"Hell, this is ingenious," Devin inferred ardently, bending over her to have a better look into the laptop monitor, seemingly unaware of the eloquent effect he was having on her. Throat dry with nervousness, she scrolled down the page with a semblance of normality as they searched for the name Alyssa Huntington on the online directory.
Dispirited when nothing came up, she grimaced at the screen, resisting the urge to look back in his direction, his male musky scent giving a pretty indication of his closeness. She felt an uncomfortable urge at her nape, striving not to turn her neck in his direction.
"Why don't you try looking only for Huntington?" he suggested, his hot breath blowing against the juncture at her neck, and she gulped heavily as her traitorous heart did a somersault. Maybe he was right; come to think of it, it wasn't such a good idea after all.
If it wasn't for her half-sister, she would have let Dev carried on with his sordid plan. But how could she, in her full senses assent to such a mishap befalling her sister? Ana was in the best position to know how much Devin Crighton could bulldozer someone's life with no respect to feelings or any regard to propriety.
Concentrating on the chore at hand, she applied the corresponding filters of sex and age, and the search eventually drilled down to five Huntingtons and three Alyssas. Since it was more probable that her sister would have changed her last name, they opted to hunt down the Alyssa first, even if wasn't the most resourceful idea, they had to start somewhere. The problem was that each Alyssa resided in three different states.
Biting her lip in worry, Ana pondered over how to manage the dilemma – as far as she knew Devin, he would want to finish the task as soon as possible, and would probably suggest she appropriated their first target in Michigan while he would cover the others. It would have been a brilliant strategy, except for one salient fact. Ana did not want Dev to meet her sister on a one-to-one basis alone, at least not before she had a word first.
"I'm going back to New York tomorrow," she started, still plundering her lips in deep thought. "Michigan is on my way; I could make a stop to meet this... Alyssa Cooper."
Dev was shaking his head before she'd even finished. "That would be so complicated with a commercial flight. Why don't I come with you and we meet her together?"
Almost weak with relief, Ana felt it was a better option she had and she should make the most of it. If Dev tagged along with her, there was a huge possibility that she might get to talk to her sister before he intervened. She wanted to spare Alyssa the same destiny as hers, she knew that nothing would deter him from his plan now. He seemed to have that fixation that marriage to the owner of his property would solve his problem, would erase the horrible childhood memories which must inexorably haunt him.
When Devin had announced confidently that he still intended to marry the one who'd inherited Ashford properties, she'd grasped two things. One that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals for what he believed was his due, and second was that he'd never loved her at all. Not that she'd doubted it but being replaceable somehow demolished any lingering doubt with abrupt irrevocability.
He'd even been prepared to marry Melissa after seeing her tantrums at the graveyard – if that didn't show his despair, then nothing would. So, her quest had begun then. She wanted to stop him from duping Alyssa Huntington at any cost, Dev would only end up ruining her life with his obstinacy.
Not that Dev would have an inkling about her hidden agenda; if he knew her intentions, he would purposely start blackmailing her sister right away. Her alliance was a pretext to watch his every move, and intervene in the subtlest way possible to sort out the matter with tact.
Her only uncovered track was how Alyssa would turn out as a person; God help her if she proved to be another Melissa. Then, there would be no bonding with her to settle the situation reasonably. But fate couldn't be cruel to send her another hurdle, right?
With renewed determination, she squared her shoulders resolutely. It wasn't as if she had another option. "We go together," she agreed in a determined tone, which hid the tremor of trepidation running through her.
The ride back to New York was silent, with Dev typing furiously on his laptop with not even one glance in her direction like her presence was not affecting him at all. Maybe it wasn't. For a person who was blasé enough to go after a new bride while having his ex-fiancé along, what had trespassed between them must not have affected him more than a mosquito bite.
With supreme cynicism, Ana tried to appear as indifferent as him sending messages to her staff, and played a game when she'd finished for good measure. Let him think that she was as busy as well. Besides, it served as a distraction from her apprehension over the next meeting. Millions of questions tumbled through her mind as to whether Alyssa Cooper would turn out to be the prodigal sister.
And what if it did? How would she react? Ana could hardly believe she was nervous to meet her sister, to her it seemed to have received a boon to know that Melissa was not her only living kin. With all her heart, she prayed that Alyssa turned out to be someone she could find some kind of affinity with.
Before she could sort out about what to say, they were landing near the location where the Google map was blinking, and Ana was a pack of nerves. Dev was following her like a hound, and she still had no idea how to stall him.
