Knight in Shining Suit (47 page)

But once I got inside the
limousine that Helen sent for me, I broke down and cried my heart
out.

25.

VELLUM:

A
thin, transparent or semi-transparent type of paper the effect of
which resembles a frosted glass, commonly used in wedding
invitations.

Ryder.

W
hen I woke up at the hospital, my first thought was that I
was late for my meeting in Malibu. I just opened Oil Rig and would
soon open another bar, Rig Style.

When I opened my eyes, my
family and friends were staring back at me curiously, all with
tears in their eyes.

That’s when I realized
that something must have happened to me. Judging from the throbbing
pain I felt in my head, the fact that I could barely move my body
due the tight bandages wrapped around me in the rib area, I guessed
that I was in a car accident.

Damn!
I wonder which of my cars I have to say goodbye to. I hope
it’s not my McLaren. I just bought it a month ago and the price was
not sweet at all. I would hate to say goodbye to it so
soon.

When I spoke, I told a
joke and everybody around me laughed in relief. I called each of
them by name. Then, my eyes landed on an unfamiliar
face.

Strawberry blonde hair.
Exotic, mesmerizing eyes. Legs that seemed to go forever. Curves
that all seemed to be at the right places.

Who is she? What is she
doing here with my family, looking torn and relieved at the same
time?

In spite of myself, my
heart hammered inside my ribcage and my pulse doubled its pace. I
couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was… enchanting. Beautiful. I
studied her further. Her skin was flawless and creamy. Her
eyelashes were long and even though she has circles around her eyes
that seem to say that she hasn’t slept in days, she still looked
mesmerizing.

It took me a moment to
realize that I was actually dazzled by her. I, Ryder Van Woodsen,
cold and proud of being fully in control of my testosterone levels
to prevent a woman from having power over me, am experiencing
intense waves of
desire
for a woman I haven’t seen before in my
life.

She looked at me with
hopeful, teary eyes.

What? Is she expecting me
to know her name?

Is she one of Paris’s
friends? Or maybe Janis’s? I didn’t think I died, so how come I see
an angel before me? I don’t know her. But damn! I’m interested. I
would definitely get to know her.

Her perfect lips were
quivering, as if the suspense was killing her. She was expecting
something from me. What?

Actually, she wasn’t the
only one expecting me to say something to her. Everybody in the
room fell quiet, looking at me, waiting for me to say something… to
this woman.

Well, right now, there are
a hundred things I would like to say to her. But I would rather say
them when we’re alone… hopefully with a bed nearby. My mother would
be scandalized if she knew my exact thoughts about their guest
right now.

I opened my mouth, and the
first thing that came out was, “Who the hell are you?”

Everybody gasped. And she
looked devastated. Soon, I learned that her name was Astrid. And
apparently, she introduced herself to my family as my
girlfriend.

Damn! What does she think
of me? Or my family? That we were a bunch of morons?

Nice try! The little chit
thought she could cheat her way into my world. Where did she come
from? How did she even know me? I was certain I haven’t seen her
before. I would have remembered.

I gave her one last look
before they were all shoved outside the room. She was in shock, as
if she didn’t know what hit her. Funny because I thought I was the
one who got into an accident.

For hours they ran their
tests. My mind was floating. I was barely aware of the questions
they asked me, which I answered absent-mindedly. About eighty
percent of my consciousness now focused on the bombshell waiting
outside with my family.

Why did she introduce
herself as my girlfriend? Did she plot the whole thing, and think I
wouldn’t wake up to call her on her bluff? I wouldn’t be surprised
if her next trick included telling my family I got her knocked up.
Gold-diggers these days are getting more and more creative. But
this one… she looked so naïve, so innocent.

Ten bucks say she won’t
come back to see me again. She had been discovered. She would
probably slip away slowly because the minute my father realized she
was lying about being my girlfriend, he would call the police on
her.

What a shame. She was so…
beautiful. And just the mere thought of her had me reeling with
desire.

Damn! Something must be
seriously wrong with me. A potential crook or mercenary has gotten
her hands into my family and all I could think about was getting
under the sheets with her.

Finally, they finished the
tests. The doctor was explaining to Jake and me some retrograde
shit. I couldn’t care less. As long as I was strong enough to stand
up, I would be out of this place in no time.

When the door opened
again, I watched the people coming in one by one. I scanned their
faces, hoping to see her again. But just as I suspected, she was
gone. She fled!

A lump formed in my throat
and my heart felt like it had been twisted tightly.
Damn it!
I don’t
understand this. Why do I feel like this? All because I didn’t see
her again?

I was really disappointed.
Something about her piques my interest to the highest
level.

My family kept reassuring
me that everything was going to be okay. They said therapies would
be done and I should be all right. I don’t know why they fuss so
much. I’m okay. I feel fine. It’s just a bunch of broken
bones.

Everybody left after an
hour. Only Jake and Janis lingered a while longer.

“
We… thought it wasn’t a
good idea for you to see Astrid yet,” Jake said.

I stared at him for a long
while. “Where is she?”

“
In your… she’s home,”
Janis replied. But I didn’t miss the first response she was
supposed to say. Is she in my apartment? Well, that’s fresh! Who
the hell is this woman?

“
Who is she?”

“
She is… your girlfriend,
Ry,” Jake said. He took a deep breath. “But with your amnesia,
unfortunately, you wouldn’t remember her.”

Amnesia
. The word registered in my mind for the first time
today.

“
What?”

Jake blinked back at me.
“Weren’t you listening to the doctor, man?”

