Chapter 25 - Risky night out.

No! It couldn't be Cara. Jean thought as she stared at Elle with wide eyes.

"It can't be her."

She said in shock as she moved to the nearest barstool amidst the people in the bar. Elle followed her and shrugged as she stood in front of her, dancing to the music.

"Sorry to burst your bubbles but she's the one I saw with him."


"Why are you so surprised anyways? Do you know her?"

She added as she winked at a guy nearby

Jean nodded.

"Yes, she's a friend. We're kind of close."

She stared at Nicholas's direction and found him deeply in conversation with his guys on the table.

Even from afar he looked very handsome, clad in his signature charcoal black suit and his well styled dark hair, he was dashing as usual. The usual intense gaze on his face was relaxed as he laughed with his friends, she sighed and looked away.

What was he doing with Cara? In an hotel far away from Manhattan?

This explains a lot, Jean thought as she shook her head but it was also very puzzling.

Cara had been acting strangely lately. They also went to New Jersey together recently and this would explain Cara's sudden reaction to Malory's question about Nicholas.

Did she not want people to know that they were at the resort together?

Something was up.

She didn't want to believe that they were together, it was impossible!

Nicholas was her brother in law!

And she was going to marry Alexander!

Oh poor Alexander, if only he knew what his fiancée had been doing behind his back. It's always the ones that you never expected, Jean thought with a frown on her face.

She was going to do everything in her power to fish them out and with evidence too.

She was going to ruin Cara Devine.

And have Nicholas all to herself.





"You rarely concern yourself with wedding plans. What's gotten into you now?"

Cara asked as Alexander sat across from he trying to help her with the seating arrangements of their wedding.

She had got the chart that the Wedding planner had set up and decided to plan the seating arrangement herself, just to pretend to have a little interest in the wedding planning. It wasn't really as easy as she thought it would be.

He shrugged as he rolled up his sleeves. He had just arrived at his place. It was becoming somewhat of an habit for him, to drop in unannounced just to see what she was up to.

"We haven't been spending time together, I think we should."

Cara shrugged, she removed a pink pen from her hair to mark off a name from a table.

"Well, no need."

"I can do it myself."

She added as she sighed.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stubborn please, I know you need the help."

"I brought you a gift, and a peace offering."

Cara peered over from her shoulder, eager to see what he had with him.

"What's that? You didn't have to."

Alexander placed a Ben and Jerry's brownie batter ice-cream in front of her and a small suede box.

She really liked ice cream.

"Thank you."

She said softly as she gently picked up the box.

"What is it?"

She asked as she looked up to him.

He was smiling sheepishly. He had gone all out, he stopped by at Tiffany & co to get her a necklace. He had talked to his mother about their issues and she had suggested he get her jewelry. He knew it probably wasn't good enough advice but he decided to do it anyway. They had already talked about their issues and he didn't feel like they needed to discuss anything anymore.

His mother also felt like Cara was just acting out for attention and she wanted him to remind her of the reasons she had to get married to him all over again.

She opened the box and gasped softly, it was a silver butterfly diamond necklace, it looked very delicate too. Cara shook her head slowly, she couldn't accept it. The necklace would be well over ten thousand dollars. Why did Alexander get her something so expensive, she didn't think that she had done anything to deserve it.

"Alexander, this is too much. you didn't have to."

Alexander shrugged.

"No! take it! You deserve this and more."

"But why are you giving me this?"

She asked and Alexander shrugged.

"I don't know, I just felt like doing something nice for you. I know we've been drifting apart lately. I want to change that."

He walked up towards her and he held her hands. There was a smile on his face.

"You're going to be my wife very soon. I can't wait."

He said happily and Cara failed to muster the right emotions. She felt nothing, and that was the truth, she didn't feel anything.

"What's wrong?"

He asked and she shook her head and plastered a fake smile on her face.

Cara shrugged.

"Oh nothing!"

"Don't you want to get married to me?"

He asked and Cara hesitated. Alexander's eyes widened in surprise.

"Cara!" He called out her name in mild shock.

