Chapter 3

.Chapter 3

ETHAN

One hour earlier

Elena's question caught me off guard.

I had been ready for a lot of things from her. Silence. Reproach. Anger at what she had seen and mistook for something more between me and Vivian, but i had not expected those words from her mouth at all. I didn't answer, i had nothing to say and she took my silence as it's own answer. And then apologized for even asking.

She picked up her papers and walked out, and I stood there watching the door for a long moment after it closed.

I turned to Ethan.

"Move faster on the arrangements," I said.

He looked up from his tablet. "The divorce filing?"

"Yes."

A pause. He chose his next words carefully, like he wanted to be completely certain about what i was asking him to do.

"Are you certain, sir?"

"I just said so."

"I only ask," he said, setting the tablet down, "because the arrangements you've asked for are not exactly standard divorce terms."

He was right about that. What I had drawn up was a way for us to sever what we had and then build a new start with her, from scratch.

"I want to end the contract," I said. "Then I want to start again. Properly."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. "And the other matter? The question of how the marriage began?"

I movd towards the window, staring at the view outside the window, my hands clasped behind my back.

"You mean whether she engineered it." i stated bluntly,. saying what he was trying to say in less broad words.

"You believed she did," he said carefully. "At the time."

At the time. I had been so certain. One night that was a mistake at that time, followed by lawyers and a contract drawn, i had sat on the other end of the table, glaring daggers at Elena, certain that she had engineered all this.

I had been furious. And I had been wrong.

"I was blinded," I said. "I let the circumstances make up my mind for me." I paused. "I don't believe it anymore. I want to know the truth, and I will find it. But everything I've seen of her in three years—" I stopped.

What I wanted to say was that Elena was not the woman I had accused her of being in my head. She was more real than anyone i have seen, and i have watched her all these years give and give and never ask for anything in return, and has been a silent support by my side helping me without making it a big deal.

"She's a good person," I said finally. It came out plain. Almost inadequate.

Ethan nodded once. He didn't push.

"She's been unsettled," I said, moving back to my desk. 

"Since Vivian came back to the company and i took her in, especially with our history, Elena doesn't feel secure, that was why i bought her the gift, to tell her i see her and she is not invisible to me.''

"And Vivian?"

I sat down. "Vivian is difficult. She always has been. But her talent is real and right now that talent is exactly what this company needs. The board directors are on my neck, I need to make sure that Vivian gets the best treatment during her stay here and makes sure nothing goes wrong. Vivian is a business asset that I can't get rid of, no matter how it looks to Elena. All I can do is make it up to Elena later on "

"Sir, that is not good long term." He pointed out as I nodded my head.

"I know, but it works for now. The issue is something that needs to be kept secret and not spread about to avoid causing chaos"

The business had hit a wall. Not a full blown out crisis that would scare the employees but a minor crisis and the way to overcome it, was with her talents which was why i had insisted on bringing her in first, wasting no time. i did not want to scare Elena by telling her the criss the company is facing.

"The showcase is in a few days," I said. "Once it's done and the deals are in motion, I'll sit down with Elena. I'll explain everything. Vivian. The company almost fell into bankruptcy and why she was needed. I know the history between Vivian and I and how it might look towards Elena but I'll tell her the truth then. All of it."

It wasn't the right order of things but it was more feasible for me like this and i believed it, despite knowing i was taking the cowardly way out.

I heard the commotion before Ethan said a word.

"Find out what that is," I said as he nodded his head and left.

He was back in under a minute.

"There's been an incident near the secretary's floor." He hesitated. "It seems Vivian has been burned. Coffee, from what they're saying. They're saying Elena—"

I was already moving.

I came through the door and took in the scene in a single sweep. Vivian was cradling her hand, which was bruised and was surrounded by people whispering and pointing hands at someone else. BUt my attention was on Vivian's hand.

All i could see when i looked at her hand was; her debut in four days, right hand, concert pianist, packed house, business partners who would be sitting in the front row with checkbooks ready.

I made my way towards her, hoping this was a minor thing and not a setback that would rock my plans down.

"Let me see.

She turned her hand over. Red. It was not bruised too badly but it looked inflamed.

"Ethan." I didn't look up. "Call an ambulance."

The gasps around me were immediate. I ignored them.

"Adrian, truly, I'm fine—"

"Your hands are everything to you," I said. My voice came out harder than I intended. "You're seeing a doctor."

I bent and lifted her before she could argue, and she let me as i made my way towards the elevator.

.

Somewhere behind me, Elena said my name.

I heard her voice.  She said something else. About Vivian. About the cup.     BUt i was not paying attention to her, she was not hurt, Vivian was, anything else could be cleared out later.

I didn't stop moving.

The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside.

It was in the last second before they closed that I caught a glimpse of her through the narrowing gap.

Elena, standing completely still in the middle of the watching crowd. Her chin up. Her face was composed as always.

The doors closed.

I stood in the elevator with Vivian's weight in my arms and Elena's face burned into the back of my eyes, and I made myself a silent and completely useless promise.

*I'll explain everything. Soon. I'll make it right.*

The elevator descended.  I had no idea yet how little time I had left to keep that promise.