ETHAN CARTER
Two days later, Aliya had been avoiding me like the plague. If I went to the kitchen, I wouldn't find her there with Mila and if I sauntered to the pool, she wasn't there either.
I really exercised some patience seeing as to how in her own emotional way, she was right. She needed a man who would love her, who would court her yet I wasn't that man and in some sort of sick way I wanted to be.
Landon, too hadn't called me in ages, he only called me in the morning not to tell me about Julian but to remind me of the damned masquerade party he was hosting.
If I stayed in the house, I would have gone insane looking for Aliya and chasing after her like the way a cat chased a scared mouse.
She was trying to forget me, that much I had figured but I wasn't prepared to let go of her or forget her.
'A penny for your thoughts?" Crystal asked and only then did my eyes flutter open to reality.
Crystal held my arm as Jai drove us to Cochi, a Chinese based restaurant midtown where Landon was hosting his party. Needless to say, Crystal looked beautiful tonight, her makeup on point and her dress a shimmery silver.
And yet for all those minutes we were seated, I hadn't said a word to her because I was thinking of a certain emerald eye woman that had kept me awake for two days straight.
'I'm just thinking about work", I lied glaring outside the window as I held her hand.
Even as I held her hand tenderly I couldn't deny the fact that I felt nothing for this woman. Holding her hand wasn't the same like I did with Aliya. With Aliya things had been different, everytime I held her hand I felt a spark course through my body.
Everytime I held her hand, I felt home like I belonged to her and her only. I don't know what made me think that I would be able to spend the rest of my life married to Crystal when I didn't even love her in the first place.
Love. I never saw myself falling in love with anyone. Hell for me, love didn't exist and if it did exist then it was only for special people handpicked by the Almighty.
'Wow, only Ethan Carter can think of work while he is heading to a party", Crystal joked and I faked a smile.
If only she knew who I was thinking about. Even Jai in his own calm and conservative way glared at me through the front mirror. From his gaze, I could tell he knew what was troubling me and I could bet a penny that he felt like giving me an earful to stop thinking about Aliya.
He was right. Now that I thought about it, he was right to warn me about staying away from Aliya and that she was dangerous. From the very first time, we met she was trouble and I should have never- never welcomed her into my home because this was torture.
Pure and utter torture.
We arrived at the party fifteen minutes to seven, it was a rather extravagant formal party full of people I knew of from business conferences and others just elites attending the party for recognition.
'Ethan, my man! I'm glad you could make it",Landon called out giving me a bro hug while he held onto his already half empty glass of scotch.
He parted from me only to eye Crystal oddly before he took her hand kissing the back of it.
'Princess. I'm glad you had time to join us",he mocked earning a growl from Crystal.
Crystal calmly withheld herself before she spoke in distaste,"Since the prodigal son is back, I can't miss a feast for his return, can I?"
And Landon quirked a brow before chuckling heartily and saying something between the lines of ‘You haven't changed or ‘you are still a bitch'.
'I'll get us some drinks", I told Crystal making it an excise for me to disappear into the party and have a scotch on the rocks, maybe two or three?
I could already spot Julian Perez among the mighty men in the crowd. He had a three piece grey suit and a rather funny looking clown mask covering his face. I sipped the scotch my eyes moving towards Landon and Crystal who had already started talking again.
For people who hated each other they sure seemed to enjoy each other's company. My eyes riveted to another man who had a bunch of men encircling him as if he were someone important.
I assessed him and for a man with grey hair, he sure looked fine and fit at his six feet length. I couldn't see his face but I assumed he was someone important because one of my shareholders Mr Duncan seemed to be quite enticed with what the man was yapping about.
I took another shot, taking of my mask which had made breathing quite impossible.
'Ethan!" I heard someone snarl behind me and I turned around not in the least bit surprised to see my mother in the party.
Ofcourse Landon had invited her, why hadn't I guessed that. Either that or she was following me and I wouldn't be surprised to hear she had been following me. She did that to me back in highschool when she thought I was doing drugs.
'What are you doing here?" She asked her eyes scanning around as if she were afraid someone would see me.
'I would also like to know the same. Aren't you too old for these type of things?" I humored but she wasn't in the least bit amused.
Far from it, she looked like she had just seen a ghost.
'We have to leave",she screeched.
'I don't understand. What's going on?" I asked placing my glass on the counter and turning back to her with concern.
'Are you sick? Are you not feeling good? I can call Jai to take you home", I said holding onto her shoulders.
'Y-yes. I have a bit of headache but I would like you to take me home, please",she gripped my hand.
We were about to take a step when someone called out from behind,
'Lisa?"
And I felt my mother tense. I turned around to see who the voice belonged to and there stood the man from earlier. Tall, lean, probably in his fifties. He removed his mask while my mother turned around slowly as if being forced to face him.
'Roman?"
My mother asked and I stared at both of them wondering how they knew each other. He had the deepest grey eyes I had ever seen. He looked at me, assessing and then his eyes bulged out wide as if he had recognized me.
'Who's he?" He asked and my mother remained quiet unable to look at him in the eyes.
'I'm Ethan Carter, her son", I reached out for a handshake but he was already shocked to have the energy to lift his hand.
'H-how old are you?" He asked and it was at that moment in time that I realized everything mother had told me had been nothing but a big lie.
