19 | Summer Heat
Emerald's POV
"Looks like you had a great night, Signorina. You're glowing!" My secretary commented in a soft voice, giggling while she gave me the report for the day.
"I would be lying if I say I didn't." She gushed some more at my reply.
"You look happy. Is someone making the Signorina Emeralda Sia Sanchez happy?" She raised a brow. I couldn't help but let out a laugh, heat creeping up to my cheeks.
"You could say that." I bit my lip. I remember the night I spent with Max. I could still remember his touches, his kisses... skin pounding, heart-racing... That hot intense night that made me crave for him more. A shiver traveled down my spine at the thought. Dio! I miss him already.
"Oh my God! I'm so happy for you, signorina!" She gushed again like a teenager, her heels tapping on the floor loudly with excitement.
"Hush, Charm! Someone might hear you!" I waved a hand at her to stop.
"Oh! Sorry." She covered her mouth with both hands, giggling. I rolled my eyes at her, completely entertained by her actions.
"How is the team doing?" I changed the subject as I looked further through the reports.
"Everything is going smoothly. Will you be able to check on them later or do you have any other plans?" She tapped on her iPad while waiting for my response.
"I will be there. Just make sure to prepare the equipment I will use when going to the lab. The intern forgot my gloves once when I went there. I don't want that to happen again." Her brows furrowed for a second before nodding.
"Of course, ma'am. I'll give them the talk later. So sorry for the error." I waved a hand at her lightly, shaking my head while smiling.
"Don't be too harsh on them. This project alone is complete torture for them especially the interns. I don't want more toxicity in it." She nodded once more, completely understanding my request. She knew I can be harsh with my words that's why she also toughened up on the job. She knew how things work and what I like in here that's why she's been with me for a long time.
"I understand. Excuse me, Signorina." When she left the office, the room was in complete and total silence. Shifting my gaze to my office, I kept thinking how far my company has gone now. Three years ago, I started with a team of five trusted colleagues and our business was only in this small establishment that could only fit a maximum of six people.
I looked at the contract I was about to sign.
Emeralda Sia Sanchez
CEO
Corona Company
I knew I was more than privileged. Despite keeping my own name my parents have found me with, they never failed to be supportive with whatever I wanted in life. Once my brother has established his own company and has made millions with his empire, he showered me with everything I wanted like a good brother that he is. He gave me the money to continue my business and ensured that I will make it on top. I smiled at the memory of him giving me a hundred million dollar check to buy this luxurious building my company has now settled in. He sometimes beat himself for not doing his best but little did he know he makes a difference to my life and everyone else.
With a smile, I signed the contract in agreement to another luxury brand to collaborate with my brand. People have believed in me and I should do the same. I should continue to be the rich bitch of Italy and prove that I am not just a socialite whose name got known because of the Carini empire.
Work came to an end with me in the work station attaching the pink diamond piece at the center of the crown.
"Oh thank goodness it's finally attached." One of my designers sighed in relief as the centerpiece of the Royal Jewels had finally settled on its throne at the center of the crown. Its pendeloque-cut brilliance shone and it would be a headturner once this crown is worn.
"Gloves." I removed my gloves and gave it to an assistant who hurriedly came to take my gloves away. Walking around the Royal Crown, I inspected the quality of the current progress.
"One ruby is not perfectly set in the crown." I commented, pointing at the slightly imperfect ruby at the side of the crown.
"We'll get right to it, Signorina." One of them chimed in, quickly going to my side to inspect the jewel.
"A millimeter away. Do it again." I criticized and they hurriedly went around the crown to check.
"I expect this to be corrected tomorrow. I gotta work on the other diamonds we have cut. Okay?"
"Yes ma'am!" They all took notes and began discussing to themselves.
"That's it for me today. Have Axel drive me home please." I spoke to Charm and she smiled at me brightly like she didn't just have a stressful day with me being critical at every stone in the workplace right now.
"How about your dinner, miss?"
"I'll have one at home, Charm. Thank you. Make sure to make everyone go home in an hour. I don't want them overworking and come here tomorrow tired or sleepless." I had employees who believed in working hard in ungodly hours just to finish our projects and I didn't want to glorify such a toxic habit.
"Of course, miss. I'll make sure of that. Axel should be pulling up at the front now." She informed me and began to take my coat and hair net.
"Great work today, Charm." I acknowledged how she worked hard beside me despite the hassle we are doing with our projects.
"Happy to be here working with you, Signorina. If anything, I should be grateful to you for giving me this job."
