THE PICTURE ON THE TOP IS HOW I IMAGINED ETHEN'S OUTFIT LOOKED LIKE :)

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"Her smiles are magic and her eyes are a glimpse of Heaven."         — jo

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I jumped into the shower for ten minutes after Connor left only to found a missed call from Jonathan's assistant.

And a message.

The guy with only bad news: Mr. Smith has some paper work you need to sign.

Me: I'll do them tomorrow.

The guy with only bad news: He needs them today, before your meeting with Mrs. Smith. It will be perfect if you come now. You don't want to waste your time.

Me: Okay, I'll be there by six.

The guy with only bad news: Great.

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"Good afternoon, Mr. Hendrix," Jonathan greeted me when I entered his office with a grimace on my face.

"What paper work are you talking about?" I asked, as I sat on the side chair facing him.

"You need to sign those—" he moved a couple of papers to my side. "—so that you can proceed for your meeting with her today."

"What for?"

"I won't do any harm with anything related to my daughter," he said firmly. "Just sign them so you'd go."

"As if I'll wait for your acceptance if I want to leave," I muttered under my breath.

I quickly signed the papers in front of me and stood up.

"Goodbye, Mr. Smith, "I faked a smile and escorted myself outside the room.

"Keep her safe," he called after me.

"Like you're protecting her here," I whispered and walked outside his mansion and into my car.

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I walked inside my mansion with my mind pleading me for a tiny bit of rest which I couldn't afford.

I cannot leave Rose just because my goddamn brain needs to...rest. Well, it wasn't only my brain, but every living organ inside my body.

I changed into the outfit that Connor had matched for me, and let me say, I was incredibly impressed.

A white shirt that was tailored to fit me perfectly, a cotton gray vest, my grayish cardigan that I bought probably two years ago, and my favorite dark wash jeans.

I know it's perfect because the weather outside was like...I don't know exactly but I assume polar bears and penguins can easily live here, now.

Really.

I held my coffee in my hand and walked towards the car shivering from the cold wind that suddenly hit my bare face and hands and created Goosebumps that didn't look good, at all.

I watched as a smile was drawn on my driver's face when he saw me enter.

"What makes you smile this evening?" I asked casually as I made myself comfortable on the leather seat.

"Nothing, sir," he started the engine with a grin. "I'm just excited for you."

Everyone inside my mansion was excited for me...like even more excited to see me with her than me, myself.

Which was creepy.

And weird.

And awkward.

And hair-rising.

And spine-chilling.

And blood-curdling.

Okay...maybe the last part was an exaggeration, but you get my point.

"...rix, wake up," I heard the driver's voice flow through my ears. "We're here."

"We're where?"I asked, fixing myself to a proper seating position and placing the mug on the side.

"The Dvanast Sny Restaurant," he answered.

I looked outside my window only for my eyes to meet a gorgeous looking restaurant, well, not that I expected something less than that.

"Oh."

I opened the door and motioned for the driver to drive back to the mansion. It will be torturing if I made him stay...although he said that it would be fine if I let him enjoy seeing me talking to a female in something other than marketing..

Which was weird.

I am not describing how it feels again.

I looked at the name embedded on the wall above the main entrance, cursive with gold outlining. The light effects were making it shine even more and set the whole mood of where I'll be sitting for the night.

I turned my head to the sides and examined the beautiful artificial waterfalls on the sides that worked as curtains so none of the people passing would see what is happening inside.

The doors opened for me and I directed myself towards the reception.

"Good evening, sir," the lady with black hair greeted me with a smile.

"Good evening," I smiled back, anxiously, then passing her my card that Jonathan gave me earlier.

She read it quickly then staring at me with a shocked expression.

"You are meeting Mrs. Smith," she stated.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" I cocked a brow.

"No, I'm sorry," she shook her head then scanned the card and returned back to me. "Your table is the second to the right."

