An Interview with Mr. Ex

Chapter 6 : Satan's little sister

Chapter 6 : Satan's Little Sister

(present - In a restaurant)

(Jared)

"The moron, he's late, again. He didn't know how to use his expensive watches. Waste of watches and money." Jared almost cursed out loud. He sat in his car at the front of the restaurant, looking out of the window of his metallic black Audi that was personalized to perfection, with a frown on his beautiful lips.

Anyone who saw him now would stop, just for a moment, or more to take a look at him. He had always been someone who made people instinctively turn back to get just another small glimpse and he had always known how to make it work for him. The sharp aristocratic nose, the brooding eyes, the strong jaws, the small smile that could make your heart flutter, he was made for wild dreams a woman would dream in the middle of a cold night.

Jared looked at his Platinum Rolex once again with a brooding sigh. His dark grey eyes were narrowed in frustration as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Sir?" The valet approached him. Jared nodded his head no, and the man walked away to greet someone else.

I should just cut off or kill my best friend and be done with it... Jared thought with an irritated frown on his lips. Of course, he was being unusually moody today because of Jade Thompson. And also, Tom Foley was not easy to cut off or kill for that matter. The guy had been with Jared since they were in their diapers, and Tom was the only one who had stayed with him through every bad and good in his life. Tom had always been a true friend, even when Jared had been unbearable to be around.

Jared had acquaintances, he had business partners, and customers and clients, workers and assistants, but only one friend, who really loved him, except his family.

Without Tom, Jared would go raving mad. But then Tom was also the one of the few ones who could make Jared raving mad, next to that one person who should not be named.

He is my best friend, and he keeps me from making insane mistakes. So... he is helpful.

Not that you ever listened to his warnings... if you had, you could have saved yourself...

Jared Wilson, CEO of TechNets, one of the recently growing technology giants, fifth in the list of 'young and influential men' of the year by American Times magazine, third in the list of hottest bachelors of the year by Zealous magazine, had two pet peeves. One, being late. Two... women—or more like one woman.

Satan's little sister. She was everything bad about the world and everything good in it, too. She was always unpredictable and it had thrilled Jared, to learn, to know her. And then... it was a mistake learning her. It had taken years to realize how wrong he was.

He frowned at the thought of her.

She had shaken him to his core with just a look—he hadn't ever been shaken in his life. And with just a blink, he was wrapped around her little fingers and an almost shy smile. And then...then when he was completely, madly in love... she had shown him her true colors.

Now, he was rich and hot and women wanted him, his heart. But he didn't give two sh*ts about them and their deceptive smiles. As far as he was concerned, women were trouble. He could respect them, and even admire them, from a safe distance, but he wouldn't ever let them in his life or into his heart. Never again would he do something so idiotic and irresponsible.

He had suffered the first and last time he had allowed a woman to take hold of his life, his heart, his everything.

And that is all the incentive I need to never let another woman inside. My life or my heart.

His walls were built so tall, strong and no one could break them down. There was no place for any woman in his life. He was fine the way he was, single. Rich. Happy. OK, s***h the last part, he didn't know whether he was actually happy or not, but he was fine, he was not hurting anymore and that was all he needed.

I would never let another woman make my life a living hell like she-

His phone rang, cutting him mid thought. He answered his phone with a scowl. "You are still not here, Tom. You said the meeting was done at Seven. So why are you still not here? It is almost eight twenty, you idi*t." Jared said as he looked at the valet who was looking at him with a weird look.

"Calm down. I will be there in five minutes. Don't blow a fuse. Oh, and the meeting with Mr. Miller was a success. I know you haven't asked about it because you are very distracted with the thoughts of a certain brunette." Tom said with a chuckle.

Tom had been Jared's best friend for years and had always been a constant thorn in his backside. Now he was not just a friend, he was a partner in his business as well as a partner in crime. Not that they were doing anything illegal, but if Jared had to do anything illegal, Tom would be the first one and only one he would call.

