Chapter Five
1362 Words
Scarlet Carter stood a few steps away, her expression carefully arranged into polite surprise. She wore a light-colored dress, simple but expensive, her posture graceful and composed.
“Oh,” she said, as if only just noticing me. “Zahra. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
I smiled faintly. “Neither did I.”
Her gaze flicked briefly to my friends, then back to Zahra. “You didn’t mention you were bringing her along.”
“I didn’t,” he replied stiffly.
Lina snorted behind me, clearly amused. Mark looked like he was about to say something sharp.
I shook my head slightly.
“There’s no need,” I said calmly. “We’re just here to drink.”
Scarlet's smile didn’t waver, but her eyes sharpened. “I see.”
I turned back to my table. “Enjoy yourselves.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I picked up my bag, nodded at my friends, and left the bar without another word.
Outside, the night air was cool against my skin. I inhaled deeply, my heartbeat slowly settling.
For the first time that evening, I felt truly removed, I was myself again, the girl before I left for college. The one that talked to flowers and sang with maturity.
Inside the bar, Scarlet turned to Adrian, her voice light. “You came here just to see her?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
She studied him for a moment, then smiled knowingly. “Then why do you look like that?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his mind replayed the image of Zahra laughing freely with another man, of someone stepping in to protect her without hesitation.
It irritated him more than he wanted to admit.
He pushed the feeling down and turned his attention back to work. A major client meeting had been delayed due to injuries from a chain collision. The deal was important, connected to one of his company’s key projects.
Scarlet watched him quietly for a few seconds before sliding into the seat across from him.
“You’re thinking too hard again,” she said, her voice sounding like a cup of fine wine…
Adrian picked up the glass in front of him but all he kept doing was twirling the contents in it, “I’m working.”
“Uh-huh…the bar is just a perfect place to work…”
“I wouldn't be here if not for the meeting I'm having,” Adrian said.
She leaned back lazily, keeping quiet but her eyes roamed about the room, as if she was looking for something to say…
“I saw how your eyes followed her the second she walked in,” Scarlet suddenly blurted with a wink.
Adrian felt his body go stiff for a moment but he quickly composed himself, “Of course, they did not.”
“You know, lying only works when the other person isn’t watching you closely,” Scarlet teased and Adrian finally looked up at her, his dark eyes were cold and unreadable.
“And since when did you start watching me closely?”
“Since always.” Scarlet smiled and for a moment, Adrian's eyes locked upon Scarlet's and the air suddenly felt electric…
“Ahem..” Lina let out a fake, dramatic cough, earning a deadly glare from Scarlet.
“I guess, we should go get some fresh air somewhere else…” Mark said and Lina's fingers moved under the table, pinching him while Mark let out a dramatic yelp before being dragged away by Lina.
Scarlet rolled her eyes at the crazy hypocrites before finally returning her focus to Adrian.
“You’re still angry at Zahra for leaving,” she said calmly but that stirred something wild in Adrian.
“What am I supposed to do? Cuddle her all over the place? She walked out without explanation for years…”
“But did you ever try stopping her either?”
“Was I supposed to?” Adrian said, his voice getting harder, his fingers tightened around the glass, Though he hated to think about it but Zahra leaving him wasn't what irritated him but the fact that she looked fine and happy without him.
The way her eyes twinkled with each word and how that smile never left her face and worst of all—another man had been standing beside her.
Adrian suddenly remembered the way Mark had stepped closer to Zahra earlier.
The memory annoyed the s**t out of him but he tried to take it off his mind by putting all his frustration into the glass in his hand till his knuckles turned white.
“So tell me about the client,” Scarlet asked.
Adrian welcomed the subject change immediately, in fact he was glad for the distraction.
“The meeting’s postponed,” he said flatly. “The client was injured in a collision this afternoon.”
“Oh, that's wild…how bad is it?”
“It was a three-car accident on the expressway. He’s in the hospital.”
“Damn! And now what about the deal?” Scarlet raised a brow.
“It’s delayed…”
“That project means a lot to your company, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” Adrian answered already getting tired of the questions.
“What exactly is it again?”
“A luxury performance center.”
Scarlet's face went blank, “Wait… isn’t that connected to—”
“The Carter Arts Company,” Adrian finished.
“That’s Zahra’s field.” Adrian didn’t respond, it wasn't a question, more like a bitter reminder.
He wouldn't have chosen Zahra but his team did. They needed someone that knows a lot about arts and that is influential and unfortunately—Zahra fit that role perfectly.
“What do you think of my necklace? Can you believe I got it for as low as 500 dollars? I promise you I'm not into cheap things but it's just too irresistible…” Scarlet blurted out again making Adrian wonder how her brain functions but anyways, he looked up at the necklace.
It was a golden one with a bird pendant. It sat gracefully on her breasts and the light shining on her cleavage made it look so beautiful.
“Looks like a piece of art.. “ Adrian commented.
“Oh really?” Scarlet blushed but he only nodded. “If only I could show you the tattoo on my lower back, you would love it.”
“Might as well get fully naked rather than showing me your lower back…” Adrian joked.
“Sure, I'm all yours…” Scarlet joked back.
“Do you want to come over to my hotel room tonight? You might as well spend the night there,” Scarlet continued suddenly leaning closer, her powerful and strong perfume filled Adrian's nostrils.
At first he could tolerate it but soon he found himself comparing.
Comparing Scarlet's heavy killing scent to Zahra's he tried to stop it but it got worse and….
“No,” he blurted and before he could stop himself, his hands found their way to Scarlet's shoulders, pushing her onto her chair while her face turned white for a second…
“Why..?”
“..I'm still married. Can't defile the law by cheating till it's all over,” was his reason.
“Hmmm…you know,” she said softly, “if you really plan on divorcing her like you said… you should stop thinking about her.”
Adrian’s gaze darkened slightly and his mind suddenly flashed to the unsigned divorce agreement sitting untouched in the drawer at home.
“So,” Scarlet's nonstop talks pulled him back to reality “when are you finally ending it?”
“Soon.” was the reply Adrian gave, but even as he said it, another thought sat heavier in his mind….what if he does something before he ends it all?
He wanted to ignore Zahra completely fir a month or two and see how long she could pretend not to care because he know sooner or later, she would break first.
And when she finally came back to him, begging for reconciliation, he would make sure she paid the price for leaving.
- Writer
