017: An Old Lover

Alexander's POV

"It's been a while, Alex. How have you been?" Cynthia inquired in her calm soothing voice.

I didn't reply immediately, I was far too stunned to reply as quickly as I should have. How did she get my number? Why was she calling? What was going on? My thoughts were a chaotic mess as I stared at my phone, unsure of how to react to the shock of hearing her voice.

"Alex?" she prompted, her voice pulling me back to the present, and only then did I realize that I might have been silent for a little too long.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady myself. "Cynthia... it's unexpected to hear from you. I've been well, you?"

"Well? Surely that's not all," she said with a small laugh that was all too familiar to my memories. "You did just regain your ability to walk after a year, Alex."

"Oh," I said, trying my best to sound calm and collected even though I was anything but. My years of experience in hiding my true feelings helped me manage that. "You heard about that too?"

She laughed again, my fist tightening without my control at the sound. "You're still funny after all this time. Of course I heard about that. Everyone in the city has heard about the miraculous comeback of the the city's most influential playboy."

"Well then I suppose all that's left is one question," I said. "Why are you calling me, Cynthia?"

"What, can't I just call in to check up on you?" She replied in what was obviously fake hurt.

"You and I know very well that you never had any intention of doing that," I bit back, reining my emotions under a tight leash. "I didn't lose my ability to walk yesterday after all. And besides, with the way things ended between us, I'm surprised you were even able to pick up the phone and call me."

There was silence on the other line for a moment, and I could literally feel the tension rising in between us. Cynthia and I had actually had something for a while quite some years ago. That was the first time I ever truly felt something akin to love for someone. But unfortunately, our relationship came to an end that was just as passionate as our time together.

"Don't be silly Alex," said Cynthia after a while. "Lately, I've been doing some thinking and I realized that you and I have a lot to talk about."

"Is that so?"

"I'm in the city, Alex,"

The moment she said those words, my entire body went still. She was in the city? What the hell was she doing here? This place was the last place I had expected her to be, especially considering that she had all but deserted the city after our relationship ended. For her to be back now, I honestly had no idea what could be her intention.

"You're surprised, aren't you?" She spoke up again, startling me into realizing I had taken too long in my thoughts.

"You can understand why," I replied. "Especially after everything...."

"I know," said Cynthia, then her voice lowered by an octave, gaining an even gentler aura to it. "Alex, I'd like for us to meet today."

"What?"

"It doesn't have to be anything formal," she added as an afterthought. "I know we have a lot to talk about, but why don't we just say that we'll be celebrating your recovery? How does that sound?"

The first thought to flash across my mind was an instant rejection. Cynthia might have been the first woman I ever truly loved, but after being together with her, I had learned the hard way that the words from her mouth were never to be taken at face value.

"I'd love to do that Cynthia, but just as you said, in still in my recovery phase right now," I said, hoping to let her down easy. "The advice from the doctor made it clear that I had to take it easy for some time or else I would be risking a relapse."

But as always, Cynthia would not be deterred from something she wanted so easily.

"It's only going to be a quick meeting, Alex," she insisted. "Just the two of us, I promise. There won't be any unwanted media around. We could go to The Crown hotel if you want and I'll get us a private reservation."

I sighed, my fingers tapping weakly on the surface of the nearby desk. The instinct to just straight up shut her down was practically roaring in my head, but it was still restrained by a nostalgia that I had thought long dead within me. Something that hearing Cynthia's voice had awakened, feeding off each of her words and growing stronger by the second.

"What is it, Alex?" Cynthia asked, her voice now taking on a bit of a teasing tone. "Come on now, it's not like I'm going to bite you. That sort of thing seems more up your alley, if the rumors about you in the city have any shred of truth in them."

"Fine then," I immediately responded in a stupid bid not to let her gain control of the conversation. My hand balled into a fist, my nails pressing into my palm almost painfully. "I'll be there at eight. You'll have thirty minutes if you're lucky."

"I suppose we'll see how that goes tonight then," she said with a little lilt in her voice before ending the call.

I felt like kicking myself for letting her get the better of me for that brief moment. There was no doubt that I had better things to do at the moment. I still had to figure out what Matthew's next plan of action was going to be. Even though I did not know about the specifics of whatever deal he had with Logan Forger, there was no way that he would let my recovery slide so easily. Cartels were known for their vicious ruthlessness after all, and Matthew had made a name for himself as the most ruthless of them all.

Leaving the room, I headed downstairs hoping to find Heather. My mind was still not at rest with everything that had happened with her earlier, and I did not want such negative thoughts to continue running around in her head. The debt I owed Heather for saving my life was beyond immense and I intended to let her know that. But just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, one of the other maids walked into the living room with a portly grey haired man behind her. He was dressed in a checkered suit and carried a briefcase at his side.

I recognized him instantly as one of the executives of one of the modeling agencies on the city. It seemed that those people had finally begun to make their move. At the same time, I saw Heather walk into the room from the other end. Her eyes met mine and I saw the sea of emotions hiding behind those beautiful orbs for a fleeting moment. The moment she shifted her gaze to the rest of the people in the room however, all of that disappeared and was instantly replaced by the neutrality that all the maids in the house displayed.

"Ah Mr Forger!" The man called out when he saw me. "Congratulations on your recovery from such a grievous accident!"

"Yes of course," I replied, coming closer to take his hand. I could tell that he was going to be here for a while to make his business proposal. So I turned to Heather and the other maid with a flat expression. "Bring in some tea for the man, would you?"

Even though I had expected it, the way her eyes fell as Heather nodded wordlessly before leaving for the kitchen still felt like a thorn stabbing into my heart.