My Wife

Chapter 5: Reminiscence

The ideas the four men came up with were all ridiculous, so Henry decided to wait until he had the bastard’s information in hand before he planned his next move. But when Edgar’s background check finally came a week later, Henry’s ego fizzled. Since he had discovered Edgar’s existence, he had worked up a whole backstory for Edgar, making him out to be some worthy adversary but Edgar was nothing– his family was only moderately rich with a couple of companies under their belt, his grades were mediocre, and worst of all, he was a Casanova. The only thing to write home about was his good looks. Helena was just his latest catch. If anything, Edgar was a loach, sticking to women and sucking their…

Henry shuddered and slapped his cheeks to clear his mind of the detestable thought. He would NEVER let Edgar get close enough to do that. NEVER! But how could he approach Helena naturally? They were three grades apart, which meant other than running into each other in the common areas or at University events, they were destined to be apart. Besides, it was his final year at University, if he didn’t make his move now, meeting again would be hard. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he ruffled his hair in angst.

Ethan quietly sipped on his tea while he watched Henry’s colorful expressions. He fancied he could narrate what was going on in Henry’s head. Unlike the others, Ethan thrived on schadenfreude, so he conveniently stuck around after delivering Edgar’s information. He knew he was in for a good show, and Henry did not disappoint. Ethan lowered his eyes and sniggered into his drink, enjoying the moment to the fullest. He cherished Henry as a friend, sure, but life had been dull with just studies and family obligations. Surely a little fun at his buddy’s expense is acceptable, right? It wasn’t like he was watching the show for free. It was his father’s men who conducted the background check; surely this was an acceptable form of payment.

Ethan swallowed the tea and cleared his throat. Sitting up straight, he placed his teacup down on the saucer. “What do you plan to do?”

Henry looked up and schooled his expression. “What else? Get rid of my opponent and take Helena back.”

Ethan snorted. “Is this just a fling, or are you serious about her? I mean, we’re putting a lot of effort into this whole ordeal, I’d be a little miffed if you guys only lasted a week.”

Henry frowned in response. “When have I never been serious about something?”

Ethan paused to consider the question, but nothing came to mind. “Well, let me rephrase the question. What makes you certain Helena is the one for you?”

Henry smirked as he recalled the first time he saw Helena. The school year had just started, and he was taking a stroll around campus when he heard a cat yowl in pain. Normally, he wouldn’t give a damn, but for some reason, his feet moved on their own, and he followed the sound to find a group of girls poking a cat with a stick. With its tail pinned under someone’s foot, the poor creature screamed in pain and struggled to free itself. The girls were laughing and took turns taunting and torturing it with sticks. Before he could react, a blur came from the other side– Helena had launched herself on the group. He couldn’t remember what he saw first, the fury in her eyes, her long flowing hair, or her exposed pale legs as her dress lifted in the wind. Her flying kick connected with a girl’s back, sending the latter sprawling in a brutal faceplant. The other girls turned belatedly, but Helena’s fists had already connected with another’s face with a gruesome crunch. Then she whirled and her elbow caught the last in the nose, knocking all three girls down in mere seconds. Without losing a beat, Helena had scooped up the injured cat and made off behind a building, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.

It took Henry a couple of seconds to realize what was going on, but as soon as he got his wits about him, he also slipped away before he could be dragged into the mess.

The second time he saw Helena was at a university-wide networking event a month later. They attended an elite school that catered to the wealthy, so everyone there was either from a notable family or had enough money. That was when his eyes drifted to Helena once again. While other women wore dazzling dresses and large gems, Helena focused on elegance and functionality. The first thing he noted was the hem of her dress, which didn’t obstruct her stride as if she was primed for a fight if one was ever called for. It took every fiber in his being not to smirk at the time.

Unlike the surrounding sycophants, Helena didn’t sidle up to anyone. Instead, she stuck to her group of female friends, and when the others went on the dance floor, she made her way to the refreshment table. Henry could only glance at her occasionally since he was compelled to uphold his family name and brush shoulders with the sons of family friends. Ever since then, his eyes would naturally gravitate towards her.

Perhaps God is fair with all things, and Henry, being born having every card stacked in his favor, naturally had one aspect in life that would cause him grief. As a fool in love, he had no idea how to approach Helena. Henry jumped through multiple hoops just to get her background information without his family catching on. He didn’t want anyone to know he fancied a girl until he had everything set in place to protect her.

Then that Edgar bastard emerged out of nowhere.

Henry’s face soured as the thought of Edgar ruined his beautiful reminiscence. Ethan watched with rapt attention, his gleeful eyes drinking in every bit of Henry’s misery, but that ended all too quickly.

Henry squared his shoulders and inhaled sharply. He met Ethan’s visibly disappointed eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Show’s over. Go home if you aren’t going to make yourself useful.”

Ethan’s face fell dramatically and bristled. “I come all this way to offer my services and this is the gratitude I get?”

Henry rolled his eyes, dismissing his friend’s ability.

Ethan frowned and tsked. “Fine, I do have an idea. The spring festival is coming. All we have to do is have Helena catch that bastard cheating.”

A glint ignited in Henry’s eyes, and he tilted his head to one side in intrigue. “Go on…”