Chapter 65

It should have come as no surprise that Gavin Ellison’s party was being exclusively held on a luxury cruise ship. Before this, I was convinced that the hall where the Alpha Gathering had been held was the most elegant place I had ever been...Boy, was I wrong!

The entire top deck of the ship was tastefully decorated in fairy lights and white cloth-covered tables. Each table was adorned with a large, hand-crafted bouquet of flowers that had to have cost a quarter of a person’s annual salary.

Thank God, I listened to James' advice when questioning my evening apparel. When he first told me that the party was going to be held on a ship, my first thought was to wear some kind of sundress and maybe a comfortable pair of sandals.

Had I gone with that initial idea, I would have been considerably underdressed for the occasion. Apparently, it was a black-tie event. Many of the men, of course, wore tuxedos while each woman wore some kind of gorgeous gown.

Tonight, I’d opted for a light lavender-colored dress that flowed loosely around my hips as I moved. For once, my pregnancy was visibly noticeable and I didn’t mind the fact that people were looking at my protruding stomach.

‘I guess, in a way, Peter did me a favor by outing my pregnancy.’

Upon our arrival, we said our hellos to Ellison and Diana before moving on to find Lana and Kristen near one of the bar set-ups.

It wasn’t long before many of the other party guests went out of their way to speak to us. If it wasn’t regarding the recent press release, then it had to do something about the recent advertisement projects we were involved with.

For the most part, the evening was calm and rather enjoyable. However, my feet were absolutely killing me. Aside from dinner, which was all of a forty-five-minute ordeal, I was on my feet for the main duration of the evening.

The night drew on and my uncomfort grew more noticeable. In the midst of one of his conversations, James turned his head to speak into my ear.

“Sweetheart, I can tell you’re fading,” he said. “Why don’t you head back to the room and rest?”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” I asked. “I feel bad just leaving.”

James rubbed my arm and nodded his head. “I don’t want you to push yourself because you think you need to stay up all night.”

Without another thought, I gave him a curt nod and turned to head towards the lower deck. I grabbed a hold of the large railing and carefully made my way down the steps.

As the loud music gradually softened in the distance, I was able to truly appreciate the natural sound of the ocean around us. I knew that I should have found my way back to our room, but I couldn’t stop myself from heading toward the side of the ship. Where I was, it was much more quiet and secluded than before.

I leaned against the railing and allowed the sea breeze to brush through my hair. Out of nowhere, my attention was stolen by a familiar-sounding voice. A dark, rich laughter flooded the air and found me.

I turned my head and that’s when I saw Michael sitting at one of the smaller pop-up bars with others. There was one particular, beautiful woman that stood rather close to Michael. She batted her eyelashes and gave a flirtatious smirk.

From where I stood, it looked like she was trying to prompt Michael to return back to her room with him. However, the man seemed less than interested.

Michael lightly shook his head and kissed the woman on the cheek anyway. The woman shrugged her shoulders and peacefully moved on. Out of the corner of his eyes, Michael spotted me and silently beckoned me over.

Hesitantly, I moved over to where he was sitting and offered a meek smile.

“Hello, Mia,” he said smoothly.

“Michael.”

“You and I didn’t leave on the best of terms since we last saw each other,” he said evenly. “Please, allow me to properly apologize for my crude suggestion.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. The last thing I wanted was for James to accidentally stumble upon Michael and me and get the wrong idea. Truthfully, I should have just accepted his verbal apology and left. But...having seen this noble side of Michael, had me wanting to know more.

“I heard about the press conference,” he noted. “Good for you for telling off that bastard Miller.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I just couldn’t believe he had the audacity to actually show up at the damn conference,” I said. “So, what brings you to a party like this?”

“Oh, I’m here as a favor to one of the agencies I work with,” he answered.

Over the next half hour, I found myself relaxing around him while the two of us caught up on current affairs. Michael requested another drink for himself and just regular fruit juice for me.

I graciously accepted the glass and took a tentative sip. I adored the tropical flavors but felt like something was a bit off about it.

My body began to heat up and I suddenly became very lightheaded. “Michael, something’s wrong...I don’t feel right.”

A strange, outlandish feeling within my chest rippled through my body. That same megantic pull that I always felt around James, grew to the point of being too overwhelming and unbearable.

Suddenly...there was a voice. A voice I never heard before, echoing in the back of my mind.

‘...Bella...My...Name...Is Bella,’ she growled softly.

“Bella,” I whispered.

‘...Mate...Mate...’

Regrettably, the voice started to fade out.

Michael looped a sturdy arm around me and instantly swept with desire but it wasn’t lasting. He helped me back to my room and made sure I was safely lying down. As I lay there, my mind was swimming with questions, but only one stuck out the most.

‘Is Michael my mate?’