Page 125 of Merciless Obsession

You don’t have to worry about that, big bro. My fiancée will be there to keep me in check anyway.

Emmet

I’ll have an arrow lodged in you before you can even get to my door.

No one is scared of you, Robin Hood. Not the first time you’ve shot me with one.

Lucas

Again, not stitching anyone up.

Emmet was into archery and hunting, had been since we were teenagers. It was one reason his long shooting aim was so good. One time I pissed him off and he shot me in the shoulder with an arrow. It hurt like a bitch, but I learned to not take his threats lightly.

Anyway. Inaya will be there with Ziora, I’m sure. She’ll be glad to see you.

Emmet

That woman’s persistent with getting my attention.

Good! Being all work and no play isn’t fun anyway! I keep telling you to get from in front of those screens and get in touch with the real world.

Lucas

I second that, baby bro. When’s the last time you were laid?

More than likely Emmet wasn’t gonna respond. Stuff like that he kept private and hardly revealed anything about his love life. Emmet had been socially awkward his whole life but that never stopped girls from pushing up on him.

I looked at the wall full of Ziora’s pictures. I had a couple more I needed to develop and add. The collection of photos made me proud and I was looking forward to adding to it.

____

“Do you know what shape you would like the diamond, Mr. Tavarez?” Rob, Nazai’s jeweler, asked. He was the same man who made the choker he had given Cashlynn. He also made Cashlynn’s rings. He was able to meet me today at my firm and we were in one of my conference rooms, going over the details for Ziora’s ring.

“My Bumblebee isn’t the flashy type, but I still want it to be noticeable so everyone knows she’s taken,” I said, looking at the different diamond cuts. “I want it to look elegant and not too heavy on her finger. She has delicate hands. Cost isn’t an issue.”

“I think I have the perfect thing for you.” He reached down and pulled out two diamonds. “The princess cut is a popular one. It’s subtle, yet still beautiful enough to draw attention. I’m thinking we could do a center stone, around two carats, on a white gold band with smaller diamonds that go halfway down each side.”

I stroked my chin, envisioning what he was saying.

“And you can do a matching wedding band.”

Rob nodded. “For the both of you.” He picked a ring out of the holder and handed it to me. “I’m thinking something like this.”

I examined the ring, picturing it on Ziora’s finger. “I want diamonds on the holder of the center diamond too,” I mentioned. “You can do engraving too, right?”

Rob nodded and wrote something in his book.

We continued the meeting and the more we talked the more excited I got. Knowing that Ziora would soon be wearing my ring on her finger made my body erupt in excitement. My pulse raced through my veins, choking me. A raw sense of possession wrapped around my heart, leaving no indication of letting go.

____

“One more hour until the big two seven!” Nazai bragged, patting me on the shoulder, grinning. “All jokes aside, I’m proud of you, Ez. The name you’ve created for yourself in the courtroom is one of your own. I know your goal was to follow in Dad’s footsteps, but you’re creating your own legacy and making one hell of an impact. I’m proud of you, bro.”

He wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me into a brotherly hug. I laughed and nudged him off. “I appreciate it, but enough with all the mushy stuff.”

Nazai laughed and released me. He grabbed the bottle of Ace of Spades I had been drinking, handing it to me, then grabbed his own glass. “To Ezra!” he shouted over the music.

Everyone in the section lifted their glasses. “To Ezra!”