Cornered, she fidgeted with her hair, her nerves in tatters as they rang the door to be welcomed by a young woman, who appeared the same age as her, and who matched the photo they'd seen on her social media page.
"Hello Alyssa," Dev greeted politely, taking over like she'd feared he would. "I'm Devin Crighton," he introduced gently extending his hand for a shake, which was accepted with a fair amount of skepticism. While he seemed to be keeping his head about the meeting, foolish sentiments engulfed her, as Ana scanned the face in front of her in the hope of finding some similar traits. The raven black hair was in complete contrast with her reddish brown, and the grey eyes held no trace of blue at all.
Alyssa peeked at her in open curiosity. "Wait a second. You're Anastasia, right? The model?" she exclaimed in enthusiasm, and Ana who had felt for a foolish second that her sister had recognized her composed herself into a semblance of normality.
After some mundane conversation which was essentially orchestrated by Devin, they finally got to the point of her birth, a sensitive subject which alarmed Alyssa at first, but when she realized that they were just looking for someone, she did not hesitate to show them her family album. They even chatted with her parents over the phone, to ask her mother if she'd known a man called Alastair Forrester, but which turned out to be a total failure as far as their search was concerned.
It felt rather gratifying to have Alyssa completely taken up with her profession, asking harmless questions that Ana could not help gloating to Dev, especially when it seemed to rattle him so much. Smirking as they left, she even managed to transiently get over the disappointment of not having found her sister.
"Will you stop that?" he muttered crossly, his eyebrows furrowed with deep annoyance.
"Stop what?" she taunted with feigned ignorance.
He threw an admonishing look at her, but she was having too much fun at his expense to care. "I didn't know you were so famous by the way, Ana."
Just at the mention of her name, her heart skipped a beat. He'd called her Ana, instead of his usual stoically vocalized Anastasia. She doubted that he was even aware of that fact. "There's so much you don't know about me, Dev," she replied back with cheeky aplomb.
His eyes flicked to hers in surprise that she would make such a poignant reference, but he refused to raise to the bait. "Our next target is Alyssa Turner who lives in Florida. But I'm afraid I have to attend to my business and won't be able to continue the search until...," he scrolled through his iPhone. "... next Thursday. One week from now."
Her years of training empowered her to keep a neutral expression, while inside she performed a whoop of delight. Now that was the moment she'd been waiting for. Knowing that her thick lashes would cover her eyes, she nodded demurely giving him the impression that she was agreeing to his proposal, and waited until he dropped her to her apartment to get things going.
With her mind already reeling with alternatives, she would book her flight day after tomorrow itself as she needed the time to sort out her business matters during her absence first. She did not care it was a close call, as long as she would be there before Dev.
It was going to be a hectic two days, she reflected as she dialed the number of her best friend with restless energy.
"Ana! Why don't you calm down?" Aimee advised after she had rambled about how urgent it was for her to reach Florida before Dev. "I'm coming right over," she announced in a final tone, before cutting off the call without giving her the time to respond.
"Aimee!" she greeted with frenzied excitement as soon as the latter landed over her doorstep with a bowl of frozen yogurt and expensive champagne.
"You need calories," her friend affirmed in stubborn resoluteness, dropping both items on her bar. "Now, shoot!"
Aimee's customary attitude seemed to mollify Ana down, and she stopped her incessant pacing to stop in front of her unruffled looking friend.
In a more composed outlook, she started from the beginning, telling her about how she'd discovered that Dev's mother had killed herself because of her father. Aimee was the only person who knew her past in details, and Ana had never felt the inclination to share anything with anyone else.
Even the buoyant Aimee seemed speechless after she'd finished. Ana, however, felt a little lighter, having emptied her heart's content to her. After all, wasn't that what best friends were for?
"So, you tell me Aimee, what am I supposed to do?"
She was shaking her head in bewilderment with a spoon of yoghurt inside her mouth. "This is the craziest story I've ever heard in my life. Damn Ana! How can you be so serene under the circumstances?! How can you still offer to help that...that creep?"
"Seriously? I really don't know what to make of this whole fiasco. You should have seen him. He was so serious about getting married to someone he'd never even met! I freaked out, and proposed him as an attempt to calm him down! Besides, hearing his side of story has made me sympathetic towards him."
"Don't be silly, Ana! How can you even think of forgiving that monster? He used you for his own benefit! He hates you only because of your father. What kind of man does that? You're not responsible for your father's actions, sugar."
"I know that! But he's also not responsible for his mother's actions. We're both paying for our parent's mistakes."
Aimee sighed wearily. "Life is so unfair."
