Diamond sat at her desk as she watched everyone pack their boxes and stuff. She'd done that the day before. The mood in the place was sombre. She couldn't believe that this was the end.

"I've written the best recommendation letter for my favourite employee, as well as this bonus," she heard Sean say. She watched him walk towards her with a paper and envelope in his hands.

She sighed. "Who's this lucky person?"

He smirked. "Why of course it's you darling!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're giving me a bonus?"

"Yes. We may be bankrupt, but you deserve it," he said, handing the paper and envelope over. She opened the envelope. The bonus wasn't much, but it would make a bit of a difference.

"Thank you Mr Rubin," she said. She didn't expect him to take her hand and place a kiss on it.

She almost threw up.

"You're most welcome Miss Carmichael," he said, winking, before walking away.

She couldn't have been more relieved when her awkward day ended. She just wanted to drown away her sorrows and forget about everything. Emery had already called to say that she would meet up with her later at Love Pink Drinks. She parked her car and headed inside, hoping to drink away her troubles.

Xavier looked up at the time on his laptop and sighed in frustration. While he didn't want to be anywhere but his office, he knew that his mother would have his head if he didn't show up to the ball.

He shut down his laptop and packed his stuff. Emery had already knocked off, meaning he was the last person besides security in the building. He went to his car and drove to his apartment since he'd given his driver time off for the holidays.

Changed in a tux, he was ready to head to the ball. He arrived at the hotel where the event was occurring and as expected, it was flooded by the press. It was the first time he was attending an event without a date, and that was enough to set them off as the valet drove away with his car.

Walking inside, he was hounded by different people who each wanted something from him, and he couldn't help but feel extremely bored. His mother was present, as well as his sister, whom he was more than happy to see. She'd taken a break from her travelling to come home for the holidays.

As per every ball, there was an auction occurring that night, and the Master of Ceremonies announced that it was time. Everyone moved off to their allocated seats as the bidding began. Once more, Xavier was uninterested, until the next thing to be auctioned captured his attention.

"And now we have The Fate of Destiny, a one of kind Grecian set of wedding rings. They were fashioned in 1103 in Greece and there are none like them in the world," the emcee announced as images of the set were displayed on the display screen.

Xavier would never know what had possessed him in that moment as he outbid everyone until the set was his. Something about it called to him, even if he didn't understand it. When the auction was over, all those who needed to, went to claim their newly earned belongings. Xavier held the velvet box delicately as he opened it to reveal the two beauties that sparkled as though they were newly polished beneath the chandelier.

The female wedding ring was made up of a huge ruby rock on a platinum band with sapphire, emerald and amber stones surrounding the ruby. The male ring was a platinum band with each of the four stones on the band.

Inside both rings was a different word with infinity signs on either side of the words. The female ring had the word 'Fate', while the male had the word 'Destiny'. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Anything you wish to tell us?" his mother's voice found him. He turned to find his mother, sister and grandfather eyeing him curiously.

"I myself don't know what just happened," he confessed.

"You just paid a hell of a lot of money for those, that's what just happened. You're the biggest benefactor of the night!" his sister exclaimed.

He sighed. "I know."

"Who were you thinking about when you were bidding?" his grandfather asked knowingly.

"Her name is Diamond Carmichael. I've never met the woman but she's always on my mind," Xavier grumbled. His mother's eyes sparked.

Macy raised an eyebrow. "You've never met her?"

"She's Emery's best friend. I'm pretty sure I know almost all there is to know about her, just from Emery," he explained.

"So you're in love with a woman you've never met?" the three of them asked him.

He nodded. "It would seem so."

"Well, you look like you need to clear your head. I need you to go and get chocolate cake from Shirley's bakery. It seems we need more. I asked her to make more in any case, so she's expecting you," his mother instructed with a smile.

He was more than grateful for the break from his mother. He walked out and the valet handed him his keys. He suddenly remembered that the bakery he was sent to was awfully close to Love Pink Drinks, and his heart took off.

What if he finally met the woman who had overtaken his mind both day and night?