I followed her directions and sat on the empty table, the sound of the people chatting around me filled the atmosphere, they were not talking loudly...they were whispering and I managed to catch fragments of how much people loved each other there.

There was no way I was doing the same.

Where is she? I asked myself after different attempts to get some experience from the couples surrounding me.

I pulled out my phone and clicked on her number, waiting to hear her voice.

"Your name," I heard a man speak, directly crushing my eardrum.

"Ethen Hendrix," I said, rolling my eyes.

It's her phone, people! She must answer me and not you!

"Hey," her voice flew like music from the other side, making me travel to my dream land in a blink of an eye.

"Hello," I smiled to myself. "Where are you?"

"In front of the restaurant," she said then whispered. "Convincing the men to leave me alone here."

"Let me speak to one of them," I said, after I heard the hint of frustration in her voice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," she told me, then I heard her voice as she said "My husband wants to talk to you" to someone.

It flattered my heart so much to hear her say that.

"Yes, Mr. Hendrix?"

"Leave her alone," I said, my jaw clenching.

"But—"

"I'm her husband and I'm telling you to leave her alone."

"Mr. Smith said—"

"And Mr. Hendrix is telling you to leave his wife alone this night."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Thank you," she told me once she got back the phone. "I want you to tell me where you are sitting, because I don't know how you look like."

"Okay."

"So I'm out of the car," she said. "What do I do?"

I laughed, "Enter the restaurant of course."

"I am in it, now," she giggled. "Where are you?"

"Walk in a straight line until you find the first table," I said, amused.

I heard her walk a few steps.

"Okay?"

"Take the first right."

"Alright."

I searched for my eyes for her. For a young lady with a phone pulled into her ear intently.

My eyes drifted from one to the another until they landed on her.

"Ethen, where are you?" she asked, and I smiled at how her cheeks and nose reddened from the freezing weather outside.

"I found you," I whispered, looking at her from where I was sitting.

She ran her fingers through her long, brown hair then searched for me.

"You did?" she asked, with an engaging smile that stole my heart.

"Yes," I stood up and walked towards her.

"But I can't find you—"

"I'm right here," I said, looking straight to her gray eyes that sparkled in a prepossessing way. A smile was drawn on her pink, full lips and I watched as her cheeks turned to a darker shade of red.

We both locked our phones and hid them in our pockets.

"Oh," she muttered, then played with the hem of her shirt nervously, her perfume invading my nose in a welcomed approach.

It smelled something like cotton candy, something I never thought a lady would spray.

I thought they only sprayed floral scents.

"Y-You smell like cotton candy," I said, then mentally slapped myself at how stupid I was.

What the fudge, Ethen! You smell like cotton candy?!

Really?!

"Y-You don't like it?" she stared into my eyes. She was inches shorter than me, and her face rose as she locked our eyes. Everything about her was so...different than what I had imagined.

"I like it," I said with a smile that she copied.

"Ethen," she said weakly and I felt my legs turn into jello.

"Yeah?"

"We're standing in the middle of two filled tables," she whispered then giggled, making me fall under her spell.

I looked at my sides and saw everyone, and I mean everyone sitting on the tables, staring at us.

"Oh."

She laughed even more that she had to clutch her stomach while she bent to steady her weight.

"W-What's happening?" I asked, smiling at how arresting she was while laughing.

"You're stepped on the man's feet and he has been glaring at you ever since."

I turned to face a fuming old man, who had his feet under my shaking one. He pulled his feet from under my feet and I lost my balance.

Like completely.

"Oh, oh," Rose said as she held me steady. Her hands were on my arms as she walked from behind me and stood next to me and in front of the man.

"We're sorry," she told him sweetly.

The man's face softened, "It's fine, dear."

"Let's sit at our table," she said, pulling me away from the man who started his glaring game all over again.

I nodded.

"Ladies first," I motioned with my hand.

"But I don't know where to go," she giggled.

I smiled.

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A/N

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Is this real life right now?!

Ahhhhhhh.

 Raghad.