All The Wrong Reason episode 36
đ¸ALL THE WRONG REASONSđ¸
đšEPOSODE THIRTY-SIXđš
Justin and Adrienne arrived at a luxury hotel in Florence.
It was more like a luxurious, sophisticated home than a
hotel with its elegant townhouse façade, neo-classical
furniture and centuries worth of art collections in a four- story structure.
They were greeted warmly by all the staff dressed in
expensive suits and uniforms.
Adrienne blinked back at Justin, obviously in awe of
the VIP treatment they received. Justin smiled and
whispered to her. âI rented the wh0le place for the wh0le
week. So we are their only guests.â
Adrienneâs eyes wÂĄdened. âJustin!â she hissed. âThatâs
too much!â
âWhatâs the point of eloping if you cannot have some
sort of privacy, right?â he asked, his eyes twinkling.
A couple approached them. Justin smiled at the sight
of his cousin. Mason. The only cousin that Adrienne hasnât
met yet. His wife, Abigail, accompanied him.
âJustin, my man!â Mason greeted him warmly as he
approached them.
The two guys gave each other a manly hug. Justin
hadnât seen Mason in almost a year and among his cousins,
Mason was his best friend. SadlyâŚhe wasâŚnot in good
terms with his parents. Justin couldnât forget the day he
pulled everything off so he could get their private plane to
get Mason out to Italy. And since then, Mason never looked
back.
In a way, Justin couldnât blame him. Mason was black
and blue and being held for ransom by some poker sharks
he owed a lot of money to. Half a million dollars in exchange for his life. Masonâs parents refused to pay up. They didnât
even believe him. They thought he was orchestrating the
wh0le thing to get more money from them.
Justin couldnât let anything happen to Mason no
matter how many mistakes he made. So, he paid the money
out of his own pocket, took Mason to the hospital to have
him treated, and then boarded him on their private plane to
Italy to where his long-time girlfriend Abigail lived.
He felt glad to see that Mason learned his lesson.
Justin gave his cousin a fresh start. He ultimately gained his
own casino hotel in the city and from the looks of it, it did
quite well.
Gambling didnât sit well with their family but Justin
loved that Mason made good use of his talents for a change.
Justin turned to Adrienne and said, âMason, Iâd like you
to meet, Adrienne. My fiancĂŠe.â
Mason smiled widely. âNice to finally meet the woman
who straightened my big cousin out.â He grinned. Then he
turned to the woman beside her. âAnd this is the woman
who straightened me out, Abi, my wife.â
Adrienne smiled at both of them and shook their
hands. âHow many more of your cousins are you still hiding
from me?â she asked Justin.
âHeâs the last one, I promise.â Justin chuckled. Then
he turned to Mason. âAll set?â
âThree more days, cuz,â Mason replied. âYour last
minute requests are going to be the death of me.â
âPlease do everything that you can. I donât want
anybody to come and put a stop to this wh0le thing, you
know,â Justin said.
âAre you scared that thereâs somebody more powerful
than the formidable Justin Adams?â Mason joked.
âI know there is,â Justin muttered. âHis name is Jac
Adams!â
âOh, youâre right. Howâs everybody at home?â
âStill crazy,â Justin replied curtly. âBut no oneâs crazier
than you, of course.â
Mason laughed heartily. âI refuse to relinquish the
crown. Neither Jordan nor Gian seem fit to wear it.â
âConsidering you took mischief to extremes, youâre
probably right,â Justin said. Even when they were growing
up, Mason got into a lot of things. Pot, drinking, smoking,
gambling, gangs, street fighting and some underground
stuff. He made Justin, Jordan and Gian look like angels.
âSo which room do you wish to stay in?â Mason asked.
âThey have twenty, all for your own disposal.â
âJustinâŚthis is too much,â Adrienne hissed beside him.
He put an arm around her and gave her a gentle
squeeze. âJust because weâre eloping doesnât mean Iâm
going to make it a rushed, less rom-ntic experience for you,
honey,â he said, looking down at her. âCome on, we need to
pick a room.â
They all entered the small elevator, which took them
to the top floor.
