SYNOPSIS/BLURB: As the adored heir of one of France's wealthiest families, Dante Fointaine was born to inherit his father's empire. But wanting nothing to do with the family business, he chose to pursue his passion for music. Known on stage as the mysterious "Knight," he grows famous worldwide-but one painful memory lingers: the night he was assaulted by a woman who mistook him for a pervert. Hurt, he had vanished leaving his diamond-stoned jacket behind. For Maeve, discovering that the man she'd hurt was the famous Knight was a shock, filling her with guilt that soon turned into fascination. Over the years, her remorse has grown into obsession, and she dreams of a second chance to meet him. When her brother, the Executive Director of the Fointaine Jewelry Company, Nathan Sutherland, moves them both into the family mansion in a bid to work closer with the family, Maeve finally gets her chance-but mistakes Dante's cold, calculating brother Nikolai for him. Nikolai seizes the opportunity to toy with Maeve's emotions, punishing her for the mistake while being drawn in by her innocence. In his game, he begins to fall for the woman who believes her heart belongs to his brother. As Maeve finds herself caught between the famous rockstar and his ruthless sibling, she must confront the tangled passions and dark secrets that bind the Fointaine's family-and discover where her heart truly lies.
Chapter 1 - KNIGHT
Knight despised rainstorms. Besides being annoyingly loud, they felt oppressive-an ugly natural occurrence, packaged as a blessing from the heavens but, in truth, God's curse on mankind. However, without giving a second thought to his €7500 Louboutin shoes, his freshly dyed laid-back hair, or his €10,000 Diamond d'Or jacket, he jumped right into the storm.
He pushed through the downpour, eager to escape the loud, chaotic crowd, away from the world that has refused to let him breathe and ignoring Bella's and Lee's frantic attempts to stop him.He slipped past security, their eyes barely registering him as anything more than an impatient fan eager to leave before the storm subsided. It was not until he was several yards away, with Bella and Lee scrambling after him, that realization struck. Their jaws slackened as they pieced it together-who he was, and how they had been so stupid and careless to have made no attempt to stop him from breezing right past them and disappearing through the open gates. "Mr Lee..." The youngest security officer called out, making an attempt to get the bodyguard's attention but he was quickly greeted with a blow that permitted his teeth to meet his tongue in the most unfriendly way. He tasted blood and staggered back, trying to gain his balance."Do your damn jobs!" Lee spat, the veins on his temple throbbing violently. "Why didn't you all try to stop him? Fools!!" Not giving them a chance to find their tongue, he strod through the bare gates, half-walking, half-running, calling out to Knight who had long disappeared into the dark raging storm. Bella stopped and stared, panting and shaking her head pitifully. Lee shouldn't have done that. "Please go in and control the crowd until we get Knight back."She made to leave but the assaulted guard briefly held her arm. "What happened in there, ma'am? Please give us a heads up.""Knight was..." She sighed, shaking her head. "He was groped by a fan and I think he's injured."
***Knight didn't know where he was headed but he knew he had to leave the premises. The rain streaked down his face, carrying with it streams of his black hair-dye into his eyes. He blinked furiously, muttering under his breath. Stupid hair. Stupid rain. Stupid everything.Water seeped through every layer of his clothes, chilling him to the bone and his teeth shattered furiously when the chilly wind hit him."Knight!" He turned and saw Mr Lee, his personal bodyguard, jogging briskly towards him. "Knight, you can't be out here under this weather.""I can't go back there, Lee." His voice broke as he tried hard to fight back the tears forming."Knight, she will be dealt with.""No, no... please don't do anything to her... she paid to be here, she obviously is an obsessed fangirl...
"She paid for her ticket but that doesn't give her or anyone the right to sexually molest you. Grabbing you like that? We are suing her, Knight. ""Please, don't...""
She is with security as we speak. We called the Police, in an hour or so, we will file a report.
