Chapter 4

Elsie's pov

Miss, are you okay? You look pale. Or, are you scared of flying?” Ethan asked, his voice filled with care and concern.

I was lost for words, his captivating smile was enough to send cold shivers down my spine.

I nodded, confirming his words, although flying was something I usually enjoyed doing but, this was totally different, today was not an ordinary day. I feared that this man in front of me would uncover the things I had worked hard to hide for years.

This man sitting next to me has haunted me in my dreams for years and is seated next to me, staring at me in a way that makes the butterflies in my belly jingle.

I’d feel better if he had stared at me this way on that fateful night.

‘ Gosh, come off it Elsie’. I rebuked myself. After all, he is married to Irene.

Ethan was even more breathtaking than I had imagined, he looked more handsome and gorgeous than my memory had illustrated him to be especially now that I could see his mesmerizing eyes, the only missing piece I had needed to complete his image.

Though I could have sworn that Isabella took after my mom’s eyes, but now I know she inherited her blue eyes from Ethan, they both had the same blue eyes.

“ I’m fine now sir, thank you,” I said quickly, avoiding his gaze in the best way I could.

A surprised look flashed on his face immediately,

“ Have we met before?” Ethan asked, still staring at me, causing my heart to skip, but I ignored the question.

Engaging in a conversion with him at the moment sounds like a bad idea, besides, he won’t recognize me, and there’s no way in the world that he would. I kept telling myself.

Ethan grabbed a bottle of water, filled a cup, and handed it over to me,

“ Here, take this. It will make you feel much better.”

I reluctantly accepted his offer, using it as a way to escape my racing heart.

As I gently sipped the water, I noticed I was not the only one captivated by his handsome features, two young ladies were seated behind him and they were both stealing glances from him and giggling.

And I know if I should ask to switch seats with one of them, they won’t hesitate to accept my offer, but due to some unknown reasons, I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

Although I felt sorry for them, knowing he is a married man and it is so unfortunate that his wife would not waste time to shred anyone who comes near her man to pieces.

Even men seemed to be intimidated by his aura, it was evident in their demeanor. To be honest, Ethan’s masculine features would make celebrities bow to him. His physical features were close to perfect, if not perfect.

I could feel Ethan’s gaze fixated on me, he seemed to have his full focus on me, or had he found out the truth and was waiting patiently for me to spill?

Because how else can I explain his attention solely focused on me?

I couldn’t escape the unwanted emotions stirred by his presence, it made my body remember every skilled touch from the past.

‘ oh Gosh! Snap off or Elsie!’ I inwardly reprimanded myself again.

Suddenly, an irregular atmospheric motion took place, the plane jolted due to a severe whirlwind that occurred, causing almost every passenger to move unsteadily in different directions.

During the few minutes of this unexpected disturbance, Ethan’s hand found its way to my thigh, sending a surge of heat through my body. At first, I thought it was due to the jolting of the plane. But even after the turbulence had subsided, He still kept his hand there, caressing my skin lightly.

Rage stirred inside me, suddenly his handsomeness l that swayed my mind earlier began to irritate me and I regretted not changing my seat immediately he came and sat down close to me.

Without a second thought, I landed a slap on his right hand with all the strength my body could muster.

I immediately made a mental note to myself, never wear a short dress during a flight and don’t ever fall for an attractive man. He is most likely a piece of shit who probably has no regard for women. I thought to myself.

I stood up gently from my seat and called the flight attendant, I requested a change of seat which was granted to me in no time. However, I made sure to send him a lethal glare before leaving.

I sat down quietly throughout the flight, trying to trash thoughts of Ethan which had already clouded my head. Seeing his face alone brought back memories of that night, memories that took me years to forget, well, I guess I didn’t forget it.

As soon as the plane landed at the designated gates, I took off on my heels as if my life depended on it. I had managed to resist the temptation to glance at Ethan for the entire three-hour flight. O tried my best to avoid him, but despite the pleas from my heart, my brain said no. I felt proud of myself.

After enduring so much suffering, my senses remained on high alert when it came to men, a married man at that. Especially the ones related to my stepmother and sister.

I carefully packed my luggage and moved to the parking lot, my eyes scanning the surroundings, desperately searching for Timothy. I expected him to be here by now but he was nowhere to be seen.

“ Over here, Brad!” My lips formed into a genuine smile as I spotted Timothy’s driver and my only friend, Bradd.

“ I’m here!” I called out loud enough for Bradd to hear me.

“ Elsie! I am so glad to see you girl. You even look more pretty than before.” Brad complimented me and hugged me.

I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks before I regained consciousness, released myself from Brad’s warm embrace, and asked,

“ Where is Timothy?”

“ Didn’t he tell you?” Brad asked, looking a bit confused.

“ Tell me what?” I narrowed my eyes in utter confusion and replied to his question with another one.

“ His business partner took the same flight as you, and he will also be staying with us until he gets a comfortable apartment,” Brad explained.

“ Oh,

Now that you’ve told me I think he mentioned something like I will also be working with him.”

Timothy had informed me earlier that I would be taking over one of his companies and I will be working closely with the son of his business partner.

As a Matter of fact, this company is a joint business which he and his friend had merged. He is yet to give me the full details of the business but I am certain he will, eventually.

Now that Brad mentioned it to me, I recall Timothy saying that his business partner will be staying with us for a while, till he gets a comfortable apartment to move to.

“ Yes! Mr. Gomez.” Brad said.

The name Gomez sounded familiar but I wasn’t sure. Maybe it’s just a random person bearing the same name. I thought to myself.

“ Elsie my dear! It’s good to have you back sweetheart.” I heard Timothy’s voice from behind.

I was eager and happy to hear his voice after a long while.

As I turned to face him, time seemed to slow down and my heart sank at the sight of the person beside him.

“ Elsie sweetie, meet Ethan Gomez, My business associate.”

In a twinkle of an eye, I felt my whole world crumbling!

‘ No! This can be happening to me. Damn!!!