"You're a skillful girl, sweetie. Don't ever forget that." She was a timid girl when she applied for my company. I was harsh at times to her to correct her mistakes and also to get her involved more within our company. Years passed by, she can now read me like an open book and she's the only one in the company who could understand me just by looking at me.
"Thank you, miss." She grinned proudly. We both walked out of the office building, passing through the guards I have for my company and the royal guards the Royal Family has granted me for the project. Axel was already waiting for me in his usual bodyguard suit of black and white with a neat black tie to complete his look. He definitely looked hot with the way his presence demanded submission from others and his piercing green eyes scanning the area sending shivers down my spine.
"Your things are on the way, ma'am. I'll give it in the car." Charm smiled and waved at Axel who nodded at her before opening the door for me at the back of the car.
"Hello Ma'am." He acknowledged my presence with a formal tone and I suddenly got hit in the gut for expecting a tease from him. I looked around and they were looking at me, waiting for my next move. I was once again under the scrutiny of everyone, employees and strangers alike.
"Hi Axel." I smiled at him. Sliding in the car, no one spoke. My driver was just silent as usual, minding his own business. I looked at Charm and Axel who were conversing outside. Charm even laughed at one point. Hmmmm... Is there something going on between them?
"Charm, where are my things?" I spoke the moment I have rolled down my window and interrupted whatever the fuck they were talking about. Axel's smile disappeared and he gave a neutral look at me before he scanned the area once again.
Can't he just relax? I am not the freaking president of the country to be shot by a sniper from the rooftops. Wait... Was that even possible for a crown designer like me?
Fear crept into my stomach and I slowly went a little bit away from the car's window.
"You're safe." One assurance from him and the fear instantly floated away from my thoughts. I nodded at him.
"They're here, signorina." She grabbed my things being given by one of my bodyguards. Giving it to me, I gave her my thanks and rolled the windows up.
I spotted Axel giving her a pat on the shoulder before he went back to the car.
"All settled in?" He asked, buckling his seatbelt.
"Yeah. I didn't know you were close to my assistant." I remarked and he chuckled.
"Only gave her a few words to think about. Your seatbelt, please." He spoke without turning to face me.
"Ho-how the fuck did you know I'm not wearing it?" I scoffed and I heard both of my driver and him chuckle.
"He's very attentive with details, Signorina." My driver, Carlos, pointed at him.
"You always forget to buckle up, princess."
"Finally!" I sighed in relief, taking my high heels off and padded around my living room. My back was killing me and my shoulders felt heavy from working 4 hours straight with the crown today.
The sound of eggs being beaten followed by the smell of fried food came to my senses. I looked behind me.
"Axel? If you're with me, who's cooking in my fucking kitchen?"
"It's a surprise. You should go check it out." He gestured me to go, taking my things from me.
"I'll bring these in your room."
"Okay. Thank you. But who is there? I swear, Axel. I am too anxious to have people around my home without me knowing."
"His Royal Highness."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Go now. He'll be happy to see you." He smiled before he walked away from me, going to my room.
"Max?" I called for him, who was so busy in cooking he has not noticed me approaching.
"Oh hi babe! Welcome home!" He wore a white apron, silver tongs in one of his hands as he cooked what seemed to be tempura.
"You're cooking..." I commented, shocked at how good he looked with my white apron. The sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and a few buttons were left open. He looked casual...domestic...fuckable.
"Yeah. I hope you like tempura. I'm trying to cook this for you." He chuckled, kissing my forehead. I hummed at it, completely taken aback and yet turned on by how he's treating me.
"Trying?" I laughed and he pointed at a couple of burnt shrimp in the sink.
"Oh my God, Max!" I burst out laughing. He scratched the back of his neck, guilty about his bad cooking and he looked so cute trying to do his best for me.
"Oh Max. You shouldn't have but thank you. I really appreciate this." I hugged him and I felt him kiss the top of my head.
"Only for you, babe." His voice vibrated against his chest and I hummed at the sound of his voice. I felt satisfied. Complete. Loved.
"I'll help you, okay?" I pulled out of our embrace and he pouted.
"No. Let me cook for you. I'm learning, I promise."
"Lover boy, if I let you cook all that you have prepared tonight, we'll be eating at midnight." I pointed at the plate full of shrimp that needed to be cooked.
"Okay but this is our quality time. No Prince to CEO treatment tonight, yes?" He bargained and I laughed at how serious he wanted our conversation to be but it was so hard to think of that when he was wearing my apron that looked small for him.
"Oh hell no. No treatment like that." He smirked, giving me a quick peck on the lips before turning around to focus on his cooking.
"You look cute in my apron. You should have worn the black apron. Axel wears that whenever he cooks." He chuckled.
