His wife glared in disapproval, and her eyes held a 'Are you daring to disobey me' look. Alexander connected the call and smirked at her before hitting the loudspeaker option. "I told you no phone calls during," she was saying, but paused as soon as she heard the voice. "Pleasant morning, My Lady," Hunter's cheerful voice sounded through the speaker.
Alexander watched while a warm and gentle smile bloomed across his wife's beautiful face.
"Are you fine, Junior?" Alexander asked before his wife could reply, and she looked at him frowning. "What's wrong? Is he okay? Why did you ask him that?" She asked, tone demanding for an immediate answer. Alexander playfully rolled his eyes. "Junior, answer my question and put your Mom at ease," he said, scowling at his wife.
Hunter took the hint and knew his mother was already worried.
"Mom and Dad, I'm absolutely fit and fine.. Don't worry about me. Everything's fine here," Hunter assured. "I called to wish you, Mom. It's your special day, and I wanted to cheer for you. Wishing you luck, Mom, you don't need it though. I know you'll conquer everything you put your heart into," Hunter stated, pride lacing his words. Alexander looked at his wife to find her eyes already resting on him.
He could see, along with her lips, her eyes were smiling too. Their son said the same thing Alexander had said, and they both meant it.
"Hey, fairy godmother, we want to wish you too," she heard Eric and Michael yelling into the phone simultaneously. "How are my boys doing? I hope you're all behaving and not causing any trouble?" She asked, grinning wide. They could detect the happiness in her voice. They said what she wanted to hear, and Alexander shook his head, smiling at their lies. He silently wished for the kids to stay safe and happy forever.
It was her special day because she would be launching a new set of diamond accessories, matching wedding jewellery for couples, designed by her. She would donate the money to charity. As a good, devoted husband Alexander would be standing next to her, giving his unconditional support and love. He would accompany her and attend the launch event as well as the press meet. He couldn't be any more proud.
Though he'd postponed all his meetings for the day, Alexander couldn't wait to reach his office. But he'd to wait until the event ends because he couldn't let his wife know what he wanted to do.
It's time he'd that talk with Alastair's father, the scoundrel they call a King.
AT KENSINGTON, LONDON,
The weather was chillier than usual. It was a perfect evening to nurse a glass of chilled whiskey or brandy, or a cup of hot chocolate if one preferred a sugary treat.
In that cold atmosphere, someone's blood boiled hot with a raging temper. "Are you out of your mind?" Hunter yelled, not caring that they were in public and stood abruptly from the chair. Bianca flinched at his harsh tone. It hurt to be at the receiving end though she knew she deserved it.
"I thought we're through this conversation, Sunshine. Didn't I make it clear last time that there's nothing between Samantha and me?" Hunter asked, clenching his teeth. He was trying so hard to control his growing anger. Bianca caught his hand and pulled him back to his chair.
Not wanting to create a scene, Hunter obliged. They were attracting unwanted attention.
They were in London's most colourful pub the Churchill Arms, one of Hunter's favourite places to hang out in Kensington. The pub served the best drinks with a great Thai restaurant in the back.
From the time Hunter returned to his dormitory, Bianca was continuously throwing a tantrum like a five-year-old kid wailing for his mother's attention. She kept complaining nonstop that he went out alone to have fun with Hera while leaving his friends behind. The reason was enough to guilt-trip Hunter. He could neither study nor could he rest as Bianca didn't let him breathe in peace, pestering him over and over again.
She looked no less than a spoilt little brat crying for her favourite candy or a toy while she demanded him to take her out for lunch and dinner. Finally, they decided to go out in the evening and settled on the Thai food and drinks for the menu.
As soon as Hunter parked his black Range Rover, Bianca dragged him away from their friends, throwing an excuse over her shoulder that she needed to speak something important. Her friends rolled their eyes and went to the pub to order drinks for everyone. It wasn't anything new for them as they were aware of her usual drama. None of them objected because they were used to her, throwing fits all the time.
Meanwhile, Samantha secretly smiled at her with an encouraging gesture. Linking her elbow with his, Bianca walked with him arm-in-arm until they reached the far corner table. Mathew had already reserved the tables for them, which provided utmost privacy.
Hunter too knew what she meant by important talk. It would be her nagging about his priorities, especially about Hera. It happened every time Hunter invested more time and attention into Hera. For the love of God, he never understood the deal between her and Hera. Even his Goddess acted the same if his priority slightly shifted towards Bianca.
He guessed jealousy was the second nature for girls or maybe it's the default for them.
He wished they could get along. Sometimes it got too hard for him to juggle between his best friend and girlfriend. He didn't want to hurt either of them.
Once they settled in their seats, Bianca opened her mouth, and for a few seconds, nothing came out, as though she was searching for the right words to say. She was hesitating, he observed and smiled, gesturing her to speak. "Promise me, Ace, you won't get angry with me. Just hear me out before jumping into conclusions, okay," she said and requested him not to interfere until she finished talking.
Bianca continued to speak, and Hunter regretted letting her have this conversation with him. He wasn't expecting her to utter bullshit about Samantha's feelings for him. He shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place, but he'd promised her, and with great difficulty, he allowed her to finish her talk. Bianca kept talking rubbish while requesting him not to break Samantha's heart.
"You don't know how obsessed Sam is, Ace. I'm afraid she would harm herself if you dumped her now. Please give her some time to digest the truth that you don't love her anymore," Bianca said, pleading, she tried her best to convince him.
"For the record, I never loved anyone except Hera, and you know it too, Sunshine. Fucking stop making up things for God's sake. How many times are we going to have this conversation? You're not helping her but only making things more difficult for her by doing all this," he stated the obvious. His tone didn't cover up the irritation he felt.
Eric whistled and signalled them to join as their drinks and food were ready. Ignoring him, Bianca went on with her plan. She had to do it for Samantha.
"Think about it once, Ace. It isn't going to change anything. Everything would remain the same, and Hera would still be yours. All you've to do is let Samantha pretend to be your girlfriend like before. After graduation, we'll walk out of SPALEV High, and Samantha would go back to her place. All I want is to protect her from self-harming until then. Do it for me, Ace, for friendship's sake at least," Bianca urged him to accept her suggestion.
Hunter only shook his head in disappointment. She wouldn't understand the logic. Being delusional won't help Samantha one bit.
Hunter glanced at Samantha once and found her swirling the contents in her glass absent-mindedly. She looked lost and wasn't eating anything either. Meanwhile, his friends were chatting animatedly.
Evelyn slapped Eric's hand away, stopping him from stealing something from her plate. Michael was gulping his drink like there's no tomorrow. Danny was busy checking something on his phone. Bianca glanced at their friends and knew, Hunter was thinking about Samantha. Adding to Bianca's advantage, Samantha had pulled a perfect depressed face. Their plan was foolproof.
"Don't you think it's wrong to give someone false hope? Sunshine, it won't take much time for the obsession to turn into craziness," Hunter said softly still observing Samantha. Bianca scoffed, and Hunter's attention shifted back to her.
"Speaking of obsession, don't you think even you're obsessed when it comes to Hera? All you want is to have her in your bed. Maybe you'll get bored once you get her out of your system and it'll wear off with time," she stated with a shrug of her shoulders.
Hunter stared at her in stunned silence. After a few seconds, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and looked away from her.
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