Cara smiled.

"I'm just still very surprised about everything. The necklace is breathtakingly beautiful."

Alexander nodded his head slowly.

He narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing.

"Let me help you it it on."

Cara hesitated, "No, don't worry..."

"I insist."

He said as he picked up the necklace and went behind her, Cara slowly picked up her hair.

He moved closer to her, his lips a few inches away from her ear.

"You know how important this is to your family."

"Surely, you wouldn't want to do anything to ruin it."

He said slowly and Cara's eyes widened. She chuckled nervously.

"What do you mean?"

She asked in a small voice.

Alexander shrugged.

"Oh I don't know, I'm just telling you what's on the line."

He said as he put the necklace on her neck, his fingers lingered on her neck for a while, stroking them softly.

"I mean, I can't imagine how devastated and broke your parents would be if you suddenly decided to do something as stupid as calling off the wedding."

"They would have to start all over, can you imagine the humiliation?"

"Are you threatening me?"

Cara asked in surprise and Alexander shrugged.

"I'm just telling you."

Cara yanked his hands away from her neck and removed the necklace furiously.

She threw it back at him and it landed squarely on his face. Alexander didn't flinch.

"Get out of my apartment!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I said get out!"

Cara snapped and he sighed.

"Call me when you're not throwing a tantrum."

He said as he walked away.

He slammed the door on the way out and Cara exhaled in relief when he left.

What had gotten into him?

Why did he act like that?

It was a bit late, but that didn't stop Cara from calling Nicholas. She didn't even know why but she dialed his number.

She just wanted to see him.

"Cara? Is everything okay?"

He asked as he picked up on the first ring.

He was working late on his laptop at home when he picked up her call.

Cara nodded.

"Yes. Yes it is. My apartment's choking me and all, I was just wondering if I could see you."

"Sure."

He answered eagerly.

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No! No! That's a bit risky. I'll leave myself."

"Will you come over to my place."

Cara mumbled. She was starting to rethink her spur of the moment decision but it was already too late.

"Your place?"

"Yea. Alexander hasn't really been here and no one knows you here."

That was a lie but he knew if he had given Cara any reason to doubt the safety of his apartment she wouldn't come.

And besides, his brother had only been to his apartment once and he didn't stay too long.

Few minutes later, Cara left her apartment.

It wasn't barely up to thirty minutes she had left her apartment that Alexander came back to her place with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He had acted irrationally, he shouldn't have.
But Cara's attitude had triggered him, it made him angry at her.

He rang the doorbell multiple times before bringing out his own spare key and opening her apartment in frustration.

He opened the door and found the apartment dark and empty.

He looked around and dropped the bouquet on the coffee table in anger.

She had left.

But where did she go?

He thought as he started dialing her number.

It went straight to voicemail and Alexander wasn't in any particular mood to receive one.

He called her again. And again.

She never picked up.



Then he dialed Malory.

She picked up after the third ring.

"Alex?! What's up? It's quite late."

She said in a drowsy sleepy voice.

She was in bed and he had woke her up. She gently left the bed, careful not to wake her boyfriend who was snoring lightly.

"Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry Malory."

"No, it's not a problem. What's up?"

She asked and he sighed.

"Is Cara with you? We had a fight and she left. And now she won't pick up her phone."

There was a long pause after that and Alexander thought the line had gone off.

"Malory? Are you there?"

"Yes! Yes! I'm here. Oh she's crashing at my place. It's all good."

"Okayyy?"

He was sceptical.

"Can I speak to her?"

"Uhm no. She passed out the minute she got here. She looks so tired, I wouldn't want to wake her. Maybe tomorrow morning."

"Alright. I'll come pick her up at your place tomorrow morning."

He said and Malory hesitated.

"Ah! Maybe later in the day! Give her time to cool off and all. Actually we have to get her a dress for her rehearsal dinner so there's that."

"Hmmmm. Okay. I'm so sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh no. It's fine. Goodnight."

She said as she ended the call abruptly.

He didn't believe her.

There was definitely something wrong.