Page 75 of Whatever You Need

Mya has been an employee with us for over twenty-five years. When I trained in hospitality, she was tasked with showing me the ropes. I’ll never forgot how kind and patient she was with me.

Her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you so much, Ms. West.”

“Excuse me.” Susan snapped her fingers and held up her glass. “I’d like a refill, please.”

I rolled my eyes and Mya’s smirk told me she caught it.

“Amelia. Do you know all your employees by their first names?” asked Owen’s dad as Mya made her way through the crowd.

I took a sip of my champagne and set it down. “I try my best to know every employee I come in contact with. I want them to know they are appreciated and never want them to feel that I am not approachable. There are too many corporations with toxic work environments. Our workers are the backbone to our success.”

Owen draped his arm along the back of my chair. “What do you think, Dad?” His thumb grazed the top of my shoulder. “Am I a lucky man or what?”

I bit down on my bottom lip in annoyance and fought the urge to kick his leg away that was pressed too tightly against mine.

I spotted my grandfather walking through the entrance and stood up. The sight of him had me breathing a little bit easier. He was the closest connection to home and comfort that I had left.

He took my face in his hands and gazed at me with pure affection. “You look beautiful, Amelia.”

“Thank you.” I pulled back slowly and watched the second his eyes caught on the huge rock on my finger.

“Sir.” Owen stepped forward and slung his arm along my waist. I gave him a pointed look as he held out his free hand to my grandfather.

“Congratulations, son.” His eyes came back to mine. His forehead creased as he studied me. “Is everything okay, Amelia?”

His gaze floated between me and Owen, searching for some reassurance that everything was fine. I wished I could give him one instead of a simple nod of my head. “Of course.”

He didn’t look like he believed me, but then again, my tone was anything but convincing. No matter how hard I tried, I sensed he could see how miserable I was. He’s spent the last few weeks convincing himself that Owen and I were building on something promising. For the life of me, I never understood where he got the romantic notion in his head that Owen and I should be together.

Owen’s fingers tightened around mine. “Everything is great, sir. Why don’t we have a seat?”

He placed a hand on my lower back. I was about to shove it away, but then remembered where we were. “Amelia, you need to relax,” Owen whispered as the waiters placed our plates on the table.

More guests filtered into the room, but it still felt like everyone was watching me. The sea bass I ordered was delicious, but I couldn’t bring myself to take more than a couple bites. Thankfully, my mother made sure my wineglass never went empty. It was the only thing bringing me comfort tonight.

The servers began collecting our plates and silverware, getting ready for the dessert. I felt detached from everything and everyone around me. I participated here and there during the conversations, but my heart just wasn’t into it. I was counting down the seconds until this was over with.

“Amelia, It’s time.” Owen held out his arm and ushered me up to the stage. He picked the microphone up out of the stand. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention.” His voice echoed through the grand ballroom.

The chatter died down and everyone stopped what they were doing. Every face in the room was now focused on us. Owen smiled big for the crowd and made a show of bringing me to his side. “I want to start out by saying thank you for coming out tonight and celebrating with us. This night represents a new year with new beginnings.” A few people clapped and then a few others joined in. He reached for my hand and the room went silent. “As many as you know, Amelia and I were childhood sweethearts.” He looked down at me with a big, polished smile and I wanted to puke. “She was always the one who got away, but I’m happy to tell you all I finally caught her.” He paused, waiting for the canned laughter to die down. “I’m so honored to stand before you and announce that this beautiful woman at my side, who I’ve loved my entire life, has agreed to be my wife.”

There was a mixture of applause and loud whispers. Owen grabbed my waist and drew me into him. I knew what was coming next, even if I didn’t want it to. He crashed his lips to mine for what had to be the worst kiss of my life. I poured every ounce of energy I had into faking my happiness when inside my spirit was falling apart. I pulled back the second I could to catch my breath.

A tall, dark figure appeared in the back of the room. Chills peaked along my skin. Marco stood frozen in place, his face was solid as granite. Our gazes locked and my entire world started to spin.

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