""Fine, do whatever you want, I just want to leave." Mr Lee sighed and placed a supportive hand on his shoulders. "I am so sorry that happened to you. But you have to listen to me. The show has to go on. You cannot treat your fans this way.
""Refund them, please. All of them."
"Are you out of your senses?" "Yes!" Knight screamed back. "I am out of my senses, okay? I have never being in this situation before and it hurts like hell. I feel like my rights have been trampled upon. And I feel like I can't do anything about it because I love those stupid people so much that I can not bring myself to hurt them!". He took a shaky breath, the words stumbling out faster than he could process. "That girl grabbed me not because she hated me. Did you see the look on her face and the faces of every single person there? Obsession and lust. They are obsessed with me so much that it hurts. They want me, they want me so bad it's scary."
Mr Lee sighed tiredly. This was one of those moments where he doubled as both a bodyguard and a therapist. "Are you hurt from the pain of being... squeezed ? Or are you sacred of how big of a star you are. "Both, Lee. I don't feel safe anymore. I am overwhelmed by it all."
"You can rest assured I will always protect you. That's my job."
Knight shook his head, raindrops flickering from the strands of his drenched hair. "I don't have a house, Lee. These fans leak my house address on the internet every single week and make me a spectacle for paparazzi and internet trolls.". Lee's lip tightened into a thin line. "We are trying our best to..."
"I'm sure they have leaked my hotel address by now." Knight cut him off abruptly.
"I can't breathe, I can't sleep... at this point I might get raped someday!". Mr Lee held back a chuckle. "That's what you get for being so irresistibly attractive, Knight."
"Stop.""...
and sexy..."
"Stop it, Lee".
"...and talented. Knight, you are a fucking Greek god.
This is all your fault! I mean, why aren't you mid like other pop artists? Why are you so good looking?". Knight's jaw hardened. "Lee, I know you doubt I can, but trust me, I will punch you if you don't stop with those compliments. We aren't dating."
Mr Lee smirked and raised both hands in mock surrender. "Fine. You are soaking wet. Let's get you off this rain.".
"You too. Call Bella. Let her bring the car. I have a few change of clothes in there."
A sleek black car pulled up moments later, it's headlights cutting through the rain. Bella rolled down the window, her face a mix of concern and urgency.
"Took you so long, Bella." Mr Lee murmured rolling his eyes as he ushered Knight into the car. "I'm sorry, I had to be sure everything was under control before I leave."
Her hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles pale against the leather as rain hammered the windshield. The wipers struggled to keep up, smearing streaks across the glass, but she kept her gaze steady on Knight as he pulled his wet clothes over his head and changed into dry ones. She swallowed hard. She totally understood the fans. He was divine; insanely and beautifully perfect. A walking art. A love poetry in the form of an American cum French pop artiste. She shivered. It was an honour being a part of his team. Few nights ago, his perfectly crafted body had been sprawled over hers, thrusting ever so gently but firmly. Although, he now pretended like all that happened between them was a figment of her imagination, she didn't care that he gave her the cold shoulder or treated her like a mistake. All that matters is that he had been inside her.
"You have an insane body, Bella." He'd told her while they snuggled up in bed. She had smiled like a little teenage girl. All the resources she had put into getting a boob job and BBL two years back were not in vain and having him compliment her body meant the world to her.
"And I appreciate all the work you do for me as my manager," he continued, each word a coarse whisper that sent shivers down her bare body."I might have given in to my selfish desires tonight but I want to make it clear that after tonight, I will pretend like this never happened." She smiled painfully, appreciating him for being open and honest to her at least."You did not give in to your selfish desires ... I..." But he did not let her finish. "Please leave. Discard the condoms," He disappeared into the shower right after and did not show up until she was gone.She had achieved her dream. She had sex with Knight and it had been the most blissful experience ever.