"I'm glad you find this amusing, babe. Axel wore that apron earlier when he taught me how to fry the shrimps properly."
"That's cute. I should call him, yeah? We can finish cooking faster with more hands on deck." I suggested while tying my hair in a bun to get ready preparing the food.
"Oh hell no, lady. I'm spending the night alone with you. He's gonna be outside to guard the gate."
"The gate? Why so far? He can just chill in his own guestroom, Max." I didn't want Axel to be uncomfortable even in the middle of the night. He deserved a good place to stay while he's protecting me. Max turned to me and pulled me close, his free hand wrapped around my waist in a possessive grip.
"I don't want him to hear you scream my name later, baby." His tone went lower as his eyes went dark with lust before he gave me a deep kiss that took my breath away.
"Oh?"
"Yes... oh." He chuckled before returning to his cooking again.
***
Morning came...
Warmth enveloped my skin, the birds chirped and the sun took a peek at the slightly opened curtains. A heavy hand was draped across my stomach and warm breaths hit my back. I bit my lip and felt the soreness between my legs, remembering the night's activities. He promised me a great night and he fucking did it that sent me to greater heights I have never reached before. I shifted from my position, trying to turn to face him. He groaned and held me tighter. I chuckled at that and successfully turned only to come face to face with the top of his head. My view of his head right now reminded me of one of the views I got last night. The sight of him buried between my legs made my cheeks burn red. I bit my lip again feeling the familiar excitement I had down there.
"Good morning babe." His husky voice greeted me before I felt him kiss my chest. A flutter in my stomach made me alive, pushing the drowsiness away.
"Good morning, Max." I greeted back, playing with his hair that was neatly cut like a Royal should have. His hair was straight and thick, two things I wanted to have if I had control with my bitch ass curly hair.
"Don't leave just yet." He spoke once I began to shift. I pressed a kiss on the top of his head and he hugged me impossibly closer.
"Oh." I gasped as he pushed himself up so he was eye to eye with me. His ocean blue eyes were darker even with the sunlight softly lighting up his beautiful face. His face looked carved up by Michelangelo himself. Perfect lips. Roman nose that envied the Gods. Chiseled jaw that I wanted to mark with kisses and his flawless skin that rivaled my own skin. I felt like a commoner...
"Hey... What are you thinking? Why are you pouting, love? You don't like seeing me?" His thumb brushed against my cheek.
"No... I mean, I like seeing you. I like waking up with you but I can't separate you from being a Prince sometimes. I feel like I don't deserve you..." I trailed off avoiding his gaze.
"Emerald? Look at me." He tipped my chin up with hand. There was worry in his eyes and I held my breath waiting for what he's going to say.
"I maybe born a Prince but I am still human. I know it's hard to separate myself from the title but I want you to know right now, I am here with you as Max and not as a Prince. I want to be with you. I want to spend the rest of my days waking up looking at a pretty face like yours." He kissed my nose before kissing my lips longingly.
"My title really clouds people's judgment but I want you to look at me as Max. Not a guy with the crown over his head."
"I'll try, Max."
"Thank you, baby." He kissed me once more. His hold on my waist went tighter, pulling me close to him. I could feel every inch of him. And by every inch, I meant every inch of him. I moaned between his deep kisses. His hand slid down from the side of my waist, to my stomach before he held my thigh under the sheets.
"Fuck baby. You're making it hard to leave the bed early." He chuckled before he swept me with one deep kiss again, our tongues dancing in the throws of passion. I pushed the sheets away from us. I wanted to be closer to him. I didn't want any barriers. No fabric should separate us. His hands both held the sides of my waist before he flipped us with me on top of him.
"Ride me, baby." He demanded with his deep morning voice. A shiver traveled down my spine again, loving the way he commanded me in the bed like a ruler should. I loved that way his hands marked my skin, holding me possessively while his hips grind against mine, wanting to go deep inside me.
An hour later of our lovemaking, we finally got out of our beds and prepared for the day. We went with our routine as I prepared breakfast and he was being briefed by his assistant in the living room of today's royal engagements. Once we were done with our personal routines, we both went out of my house ready to take on our day. My confidence went up the notch as he held my hand, kissing it.
"I had a great night, Emerald. Thank you." He spoke softly. I couldn't help but smile.
"Me too. Thank you." I leaned in for the kiss but we were interrupted by Axel who cleared his throat and stood in front of us.
"Good morning, Your Highness, and Signorina Emeralda... Cars are ready, Your Highness. We will have to drive you in separate cars to avoid suspicions as you have requested." He reported. He looked like he didn't sleep with the dark circles under his eyes. I felt bad for him.
