“You did the right choice of leaving my son.”
Rhezi doesn’t know how much the words of Kraius’ father repeated inside her mind. She couldn’t even count how many times her heart beated in so much agitation. She was bombarded with lots of thoughts and it was giving her headache, anxiety and stress.
She sighed, trying to shrug the thoughts out of her head. She shouldn’t be affected by the man. She already ended what she had with Kraius a few years ago and she knows leaving was the best decision during that time. Seeing how fuckboy is Kraius now, she knew… she did the right thing. The only bad part was when she had to endure being away from her own parents.
“Are you okay?” Jericho asked with concern a while after he observed the woman.
“I am fine.” Rhezi smiled, grabbing Jericho’s hands and pressing it lightly.
Jericho merely smiled at her action. They were sitting in a vacant table near the stage where Rhezi’s father was talking at the center of it. It was only the both of them at the moment as the three little boys were with their grandfather. They looked like teenage lovers as Rhezi’s head was resting on Jericho’s shoulder.
“Are you tired?”
“Sort of. The party just started but I already feel bored,” the woman commented.
“By the way, I saw him with a girl-”
“Forget about him, Dada. H-He doesn’t matter,” Rhezi quickly stopped whatever Jericho was about say. The latter only nodded at her in agreement.
“I love you, Momma,” he whispered from the top of her head. Rhezi just moved closer and snuggled with the man without malice as she was fucking aware of Jericho’s sexual preference.
“Evet. Ben de seni seviyorum. (Yes, I love you, too.”
Jericho chuckled lightly. He kissed Rhezi’s temple and looked around. The man was obviously happy, as if a soft hand caressed his heart with utter lightness; he knows that nothing could ruin it. Nonetheless, he was aware of everything-aware of their situation.
“I’ll just get drinks for us,” Rhezi whispered boredly, curling her arms around his neck.
“Are you sure? I’ll get it, instead,” Jericho offered.
Rhezi instantly stood up, stretching her body a little and pulling the hems of her dress down. The tendrils of her hair were falling from its original bun but it didn’t make her look less or messy. Instead, it added to her gorgeous physique.
“I can manage. Infact, why don’t you join some of your friends?” Rhezi roamed the area. Then, she smiled teasingly to Jericho whose eyebrows was furrowed. “I’m not really forbidding you from flirting around. Ciao!” the woman bid and gave a flying kiss, quickly walking away with a smile painting her lips.
Rhezi walked fast inside their mansion. She instantly saw their workers lining in front of their huge wooden door. They were all uniformed with a casual combination of black and white slacks and polo. They were all smiling as she approached them while some of them were assisting the waiters in the garden.
When Rhezi arrived at the liquor area, she indulged herself to watch the wide array of liquors displayed. It was her father’s collection; from scotch, brandy, whiskey, and even her favorite drink, champagne. The woman trailed her fingertips on the drinks before she reached for the one she picked. It was Dom Perignon Rose Gold, one of the most expensive liquors.
She smiled and smelled the bottle. She was excited to leave the place but she was caught off guard when she turned towards the opened door. Kraius’ eyes bore into her. He was looking at her intently, wearing his all black tuxedo. He was undeniably a good looking man with his strong aura. It startled her, making her legs start to wobble as if her brain was telling her that she’s in a war zone and the defense was weak.
“You look great.” Kraius ended the silence and walked closer to her proximity, the sounds of his loafers resonating on the marbled floor.
“Stop right there, Mr. Montreal!” Rhezi firmly said. She started to walk towards the door despite feeling anxious of what the man in front of him would do.
“Why? Are you afraid of me?” Kraius asked, grabbing Rhezi’s arm to stop her from walking out. There was a smug smile on his face, but the inevitable irratation was evident.
“Let go of me!” Rhezi uttered in conviction. “What do you want?” she added.
Rhezi looked at Kraius and her eyes instantly landed on his brown eyes. It’s undeniable that their kids inherited his eyes, even his pointed nose. She felt the sudden guilt within her but she still managed to be tough for the sake of saving herself. Because truthfully speaking, the depths of Kraius’ orbs were slowly melting the remaining walls that the woman has against him. She was still vulnerable for his touch, even when she desperately convinced herself not to.
“I told you, you can never run away from me, Chubz,” he whispered, his grip on Rhezi’s arm tightening.
Kraius was pissed by the image of Rhezi leaning her head onto that imbecile man. He was watching them from the seat he was in. The sight boiled his anger. He knew that he should refrain himself but he couldn’t; even his anger towards her couldn’t stop him from the jealousy he felt within him. He’s feeling raged and so he just found himself following her. It was madness and he hated himself even more, yet he still couldn’t stop.
“You’re hurting me,” Rhezi whispered softly, obviously losing her strength.
“You should be!” Kraius answered. His jaw clenched and his eyes bore into her with an intense gaze.
In one swift movement, Kraius pulled her close and claimed her lips. It was so abrupt that Rhezi wasn’t expecting it. Her eyes widened from what he did, while the latter was savouring her lips.
It wasn’t a kiss, anyway. It was actually a punishment from Kraius, as if every stroke of his lips was telling the punishment that the woman deserved. Rhezi could feel the pain and swelling from the kiss. She tried to push him and she succeeded because after a few pushes, he finally stopped.
“Are you done?” Rhezi looked at Kraius intently. He was breathing heavily. His hand was still holding her arm tightly while the other one was holding the back of her head. He was so close that they breathe the same air.
“We are always the unfinished business, Chubz. You and me.”
Rhezi blinked. Her arm was hurting from Kraius tightened grip, but her heart was hurting even more. She realized that it’s that easy for the man to hurt her both physically and emotionally. Her defense abruptly softened and bowed her head before a heavy sigh came out of her mouth. She was all in pain and she wanted to scream her anguish but she knew that afterall, it would be useless.
“What do you w-want?!” Rhezi said instead, voice breaking in between. No matter how hard she tried to stabilize her voice, she ended up failing. She lost it.
Meeting Kraius’ father was too much. Her heart couldn’t handle the feeling of being with that man in one place. His words was still the same from ten years, it was still harmful and sharp, but seeing Kraius and being with him was more stronger than she could imagine. It was a mixed emotion of longing, anger and betrayal. It was too much to bare.
“Why do you keep on hurting me?” Rhezi whispered out of nowhere.
It seemed like Kraius snapped out of the dark trance after hearing what she said. He released her from his grip and cursed inside his head. He kicked the shelf near him, messing his hair and looking up while shutting his eyes tight. He was wrecked and fucked, big time.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked after calming himself. His gaze shifted, now looking at Rhezi intently while his eyebrows became one thin line. He didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Don’t play victim the here, Mr. Montreal. Are we gonna have this conversation again?” Rhezi asked in a low voice.
Kraius only shook her head. “Why are you the one getting angry at me? It wasn’t you who was left alone, it was you who left!” he said in an unyielding tone.
“I wouldn’t leave if you didn’t cheat.” Rhezi sighed. The memories from the past ten years came vivid inside her head. It pained her that she couldn’t even breathe, but she managed to look at Kraius’ eyes and smiled at him bitterly. “I can fight for you, even if it’s against your father, Kraius. Even if I was young back then. However, you played with my feelings. You used me for your own good.”