Chapter 9

—THE NEXT DAY—

Ethan was on the couch; he was on a call with his mum, and his face was flushed from smiling too much. He was on a call with his family, and they were telling him about something that had happened, and he couldn’t stop laughing and also feeling guilty for sacrificing the love and happiness from this family for something that was never worth it.

“We miss you, Ethan.” His mother said softly on the other end.

“I miss you too,” Ethan whispered.

“Don’t forget to come for a visit someday, when you feel like it.” His mother said, sadness evident in her voice.

“I’ll be coming over today,” Ethan announced. The other end was silent for a second, just a second before everyone started screaming and jubilation filled the air; Ethan smiled. They talked a bit more, and the call ended. He stared at the blank screen and hugged the phone to his chest; Lucien’s voice interrupted everything.

“Who got you all smiles?” Lucien crossed his arms over his chest.

“And why do you care?” Ethan asked.

“You are laughing and smiling like a teenage fool who just fell in love for the first time.” Lucien raised his voice. Ethan looked at him and shrugged without saying a word.

“You haven’t answered the question, who was that?”

“Wait… are you really concerned with whom I was talking to, or are you just unable to accept that I’m smiling and it’s not because of you? Oh wait, I’ve never smiled because of you.” Ethan laughed.

Lucien was quiet for a while; he truly hasn’t really made Ethan smile, but whatever, he brushed it aside, “You told the person that you will be going over to their place today?”

“Any problem?”

“Just tell me who it is and where it is….”

“It’s non ya.” Ethan cut in and walked off; Lucien stood there frozen, fist clenched, he was vibrating. He grabbed his suitcase, scoffed and stormed out, shutting the door so hard it almost fell off its hinges.

—AFTERNOON—

Ethan was all dressed up. He grabbed his phone and the card he was given, looked at himself in the mirror and smiled, “Cute.” He complimented himself. He grabbed his chocolate scent fragrance and literally bathed with it. He had stopped using his favorite scent back then cause Lucien classified it as “choky,” but now, he’s wear it as much as he wants. After checking himself for the last time, he walked out of the house.

He got to the roadside; the sun was out and hot but not scorching. He sighed” I really need a car at this point.” He had once told Lucien he wanted to get a car for himself, but Lucien called it “Wasting money” cause he was home all day and didn’t need a car. It was his personal money, but he scratched the idea immediately to please Lucien.

“Dumb.” Ethan laughed at the thought as a cab pulled up at his side. “V jewels headquarters.” He said. The cabman nodded, and Ethan got in. He took out his headphones and had it on, closed his eyes and threw his head backwards. After a not-so-long drive, the cab came to a halt in front of V Jewels. Ethan alighted slowly, paid the cabman and stood on the spot. He took in a deep breath; the air here felt different and refreshing.

The headquarters rose several stories above the bustling streets, a modern glass building with the company’s elegant golden logo displayed proudly at the top front of the building. Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets and walked into the building. Without trying, he commanded attention. Every staff member gasped when he entered,

“Y..young master Ethan?”

“It’s really hun!!!”

“Where has he been all these years?”

“Who is he?” A newly appointed staff member asked.

“That’s the youngest child of the Vale family; he’s so kind.” Someone explained.

“And his hawt, cute type of hot.” A girl nearby said, using her hands to fan her flushed cheeks.

“Hola.” Ethan waved.

“WELCOME YOUNG MASTER!!!!” Everyone chorused and bowed. Ethan nodded and sighed; one of the reasons he kept a low-key shit was the bowing stuff; it bores him.

“Where’s mum and dad?” He asked one of the staff.

“Lucky enough, your siblings are here too; they are all on the top floor, in the president’s office.” She smiled; Ethan’s eyes widened as he nodded, skipping his way to the elevator. He got to the top floor, stood in front of the glass door he raised his chin dramatically, then turned the knob. As the door opened, he kicked it to open it quickly, then stood like the coolest person in the world.

“Who the hell….Ethan?!!” The president’s deep, cold voice came. Mr Vale sat on his black leather swivel chair; he was a man in his late forties. He looked strikingly handsome, his features sharp. His mother sat on the couch; she was looking so gorgeous and radiant, looking more like twenty-three than her actual age, forty-five. She sprang up first and ran to Ethan, engulfing him in a tight hug.

“My baby!!!” She cooed, ruffling his hair. Ethan also hugged her back, “Mama.” His voice was almost breaking. His dad stood up and joined the hug. His siblings also stood up, two girls and a boy, the joined in the hug, and Ethan was squeezed in the middle. After a minute of hugging, they all sat down, Ethan between his mum and siblings.

“How have you been?” Ethan smiled.

“Well, now that you are here, it feels good.” His mother said.

“Yoo, dude, I missed you.” Derick, the first child, said.

“Missed you too, bro.” Ethan dragged his suit; he knew Derick hated that. Derick was obsessed with looking clean and organized.

“That doesn’t get to me anymore.” Derick laughed, and everyone joined in.

“Baby bro!” Leah, the third child, ruffled Ethan’s hair, smiling mischievously. She was two years older than Ethan, and she flashed it in his face.

“It’s just two years apart, I’m not your kid bro,” Ethan said dramatically, and everyone laughed.

“Welcome, E.” Tania finally spoke, the second child, the most reserved amongst them.

“Thanks big T.” Ethan smiled. They kept chatting, asking about how he was and all; no one mentioned Lucien, like they knew something was off, and Ethan was glad they didn’t. They had lunch together, and at 5:00pm, Ethan decided to take his leave.

“When will you be visiting again?” His mum asked, her eyes going sad.

“Often, I’ll be coming here often.”

“Really?” Everyone asked at once, their face brightening.

Ethan’s heart broke; just by seeing him, his family was happy, and he had deprived them of this for years. He felt horrible but smiled, “Yeah.”

They all insisted on seeing him out, “Where’s your car? Tania asked.

“I don’t have one.” Ethan shrugged.

“You must be joking,” Derick said.

Leah looked around but couldn’t sight any car, “Uhmm, I think he’s not joking.”

“Wait… you take cabs around?” His father asked.

“Yeah.” Ethan shrugged again.

“What??” Everyone screamed.

“No, no, that’s not gonna work.” His mother said, pulling out her phone. She made a call, and within thirty minutes, a brand new car pulled over; a guy alighted, handed the keys to Ethan, bowed and left.

“I’ve got a new baby!!!!” Ethan screamed, jumping on the car hood.

“Be careful not to hurt yourself.” His mother said, worried, but everyone laughed. After all the talks and hugs, Ethan got into his new car and drove out.