"Alright missy, that's enough for you!" Kenny said as he grabbed the tequila shot away from his best friend. Granted it was only her second one, he didn't want her drunk.

"Oh come on Ken," she whined over the music.

"Nope! You've been moping for two hours without alcohol and that's how you'll continue. I want you nowhere near the alcohol. Sit there and mope!" he instructed.

She pouted, but knew that he was right. She'd surprised herself since she'd managed to not drink anything since she'd arrived, save for the one shot bought for her. Her plan to drown her sorrows just wasn't working out because a big part of her knew that it wasn't worth it.

"Can I at least go outside for some air?" she asked him. He nodded.

She got up and headed out, deciding to use the back door. She made it out and was met by the chilly air, making her grip her jacket even tighter. The street was deserted, save for the bakery that was still open. She knew the lady who worked there, Shirley, and she suddenly craved a chocolate chip cupcake.

Shirley makes the best!

She started to take a few steps towards the place when she noticed a sleek yellow Ferrari pull up to the bakery. A man stepped out of it and she was momentarily hypnotized. She was snapped out of it by the sound of a gun being prepared for shooting.

She looked in the direction of the sound to find that there was a car parked opposite the street, and that the gun was aimed at the handsome man who had just stepped out of the car.

The man was moving about looking for something in his car while the shooter was trying to get the angle of his shot. She was close enough to the man, and as he slowly got up, she knew that that would be the opportune moment for the shooter to strike.

She wouldn't know how it happened, but the next thing she knew, she was running towards the handsome man before jumping on him just as three shots were fired. She hit the pole of the meter with her head hard on her way down and the spots were starting to cloud her vision as she heard a car drive away.

For a few seconds, Xavier couldn't comprehend what had just occurred. He was searching for his wallet and just as he got out his car, he was jumped on. Finally registering the sound of gunshots, he realized that the person on top of him had just saved his life.

With the amount of hair on his chest, he was sure it was a woman.

What he didn't expect as he turned her over, was to find that it was the very same woman he was hoping to meet. He couldn't believe that she of all people had been the one to save him. The eyes he was used to seeing sparkling blue were now a dark blue, almost black, glazed with unshed tears as she looked up at him. A gasp escaped her lips and it had him panicking.

"Shit!" he cursed.

He suddenly registered the liquid he was feeling on him and immediately took out his phone and called an ambulance. When he'd hung up, her breathing was shallow, which almost drove him over the edge. Her jacket was too stained with her blood for him to tell where she was injured, but for the first time in his life, he cried.

"Stay with me Diamond," he whispered as one of his tears landed on her face. She looked taken aback for a second. She reached up and cupped his cheek before she closed her eyes.

"NO! No, no, no! Please stay with me," he begged her, cradling her in his arms as he faintly heard the sound of the ambulances.

He could feel her becoming colder by the second and he thought that he himself would die if he lost her.

The Fate of Destiny.

A thought struck him as he felt the velvet box in his pocket. He took it out and slipped the female ring onto her ring finger, and the male one onto his. He finally understood that fate had a way of working itself out. With these rings, the paramedics and the hospital wouldn't question him and they would let him tag along to the hospital.

The paramedics arrived and as he suspected, as soon as he mentioned that he was her husband, they let him go with them. She'd lost a lot of blood and wasn't responding to anything. In the middle of the frenzy, he somehow managed to fish out his phone and call Emery.

She giggled as she answered the phone. "I'm not working tonight remember?"

"Emery, I need you to get to the hospital now! I myself am on my way there," he breathed out.

"What? What's going on?" she panicked.

"I can't explain anything right now, but it's Diamond. She's been shot. Just get to the hospital and I'll explain everything there," he said before hanging up.

"We need to get to the hospital," Emery said to Everett as her tears ran freely down her face.

"What's going on?" he asked as they got up to leave.

"I should've never cancelled on her," Emery sobbed. Everett stopped her.

"Hey, talk to me," he whispered.

"I don't know what happened, but that was Xavier. He just demanded that I get to the hospital. Everett, my best friend got shot," she managed to say.

That was enough to kick him into gear as he took them to his car. They broke the road rules on the way there as Xavier arrived with the ambulance. They carried Diamond into the ER.

