Something That Is Love

CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

~In love, and a little drunk~

CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

Scarlett stared at herself in the mirror.

Big blue eyes stared back at her, roamed around on her face, checking for any imperfectness, to her hair neatly tied in a ponytail. They slid down to her figure then, assessing the deep v neckline of her black, bodytight jumpsuit, gliding down to her hips where the material clung to them like second skin, and then to her shiny new black ankle strap three inches heels. They snapped back up, finally staring back at her.

Was she too overdressed?

The worker in that mall did say it could be worn as officewear.

But…

Will Ethan like it?

No! I do not need his approval to anything! I am a strong, independent woman, and I don’t need any man to approve what I am wearing! Especially the one with dark hair and hazel eyes and lips to die—

Scarlett huffed out a breath, then proceeded to get out of her suit.

After struggling with its button in the back, Scarlett decided that she was going to office wearing that dress only, the reason solely being that she couldn’t get out of it.

Someone snorted in the back of her mind.

If she heard it, Scarlett chose to ignore it, and with one last look at herself and fixing her ponytail a little, she was on her way to work.

She had spent her entire weekend away eating chips, watching movies and thinking about Ethan while being snuggled up in blankets. Nikita had called her up sometimes after Ethan left on Friday to inform that she would be spending the entire weekend with Miccah. And while she was happy was Nikita, she was also jealous of how practical Nikita was, not letting her past ruin her present, or at least coping better than her. That and how Miccah seemed to accept all of her.

Ethan on the other hand… he just gave up.

Although she knew that the comparison was invalid since Miccah didn’t have a brother that was Nikita’s first love and the very person who sold her to a s*x racket, it did help her keep hating Ethan.

She had once let him in, opened her heart to him, only for it to be shattered by a single blow. The hurt and pain and anguish she felt when Ethan had told her they couldn’t work, was something she never wanted to experience gain, she didn’t have enough pieces of her heart left to be broken again.

And then he had the nerve to barge into her apartment—that also without her permission—and declare that he wanted a relationship with her!

He had no right to do that, nor did her stupid heart have the right flip around like a lovesick puppy at those words!

And the worst part, not even for one second did the thoughts of Ethan leave her traitorous mind!

And the following morning, whether she wanted to admit or not, she had dressed up for Ethan only, spending nearly three hours in prepping herself.

Reaching at her office building, Scarlett greeted the security guard and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button of her floor as she stood in the corner. Her stomach was in chaos with butterflies flying around and her heart was fluttering around, way too excited to see Ethan after two days.

As the elevator stopped on some floor, the man Scarlett met on her first day there, right in the elevator who was looking at her like she was a scum. She stared at him as he stepped in and the other people in the elevator made room for him and greeted him. He must be someone important. Scarlett thought. No one made room for me when I entered.

One weird thing Scarlett noticed was that he was avoiding her, carefully sliding in the opposite side of her even though there was plenty of space near her.

Huh. Weird.

Scarlett decided that he was intimidated by her and afraid, that was probably the only reason he was avoiding her like a plague.

The elevator kept getting less crowded as they went up to the higher floors and in the end, as they reached the last three floors, the only people that were left in the elevator were Scarlett and that man.

As they reached the last floor, the man still hadn’t gotten out. Usually it was just Scarlett who was left until the last floor, but she shrugged it off thinking he must have something to talk to Ethan about.

She was feeling uneasy enough, but her feet almost gave up when the man leaped up from his position and stopped the doors from opening as the elevator pinged and halted to a stop at the top floor.

“Open the doors!” Scarlett snapped at him and rushed forward, trying to open the door but the man pushed her back, making her stumble in her heels.

A little scream left her mouth as she was pushed back to the wall, the man was pinning her arms, and put his leg between hers so she couldn’t move and leaned closer.

“Violet.”

One word. Just one word and Scarlett’s world crashed around her, making her eyes widen as she stared at the man in shock.

If he knew that name, he certainly knew who she was.

As if the man sensed her discomfort, he smirked and pushed harder, his fingers digging in her arms like knifes. “You have some nerve to still be working here. “

His expression turned murderous and he dug his nails in Scarlett’s arms a little more deeper, making her hiss out in pain. She tried to open her mouth but he was quick as he slapped a hand on it, making a loud sound as it connected with her skin.

Scarlett started struggling against him, growling and grunting in pain as she tried to bite his hand. Her heart was hammering wildly in her heart, her mind was on a whirlwind and she felt sick in her stomach, the butterflies long gone.

