ETHAN CARTER
‘What do you want me to do?'
Landon asked over the phone.
‘Do some digging in Perez Corp, find anything that's unusual and report back to me', I instructed.
‘Alright. And hey, you better remember about my party on Friday, you are one of my VIPs'
Landon reminded and I groaned saying a weak yes.
Truth be told the last thing I needed was to attend a party. After everything going on in my life, I preferred to just sit somewhere and sleep or read a newspaper.
I switched off the phone glancing out the window as Jai drove us to my mother's place.
'What's going on with Perez?" Jai asked while taking a left down the road.
'He's at it again", I simply said and I knew Jai would understand.
Jai being one of my best friends knew every shitty thing going on in my life. Well almost everything. He didn't exactly know about the Aliya part, to be precise me being obsessed with her.
'What I don't get is why you don't report the bastard to the police?" He asked and I chuckled, a rather heart wrenching chuckle.
'Report him? The guy owns the freaking police. He's got connections all over the city", I explained.
'Precisely. He has connections, why does he want you to be part of the family so bad?" Jai asked and I pondered over his question because truth be told, I still wondered the same thing.
Julian Perez didn't need me for anything, he was one of the most powerful men in San Francisco.
'That's what I want Landon to figure out. He's always good at these things", I commented rubbing my chin wistfully.
Landon, the moron that he is, actually had a bit of a talent. Something having to do with hacking company computers and planting bugs and viruses across the net.
'What if he doesn't find anything? What next?"he continued.
My hope was that Landon found some piece of incriminating evidence, something I would blackmail Julian with and we would call it a truce. I wouldn't have to marry Crystal or be indebted to the Perez family for life.
'I'll just have to marry Crystal. What else am I to do?" I asked.
Though the thought of being married to Crystal did leave a rather sour aftertaste in my mouth.
'And that's why I prefer to be a common man, living on my salary and my little home because being a billionaire comes at a price. Your life is messed up"
'I wouldn't call it myself. If you look at the brighter side of things, am about to become a husband and a family man", I joked.
'A husband to a woman you don't love and a marriage of convenience, ain't nothing bright about that, Ethan",he chuckled nastily and I frowned.
All marriages were out if convenience, were they not? People married because they were escaping something. Be it loneliness or their families.
We arrived at my mother's mansion, quarter to ten. I immediately went to the one place I knew she was which was the garden, her favorite place in the whole mansion.
I found her watering the plants busy humming a familiar church song. Christian soldier, if I wasn't wrong.
Her back faced to me, I took a few minutes watching her thanking God that she wasn't harmed. When she turned around to get a second watering can, she almost jumped out of fright on seeing me.
'Oh my goodness Ethan! I almost fainted",she cried and that's when I saw it.
It wasn't big but the small cut just by the side of the head made me mad.
'What happened? I want every tiny detail of what happened", I growled.
Minutes later we were seated out in the gazebo, having a cup of relaxing tea as she explained to me what happened. Some guy tried to give her a scare by trying to run her off the road. To my mother, it seemed unintentional but I knew better.
It was not just some guy but someone hired by Julian to give her a good scare, to give me a scare and do what needed to be done.
'We are getting you body guards", I nearly shouted banging my hand on the table cloth.
'Body guards! As I said it was a small accident and I know you are worried about me but body guards are a bit extreme don't you think? I will not live the rest of my life having men follow me everywhere I go",she said sipping tea from her teacup.
'It's not a request, mom. They are already on their way and there's nothing that can change my mind"
'Ethan, am not a child that's in need of protecting"
'I never said you were", I chimed,"all I want is to know you are safe. You know I live you right? I can't lose you"
Her eyes glistened with tears before she took my hand in hers and said,
'You are not going to lose me and I love you too despite you being a control freak",she laughed and I smiled.
The tea party of two went in for an hour until I was sure that I would never drink tea again in my life.
After the visit to my mom's home, Jai dropped me off at the Nickel Jewelries and from there came the excruciatingly longest minutes of my life.
'We could add another band, this band is a little thin. Am sure she'll love it",the saleslady said and I nodded just to be over and done with.
Few minutes later, she came with the ring having placed the 1.7 carats of diamond in it's place. I looked at the ring not quite sure if I wanted to buy it or not.
I stared at it intently imagining that in a few days to come I would be on my knees asking Crystal if I could put the ring on her finger.
'This will do", I said handing her my card. She swiped the card, taking the ring and wrapping it in a red velvet box.
From there, I went to the office spending a whole lot of hours going through documents and signing them. I left the office at around ten pm feeling exhausted.
I arrived home thirty minutes later finding it oddly quiet. But I should have expected it to be quiet since it was late in the night, Mila and Aliya must have gone to bed, which to me was for the best.
'You are late", I heard Mila's voice from the living room.
I sauntered into the living room finding her seated in an armchair in the darkness all by herself.
'Yeah had a lot of work. You didn't have to stay up waiting for me though"
'Ooh I wasn't waiting for you"
'You weren't?"
I watched her stand up walking to where I stood.
'I wanted to warn you. Ethan, I love you but am also wise enough to know that you are a man. A man who can't keep it in his pants. I want you to stay away from Aliya. She's a nice girl who doesn't deserve to get tangled with you or Crystal.
Before you say anything, I want you to know I gave her some days off and when she does come back, I want you to act accordingly. She is your maid just like I am, nothing else",and with that said she walked away leaving me standing in the dark.
