Ace
2 days later...
Bang my head against the wall for this bizarre idea.
I gritted my teeth, questioning myself for the 652nd time why I even thought about this. Even Athena didn't know about this shitty meeting. What if she sees this and misunderstands?
The thought alone made me look around before another thought occurred and I cussed in my head.
She wouldn't notice, I was in a fucking disguise to stay ahead of the paparazzi. And Athena.
Mostly paparazzi. And Athena.
Oh, screw this. I hated every second right now, I should be spending it with my lovely wife. The world was looking dull. That did make sense, Athena wasn't here to make it colorful, duh.
And I had a person in front of me to make it extremely dull.
I broke away from my train of thought and focused my gaze on the cunning green orbs.
Eva had a scarf around her neck and a fairly large hat that almost covered her face. She wore multiple layers of clothing since it was starting to get cold, but naturally, it covered almost her entire form.
Obviously, she was this secretive. If one person recognized, she would be thrown in prison.
She even had sunglasses but I demanded them to be off or I was leaving. I need eyes to stare and to speak, whoever it was.
"Do you want to open your mouth or what?" I snapped but she just smiled, calling up a waiter to our 2 seat table.
Fuck this cafe. But their chocolate shakes are amazing.
"A cappuccino."
"An iced chocolate shake. Leave."
The waiter looked at me with a scowl at my rudeness.
It's been a long time since someone showed me that face, other than Athena. This was good news, it meant he didn't recognize me.
"Calm down Ace, the poor waiter did nothing." I gnashed my teeth together silently, glaring at her.
"You feel sorry for a man that I was rude to? What about me, Eva? What do you feel for the man you destroyed?" I pressed, staring at her coldly for an answer.
Eva simply lifted her chin, staring at me blankly before letting out an innocent smile.
"We are not here to talk about the past, Ace." My jaw ticked as I pressed my lips together to not create a major mishap in public. I took a deep breath to calm my insides, not believing I was actually sitting here without pouncing on her with a predator's intention.
"What do you need?" I asked casually, leaning back o the wooden chair as I looked at her.
Her cunning green eyes lit up, staring at me with a small smile. I never felt so exposed and vulnerable in my life, ever.
"Your company."
....What?
"Not the whole empire. Just half of it." Just? Just?!
That would be billions, and my endless effort and hard work.
"Go to hell." I scoffed, standing up from the chair knowing I was wasting my time with her. Why did I even think she had a solution for me? Why did I have a slight bit of hope she will regret her doings and help me out?
She was still that one psychopath. To think that I will give her my empire.
"Ah-ah-ah, not the right time to let that temper take control, Ace." Her annoying voice rang in my head, and I hated to admit how right she was. I turned around, staring into her smiling face.
That annoying smile. It wasn't even a smirk, which made her even scarier.
"5 seconds and I am leaving. Explain." She sat up straight when I counted 5 off, knowing I was fucking serious.
"No kid and if you want the kid you can, secrecy, marriage safe, no charges." She blurted out, making me stare at her blankly before sighing heavily.
This was important.
Eva smiled as she watched me take my seat, starting all over again. This shitty chaos.
"1. No Alan. I never wanted to let you know your kid was alive somewhere in this world. It's because of him you are here. So it's totally fine if you don't wanna see him again, he didn't like you much."
....that hurt.
"And in any case, you still want to see him, that's also fine with me, he likes Athena." Oh christ, what the hell?
"2. Secrecy. No one needs to know about Alan, or me." That was obviously needed.
"3. Your marriage will be safe if you want. I don't want you, your wife can have all of this."
"As if I am ever gonna push away her for you." I scoffed, but dread filled my insides when she smirked at that. Not good, never good. She didn't say anything on that, which got me even tenser.
Is she planning to break us apart?
"Whatever you say, Ace." ....bullshit.
