Hello everyone! I'm very sick right now so my already imperfect chapters might be more imperfect now. Please, try to read past the errors and I hope to get better soon and reward you all with a Mass release.
Thanks in advance for your comments and Power Stones.
★★★
Andrew had been walking behind them right from the beginning, listening to their conversation. Though he had not meant to eavesdrop, as he had only wanted to say hello and pass them by, their words about husbands had alerted him.
When he heard them talking about Shikera's husband or something, he could barely keep himself from laughing. He knew they weren't married so he wondered what they were doing. Did these two want to become actresses? They were having a fake conversation with their face so serious and they seemed very shocked when they turned to him now.
"I am not your husband?" He repeated, barely able to keep himself from bursting into laughter. The both of them had this wide eyed expression on their face right now like he had caught them red-handed talking about him.
"Mr Lane!" Shikera and Cyprian chorused, both of them having different feelings at the man standing in front of them.
Where Shikera was dissapointed that it wasn't Ethan, Cyprian was trying hard to keep herself from thinking of Andrew as Shikera's husband. Why else would he just appear at their back like they were friends before?
She turned to Shikera, "Is he the one?" She didn't bother lowering her voice as a part of her already believed that he was the one. This was also another influential person that could take care of Shikera so she was suspecting him too.
"Who?" Andrew asked, not sure they were still talking about the husband's matter.
Shikera hurriedly shook her head, glaring at Cyprian.
"She's delusional! Don't bother about her!" Giving the lame excuse, she pulled Cyprian's hand and walked to their desk which was now... occupied?! Did someone say they wouldn't be working here anymore?
Their Team Leader saw them before they could see her so, in her usual manner, she yelled out to them,
"Anderson and Leigh, come to my table and take the announcement on everything you need to know on the new arrangement of things here. You'll see the files of the new employees and that of the CEO's new position for you both!"
"Exactly how many weeks did we use away from here that there's now a new arrangement ?" Was the question reflected in Shikera's eyes as she walked to her Team Leader's table.
—
Darkness descended slowly, as it normally did since Ethan travelled. Shikera was deeply asleep on her bed in her Doctor's house, while the former sat on a couch in the living room, staring at the men before her.
Her brows were furrowed as she looked from one to the other. How could these people come to her house in the middle of the night without fear of a scandal or something?
"You asked her to stay here without informing me beforehand and now, you want to take her away in the dead of the night?" She asked, staring at the men in disbelief.
"Exactly as you said." Came the reply from Ethan, who seemed to be a different person from the one who came to the hospital with Shikera, a month ago.
"Why is that?" The doctor pressed, sitting upright. Yes, she knew these two people bound by a contract marriage, since all three of them were still kids even though none of them remembered her now; and she knew why each of them had to hide. But, the person she least understood, was this man sitting before her. He had changed a lot, so much that she couldn't bring herself to tell him what she knew.
Ethan simply stared at her, like he didn't hear her question.
"Since you helped me this time around, I will take it that I owe you a favor. Can I take her now?" He asked, staring around the living room as if looking for the way to wherever Shikera was saying.
"She's asleep. You wouldn't want to disturb while she's sleeping, right?" The doctor tried again, trying to see if she could extract the least bit of clue from his reaction.
Realizing her motive, Ethan turned to Raymond and nodded.
"You can get the car ready, Ray." He watched until Raymond walked out of the house before turning back to the doctor,
"I'll wait until she comes out... sleepwalking."
As if on cue, the creak of a door attracted their attention and he only waited for a few seconds before she appeared, cute and alluring, the same way he left her.
He stood up, taking long strides towards her as his heart rate spiked up. Getting to her, he slowly bent to lift her up in bridal style while waiting for her eyes to close. He turned to the doctor, his previously blank face showing a hint of softness,
"The Jordans are in town. As a Mega, you should be careful." He warned, before carrying his wife out of the house, and into the car.
It was the middle of the night so they were able to get home as early as possible, with Ethan carrying her out of the car the same way he carried her into it.
He carried her to her room, Raymond following him closely with Shikera's bag and accessories which the doctor had later come to give them in the car.
He placed her slowly on the bed and took his seat beside her, looking down at her face.
Raymond, who had dropped the things he was holding on her dressing desk, turned to his Boss and sighed,
"Will you be sleeping here today?" He asked.
"No, I am just trying to stall for as much as I can." His Boss replied.
"Alright Sir. Uhm— about The Jordans, do you think Miss Anderson is at risk?" Raymond asked again, trying to see if he had to wake up early the next day.
"I don't think so. Only those who were kidnapped as kids are at risk and...I don't remember the Anderson's being mentioned. You can go to sleep now, Raymond. Take tomorrow off."
Raymond nodded and turned, walking out of his room. He made a mental note of the things he would do the next day and at the to of the list was, visiting Cyprian Leigh's house again. He could smell trouble approaching and he wanted to face it head-on while knowing there was someone waiting for him.
———
"What the fuck?!" Shikera screamed quietly, if there was anything like that. Where is this place? She had closed her eyes to a white surface the previous night but why was she opening her eyes to a black one?
Since she had not spent up to two weeks in Ethan's villa before she suddenly started living with her Doctor, she was still not used to the place. Waking up here now was like when she slept off in high school and woke up after all her classmates had left; the place was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Slowly, realization dawned on her as to where she was and who could have brought her here, in the middle of the night at that.
Anger bubbling in her chest, she stood up from her bed and picking her slippers from the foot of the bed, she walked out of her room. He was there in the hallway, wearing an apron and a nosemask while cleaning a portrait which hadn't been there before.
"You came back, huh?!"
As soon as he turned to her, she raised the slippers in her hands and threw them towards him one by one, targeting his head.