His Rose. Her Distraction

CHAPTER 3

Prince Aches’ POV.

Life without Isabella is unbearable, especially when everything reminds me of her; the Abdeen palace where we shared beautiful moments, the Royal hospital she worked, everything. It was difficult to pinpoint something without having to think about the woman who made me realize what it means to love and be loved. I tried to live without her, to survive without her, but with each passing day in Dictoria I realized I could not, that I cannot live without my rose…Isabella.

I’m reliving those beautiful moments I spent in her arms as I strolled into the gardens of my multimillion dollar mansion, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my trouser suit. Her silence over the couple of weeks could mean danger, grave danger. She’d promised to call me back as soon as she gets home and is settled down in the States but that seems not happening.

What could have gone wrong?

I stared at the white roses before me, a slight crest formed on my forehead as I picked up footsteps coming from behind me. I didn’t need to take a look as I knew already who it was. I hated it whenever special moments as this is interrupted.

Heaving a sigh, I continued staring at the white roses.

“My lord?” A familiar voice said from behind me.

“Yes, Ahmed?” I said, looking over my shoulder and my gaze falls on my favorite steward.

“You have a phone call, my lord,” Ahmed supplied.

The excitement at which I turned to face him. “A call?” I gasped with so much anxiety that Ahmed was taken aback, I knew at once it wasn’t the phone call I was expecting. “Oh!”

“No, not that call, my lord,” Ahmed said. “This is is from the investigators here in Dictoria,” he added and took an apologetic bow in remorse for giving me false hopes. I swallowed my disappointment and managed a smile.

“I see. Tell them I will them call back as soon as I’m in my office,” I said and without hesitation, Ahmed bowed again and left. All alone once again, I heaved a sigh and resumed staring at the flowers before me but my thoughts darted back to that moment a month ago, that moment I proposed to my rose …Isabella.

…..

“Marry me,” I said. I watched as breath lodged in her throat.

“I’m…I’m speechless,” she said. We were still sprawled on the bed, naked, after an episode of passionate lovemaking.

I smiled and cupped her face. “You could just nod your head and say ‘yes’,” I said. She smiled but the smile quickly evaporated from her lips.

“But Prince Aches, you know I’m leaving Dictoria in less than 48hours and I’m not sure if I’m coming back here.”

“You will come back,” I said, “…not for anything short but for our love. The future of our love lies now in your hands, Isabella.”

“It’s not as easy as you think,” she stated the obvious. “I will be going back to the States to face my father and the godfather. I don’t want to make promises to you now, and shatter your heart tomorrow if things go wrong and I don’t come back.”

“Then allow me to come to you in America and make it official to your family,” I said. “That I want your hand in marriage.”

She dragged her beautiful hands over her face and sighed. “You don’t want to get involved with the American mafia, it’s a bloody, dirty thing over there.”

“Isabella,” I caressed her name as my hands did to her face.“Allow me to worry about that,” I said. “All I want is a response of a ‘yes or no’ from you.”

I remembered something. “Wait a minute,” I said and bolted out of the bed. First, I dressed back into my pajamas, and then dashed inside the closet.

By the time I’m done rummaging through the pockets of the trouser suit which I wore earlier on, my rose had dressed back into her pajamas and now sat on the bed.

I glanced at the velvet box now in my hands and covered the distance between us.

In-front of the bed, I opened the box and went on one knee. Her eyes are wide in admiration as she saw the beautiful diamond ring.

“Isabella, knowing you have been the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. I want to make you mine forever. Be my wife and the mother of my unborn children, stay with me let’s grow old together,” I whispered.

“I will still need to go home and sort things out with my family,” she said.

“I don’t mind, I will patiently wait for your return,” I pledged.

My eyes darkened as I watched her caress her belly and then a charming smile played on her lips. She nodded.

“Yes, I will marry you.” She yelled out, excitedly.

Our happiness knew no bounds. It sizzled the room as I jerked to my feet and first landed a sweet kiss on her lips, before pulling her into my arms and twirling us round in the room.

We laughed.

Carefully, I lowered her on the bed and gently, put the ring on her finger. “It’s beautiful,” she cried, tears of joy streaming down her face and I kissed them.

“Do you like it?” I asked, still holding her in my arms.

She glanced at the ring. “Like?”she gasped. “Like is an understatement here, I love it!” She chuckled.

