Make A Wish

Chapter 14

Angel woke to her door being flung open, "Ugh it's too early Gabe or Luke, go away!" She groaned as she pulled the blanket of over her head.

"Girl, get up and look at this shit!" Angel looked up in shock to see Jessica practically bouncing with excitement. "Yep, I'm here, now look!"

Angel sat up and ran her fingers over her face while yawning, "What?"

"Look!" Jessica bounced on the hotel bed and held out a newspaper.

Angel took the folded-up newspaper and opened it. "What?" She gasped as she stared at the headline.

Jones & Jones No More, Business Closes Overnight Leaving Millions Shocked

Angel looked up at Jessica in shock, "I know, right?" Jessica smirked.

"Jones and Jones was bought out by an anonymous company then liquidated. Sources state that all employees were compensated while the CEO, Bartholomew Jones, was immediately terminated. Newly released information shows that Mr. Jones willingly withheld legal documents of his ex fiancé's after she called off their wedding. This, along with evidence that he was extorting the companies money into private Swiss bank accounts, and blackmail, has led to him being arrested and awaiting trial. As of this report, there has been no return response for comment from Mr. Jones or his lawyer," Angel read in disbelief.

"Freaking crazy, right?" Jessica asked. "Oh and guess what, the whole family is now penniless. According to Google and all social medias and well of course the news, they were all pocketing the money from that asshole so how there is nothing! Talk about karma."

"That would explain why he never let me in his office or attend the meetings," Angel whispered as she read it again. "Jess?" she asked after a few moments.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jess asked.

"Did the guys..." she trailed off.

"Probably," Jess shrugged, "but honestly who cares, the guy was a total dickwad. Now come on, let's go shopping! Vic said we could try and max out his card."

"No thanks," Angel shook her head. "We just got back, and I need a moment..."

Jess tilted her head then smirked, "You're worried about someone recognizing you."

"Partly," she admitted.

"Don't worry about it, I know the perfect place for us," Jess smiled as she hopped off the bed and held her hand out, "Come on, trust me."

"Wait," she giggled when Jess started pulling her out of bed. "What about getting dressed?"

"Where we are going, it doesn't matter," Jess laughed as she pulled her best friend out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Angel smiled when she saw they were going out to the gardens. "Jess."

"Come on, let's just sit outside and enjoy the sun for a bit. We can always pull a Gabe and do online shopping if you feel up to it."

"No," she shook her head, "I don't want to spend their money, they have already done so much for me. I can't go crazy and spend their money on things that aren't necessary too."

"Girl, you know damn well Victor wouldn't mind one bit," Jess laughed. "He thinks it's funny when I try to make a dent on that card, and besides 95 % of the time what I buy I donate to various charities. I hardly ever keep anything for myself."

"Jess?" Angel asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Was I just imagining seeing the guys while I was getting ready to get married?" Angel asked nervously. "There were times I thought...nevermind, it was probably just my mind messing with me."

"You saw them," Jess admitted. "They needed a way to get into the wedding." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "North was the cook, Victor got the flowers, Luke was the one to put your grandmother's ring in the bathroom and leave you the mint because you always get sick when your nerves get the best of you. You did really see him in the doorway and Axel was the one you bumped into. The guys were everywhere until it was time for you to say the vows then they moved to the back. You should have heard the things Gabe was muttering as he took in everything, it would have made even sailors blush."

Angel shook her head, "Oh I can imagine."

"Oh," Jessica snapped, "before I forget, here. Luke grabbed it while he was ninjaing to the bathroom." She reached into her purse and pulled out a small box. "Here."

Angel looked at the box curiously then opened it, "Oh Jess," She whispered as a few tears slipped down her cheek, "I thought I would never see this again. I thought I lost it."

"Nope, Luke snatched it once he heard you tell me that ass wouldn't let you wear it. He wanted to make sure it stayed safe for you. He gave it to me to hold onto until I thought I could give it back to you safely without worry he would do something to it. If they had known what all he was—"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Angel shook her head. "I'm moving on and this means the world to me. You, the guys and this is all that matters to me," She smiled as she looked down at the box holding her grandmother's ring and necklace.

"Good," Jess smiled, "So now wanna go shopping for some animal rescues?"

Angel burst out laughing, "As long as we can add some things for homeless and domestic survivors too."