Chapter Fifteen

When Angel woke up the next morning in her own hotel room, she was greeted with the most perplexing turn of events ever. Her phone was exploding from messages sent to her by her colleagues and superiors, and as she went into several news websites, she found out what all the fuss was about.

Emblazoned on the front page and trending in the top searches was a picture of her leaving the President's hotel room. She had been wearing something seductive that night in hopes that he would be turned on - much help it did her - and some photographer had caught her leaving.

She wasn't sure what would happen next. Either his team would slander her and he would put permanent distance between either of them, or hopefully, this thing would draw both of them closer. The latter seemed unlikely.

Sighing, she prepared herself for the day. When she was ready, she unlocked her room door, but what happened next took her completely by surprise.

Outside her door stood two suited men. "Please follow us, Angel," one of them said coldly.

"And who are you guys?"

A woman closed in behind them. "Hi, these men are from the President. I'm his PR specialist, can we have some words with you?"

"Oh," she said. "Where to?"

"Follow us please," she said.

When she did, they brought her to one of the meeting rooms in the vast hotel. Darrow was seated at the far end of the table, the television behind him flashing the article about the two of them. The PR specialist sat at the right side of the table while she gestured for her to sit on the other far end as the bodyguards stood outside the door. Darrow was admiring the paintings that hung on the wall towards his side with a casual look on his face, as if he dealt with situations like these far too often.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Okay, so I'm not going to even ask why you were in his hotel room," his PR specialist said. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that everyone knows he hit on you after you asked him that question in that press conference and now you were seen leaving his hotel room dressed like that."

"So?" Angel said, gulping. Would she lose all her progress? She was so close…

"It doesn't look good, Angel," the girl said to her.

"We didn't do anything, I was only there to talk to him. Nothing happened."

"You see it doesn't matter what happened in that hotel room," she said. "It only matters what everyone thinks happened."

"I'll tell everyone that nothing happened then," Angel said.

"It doesn't work like that," the girl replied, covering her forehead. "God, it's too early for this. I need to think of something quick."

"I have an idea."

Everyone turned to look at Darrow.

"What?" Angel said.

"Marry me, Angel."

❃❃❃

The jaws of everyone dropped low in that room. Was she hearing him correctly?

"What did you say?" Angel asked him.

"Marry me."

That was now how she envisioned his proposal. Not at all.

"Hmm," the girl said. "That is actually a great idea! You have to do it, Angel, please. At least until everything dies down. Then we can start thinking about a divorce."

A divorce? Oh, hell no.

"What do you say, Angel?" Darrow said, a corner of his lips lifted at her.

"Well," she said, her heart leaping for joy. "I accept."

❃❃❃

The flowers flew down on every side of her, as scores of cameras drew in and out of the wide open space. The stage she stood on expanded from one end of the street to another and thousands of people watched her from behind a barricade, with phones in their hands pointed at her and flashes going off.

Angel smiled behind her veil as the song 'Ave Maria' played from the speakers around her as she requested. Her heart moved along with the music, and it adequately captured her current state of mind. The rays of sun shone through the clouds, peeking through and falling gently on Darrow's shoulders. He was dressed in a white suit, straight out of the many nights of fantasies she drowned herself in.

She approached him, bouquet in her hand as the heavens opened up, casting a halo around his head and shooting a beam of holy light before her feet to direct her to the glorious god that stood in front of her, one hand outstretched at her.

She closed her eyes and steeled herself before opening them away, as Celine Dion sang her heart out to the chorus of the song. Putting her hand in Darrow's, she stopped beside him as the priest read their vows together. But all Angel could hear was the paradise she was in, the singing of archangels, the plucking of golden harps.

"Angel?" the priest asked her.

"I do!" Angel exclaimed breathlessly.