"Thief!" Caden exclaimed and stared down at Nova in irritation.
He did not know how she had managed to get into his house, he eyed her outfit critically, noticing how different she looked today and wondered if she had masked her identity in order to gain entrance into his home.
"Have you come to take something precious of mine? Or will you do the noble thing and return what is mine?" He snarled.
"Not on your life. I don't have time for this, have you been following me?" Nova who had been frozen in fear tried to straighten up even though she wanted desperately to run away.
She looked at him, taking in his well tailored suit which molded the muscular frame of his body and the expensive wristwatch and handsome face and wondered why he was here in this house, maybe he was a staff.
"Then you need to get out of here at once." He said haughtily and grabbed Nova's arm with the intention to push her out of the room but she shrugged out of his hold while reining in the fear that threatened to choke her.
"You look like a gentleman, I find It difficult to understand how you would act like a ruffian. In the first place I bought those stamps fair and square and I am here because I was invited, i will not let anyone bully me."
"if you are not here to return the stamps then what are you doing here in this home, who invited you?" he tilted his head quizzically.
"I am under no obligation to tell you my reasons for being here as they are no concern of yours but if you must know I am waiting to see Caden Knox, now why don't you run along and fetch him." She said and waved him away before turning away from him and letting him face her side profile.
"What business do you have with Mr Knox?" he asked arrogantly.
"It does not concern you, you are of no consequence, soon enough the person that I have come to see will come and you will have no other choice than leave anyway." She said and eyed him with indignation before turning away once more.
Maybe there could be some benefit to this marriage, she would make her husband fire this man who was obviously so dangerous.
Caden put his hands in his pockets and studied her. She looked a lot more different than she had the other day, she reminded him of a chameleon.
Today her clothes made her look more suited to the sedate surroundings she was currently in. He was a man who disliked change but the fact that she could look like two different people intrigued him and made him think of puzzles.
"I find it interesting that you are dressed differently, is this a ploy to make people think that you are responsible person?" he asked and Nova glared at him in annoyance and turned away.
Mother had told him that his bride to be was waiting for him in here and was glad to see that she was here because he had been prepared to hunt her down and find the woman who had connived with the store keeper to take away his precious stamp.
This was too good, she was to be his wife, it would make it easier for him to get the stamp from her. He smiled happily at the thought that he would be able to complete his collection.
The door opened suddenly and Nova turned around and saw with relief that it was Callie, hopefully she would get rid of this annoying man and bring Caden in. She was feeling too nervous and this man made it all worse.
"Lovely, I see that you children are getting acquainted, you make such a handsome couple and I cannot wait to start making the preparations for the wedding." Callie beamed at them happily.
Nova's eyes swung from Callie's face to Caden and by the confident smirk on his face she realized that this was to be the man she was to marry, in a daze she began to shake her head side to side. There was no way in the world that she could marry an antagonistic man such as this, if he was so upset over a simple stamp, who knew how he would react over something more serious.
Her heartbeat quickened as her palms started to sweat and she looked ashen. She took a deep shaky breath and tried to calm her racing nerves.
"Are you okay darling?" Callie asked in concern when she saw how faint Nova looked and led her to the sofa.
"Caden, please get some water." She instructed and Caden stood still.
"She can't have my water mother, you will have to ask for some to be brought in."
Callie looked up in annoyance at her son before turning to cast a soothing glance at Nova.
"let me go and get your aunt and get a maid to come by with some water, Caden come with me." Then she patted her shoulder reassuringly and walked out of the room.
Caden kept staring at Nova's bent head without moving an inch to follow his mother and a couple of seconds later Callie came back and stood at the door.
"Caden, now. i need you to come with me right now." she reiterated and waited until Caden looked up and eventually tore himself away from Nova's side and followed her out.
Nova stood up in a daze and walked out of the room and almost crashed into the tray a maid held as she walked towards her.
"Madam asked me to bring you some water miss." The girl said and Nova took a large gulp of the water and handed it back to the maid and whispered thank you before quickly walking past her.
***
"I cannot believe that you would do that, it was just a bottle of water, would it kill you to give your future wife a single bottle of your precious water?" Callie asked curtly.
"You know that I do not take out water from the fridge unless there is a replacement for it, the number has to be exact. It was not like she was going to die."
There was no way he was going to share his water with that thief anyway, maybe after she gave him back his stamp he might feel more generous towards her.
"You are going to have to learn to share Caden." Callie said tiredly.
"I don't care, moreover she has already stolen from me and I don't want her to have anymore thing from me."
Called looked at him with a perplexed look as his words made no sense to her.
"I do not think that you understand what is at stake Caden, if you are not able to find a wife as soon as possible everything will pass on to your sister and her bum of a husband. I will not allow everything that I and your father have worked so hard for just go down the drain." She fumed.
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you allowed father put in that ridiculous codicil in the will." Caden said nonchalantly.
"We had to do that because you need support, I will not be here forever, how are you supposed to cope without someone to care for you."
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much."
Callie threw her hands up in exasperation and started to pace around the room when someone knocked on the door and Faye walked in without waiting for an invitation. She took a look at the faces of the two people and grinned inwardly.
"Let me guess, he managed to run his future bride off." She said sarcastically and sat on a couch.
"I am not in the mood to listen to your caustic comments right now Faye, just zip it." Callie barked and Faye raised her hands in surrender.
There were more knocks on the door again and Callie turned around and answered sharply.
"Who is it?!"
A man dressed in pants, a starched shirt and a waistcoat opened the door and stepped in and said.
"Sorry to interrupt you ma'am but it appears that Miss Addison has left the house without telling anyone, her Aunt seems agitated about her niece's disappearance."