Ethan POV
“What are you gonna do now?” Andre leaned on the table, his narrowed eyes on mine. “I mean, we now all know who that girl is. Well, don’t tell me you’re going to keep her here with you.”
I silently huffed. Keep her here with me? Of course, she has nowhere to go… I’m not fucking letting her go
“And what are you saying?” I sent him a glare.
“You have to kill this feeling, Ethan.” Andre sighed.
What feeling? I creased my brows. I’m totally confused anyway, what feeling am I going to kill?
“Well…” Andre drawled, stylishly lifting his gaze away from me. He swiped his tongue over his lower lip and sighed. “I know you love that girl. The Ethan that I know wasn’t the one to keep a girl with him this long.”
“You have no idea how long she’s been with me” I huffed.
Andre tutted, leaning back on the table. He held my gaze, his bright orbs deeply boring into mine as though he was trying to read through me.
I shuddered at the thought.
Heck! If he did read through me then I’d be doomed.
I meant, after all, he’s right. I’ve never stayed this long with a girl. No! And I’ve never even allowed a girl to stay in my house not to talk of being in my room and fucking sleep on my bed.
“We both made the rules,” Andre finally breathed out. Again, his gaze held mine, tempting me to look away, but I still held those bright orbs with mine. “We fuck and let go. No strings attached, no attachment, and no bitch in our houses… ” Andre paused to take a look upstairs. He sighed and continued. “But you even allowed her into your room. I’m fucking sure she’s on your… ”
“Bed.. yes, you’re right!” I hissed. “So what?”
I fisted my hand on my lap, my teeth gritted together.
Ugh! What’s the point of denying it anyway? I’ve never thought of this… Love?
The thought has never been in my head not until this moment.
Perhaps, it’s true… Maybe… Just maybe or maybe it’s not.
I was only sexually attracted to her when I first met her, and I think I’m still sexually attracted to her.
She indeed got me hooked… It’s fucking true that I’m obsessed with her.
Maybe not with her… But with her body.
“What if you’re wrong?” I cocked my brows, “what if it’s not love?”
“And what if I’m right?” Andre said.
“The rules can change…. ”
“Not to this extent, Ethan.” He sighed. Andre rubbed the bridge of his nose, then he slapped his forehead slightly. “Well… Let’s say I’m wrong and you’re right, are you gonna let her go? She’s Nicole’s… ”
“Over my dead body!” I spat. My fist made harsh contact with the table, and Andre flinched.
Well… I have no idea either. But the thought of letting her go and giving her up for Nicole irritates me to the bones.
It makes me wanna beat someone and crack some bones.
Dawn is mine, didn’t they get it?
“And now you tell me I am wrong,” Andre scoffed. He took a short sip from his drink and leaned back on the chair. “I just hope you make the right decision.”
Nicole POV
I wrapped my hand on the glass tightly, imagining it as Ethan’s neck. My chest rose and fell over the light white shirt I wore.
How dare he? Dawn is my to-be bride, how dare he have her under his roof?
“You got to relax,” mom whispered, trying to hold my hand but I moved it away from the table.
“Relax?” I glared. “She fucking has my wife!”
“She’s not your wife yet, Nicole.” Dad hissed.
I settled my gaze on him. He’s sitting on the sofa, his gaze on the large TV.
I gritted my teeth together. My fist clenched and unclenched.
Hey! This is how he was that day too. Him sitting on the sofa with his attention solely on the TV.
“And besides,” he finally turned to look at me. “Aren’t you supposed to be happy? You didn’t want to get married in the first place.”
And that’s when I still haven’t met Dawn. That was then when I had no idea that she was the one I’ll be getting engaged to.
No, I won’t give her up for anything.
Just the first day we met, I already knew she was for me.
“And that’s not something kind to say, Drago,” mom reprimanded.
Sucking in a deep breath, mentally calming myself.
No, it’ll be bad if I lose it right here. A big disaster it’ll be.
“Because I love her,” I breathed out.
“What?!” Grandpa exclaimed.
Oh.. I’ve already forgotten he’s here.
Grandpa narrowed his eyes, his wrinkled skin under his eyes twinkled as he glared at me. “Love her? Someone you just met?”
“No,” I sighed. “I didn’t just meet her. That wasn’t our first meeting.”
A smile crept on my lips, remembering the first day I saw her in that red dress, but my smile soon turned to a smirk when I remembered how Ethan had his hand wrapped around her waist.
That should be me. It should be my arm wrapped around that tiny waist, not that son of a gun’s
“Well…” Grandpa sighed. He leaned back on the sofa and slowly massaged his temple. “It seems she doesn’t want you.”
“Does she have a choice?” I hissed.
“Obviously,” Dad said.
My frown deepened, my fist balled into a fist and I glared at Dad.
Hey! Do not tell me it’s what I’m thinking.
“Just like you said, being forced into a commitment is bad, totally stupid… ”
“I did say that… ”
“You can’t eat back your word, Mr. Man,” Grandpa chuckled. “The girl doesn’t want you. ”
“I think she wants Ethan. Our deal with her Dad is not off, our nominee just changed. Ethan is going to get engaged with her in your stead.”
“In my stead?”
What a dry lame joke!
“Don’t you know Ethan?” I spat. “Do you think he’s ready to be committed? He’s just gonna use her and dump her!”
Anger such that I’ve never felt before coursed through me. Heck! I want to scream at someone, break some bones and kill someone.
Is this what they’re gonna say? To give her up for Ethan?
“No,” I shook my head. “No, I’m done giving every goddamned thing up for that monster!”
Not taking a last glance at them, I bolted into my room, dumping my ass on the bed.
Earth to them! Why would they always take his side?
It was his mother that first took Dad away from his mother. Ethan took him away from me too, now they want me to give Dawn up for him.
No… Over my fucking dead body!
“Cole…”
“I want to be alone, mom,” I said curtly, not looking up at the one that just entered my room.
Her feet shuffled the ground, and a second later, I felt the bed sink and a presence right beside me.
I sighed, shifting away from mom.
I don’t wanna see anybody, and I’m not ready to be consoled.
What do they think I am? Some random pushover?
Mom held my arms, clasping them together as though to keep me warm.
“You’re not a pushover, Cole.” She mumbled. “You know how much Dad loves you, right? ”
“No,” my voice shook.
Heck! I do not want to cry. I’m not weak! I’m not fucking pathetic! I’m just sad that they treat me like some fucking tadpole.
Ethan is the brightest star in the sky anyway, and that’s why I’m to give up everything for him and his mom.
“Look at me, Cole.” Mom turned my head to herself, cupping my cheeks. “You can always find another girl, Cole.”
“No, ” I shook my head.
I do not want another girl.
“Listen, Cole,” she sighed. “You don’t have to get married to get the company, you know.” She smiled.
I scoffed. Not the company again.
I took her hand off my face, wiping the little tears off of my face.
“What if I say I do not want the company anymore?” I flashed her a sickening smile. “What if I’m ready to give up everything just to have Dawn? I do not need the company anymore. I don’t wanna marry her because of the damn company. Ethan can have it… I only want Dawn.”