Against All Odds

Chapter Twenty-Seven

                                     PARIS, FRANCE

                                 TWO WEEKS LATER...

Henry knocks softly on the bathroom door in the jet. We landed a few minutes ago and I've been staring at my outfit in the mirror for over thirty minutes now.

"Love, Ivan is outside."

I open the door, grimacing. I gesture to my outfit. "Is this alright?"

He smiles. "Yes, why do you think it isn't?"

"Well, you're wearing that... and I'm in jeans and a t-shirt... it just doesn't look right."

He purses his lips, looking down at his suit. "Would it help if I took off the jacket, rolled up the sleeves?"

I shake my head, sighing. "No... no. It's okay. I'm just nervous."

He walks forward, clasping my face. My eyes close, feeling relief when he kisses my forehead tenderly.

"You are perfect. Do not listen to a single person but me on that, alright? Those people out there, those reporters are nothing."

I clasp his wrists, trying to breathe through my nervousness. He pulls back, brows raised intently.

"We've talked about this. For a while, we will be swarmed. But it will die down. We just need to keep a low profile... We are happy, Mia. The public will see that."

I nod, looking down. "I- have to call Ida, before we do this."

He lets go of my face, grabbing my hand instead. "Yes, reporters will be at her door within the hour after we step out. I have someone there for protection."

I can't believe we're doing this. The public learned of the affair within mere days after we left for The Maldives. I don't know what to expect when we get off this plane but I know whatever I get won't be good.

"I'll be right back," he murmurs, smiling gently. I watch him walk to the back of the jet before reaching for my phone from my bag. I've kept my phone off for months now, only turning it on once every week to call Ida and assure her I was alright. Other than that, I fell off the map. Henry kept his on for the first couple days, but eventually turned his off too, due to the volume of calls coming in after the wedding fiasco.

I press on Ida's name on the screen, lifting the cell phone to my ear.

"Mia," she answers, sweetly.

"Hi, Ida."

"It's been almost two weeks. I've been beginning to worry."

I hum. "Well, a lot has been happening. Um, new developments, you could say."

"Such as?"

I place a hand on my hip. "Well, Henry and I just landed in France. We're going to go public today, now."

It's quiet for a moment. I fear her wrath. "Ah... so you're calling to warn me then?"

"Yes... and to tell you Henry has someone watching the apartment."

"And you're sure you want to do this? There's no going back after this."

"There's no going back anyway, Ida. I love him."

"And your relationship is strong enough to withstand the hate? Because you will have plenty of that. He's cheated on a noble with a maid from a different country. Don't go out there, thinking that in a day you can change their minds."

"I'm not thinking that. I know this will take time... but they will see eventually- how happy we are together."

"Let's hope so, baby," she murmurs, quietly and I hear the uncertainty in her voice. She doesn't know if we'll ever be able to be happy out in the open.

...

I'm seated on the chair, my purse on my lap when Henry steps out of the back room, bag on his shoulder. My frown begins to dissipate, transforming, moving upwards. I'm full-on grinning as Henry stops before me, in a plain black t-shirt and dark jeans.

I stand, stunned. "You changed?"

He smiles. "It's more comfortable anyway."

I move into him, stupidly emotional as I wrap my arms around his neck tightly.

"It's gonna be alright," he whispers, reassuringly. "We'll be alright."

"I know," I answer, nodding. Pulling back, I blink back the water forming at the base of my eyelids, putting my purse on my shoulder. We begin to walk from the jet, towards the private unloading platform.

I feel a rush of relief when I see Ivan standing, stiffly at the bottom of the stairs. He's in his usual stance, a dark, inconspicuous suit meant to keep him hidden. Henry reaches out at the bottom of the stairs, shaking his hand.

"It's good to see you, Ivan."

"Likewise, sir," Ivan says and I even catch a hint of affection in his tone. I smile, unable to hide how happy I am to see him.

"Hi, Ivan."

He nods, bending forward slightly in greeting. I'm taken aback by the gesture momentarily. "Hello, Miss Mia."

"How bad is it, Ivan?"

"Billie and Hart are standing at the doors. We will surround you both through the airport, until we get outside, where there will be police escorts to lead you to your Chateau. The estate is surrounded by reporters unfortunately."

Fuck. Henry looks at me, smiling reassuringly. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I breathe, nodding. Ivan walks ahead of us, towering and protective as we make our way up the ramp to the building. Henry reaches for me, grabbing my hand before we enter the doors, breathing in deeply.

"I love you," he whispers, lifting my hand to his lips as an airport employee opens the side door. I smile, nervously.

"Don't let go," I answer, knowing my body is shaking with fear. We walk in together behind Ivan and the screaming begins. Almost as if everything around me were moving in slow motion, I stare at the crowds of people on either side of us, behind security officers blocking them from coming through. Their arms are waving in the air, fast and determined to evoke anger.

I find it hard to breathe, watching them all. I can only make out a few words from them since many of the words are in French, but gold-digger definitely rings though loudly. Slut, tourist, maid, outsider, womanizer. The hate is spewed towards us both. Whether there is anyone here in our favor, we wouldn't be able to hear them.

I feel Henry's other bodyguards directly behind us, I bump into one as I fall back a step, head jumbled by the chaos. Within moments, Henry's hand leaves mine, only to grip on my waist, pulling me closer. I focus in on his chest, trying to ignore the remarks as his hand rubs my back comfortingly.

I hear the sound of a door unlock from the other side, and suddenly, the noise is gone. We're outside, being ushered into a limousine. I climb in, settling down onto the leather, watching as Henry takes his place beside me. The light is gone when the door shuts, for the tunnel is enclosed.

We both remain silent, breathing in and out deeply. My heart is pumping double time, my adrenaline at an all-time high. I glance at Henry, swallowing. He looks at me too, his expression edged with concern.

Every emotion in my body bubbles within me and oddly enough, out of all the ways to show my panic, laughter ensues. First, a small, uneasy chuckle but quickly enough, there are tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.

I try to stop, pressing my hand to my lips as Henry stares at me, warily amused.

"You're scaring me," he states, wryly.

I shake my head, wiping the tears that escape. "I don't know what's happening."

That makes me laugh harder. When I finally look back at Henry, getting ahold of myself, he's smiling, warmly. As the vehicle begins to move, he holds out his arm and I scoot closer to him, pressing my face into his chest, my hands clutching his neck. His hand moves smoothly over my hair, his lips press to my forehead and I hear him chuckle to himself softly. I imagine we're both thinking the same thing.

We're going to be okay.