Jared left his car and handed the keys to the valet and walked inside the small cozy restaurant—not at all cozy on the wallet—his steps stiff and regal.

His grey eyes shimmered in the fancy lights, with irritation and impatience. He looked into his watch for more than once before finding a way to his table. Heads turned around and women looked, stared, sighed, whispered. It was all too familiar and he disregarded it without even a look.

"Pinot noir." He said to the waiter once he sat down. "And some chicken cheese nuggets."

Tom was always late for everything. He had been late to every one of his birthday parties and he was late even for his engagement party. Not once in his life had he come at the right time. And yet here he was, waiting, just for only one reason.

To talk about Jade Thompson.

One fateful Monday morning, almost five months ago, Tom had sent a video of a local TV channel interview and Jared could not believe his eyes when he saw it. It was her. Jade. Looking regal and strong and proud. She looked like she had never made a mistake in her life and it made him feel like a loser. Like he was the one who made all the mistakes in his life.

He had wanted to grab her through the video and shook her until she shattered. Like he once was.

But he ignored it, the feeling of irritation and anger and loss and grief, and he deleted the video. He deleted it and downloaded it and deleted it again. But he did not do anything more than that.

Until a week ago.

"Mr. Jared, I am Isaac Brent, MIB news, and we do live shows every Saturday with influential people in and around NY. We want to invite you to our show, the Saturday after this one. Will you be able to make time out of your schedule?" The man had said and Jared had a flash. MIB news. It was where Jade worked.

He couldn't stop himself asking, "Who will be interviewing me?"

"Olivia Danvers. She is one of the best anchors we have and if you agree to do it, she will meet you to discuss the interview, talk with you about pre-interview questions and discuss about everything else. Do you want to do it, Mr. Wilson?" Isaac Brent had answered.

And Jared wanted to say no, of course not, but his mouth had another opinion. "Sure, why not. Just give me a call to set up a meeting before." He regretted it the moment he said that, but he couldn't take it back.

I hope I can meet you, Jade Thompson. I want to see how you smile and stand straight and talk like you own the world when you see me...

Jade. His heart hurt even now, when he thought about her. He was stupid to let her pretty face and those fragile eyes that always looked like they would break down any moment now, to fool him into falling for her.

He had had clear plans during college. Study. Work hard. Become rich and famous. Become someone people could admire and respect.

And he had followed his plans almost to a dot for two years of college, until he bumped into a freckled-faced, wide-eyed freshman girl. And then everything in his life became topsyturvy.

And then she had walked away. It still made him angry when he thought about the way she left him. She left his life, like he didn't mean a damn.

What about what you did? His conscience scratched on the inside, but he curbed its pesky voice.

He had worked so hard, so hard to come here, after she had gone—to fill all the holes she had left in his heart when she walked away—and here he was, powerful, rich, and still only half a man, still feeling incomplete and alone, and it was all because of her. She was the reason why he could never look at another woman and love her. Sometimes he missed the cold side of his bed where she had once slept, and then he would become angry at her for making him feel like that even after years. She was the reason why he was miserable even though he had enough money to buy happiness.

Do not think about her now. He thought to himself as he took a long sip of his wine.

"Hey man, sorry I am a bit late." Tom's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. Jared looked up at his best friend and then pointed to his watch.

"You're very late, Tommy." He said as he opened the menu in front of him with a slight frown. "Why do I still keep you with me!"

Every item on the menu would burn an ulcer hole in the stomach of people who worked for a paycheck, but Jared didn't even notice it. He ticked off items in a careless voice as the waiter faithfully noted them on his electronic tablet.

"Because I'm the only one who can take your attitude in high doses, Jar-head and also the only one who is strong enough to be your friend and business partner." Tom shrugged with a knowing smirk as he took a seat and looked up at the waiter. "Pinot Noir, for me too." He said before he looked at Jared. "Without wine, I can not stand to have this conversation with him, even though he is my best friend."

