The CEO's Revenge Bride

Chapter three

ETHAN'S POV

The music is loud enough to shake the glasses on the table, but I have no interest in the song playing.

I sit in the private section of the club, my back against the leather sofa, one hand loosely wrapped around my glass while my eyes move across the crowded room.

People come here to forget their problems.

I come here because Alex refuses to let me spend every night buried in work.

Apparently, being thirty-one and running several successful companies means I need to be reminded that I'm allowed to have a life outside the office.

I take a slow sip of my drink.

Across from me, Alex is already enjoying himself.

He has been talking for the past ten minutes, most of which I haven't been listening to.

"You know," he says, leaning back against the sofa, "normal people actually come to a club to have fun."

I glance at him.

"And?"

"And you look like you're attending a funeral."

"I'm fine."

He laughs.

"You always say that."

"Because I am."

"Right."

He gives me a look that tells me he doesn't believe a word I'm saying.

I ignore him and look toward the dance floor.

The place is packed tonight. Music, lights, laughter, expensive perfume, and too many people trying to be noticed.

I don't particularly enjoy crowds, but I don't mind being here.

At least not enough to leave yet.

A woman walks past our section and looks in my direction.

Then she whispers something to her friend.

Her friend looks at me too.

I don't react.

I'm used to it.

My name has a way of entering rooms before I do.

Ethan Vance.

People know the name.

Some respect it.

Some fear it.

Others simply want something from me.

Alex notices the women and grins.

"Oh, come on."

I look at him.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"I have."

"And?"

"And nothing."

He shakes his head.

"You are unbelievable."

I take another sip.

Alex turns around and scans the room. A few seconds later, he raises his hand.

Two women near the bar notice him and walk over.

I already know what he's doing.

"Alex."

"What?"

"Don't."

He smiles innocently.

"I'm not doing anything."

The women stop beside our table.

Alex introduces them, but I barely pay attention to their names.

One of them smiles at me.

"Nice to meet you."

I nod.

"You too."

She sits down when Alex gestures toward the empty space. The other woman sits beside him.

Alex looks pleased with himself.

I give him a warning look.

He ignores it.

For the next few minutes, he carries most of the conversation while I remain quiet. One of the women tries to draw me into it, asking about the company I run and whether I come to the club often.

"No."

She smiles.

"You're always this serious?"

"Usually."

She laughs softly, probably thinking I'm joking.

I'm not.

Alex catches my expression and almost laughs.

I don't understand why he keeps trying to set me up with women when he knows exactly how I am.

I've never pretended to be interested in relationships.

I like beautiful women. I enjoy their company when I want it. Sometimes I leave the club with someone, and sometimes I don't.

There are no promises.

No attachments.

No expectations.

That arrangement works perfectly for me.

Alex knows that.

He also knows I've never allowed anyone to stay long enough to become a complication.

One of the women leans closer.

"You're very quiet."

"I don't have much to say."

She smiles.

"That's mysterious."

"It's not."

Alex laughs.

"See? I told you."

I give him a look.

He raises his glass.

"Fine. I'll shut up."

For perhaps thirty seconds, he actually does.

Then my phone vibrates against the table.

I look down.

A message.

I read it once.

Arianna Robert has checked into a hotel.

My expression doesn't change, but something inside me does.

I open the message.

Grand Meridian Hotel.

Booked under her name.

That's all.

No detailed report.

No unnecessary information.

Exactly what I asked for.

I lock the phone.

Alex notices the change in my attention.

"Business?"

"Something like that."

He studies me for a moment.

"Problem?"

"No."

I don't explain.

There is nothing to explain.

Arianna isn't my problem.

At least, she shouldn't be.

I haven't seen her in years.

The last time I did, we were teenagers.

Back then, I never imagined that years later I would see her name appear on my phone again.

I remember her more clearly than I should.

She had been younger, carefree, and completely unaware of how much attention she drew.

We had met only once or twice.

It wasn't enough for her to become a part of my life.

But apparently, it was enough for me to remember her.

I had left soon afterward to continue my studies outside the state.

By the time I returned, Arianna was married.

I never asked questions.

I simply moved on.

Or convinced myself I had.

Alex reaches for his drink.

"You're somewhere else."

"I'm here."

"Your body is. Your mind isn't."

I look at him.

"You're becoming annoying."

"Becoming?"

I almost smile.

Almost.

He notices anyway.

"There. I saw that."

"You saw nothing."

"Fine."

He leans back.

I glance at my phone again.

Arianna.

Why does the name bother me?

I don't know.

Maybe because the last message I received about her didn't sound normal.

She had checked into a hotel alone.

At night.

Without anyone from her family accompanying her.

That was unusual enough to make me curious.

But curiosity isn't concern.

I remind myself of that.

My phone vibrates again.

I look at the screen.

She's still at the hotel.

I stare at the message for a moment before locking the phone again.

I don't need anything else.

If something changes, I'll hear about it.

Alex watches me.

"You're definitely leaving."

"Yes."

He groans.

"You've been here less than two hours."

"I've stayed long enough."

"You dragged me all the way here."

"Because you need to socialize."

"I have socialized."

Alex looks at the two women sitting with us.

One of them laughs.

"You've said about twelve words."

"That's enough."

He shakes his head.

"You're impossible."

I stand.

The women look at me.

One of them asks, "You're leaving already?"

"Yes."

She looks disappointed.

I don't know what she expected.

Alex stands as well.

"Don't worry," he tells them. "He's always like this."

I give him a cold look.

He grins.

We leave the private section together.

The moment we step into the main area, the noise becomes heavier.

People move around us, but nobody gets too close.

The security staff notice us immediately and clear a path toward the exit.

Alex walks beside me.

"You know what your problem is?"

"I have several."

"You don't know how to relax."

"I relax."

"When?"

"When I'm alone."

He laughs.

"That isn't relaxing. That's called avoiding people."

I don't answer.

Outside, the night air feels better.

Cooler.

Quieter.

My driver is already waiting near the entrance.

Alex stops beside me.

"So, where are you going?"

"Home."

"Of course."

He shakes his head.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

I look at him.

"Good night, Alex."

He laughs.

"That's your way of ending the conversation?"

I get into the car.

Before the door closes, Alex leans down slightly.

"Try not to work until five in the morning."

"I'll try."

"That's another lie."

The door closes.

For the first time tonight, I'm alone.

The car pulls away from the club, and the city lights move across the window.

I reach into my pocket and take out my phone.

The message is still there.

Arianna Robert. Grand Meridian Hotel.

I stare at her name.

I don't know what happened tonight.

I don't know why she left home.

And I don't know what connection, if any, it has to me.

What I do know is that she

has crossed into my world again after years of silence.

That should mean nothing.

Yet I find myself wondering if I should have asked for more information.

I stop myself.

No.

I put my phone away and look out the window.

For years, Arianna Robert was nothing more than a memory from a part of my life I had already left behind.

Tonight, that memory has suddenly become real again.

And somehow, I have a feeling this isn't the last time I'll hear her name.