There were only two rooms on this floor. And they
were both elegant, covered with cream-colored wallpapers
with gold trim. Both the rooms had a four poster king-sized
beds, crystal chandeliers, walk-in closets, fireplaces and
sitting areas with lavish couch sets. The big balconies
provided astounding views of the city.
âWhich one do you want to stay in, honey? Iâm okay
with either of them,â Justin said to Adrienne.
Adrienne had her back on him. She was looking at the
view of the city. Then she spun around and looked at Justin.
Her eyes were twinkling and she gave him a dazzling smile.
Justin had to blink back. He felt his heart skip a beat and he
still wondered how she could steal his breath with just a
simple glance or a sâŹĂy smile.
Justin felt that familiar feeling of desire creeping
through him again, and suddenly, he had this urge to push
Mason and his wife out of the room so he could have his way with his fiancĂŠe. It had been three weeks since he last
made love to herâŚthree weeks since his desires has been
catered to. He didnât mind being celibate for that long. For
the previous weeks, his only focus had been how to get out
of the prison his parents sent him to. Funny how the thought
of marrying a girl he didnât love was enough for him to stop
thinking about sâŹĂ at all.
âWhen are we getting married?â Adrienne asked him,
her eyes sparkling and he could tell that she was up to
something.
âThree days.â Justin whispered uncertainly. He was
trying to figure out what was on her mind.
Adrienne smiled at him widely. âIâll take this room. And
you can take the one across the hall.â
Justin didnât think he heard that right. âIâm sorry,
what?â
âI said, I will take this one. And you could take the
other one.â
Behind him, Justin heard Mason snickering.
âWhy?â
Adrienne shrugged innocently. âBecause weâre not yet
married. Surely, we couldnât share a bedroom until then.â
Justin stared at Adrienne as if she had completely lost
her mind. He couldnât get why she asked for that. Wasnât
she counting? Itâs been three weeks!
âAdrienneâŚâ He took a deep breath, trying to keep
calm. âHoneyâŚweâve slept in the same room before. In fact,
weâve almost been living together untilâŚyou found out what
my parents set me up with!â
Adrienne gave him a small pout. She approached him
and put her hands on his chest. Her touch almost burned
him. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
âWellâŚyou rented like twenty rooms,â she said
innocently and he knew she was doing this deliberately. âItâs
a shame if we donât maximize it as much as we can. If only you rented one room, then we wouldnât have a choice to but
to share, right?â
Behind him, Mason couldnât help laughing. Justin
wanted to punch something and heâs climbing high up on
the target list.
âHoneyâŚâ Justin took a deep breath. âThis isnât funny.
Iâm serious.â
She stared up at him. âSo am I, Mr. Adams,â she said.
âYouâre going to have me for the rest of your life. Thatâs in
three days. Surely, you can wait, right?â
Justin took a deep breath. Then he inclined his head to
the right. âCan you leave us, please?â he gently asked
Mason. He and his wife, closed the door behind them.
Justin turned to Adrienne again. He wanted to k-ss her
and throw her on the bed and make her scre-m his name
over and over. But nowâŚsheâs saying to him that not only
were they going to stay in different rooms, but they were
going to wait until their honeymoon to do the things he
wanted to do to her in bed.
Justin drew a frustrated sigh. âYouâre killing me,â he
whispered to her.
âDo you really love me or are you just after the sâŹĂ?â
she asked. âBecause if thatâs the case, then letâs not get
married. Letâs just stay in bed all day for a week and then go
back home.â
He pulled her to him a little too roughly that startled
her a little bit. âYou little minx. You know I love you. And
youâre not getting out of Italy until you become Adrienne
Adams.â He gave her a passionate k-ss on the l-ips. He
traced her l-ips with his tongue and invaded her mouth in a
k-ss that left her breathless and wanting more. When he
pulled away from her, her face was flushed and she looked
disoriented. Her breathing was ragged and Justin knew she
was as lost in desire as he was. He grinned at her. âI lasted
three weeks. Surely, I can last three more days.â With a mischievous smile, he added, âBut I will make sure youâll be
begging for it, too.â
Then he released her. Adrienne had to lean on one of
the couches for support. She looked disoriented and
innocent and Justin just wanted to take her right then and
there. But she asked for three days. And the gentleman he
isâŚhe will give it to her. But he refused to be the only one
hurting and burning every time they touched.
