His Discarded Bride #thefictionawards2019

Part Sixteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Leilani had been a bit surprised and disappointed that they weren't going on a honeymoon. The timing couldn't be worse, she was told; apparently, a huge merger or some such was happening. She thought if they were to continue getting to know one another, then time alone and away from him work would have been ideal.

Worse than not going on a honeymoon was the fact that he would be leaving for London only two days after their wedding. His itinerary was non-stop, and he'd be gone for possibly a week. Otherwise, he would have taken her with him. "I'd be happy to do my own thing in London while you work," she beseeched him, eager to accompany him on the trip.

"That's sweet," he said distractedly. "It would be unfair to you. I'll be in meetings all day and business dinners until late." He pecked her forehead and took another call.

Over the past twenty-four hours, his phone had been ringing non-stop. Not wanting to come off as clingy, she let the matter drop. The one thing that was still going strong was his sexual desire for her. When he finally joined her in bed, he was insatiable, and she was more than willing to accommodate his appetite.

Both mornings, he had woken her well before the alarm clock. She realised that her transition to consciousness was a lot more rapid with the rising of his erection pressing into her flesh. The early mornings suited her fine.

Leilani had no need to work, so she looked for other ways to fill her days meaningfully. Her starting point was learning the language. It would be especially helpful for when they were staying in the village where English was rarely spoken. Luckily, Renato's household employees were bilingual, but that wasn't much help for her in the small town; she could hardly take someone with her everywhere she went.

Renato was soon in London, and, each morning, she would receive a quick call from him; she hadn't expected that and started to look forward to the quick conversations.

She took the opportunity to practice her greetings with him, and he was very encouraging, boosting her confidence. On Wednesday, she took her lunch outside in the gazebo; for obvious reasons, it was one of her favourite places. Their wedding day was a lovely memory. Sitting in the shade, she had a perfect view of the cherry trees which regularly tempted her.

Her phone rang, and her heart skipped a beat. Renato was the only person who used this number, but it was nearly lunch time, and, so far this week, he'd only called her in the mornings. She noticed that the call was coming from an international number and assumed it to be him, "Pronto," she greeted.

"That was awful," a female voice said. Leilani's heart sank, "Whoever your tutor is, you should fire them."

"What do you want, Camilla?" She refused to be intimidated.

"Oh, nothing much; I just wondered if you were feeling lonely back in Pontelandolfo all by yourself," she asked wickedly.

"I'm fine, thanks," Leilani combatted stiffly.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you personally for handing Renato over to me so quickly. Looks like the honeymoon was short-lived—" Leilani hung up the phone, she didn't need to hear the woman's lies.

Leilani fumed, trying not to let Camilla's words hurt. She just couldn't believe that Renato would take that spiteful woman with him only days after marrying her; even if he needed an assistant, did it have to be her?

She tried to turn her attention to her studies, but it was useless. Her mind was a battlefield, and as much as she wanted to get the thought of Camilla with her husband out of her mind, it just wasn't working.