Chapter 55
One Right Now ~ Post Malone, The Weeknd
"It feels so good to be in such a lovely place," I spoke in awe as I gazed at the massive, luxurious infrastructures of the grand, prestigious city of Dubai.
We were currently in a limo, being driven to Yves' latest private property located just by the sea. I wasn't surprised when he had a serious chat with my boss about putting me in a hotel when he owned so many houses, penthouses and mansions in the area. He had found it utterly ridiculous and therefore, the reservation was canceled in a second.
Yves himself was still in Singapore taking care of some business along with Aiden and Katerina. Sienna, Rhea, Ocean and I had been the ones to leave for Dubai in my private jet.
Sienna had taken countless selfies of us and our surroundings, spamming the group with the pictures. Aiden had been the first to comment, starting a heated yet light-hearted banter in the group.
"I'm excited to be here too. I can't wait to go partying, heard there's a new club that recently opened and it's the best of the best." She shook me lightly with a widespread grin and I rolled my eyes.
"Of course it is. This is fucking Dubai!" I clinked my glass with hers then proceeded to sip on my champagne.
In no time at all, the car parked for a moment and I peeked through the window at the upper-class neighborhood with an array of grand, lavish infrastructures that unapologetically gleamed in the beaming sunlight. People were surely living large and it showed.
It started moving again and I gasped as I inspected the estate that The Nicholson Group of Companies had recently built.
It was a fabulous three-storey building, standing tall and proud in all its terrific glory. Sienna and I didn't hesitate to exit the car, leaving a sleeping Ocean and Rhea as we inspected the penthouse in awe.
The massive matte black front door required a fingerprint to automatically swing open, and surprisingly, our data was already preset into the device. We walked into the glitzy lobby, adorned with flawless golden furniture and precious, shiny antiques.
The staircase was composed of expensive glass and granite, the interior of the translucent stone gleaming with neon lights that lit up the entire staircase.
The golden light from the crystalline hanging lights flooded the room, reflecting off the sparkling clean marble floor and walls.
As we proceeded upstairs, the stretching pellucid sea came into view, along with the titanic, phenomenal architectural structures that were famous in Dubai, such as the superb, unsurpassed Ferris Wheel that was declared the biggest in the world, weighing about seven thousand tonnes. Yes, I had done some thorough research on the city.
"I'm staying here forever, you can't convince me otherwise." Sienna waved her hand as I laughed, taking the clear elevator with me that catered for a marvelous view of Dubai, especially the fascinating palm-shaped, strategical placement of an awe-striking variety of buildings.
It took us at least thirty minutes to inspect almost all the parts of the colossal penthouse, from the fully furnished first class, magnificent bedrooms to the exceptional, luxurious bathrooms. There was an incorporation of complex yet outstanding architectural designs, and I was so proud of my husband's achievements.
"Isla, the original designer wants to meet up with you before the online tour so that he can brief you on the special features of the mansion." Jack spoke to me through the phone after I had settled down.
"Oh yes, I had that scheduled for eleven am, has he changed his mind to meet up earlier?" I checked my calendar.
"Yes. He says that there's so much to learn about the building." He informed me.
"Oh, okay so let me get ready to leave. I saw your message with the directions." I closed my laptop and got up to go and dressed.
Sienna was taking care of Rhea and Ocean downstairs with Stacey, who was her trusted babysitter for the past two years. I had gotten to know her as well and she was very kind and gentle, especially with Ocean.
"Great. I'll be there for the filming, good luck." I thanked him before heading to the neon white, glass closet where my newly purchased clothes had been washed, ironed and packed accordingly, including the shoes. Yves' section of the closet was equally neat and tip-top.
I got appareled in a long-sleeved body-hugging white dress that reached my knees, pairing the outfit with some clear stilettos with white straps. I straightened and brushed my hair into a neat bun, spritzed some perfume then accessorised with some minimalistic yet complimenting jewelry and makeup. I needed to make a lasting impression on the viewers.
After packing my essentials into a matching designer bag, I kissed Ocean and Rhea goodbye then managed to convince Sienna that I'd be back early enough to go out with her before driving to my destination.
