Carissa stood at the front of her window as tears trickled out of her eyes.
She was the most pathetic person on earth, and she needed no one to tell her that.
For days after the failed wedding, she remained indoors, without an idea of what next to do or how to do it.
She was certain that she couldn’t hide under that excuse for so long because the doctors already confirmed that she was doing great and only needed to rest for a couple of days.
And subsequently, she is expected to put forth another date for her wedding.
She sniffed hard when she realized that it was a burden which she alone understood. It was her cross to carry and somehow, she wished that someone could understand.
Her door knob turned and immediately, she cleaned the tears off her face and wore her usual pretentious smiley face.
“Carissa”, Mrs. Williams called out as she walked towards her with a giant smile on her face.
“I thought you were taking a nap or something like that”, She added, while Carissa smiled and shook her head negatively.
“I was only looking out of the window”, Carissa replied and strolled back to her bed, while her mother stayed still to stare out of the window.
“The window?”
“Yes, the window”, Carissa replied as she gestured for her mother to come over to the bed.
“Do you think of anyone when staring at the window? Stan?” Her mother asked as a huge frown made its way to her face.
She was aware of the love her daughter shared with Stan and how the both of them had flourished in love some years ago.
However, she was always convinced that Stan was never the one for her, and her heart was gladdened the moment Ethan stepped into the picture.
“Stan? No!” Carissa said immediately, with her heart beating out of her chest.
The last thing she wanted currently was to let anyone know that Stan had returned to the picture.
Presently, she needed to handle it alone, after which she would decide.
Mrs. Williams caught a glimpse of a paper laying in the trash can.
She squinted her eyes and strolled towards it, with Carissa’s heart beating out of her chest.
“That is nothing, mum!” Carissa chimed in, silently wondering why she didn’t dispose it through other means, apart from her trash can in the room.
It was torn to pieces and so, her heart was quite relaxed.
“What is this?” Her mother asked with a curious glare on her face.
“Nothing mum! It’s my room, and you can’t keep asking me questions that are of no concern to you”, Carissa said, almost shouting on top of her voice.
Her mother nodded her head calmly and passed her a card.
“What’s this for?” Carissa asked as she collected the card, which looked like an invitation to some event.
“I have no idea of what you’re going through, but I think you need to give it time and have fun. You should figure out what to do with it”, she said in conclusion, and walked out of the room.
***
“I’m ready to talk now!” Ethan said as he stood at the door of his father’s study.
Mr. Philip glanced at him and, with a smirk, gestured for him to walk inside.
The atmosphere turned dead silent as they both stared at each other.
Ethan was furious, but then, he knew how fierce his father could be in some situations. If he needed to have a conversation, then he had to be calm.
“Is it really true?” Ethan asked calmly, still clenching his hands in fury.
“I presume that you should start off with an apology. You have no idea of the state you placed this company in”, Mr. Philip said with a giant scowl on his face.
It was barely twenty-four hours since what transpired at the company, and several media outlets were already talking about how irresponsible the family is.
“I’m sorry, but…”, Ethan said as he gritted his teeth and kept mute the moment his father raised his hands.
“I apologize for all of these. It wasn’t planned, and I had no idea”, his father started saying, while Ethan let out a scoff.
“So, it’s true? You have another son?” Ethan asked as tears threatened to fall out of his eyes.
“I do”, he dropped and for a minute, they kept mute and gaped at each other.
“So I have a brother who I had no idea of his existence and who would suddenly show up to fight with me for the position of the heir”, Ethan scoffed and stared at his father unbelievably.
Mr. Philip had no idea of what to utter and so, he kept mute and decided to give him a chance to vent his anger.
“He may not fight with you”, He chimed in, causing Ethan’s jaw to drop.
“May?” Ethan mouthed as he shifted backwards and dug his hands into his head.
Mr. Philip nodded his head calmly as he gulped down hard.
“He is my blood and I won’t disregard him. However, you have a chance to make things right and appear responsible”, He said.
“I apologize for all that happened, but if you know your father well, you would probably know that I don’t like dwelling in sorry states. I love moving forward, and I want you to do the same”, He explained.
“You have a chance to be the ideal heir, rather than dwelling in pain and hurt while giving him the chance to overpower you”, his father continued, ignoring the scowl on Ethan’s face.
“Get a wife, show the public how responsible you are and retain your position as the heir”, His father dropped.
Ethan scoffed as he paced around the study, trying to analyze all what he had just heard. He hated the fact that he was being used, without standing a chance to make his own decision or to do as he pleased.
“So that’s why you wanted me to get married?” Ethan asked with a voice that depicted great betrayal.
“Yes! And that’s because of how much I love you and want you to be the heir”, He said calmly.
“So, if I get married, I stand a greater chance?” He asked as the tears that were hidden in his eyes finally trickled down.