“I’m so sorry, sir,” I stammered as soon as Christof spoke. He turned to Ethan, who stared at me with a reassuring smile.
“He’s joking,” Ethan whispered, and Christof burst into laughter.
“I see why she makes you want to change, she’s so innocent,” Christof said, glancing back at me. I felt an unexpected sense of calm; like Ethan, Christof didn’t match his fearsome reputation. He looked more like a lovable old man than the ruthless figure I’d heard about.
“Make yourself comfortable, my dear. Take a seat,” Christof said, gesturing to a reserved table near his own.
“Ethan, my boy, we’ll talk after the party,” he added, and Ethan nodded before leading me to the table.
As soon as we sat down, I looked at Ethan in shock. “Is that really Gloria’s father?” I asked, still trying to process the scene.
Ethan smiled gently. “Not what you expected, is it?” he asked.
“Definitely not,” I replied. After meeting Gloria’s father and seeing the genuine affection he had for Ethan, I felt a bit more at ease. “Maybe Ethan is right,” I thought, relaxing a little. We spent the rest of the party eating and watching people dance. Strangely, no one mentioned Gloria. it was as if this was just a party, not her funeral.
“Emily,” I heard someone call out as I sat comfortably at the table, taking small bites of the cheesecake in front of me. I turned to find Jennifer standing behind me with a warm smile on her face.
“Jennifer,” I smiled faintly. Seeing her made me realize how much I had missed her. “I missed you so much,” she said, as if reading my mind, and I nodded. If we were still close, I probably would have confided all my troubles to her.
“I missed you too,” I replied sincerely, struggling to remember why we had drifted apart.
“I heard what happened. I’m so sorry,” Jennifer said, and I gave her a confused look.
“What happened?” I asked, wondering which particular event she was referring to. So much had happened recently.
“With Jake and your baby,” she said, and I suddenly remembered why we had a falling out. She had betrayed me to Gloria and abandoned me to Ian without a second thought.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice dropping as a sharp pain of her past betrayal stabbed at my heart.
“So, what have you been up to?” she asked, moving to sit closer to me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Marcel,” she greeted Ethan, who was sitting beside me, eating carefully.
“Jennifer, how are you?” Ethan replied in a calm, mature voice.
“Fine, sir,” Jennifer responded. “Did you come with your father?” Ethan asked, reminding me that he was as old as Jennifer’s father. I had almost forgotten that my boyfriend was an older man.
“Yes, sir, he’s over there,” Jennifer said, pointing to where Maxwell stood, chatting with a tall, beautiful woman near the punch table.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Ethan said, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek before standing and walking toward Maxwell.
“Here goes my father flirting with first woman he sees” Jennifer said, her voice tinged with disappointment as she tried to make small talk with me
“You know ever since he divorced that witch, he’s been flirting with everyone he sees. I think he’s lonely,” Jennifer said moving closer as she got into her gossip mode.
“Who?” I wondered feeling, confused. Jennifer leaned in and whispered, “My father.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “What?” I exclaimed, struggling to hide my smile. “Your father and Rose’s mother are divorced?” I asked, unable to recall her stepmother’s name.
“Yes,” Jennifer smiled, clearly pleased. She had been hoping for this outcome for as long as I’d known her.
“Oh my God. What happened?” I asked, wanting to hear the details as my curiosity piqued, a wide grin spread across Jennifer’s face.
“She had been cheating on my father with James the driver. They’d been at it for years,” Jennifer said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
My eyes widened further. I knew the driver she was talking about, honestly he wasn’t all that, “James of all people” I wondered out loud, Mr Maxwell despite his age was a hundred times more good looking, “How did you find out?” I asked.
“He came clean. He had proof. texts, even videos.” Jennifer said, and I was stunned, my mouth slightly ajar.
“You’re joking,” I said, but she shook her head.
“He found love and wanted to end things with her, but she refused. She even went as far as threatening the woman he loves leaving him no choice but to come clean himself” Jennifer explained.
The story sounded so bizarre, like something out of a movie. How could someone as old as Jennifer’s stepmother do something so foolish?
“That’s crazy,” I chuckled, still trying to process it.
“I know, right?” Jennifer sighed. And for a brief second it was like Jennifer and I were had never fallen out.
We talked and laughed about it for a while before she finally asked about me.
“So, what’s up with you? I see you and Ethan are back together,” Jennifer said, and I nodded cautiously, bracing myself for any backlash.
“I think you two deserve each other. I know how devastated he was when he lost you, Jake, and the baby,” Jennifer explained. “He became a shadow of himself, so much so that my father pleaded with me to get in touch with you, to see if you two could get back together,” she added. I smiled, remembering howMygkmcm m differently she had felt the last time we spoke.
. Nb
“Very
why you didn’t return my calls?” Jennifer asked, and I shook my head.
“You know why,” I said, and she smiled faintly.
“Listen, I’m really sorry about that. I was so scared of Gloria back then,” Jennifer began, but I cut her off.
“Do you know where the bathroom is?” I interrupted, not wanting to rehash the past-at least not yet.
“Sure, there’s a guest bathroom right around the corner,” Jennifer directed. “Excuse me,” I said, getting up and walking in the direction she had pointed. As I neared the bathroom, I felt strong arms grip me, pulling me into a corner.
My heart raced as I turned, ready to fight, only to see Wayne holding up his hands. “Calm down, it’s me,” he said, and I took a deep breath.
“What do you want?” I asked, eyeing the small closet he had pulled me into.
“I’ve spoken to Christof, and everything is ready. We’ll make our move next week, but it can’t happen here,” Wayne said.
“No, I don’t support this,” I began to object, but he cut me off.
“We need to lure him to this address,” Wayne continued, handing me a piece of paper. “That’s where it’s going to happen, and only you can get him there off guard.”
“I’m not going to do it. Didn’t you hear what I just said? I don’t want to harm him. I just want him arrested or to pay for his sins another way,” I said. But if I was being honest, I didn’t want any of that. I just wanted Ethan to be free and by my side.
A devilish smile appeared on Wayne’s face as he glared at me. “You’re funny,” he smirked. “What’s even funnier is that you think you have a choice,” he added, tightening his grip on my hands.
“You started this, and you’re going to finish it.”
“No, I’m not,” I snapped, yanking my hands away. Wayne chuckled darkly.
“You don’t understand, do you? The moment you gave me access to Alpha, you lost the only thing protecting you and your loved ones. It’s either you help me bring Ethan down, or you get ready to become a full orphan and mourn your father.”