The waiter blinked and scratched his chin, looking fidgety and uncomfortable. Tom just shrugged with a smirk, when Jared glared at him.

"Everything on your menu sounds so pompous and I am not pompous. So could I get some old-fashioned fries and hmm, anything that is not too hard to pronounce? Like some pizza?"

"We don't have pizza, sir." The waiter looked like he wanted to cry or laugh or do both.

"What, you don't have pizza? OK, what is he having?"

"Confit de canard, bœuf bourguignon, and souffle." He said.

"Duck. You are having duck?" Tom looked at his best friend with a sigh. "Of course, you are having duck. Why am I not surprised?"

Jared ignored him. Not that ignoring him would stop Tom, but just...

"Get me some spaghetti and the souffle. You do have that, right?"

"Yes, sir. Is that all?"

"Another glass of this." Jared showed him the glass of wine and the waiter left.

"Okay, so let's be done with this so that I can get back to my fiancee, she had just spent an indecent amount of money on a new dress, if you know what I mean..." Tom wagged his brows with a salacious smile and looked into his glass. "I can't wait to see her dress."

"Yeah, yeah, I am sure." Jared grumbled. Jared really wanted to throw that glass of red wine at his best friend, but since he was made of sterner stuff, and it would be truly a scene if he did that, he didn't. "So tell me about the report from Johan." Jared looked into his wine and swirled it with a frown marring his features.

"Oh yes, that! I almost forgot it." Tom said as he took a sip of his wine and sighed. "Oh, heaven! This is delicious."

How could he forget it? They were here especially for that one reason.

"Tommy, stop pulling my leg and wasting my time. Just out with it already." Jared said with a huff. He looked at Tom, to his watch, and then he studied the restaurant in an impatient gesture.

"You called me, remember?" Tom goaded—he was enjoying this— as he took another slow sip, savoring the taste of at the tip of his tongue. Taste of the expensive wine and taste of Jared's nervousness. "You are too conceited to ever admit that this might hurt you. But... I am your best friend and I have to make sure your ego can not hurt you."

"Another day, okay, you can psychoanalyze me and my vanity. Now, shall we get back on track, Tom?!"

"Impatience, Jar-head. It spoils everything. But you are and were always that. Impatient. It spoilt your relationship with Jade, too, isn't it? I told you to wait. I begged you to not do anything..."

"Yes, you had already said I told you so a million times, Tommy. Now back to business." Jared glared at his irksome best friend. What would you do with best friends!!!

"Oh, okay. It looks like Jade is doing well since she left you, or maybe you left her, four years ago. I think she is married, as per Johan's report, and she has a son. She works at MIB as you already know, and she looks happy in the photographs. With her husband."

Jared's heart stopped for a second before it started beating again. Faster and louder. He curled his fist and he wanted to punch something. Preferably someone. He wanted to scream and shout. No. No. Not possible. But what did he expect?

After crying and blaming him for being an idi*t, for making assumptions, how could she marry someone else? She had promised she didn't love anyone, she hadn't cheated on him and lookie here... she was happily married.

Is it Nate? Or is this a different man? How dare she do this to me... I hate her.

He didn't know what this feeling inside him was... He winced as he gulped his wine down and poured another glass. Tom stopped him halfway. "That is enough for now," he said as he grabbed the bottle away from Jared.

"I hate her. I hate her. I want to make her feel this pain... I hate that she can move on, while I'm still stuck here..." Jared whispered. His eyes glowed dangerously dark in the soft glow of the restaurant.

"You don't hate her. This is why I didn't want you to do a background check on Jade. This is why I don't want you to know anything about her." Tom said and Jared felt something... something passing through him.

Defeated. Yes, that was the feeling. He felt defeated. Of course, he hadn't expected her to stay single after all these years. That was just unrealistic. But knowing, actually knowing that she was married and happy... without him, it made him feel like he was free falling from the top of a skyscraper. He hated that feeling and he hated her for making him feel like that.