I kissed her temple. “I’m glad to know you love the ring. Thank you for accepting to spend the rest of your life with me, Isabella, thank you for accepting to be the mother of my unborn children,” I added.

She moved, and came sitting astride on my laps. “Don’t worry, Prince Aches, I will be back. And it’s a promise. I won’t stay long,” she promised.

“May I know how long precisely are you planning to stay at the States?” I asked.

“I can’t tell,” she said, “but as soon as I am done, I will be back or at least put a call across to you, okay?”

“I will miss you,” my voice cracked just as my already breaking heart. I was fighting hard to stop myself from breaking down into tears.

“We still have the whole of tomorrow together,” she tried to soothe. I chuckled.

“Yeah, and that’s like 24 hours and after which you will be gone for only God knows how long.” I openly lamented.

She raked my hair with her soft fingers before tracing the length of my face in a tempting caress. Her eyes were fixed on my lips. “I will come back to you, Prince Aches, and that’s a promise,” she said.

I stared at her lips yearning to taste them all over. Her sweet succulent lips.

“Forever together after that, huh, no more leaving each other,” I said as my hands traveled to her back, going lower until it cupped her butts.

She moaned and nodded, “Yes.” And our lips met again that night…

…….

Relieving those moments of our engagement brought a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.

Exhaling, I turned and retreated inside the mansion behind me. I headed upstairs for my office and met Ahmed waiting at the door.

“My lord.” He opened the door for me.

Walking straight to the telephone on the table, I dialed the familiar number, and then waited as the line rang at the other end.

The line connected.

“...Good evening, my lord.”

“Good evening, Mr. Ahmosept. Any news about the house address?” I asked.

“…Yes, my lord. We were able to track her home address in California.”

It was difficult to control my emotions, I was standing but upon hearing the confirmation, that what I have been looking for, for the past two weeks was finally here, I happily slumped into the chair behind me. “Are you sure about this?” I probed, just to make sure I’d heard him right.

Mr. Ahmosept chuckled. I could also hear Ahmed laugh quietly from where he stood at the doorpost. “My lord,” Mr. Ahmosept continued, “…as a matter of fact, I will send the details to you first thing tomorrow morning via mail,” he said. I liked the sound of that, first thing tomorrow morning.

“Okay then, first thing in the morning, Mr. Ahmosept,” I concurred, and then I dropped the call.

“I’m happy they found the house address, my lord.” Ahmed timidly said at the door. I guess it was the excitement of the whole thing that made him not hide the fact he was eavesdropping on my call.

I glanced at him and smiled. “Prepare my dinner, I am starving!” I instructed.

My confession of starvation and request for food thrilled Ahmed. For the past weeks, I have lost appetite especially after that call with Layla in which she advised that I move on and forget Isabella. The fact that Ahmose too of all people will say the same thing as my sister Layla, brought more pain to my already shattered heart.

But their advice gave me little hope, hopes of a future with Isabella. Since that day, I have done nothing but work hard in finding her address in the States, a work I put Mr. Ahmosept in charge. Finding Miss Ray’s address is a first step in reclaiming my woman, a step I wasn’t afraid of taking. Now, I am grateful that everything was falling into place. I have suddenly regained my appetite.

Ahmed gasped, “Dinner? Oh, right away, my lord,” he said and in a flash, disappeared into the hallway and shut the door after him.

Exhaling, I jerked to my feet and through a connecting door to my chamber, exited the office and entered my bedroom. I strolled over to my dressing table and began unbuttoning my shirt. But I paused for a moment and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

As it has been happening since the departure of my rose, instead of my reflection in the mirror, I was envisaging pictures of her smiling, laughing, looking right into my soul like she always did.

And I remembered the first time we made out in this very room. I welcomed them all, unlike the other moments in which I tried to shut them away to prevent myself from hurting. I welcomed them all this time around knowing I will soon be at the States with her, saving her from whatever danger she must have landed herself in.

A smile played on my lips.

Jerking away from the table, I stripped to nudity and headed to my bathroom where I enjoyed a cool shower. Minutes later, I stepping out wrapped in a bathrobe and dressed into fresh clothes placed on the bed; pair of black trousers and a grey t-shirt to match. I loved how my blue eyes were pronounced in them. Smiling to myself, I turned and headed downstairs for dinner.

I had entered the dining room, settled in my chair, the chef in charge served my food and I was about eating when my cousin walked into the room.