Within minutes, I had arrived at the colossal mansion settled close to the ocean, as promised. It was probably one of the most beautiful mansions by the beach I'd seen, from the virescent, well-maintained nature to the glorious, marble-furnished exterior of the house.
I made my way out of the car and headed towards the entrance, and there I was greeted by a couple of guards who ushered me into the palace.
I marveled at the crystalline structures that had obviously taken a lot of thought and time to develop.
"Ms. Kingston, it's lovely to meet you in person." I heard a deep, male voice speak.
I turned my head to face a tall, young and good-looking man. Some silky waves of brunneous hair fell across his face, the dark suit he was wearing concealed his muscular body and he had a perfect, dazzling smile that could make any girl weak.
"Mr. Boston, it's such a pleasure to meet you too," I smiled warmly as he moved to give me a tight handshake.
"Please, address me as Jeremy. I prefer that to formalities," I noticed him scan my appearance in a subtle manner.
"Oh, well it's nice to meet you Jeremy." I tilted my head.
"Yeah. I think you're absolutely stunning too," his tone was slightly low and I laughed. It was then that I realized that we were still holding hands and being the decent person I was, I was the first to let go.
"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself," I nodded with a small smile.
"Right. So, would you like me to take you for the tour?" Jeremy suggested.
"Of course, what's the wait?"
We spent the next hour discussing each and every part of the building, and an extra thirty minutes was taken up by the jokes and casual conversations that we had in between.
"I watched the awards, and when I saw you, I was impressed by Mr. Nicholson's new taste in women." Jeremy mentioned as I chuckled.
"I'm guessing you know Camila then?" I slowly descended the stairs with him.
"I do, the psycho. I'm sure a lot of people know her as well," I couldn't help laughing at his statement.
"She's a psycho for sure, but anyways, I'd love to give you credit for this masterpiece of a house. I'm really flabbergasted, it's very impressive." I gazed at the rotating chandelier in the center of the ceiling.
"That means a lot coming from you, and I can't wait to have you market my project. It's very sentimental to me," he had a smile as he spoke.
"I understand, I can tell you put your heart and soul into this one." I remarked as he gazed down at me for a while.
"Yves is such a lucky man to have you," he murmured.
"Isla, splendid! I hope you're ready now, the camera crew is set up already and- oh, did I interrupt something?" Jack pursed his lips as soon as he saw the both of us.
"Um, not at all-"
"We were just concluding the discussion. She's an amazing woman," Jeremy spoke on my behalf.
"Ah, that's so great to hear! This is going to be a smooth-running event then. Shall we go downstairs so we can commence?" Jack looked thrilled.
"Absolutely."
~
"I don't know how you convinced me to go out clubbing with you," I shook my head as I stared at the beautiful building before us that flashed with neon lights on the inside.
"It's going to be so fun, look, even the bouncers are hot." She gestured to the muscular, robust men guarding the entrance.
"Yeah yeah, but I'm not getting drunk even if we have a driver." I warned while adjusting the strap of my black heels with a perforated design at the foot.
"Oh come on, let loose. You had your very first estate marketing two days ago, we've done nothing but walk to the beach and chill in the penthouse. This is our time."
Sienna was clearly more excited than me about partying in Dubai. She had filmed every single moment, from the time we were getting ready to now.
She was dressed in a white satin dress that ended mid-thigh and hugged her petite, gorgeous body that any man would kill to have a feel of.
She had finished the outfit off with some white, red-bottom stilettos and a white Dior bag. Her makeup and hair were perfect, everything about her was currently magnificent.
I was appareled in a black lace dress that she had manipulated me into wearing. It had a deep V-neck that flattered my ample bosom and just like Sienna's outfit, it accentuated each and every present curve on my body. My bleached blonde hair was straightened and my best friend had done my bold makeup.
AKA, Sienna.
"I swear if Yves ever knew that I was dressed like this at a club, he'd divorce me immediately." She laughed at my remark, pulling me along with her.
"What he doesn't know won't kill him. Hmm, Weston, what a lovely name you have." Sienna sent one of the boy guards a warm smile.