I will not... you'll regret meeting me the second time, Jade. You don't deserve to be happy. You are the reason I'm like this...this half dead, unfeeling creature and how could you enjoy your life with someone else? How could you discard me and move on when I am still stuck in the same place where you left me?

"Do you have the photographs?" Jared looked at Tom and Tom looked down into his plate of spaghetti. Jared's duck was still sitting on his plate, untouched.

"Sorry I forgot to bring them." Tom said with a shrug.

"You did not forget it, Tom." Jared speared his best friend with a glare. Tom sighed, finally giving up .

"Okay. I purposely left it at home. I don't want you to see that. I know it will hurt and br-" he stopped, as if he was afraid to say it out loud. But Jared knew what he was coming to say. He didn't need to say it out loud.

"It won't do anything to me, Tom. She's nothing to me now."

"You're just saying that because you are too egoistic to admit anything. Even to yourself, but I know you Jared, and I was there with you when she left. Or when you stubbornly pushed her away from your life. To be honest, I'm still not sure which one is true, Jared, but still... I was there."

"I've to go, Tom, I need to process this. This is... I don't feel so good." Jared stood up, his hands fisted on his side.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry, Jare, but come on, surely you wouldn't have believed that she's still single, right? I mean, you hurt her. You divorced her."

"I did. But I hated every second of it without her, but she- she didn't. It was easy for her to move on. Did she even love me? Or was I just her way of breaking out of her cage? Did she play me? I still don't know what is true, and what's not." He was honest for the first time in his life, to himself and to Tom about the disaster four years ago.

He stood up from his chair, feeling slightly hazy and his legs shook. He swayed and grabbed the chair to support himself.

Tom's eyes melted. "Come on, don't go now. Just sit. You are not in any position to drive."

"I really need to go. I will call Robert, if I have to."

"Wait, I can drive you." Tom looked up at Jared, his eyes full of sympathy and Jared hated it. Jared didn't like pity or sympathy. He was someone who should be respected, admired, not pitied and here he was, being pitied by his best friend, all because of Jade Thompson. That Satan in satin dress. He gritted his teeth. Just her name was enough to give him aneurysms.

"No. I really need to be alone right now, but I will talk with you later, okay? Don't look so worried. I won't kill myself." He joked, just so that Tom wouldn't look so worried.

"Don't be an i***t, Jar-head. Don't talk like that." Tom sighed. "You should not joke about things like that, Jare. It's not funny."

"Sorry. I am sorry. I am just very angry right now and I know... death is not a joke. But I really do need to go."

"Ok, go. But I am calling Robert right now. And wait right here. You can have your time alone when you go home." Tom said, as he grabbed his phone and called Robert. Robert was their chauffer, but he mostly drove them when they had to go long distances for business meetings or when they were stuck at a party, half-drunk.

"And give me a call when you reach your home." Tom said as he took another sip of his wine.

"Yes, mother. I will." Jared said. "Even my mother is not this annoying."

"Yeah, yeah, she is." Tom shrugged with a smile and Jared chuckled despite himself. Oh, yes, she was!

Jared walked away, his steps a little short. His heart, a little shrunken. After Jade left —of course she didn't leave on her own, she left because Jared caught her with that asshole— the pain was too much, the loneliness was too consuming, and that was why he worked and worked and worked and worked, until he couldn't think about anything or anyone. Until he didn't feel pain, or happiness or the all-consuming hole in the place where his heart had once happily lived and loved.

He had detested every part of his life, after Jade left, stealing his heart and happiness.

But he had worked with a ferocity to fill that huge gaping hole in his heart and life, and that made him what he was now.

And knowing...knowing that she hadn't felt that hole, that she had found a family to fill that gap, it was a huge blow.

Enjoy your calm for now, Jade. I will storm your life.

___