Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
19-year-old music student Riri Padilla falls head over heels for Jacques the moment she sees him. And since then, she’s worn her heart on her sleeve every time she goes up stage to sing for him.
35-year-old billionaire Jacques Carpentier is determined to keep pushing Riri away until she realizes the truth about her feelings.
But then he finds out about his great-grandfather’s will, and Jacques realizes he stands to lose everything if he doesn’t make Riri his wife.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Every time I dropped by to attend rehearsals, everyone assumed it was my way of honoring my late great-grandmother. That the love for arts still ran passionately in my blood. And while it was true that those things did play a role---
They wouldn't have been enough to make me rearrange my entire work schedule just to fit in rehearsals.
As much as I hated admitting it even to myself---
Damn her, damn her, damn her.
She was the reason I kept coming back.
And every damn time I was in the audience---
She would always look straight into my eyes.
Always.
And the moment she started to sing, it was as if the whole damn world had melted away, and she would sing like she was making love to me.
Always.
Seducing me without ever touching me.
Teasing me.
Taunting me.
And today wasn't any different.
Damn her. Damn her. Damn her.
Just remembering how she had me fooled made me grit my teeth.
Damn her.
I can't believe I once thought she was someone without a spark of personality.
Damn her.
She may still have the others buying her act as this prim and proper thing.
But I'm on to her this time, and I'm no idiot to let her deceive me again.
It's so fucking clear now that her quiet ways are nothing but a sham.
And I know what she's trying to do.
Damn her, damn her, damn her.
I'm not going to let her win.
No matter how much she tries to tempt me.
She may have convinced herself this is all a game we can play and walk away from.
But I'm older and I know better.
One mistake is all it takes.
And so for both her sake and mine---
I'd rather destroy the idea of us rather than have us destroy each other.
Riri
He's here.
Excitement breathes life into the butterflies in my stomach when I see him stroll inside the auditorium.
Every step he takes is art in motion. He exudes lithe grace and strength, and there's undeniable elegance even in how he wears his power and authority like it's his second skin.
The dozen or so individuals in the auditorium have all risen to their feet to welcome him. They pay their respects like he's a king, and in a way, that's who Jacques Carpentier is to all of us.
His great-grandfather founded Carpentier University in the early 1800s, and when he fell in love later on with a beautiful songstress, he built her the Carpentier Opera House as his wedding gift.
CoH is the only campus-based establishment of its kind, and it's said to rival the Louvre itself for its mesmerizing architecture and old-school charm.
It has a massive glass-domed ceiling and textured French wallpapers, an intricately ornate carpet on which members of royalty and global icons have trodden, and hand-stitched velvet covers for all 500-plus seats.
The first time I came to this place, its beauty didn't just take my breath away. Every inch of CoH also pulsed with romance, and no matter where you looked, it was impossible not to feel the love between Francois Carpentier and his beloved wife.
I remember thinking how wonderful it would be to fall for such a man.
And as God would have it, that was exactly what happened.
The day I met him, I knew right away.
It would be our love story CoH would witness next.
Silence sweeps over the auditorium as soon as my name is called. Today is the final stage of our auditions. It's make-or-break time, but I have not a single doubt in my heart that I am destined to play the titular role of Carmen.
There are some things in life that we're born knowing.
And this is one of them.
The ambient lights overhead shut down as soon as I take my spot behind the mic stand. A singular spotlight shines down on my head while stage lights turn the rest of the auditorium into a bright white blur.
No matter.
I know where my Jacques is seated, and so I know where to look.
Look at me, my Jacques.
It's no coincidence that we've met.
It's just one of those things I'm absolutely sure of.
And it's this thought that makes my heart feel like it's about to explode as my lips slowly part.
My darling Jacques, listen.
I don't take my gaze away from him as I start to sing.
For him.
Every word, every gesture, every gentle sway of my hips.
It's all for my Jacques.
And though I know he's been struggling to deny it---
You're fighting a losing battle, darling.
I know he knows.
I am his, and he is mine.
Jacques
She's doing it again, damn her.
A pale, dark-haired girl whose nondescript features transform into something vibrantly and inexplicably stunning the moment she starts to sing.
And the way her doe-like eyes stay on me the whole time she sings---
Damn her. Damn her. Damn her.
She always sings like I'm only her audience.
Even when I'm not.
Her mentor, Professor Charleston, is seated on my left, and Dean Garrison is on my right.
There's also the director and all the other professionals that make up the backbone of the university's most ambitious project to date.