Chapter three

Ethan stood beside his sister after she's slapped his wife right in front of him. A nagging feeling touched his chest at the way his wife raised her head and eyes filled with tears and anger fell right in his. Did she think he was the one that slapped her?

He watched his sister, Maxine continue to yell at her for doing something to their father. As if the man doesn't know what he was doing. He knew she was innocent in all this but why did she collect his father's money and married him?

Doesn't she know just how dangerous he was? Just because he refused to acknowledge her in his life doesn't mean he isn't planning on doing something ruthless to her. She is so small and her innocence makes him want to protect her.

Since that day at the wedding, the feelings within him that he's shut down long ago resurfaced when he saw the way she's looked at him. Like he was the only person in the entire world.

Her eyes had so much trust in them for him that he did not deserve and he hated her for that. She's managed to elicit sympathy from his stone cold heart, a first in many years. Whatever it was she is planning won't work.

They are all gold diggers but her father found a more innocent one to fit into his bestial life. And because of that, she is going to pay for his father's mistakes. She shouldn't have agreed to marry him in the first place.

"I'll make your life living hell. The money you collected from my father won't be enough to pay for your therapy sessions by the time I'm done with you. Watch me." With that, Maxine took the steps to go to his room.

They are not done with their conversation it seems but he is not looking forward to it anymore. He doesn't want to talk about his marriage or this lady in front of him.

He felt her eyes boring hole into his face and he looked down at her beautiful and trusting amber eyes that suck the ruthlessness within him. She was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks while she waited for god knows what with him.

Did she think he was going to apologize and console her? Fucking innocent and foolish girl.

"Stay away from me." He warned in that menacing tone he's always used to his father and saw her flinch like he's slapped her.

Making a look of disgust, Ethan took the steps two at a time and made it to the master bedroom where Maxine was frantically talking on phone.

He went to his desk and draw out his computer to check his emails. He has decided to be working from home since the wedding to avoid his father. The man is not willing to hand over the company to him until the contract with the marriage is over for a year.

Ethan is only looking forward to having the company because his grandfather built it and the man loved him a lot. He wants to make his grandfather proud even though he is no more. He is not doing any of this for his father, not at all.

"Do you know the girl had the audacity to cry? Like fucking cry! Do people still cry nowadays?" Maxine was screaming into the phone pacing around the room like a restless dog.

There was silence from her as the other person talked before she went on. "God knows what father was thinking when he decided to get her married to Ethan. That old man is not thinking straight."

"You're back from Paris?" Maxine asked and right then Ethan knew she was talking to Alice.

"No I'm leaving now. I have some work to do at the office but you can come and see him. He's at home." Soon after she hung up the phone and came to stand beside him.

She gave his shoulder a squeeze making him smile. She's the only person that understands him.

"I'm going now and Alice is coming. She's finally back after such a long time. We will catch up later." She kissed his cheek and left.

"Don't do anything to the girl, Max." He called out just as she reached the door earning a scowl from his younger sister but she nodded and left.

Back to his work, he continued answering his emails while Dahlia's face kept popping into his mind every few minutes. Furious at himself, he made his way to the bar he's made in his room, opened a bottle of scotch whiskey and poured in a glass.

He tipped his head back and finished the shot in one go then poured another until he was tipsy and Dahlia was out of his mind. He made his way back to continue working when sounds of high heels hitting the floor in that model like sound he was used to.

A smile tipped the edges of his lips albeit slightly but it was there. Alice is back after her long journey to Paris for the year's fashion show.

"Ethan baby." She called out as soon as she walked into the room, her tight dress stopped around her mid thighs.

She ran into his arms then pressed her lips against his in a welcoming kiss. Ethan grabbed her head and kissed her so hard, forcefully trying to block out any unpleasant thought going through his head. Of a certain woman.

After a heavy make out, they pulled back breathing heavily on each other’s face, lips sensitive. Alice smiled, her eyes taking him in like she's been starved for ages which isn't true.

Ethan doesn't know that but she's had her fair share of male models while she was away. She couldn't stay loyal when hot men were hovering around for a taste, she had to give. She left on his wedding day and came back just today.

"I missed you so much." She ground herself against him, her smile seductive as usual.

Ethan stepped back just a little making her hands fall by her side. He licked his lips, turned to the bar for more whiskey which he offered her but she declined. She's watching her weight because as a model, nothing shoots you down like losing shape.

"How was Paris?" He asked, gesturing to the chair beside him for her to join.

"Paris was great—" she was cut short when a woman walked into the room. A small beautiful woman that made her back stiffen.

Is she the wife Maxine was talking about? A scowl gathered on her face which made Ethan turn around to see what she was looking at. A look of surprise crossed his features before he made his expression blank.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?"

Both Alice and Ethan asked at the same time while a not-crying Dahlia stood in the middle of the room like a deer caught in the headlight.

He saw her swallowing, not knowing who she should answer first or how to handle the situation. He saw how her hands wrung together in nervousness as she opened her mouth to talk only to close it.

"Are you going to talk or not?" Alice questioned tyrannically in that her voice that make her inferiors shudder.

Dahlia raised her chin a little, the move not noticeable to Alice but Ethan saw through that and it made him amused. So the little foolish girl have fire within her after all. Maybe she is not as innocent as she appears.

"I wanted to ask if I can go out." She directed her words to Ethan, ignoring the taller woman asking her questions.

Ethan looked at her then nodded his head once. She quickly turned around and left the room, her head bent down low as if she wants to appear smaller than she already is.

Alice turned around to shoot daggers at him.

"Is that your wife?"

"I think that is pretty clear."

"Don't tell me you've slept with her, Ethan. This ugly girl is fucking below your standards. What are you doing with her?"

"I'm married to her, Alice. It is only for a year, chill out." He answered, sipping from his glass while staring ahead.

He remembered the first time he's met Alice was years ago when she had tried killing herself by trying to fall down his father's building. He was there just at the right time to stop her and she broke down in his arms.

That was the day his life had turned upside down so they had each other for the time. It was the closest he's come to feeling that night so he held her and listened to her rant her problems to him which he vowed to solve even though his own cannot be fixed like that.

She's wanted to become a model for a while but every auditioning she went to, she got turned down not because she doesn't have the looks and capability but her background. He promised to fix it and he did.

Alice is from a poor background, with unknown parents or family but he made her who she was. Since then they had this relationship and companionship. They met each other at their lowest times and helped one another find stable ground.

What he had no idea was, that meeting was planned thoroughly by Alice.

"It better be. I don't like her."

"Me too."