Ethan's POINT OF VIEW
I bring my lower lip between my teeth and hold back a smile when I finally find myself alone with the shy girl.
Meredith stares at me out of the corner of her eye as her fingers begin to tremble as I bring two fingers to her face to gently stroke her cheek.
"Meredith." - she swallows her saliva noisily in hearing my voice, but this time she raises her head and decides to meet my eyes with so much sweetness that I can't help but compare her to that bitch who threatened to punch me in my face.
Meredith responds to my gestures calmly and without freaking out like her friend, and I like her behavior, so much that I can't help bringing my chin close to her face, leaving a light kiss to the side of her mouth, and then continue when I notice that she is slightly shaken by my gesture:
"You have a nice name." - I whisper, without taking my eyes off hers, as she blushes in a crazy way, just stammering like a girl:
"Thank you."
When her breathing starts to get irregular, she suddenly gets up from her chair and walks away from me quickly, then hurries to explain:
"I have to go!" - she clears her throat, and then flee behind me with a soft step, making me hold back a mischievous laugh and shake my head.
I've seen many women like Meredith, but I can't get enough of naive and attractive women. They are the ones that make me dominate and let themselves go without trying to kill my balls like Valerie was trying to do that night.
My expression changes from excited to serious as I start thinking about her attitude: as hard as I find it to deal with her, I have to find a way to make her mine and humiliate her as her father mercilessly did.
I grit my teeth at the idea that if those children hadn't been there, maybe I would have been able to go further, even if part of me makes me realize that it will take a long time and I have to work harder to seduce her.
I get up as soon as I finish eating a trivial and inedible bowl of yogurt with berries.
Something tells me she likes berries, and that's one of the many things I didn't know about her, so I force myself to head to her room and search for information that can help me with my intent.
The exact moment I open the door to her room without thinking twice, my phone starts ringing in my pocket, making my forehead wrinkle.
I walk into the room anyway and raise an eyebrow when I realize that everything is in order, except the mess on the dresser in front of the bed, where cosmetics and hairspray are mixed in disorder, a sign that she was probably late.
"Who am I talking to?" - I open the call before I even read the name on the screen, but the voice of my employee calms me, when she begins to ask me in a friendly way:
"Good morning, Ethan!" - I let her continue while I slowly open the top drawer to rummage through his things:
"Should we wait for you?"
I make a face when I realize that the drawer is full of different brand perfumes and lipsticks of the same color, even though I don't understand why she spends money on bullshit that does nothing but hide her face.
Not that she is beautiful, not for me, but with all the crap she spreads on her face I can never tell if she blushes or not.
"No." - I just say, and then open the second drawer, while my eyes light up when I realize that it is full of lace panties and black bras. She may be a virgin at thirty, but apparently Valerie likes to collect sexy lingerie, and the thought of seeing her little body with this stuff on I start to feel a pressure inside my boxers, but before I go crazy I decide to end the call:
"Not today. Salaries are slipping until tomorrow. »- I mumble, then put the phone back in the back pocket of my jeans, before hearing her greet me in a friendly way.
I take a last look at the paradise that presents in front of my eyes, and then return to reality, more and more intrigued by this girl.
As I look around, my attention is caught by the posters glued to the wall that make me realize that he loves A-ha and Queen.
I frown and run a hand through my hair: I would have wagered she was a more modern woman and I expected a Barbie room, all pink to make me sick, but the walls of her bedroom are painted with a dark and boring gray.
Even the blankets on her double bed are black.
I close my eyes when I notice a small frame on the nightstand next to her bed and I start walking in that direction slowly, and then grab the photo between my fingers, starting to stare intently at the red-haired girl, who smiles like she hasn't done since I came here. I've never seen her smile like this in these two days.
I frown and tilt my head, almost softened by the sweet expression that Valerie had as a child, while now she has become a ruthless and unbearable tiger.
I harden my expression as soon as I realize that I got distracted, so I look at the little girl with contempt in the eyes, then place the frame badly on the dark wood.
I start to open the drawers below, already resigning myself and realizing that if that woman hides something, she has hidden it well, but I change my mind instantly and lower my eyebrows when inside the last drawer my fingers come into contact with the surface rough of a notebook.
The fact that it's covered in small souvenirs makes me realize that she hasn't used it for a long time, or she just didn't want others to see it, and I understand why when I realize it's a diary.
I raise an eyebrow and run the tip of my tongue over my lower lip to moisten my dry lips, which curl into a smile when I notice that she doesn't have a lock or key.
Perfect, puppy ...
Let's see who is hiding behind that irritating and independent woman mask.
I leave her room without worrying about putting in order what I have done, sure that she won't even notice that someone has entered her room.
I close the door behind me, taking a deep breath as I open the first page, then throw myself on the sofa and put a hand behind my neck, squinting.
' Dear Patricia ...
I don't care about your real name, but 'Patricia' is so hideous that it suits you perfectly. '
I imagine Valerie's face as she wrote these words, as strange as she is, but I can't help but lift one corner of my mouth, bringing my lower lip between my teeth.
Who knows who she was referring to.
I start leafing through the pages, more and more intrigued and confused: I can't even understand what she writes, this woman is so complicated!
' I hate your husband! I hate him more than you hated him, otherwise you wouldn't have killed yourself! '
I open my pupils wide, following her words. Who is it that committed suicide?
