Genelia frowned at the disturbing message and wondered whose unknown number could it be! Why would she be ready for some stranger? Panicking, the first name she could think of was Rafael, but he was dead, right? Scoffing at the strange message, she put away her mobile phone and lay down, closing her eyes. The sender could have sent more detail if it was so important. She wouldn’t lose her sleep over some hoax message! 

The next morning, Genelia woke up to the sound of her mobile phone buzzing with an incoming message. Rubbing the sleep off her eyes, she ignored it and climbed out of the bed. It was already seven o’clock in the morning and she needed to get ready for work. She sighed, thinking about her only hope, Zander Reid. He hadn’t contacted her yet, so maybe he started having second thoughts about investing in her dying business. 

Taking a quick shower, she got ready for work. Slipping on an elegant knee-length, short-sleeved white formal dress with a jewelled bowknot around its high neckline, she tied her long hair up in an austere bun. She was about to work on her makeup when the doorbell pealed twice as if someone was venting out all their anger and frustration over it! Who could it be this early in the morning? Her glance fell on the bedside digital timepiece and she gasped, seeing that it was 8 o’clock already. Her mind drifted to the hoax message she had received last night. Was it the same person? The doorbell rang again, and she rushed to open it. 

For the first time since she moved into this rented apartment, she felt the absence of an eyehole. She really needed to install one. Anxious and curious, she opened the door to check out her impatient visitor, but her face paled and she froze with horror upon seeing a furious Zander Reid standing at her doorstep clad in a black tuxedo! Her jaws dropped to the floor, and she stood transfixed to the spot, seeing him look drop dead gorgeous in a tuxedo, this early in the morning. Was he attending a wedding or a party at eight o’clock in the morning? 

“Done staring? Can we leave?” he growled impatiently, checking the time on his expensive watch. 

“Why would I stare at you? Wait, where are we going? I’m not ready yet,” she rambled on nervously when at last she found her voice. 

“I messaged you last night to be ready. Didn’t I?” he demanded angrily, but his question had her puzzled. So, it was he who had messaged her! Why couldn’t he mention that in his message? She would have taken him seriously. 

“How would I know it was you? I thought it was a hoax message,” she grumbled, but Zander Reid seemed to get angrier at her words. 

“I don’t have time for this shit. Just grab your stuff and come down. I’m waiting in the car,” he said and stormed towards the elevator without even waiting for her reply. Genelia blinked at his weird behaviour, wondering why he was always angry with her! What had she ever done to him? She sighed, not knowing the answers to those questions, and grabbed her belongings. Walking out, she locked her apartment and went downstairs to find Zander Reid leaning against a black Range Rover parked near the entrance of her building. He looked up at her from his mobile phone and straightened up to go. 

“Took you long enough? You’re three minutes late,” he complained impatiently, walking over to the driver’s side and climbing into his car. Genelia blinked at his haughtiness, but walked over and climbed into the passenger side without a word. His rude behaviour had already started getting to her nerves and she just couldn’t fathom what she had done to receive such a response from him? No one had forced him to come forward and save her business. It was his choice completely! 

“Where exactly are we going?” she asked with dread, knowing that she wouldn’t be getting any straight answers from the crooked man. Ever since she had met him, she only witnessed two emotions in him, that of anger and hatred towards her. It was so confusing considering that she had just met the man! 

“Have some patience. You’ll soon see,” he gritted out, driving angrily and in haste. Genelia rolled her eyes mentally and turned to look out of the window, knowing there wasn’t any point in asking him. She might as well wait and watch! After a bout of silence, to her surprise, she saw him steer the car towards Long Beach. Why were they visiting a beach when they should be at her office to discuss the plan of action? There was so much to do and she couldn’t waste her time on a beach escapade! 

“I don’t have time to waste on a beach, Mr. Reid, so please, can we get to the office?” She turned to give him a look of impatience, but he simply he drove on, completely ignoring her as if she hadn’t spoken at all. Genelia was angry by now at his arrogance, her mind totally immune now to the minor similarities he shared with Brandon. It seemed he was the rudest and the most high-handed and cocky man on Earth, completely contradictory to Brandon’s easy-going nature! “Please stop the car. I’ll take a cab to the office. I have a meeting at 10 o’clock.”

That got his attention, and he gave her a haughty stare. The intense hatred portrayed in his eyes was enough to silence her and fill her heart with a strange feeling of dread. Suddenly she started repenting, having met the man and his intentions didn’t sit well with her. Did she do the right thing by signing the agreement with him? 

“You will go with me wherever I take you. I won’t sign the agreement unless you fulfil my conditions. Is that clear now?” he gritted out, barely suppressing the mad fury burning inside him. Genelia gaped at his profile, noting the anger bubbling inside him. What could be the conditions he wanted her to fulfil? How would she fulfil anything without knowing what they were? Did he want something she wouldn’t be able to give him? At twenty-six, she didn’t indulge in casual sex, or in relationships and was still pining after one person, loving only one man, Brandon Davies. Even after hearing of his death, she hadn’t been able to move on, not that she wanted to. Although he didn’t love her, the nine months she spent in his company were enough to last her a lifetime. The only kiss she shared with him seemed to be branded upon her lips, upon her soul forever, and she had relived the moment so many times that she could recognize his kiss, even in her dreams.

“What conditions?” Shaking the thoughts of Brandon out of her mind, she concentrated on the urgent matter at hand, but to her immense frustration, Zander Reid completely ignored her question! It irked her further since she had so much on her plate and here she was skipping meetings and driving along the coastline of Long Island Beach, heading towards some unknown destination. Was he taking her to a hotel to have his way with her? A sense of panic and dread filled her heart, and memories of Rafael forcing himself upon her flashed across her mind causing her to glanced at him discreetly. He didn’t look like Rafael, like the sort to take advantage of some woman. In fact, he seemed to hate her with a vengeance! 

‘No, Gia! Don’t panic. You can do this. Just breathe deeply,’ said her inner mind. 

The car stopped at the parking area of the Helipad at Long Island Beach and her mouth hung open upon realizing that they were to travel in a helicopter now, but where were they going? “Are you coming along or do I need to use force?” he scoffed, seeing her remain seated inside the car looking dazed. 

Genelia gave him a look of disgust and alighted from the car and he locked it and strode towards the Helipad without a word further. A silver and black streamlined, majestic helicopter was waiting for them and he purposefully strode towards it, stopping to greet the pilot, without even bothering to introduce her. Soon he climbed into the aircraft and seated himself, glancing at her with annoyance. Genelia climbed in after him and sat as far away from him as possible. The suspense was getting to her nerves, and she felt equally annoyed with his high-handedness, having second thoughts about the entire investor issue. Was he the only investor on the planet who could help her out?  

The aircraft took off towards the vast ocean beyond, yet she was unaffected by the beauty surrounding her. All she wanted was to escape Zander Reid’s company and reach her office, but he seemed oblivious to her inner turmoil as he continued to be busy on his mobile phone. Genelia gasped as realization dawned on her seeing that the aircraft was heading towards the picturesque Catalina Island! Why was he taking her there? The chopper landed at the Helipad in Avalon on Catalina Island and a dazed Genelia followed him to a car waiting for them. A million questions played havoc with her mind, and she needed to know what was going on, but one look at his angry profile made her bite back the questions instead. She climbed into the car, following him, and the car sped on its way to some unknown destination. Where was he taking her?

“Why are we here on Catalina Island?” she asked finally, with a confused and wary look on her face when he looked up from his mobile phone and gave her a cold and emotionless stare that could chill her bones. 

“To get married!”