The Prince's Bride

The Prince’s Bride

By Yvonne Sibanda

Copyright © 2022 by Yvonne Sibanda

Cover created on canva.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems - except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews – without permission in writing from the author, Yvonne Sibanda. This book is a work of fiction.

The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Dedication

To the late Doctor K. C. Moonga, thank you for introducing me to self-publishing and encouraging me to never give up but continue writing. I am grateful to have met you, you were such a great man with love for God and people.

Thank you and you will forever be remembered.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Epilogue

Note from author

All books by Yvonne

About Author

Where to find her

Chapter 1

NEVER ever treat any woman like this, Peggy James screamed with all the fury of a woman scorned and tried to kick the man already groaning on the ground, except this time he deflected her foot swiftly.

You’re mad lady, the man hollered back and flinched when PJ glared at him.

That made her even more furious, her mad? He was the mad one for assuming that she was a hooker and wanted to get it on with her in an alley.

A few insults followed as the man stared at her in horror while he remained lying on the ground and his hand covered where her heeled feet were likely to land again, if she decided otherwise.

PJ leaned forward and the man cowered.

Good for him, PJ thought before taking the jacket he had flung on the rail in the heat of the moment. That was before her senses came back and she realized that she was repeating the same mistake over and over again, by letting a man treat her like a floozy.

She was tired of it all. It was time she took charge of her life and this handsome man who thought she was demented could go to hell as far as she was concerned.

I think I deserve this, she hissed, holding up the jacket before she turned to hail a cab.

Chad was too stunned to stop her as PJ the demented woman, got into the cab. Sweet mother Mary, he would never have believed that such women existed.

He knew he could have defended himself and not cowered and let her treat him horribly, but his protective male instincts fostered by his forefathers had come to the forefront.

No man was ever allowed to lay a finger on a woman.

Chad groaned in pain from his tender nuts and stood up, glad at the fact that the mad woman was gone. Hopefully he would never ever encounter her. He groaned again as he took a step to the parking lot where he had left his car, not in the mood at all to call his cousin and ask for assistance. The cousin who managed to trick him into all this drama!

He swore under his breath when he got to his car and was reaching forth to the pocket of his non-existent jacket. Luckily PJ had left his pants on, but his keys, phone and wallet were gone.

His house was just a few blocks away, hence he decided to walk. Better yet, he could take in the sights of the nightlife of New York whilst at it.

The more steps he took towards his house, he found himself laughing at the thought of the mad woman. He had been pissed at first by her reaction but now as he thought about it, he saw the hilarity in it.

You should go out a little more Chad and forget what’s her name? his cousin brother had advised at his house a few hours ago before his life became such a sorry mess.

His young sister and brother-in-law appeared to agree on that. He should have read the signs then that his day had been doomed from the start, especially when his young sister was agreeing to what his crazy cousin was suggesting.

There are a lot of fish in the pond, waiting to be plucked out, Jeremy had added while Chad looked at his womanizing cousin in horror.

Please man, don’t let us down and be taken down by a mere slip of a woman.

Well, that mere slip of a woman happened to have been his love. They had dated for almost a year and he had popped the question a week ago, thinking she wanted the same thing like him, except Cherise had other ideas.

A week ago, Cherise had looked around the well decorated room that had been made for just that occasion, glanced at his family and friends who were eagerly waiting to hear her reply, just as he was, looked deeply into his eyes before she whispered in regret, I am sorry Chad but I can’t marry you.

His jaw dropped since he wasn’t expecting that reply while his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Ok, ok the party is over, his young bulldozer of a sister hollered before she ushered everyone out. Chad was still stunned, frozen on the spot while trying to process what had just happened.

I thought we had it good, he whined like a woman, hating it the more as he rose from his kneeling position. We have been dating for a year now and marriage is the next best thing to all this.

Listen, Cherise held his hands and smiled. You are a good guy Chad and I love you but… she chewed at her bottom lip. Nothing good was about to come out, Chad just knew it because every time when a woman said they loved you with a but slotted in, it actually meant the worst was yet to come.

But I don’t think you are ready for such a commitment.

Huh, could the woman hear herself? There he had been, holding out an engagement ring to her and she thought he wasn’t ready.

I mean your finances are not yet set, baby. You still live with your sister and brother-in-law and to top it all off, I will have to travel to the back of beyond and maybe live there too.

What is wrong with that, he frowned.

Well Chad this is home to me, I can’t go and live in Africa away from civilization.