He knew who she was, and he was threatening her for still be working here!

If her mind was functioning properly, she would’ve figured out who the hell he was but right now, all she could think about was that she wanted get away from there as soon as possible and never to see this man again.

Scarlett managed to bit his hand when he tried to press it harder. The man swore and let go of her mouth. Breathing harshly, Scarlett tried to push him but he again roughly pushed her back, this time crushing her with his weight. “You f*****g b***h! You think you are f*****g smart, huh?”

He let go of her arm but quickly grabbed her ponytail, tugging at it painfully as he tipped her head back, making Scarlett grunt in pain. “Listen here, and listen carefully! Leave this f*****g job and Ethan.”With another painful tug, he let go of her altogether and moved towards the door of the elevator. “Believe me, you don’t f*****g want to go back to your world, baby girl.”

And then, faster than the wind, he was out of the door.

All Scarlett could do was stare at the now closing doors of the elevator as she tried to regain her breathing. Her scalp was aching badly from all the tugging, her mind didn’t know what do and her heart, all it wanted to do was to run in Ethan’s office and let me soothe her pains away.

She suddenly lost balance as the elevator jerked, she didn’t even notice when t had started to go down, but quickly composed herself when three women entered. They all looked her up and down, taking in her attire, and as they twisted their nose and turned away, it was clear they thought she just had a quickie somewhere.

Scarlett quickly pressed the button of her floor again and stood straight, her face a mask of impeccability as she waited for the doors to open.

With another two stops, Scarlett finally reached her floor, and shot out of the doors as soon as they opened, not stopping until she was opening the door of Ethan’s office.

There he was, sitting in his chair, an intense, calculating look on his face as he listened to the person sitting across from him.

His face was an instant relief for Scarlett, being in seeing distance to him somehow assured her heart that she was safe now, nobody could dare touch her when she had Ethan by her side.

Ethan looked up at the sound of the door opening, along with the man, the same man who had threatened her not long ago. He smirked at her discretely, making her go even paler when Ethan stood up from his chair.

As if Ethan could sense that she needed him by her heavy breathing and pale as a ghost face accompanied with her disheveled attire, he regarded her for moment before turning to that man and giving him a fake but friendly smile. “We will discuss it later, Marcos. You may leave.”

“Alright. I’ll get working on the new recruitments in the mean time.”

Ethan was him a curt nod, his eyes flitting back to Scarlett as she watched them, still pale in the face, her feet stuck in their place.

Marcos stood up, and kept his eyes on Scarlett the entire time he walked towards the door, towards her with a cruel glint in them. He stopped when he reached her however, making Scarlett step back a little, and nodded at her. “Ms White, good morning.”

Dumbstruck, Scarlett kept staring at him until he was out of the door, closing it behind him.

“You are thirty five minutes late, Ms White.” She jerked at Ethan’s voice, turning to face him as he stared at her.

“I…”

Ethan walked around his desk and to Scarlett, stopping at a respectable distance. “You realize you should have been here while this meeting was taking place? I will be forced to deduct your salary if you keep lacking in your job.”

This man! Couldn’t he see how distraught she was? Scarlett seemed to forget all that happened earlier as she fumed at him. “You are a jerk!”

“Disrespecting the boss, I see.” Ethan scratched his chin as he regarded her, his intense boring into hers. “This can cost you your job.”

Marcos’s threat echoed in Scarlett’s mind, and her eyes widened. She had almost forgotten that had happened not even thirty minutes and that all because of Ethan. He made her forget.

She couldn’t say anything as she stared at him, her face gaining back its colour.

And she knew, she knew that Ethan knew something happened to her. It was his way of making her forget, even if for a moment, to help her make her pain go away. Weird way of showing he cared, and damn Scarlett if she didn’t feel grateful that he didn’t hound her.

Ethan’s eyes softened after a moment, his shoulders slouched down s he sighed. “Are you alright, Ms White?”

She could’ve said no, she could’ve told him it was no big deal, or she could’ve told him the truth, begging him to take her in his arms. But being who she was…

“Well,” She drawled out, crossing her arms—she didn’t miss the way Ethan’s eyes darted to her very visible cleavage, now more prominent than ever with the deep v of her dress. “I was fine up until I saw your lovely face, sir.”

Sweet as cucumber, she smiled up at him. “It is devastatingly ghastly!”

Instead of scowling at her she expected, Ethan let out an amused chuckle. “You

compliments never seize to amaze me, Ms White.”

