His gait was that of a purposeful man. It was brisk, direct and without wasted effort. The Savile Row suit he wore was that of a confident man. It was trim, tailored and without flaw. The expression adorning his handsome face was that of a determined man. His eyes shone with the clarity of decision. He had made a choice and all that was left was to follow through on it.
The other steps had all been taken. He had deliberately left this particular task for last. Nikolas Cassadine took a moment to breathe deeply. Squaring his shoulders, he opened the door to his royal suite and stepped inside.
His carefully laid plan was already derailed. Instead of wearing the delicate salmon colored sheath that he loved seeing her in, Gia was attired in a deep emerald dress that Nikolas had to grudgingly admit accentuated the rich glow of her skin. “That’s not the dress I instructed Mrs. Landsbury to lay out for you,” he frowned, nonetheless.
Gia Campbell Cassadine, Princess Gia Campbell Cassadine froze in the act of putting on her left earring. “You chose that dress for me to wear?” Hands still halfway to her ear, she glared coolly at her husband of just over four months. “You have lost your damned mind if you think for even a second that I would walk around here with one of her mother’s designs on my back!”
Nikolas winced inwardly. “I gave no consideration to the dress’ designer-”
“Notice a pattern?” Gia interrupted. “With that ‘no consideration’ thing, I mean?”
Things were not, Nikolas thought, going like he had envisioned them in his head. “The dress doesn’t matter,” he apologized. “You look beautiful as you are. Will you allow me the honor of escorting you to dinner?” He awaited his wife’s response with an expressionless face. He knew that Gia was just as likely to refuse his request as she was to accept it. Since his return from London, Nikolas could not seem to gauge his bride’s emotions or moods.
Gia returned his expressionless gaze. “Why are you asking? So that we can make some big show of being a united front?”
“That’s exactly what I want,” Nikolas replied. “But I don’t want it to be a show.” He stepped closer to his wife. “Gia, I want back what we had. I miss how we were together.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible any more.”
Gia’s words did not distress Nikolas. He had glimpsed the split second of hope that filled his wife’s eyes when she heard his declaration. “I hurt you,” he admitted. “Not deliberately, but out of thoughtlessness. And that, perhaps, is worse.” Nikolas carefully reached for Gia’s hand. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when she did not pull away from his touch. “I want to work at earning back your trust. If you will just give me the chance.”
