One Week Later

"Marsha!" I yell as I enter the kitchen.
"Where is everybody? No one told me that we would not be meeting for our lunch meeting today."

"Oh. Your mother is busy preparing for the Charity Auction in three days, so she is not present. Your father is at the Kepler's house, seeing as the old man has suddenly decided to move to Ireland, and will only sell his house through Kingston's listings. Robert is out of town for business, oh and Carl in his office with Barbara." She says the last part with a slight smirk on her lips.

"Which office? Because certainly he could not have his former woman in our house without me knowing." I say turning to leave the smiling woman standing there, storming towards the bastard's office upstairs on our wing of the house.

I pause in front the wodden door, taking a deep breath, fixing my posture before going in, the two idiots turning to look at me.

"Carl darling, you didn't tell me we were having a guest at house today. I would have had Marsha and team prepare an extra plate for lunch." Carl stares at me with a subtle smirk, standing to his feet and coming to me. The woman remaining seated.

"She was not actually staying for lunch love. We went to visit her charity's headquarters and I needed to collect a file so I asked her if we could just stop by the house and then I'll drop her back to the company where her driver can collect her." He wraps his arms around me placing a soft kiss to my lips.

I see the cunt roll her eyes, making a barf face and I almost go over to her and give her a reason to vomit, but Carl tightens his hold on me, whispering into my ears,
"Behave."

"Behave a horse's butt." I mutter under my breath and he chuckles."You know I don't like her."

"I don't mind staying for lunch, if your previous statement was an invitation." She says, standing to her feet.

"It was not." I say and she roll her eyes, making me narrow my eyes at her.

"Carl," she sweetly calls the smirking bastard,
"Can you drop me back at your company building now? I have much still to do for my day."

"I'll get one of our drivers to drop you." I tell her and her face hardens.

——

I don't even bother to wave after the woman as she leaves, slamming the door close, turning to find Carl standing there with a cocky smile on his face.

"Don't say a word Carl." I say going to walk pass him, but he blocks my path.

"You have been ignoring and refusing to talk to me for almost a week and suddenly I am your darling."

"Don't be so cocky Carl. I was just doing what any wife would have done if she heard her husband was in their house, in his office, with his former girlfriend. We must keep our performance going shall we not." He snakes his arm around my waist, pulling my body closer to his.

"I would love to see you act more territorial over me darling. It's a great turn on." He says in a low pitched tone. I feel my lady part downstairs begin to tingle so I push him away from me. I am not allowing that to happen again. It was a moment of weakness, and I will not let it take place again.

"I'm going to check on the apartment building since we are not having lunch together today. Tell Marsha for me will you." I turn to open the door,but he rests his hand against it, stopping my from opening it.

"Can you not!" I turn around, but become flustered at how close he was to me.

"I would believe your own distraction, has distracted your hate towards me." He mutters, leaning down and placing soft open mouth kisses against my neck. I rest my hand against his chest to push him away but dammit I couldn't help it but crane my neck to give him more access when he kisses that sensitive spot right below my ears.

I've been dreaming and thinking constantly of that day in my office. Distracted indeed I was.

"I still hate you." I breathlessly whisper and he chuckles against my skin, raising up to look me in my eyes.

"Really?" He mutters, running his fingers along my cleavage, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"Should I distract you again?" His eyes slowly overlook my entire face, before he settles on my eyes again, my stupid hormones making me tip toe to kiss him, but someone suddenly pushes the door to open, and he moves away from me and I rush to open the door, running out the house.

"Paulina what is wrong!?" I hear my father call after me but I don't stop running down the driveway.
"Where are you going Paulina?! You can not run all the way back to town!" He shouts but it sounded as if he was laughing.

——
Gregory Kingston

"Go and get your wife Carl. Her stubbornness will truly have her run all the way to town." The boy chuckles, grabbing the keys behind the moveable mirror to his Ford Cabriolet, and running out the house to the garage.

I watch as he drives the roundabout, before driving down the graveled road, slowing down next to the stubborn child.

"They seem to be more happy aren't they Mr. Kingston?" I glance behind me, finding Marsha standing there.

"It's time she got some happiness." I look back to the two. "I know Assad's sudden appearance was not going to be easy for her, but I also knew Carl would make sure she was okay. I just hope she won't keep fighting him." I smile at them one last time, before closing the door.

"What's for lunch good lady?" I say, throwing my arm around her shoulder, leading her back into the house.

——
Paulina Kingston

"Paulina get in the car."

"Leave me alone Carl. I hate you. So leave me alone."

"Are you going to walk all the way to town Paulina? At least let me take you."

"I said leave me alone Carl!" I walk faster but he only speeds up, so I begin to walk in the grass, passing the tree line and going onto the large green field.

"Paulina!" I glance behind me to see him getting out his car and coming after me.
"Paulina!" I slip off my heels and begin to run, the feeling of my hair flowing through the wind a truly freeing sensation.

A smile slowly creeps onto my face just as something heavy collides with me and I fall to the ground, but the moose turns us just in time so I don't fall on my face, but on him.

"Are you trying to kill me you big moose. You are so heavy." I try to push myself off him but he tightens his hold, turning us once more so that he was now on top, straddling me.

"Get off of me Carl Ignuis-Kingston!"

"No." I narrow my eyes at him, raising my knee up to hit him where it hurts most. He doubles over off me, grabbing at his man jewels and I begin to laugh.

"I haven't heard you genuinely laugh in years." I look down at him.

"No reason to laugh." I decide to reply. He groans as he moves to sit up, next to me.

We settle in a surprisingly comfortable silence, just gazing ahead at the view in front of us.

When father first bought this house, I fell in love with the field that surrounded the estate. Just open field everywhere and the long gravel road with tall cypress trees lining it.

I fold my arms, resting my head onto my knees, sighing deeply.

"What's one thing you always wanted to do?"

"What?" I turn my head to look at Carl.

"What's one thing you always wanted to do? Anything at all." I look back forward, thinking about it.

I remember Assad and I planning to one day travel to London. I've never gotten the chance to go there yet.

"I'm not Assad, but would you go with me?" I look to him in shock, and he chuckles, pushing my hair behind my ears and I let him.

You let him.

I let him!

"You thought out loud." He tells me.

"Oh." I turn to the front again, sitting up.

"I don't particularly trust you." I say and he lets out a soft laugh, and I try to hold back my own smile.

"Is that a smile?" He pokes my cheek and I push his hand away from my face, moving to stand up, but he doesn't follow.

"I still don't like you Carl Kingston." He smiles.

"I know."

"And I still feel for Assad."

"I know." He says standing up. I stare up at him, pushing my hair behind my ears, getting irritated with it. There's a reason I cut my hair so short, and it seems I'm going to have to cut it again.

"I like your hair long. It looks nicer when it's not gelled down into those wave looking styles." I screw up my face at him.
"Not that you look bad Paulina." I raise a brow at him, folding my arms.

"You just look more free with your hair out is all." He concludes and I roll my eyes, walking away from him, but I suddenly turn around, making him jump back in surprise.

"Are we staying at your family's estate or mines?" His eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"London Carl. London." I roll my eyes walking off again. Why did I even agree?!

"Let's stay at mines!" I hear him shout and he runs to walk next to me, taking hold of my hand.

And you let him.

And I let him.

I could see that my acceptance of his hand made him very happy, but then again...

I pull my hand from him, folding my arms, and starting to walk faster. I glance behind at him, only to find a big goofy smile on his handsome face.

"Bastard." I huff, looking ahead again.