The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

I grab my phone from my desk when I see Zane’s name flash across the screen, unable to keep from smiling. The last couple of days have been completely surreal. We’ve been texting each other constantly, and every evening, he comes over to see me, even if it’s only for a few minutes, with a new bunch of flowers in his hands each time.

Being Zane Windsor’s girlfriend is an experience no one could ever have prepared me for. I know what it’s like to receive his attention in a negative way, but having his undivided devotion is something else altogether. With each day that passes, more of my worries fade away. With each kiss, he heals some of the wounds he left me with.

IN- ZANE

Have dinner with me tonight? I’ll cook you the same lamb ragout we had on our first date, and we can have it in the observatory this time. Some of the trees finally blossomed — you’ll really like it.

I grin to myself as I type a reply.

CELESTE

I’ll bring dessert!

IN-ZANE

Celestial, you ARE my dessert.

I bite my lip and clench my thighs, eager for tonight. Despite seeing each other every night, we haven’t done more than kiss. We’ve both been too busy with work, and he’s never able to stay long enough for things to truly escalate. I’ve been counting down the days until the weekend, and I think he has too. It’s odd, because I truly love my job, but I’m glad it’s Friday.

“Celeste?”

My hand shakes as I rush to lock my phone before my grandfather walks into my office, a mixture of shame and guilt making it impossible for me to face him.

He slaps an ornate card onto my desk, fury radiating off him. “Anne Windsor sent me an invitation to the grand opening of the Bellevue, that sly witch. She’s mocking us. That hotel should have been ours.”

I pick up the thick invitation card and frown as my grandfather begins yet another tirade about Anne Windsor and all her malevolence. I can’t help but agree with him on this one — she’s definitely taunting him. It even came with a handwritten note telling him to come check out the hotel he was unable to acquire.

“Why do you two hate each other so much?” I ask, frustrated. I’ve asked him this question countless times, and each time he gives me a partial truth — not enough to grasp the full picture, but enough to realize that the wounds are deep.

Grandpa stares out my window for a moment, his anger draining away. “I don’t care what you have to resort to, Celeste. Find out what they’re looking to acquire next, and by god, ensure it becomes ours.” He picks up the invite and stares at it long and hard before ripping it up, letting the pieces flutter to my desk. “That grandson of hers is equally calculating, as you well know. Find a way to outsmart him for once. I’m sick of this.”

I sigh when he turns and walks out, uncertain what to do or say. In the past, I’d immediately have started to research Zane’s next moves, but now I just don’t want to. All I want is to go to my boyfriend’s house and forget about work.

So that’s what I try to do.

Except, I’m still thinking about Grandpa’s words when I pull up in front of Zane’s house. I sigh as I reach for the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon I brought with me, the shade of my nails a perfect match for the color of my favorite wine. It’s almost as perfect as its name — Cabernet With Bae. I’m kind of hoping Zane won’t ask me about my nails tonight, because it might just be a little embarrassing to tell him what this shade is called. If he finds out I bought it for him, I’ll never hear the end of it.

My eyes drop to the ground before I step out of the car, only for me to realize that the gravel I’d complained about is gone and replaced with smooth stones. He didn’t do that for me, did he? My heart begins to race, and it instantly becomes impossible to stop smiling as I walk to the house.

The door opens before I reach it, and Zane appears, dressed in one of those suits that make him look irresistible. “Perfect timing,” he says, reaching for me. I sigh as he leans in and kisses me, and just like that, today’s worries melt away, even if it’s just for a few moments.

“I missed you,” I whisper without thinking.

Zane pulls away, his eyes widening. Sometimes he looks at me like he can’t quite believe we really are together, and it always does something to me — drives me a little wild, makes me want to tease him. “I missed you more, Celestial.”

He gently pushes my hair out of my face, seemingly hesitating. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

Zane shakes his head and grabs my hand, his eyes on mine as he kisses the back of it before pulling me closer to the scanner connected to his door. “Let’s put your fingerprint in so you can walk in whenever you want.”

My lips part in surprise, and I lift my head to look at him. That’s the equivalent of giving me a key to his house. “Isn’t it too soon for something like that?”