He wasn't allowed beyond that point, and his only consolation was that she still had a pulse when she went in. He wasn't stupid though. He knew that anything could happen in there. He sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding all the way to the floor as sobs took over him.

Emery and Everett ran in to find him in that position. The first thing they noticed was how bloody he was. Even his face was covered with blood, and Emery could only guess that it belonged to her best friend.

With the way he was crying, they didn't know whether or not she'd made it. Emery squatted and hugged him, and he hugged her back, sobbing onto her chest.

"What happened?" she asked once he'd stopped crying.

"I was at the ball when my mother sent me to fetch chocolate cake from Shirley's because they'd run out. I agreed and headed out. I parked my car outside the place and stepped out of the car, only to realize that I didn't have my wallet. I popped my head back into the car to search for it, and when I emerged, she dove for me. I heard three gunshots go off as she did. I think she saw that I was about to get shot. She saved my life," he said hoarsely. Everett got him a bottle of water.

Emery gasped. "Oh my God!"

She couldn't believe it.

He looked up at her. "I'm so sorry Emery."

She felt her heart drop to her toes. "It wasn't your fault Xav. She chose to save you. We can only hope that she makes it out alive."

"Diamond Kingston," a nurse called out. That's the name Xavier had given them. He and Emery peaked and signalled over to them.

"Mr Kingston, your wife doesn't have any medical records whatsoever, so I'm going to ask you to fill these forms out please," the nurse told him, handing over the said papers. Once she'd walked away, Xavier turned to Emery, knowing that she knew the reason why Diamond had no records.

"She was left outside an orphanage days after she was born. She had a rough life being moved from one orphanage to the other, and no-one cared for her. She was never adopted, which means she never had any family at all. She's been raped repeatedly since she was thirteen to the point where she lost count. She fears men except her best friend Kenny and her friends Gavin, Jamie and Dale. Besides them, Gail and I are her only female friends, but all of them are gay. She recently lost her job because the company she was working for declared bankruptcy last Friday and she had a boss who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with her. That's all I think I haven't told you about her," Emery concluded.

Xavier was livid. While he'd heard everything Emery had told him, Diamond's raping was the only thing that stood out to him. He couldn't believe that she'd been raped multiple times and that no-one cared. The thought of her being afraid of him dulled his heart.

He wished he could take away all her bad memories and renew her innocence, but he knew his wishes were futile for they would never happen. He could only hope to be the one to give her a better life.

He'd decided there and then that he wanted her, and so he silently prayed that she make it out of surgery alive.

"Wait, did you just say the company she worked for declared bankruptcy on Friday? And that her boss was obsessed with her?" Everett asked. Xavier quickly caught on and hoped that Emery would say no.

"Yeah! The day I met her, she was pale and she was trembling at Starbucks. She'd just driven there from her office after he'd told her that one day he would have her," Emery recalled.

"That son of a bitch!" Xavier growled. Everett looked just as furious.

Emery frowned. "Wait! What am I missing here?"

"She worked for Rubin," Everett mumbled.

"Sean Rubin?" Emery asked wide-eyed. They nodded.

Emery felt even worse after finding that out. Sean Rubin was an evil man who pried on younger women, but the evidence was never found against him. Instead, the women all seemed to disappear, or they retracted their charges against him.

The charges were always either of sexual harassment or assault. Emery felt sick knowing that Diamond almost became one of the man's victims and was glad that she got out before it was too late.

"Are you done with the form?" the nurse came back and asked.

"No," Xavier replied. She nodded and walked away.

"Look, how about I call Kenny to come and fill this out, while you go home and change? You might want to call your mom too. She might be wondering why you haven't come back yet," Emery suggested. Xavier looked like he was about to protest.

"She's right Xav. Diamond is probably going to still be in the operation room for the next few hours. You'll be back way before she's out of there," Everett added.

Xavier sighed, knowing that the two of them were right, but it was killing him having to leave. Through what she did for him, he realized that he was in fact in love with Diamond. The woman had all the qualities he didn't even know he wanted in a woman.