Adrienne looked up at him. âWe wonât make love until
weâre married,â she said but her voice no longer carried
much conviction. âDo we have a deal?â
Justin took a step closer to her. She took a step back,
as if she feared that her defenses would crumble if he
touched her.
âThatâs the only thing we cannot do, okay?â he
confirmed. âConsummate the marriage before we say our
vows.â
She smiled and nodded.
Justin grinned at her. âYouâre playing with fire,
Adrienne. Itâs a dangerous game.â He narrowed his eyes at
her and gave her a devilish smile. âAre you sure you want to
play against me? I am, after allâŚJustin Adams. What did you
use to call me? Manhattanâs most notorious playboy?â
Justin didnât miss her hĂŚrd intake of breath and he
smiled at her. He took a step closer to her. She took a step
back. He took a step towards her again, and she kept
backing down, until she hit the wall behind her. Justin took a
final step towards her, trapping her against the wall and his
body. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her wa-ist.
Adrienne put her hands against his chest, giving him a
gentle push that wasnât convincing.
âJustinâŚâ she whispered.
âCan you really stop me, Adrienne?â he asked her.
âJustin, pleaseâŚâ she whispered.
He smiled at her and then he leaned forward and took
her mouth in his. She opened up to him like a flower. And Justin reveled in the fact that he had so much effect on her,
the way she had so much effect on him.
Soon, they were k-ssing each other like they wanted to
make up for all the weeks that they lost. Justin nuzzled her
neck and made her mo-n. He felt himself completely falling.
She was getting softer and softer by the second, making it
easier for him to break her resolve. And Justin knew he, too,
was gently drowning into that trance. One more k-ss, one
more pull will make it impossible for him to control himself.
There was a tap on the door. They both stopped,
realizing that Mason and his wife were probably still waiting
for them outside. Justin leaned his forehead against
Adrienneâs. He took deep breaths. Then he looked into her
eyes and smiled gently.
âYouâre putting us both through hell, you little sadist,â
he said to her and gave her a k-ss on the l-ips again. âGod,
itâs going to be so hĂŚrd to put my hands on you and then
stop halfway through.â
Adrienne giggled. âItâs tradition, Justin,â she ass**ted.
âThe bride and groom are not supposed to do it until the
honeymoon, remember?â
He inhaled the scent of her. âHmmmâŚâ he murmured.
âIâm not really one for traditions.â
She laughed. âYouâre not the only one suffering, you
know. Itâs hĂŚrd for me, too.â
âAnd yet, Iâm not the one who made the rules!â he
muttered.
She laughed and k-ssed him gently on the l-ips. âThree
days, honey.â she whispered. âAnd Iâll be all yours.â
He pulled her to him one last time and k-ssed her
forehead. Then he took a deep breath and said, âI can
hĂŚrdly wait.â
***
They had dinner with Mason and his wife in one of the
garden restaurants in the hotel. They discussed the
arrangements for the wedding.
Mason knew some people and used his connections to
ensure they got quick approvals for their marriage license. It
would be a garden wedding to be held in one of the largest
estates in Tuscany. Justin used the word âestateâ, but it was
slightly more than that. He wanted it to be a surprise for
Adrienne.
Abigail gave them all the details about the flower
arrangements, venue decorations, famous photographers
and videographers who will be flown in from the States. And
of course, Adrienneâs gown.
âWait!â Adrienne interjected. âThis sounds like a grand
wedding.â She turned to Justin. âI thought we were going to
have an intimate and simple one.â
âItâs going to be intimate. With just you and me, and
these two as our witnesses. But I want it to be as amazing
as it could be. Like your dress⌠I want you to wear a
wedding dress like youâve always wanted. You will only get
married once, Adrienne. Sure, we can renew our vows in a
couple of years, but this is your wedding. And I want it to be
close to what youâve dreamed of.â
Adrienne smiled at him and nodded. Her eyes were a
little bit teary and it broke his heart just a little bit to know
that she wished she could have some of her loved ones with
her on this day. Justin took a deep breath and pulled her to
him. He k-ssed the top of her head and whispered, âI love
you.â Right now, that was the only thing he could do to
make her feel better.