Scarlett dropped her hands as she glared at him.

“Did you have any message for me?”

“Huh?”

Ethan stepped closer to her. “You came to my office to tell me something, if I am not wrong?”

“Um.” Scarlett hesitated. It was just an instinct that she barged into Ethan’s office. After what had happened, she needed some distraction, and Ethan was the first and only person that came to her mind.

But she wasn’t about to tell anything to Ethan, she didn’t need his sympathy. Or worse, she didn’t need him to say that Marcos was right and that she should resign.

“I… just—“ She didn’t know what to say, so she just shrugged.

Ethan let out of sound of disapproval at that and shifted a little more closer to her, close enough to make her senses evaporate with a whiff of his smell. “You can rely on me.”

The sense of relief that one sentence brought to Scarlett was dizzying. Scarlett found herself a little closer to spilling out the truth to Ethan and jump in his arms. She held back. She still had some major ego and pride left.

“No, really—“

Scarlett was cut off when Ethan caught her wrist and with a single jerk, engulfed her in his arms, wrapping her in his warm cocoon.

Eyes wide, and heart hammering, Scarlett stared behind Ethan as he cradled her head, holding her like she was a newborn baby.

It felt comforting. Way more comforting than Scarlett would’ve liked.

She could feel Ethan’s heart hammering against her own, their hearts beating against each other because of her heels as she breathed in Ethan’s neck. She could smell him all day. Woodsy, a little oceany and pure Ethan. Just how she liked it.

She didn’t realize that she was trembling in Ethan’s arms until he shushed her and started caressing her back.

“Let me hold you for a moment.” He breathed across her shoulder.

When she didn’t say anything, her hands limp at her sides, Ethan continued. “You don’t have to tell me, just… let me just comfort you, okay?”

Ethan touched hair, caressing them. Scarlett winced involuntarily.

“Ms White?”

“Hmm?” It felt good when Ethan started massaging her head, Scarlett snuggled her face deeper in his neck.

“Am I comforting enough?”

Scarlett’s eyes were closed now, the pain in her scalp replaced by Ethan’s comforting hands.

In reply, she hummed again.

“Ah!” A small yelp left Scarlett’s mouth when Ethan’s hands left her hair and shimmied down to her arms, the place where Marcos had held her pulsing with pain.

She jerked away from Ethan, rubbing her arms.

“What is that?” Ethan stared at the nail marks on Scarlett’s arms, his jaw tightening as anger filled him.

Scarlett glanced at him hastily before turning her gaze away. “Nothi—“

“It is something!” He burst, eyes wide in anger. “What happened, Scarlett? Tell me!”

Scarlett glared at him, her pain long forgotten. “You just said I didn’t have to tell you!”

“I changed my f*****g mind!” Ethan got in her face, breathing heavily, before sighing, and leaned away. “Just tell me who did this to you.”He demanded.

“No one!” Scarlett didn’t want to tell him, she didn’t know why, she just didn’t want to tell Ethan his employee cornered her in the damn elevator and that he knew about her past.

Baby girl.

A gasp escaped Scarlett’s mouth as she recalled Marcos calling her that. Only Sebastian called her baby girl. Could it be that Marcos was also involved in that s*x racket with Sebastian?

The realization hit Scarlett like a train, leaving all the breath out of her as she clamped her hand on her mouth in horror.

Marcos was just a messenger. It was Sebastian warning her to stay away from him, his family. It was him threatening her that he won’t hesitate in ruining her all over again if she tried to take his life away from him.

“Scarlett!” Ethan snapped at her, bringing her back from her thoughts. “Will you just tell me who the hell hurt you?”

“No one!” Scarlett snapped back. “Now if you will excuse me, I have work I need to get back to!”

She turned around, but before she could even the doorknob, Ethan had whirled her around and pinned her at the door, his face mere centimeters away from her. “I don’t like seeing you hurt, Scarlett.”

Scarlett stared into his hazel eyes, he resolve seemingly melting away. “I am fine.” Her hand itched to caress his cheek, she restrained it with great effort.

Ethan, on the other hand, seemed to not want to restrict anything for his hand landed right on her cheek, caressing it gentleness that had Scarlett’ s heart turned into a gooey mess.

He stared at her, drinking in the sight of her as if she was a sculpture made by the greatest artist in the world. His hand moved to caress the skin under her eye, shimmying down to her nose, gliding across her cheek and to her eyebrows until it rested back on her cheek.

“Are you trying to drive me crazy?”