He just chuckles and presses my thumb against the scanner, moving it back and forth until it’s fully registered. “Don’t underestimate how long I’ve already waited. It’s bothering me that I can’t have all of you, so at least within the confines of my home, I want things my way.”

“Your way?” I ask, grinning as he pulls me into the house. “Tell me more about that — or better yet, show me.”

He laughs as he entwines our fingers and pulls me toward the walkway that leads to his observatory. “Later, Celestial. Don’t you worry, I have every intention of worshipping my goddess all night. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed, do you?” I blush, and he smirks as he tightens his grip on my hand, his eyes twinkling with a promise that makes my heart race. “But first, I’m going to feed both of us. I’ve had the longest day, and I’m starving.”

He leads me to a fully decked table inside his rose garden, and for a few moments, all I can do is stare. “It’s like I stepped right into a fairytale,” I whisper, scared to disrupt the tranquility of this place. The roses are lit up with fairy lights, and there are candles all over the pathways, rendering an already beautiful place completely magical.

Zane wraps his arm around my shoulder and holds me tightly. “This rose garden used to be my mother’s. My dad planted these roses for her by hand, and I’ve taken care of them for the last couple of years. It might sound odd, but gardening was always something my mom and I shared. It wasn’t something any of my other siblings were interested in, so this place was always ours. When I’m here, it feels like she’s still with me. I know it’s silly, but maintaining her rose garden somehow makes me feel like I’m honoring her memory.”

He sighs and walks up to a rose bush before kneeling in front of it and grabbing scissors from a bucket nearby. In one swift move, he cuts off a stunning, huge crimson rose. “Someday, I’ll gift this entire observatory to my own wife,” he says, turning to me. Zane carefully pushes the stem through my hair, smiling to himself once it’s trapped within my curls, placing the rose just above my ear, framing the side of my face. “Beautiful.”

I’m hit with a sharp pang of jealousy at the thought of some woman wandering around here, her hand wrapped in Zane’s. Will he cut his mother’s precious roses for her, just to adorn her hair? Longing unlike anything I’ve ever felt before rushes through me, and every fiber of my being wants it to be me. The thought is so startling that I instantly push it aside.

“Tell me about your day,” I say instead.

Zane pulls my chair out for me, and much to my surprise, uniformed servers walk in with our food. Sometimes I forget just how wealthy and illustrious the Windsors are. My family does well, but the Windsors truly are on another level. They always have been.

“I’d like to develop a luxurious and grand city-center spa resort,” he tells me as he walks around the table to his own seat. “It’s an idea I’ve had for a while, but it’s not panning out.”

I stare at him wide-eyed, unease making my stomach churn. “You… you can’t tell me that, Zane.”

He frowns and leans in, propping his head up on his elbow. “And why is that?”

“I… just today, my grandfather told me to find out what your next target is and acquire it before you can. After you won the bid for the Bellevue, he’s been putting even more pressure on me to outdo you. He wants our company to outgrow yours in the next three to five years. You have no idea how much trouble I was in when I walked away from Chateau Chiara. My grandfather isn’t particularly happy with me right now, and I… well…”

“Oh,” he says, grinning. “My sister was able to convince my grandmother to buy some land for me, so rather than acquiring it, I’m going to build my own spa. Shall I give you the details so you can beat me to it?”

I blink at him in confusion. “What?”

He chuckles and reaches for my hand over the table. “I’ve always loved competing with you, Celestial, but I won’t do it if it’s hurting you. Whatever I’ve got, you can have. Every idea, every acquisition, everything. I have no intention of keeping secrets from my own girlfriend, nor will I tiptoe around you when we discuss how our days were. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you change the subject each time work comes up. I won’t steal your ideas, Celeste, nor will I do anything that harms you or your grandfather’s company.” He lifts my hand to his lips and gently kisses the inside of my wrist. “That’s a vow.”

My heart races as I look into his eyes, spellbound. Could we really have this together? A normal relationship where we don’t keep secrets and freely discuss our days? I want it so desperately, and I pray I don’t come to regret placing my faith in him.