His wife who sat at the other end of the table, started to talk, “Niko is quite known in the business world. My husband encountered him early this heat at a conference . He couldn’t stop talking about him afterwards.“ She explained on behalf of her husband, Sebastian. After Sebastian’s laugh went down, he drank a bit of water before he snapped his fingers, “I am still get surprised that you consider Niko to be a worthy opponent.” Sly’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?” “I know he has attained a level of influence here in this city, but Bro, he’s no match for you Sly did not expect the new turn that his brother had now taken in his defense and he looked at him in wary of what he was about to do next. “Do you need my help, Son?” Sly’s father asked. “What do you want us to do?” A wide grin spread out on Sly’s face as he sat upright and drew himself closer to the dining table, then, he leant his elbows on it. His brother dropped his spoon and folded his arms on his chest. The res
“Yes, Sly. You do” “I spent about three hours on the cold road, stuck in this miserable cold without any form of clothing on.” Sky explained, as a hand went up to his forehead. He caressed his forehead, trying to feel the crease of worry that has already showed up on his face. He nibbled on his lower lips. There was a soft chuckle behind him. “I saw what you did when you arrived, Sly” The voice behind him said. “You greeted my son, acknowledged my husband and walked past me as though you were not aware that I was there too” Sly fell his heart sink into him as the voice spoke but he quickly recollected himself. He was not going to give her the pleasure of seeing the effect that her words had on him Rather, he maintained a poker faced expression and drew in a sharp breathe. Then, he spinned around and turned to face her. It was Dianne. His younger brother’s wife. It was she that made it hard for him to come home. She lived in the large family house with her husband and her kid. The
“No?” “I mean, Yes , of course. I would tell you immediately If anything was up. The truth of it or is that there is really nothing wrong with men “ “I met you crying by the corner of the kitchen” “I was only sniffing. No—I mean, it wasn’t quite serious. I think it’s my regular mood swings” She said softly. “Mood swings?” Sebastian’s eyebrows rose in disbelief as she spoke. She nodded vigorously as though she was also trying to convince herself that she was not lying. “It’s the eve of my monthly period. Have you forgotten? “ She looked up at him, trying to mask the way they she truly felt,. “You Know how hard it gets for me to put my emotions under control, Don’t you?” Sebastian stared down at her without any word and he nodded slowly. A moment of silence ensued between both of them as Sebastian pulled her into a hug and rubbed his hand in circles around her back. “Did Sly come in here?” He asked. As soon as she heard Sly’s name, her breath quickened and she looked away, suck
One thing was clear, she was very upset with Richard. She could no longer hide how angry she was. Beyond her anger, there was something else she felt about what he had done to her and that was disappointment. She was disappointed that despite the promises that they both made to each other concerning how they were going to run their relationship without secrets, he went ahead to keep a particular issue away from her. As she glanced up at him, she bit hard on her lips. “You can talk to me, My love” Richard urged her gently. He reached out and placed a hand on her right have which was closest to him. “Babe” “Yes, My love” Richard drew his seat closer to her. Elise fiddled with the hem of her shirt and said, “Do you think I am okay?” Richard shoke his head. “I would never think that. You have been unusually quiet ever since we sat at the table for breakfast” “What do you think could be the issue with me? Why do you think I’m not as lively as I should be?” Richard paused, hesitant.
For split second, Richard was scared that he had lost Elise. He did not know when he started tearing up front the thought of everything that could happen to him if Elise left him in the end. He had grown so attached to her that he did not see himself being with anyone else besides her. “I don’t have anything to say that will justify me” “Just let it out” Elise said, still sobbing. “I am not who you think I am” Richard blurted. He paused after talking because he wanted to observe her reaction to it before he would go on to tell her the rest of the things he had to say. Her facial expression was blank and he could not decipher what was running through her mind as she looked at him. “I’m ready” She said calmly. “Tell me about this part of you that I am not aware of” He let out a harsh breath and adjusted the lapels of his jacket. “Niko does not own the company” Richard said. “,The truth is that—” “You do?” Elise cut in, eying him with disbelief. Her voice had undertones of sarcasm
“I wonder what this is” She snickered “Hush!” He said dryly “You will definitely find out soon” “At least,” She said “Give me an hint” “It’s in your hands. Open up, pretty” She glared at him in mock annoyance before she returned her attention back to the package in front of her and she continued unwrapping it. When she finally saw what it was, an audible gasp escaped her throat and her eyes few wider in surprise. “A painting?” She asked in disbelief. Richard nodded. He was now amused by her reaction to what she had seen. “Who did this?” “Yours truly” He winked at her and tapped on his chest. “This is so nice” Elise said as she ran her fingers over the small, framed painting. Richard cleared his throat. “Why do I feel like you don’t believe me?” There was a glint of mischief in his eyes as he spoke. “I do!” “Okay?” He snapped his fingers with a chuckle and went on to explain to her how the painting in her hands were one of the best he had ever done. As he recounted with no
She stepped aside in shock and watched as he grabbed Richard’s hands in a cry of terror. It was Niko. He looked different from what he was usually like. His hair was messy and his shirt was rumbled as though he had hurriedly put it on. “It is finally happening” He panted. His forehead was beaded with sweat. As soon as Elise saw him, fear hit her like icy water. She was beyond alarmed. She gently locked the door behind her. Richard was calm. “What exactly is going on?” “Sly!” Niko said in ragged voice. He was almost at the point of crying. Richard got hint on the started of things and he carted Niko away to the couch. Elise, without a word, hurried into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Worry gnawed at her as she took out a cold bottle of water and poured it out into the glass cup. She tried to think of what could possibly make Niko so unsettled that he had to show up at their apartment that late in the night. By the time she was out, Niko was quiet. He sat with his hands f
As she busied herself at the counter, she noticed that the stranger was uneasy. She hadn’t missed the how his gaze kept darting to the door almost as often as hers did, as if he were waiting for someone or didn’t want to be taken by surprise. Maybe he was military intelligence or an undercover agent. She told herself. Immediately, that idea made her frown. The last thing she needed was military intelligence to show up on the island. She told herself not to let her imagination run wild. A lot of ex-military guys came to the island to relax and let off steam. Since the location had become a popular destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties, there was usually a good deal of action available for anyone who wanted to find it. But this man didn’t seem interested in escaping reality with alcohol or with women, so what was his story? He seemed very uninterested in his environment, only paying attention to the drink in his hands and the door across him. She yawned and clasped a