LOVING THE WRONG WOMAN

At about noon, at the international private jet terminal inside the Puma  Airport.

The runway was clear at this time of the day.

Reporters were everywhere, fighting over each other. 

They wanted to cross the barrier set up by the airport security in their quest to get words from the man who had just come down from the jet. 

No one dared make a sound as everyone waited anxiously for the door of the jet to open.

Even the reporters who had been shouting moments ago suddenly fell quiet. 

When the door eventually opened, a very tall, handsome man stepped out slowly.

The atmosphere outside seemed to tense immediately.

He was in a dark suit that fit him perfectly. 

The sunglasses on his face made it difficult for any one to guess his expression. 

The moment he stepped out, his bodyguards formed a line on both sides. 

With the stern presence of the body guards, it was difficult for any one to go close.

In spite of that, the reporters were flashing their cameras non-stop.  

Some were shouting his name; 

“Sir Eric Edison, our city is privileged to be graced by your presence!” a reporter shouted.

“Sir Eric Edison, how does it feel to be among the richest men in the continent?” another reporter asked quickly. 

Eric did not bother answering them. 

His expression remained without any emotions as he walked forward, surrounded by his bodyguards.

Suddenly, one reporter managed to slip past the security.

“Sir Edison, word has it that you are here for someone special.”

Eric paused mid-step.

For the first time since arriving, his expression changed slightly behind the sunglasses.

“Yes,” he answered curtly.

The crowd went silent for a brief moment, surprised that he had responded. 

Then he added in a husky voice, “I am here for someone special. For a girl who saved my life seventeen years ago.” 

“Who is the lucky lady?”

“Seventeen years is a long time. How will you identify her when you see her?”

“Do you still remember her face?”

Questions came one after another, but Eric had already started walking towards his cars. 

Without another word, he entered one of his fleet cars, and the door shut firmly behind him, cutting off the noise of the reporters.

The convoy drove off immediately.

Eric Edison had recently been ranked among the richest men in Silversprings.

His name carried weight everywhere, and his presence alone was enough to draw such attentions.

Seventeen years ago, when he was still a boy, he had traveled to Puma to visit his maternal grandmother.

One afternoon, while playing near a quiet area, he fell into a deep pond. 

His ball fell into the pond and he went to pick it up, but he slipped into the pond.

Swallowing mouthfuls of water as panic filled his chest.

His small hands pushed desperately against the surface, but he could not stay afloat.

Just when all hope seemed lost for him, a little girl jumped in without hesitation.

Her name was Tessera Stone

She was only eight years old then, but she dragged him out with all her strength, since she knew how to swim. 

By the time help arrived, she was already pulling him toward safety.

Eric was rushed to the hospital and later recovered.

Eric was thirteen  years old  at the time.

And from that day on, he never forgot the girl who saved his life.

He gave her a small pendant with his family name on it while making her a promise.

Before giving it to her, young Eric held the pendant tightly before placing it in her hand.

“I will come back for you on my thirtieth birthday,” he said seriously.

“Keep this and wait for me.”

 Tessera Stone has been keeping the pendant till now. She kept it through school and everyday life and she never for once forgot the boy who gave her the pendant. 

Now Tessy Stone has grown into a very beautiful young lady.

Her long black hair fell smoothly down her back, reaching her waist and  

Her  big cat-like deep blue eyes were expressive and mesmerizing, framed by long eyelashes.

She had an alluring figure, the kind that made people turn their heads without even realizing it, then look again just to be sure of what they had seen.

Wherever she went, she naturally drew attention without trying. She kept her distance from men and refused to enter into any relationship because of the boy. 

Tessy usually wore two necklaces. One belonged to her late mother.

 The other was the pendant from the boy whom she once saved his  life. 

Today was the 30th birthday of the boy. It means she had worn it for seventeen years.

 This morning, sunlight came through the large windows of their apartment. The room was simple and clean.

There were a few items on the table, and the smell of breakfast still came from the kitchen.