"Thank you, the both of you are really beautiful." Weston remarked as I digged into my purse to search for my ID.
"You don't need to produce anything, just go straight ahead and enjoy your night." Another deep voice caught my attention and I looked up at the other guard.
"Oh, thank you so much." I fumbled momentarily to close my purse.
"I'll call you." Sienna winked before pulling me along with her. I gaped at her statement, giving her an extremely shocked look.
"Are you not married, Sienna?" I nudged her playfully.
"Not tonight I'm not," she rolled her eyes while pulling me up the staircase then to a huge bar. The club was filled with people and despite that, the occasional rising mist was so gelid that I felt the goosebumps creep onto my skin.
Sienna was already swaying her hips to the music as she spoke to the bartender, and in the meantime I took my seat in a comfortable, plush leather stool. We were in the VIP area.
"I'm likely to permanently reside in Dubai now, this is the life." Sienna wrapped her arms around me as I laughed.
"It's great, but I adore Singapore." I articulated my thoughts and she nodded. I had been getting a concerning vibe from her lately, as though she wasn't okay or she was struggling with something she wasn't sharing with me.
"Okay, Sienna, I need you to be brutally honest with me right now. What's going on? Is something going on that you're not talking about?" I held her shoulder gently, inching closer to her as she sighed.
She signaled the barman briefly and he passed her a shot. She downed it in a millisecond before facing me again, an emotion flickering in her glimmering eyes.
"Ryan. I found out that- that he's cheating on me," her voice was brittle but her demeanor equanimous.
"Cheating? Oh my- why didn't you tell me earlier?" I sympathised with her, my heart aching on her behalf. He had seemed to be such a nice guy, it was unbelievable.
"Yeah. Well, look where we are. I can't be talking about my depressing marriage when we're in such a positive atmosphere, and you were also working so I didn't want to burden you." She shrugged nonchalantly as I cooed.
"Aw Sienna, I wouldn't have minded. Do you want to talk about it later?" I rubbed her back as she gave me a broad smile.
"I don't want to talk about it in Dubai, that's for sure," she leaned over to take two trays full of shot glasses, "we're getting wasted tonight."
"Five shots? Sienna, are you crazy-"
"Just for tonight please, I really want to take my mind off things." She clasped her manicured hands together. I stared at her for a long, hard moment before sighing.
"Let's go for it." I winked, earning an excited squeal from her.
I lost track of everything as we downed more and more alcohol as the barman was very consistent with the intoxicating beverages.
I could barely feel myself by the seventh shot, and the both of us were laughing obnoxiously loud. There were two left in the tray and people who had gathered around were cheering and encouraging us to finish them off.
"Just one more," Sienna momentarily closed her eyes, entwining her fingers with mine. The liquor was surely starting to mess with my head, and I surprisingly didn't care.
People began to count down and we gulped the last shots before cheering with everyone else, the tiny glasses raised in the air as we celebrated the achievement.
"Oh we're in so much trouble babe," she slurred, chuckling as I smiled.
"I know, and I don't give a fuck." I tilted my head, shutting my eyes briefly as the light-headedness kicked in.
"Guess what? Me too!" She threw her arms in the air and we started laughing again.
I didn't remember anything that happened afterwards, and I only remember waking up in the limo with Sienna sound asleep beside me. I got up with a groan, looking through the tinted window and gasping when I realized that we were back home.
On cue, the door was opened and I faced the driver in confusion.
"What happened? How did we get here?" I whispered, rubbing my eyes slowly. The alcohol was starting to wear off bit by bit.
"The bouncers helped me by carrying you two into the car, then I drove you back here ma'am." He narrated as I lightly shook Sienna. She hummed before slowly sitting up.
"Come on, we have to go inside. I feel so wasted." I got out of the car with the driver's assistance and Sienna did too.
We wobbled our way to the entrance and it took me so much time to try and align my thumb against the fingerprint machine and Sienna had the same trouble. We both giggled, wrapping our arms around each other due to the freezing wind.
"I love you," she whispered to me.
"I love you mo-"
I was cut off by the automatic door swinging open, and I gaped in utter shock when it revealed the person I least expected to see. Fuck.