âI love you,â she whispered back to him.
âWeâre going to go look at some couture tomorrow,â
Abigail said. âYou will have to try on some dresses, choose
one and finalize everything so they could get it ready in
time for the big day.â
Adrienne nodded. âOkay. Anything else we need to
do?â She let out a sigh. âIâm nervous now.â
Justin chuckled. âIâm sure these two got it covered.
Theyâve been working on it for weeks.â
Adrienne stared up at him. âWeeks?â
Justin nodded. âIâve been asking them to make the
preparations while I made⌠my arranged fiancĂŠeâs life
miserable enough for her to reject me.â
âWhat happened to that anyway?â Mason asked.
âHowâd you successfully get out of it and sooner than you
planned?â
Justin shook his head. âI didnât.â
Masonâs eyes wÂĄdened. âShit, man! Your parents are
going to kill you! Donât get me wrong. I love this wh0le
rebellion thing going on with you. But I worry about how
Uncle Jac is going to react.â
âHeâs going to get pissed for a while,â Justin stated,
smiling. âAnd then Iâm hundred percent sure he will forgive
me.â
âHe loves you,â Mason ass**ted. âWish my parents
were as forgiving.â
âYou cannot get what you do not ask for, Maze,â Justin
said.
Mason just grunted. Then he asked, âHow sure are you
they would accept you guys?â He looked at Adrienne. âNo
offense, Adrienne.â
But Adrienne smiled and answered for Justin.
âBecause our parents are going to find out that I and the girl
they arranged for him to marry are one and the same.â
Mason and Abigail stared at both of them for a long
while, unable to believe their ears.
âSeriously?â Mason asked.
Justin nodded. He gave Adrienne as gentle squeeze.
âDestiny, isnât it?â
Mason and Abigail nodded in disbelief.
âSo why are you eloping? Everybody at home will be
delighted to be at your wedding.â
âI donât want to give our parents the satisfaction that
they were right to meddle with our lives like this. It gave me
hell for a long time. I just want them to know that they canât
do that to me. Even if I liked how it all ended.â
âThat is one hell of a love story.â Abigail smiled. âThen
letâs make the wedding as magical as possible.â
âI donât understand this arranged marriage thing,â
Mason informed them. âWhen Justin first told me about it, I
warned him. Thatâs going to be his life imprisonment.â
âYou were almost right. During those times, I
contemplated why I didnât run away with you three years
ago. It was our grandfatherâs wish, I think. He felt thatâŚhe
owed the familyâs fortune to Adrienneâs grandfather. When
he was penniless and all he had were great ideas,
Adrienneâs grandfather financed his first venture. And he
never asked for anything in return. Our grandfather always
felt indebted to him. They were like brothers. They wanted
to connect our families together through marriage. But he
never had a son. Neither did Adrienneâs grandfather. When
they learned of our existence they just decided that weâll be
the ones to make their dreams come true for them.â
Adrienneâs head snapped back at Justin. âLearned of
our existence?â
Justin shrugged. âI meant, when we were born and
they knew they have a boy and a girl on either side. That
meant a marriage was possible.â
Adrienne let out a sharp breath. âI was my motherâs
daughter from her firstâŚrelationshÂĄp. At first, my mother
thought her father wouldnât be able to forgive her if he
found out about me. I thinkâŚmy mother told me that when
my grandfather heard about meâŚthat Iâm a girlâŚhe forgave
her and asked her to bring me home.â She sighed sadly.
âAnd I thought he really did want me to be part of his life.
Maybe he accepted me because finallyâŚhe had something
to offer to your family.â
Justin saw that Adrienne had suddenly gotten upset.
She felt unwanted all her life. She was raised by a woman
who wanted nothing to do with her. And she just realized
that her grandfather accepted her because she had value.
She was a bargaining tool.
Justin wanted to deny that, but he couldnât lie to her
or speak for her grandfather. Maybe that really was his
intention, but Justin didnât know. And the last thing he
wanted was to lie to her just to make her feel better.