Tessy stood near the sofa, gently rubbing the pendant between her fingers.

Her heart felt strangely restless this morning.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking about today, wondering if the boy will come.

“Turning to her younger sister,  she said 

“ Jessy, please come with me. I  want to buy gifts for my future husband. Today is his thirtieth birthday.”

“He said he would come back for me today.”

Jessica looked up from her phone and stared at her sister. 

 Jessica stared at her sister for a few seconds before laughing softly.

“A promise from seventeen years ago?”

 “And you still believe it? You don’t even know where he is or what he is doing now?”

She leaned back slightly.

“And if he does show up, are you really going to marry him just like that? You don’t even know what he looks like anymore.”

“People change a lot in seventeen years.”

Jessica continued, her tone full of concern now.

“What if he is struggling in life? What if things did not go well for him? Are you still going to marry him no matter what?” Jessica questioned.

Tessy hesitated before answering.

“I don’t care about that, It doesn’t matter to me what his life looks like now. He kept his promise. That means he still has me in mind, and that is enough reason for me to go with him.”

Tessy looked at her sister. Lowering her eyes briefly before answering softly.

“If he comes back and asks me to marry him, I will marry him.”

Her fingers tensed slightly around the pendant.

“I decided that a long time ago.”

Jessica sighed. She didn't like the idea, but it is none of her business anyways. 

“Alright,” she said after a moment.  “I wish you good luck big sisi.”

It has been a long time but she still believed he would come.

They left the house and took a taxi to the biggest shopping mall in Puma. 

Tessy had been saving money for a long time. 

She did not spend it on anything else because she kept it for this day.

Inside the mall, people were walking around and shopping.

 Some were talking, some were eating, and some were just moving from one shop to another.

After buying the gifts she had in mind for her future husband, Tessy stopped when she saw a necklace in the jewelry store that she liked. 

“I want to try this one,” she said.

She took off the two necklaces she was wearing and gave them to Jessica.

 “Hold these for me, let me try this necklace out.”

Jessica held them in her hands with scorn on her face.

 She looked at the pendant again.

 Truly she could not understand her sister.

Waiting seventeen years for someone who might never return sounded foolish to her.

Tessera didn't know what her sister was thinking, she just went ahead to try the necklace that had captured her attention.

She looked at herself in the mirror, then removed it again. 

She asked the shop assistant about the price and they bargained quietly.

After a while, she turned to Jessica.

 “I’m going to the toilet,” she said, then she walked away.

Jessica stayed there, still holding the two necklaces. 

She turned them slowly in her hands. One was the pendant Gladies; there  mother had given to Tessera before her death. 

The other was the pendant Tessy had kept for seventeen years. Which was the reason why she was here today. 

Jessica hissed at her sister’s fairy dreams. ‘Wasting her time waiting for someone who is not waiting for her.’

At that moment, the main doors of the mall opened.

A tall man walked in.

The mall was  still busy, people were moving in and out of shops.

 Eric Edison walked in, his shoes made a light sound on the floor as he moved. 

His  bodyguards followed him at a short distance.

He was on his way to the Stone house, but he stopped at the mall first to buy more gifts.

 He felt that the gifts he had bought for her were not enough, so he decided to buy more.

As he walked, he spoke quietly to his assistant. “We are going to get more gifts for my girl. I don’t think the ones I bought are enough.”

The assistant nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said. 

As Eric turned a corner, his eyes landed on a young woman holding a pendant. 

Eric’s footsteps slowed immediately.

His eyes locked onto the pendant in the young woman’s hand.

For a brief second, even his breathing seemed to pause.

 It was the same family heirloom he had given to a girl seventeen years ago.

For a moment, he stopped walking.

He did not remember her full name.

 He only remembered that it ended with ‘ssy.’

Eric stared at the pendant again, his chest clenched unexpectedly.

After seventeen years, he had finally found it.

His voice came out lower than before.

“…Ssy?”

He took another slow step closer.

“…ssy?”