I shrugged. “I figured
that’s what you’re there for,” I replied.

“
Shit!” Jake cursed. He
stared back at me. “You have retrograde amnesia, Ryder. You lost a
year of your memories.”

If I was heating up with
desire at the thought of Astrid a while ago, now I felt like ten
buckets of ice have been poured over my head.

One year. I lost a year of
my memory. I took a deep breath and stared at my best friends
again.

“
One year?”

Jake nodded.

I figured it shouldn’t
matter a lot. I could read about the current events on Google. I
would ask for month per month reports on my businesses and I should
get everything back on track. I would check all my bank accounts to
make sure I didn’t squander my money over the last year.

It doesn’t matter, right?
After all, nothing much could happen to me in a span of one
year.
Right?

I asked them about Oil Rig
and Rig Style. Apparently, I have two bars in Malibu now, perfectly
operating well. I just opened another branch in Manhattan and all
my bars are doing perfectly well. Paris is managing all the ones in
Manhattan. Why I allowed that, I don’t know. Apparently, I invested
in a wedding events business that just opened about six months ago
and is now doing well; I was contemplating on branching it out in
New York. Astrid is heading this company.

I pressed the skin between
my eyes. My head suddenly hurt with all the information that I got
from Jake and Janis. It was like looking at my life in full fast
forward. Except that it doesn’t feel like my life at all. I don’t
remember any of this.

And there were some that
didn’t seem right. Like why the hell would I trust Paris to handle
my business? I’m quite territorial and meticulous with what I do,
particularly with my ventures. And I don’t invest in things I
absolutely have no experience, knowledge, or interest in… like
wedding planning. For starters, I don’t even think I would be
married at all. I don’t believe in marriage. Can’t really blame me
for the ideal setup my parents have, right?

Did Astrid make me do all
these things? How did she convince me to put up a business for her?
How did she make me… weak? Gullible?

“
Ryder… Astrid is your…”
Janis started.

“
Stop. I don’t want to
hear it,” I cut her off.

“
But you have to! You’re
in love with her!”

I raised a brow.
In love?
No. Ryder Van
Woodsen is not capable of falling in love. Especially, with a woman
he doesn’t know or hasn’t known for a long time. I’ve made sure of
that. For years, I have mastered the art of dodging feminine charms
for fear that they were just after my money. I learned well from my
father’s marriages, thank you very much!

“
Ryder, Astrid is the
woman you have been…” Jake started.

“
Save it,” I said. I shook
my head. “I don’t want to hear about it. Whatever she’s done, it
wasn’t good. I know now I’ve made stupid decisions in the past
year. I don’t want to hear how I’ve been gullible enough to fall
for her charms. So please, if you want this friendship to not end,
spare me the details about Astrid. I don’t want to hear
them.”

“
She’s hurting! She was
worried sick that you wouldn’t wake up from your coma. That you
wouldn’t survive this accident,” Janis protested.

I laughed humorlessly.
“Well, she shouldn’t have been worried that I was in a coma. She
should be scared now that I’m awake.”

“
What are you going to
do?” Janis asked, fear evident in her eyes. Yeah, this is one girl
who knows me too well.

“
I will fix my life,” I
replied. “I will undo whatever stupid things I’ve done in the past.
And I don’t care who gets hurt in between. It’s time to put a stop
to this Astrid’s manipulating spells. They won’t work
anymore.”

Janis gave me a shocked
look. She took a deep breath and then she balled her fists. For a
moment, I thought she was going to attack me, broken ribs and all.
But Jake held her firmly by the waist.

Jake gave me a look of
disapproval. “Ryder… there’s about eighty percent chance you’re
going to recover from this amnesia. And I guarantee you… you would
regret it if you go down this path.”

“
Then I’ll take full
responsibility for all my actions,” I said confidently. I’ve lived
all my life without a woman and I was happy. Why would I regret it
if I wake up from this, and Astrid was gone? Life goes on as
usual.

Tears spilled from Janis’s
eyes. Damn! What has Astrid done to my best friend? Janis was tough
and feisty. Why is she crying for a girl we didn’t even know? A
girl who doesn’t even look like she was one of us. A girl who might
have a hidden agenda underneath her innocent and sweet
façade.

Janis stood up from her
chair and headed for the door. She gave me one angry look and then
she slammed the door behind her.

I stared at Jake, who
looked like he was trying his best to understand me, but underneath
that calm face of his, I know he was also raging mad.

“
I won’t regret this,” I
said to him. “You know me.”

He smiled bitterly.
“That’s the problem, Ryder. I know you too well. And I know that
when you do wake up from all this mess, you would wish you never
survived this accident at all.”

Then he stood up and left
without another word.

Great! Now it’s me against
everybody. What has that woman done to everybody in my
life?

I thought about her
mesmerizing eyes, which were unique and interesting. Suddenly, I
wanted to stand an inch away from her, just so I could tell what
her exact eye color is. I know it isn’t blue. It’s something more
beautiful and enchanting. And how she managed to enchant each and
every one around me is beyond my understanding. But I intend to
change that. Regardless of whether Jake was right or not.
Regardless of who will be the casualty in the end.

***

I heard the sound of sweet
laughter in my ears. I reached out for her and enveloped her in my
arms. She stared up at me; her violet eyes were enchanting me. Wow!
So violet eyes do exist. And the woman in my arms was beyond
beautiful.

She wrapped her arms
around my neck to pull me down for a passionate kiss. I completely
drowned. I lost myself in her. My heart felt like it was bursting
with emotions. Emotions I felt only for the first time in my
life.