Bound By Fate

ChapterTwo

Picking up his phone to check the time, he saw it was already past eight. Despite being the owner of Brandon’s Law Firm, he disliked the idea of appearing to arrive late. Within twenty minutes, he swiftly took his bath and slipped into his black suit, ready for work. But first, he had to stop at the French restaurant where he usually had his light and quick breakfast.

The hall was a bit scanty when he sauntered in, quite different from what he expected. The queue at the counter was short. But as his eyes scanned the hall in search of a good table where he could have breakfast, he spotted a lady sitting alone at a table near the far end by a window. She was dressed in a black silk dress, with a blue cloth tied around her neck, and her hair was neatly styled into a bun. She had dark eyes, the kind that harbored a lot of pain. She sat in a spot where no one could easily see or approach her. Watching her, he noticed she was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and staring out the window. She looked like someone who had just been hurt, and for a moment, he wondered if she actually came there to have breakfast like the other customers or if she simply thought the restaurant was a good place to let out her tears. Despite the sadness on her face, she looked attractive. And strangely, he felt the urge to go talk to her.

He flicked his gaze to the counter and saw that the queue was beginning to grow. If he didn’t get his order soon, it would take another thirty minutes before he had a chance. So he headed to the counter and placed his order. But by the time he looked back at the table where he had seen the lady, the seat was pulled back, and no one was there. He flicked his gaze to the exit door and saw her wiping her eyes as she strode out. He debated within himself whether he should go speak to her. But as he watched, his phone rang. He palpated his pockets and pulled out his phone, amazingly, Kay, his elder sister, was calling. He allowed it to keep ringing and looked up, hoping to keep sight of the lady he had just seen, but she had disappeared. He walked to the door to have a closer look at the street outside, but she was nowhere in sight. He had lost her. With worried eyes, he turned back to his phone, Kay was still calling.

“Hello?” he answered, furrowing his brows. The call was the reason he lost sight of the attractive lady, but he managed to suppress his anguish as he spoke.

“Surprised to see your call, Kay. What problems do you have this time?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Kay sounded annoyed at her brother’s question. “So you think I can’t call just to check up on you?”

“Oh, nice of you, sister. I was just surprised. You barely do that, you know.” A brief silence swept through them for a moment. As siblings, one would be amazed at the disparity in their personalities and inclinations. Even as adults they often had squabbles over the simplest of things. It didn't help matters that Kay's relationship with Rachel grew deeper after the divorce, which made Ethan widen his distance with his sister. For the help of God, he knew he just had to let them be, and stop worrying about their relationship, because as long as Kay remained a politician, her connections with the Matthews would only be stronger. No one gave up power and connections that easily. And even if it was going to hurt her bro, Kay was determined to hold on to it.

“So, what’s going on for you this week? I was thinking you could come over for dinner.” Kay said.

“Not interested,” Ethan answered without thinking. “Besides, I have some important engagements.”

“You have engagements, or you simply don’t want to come?”

“Whatever way.” Kay breathed a deep sigh as she took in her brother’s brusque response.

“You’ve still not gotten over her, right?” Kay hoped the question wouldn’t cause an outrage. She had always traced his bad mood to his divorce from Rachel.

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

“What’s bad if we do? I think she wants to talk to you. We met at the airport last week. She asked after you.”

Listening to her, he felt a sharp pain rise in his chest. “Look, Kay. If you have nothing to talk about, I’m going to get off this call.”

“Be polite for once, Ethan. I’m still your elder sister, remember?”

“Then behave like one,” he shot back, and for a moment, they went mute.

“How’s Ollie? She called and was crying to come over for the holiday.”

“Oh God, that girl. When will she ever stop being naughty?”

“Maybe when you become a better mom.” Ethan thought of saying it another way, but he had to be blunt with her.

“And what’s that supposed to mean, Ethan?” Her voice turned into a growl.

“You know what I mean, sis. If she’s getting better treatment from her parents, she wouldn’t wish to be somewhere else.”

“You speak blindly, Ethan. Who are you to tell me about parenting?” She spat out the words.

“It’s not about who listens to who, Kay. All I’m saying is that you prioritize your child’s welfare. She needs more of your time and attention.”

“And who says I’m not giving her the attention she needs?”

“You aren’t, Kay. We both know that.”

“Just get off my phone, Ethan. I think I’m done with you.” She ended the call before he could say another word.

He stared at the screen with a derisive expression and shoved it back into his pocket. He looked outside to see if the lady he had seen earlier was still within sight, or perhaps she had stayed inside, but there was no one. The streets were filled with citizens of San Francisco moving back and forth in a frenzy to get to work. He could see couples holding their kids as they crossed the road. Watching them made him think of his lost marriage. Perhaps he would have been like those couples. Maybe their two years of marriage would have produced a child they could both love and raise together.

And as he took his breakfast, vivid images of the lady flashed through his mind. He could see the dark, sad eyes and the pretty face. And for a moment, he wondered, why was a pretty woman like

her crying? What had happened to her? Who had hurt her?