She was perfect for him in every way, and now she'd gone and saved his life. He knew that she'd come into his life for a reason, and there was no way he was ever letting her go.

"Alright, but call me if anything happens. Also, she's my wife, so all relevant information should filled out by you and then you can ask this Kenny guy to fill in what you don't know," Xavier instructed Emery.

"Wife? The nurse wasn't kidding?" both Everett and Emery asked.

Xavier shook his head, showing them his ring. "No she wasn't! I put the ring on her before the ambulances arrived so that I have full access to her."

"Where and when did you get them?" Emery asked wide-eyed.

"They were on auction at the ball and I paid a hell of a lot of money for them. I was the highest paying benefactor of the night because of the two rings. My mother, sister and grandfather were curious as to why I bought them to begin with. I didn't know why I did at the time, until my grandfather asked me who I'd had on my mind while I was bidding. I told them about Diamond and that's when my mother sent me to fetch the cakes to clear my head. When she was laying on my lap, bleeding, I knew then why fate led me to buying them. I slipped the female one on her, and this one on me. The paramedics didn't question me, and I want it to stay that way. I'm never letting her go," Xavier finished off passionately, tears streaming down his face without his realization.

Emery and Everett watched the man before them in awe. While they both knew the old Xavier, and the Xavier he was now, they had never seen him this vulnerable before. Everett realized that his best friend was indeed in love with this woman.

Emery wished in that moment than any other, that her best friend would wake up and finally have her fairytales come true. She knew that Xavier is the prince charming that Diamond had been waiting for.

"I promise she'll be Mrs Kingston on the forms. We'll fill in your information like you said, and then I'll ask Kenny for the rest," Emery assured him. He nodded as he stood up from the floor. Diamond's blood had begun to dry up on him.

"Congratulations by the way," Xavier told them.

"What for?" Emery asked, but Everett knew better.

He smiled at his friend. "You figured it out."

Xavier nodded. "It only took one touch for me to know that it was her, and since you came here together, I take it she was with Emery."

"I'm lost," Emery admitted.

"He knows about us and he knows that Diamond is the woman he kissed on Saturday," Everett informed her. She blushed as everything clicked.

"Oh! Thanks," she said shyly.

"Let me get going. I'll be back in an hour. Call me if anything happens," Xavier told them. They nodded before he left.

Realizing that he'd left his car outside the bakery, he hailed a cab and asked the driver to take him back there. His insides coiled when he arrived to find the scene surrounded by police. Diamond's blood was evident on the pavement and it was still wet.

He wanted to forget all about it, but he couldn't. One of the officers watched him approach the scene, and since he was bloody, she figured that the car belonged to him, and that he'd been at the scene.

"Excuse me Sir! Is this your car?" she asked him.

"Yes it is," he replied.

"Were you at the crime scene? Can you tell us what happened?" she asked.

"I was! My wife was shot trying to protect me. She was a few feet away and she must've seen the shooter aim at me because she dove for me before I could comprehend what was going on," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "So you didn't see the shooter yourself?"

"No, I didn't," he said, annoyed by the questioning.

"Alright Sir! We need you to come down to the station to make a statement. We are working on solving this case since we've figured that this was an attempted assassination. The bakery owner, Shirley Crisfield, confirmed that there was a car that parked across the street shortly after you did, but she left after that. She only came back out to find the ambulances taking your wife away," she explained.

Xavier was in no mood to complain or resist, especially since there was already a considerable number of people from the press around. They let him drive his car to the station, and he cringed at the sight of Diamond's blood on his car. He reminded himself that he had to do this for her. He decided to call his mother on the way to the station.

"Xavier! What is this I hear about a shooting?" her panicked voice reached his ears.

"I'm on my way to the police station to give my statement right now. An assassination attempt was made on my life, but Diamond pushed me out of the way and took all three bullets for me. She's being operated on right now. I need to give my statement and then get home to change and get back to the hospital," he gave her a summary.

"Oh my God! Is it the same Diamond you told us about?" his sister jumped in.

"It is! You can come to the hospital a little later and I'll explain everything. I'll see you guys then," he said, hanging up as he reached the station.

