GREY

CHAPTER 43 - Fire

Friday 18.09.19

I fiddled my clammy hands in nervousness, reluctantly waiting for her to arrive. I had intentionally come here a little earlier than the agreed time, knowing well that I'd need to relax before I meet her.

The woman that ruined Gray's life.

I was completely frozen when her voice spoke through the phone, my entire body even shaking. This was the woman that mentally and emotionally tortured my best friend.

I hated her to say the least, but when she spoke through the phone, I immediately felt small.

I didn't even know why she had contacted me, but her tone was full of authority as she requested to see me at this cafe today for lunch and me being a coward obliged before my mind was even able process anything.

Now I'm sitting here regretting the decision that the weakling side of me had made. My legs wouldn't stop shaking and I was tempted to text Gray or at least anyone of the matter. But I couldn't.

Gray specifically told me not to involve myself in his family problems and here I found myself doing exactly the opposite as I waited for the woman he hadn't met in years.

A part of me wanted to tell Toby at least, but I knew that Gray wouldn't want anyone else to know the problems he is currently going through at home with his father, in case they start worrying for him.

It was all a sticky situation and frankly speaking I don't even know what I was earning from cluelessly sitting here.

"Aria Clark?" An elegant voice immediately made me snap my head up. I got up from my seat in immediacy as a form of respect, as the woman that practically replicated Gray stood in front of me.

She seemed as if she hadn't aged at all with her features looking exactly like they were in the photo Gray had shown me. Her eyes were bright and the smile she was wore was truly charming.

"Erm yes, Mrs Carolina Stone?" I questioned, finding myself slightly breathless. My nervous stance was a completely contradictory to her confident posture and even though she was only less than an inch taller than me, I felt towered under her strong gaze.

She offered me a slight simper in reply before walking past and occupying the seat opposite me. I too sat back down, feeling my heart raise in anxiousness.

She looked so graceful and stylish even at that age, and the fear I had when I first met Gray's intimidating green eyes heavily resembled what I felt now. But she was nothing like Gray.

"I must say I can see exactly why he is interested in you." She spoke just as the waitress came by. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what she meant and who she was even talking about, but there wasn't any point in asking her since she had already started giving her order.

The waitress turned towards me taking down my iced coffee order on her book before dashing off, and a part of me slightly wish she had stayed there a little longer just to save me from this uncomfortable situation.

I awkwardly sat there, not knowing what to speak about as she stared me down. "So I'm guessing Grayson has told you about me?" She spoke, her voice laced with certainty as she placed her designer bag on the seat beside her.

I cleared my throat before nodding over at her, finding myself too weak to even say anything out loud. "What has he said to you?" There was a faint little sly smile stretching across her lips as those cunning eyes gleamed down at me.

I must say, it's pretty uneasy to admit to her that I knew exactly how she abandoned both her husband and her son, and although I wanted to plainly say something along the lines that she knew exactly what he has told me, I didn't have enough courage within me to do it.