Good grief, did Cherise just diss his nationality then. She had always known from the moment they met that one day he would have to go back to his home.

The American dream my foot, this was all a fluke, he thought as he saw his girlfriend for the first time on what she really was.

She must have enjoyed parading him around as her ‘African boyfriend’. Suddenly it all seemed to make sense, on how she would proudly introduce him to her friends and remark, Chad is from Safe Haven. Then they would nod pretending to know before she added, Africa.

He should have realized then why she was always proud to parade him around, except he was madly in love with her and brushed it aside. Now come to think of it Cherise was such a snob.

Cherise smiled at his sister who had been unashamedly listening in on their conversation, wearing a broad smile on her face which was evident for all to see on how she had never liked her brother’s girlfriend while Chad’s heart broke into a million pieces. She smiled with that apologetic slant of her mouth before she nodded and left.

That young sister who had a wolfish grin on her face was the very same a week later suggesting that he moved on, more vocal in encouraging him to go out and sow his wild oats. She totally understood and would not tell their dear old dad what he was up to in a foreign land.

So, with their ill spoken advice on a Friday night, he finally went out.

As usual his cousin walked into the bar, forty-five minutes later and found him nursing a drink. He was dressed in a brown fur coat and gold necklaces on his neck.

You know what you look like, he asked Jeremy with a furrowed brow, staring at the pimp known as his cousin brother and got his answer from the grin Jeremy produced that revealed his gold teeth.

Well, cuz, unlike you I have to use my pocket and not looks to get the girl.

Chad rolled his eyes, using the pocket and looking like a pimp were two different things, he thought and watched Jeremy at work, smiling at the ladies as those who loved bling walked towards him.

Jeremy was more than willing to splurge his money on them.

Handsome pocket, Jeremy mouthed, winked before he walked out of sight with two scantily dressed girls almost half his age. Chad could as well imagine his uncle turning in his grave at what had become of Jeremy in America.

***

UNBREAK my heeeaaaart; say you will loooove me again. Undo this huuurt you caused when you walked out of the door, PJ sang as tears slid down her beautiful face. Her voice cracked at the last note and her friend Barb was heard hollering, That’s it, you need to get out and stop moping around about that loser Tony.

Don’t you dare call him a loser, she defended.

Then what is he?

He is innocent in all this, Shaz is at fault. She seduced him.

Can you even hear yourself? Barb scoffed. Shaz seduced him just like the other women did right. Poor Tony he is always forced to be in the company of light skirts, she snorted in disgust before she pushed PJ towards the bathroom to get ready for their night out of carousing, as single, young available women.

I give up on love, PJ said when she came out of the bathroom and let her friend select a dress for her. What she longed for the most was to curl up in bed and weep further for her lost love, but Barb was having none of it. She settled for indifference instead and let Barb take the lead in this, no matter how outrageous what Barb might suggest sounded.

Twelve years later and you still act in the same way you did when you first came to the city, Barb looked at her with a frown before she threw a black dress at her.

Wear that, she advised. PJ took the dress and wore it. She pulled at it and asked, Where is the other half?

Her friend giggled. Remember, you promised to let me take the lead in this an hour ago, before you went down the pity party lane and started singing to Toni Braxton.

I might have, but I didn’t mean that you should turn me into a hooker.

There is a difference between a slutty look and a sexy one. I get why Tony was snagged by Shaz; you have let yourself go.

PJ glared at her friend. Barb pretended not to have noticed the glare but rather busied herself by wearing a red dress that showed off her curvy figure before she settled down on the bed and started applying her makeup.

Once we are out there in the club, hook up with a handsome guy; make sure he is loaded too.

PJ snorted, Geez Barb, I wonder how that could be accomplished, should I ask for his bank details the moment he says hi.

Barb rolled her eyes, I am serious, handsome and loaded is what you need, she advised, rolled back her lipstick then turned to face her. Why cry in a poky little flat like ours after being ditched by a man. Imagine if you got involved with a rich guy, when he ditched you at least you would be left weeping in a mansion than be back here stuck with your former roommate again.

There is nothing wrong with this place and neither is Tony’s place or his finances.

There definitely is, for starters Tony doesn’t deserve you and you worsened your plight by moving in with him. He had it pretty good since his money was his while you paid for everything.

With the way Barb was laying it out thick, PJ felt like a doormat.

If I were you girlfriend, I would be painting the town red and saying good riddance to bad rubbish, she finished and resumed with the last touches of her make up before she stood up.

PJ huffed; it was so like Barb to