head up over the stall door and huffed a hello. Jace walked over and patted the gentle giant's nose. The grooming tools were all neatly stacked away and the stable was clean, but there was no sign of Ella.

His heart sank and he felt like he might fall to his knees. For the first time since he was a child, Jace felt like crying.

She was gone. The woman he had fallen in love with was gone. She had meant her messages and there was nothing he could do to change that. If she wasn't here or at the gazebo, then she didn't want him to find her.

Anger bubbled up in his chest. If she couldn't do the right thing and just say goodbye in person like a grownup, then he was better off without her. What she was doing was rude. He didn't deserve to be treated like this. He was Xavier Connor, CEO of Connor Conglomerate and worth more than a billion dollars. If she was going to throw his feelings away so callously, then he didn't need her.

He would leave and never come back.

It was what his father would do, and for the first time in his life, his father's decisions made sense.

Love did nothing but cause heartache. That's what his father always said, and he was right. Crying and moping over something as simple as a three day fling would accomplish nothing. Instead, Jace squared his shoulders, promised himself that his heart wouldn't hurt so much in a few days, and headed out to the car to go to the airport.

As the car pulled away, he looked sadly at the inn.

Ella...

E
lla pounded on the cellar door. Her hands ached from the repeated blows on the door that clearly wasn't moving. She'd tried screaming, but she knew that no one would hear her. Just last week, one of the kitchen staff had been stuck in here for hours before someone came to look for her.

Except no one was coming to look for Ella. The only person who would notice she was missing was probably on a plane back to his real life already.

She couldn't believe Delores would do this to her.

A sob choked Ella's throat and made it hard to breathe. Her knees buckled as she checked her watch and knew he was gone. She had wanted to say goodbye. She had wanted to see him one more time, to tell him how she felt and that she couldn't wait to see him again.

But now she couldn't.

She tried banging on a different wall, but the sturdy ancient cellar walls absorbed everything. She was trapped and had no way to tell Jace goodbye. No way to tell him that he was all she thought about all night.

Despite spending the night trapped down here, she had hoped she'd figure out a way to escape by now. This was her last chance to see him. She could only imagine the things Delores had told him about her with her trapped.

She'd beaten at the walls for hours, yet all she had to show for it was dirty hands.

The numbers on her watch changed to the hour and Ella knew he was gone. He couldn't have waited for her this long. Her heart stopped and her knees gave out. She didn't remember sinking to the floor, didn't remember starting to cry, or hanging her head as sobs racked her body.

Jace was gone.

What would Jace think? He had to think that she didn't meet him for a reason. If Delores had her way, she would tell him that Ella wasn't interested and to never come back. If her daughter couldn't have him, then no one could. Especially not Ella.

Regret spilled out of her like water from a faucet. She should have told him how she felt, how he lit up her gray world and made her feel special. When he smiled at her, she felt like things would work out. How she wished she could just see that smile again.

But he was gone. Gone, and probably angry with her for having stood him up. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears and her lungs ached for more oxygen. No one could hear her cry down here anyway.

She was alone and there was nothing she could do.

***

E
lla wasn't sure how much time had passed. There were no windows in the cellar, and she'd given up checking her watch. It didn't matter anyway. An hour or a week, Jace was still gone.

The door handle squeaked as someone attempted to open it. Ella scrubbed her face, finding it crunchy with dried tears. She was fairly sure that no matter what she did short of a shower, it was going to be obvious she'd been crying. Ella just hoped it wasn't Delores opening the door. She could handle just about anyone else right now, just not Delores.

“There you are!” Allison's voice was full of relief. “I've been looking everywhere.”

“Allison?” Ella was expecting one of the kitchen staff, not her step-sister. “What are you doing down here?”

“Rescuing you,” Allison replied. She pushed the door open as far as it would go and kicked the door stop firmly under it.

“Thank you,” Ella said, but it sounded full of despair even to her own ears. The tears were threatening to come back now that she was free. She could escape the cellar now, but Jace was long gone.

“Wow, don't sound so grateful.” Allison leaned against the open door. “I might get the wrong idea and think you liked it down here.”

“Sorry, I really am glad you came,” Ella said. Her shoulders slumped. “It's just... he's gone. And I didn't get to say goodbye.”

“I figured as much.” Allison crossed her arms. “I've actually been looking for you for the past two hours. No one knew where you went.”

“You were looking for me?” Ella looked up from the floor in surprise. Why in the world would Allison look for her?

“I saw Mom with your phone. I also saw Jace leave in an angry huff. Since you weren't there, and you aren't the type to let a guest leave in a huff, especially one you like...” Allison shrugged. “I figured it was bad. And since you two looked awful cozy and happy yesterday, I figured that it wasn't a planned thing.”

“He must hate me. I can only imagine what Delores said to him.” Ella wished she could just go back to bed. Maybe she'd wake up in a little bit and find this was all just a bad dream.

“Mom was beside herself when she saw the two of you at the wedding. I've never seen her so angry.” Allison shook her head. “I'm sorry, Ella. You don't deserve this. You deserve him and the way he looks at you. Not this.”

“It's not your fault,” Ella told her. She wrapped her arms around her, holding herself together. “I heard he helped you out.”

“Yeah, he did.” Allison smiled and shrugged. “Unfortunately, Mom figured it out. Now she's pissed at all three of us.”

“And I'm her favorite whipping post. Awesome.” Ella ran her fingers through her hair. In addition to losing Jace, Delores was going to make sure her life was miserable. A shaky sigh escaped her chest. “What am I going to do?”

“Go get him,” Allison replied. She pulled a roll of bills from her back pocket and placed them in Ella's hand. “Get out of here and go find him.”

Ella looked at the money. She wasn't sure she could accept it, and worse than that, she couldn't leave the property without jeopardizing her inheritance. “But the inn...”

“The inn will survive without you. And if it doesn't, then maybe Mom will finally get her head out of her ass.” Allison closed Ella's fingers around the money. “You have to have some days off saved up.”

“I don't get days off,” Ella reminded her. “You know that.”

“That's not terribly legal,” Allison mused. “I doubt anyone would dispute that after five years of nonstop work you don't deserve a week or two off.”

“I don't know...” The thought of losing the inn was terrifying. It was all Ella had thought of for the past five years. It was her life.

“Go. I'll handle things here,” Allison promised. “It will work out. Promise.”

“What about you?”

Allison shrugged. “I've got backup plans. This was never my idea of a future. I haven't told anyone, but I applied to law school. I start in the fall.”

“Congratulations!” Ella exclaimed, hugging her stepsister. “You're going to be a great lawyer.”

“Thanks.” Allison blushed slightly and pulled back. This was more conversation and physical touch than the two had ever shared. “Now, you need to go.”

Ella stared at the money in her hand. Something inside of her finally snapped. How many years had she spent trying to fix the inn, only to have Delores push her aside? How many hours had she spent planning and dreaming, only to be told no? To be threatened? The inn was just property and a building. Six more months without Jace wasn't worth it. Her dreams were about what she could do with the inn, not the inn itself. She wanted Jace more than the inn.