He pulled her to him and k-ssed her forehead. âWellâŚ
he didnât have to offer you to me, you know. Iâd take you
even if itâs against his will. Iâd steal you away even if he
promised you to somebody else or you belonged to
somebody else.â He paused and said, âWait, I think I
actually did that.â He smiled at her. âBecause I want you to
be part of my familyâŚmy life. Thatâs how much I love you,
hon.â
Adrienne smiled at him. Then she leaned forward and
rested her head on his shoulder.
âYou said you were trying to make her miserable.â
Mason asked. âWhat did you do?â
âI actually sent Jordan to pretend to be me and be a
total ass!â
Adrienne laughed. âIt worked! My God, I wanted to kill
him! HeâsâŚdespicable!â
âBut he didnât find you hateful, actually.â Justin said,
remembering that day that Jordan first met âAndrea Blancâ.
Jordan called him immediately after the meeting.
âDude, are you crazy?â Jordan asked on the other end
of the line. âThis girl is beautiful!â
âDonât really care,â Justin said to him.
âNot just cute. Not just gorgeous. But beautiful! And
sheâs not even wearing makeup!â Jordan said. âAnd sheâsâŚcool! She wasnât even rude to me, although I understand
she just tried her best to be polite.â
âAgain, I donât care,â Justin said. âDonât tell me youâre
backing out of this deal?â
âItâs just thatâŚâ Jordan sighed. âShe doesnât deserve
this, man,â he said. âCanât you at least get to know her? You
might like her. Hell, I like her and Iâve just met her!â
âYou like her? Then you marry her instead!â Justin
snapped.
âDude, Iâm too young for that stuff! But if her folks can
wait five more years, yeah, Iâd take her. I am a part of this
family, too. So itâs basically the same thing.â
âJordan, just do what youâre asked to do!â Justin said
in a more authoritative voice. âOr Iâm keeping my 911!â
That threat actually made Jordan work on irritating
Andrea Blanc even more. And it worked. It brought Justin
comfort that even if the ruse didnât work, he would still be
marrying Adrienne one way or another. But he really did
prefer it this way. Here. In one of the most rom-ntic cities in
the world. Just the two of them.
âI was being nasty to Jordan!â Adrienne said, bringing
Justin out of his thoughts.
âMen generally like feisty girls,â Mason said. âWhen
you think you were repelling us, you are actually getting us
intrigued. And when weâre intrigued, we tend to come back
for more.â
âOh my God. Then I should be thankful that Jordan
was a fake!â Adrienne rolled her eyes.
âDid your mother tell you, you were engaged to him
before you met him?â Mason asked.
Adrienne shook her head. âI told her I would try to
befriend her friends and their kids. I told her I was waiting
for my fiancĂŠe to set himself free.â Then she stared up at
Justin. He pushed a lock of stray hair away from her face.
âIâm glad you still fought for us after I set you free.â
Justin smiled at her. âI would never give up on us,
honey. I would never take another woman for a wife. I want
to be as happily married as my parents.â
Adrienne sighed. âI planned to be happily married. My
own parents separated even before I was old enough to
remember my mother. And the mother Iâve known had a
twisted concept of love and happiness.â
Justin leaned forward and k-ssed her l-ips. âI promise
you will be happy, honey. Your happiness will be my top
priority. Youâre done being sad now. Your stepmother and
your stepsister can no longer touch youâŚor do anything to
hurt you. If they doâŚthey will pay the price. And itâs not
going to be cheap.â
Justinâs voice held a hint of a threat. And he meant
what he said. Adrienne has suffered too much at the hands
of her family. They belittled her and crushed her. In
becoming Adrienne Adams, no one could question her,
doubt her or look down at her anymore. Well, she is an
heiress by her motherâs family anyway. Becoming an Adams
just sealed her place in the world of the privileged.
Justin smiled at the thought. He didnât believe in
destiny before. But now⌠he couldnât help thinking that
Adrienne was born to be with him. And he was born to love
her for the rest of her life. Even if they didnât meet each
other at Blush or live next-door to each otherâŚor even if Jin
Starck didnât find her. They still would find a way to be
together. They would still fall in love with each other. He
would still choose to marry her and spend the rest of his life
with her. Because Adrienne is and will forever be his
destiny… his choice.