I stopped and watched Ahmose walk to a chair and sit. And he smiled to me across the table. “Good evening, my lord,” he said.

Reaching for the glass of water before me, I emptied half of its contents.

“Hello, Ahmose.” I said and took a first spoon of my food. We scrutinized each other from each end of the table. Ahmose exhaled.

“You seem excited.”

“Am I?” I asked. We stared at each other.

“Why do I have a feeling you’re hiding something from me?”

I took another spoon of my food. “I found it,” I stopped right there unsure if I wanted to disclose the rest to him.

“You found what?” Ahmose grew curious, the curiosity rippling his expression and he didn’t even attempt to hide it. And then the answers managed to snap in his head. “Does this have to do with Isabella? H-have you found her address?” he stammered.

“I’m afraid, yes!” I smiled. “I spoke with Mr. Ahmosept this evening, he will have the details sent over to me in the mail first thing tomorrow morning,” I added and smiled even more.

“Does Layla know about this?”

“Why? I’m yet to tell her.”

“You’re not really thinking of going to the States, most especially, into the circle of the mafias, brother!”

“Ahmose! That’s my decision to take and not yours,” I reminded him. He quickly recollected himself and sulked under a breath.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to sound that way but you really have to think about it.”

“No,” I shook my head.

“Perhaps you should send someone else to find out if all is well with her. I know you are most especially worried after hearing of the accident.”

My thoughts darted back to that moment weeks ago when a girl by name Louisa called and claimed to be a sister to my rose. Louisa had a bad news, avery bad news which revealed my Isabella was involved in a ghastly car accident. This Louisa had promised to call back but it’s been weeks yet no sign of the girl or my rose.

Is the news about the accident true? Only time will tell when I finally fly down to the States and find out myself.

Something definitely must have gone wrong with my rose over there and that I’m determined to uncover.

“You think going into the circles of mafias is dangerous?” I asked and my gaze wandered back to Ahmose.

“Yes. Of course, my lord.”

“And you prefer that I send someone else into this grave danger?” I asked and he fell quiet.

Ahmose was startled. “No, no, my lord,” he shook his head. “-I didn’t mean to put it that way,” he said.

“Then how exactly are you trying to put it?” I asked. “Please, share with me.”

“If only you can just forget about Ella…” I flashed him a glare and he knew better to correct himself. “What I mean is, if only you could just let everything slide for now, wait for her here in Dictoria and have faith that one day she will come back to you,” he said.

“I don’t have a problem with that, Ahmose,” I said. “-I didn’t have a problem with waiting for Isabella to come back to me. But then one Louisa called and mentioned that Isabella was involved in a car accident and there’s a possibility Isabella will lose her memories.”

“What if it’s a trap?”

“What?”

“And what if she has?” Ahmose asked. “What if she has lost memories of you two? You’re not a magician that can make her suddenly remember. Don’t you think you’ll be landing yourself into huge trouble, the godfather, his son, and then Isabella’s father? Those men will haunt you.”

“Ahmose?”

“Remember that place is the United States of America and not Dictoria where you’re Crown Prince. Over there, you’re a common man, vulnerable to threats, attacks and lots more. Do you wish to stain your reputation, your country, in the eyes of International bodies just for one girl? When you can have as many girls as you want over here.”

“Have you ever been in-love?” I asked and watched as my question unsettled him.

Silence fell into the room. However, I hated knowing the answer to the question I posed him. Isabella was the first girl both of us have ever fallen for, but she’d chosen me over him, a defeat I believe Ahmose is yet to stomach even until now.

But I also hated how there were undeniably elements of truth in his questions. This was the first time I was attempting something as dangerous as this, especially putting my reputation and that of country at stake. It sure brought jitters to my stomach.

“The truth is always bitter,” Ahmose continued and I glanced at him. “P-please, think about it, my lord. Do not go to the States.”

A lump in my throat, I slowly jerked to my feet and swallowed. “I hate the pessimistic spirit you’re exhibiting, Ahmose.” I wiped my mouth with a table napkin. “If you will excuse me,” I said and headed out of the dining room for my bedroom.

Seconds later, inside the safe space of my chamber, I walked to the dressing table and fought the urge to yell out my frustrations. I clasped my hands and closed my eyes…and then after what seemed like forever, I heaved a sigh and walked away, to my bed where I collapsed right in.

Ahmose’s words continued to haunt me as I closed my eyes to sleep, a very troubled sleep