"I am so sorry, Knight about what happened in there." She said breaking the awkward silence in the car, forcing herself to return to the present. "Just drive, Bella." She sensed the coldness in his voice and smiled. He'd been rude to her ever since. "Sure, boss. To the hotel ?" She asked, trying as much as she could to make him keep talking. There was a pause."I think I need a smoke. Nearest café, please." "That's not safe, Knight." Mr Lee chipped in. "You might run into more crazy fans in there."Knight scoffed. "What's the worse they can do? Grab my dick again? Give me a forceful blow-job?"
"What should we tell the fans at the concert? The host assured them you went out for a break and will be back." Bella inquired, her eyes fixed on him through the rearview mirror."He should bring the concert to an end. Knight isn't going back there." Lee answered."And the molester?". "Let her go, please." Knight answered, already irritated by her unending questions.He still felt a burning pain where she had grabbed him while he performed his latest hit single. At first, he winced, groaned and fell to his knees, his hand flying to his groin area as if to reduce the impact of the squeeze that shot electricity straight to his brain and around his entire body. He zoned out for a minute, still on his knees, face down, muttering "shit, shit" under his breath. The concert hall surprisingly went blank and in the blink of an eye, security guards ascended on the fan girl and dragged her away.
Knight didn't know what he was thinking when he flung his microphone and stormed off the stage, right through the exit and into the rain, with both Lee and Bella racing and calling behind him.
Bella pulled right into the driveway of Café de Nuit. The rain had eased into a light drizzle, misting the air and leaving a faint shimmer on the streets. Each drop fell softly, creating tiny ripples in the puddles and a gentle patter that filled the quiet."I will get it for you." Bella said, undoing her seatbelt but Knight stopped her. "Let me."Lee and Bella exchanged looks and both shook their heads in protest as if on impulse. "I'll pay any amount to get just one minute away from you two. I need some alone time sometimes." "Knight..." Lee started but he held up a hand, shutting him up. "Chill, I will be back." "I'll stand by the entrance then." Lee persisted, and got off the car. Knight sighed, shaking his head in resignation. He grabbed his jacket as he climbed down the car. Lee was his most patriotic, yet his most stubborn and disobedient staff, fiercely loyal but never one to follow orders without question.
"You are really taking the jacket? Are you dating it now?" Lee teased, his breath visible in the cold air."This jacket cost €10,000. It is my most prized possession. The stones on it are real diamonds specially embroidered by Diamond d'Or, the biggest jewelry and gemstone company on planet Earth. It is customized to my name and was gifted to me by Jessi, my favourite ex who also got me infected with Herpes last year. This jacket covers the networth of France's top music artistes, myself excluded of course. So yes, I cherish it. I will take it everywhere with me and yes, I'm dating it."
Lee could not hold back his laughter. "I'm sorry for asking, okay? Fine, go with her. She's wet though." In response, Knight flapped the jacket at him, laughing as he yelped when the splashback hit him.Bella watched from the rearview mirror and rolled her eyes unamused by their jokes. Sometimes she wondered if they were boss and bodyguard or boss and boyfriend.
"Don't you think he smokes too much these days?" She said to Lee once Knight was out of sight. Lee shrugged, turning to watch him disappear between the winding doors of the café."He's a depressed little kid. He needs it.". Twenty minutes later, Knight emerged from the café, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, the smoke curling into the damp air. His eyes were bloodshot, and a frown lingered like a shadow on his face. Bella's stomach knotted as she watched him. Something wasn't right.Without a word, he brushed past Lee, who exchanged a concerned glance with Bella before trailing behind. Knight slid into the backseat of the car, slamming the door harder than usual. Lee hesitated for a moment, then climbed into the passenger seat without asking any questions."The hotel residence, Bella." She obeyed immediately and brought the car engine to life with a smooth turn of the key.
As they drove through the winding streets towards the hotel in an awkward silence, Knight puffed and chuckled lightly, watching as a small ring of smoke floated to the roof of the car and slowly dissolved into the cold air. He stared at the cigarette between his fingers and shook his head in amusement. "You both won't believe that another bitch kicked my dick in there."