My breathing becomes labored, thinking of the anger she must have felt while writing.
' I'm going to him now! He's been screaming my name for hours. God! He is so protective that I regret continuing to live with him. '
My curiosity in Valerie's confusion grows more and more: perhaps in the past she got engaged to a man who mistreated her. And the woman he's referring to is his ex.
The idea that someone may have hurt Valerie upsets me, making me understand why she is so aggressive towards me, but I recover after a couple of seconds.
I don't care about her past, I just care about knowing things that no one knows. Secrets I can use to make her suffer as I suffered because of her father.
My sister would be the same age as Valerie now, and most likely they would become best friends too, as she was a spoiled little girl too, who used to get what she wanted at all costs, stubborn and defenseless at the same time.
She, too, always smelled of the same perfume, but not of berries.
She loved the smell of magnolia ...
I take my eyes off the black-covered notebook when I hear the door open, but when Ian walks into the living room I let out a sigh of relief.
I don't realize I'm clutching Valerie's diary so tightly that my nocks have turned white.
"What time is it?" - I ask to myself, realizing that time has passed without realizing it, but my friend listens to my question and snorts beside me:
"It's time for dinner." - he says, glancing quickly at the watch around his wrist:
"And I'm starving." - he continues, putting a hand on his stomach, while his tired gaze ends up on Valerie's diary.
"What is that?" - he asks, raising his chin to indicate it, while I glance out the window, realizing that it is dark and that I have really spent all day looking for something that I still haven't found.
I know Ian wouldn't take it well, but I can't find the time to shoot the first lie that comes to mind, that the sound of the door catches our attention:
"Here I am! Sorry I'm late. »- Meredith's voice calms me again.
Valerie would really punch me if she knows I'm holding something that belongs to her, so I take advantage of her absence to take the diary to my room.
«Tonight I couldn't cook.» - she says tenderly, showing the pizza boxes she holds with one hand and hurrying to place the pizzas on the low table between the L-shaped sofa and the television hanging on the opposite wall.
I get up from the sofa after forcing a smile: maybe Meredith knows something and I can convince her to tell me about her friend, but instead of staring at her I start walking towards my bedroom, in the meantime taking the phone out of my pocket to look at the watch.
It's already nine o'clock , which makes me get a confused grimace in my face: in all the time I've been chasing Valerie she never came home later than seven, but I try to convince myself that she would have probably stopped to chat with her colleagues and that nothing has happened to her.
I place the diary under my pillow, hoping that she will not notice its absence and that she will give me time to finish it and study it calmly. My employees will work for a couple of days without my supervision, but it's worth it.
I snap my head up as Meredith's voice echoes through the silent house:
"Valerie, you're back!"
Her words relax me, letting me know that she is finally home and nothing has happened to her, even though I wouldn't have cared anyway.
I slowly leave the room, running my fingers through my hair to bring them back again, as I slam the door behind me, just to annoy Valerie, knowing how much it bothers her.
Out of the corner of my eye I hurry to catch her reaction, but I am perplexed when she approaches the sofa silently, without deigning to look at me and looking down the pavement.
I take a seat next to Ian, right in front of Meredith, who sits down in front of me and starts eating with her eyes turned towards the television screen.
"Tell me you bought the pepperoni one ..." - Ian goes in search of his pizza among those on the table, while the girl in front of me nods distractedly, pointing to one of the boxes and pleasing Ian, who shows a toothy smile, but I can't help but stare at Valerie from below.
I try to meet her eyes in vain, but her pursed lips and the red tip of her nose let me know that something is wrong.
She has an almost terrified expression, but I can't sink into her clear pupils to understand what's wrong with her, as she continues to keep her head down.
I make a face when my eyes land on the giant cleavage that shows her raised collarbones, wondering how I didn't notice this morning.
I don't understand how they admit her to the New York courthouse dressed like this, but most likely her father has already bribed half the city to not touch a hair to his daughter and to treat her like a princess.
If she was my woman I would burn all the dresses she wears that don't reach below her knees.
"I ordered the salad as you like it." - Meredith shows her a smile as soon as she notices her presence at her side, when Valerie decides to sit on the sofa, but she is so distracted that she does not respond to her friend's words.
As soon as she notices it, Meredith takes her eyes off the television and assumes a confused expression when she notices Valerie's grimace:
"With lots of tomatoes and avocados." - she adds in a faint voice, starting to worry, but Valerie tries to reassure her, placing the bag on the empty seat beside her, and limiting herself to raise her head and force a smile.
I clench my jaw and widen my eyes when I notice her shiny eyes, so tired that I hold a breath as I look at her in this state.
"I'm not hungry." - she clears her throat, getting up from the sofa immediately after, and then grabbing the bag just placed and walking away before Meredith can even open her mouth.
"What did you do!" - Ian whispers near my ear, making me frown, and then harden my expression at his alarmed attitude.
"What the fuck are you saying?" - I ask in a low tone so as not to be heard by Meredith, while he rolls his eyes.
"That's why I'm here, remember?" - I say between my teeth, threatening him to stop being the protective man, but as soon as he leaves my eyes to turn to the woman sitting in front of us, I can't help but turn my head towards Valerie as she slams her bedroom door behind her.
💚💚Hope you liked the chapter! What do you think about Ethan's strange attitude?