"4. No charges." Eva smirked at this point, making another sick feeling crawl into the pit of my stomach. "The law will be with me if they ever know you were trying to hide us both from the world. One complaint, you won't see the daylight. Or maybe you will if your daylight is Athena. She will definitely be with you since you are married."
By the end of her oh-so-sweet speech, I was fuming. How dare she...?
"You will face the consequences of your words. Spit another warning, I dare you." I growled lowly, my face twisting in anger when I saw yet another smile.
"Easy with the temper Ace. As I said, all this would be easily solved. Give me half of your company." I kept my shaky hands under the table, so I had a bit less tendency to punch her across the face to wipe off that smile.
"Why the fuck are you dragging her into this?"
"You are the one who dragged her into your life, not me." Eva countered swiftly, making me see red.
Not even once did I, from the bottom of my heart, regret that I married her. Even during the first few weeks. She was adorable and amused me mostly although I covered that up with an annoyed facade.
And now, I wish I kept her away from my messy life. As much as I needed her I wanted her to be happy too even if that means not involving her with me.
"Think about it. You are a smart guy Ace, you know what to do." With that she got up, giving me the last manipulative smile before leaving the cafe.
How did life become so complicated after 5 years of silence and boredom?
I chugged down the cold drink with the thought, before getting out of the damn place. Should Athena know about this meeting?
.....something tells me no.
I sighed, before getting in the car. "Shane, drive home." I said gravely as he nodded from the driver's seat.
"How did it go?" He inquired quietly, giving me a glance through the back mirror as I took off my hat.
"Disastrously." I replied shortly, conveying the clear message that I don't wanna talk about it.
I miss my wife.
*******
"I can't believe you are taking me out." Athena voiced in disbelief, fixing her shiny black hair with that gorgeous cream-colored dress hugging her hourglass figure.
She hid all this under hoodies.
"Well, it's happening." It happened.
I loved every second with her. Her cute horselaugh, her dazzling smile, sweet gestures, sexy body with a mouth that can ramble about anything under the sun.
A whole angel in one body. We both enjoyed the night, so at a particular moment, we even had too much wine with the delicious dinner.
Third POV
They were drunk together.
Both of them stumbling on the sidewalk and holding each other for dear life, acting like teenage high schoolers who got high.
"We are so-hic-so drunk." Athena slurred, her head on his shoulder and clinging on his right arm which was around her shoulder. They were giggling and stumbling down the street to the car, almost tripping down the sidewalk various times.
"We are?" Ace slurred back, shaking his head to clear his gaze, finally noticing his white Audi car.
We were finally here after hours of walking, Ace thought. What he didn't know was his hotel was just 6 meters away.
"We aren't?" Athena asked with her eyes almost closed. Ace shook his head at her question, pulling her back as he made her look down to the ground.
"Look, it's not swirl- - oh yeah it is." Athena gave him a clumsy, unimpressed look.
"You aren't gonna drive, are you?" Athena mumbled, holding him behind so Ace wouldn't go to the driver's seat.
"I am not drunk." Ace slurred loudly, pulling his arm away from her grip but then almost ran into a pole.
"I wanna live with you for a bit more longer." Athena giggled, making Ace look at her with unsteady yet adoration-filled grey eyes.
He wanted her in his life too. Even though his ex-girlfriend showed up with his kid he didn't want her, he wanted Athena. His weird and goofy wife who made him smile. That's all he wants.
"Let's call Shane then." Ace fished out his phone from his pocket with difficulty since he kept hugging the pole at the same time. Somehow dialing the right number Shane picked up almost immediately.
"Boss? You alr- -"
"Shaaaneee! I missed you." Ace slurred into the phone, and almost immediately Shane understood he was drunk.
"Idiot, you didn't miss him." Athena hissed, taking a gulp of wine from the bottle she snatched from the restaurant.
"I didn't?" Athena shook her head wildly at Ace's question. "No, I didn't miss you Shane, I am sorry I didn't miss you." Ace said sadly into the phone as Athena giggled.
