Take care of my Ethan

"Everyone! Hurry up!" Little Gideon shouted in frenzy as he tucked his clothes into the upturned traveling bag. "I don't want to miss the flight!" Happiness was evident in his voice.

"Well, I guess you have to hurry, Gideon, because we're done with packing; it's just left to you," Mrs. Lewis shouted back from the room above.

"Coming, Big Mummy," the lad replied from his room.

Alexander looked at his family - his grandmother, his mother, his aunt, and his cousin - and smiled, a mixture of happiness and sadness. His lifelong dream of controlling the family business was finally coming true, but he couldn't bring himself to be fully happy because his family would no longer be with him.

He returned to his bedroom and paced up and down, his head bowed down sorrowfully. "This is a new start for me. I have to make sure I don't disappoint Grandmother," he said aloud as he waited for his family to get ready for the airport.

As he paced, memories of the hardships his family had endured flooded his mind. Since he was born, he had known his family as the leading business and richest family in LA, and he had kept this pride while he was still studying so that he could inherit the family business.

His father and Gideon's father had died in pursuit of this family business, and his grandmother didn't want him to suffer the same fate, so she had restricted him from taking over the business early.

After the chit-chatting from downstairs, Mara came and pushed his wheelchair downstairs, then together, they headed for the airport.

"Mara my dear I implore you to take care of my son very well and he had agreed to for the surgery, so make sure you help him really well.. I am counting on you my dear" Mrs Lewis said.

"Don't worry ma'am I'll support him as you instructed, and also enjoy your flight" She replied meekly.

Soon, the Lewis family departed to America leaving Ethan and his wife.

>>

Life had settled into a semblance of normalcy for Mara and her husband, as they lived their separate lives without intruding on each other's privacy. Despite still concealing Mara's past as a street girl, they grew accustomed to each other's presence over the course of two weeks. Her husband had discarded his wheelchair and resumed office duties like any other able-bodied person. They even shared a bed at night, a sign of their growing intimacy.

However, one fateful morning shattered the tranquility. Mara was roused from her peaceful slumber by the urgent voice of the butler.

"Madam! Your stepmother and your sister are here!"

Expecting to see her husband's face upon waking, Mara was disappointed to find him absent.

"Hubby...? Hubby, I'm awake..." she called out, hoping for a response from the bathroom, but none came.

Realizing he had likely left for work already, Mara headed to the bathroom to freshen up. There, she found a sticky note on her face with a message from her husband, affectionately signed "YOUR HUBBY."

Smiling at the note, Mara made her way downstairs to confront her wicked stepmother.

Putting on a show, Mara feigned innocence and affection, pretending to search for her husband.

"Young master left early today," the butler informed her, confirming what she already suspected.

Pretending to make a call to her husband, Mara noticed her stepmother and sister glaring at her with disdain.

"Hubby, you didn't even give me a kiss before leaving... Really? Well, love you... Bye, hubby," Mara said, mimicking a kiss into the phone.

Her stepmother approached, addressing her with a cold tone. "Well done, Mrs. Mara Lewis."

Unfazed, Mara replied nonchalantly, "Oh, Stepmom, what's up?"

"Have you lost your senses now that you're married into a rich family?" her stepmother snapped.

"I think you lost yours on your way here," Mara retorted.

"Say whatever you want... Your nanny, that old hag, is sick," her stepmother remarked, mentioning Mara's nanny in a derogatory manner.

"What happened to Nanny?" Mara asked, clutching her dress.

"Did you want to save your Nanny or your marriage?" her stepmother asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll take care of your Nanny's health only if you arrange for Maya to marry Ethan," she said, devilishly.

"Why would you want your daughter to marry an imbecile? He's not normal. Maya can't cope," Mara said, trying to change her mind.

"Then who's the handsome dude living here? I heard she's healed, so Maya will marry Ethan, and I'll save your Nanny," she insisted.

"I don't want Ethan to get involved in my personal issues, and I don't want to spend his money. I'll try my best to save Nanny without involving him," Mara decided.

They came up with an idea that Maya would stay with them so Alexander could develop feelings for her, then Mara would leave.

"She can move in only after the specialist treating Nanny arrives because I know you don't keep your word," Mara said bluntly.

"Mum, see how she's bluffing," Maya complained.

"Maya will be moving in tonight. I'll get someone to send her luggage over. Then you can tell your imbecile husband you want your sister's companionship," declared her stepmother harshly.

"No qualms, I'm irresistible anyway," Mara's stepsister said, in her usual tone.

Before the horrible woman left, she said, "Mara, you know letting your Nanny suffer during nursing without crossing the bottom line is easy," and left.

"Mara, you better not try anything foolish unless you want Nanny dead," Maya said, horribly.

And so, the mother left, leaving her daughter behind to seduce Mara's husband.

That day, Mara didn't go anywhere. She stayed home with Maya in case her hubby came back early. She didn't want to leave her alone with him.

That night, he didn't come back. He only called.

"Wifey, sleep early. I'll be doing an overnight shift. I'll come back for dinner tomorrow," he said.

"Why isn't he coming back home?" Maya asked.

Mara didn't reply but sent a text to Ethan that her sister was at their house, without mentioning the seduction.

She wondered if he'd return pretending to be an imbecile or in his usual self.

The next day, she stayed home again. Minutes before dinner, the butler announced, "Young master said he'll be coming back for dinner in the next 2 hours."

As Maya heard that, she rushed to her room and applied different makeup. Mara purposely didn't tell her that her husband hates thick makeup. She spent up to an hour getting ready, giving her a sly smile.

She sported a V-neck dress paired with jean bum shorts, topped off with a bold swipe of thick red lipstick.

After two hours of waiting, Ethan was nowhere to be seen, but Mara refrained from dialing his number, enjoying a bit of silent revenge.

"Why hasn't Ethan shown up yet?" Maya fidgeted, her plan for a grand entrance slowly unraveling.

Later that night, Ethan's voice crackled through the phone, "Sorry, wifey. Still tied up. Off on a week-long trip abroad."

"No worries, hubby. Just remember to eat," Mara chirped, hanging up with a hint of satisfaction.

Instructing the butler to break the news to Maya about Ethan's extended absence, Mara watched as her sister's disappointment turned into a fiery rage.

"All that effort wasted!" Maya lamented, her frustration palpable.

"He'll be back in a week," the butler chimed in, unwittingly stoking the flames of Maya's fury.

Contrary to Maya's dismay, Mara found herself in high spirits at the prospect of Ethan's prolonged absence. Finally, she'd have the freedom to focus on her business and enjoy time with her friends.

"If he's not coming back, what's the point of being here?" Maya seethed, her anger boiling over.

....