"Tell me about it." Ana delivered ruefully pinching her nose to ward off her turmoil, swallowing on the yoghurt which they were sharing. "I need to rest before sorting things out in the office. I have only one day to manage..."
She was halted when Aimee's hand pressed hers gently in support. "You don't have to worry about the office. I'll handle everything during your absence. You go and find your sister, and try to strike a deal with her for both your sakes."
Like a woman on a mission, Ana nodded fervently, tears of fatigue rolling down her cheeks, as she clamped back the hand in gratitude. "Can you do something about tonight's event? I desperately need some rest after that never-ending trip and would have to skip the important launching of Shagold." Ana was referring to the prestigious Shagold cosmetics, a famous brand over New York, which was scheduled to launch a new face cream tonight, and which she'd been invited to attend. Thankfully, she was not the face representing the brand, but her absence at such a prominent ceremony would be conspicuous.
She felt another reassuring squeeze as her friend asserted. "I think Jennifer will figure something out. Don't worry about tonight. I'll handle everything. You have some rest now. And don't worry about anything else other than your Florida trip."
It was easier said than done. The next night, Ana awoke with a severe headache, the pain lodged in her head due to the trauma she'd been through, and it took her a few minutes to discern that the incessant buzz was in fact her ringing phone.
"What the hell have you been thinking?" came the barked undertone, and wincing at the harshness she peered at the clock to note that it was only seven o'clock. Groggy from sleep, she wondered why Devin would use an infuriated tone at her so early in the morning, she wasn't even in Florida yet, was she?
"What's wrong?" she queried unable to squelch the morning huskiness from her voice.
She heard a harsh expletive over the phone which abruptly cut off with a muttered 'I'm coming over."
Coming over? At her apartment? At that latest announcement sunk in, all sleep flew out of the window as she tried to figure out what was going on. After her conversation with Aimee last night, she had slumped on her bed like a rag doll without a coherent thought. Now, no matter how she racked her mind, she had absolutely no idea why Dev would be in such a frenzied state.
Another loud buzz made her jump, and she peered at the screen, almost sure that it was Dev who was phoning back to apologize for a silly mistake. Why would he be angry? What was he still in New York? The questions remained unanswered as she caught sight of Jennifer's number flashing, and she rejected the call making a mental note to call her PR soon.
For now, she had a storm to conquer in the form of a ragingly furious Dev, and she'd better take care of him first. After almost twenty minutes, her nerves were jittery enough to make her jump when the doorbell rang, and she wasn't even sure why she was so nervous when she'd done nothing wrong. Truly enough, a murderous looking Dev stood at her doorstep, appearing like he would gladly strangle her with his bare hands right now.
Oh-oh. He knew she was intending to go to Florida without him.
About to offer a rehearsed explanation, she did a double take when he flung a piece of paper in her face before she could even open her mouth. Puzzled, she took the offending material from him, and her frown deepened when it turned out to be today morning's newspaper. With a photo of her semi-naked attending a party on the front page, accompanied by a man who looked like he was undressing her with his eyes. To be precise, the headlines revealed that she was a drunk gadabout causing uproar in the party she'd skipped last night.
How come? Well, it was the showbiz, where everything was twisted and fake, not at all a reflection of reality. Since it had been a huge event, Jennifer must have sent her double to represent her, and most probably the reason behind her call so early in the morning was to inform her of the subterfuge.
Damn! Like her life wasn't complicated enough right now. How could she explain to that manic looking man in front of her that it wasn't her in such a compromising situation? Nobody seemed to pick any nuance when her double attended the parties – which tended to happen most of the time, and to be honest it suited her as well.
"Couldn't you have waited for one night before getting yourself all over another man?" he howled in an imperious tone, and she winced despite herself.
"Look it's not what you're thinking," she tried in a pacifying tone, not because she felt she owed him any kind of explanation, but he seemed in a need of placation to calm down. A furious Dev was not usually her favorite menu.
"You don't know what I'm thinking right now. God, I don't..."
"Look," she rationalized in a what seemed to be a sensible voice to her. "Devin. This is no business of yours. I' have nothing..."
Without warning, she was unceremoniously grabbed, and before she had time to breathe, his lips descended on hers in a hot pursuit. Incensed, she struggled free, or at least tried to, but he held her effortlessly by her elbow, and she was only hurting herself when she wriggled. It was a punitive kiss, meant to teach her who was the master, and she had no other option than to submit, allowing his tongue access to ravage her mouth savagely – or that was what she told herself to squash her conscience.