"Jesus. Boss, give the phone to Athena."
"No, say you missed me, and then maybe I will say I missed you because Athena is saying I didn't miss you." Ace rambled as he kept the phone close since Athena was trying to snatch it from him.
"Fine, I missed you. Hand over the phone to her, please." Ace pouted before scoffing and shoved the phone into her face, exchanging the phone for the wine.
"Hello, Shane? He didn't miss you, don't worry you and your wife are good." Shane sighed picking up on the unsteady voice of hers as well but then smiled.
His boss was warming up to someone.
"I will be there in 10 minutes, alright? Don't go anywhere, don't do anything. Just stand there like statues."
And that's what they did.
When Shane came to pick them up he almost laughed seeing the two standing like statues, Athena still holding the phone to her ear and Ace holding the wine bottle near his mouth.
Shane didn't want to miss this so he took a picture first, already weaving a plan to show it to his boss when he was sober again. He then guided them to the car before getting in the driver's seat.
Athena opened one door while Ace opened the opposite one.
"What are you doing? Get out, I have a husband."
"What are you doing, get out I have a wife."
Both of them said at the same time seeing through their blurry gaze that they had company.
"Jesus Christ." Shane mumbled as he started the engine and drove down the road. He couldn't help but smile as they argued before realizing they were talking about each other. They started showering sorry; and then cuddled while stealing kisses, giggling and being silly making Shane more determined to quickly drop them at their mansion.
He quickly reached the destination and they stumbled out, in each other's embrace as made their way to their room.
"You know something Ena?" Ace slurred and started as she hummed groggily. "I would be dead if you didn't say yes at the wedding." Athena paused and frowned deeply at Ace, who was dragging her to their room.
"What do you mean, dead? Were you gonna suicide?" Athena asked in horror, staring at her husband with unsteady eyes.
"I don't have the courage for that. Suicide takes bravery, a stupid kind of bravery so no, I would never do that." Ace mumbled, pushing her down on the bed as he closed the door.
"Then what is it?" Athena shook her head before trying to stare at him again. She knew something was wrong, she had enough consciousness to know that.
"I have no one, Athena. Why the fuck are you staying? Even after that bitch and my kid showed up?" Now Ace almost shouted in rage, throwing an empty glass on the wall as it burst into a million pieces.
Athena whimpered at the sound of glass shattering. She didn't like it when Ace was angry, she never did.
"Just.....leave me as the others did. You are wasting your time with me." Ace said, his throat had a huge lump that he was unsuccessfully trying to swallow down.
He knew he wouldn't be able to pass one day without missing her. He knew he was done the minute she actually leaves him. Yet, he wanted her to not waste her life, he wanted her to be happy.
What he didn't know was, Athena was happy only with him.
Athena looked shocked at what he said. She stared at him for a moment before rage started filling up her pretty ocean blue eyes. She shot up from the bed and strode over to Ace rather clumsily. She was infuriated when Ace said that, how could he just assume that she was bearing him?
Yes, she did, at first. But now, just like Ace, she needed him too.
She flung her arms over his shoulder lazily and without thinking connecting her lips to his. Both of them froze and pulled away, staring at each other wide-eyed.
"S-Sorry." Athena stuttered, and even in her drunken state, she knew Ace didn't like that.
But Ace wasn't gonna take that. "Kiss me. Come here." He rasped and his lovely wife automatically moved her legs to him, obeying him shyly.
Ace stared down at his beautiful gem, a smile threatening to pour out his lips as he watched her stand on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He locked his arms around her waist to hold her steady as she gave him a peck.
He wanted more. Ace dipped his head and caught her lips in his, moving them gently against her sweet ones. The taste of alcohol made Ace kiss her more fiercely, as his hands roamed her body. His fingers easily slipped into the dress she wore, giving her ass a squeeze as his hunger for her intensified
He wanted her.
___________________________________
I am sorry😅