Kenny, Gavin, Dale, Jamie and Gail rushed through the doors of the waiting room to find Emery and Everett filling out the forms required by the nurse. They were all frantic and filled with dread as they thought about their friend.

"What happened?" they asked Emery.

Emery sighed. "Diamond got shot saving her husband's life."

"Husband?" Gavin, Jamie, Dale and Gail shouted, while Kenny had a knowing look on his face. He'd spent enough time with the girls to know who Emery was talking about.

"Did they officially meet?" Kenny asked.

"No! I don't even think she knew it was him. He told us that he assumes he was about to get shot and she must've seen the shooter aiming for him. She dove for him in time, but she took the three bullets in the process," Emery explained.

"Where is he now?" Kenny asked.

"He's gone to give his statement at the police station and then he's going to go home and change. He should be back within the hour," Everett was the one to reply since Xavier had just texted him an update. They all seemed to notice his presence then.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend and Xavier's best friend Everett Holmes. Babe, these are mine and Diamond's friends. That's Kenny Wallace, Diamond's best friend, Gavin Samson, Dale Reith, Jamie Colden and Gail Moss," Emery introduced.

Gavin frowned. "Who's Xavier?"

"Dee's husband according to these forms," Gail said as she overlooked the forms over Emery's shoulder.

"I need you to fill in the rest of the information I don't know. She doesn't have a file and this is her first one. He requested that we keep things this way," Emery told Kenny as she handed over the forms.

"Xavier Kingston? As in thee Xavier Kingston?" Gavin, Dale and Jamie asked wide-eyed as they looked at the forms.

"Isn't it illegal to have her signed in his name when they're not really married?" Gail pointed out.

Everett shrugged. "Xav is a man with a lot of money and power. There's no arguing with him."

"Oh my God! Dee's going to wake up with the sex god as her husband?" Jamie squealed.

Emery was glad he'd said she was going to wake up.

Dale winked. "It's about damn time she found her King, pun intended."

"Yeah! Something tells me the man isn't going to let her go. I can't believe she risked her own life like that," Gail commented as Kenny filled out the forms.

"He's in love with her, and he hadn't even met her before tonight but he already was," Everett chuckled.

Gavin sighed. "I really hope she doesn't run from this. If he's already in love with her, then she just needs to be accepting of that love."

Kenny smirked, handing the forms back to Emery. "We're going to make sure she doesn't!"

Out of everyone except for Emery, Kenny wanted this for Diamond more than anything else. He'd seen her at her highest and her lowest, and he knew that Xavier would treasure her.

He knew all about Xavier Kingston, and though the man had proved to be unable to commit in the past, Kenny knew that this had been a life changer for him. He would forever cherish his best friend, and not only because she'd saved his life, but because he loved her even before that.

Xavier went searching for his cell phone in his Ferrari. He'd just taken a shower and was about to head back to the hospital, but he had no intentions of taking the car. He decided that he would be taking his Bentley instead.

As he was searching for his phone, he opened the dashboard and an envelope fell out. He opened it and read the words in print:

You're lucky she was there, but this isn't the end.

He felt his whole body shake with rage. The envelope had no sign of origin, but he knew it was from whoever had tried to kill him. While he had given the police his statement, there was no way he was going to let this go. He'd already planned to get in touch with private investigators to dig deeper.

He ripped the paper in half and threw the two pieces back in the dashboard. He found his phone and locked his Ferrari. He headed to his Bentley- he had more important things to worry about in that moment.

Dorothy, Macy and Lyell rushed into the waiting room at the hospital, still in their attires from the ball. They were relieved to see Emery and Everett there, whom they embraced. Emery quickly introduced everyone else and soon everyone knew each other.

"How is she?" Macy asked. She was honestly deathly afraid for the life of the woman who had managed to get through to her brother's heart without even trying.

"They won't tell us anything because her husband isn't here," Emery replied.

"He told them he was her husband?" Dorothy asked, surprised at the news.

Jamie giggled. "He even put a ring on it."

Macy gasped. "The Fate of Destiny."