Then, when she whimpered in pain, his lips changed to a soothing rhythm, acting as a balm to the initial assault, igniting a fire inside her along the way. She could literally feel the fight drain out of her, as his tongue caressed the inside of her mouth, coaxing her to meet his demands with her own. Her hands which had clutched his collar to push him away relaxed on his chest, where her fingers itched to explore. A moan escaped her, and he released his death grip hold of her, only to bring her whole body close to him.
It felt heavenly. It felt hellish.
Her body, even with layers of clothes between them felt like it had been deprived of his warmth for too long. The heat which emanated between them was so sizzling that she felt herself burning up like a furnace. Starving and wanton, she relented, granting him entry inside her mouth, and lust overwhelmed her on when he hissed with pleasure.
Eventually, they had to come up for air, the kiss breaking reluctantly, like they were afraid it would stop, and rationale would start kicking in. When they finally stood apart, they were both panting wildly, eying each other warily thorough desire-filled eyes. Devin released her abruptly, looking even more peeved than when he'd entered her apartment.
"What the hell was that for?" Ana asked when she got back her voice, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand to erase his taste. Why – oh God why had she not resisted like she should have? Why had she given in at the last minute when she'd been doing a pretty good job at fighting him? It had been a statement of power, nothing else.
"Just showing you who's the boss," he shrugged with his usual high-handed arrogance, which made her want to slap him.
"Don't fool yourself," she retorted tartly. "You're not the only man to make me feel like that," she delivered with much bravado than she was actually feeling.
It was meant to provoke, and she was disappointed when his eyes flashed her a cynically amused look, like he knew she was lying right through her teeth. Then, she noticed his glacial brown eyes, the way he was clenching his jaw like he was holding tightly to his control, and she gulped down in fear, taking an involuntary step backwards.
Not that Dev was a violent man, not at all. Physical violence was sometimes better than his verbal assaults when he was that angry, when he lost control he had a tendency to blurt hurtful things he did not mean, and Ana was making up her mind about confessing the truth about that unfortunate picture.
"So, how many lovers have you had since me?"
The sheer conceitedness of that question threw her off kilter. What the hell? How dared he ask such a personal question? He was the one who'd ditched her, duped her into believing that he loved her, and waltzed back in her life without a single trace of remorse. Damn! He was the one prepared to marry another sister for the sake of a property.
How dared he ask her in that imperial tone of his, with the premeditated purpose to make her feel cheap? Her control snapped. "What do you mean since you?" she spat with venom, emphasizing the 'you' to make it sound as insignificant as she could. "We never even slept together."
Green swept in his eyes instantly, leaving no trace of brown as his rigid jaw clenched and unclenched like it would snap any moment now. "You're right," he replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. "What's in a number anyway?" She hissed in a breath at the intended insult. Let him think that she was a tart, she fumed to herself. What did he expect? That she would mourn him forever? "What amaze me is that you couldn't even wait for me to be out of New York to start gallivanting around with your lovers," he went on relentlessly.
She sneered. "Why would I wait for you to be gone? What do I mean to you?"
"You mean nothing to me."
Five simple words, a fact she'd always known but it was the first time that it was out in the open, so dispassionately stated and it still had the power to hurt her. An excruciating pain twisted in her heart like someone had driven a knife through it.
Aimee was right; that man did not deserve her sympathy. She should have known better than to permit that creep access in her life again. She should have categorically refused to meet him back at Rochester, and to hell with him! No one, not even her father had caused her as much pain as that man in front of her, and he was still doing it. Without any remorse.
Almost in frozen stupor, she tried to summon all her courage to retort. "Then what are you doing here at the mere notion of me in the arms of another man? If I mean nothing to you, why are you so angry?"
The jaundiced look he sent her way made her want to wallow out of pure misery. Why did he hate her that much? Why? "I am not angry at you. I am angry at the woman you've turned out to be."
She scoffed. If only he knew. "I hope you know the credit goes to you,"
He shook his head at her comeback. "I disagree. I won't take responsibility for that. Life throws challenge your way, but ultimately you chose who you want to be."
"Like you? Choosing to marry a complete stranger for a piece of land?" she threw back without thinking, her anger so heightened that she was no longer caring if she would hurt him back. It was not in her nature to be so insensitive, so cruel to others but that man seemed to awaken the most malevolent side of hers.
"My case is different," he barked through his clenched teeth, the only indication that she'd managed to get through his façade.
"How?" she challenged. How could his choices be any different from hers? Couldn't he see he was ruining his own life going after something that was not even going to make a difference in the end?
"I am never going to heal till I get back what I lost. Even then, I doubt I will ever be able to wipe off from my mind the picture of my mother's dead body hanging from the ceiling."