chapter 12: Picture perfect
"I have to go" the black haired girl told Liam and left.
Liam wanted to say something when their host approached them. He was a man in his early thirties with black hair.
"Hey, Asher…I am sorry. I didn't know your brother, Liam was going to be here"
"Half brother" Asher quickly corrected but he didn't fail to notice the horrified look on Eden's face.
"Brother?" Eden whispered.
She turned around and walked away.
Eden couldn't believe what she had just heard. She didn't want to believe it but somehow she was standing outside on the cold balcony and she was staring into the pool. Her mind, distance away and memories flashing through her eyes.
It made her sad to say the least.
Eden stood alone on the balcony until another young girl came out too.
She remembered the black haired girl. She had been Liam's arm candy until Asher started talking about the gnarly disease.
"So, you are Eden?" The girl spoke as she leaned her petite frame against the balcony's railing.
She was a pretty girl.
"Yes. I see Liam talks about me even after all these years. Maybe what they say is true after all. First love is hard to forget" Eden said.
"He doesn't…talk about you, I mean. I just remember you from the news and the gossip going around our social circle. I am Micah Stevens"
The girl said her name like it was supposed to put the fear of the lord in Eden.
Micah Stevens?
The name didn't ring a bell for Eden.
"... daughter of Johnnie Stevens, the oil magnate? Anyway, I just came out to tell you that you can't have Liam back. He's mine now" Micah Stevens declared.
"And yours, he shall remain Ms Stevens but I don't see a reason why you had to bother Ms Powell about it"
Eden turned around to the voice behind them and so did Micah. It was then Eden caught a glimpse of the necklace on Micah's necklace.
She ignored Asher Angelwings and focused on the girl's neck. Micah was wearing a wine color dress with a wide slit. Eden took a step closer.
"Where did you get that necklace?" Eden's voice shook just a little bit.
"Not that it's any of your business but Liam gave it to me. Do you love it? It's quite expensive, I believe" Micah told her with an arrogant smirk.
"I know it's expensive because It belonged to my mother, Savannah Powell" Eden told the little spoiled brat.
Asher watched them with the curiosity of a bored cat. Maybe this would finally make Eden take an action and protest against something.
He waited for the explosion because Asher knew if the role was reversed and he was the one face to face with someone in possession of his dead mother's jewelry, they would be drooling with blood as of that moment.
He took a step forward and tilted his head to the side and he waited.
Damn it! Say something!
He wanted to yell at Eden.
"It can't be your mother's, Eden, Liam gave it to me" Micah insisted and she enclosed the necklace pendant with her hand like she was trying to protect it from the likes of Eden.
"It's easy enough to verify. Her initial P.S was engraved at the back of the pendent by my father. Did I forget to tell you that it was an anniversary gift? Just check the back of the pendent"
Eden watched as Micah turn the pendant to check for the proof of Eden's accusation. She watched Micah so closely that for a moment she forgot to breathe in air.
"Oh! I guess you are right. There it is…an initial, P.S. it's cute" Micah said and chuckled.
"May I have it back please? It meant a lot to my mother, Micah" Eden stretched out her hand to Micah to hand it over.
Micah took a step back.
"I can't, Eden. It was a gift from Liam"
"Just give it to me" Eden insisted.
"Why should she?" Asher asked her.
"Stay out of this, Mr. Barrington" Eden told him.
"I think you're confusing me with my douchebag half brother, Ms. Powell" Asher answered. He was very good at keeping his emotions caged or Eden would have seen the angry man behind the mask when she called him Mr. Barrington.
"Just give it to me, Micah. You know it's the right thing to do" Eden took another step closer to Micah.
She couldn't believe she would finally have one thing belonging to her mother to hold on to.
She saw Micah attempt to take the necklace off and Eden's heart leaped in Joy. She waited with clear anticipation on her face, she waited until she saw the wicked grin on Micah's face.
"Dream on, loser" Micah turned and walked away.
Eden turned away to hide the tears that fell down her cheeks from Asher. There was no need for him to be privy to her sorrow.
"If you wanted it so badly why didn't you just take it?" Asher asked her. He was furious on her behalf.
"Because you can't go around taking things from people by force, sir. It…not right to have something taken away by force, so why should I do it to someone else?"
Eden wiped her face with one hand.
"Give me a second and you shall have your mother's necklace back" Asher turned to go after Micah but Eden stopped him.
"Aren't you and your family tired of taking things from people? What are you even doing here, Mr. Barrington?"
Asher finally lost his temper. He grabbed her shoulders and his eyes flamed with fury. Eden was shaken.
"Stop calling me that! It's Angelwings. Do you really think that being all nice and good will get you what you want? Hell no!"
"How would you know? You've been nothing but a thug your whole life, Asher, always taking…always with the threats…always with the power! What do you know about what's right and wrong? You are a mafia boss, do you think I don't know that? I googled you" Eden yelled back at him.
"I might be the devil himself but guess what, I am not the one crying because someone took something that belonged to me away. Grow some back bones, Eden because if you keep being this picture perfect girl that's so full of goodness, sooner than later, someone would toss you out of the gate and will hand you a wad of cash and off you go to find your mother's decomposing corpse in a locked bedroom and you are fifteen years old!"