"The what?" everyone else asked, save for Dorothy and Lyell.

"The Fate of Destiny is the name of the two rings as a set. The story behind them is that there was once an English man who was in love with a Grecian woman who wanted the best in the world. She loved money, but she didn't love him, especially because he had no money to his name. She left him for a much wealthier man and he was broken hearted. He met a woman by the name of Destiny, and she loved him more than anything, regardless of his lack of riches. Determined to give her the best, he went searching for a job when he stumbled across a bag of rare jewels. Being the righteous man he was, he handed the jewels in to the authorities. He found a job as a miner and the job brought him and Destiny happiness. Months later, the authorities returned with the prince who happened to own the jewels. The prince was so grateful that he gave the man a few of the jewels. The very next day, the man struck gold at the mine and he was rewarded for his finding. He very quickly became the richest man in the town and he had the rings made for him and his wife as a sign of their true love. On the inside of her ring, he had the word fate engraved, while on the inside of his, he had her name engraved. He believed that he was fated to lose the first woman he loved in order to reach his Destiny. Each stone represents a different thing. The ruby represents their love, the emerald represents their good fortune, the sapphire represents their destinies entwined and the amber represents their beautiful baby girl who came into the world nine months after their marriage. The set has been passed down from generation to generation within the family, but it was foolishly sold by one of the sons who inherited it. It is now said that the couple that possesses the rings will have a prosperous marriage," Lyell explained. He'd gone to find out more about the rings after his grandson had purchased them.

"I would hope so," Xavier said as he walked in. He'd heard the story behind his rings, making him even more determined to make his marriage to be, work.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Emery, Macy and Jamie said concurrently, each teary eyed.

"Ah Mr Kingston! Just the man I'm looking for. My name is Dr Hyland and I'm the doctor currently working on your wife," the doctor said as he walked out to find Xavier there.

"How is she?" Xavier asked as everyone else waited eagerly.

"At this point in time, we can't tell. She lost a lot of blood, and she needs a blood transfusion if she has any hope of surviving," Dr Hyland replied.

"What kind of blood?" Lyell asked immediately.

"Well her blood type is blood type A+, so preferably a perfect match, or blood type O," Dr Hyland replied. Everyone looked to each other before Lyell spoke up again.

"Both my grandson and I have that blood type. Take as much as you need," Lyell said sternly.

Xavier stopped him. "Grandfather, you don't have to do this."

"Son, I've been waiting for this moment a long time. Let me assist in saving your wife so that you can have her back," Lyell said proudly. Xavier couldn't argue with the man and he knew it.

"Alright, please come with me," Dr Hyland announced. The two men followed him.

"He's saving her life too," Macy cooed.

Dorothy smiled. "Huh, he is isn't he?"

"I really hope she wakes up soon. She has so much good waiting for her. It's about time too!" Emery commented.

Everett kissed her forehead. "Don't worry baby! She'll be with us sooner than you know."

Xavier felt a little dizzy as the nurse finally pulled out the last of his blood. While he appreciated his grandfather's contribution, he wouldn't let him donate more than once. He had to be drained three times, despite his fear of needles. He kept his thoughts on Diamond every time he watched the needle approach his skin. The nurse left to get him a bottle of water, juice and food. His mother walked in looking as elegant as ever.

"I'm so proud of you," was the first thing she said.

He scowled. "For what? Almost getting the woman I love killed before knowing her?"

"No! I'm proud of you because of everything that has happened tonight. I'm proud to call you my son Xavier, and I pray to God that she pulls through. I really want her to be your wife. I have never seen you like this before, and those rings found you for a reason," she said lovingly. Once more, he was at ease.

"You'll always be my first lady," he felt obliged to let her know.

"You bet your ass I will, but I don't want you to love her any less. I also don't want you to ever compare her to that snake. She sounds nothing like that vile creature, so I expect you to treat her accordingly," she warned. He knew his mother's threatening tone all too well, but she made an important point.

He smiled. "I promise you mother. I can feel that she's my soul mate and I will try my damn hardest to make this work."

She kissed his cheek. "I love you Xavier."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you too mother."