CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER TWO

It was a brand new day. I woke up feeling sore and tired, my eyes swollen from all the crying I did the night before. I needed to snap out of this state quickly—I had a meeting with Dad and couldn’t afford to wallow in my emotions any longer.

I headed to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower, hoping it would soothe my nerves. Afterwards, I brewed some mint tea, trying to calm the throbbing in my head from the previous night's drinking session with Matilda. As I descended the stairs, I was greeted by a messy sitting room.

“Argh… The least she could have done was help me tidy up,” I sighed, shaking my head at Matilda’s usual antics. I decided it would be best if I hired a cleaner to deal with this mess later.

I was done with my regular morning routine, and was ready for work. Ethan was outside already, punctual as ever.

I walked towards the car, trying my best to act normal and cool. Seeing him felt like rubbing salt on my wounds, but I couldn’t let my emotions show.

“Good morning, Lizzy,” he said, plastering a wide smile across his face. The sound of my name on his lips was soothing, something I could listen to all day. We were so familiar that I had stopped him from calling me Miss Douglas a long time ago.

“Hey, Ethan, good morning,” I responded.

“You don’t look too good. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I am fine,” I answered with a thankful expression.

“you know you work really hard. You should give yourself a break from work and all.” He added concerned.

“uhmmm” I barely muttered, brushing off his concern.

The ride to the office was awkwardly quiet. He must have noticed. I didn’t want him to think there was a rift between us, so I decided to start a conversation.

“Ethan?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Belated birthday wishes. I’m sorry I couldn’t get you something yesterday; I was too busy with office work to remember,” I lied. I wish he knew I had planned a surprise party for him, I thought.

“Oh, it’s fine, Lizzy. It’s just a birthday. Besides, you’ve been a sweetheart to me. A gift isn’t something you should worry about. But I wouldn’t mind you making your special recipe for me as a compensatory gift, you know,” he added, chuckling.

“He likes my cooking,” was all my mind could focus on. I began smiling sheepishly at the thought of cooking for him again until I remembered his engagement. “Get yourself together, Elizabeth. He’s engaged. You need to stop being delusional over someone else’s man.”

“I would have loved to, but my schedule doesn’t permit it. I’m sorry,” I said, waving off his suggestion.

“Oh, that’s fine. I understand. Just that I miss your cooking,” he said, trying to hide his disappointment.

We arrived at the office, and as usual, Ethan hurried out to open the door for me. His chivalry never failed to make my heart flutter. I composed myself, stepping out with a smile. “Thank you, Ethan.”

“Lizzy,” I heard him call out from behind. “I hope you wouldn’t mind me inviting you for dinner tonight.”

Startled by his request, I squinted my eyes, seeking a reason for such an upfront invitation.

“It’s just that you’ve played a huge role in my life. I would personally like to appreciate you,” he explained.

“That wouldn’t be necessary,” I replied, trying to set an imaginary boundary between us.

“Please, please, please, just this once.”

“Okay, fine! I want that as a belated birthday gift.” He persuaded.

“Alright. Pick me up by eight,” I sighed in defeat as I walked into the office.

*********

It was already thirty minutes to the fixed time, and I was so unprepared. I didn’t need to dress up or look fancy anyway—there were no feelings attached to the dinner, and it wasn’t a date. I sighed, tired from all the paperwork I had been buried under.

“This should be all for today,” I said to myself, picking up my bag and heading out to meet him.

As I walked to the door of the company, I saw him, neatly dressed in a blue tailored suit. His smile charming as always and his eyes were capable of weakening one’s knees.

“Why do I feel so underdressed?” I said to him with a smile. “You look good as always, Ethan.”

“So do you, Lizzy.”

“And here, I got you this,” he said, stretching his hand forward to hand me a bouquet of white roses. “White roses”

“Uhmm… How much I love white roses,” I murmured, sniffing the flowers intensely. “Thank you, Ethan. They smell wonderful.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am,” he said as we both got into the car, heading to our dinner destination.

The dinner went on well, with us laughing and chatting like tomorrow didn’t exist, and of course, Ethan being a gentleman as always.

“So, tell me, what was it like growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth?” he asked, pointing his spoon at me playfully.

“A silver spoon, more like a rod-like spoon,” I replied. “As you know, I have always been the unwanted grandchild. I was a product of my father’s infidelity with my mum. I was only accepted in the Douglas household because they had to cover up my father’s act and didn’t want their blood outside the home.”

“It has been a struggle, Ethan. Daily, I have to prove myself and show how worthy and capable I am to be recognized as a Douglas, especially to Grandma. If I had another option, I would—” My words were cut short by the buzzing sound from the phone on the table.

“One moment, please,” Ethan politely excused himself to pick up the call.

A few minutes later, Ethan returned to the table, holding hands with a young lady.

“Lizzy, meet my fiancée, Stella. Stella, meet my boss, Elizabeth Douglas. She was around the corner and I thought perhaps, if you don’t mind, she could finally get to meet you.”

My heart sank as I looked at Stella. She was beautiful in a subtle way, with a warm smile, but I could feel something was off about her. She seemed genuinely pleased to meet me, which made it more difficult to keep my composure.

“Hi, Stella. Nice to meet you,” I said, forcing a smile and extending my hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Elizabeth. Ethan has told me so much about you,” she shook my hand firmly.

“I hope all good things.” I chuckled, trying to mask my discomfort.

“Absolutely! He speaks very highly of you,” she said, her voice sincere.

I glanced at Ethan, who seemed relieved that the introduction went smoothly. “Shall we sit?” he suggested, pulling out a chair for Stella before taking his seat.

As the dinner continued, I found myself observing their interactions. Ethan was attentive and affectionate, his eyes lighting up every time he looked at her. It was clear that he was deeply in love, and I felt a pang of jealousy. I tried to engage in conversation, but my mind kept wandering back to my unspoken feelings and how familiar she looked.

“So, how did you two meet?” I asked, piquing further.

Stella’s face lit up as she spoke about her first encounter with Ethan. Right there, I figured out where I had seen her.

After what felt like an eternity, the dinner finally came to an end. Ethan settled the bill, and we all stood up to leave.

“Thank you for joining us, Lizzy,” Ethan said, his tone warm. “I hope you had a good time.”

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me,” I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

Stella hugged me goodbye as we said our final goodbyes for the night.

After my encounter with Stella, my gut feeling was telling me something wasn't right about her. She must have been the girl on the video call with Lucas. I couldn't let this slide, so I decided to text Lucas before retiring to bed.

“Hey Lucas, could you send the picture of the lady I saw beside you during the last video call?”

“Yo, what’s up? I see you’re obsessed with my latest babe. Why do you ask?”

“I’m not ready for long talks. I just happened to see someone that looks a lot like her seconds ago, and it is making me uncertain.” I explained to him, hoping he wouldn’t ask further.

“Alright,” Lucas said, before sending me some photos of the lady in question, confirming my initial suspicion.

Stella, Ethan’s so-called fiancée, was having an affair with my friend Lucas. “Ethan is so blinded by love, that he wouldn’t see her for what she is. I can’t just go tell him without any proof,” I thought to myself.

She isn’t a saint as she paints herself to be in Ethan’s eyes, and I needed to prove this to him without making it seem like I wanted to ruin his relationship. I sighed tiredly as I shut my eyes, thinking of a plan to unveil her true nature.