"Good morning, Axel." I held my tongue from speaking out from the obvious signs he has not slept well last night. I should have just sent him to a hotel...
He nodded in my direction before his focus went back to Max.
"Great!" Then he turned his attention to me. "I have been given today's itinerary. I have to go first, baby. I'll see you tonight for dinner again, okay?" He kissed my forehead.
"Of course. Thank you, Max."
"All for you." He winked at me flirtatiously and I slapped him, reminding him to be professional now that we were outside the house and just a couple of feet away from my gate.
"See you later!" He gave my waist a squeeze before he was escorted by a couple of bodyguards by his head. We waited for him until he got inside the car and went to do business.
"Well, it's your turn now, Emeralda. Let's go?" He asked, nodding at the security guard beside the gate.
"Oh! Yeah! Of course." We silently walked towards my car. He opened the door for me and I quickly slid in. I wanted to say something about his lack of sleep but he closed the door before I could even utter a word.
"In your office, miss?" Carlos asked as Axel got in the passenger's seat.
"Yes please. Thank you."
"Buckle up." Axel spoke while pulling on his seatbelt.
"Oh sure sure." I obeyed without complaints. Our eyes met by the front mirror of my car and he quickly avoided my gaze. Fuck but his eyes... he looked tired...
"Where did you sleep, Axel?" I broke the silence in the car.
"In the car. I had to be alert though so don't worry about it."
"Alert? Why? Are the bad guys coming?" Flashbacks of the attempted kidnapping I had came back and an unsettling thought of being taken against my will made my stomach churn.
"No. You won't be taken away ever. I can promise you that. We were on high alert last night since the Prince stayed in your home overnight."
"Oh... is that so?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. We're trained for this scenarios." Scenarios?
"What do you mean by scenarios?" I asked and I had bitter anger thinking of Max with other women he spends time with.
"Scenarios of him staying in places that are not a property of the Royal Family." He replied with a clip tone.
"Really?"
"Yes. He's the heir to the throne so we had to be extra cautious last night. Everything went smoothly. Don't worry about that. Nothing suspicious happened." He assured and I breathed out a sigh of relief I never realized I was holding in.
"Thank you, Axel. Please rest once I am inside the office. Tell your colleagues who spent the rest of the night awake to do the same." I spoke, grateful for his protection even if I was unaware of the threats I could possibly be involved in.
"No problem. And yeah, we will do that. We will be shifting duties once you are safe inside the office."
I felt secured and comfortable with Axel's assurances while we were on our way to work. The once deep tension and guilt I felt was washed away by his words. He's a good bodyguard to be around. A keeper. He never failed to look out for me, for Max and for the others. Once we were pulling up in the parking lot, however, the peace I had was disturbed by my brother calling me out of nowhere.
"Hello Emil? You never call this early."
"Em! Where are you?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice and I began to worry.
"I just arrived in my building. Why?"
"Tell me you are not dating the fucking prince of Sweden. Please tell me you're not dating him." He began to speak so quickly I barely even understood him.
"What?!"
"Why are you shocked? Are the rumors false?" He asked and I jumped at the loud tapping of the car's window in my side. Charm was out of breath as Carlos rolled the window down for me.
"Miss! You gotta see this!" She practically shoved her iPad to me, worry etched on her face.
"Fuck! Em! You should tell me what you're up to? Mom is having a heart attack and Dad is about to fucking pass out. A prince, Em? A PRINCE?!"
"What the fuck is happening?!" I demanded and then my heart dropped at the photo on the screen of the iPad.
Heir to the Throne of Sweden taken by the Crown Maker of Italy. The headline made me scream.
"Oh fuck no! I am not ready for this." I cursed and I could hear my brother muttering every Italian and Filipino curse words in the books.
"What's happening?" I heard Axel ask and Charm ran her hands through her already messy hair.
"She's in the headlines for dating the prince." She replied.
"HOW THE FUCK?!" Axel unbuckled his seatbelt and went out of the car.
"Don't come out of the car, Emeralda." He ordered me before he pulled out his phone from his pocket and began to call someone.
A photo was peeking under the headline displayed on the screen. With shaky hands, I scrolled down. I gasped. There it was. It was a photo taken a few minutes ago before Max left my home. It was a grainy photo of him kissing my hand. I dropped both gadgets on my lap and covered my face with both hands, absolutely horrified.
For a bitch like me who is used to rumors made by tabloids and other media outlets, this is the most scandalous thing I have ever gotten myself involved in. Fuck!
Eternally grateful to everyone who continues to read this story. You are in for one hell of a ride! ;)
See you in the next chapter!