Meeting After

Thane🎹

Avia: Means Grandma in Latin.

I knew she didn't remember me last night. If she did, we wouldn't have had the fantastic night that we had. My suspicions were confirmed when she walked into the restaurant and saw me. Her steps faltered, and the look of shock on her face looked comical. If it were under any other circumstances, I would've laughed.

I had to keep my composure and not expose us. It's not the time yet, which is all I could think about as I avoid eye contact with her. If everything goes as planned, it would come as a surprise to everyone or a shock to certain people. I could still feel her eyes on me as I looked down at my phone; she was probably wondering why I was here. Better yet, who am I? Whatever she was thinking about, I could see that it was deep from squinting her eyes at me to get a better look. Since this whole thing is to decide whether or not the wedding should be canceled, why would her one-night stand be here? Speaking of the wedding, where in the hell was this boy? He was supposed to be here already, and yet he was late.

“ Soraya, where’s Jasper? I thought you two would be coming together?” It's as if Avia knew what I was thinking, because she asked the right question.

With her questioning eyes still on me, I heard her say, “Didn't he tell you, we…” Before she could finish, Jasper walked in with a smug look. When his eyes landed on her, it was wiped off. Soon, it appeared.

“ What? Are you here for forgiveness?” he leaned on the chair, hand on his hip.” I will not forgive you that easily. What you did was shameless and reckless.”

“ Shameless?!” Looking baffled, she yelled at him, “ I did nothing to be ashamed about, you, on the other hand, are nothing but a scumbag.”

I leaned back on my chair to better view the show from where I sat, but my Avia wasn’t so impressed. Since she believed they were here to talk about the wedding and not to find that the groom and bride were fighting, that might be a problem.

“ What is going on?” My father and his wife walked in with Thomas behind them, looking just as confused as my Avia. However, Jasper's mother and sister seemed to know what was happening, as evidenced by their stares at Soraya when they entered.

“ Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Avia demand.

Taking a deep breath, Soraya turned to her and said, “ The wedding is off; he was cheating on me with my best friend.” She said in one breath, and you can still hear the hurt in her words.

“ WHAT?” Avia yelled at Jasper with a disappointed look on her face. “How could you do this? Soraya has been so kind to you.” The older woman looked so distraught about the whole thing that I thought she would have kicked him out of the family on the spot. Instead, she said very calmly, “Soraya, give us a minute, and we will give you an explanation.”

“ What’s there to explain? She and I fell out of love? That's all, “ Jasper simply said, and his mother nodded in agreement.

“ Love!, felt out love? , Do you even know what that word means?” Soraya asks him.

“ I do, you don't. “ He pointed a finger in her direction. “You're never home, always working.” He started to complain.

She started to laugh hysterically, and for a minute, I got worried for her, until she raised her hand and slapped the be Jesus out of my nephew.

“I'm never?! I'm never home because Im working my ass off to help your company, while you're having fun with my best friend.” She poked him in the chest, “to get everything ready for our wedding, so you didn't have to do anything, so you didn't have to stress about anything!“ Another slap landed. “ You don't have the right to make excuses for being a poor excuse of a man!, for being a damn cheater!”

Laughing, Jasper says, “ Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore.”

Sitting back down, she closed her eyes, and I could see she was trying to calm herself down or not cry. Once she was good, she said, “ This marriage is off.” She got on her feet and was ready to leave.

I can't let her leave or cancel the wedding, not right now, not when I've got a plan, or anything I have done to this point will be for nothing.

“ No, the wedding stays as planned,” I quickly said before rushing out of the room. I could tell she didn't like that, and she would want to ask more questions. Before that could happen, I went straight to my car.

“ Where to, Sir?” Eric asks.

“Anywhere but here,” I saw that she had followed me out of the restaurant. I had already gotten in the car since I knew she would come after me. “ Did you get everything ready, as I asked you ?”

My idea is wild, and I like everything about it. I lost her once, im not going to lose her again, not when she is right there for me to grab. My nephew's first mistake was cheating on her. His second mistake was letting her go; his third mistake was messing with my woman, and I will make sure he regrets the day he decided to hurt her. He might've been an idiot to let such a woman out of his grasp.

Over the years that I have been watching over her, I have seen a strong, independent, and confident young girl rise to become a beautiful Lady with her own business—a business my nephew is unaware of, and I admire that about her. I think that's what fuels my crazy idea, knowing that she could hold her own.

“ Yes, Sir, you don't have to worry about a thing,” Eric says excitedly. I've got everything under control.”

That's when I should be worried, because he gets excited and makes a mess, and I have to clean it up.

“ Sir, The Shaw has entered the bid for the land you want,” he said.

Damnit, I've been eyeing a piece of land since I heard the Sage put the project out. If the Shaws are in the bid, they will complicate things.

“ Keep your eyes on it, and whatever they offer, you need to offer three times,” I told him. Just as my phone vibrated in my pocket, I pulled it out and saw it was a text from my brother.

“Let's meet for drinks.”

That's code for you. You need to tell me what's happening.

My dear little brother hates to be in the dark.

“ Sure,” I text back, before putting the phone back in my pocket.

I lean back on the chair, my thoughts filled with Soraya, her smiles, her smell, and how soft her skin feels under my fingertips. I couldn't wait to get her back in my arms. Still, one thought scares me the most: the world sees me as a cold-hearted playboy. It's the image I created, but will she feel the same or have a different opinion?