Enthralled and Entangled

Chapter 6

Eddie wore a black jacket. His hair was dark brown now and he looked a lot more mature than he was four years ago.

Even so, I felt nothing but disgust toward him.

“Why is this guy here?” I asked Darianna, with a very unpleasant look on my face.

Darianna got up and came over to me. She took my hand and whispered, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Ria. I don’t know why he’s here either. I ran into him by coincidence while I was waiting for you here.”

I looked at Eddie but did not blame Darianna. After all, she was the birthday girl today and I did not want to upset her. “Let’s move to another table, Darianna.”

I pulled her to the empty table next to this table, then ordered the waitress to bring us a few new bottles.

Eddie’s gaze stayed on me the whole time. Even without looking up, I could feel his burning gaze. He seemed rather worked up.

Darianna threw a glance at Eddie, then whispered in my ear, “What happened between you and Eddie? I remembered both of you used to get along very well.”

I took a sip from my glass and simply said, “He cheated on me with my friend four years ago.”

“What?!” Darianna stared at me in shock, then at Eddie.

Eddie was not sitting far from us. He seemed shocked when he saw me earlier and finally recovered his senses. He put down his glass on the table, then came over to our table. “You’re finally back, Ria.”

His voice wavered and he stumbled over his words. “I think we should talk about what happened back then.”

I was about to bring my glass to my lips, but my hand froze when I heard him. I slammed my glass on the table and looked up at him. “Eddie, I have no desire to talk about the past anymore. Besides, we’ve already broken up. You better stop bothering me.”

During the four years I was away from my hometown, Eddie had tried tracking me down. I was aware of it and even had to move a few times because of it.

I despised him for what he had done, but the resentment slowly faded after Sofia was born. The balm of time slowly healed my wounds and I was already close to forgetting all about him by now.

Eddie suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders and very earnestly said, “It was all just a misunderstanding. I did not cheat on you back then. You’ve always been the only one for me.”

His grip hurt my shoulders and I was not happy about it.

I shoved him away and stood up. “I don’t care if you’ve really cheated on me back then. We’re over, Eddie.”

“Ria! I’ve been looking for you for a long time!” Eddie said.

I had no desire to talk to him any longer. I took Darianna’s hand and turned to leave. “Let’s go to another bar,” I told her.

She agreed and got up to leave.

Eddie quickly stood in front of us to stop us from leaving. “How have you been for the past few years?”

His concern did not soften me up, it pissed me off even more.

If it was not for him, I would not have gotten drunk in the bar, fooled around with Braydan and given birth to Sofia.

Now, he suddenly returned to my life and told me that he did not cheat on me back then? Who was he kidding?

I was not going to believe the words of a despicable man like him, for even a moment.

I stopped in my tracks, then turned my head to look at him. “I’m doing fantastic in life now, Eddie. If you’ll please excuse me.”

Eddie showed no intention of moving out of the way, so I pushed him away and pulled Darianna toward the exit of the bar.

“Wait, Ria!” Eddie suddenly chased after me like a madman. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him.

His touch on my skin lit a fire in my heart. The anger I had been trying to suppress exploded in me. I suddenly recalled how I wanted to get back at him four years ago. I slowly retracted my hand and smiled at him. “I’m already seeing someone now, Eddie.”

Eddie seemed to be shocked to hear that. “You’ve got a new boyfriend? No way. You can only be mine.”

I thought about what to say next, and Braydan suddenly appeared in my mind. “He’s the chairman of B.D.Corp,” I blurted out.

Eddie’s eyes widened like saucers as he looked at me in dismay.

Even Darianna was stunned.

Both of them were struck dumb by my words. A moment later, that dumb look on their faces turned into disbelief.

Eddie’s reaction brought me immense satisfaction, so I continued to take a jab at him, “Eddie, I’m dating the chairman from B.D.Corp right now. He’s more handsome, muscular and rich than you!”

Men preferred to keep their ego intact when they were around women, so I wanted to crush his and let him get a taste of how it felt to be humiliated.

I was expecting the surprise on Eddie’s face to turn into anger, however, it turned into amusement instead.

He smiled at me and said, “So, you’re claiming that your new boyfriend is Mr. Braydan, the chairman of B.D.Corp. I bet you don’t know that I’m actually his family. I know his taste. He’d never take someone like you as his girlfriend.”

It was my turn to be shocked. I never expected Eddie would turn out to be Braydan’s younger brother. They had different last names!

Eddie seemed to read my mind and continued explaining, “Braydan’s father is my mother’s elder brother, so I’m his first cousin.”

It was only at this moment, I suddenly realized that I had done something stupid. If Eddie really went to confront Mr. Braydan, he would immediately find out that I was lying.

I was left visibly flustered after this discovery.

Eddie suddenly pointed to someone behind me. “Braydan is here right now, maybe I should ask him about it.”

What? Braydan is here?

Looks like I’m going to embarrass myself today.

Biting my lip, I turned around to look behind me.

I heard a commotion inside the bar, then a tall and slender figure emerged at the entrance.

His blue eyes shone brightly under the flashing lights. As soon as he stepped in here, the rowdy bar immediately quieted down.

I felt a squeeze in my heart. Mr. Braydan was really here.

Braydan looked stern and unapproachable as usual. He marched into the bar, wearing a black coat. A group of bodyguards followed closely behind him.

I pulled Darianna a few steps back and started panicking in my heart.

Eddie must have noticed my panic and sensed that something was wrong. “Ria, why don’t I help you ask Braydan how he feels about you,” he said deliberately.

When Eddie saw Braydan, I noticed that they treated each other like a superior and his subordinate, rather than close family members. Eddie smiled and approached Braydan. They exchanged some pleasantries, then looked in my direction.

My hands were clammy with cold sweat. I grew increasingly nervous and almost thought that the blood in my body would freeze. My body turned stiff and I was at a loss.

Darianna whispered to me doubtfully, “Ria, you didn’t even know Mr. Braydan when we interviewed him. How come you’re suddenly seeing him now?”

My heart jerked in panic. I hurriedly tugged her, hinting her to keep quiet.

Eddie saw us and seemed even more convinced that I was lying. I could see the confidence in his eyes growing, while I waited to be made a clown for telling an absurd lie.

“Bray, I heard from this lady that she’s your girlfriend,” Eddie told Braydan while pointing to me.

Braydan gave me a sidelong glance with his cold blue eyes. I regretted every word I said. I should not have lied to Eddie.

While I was beating myself up, Braydan slowly walked over to me. I froze up and wanted to dig a hole for myself very badly.

What should I do?! How was I going to explain this?!

Would he kill me right here and right now if he found out that I was pretending to be his girlfriend?

A familiar musky scent hit my nose. Mr. Braydan was standing right next to me.

I kept my head down, my cheeks burning with shame.

He was standing so close to me that my forehead was almost touching his chest. I felt like I was in his arms.

Eddie must be waiting for me to make a fool of myself, I thought to myself.

I hung my head in shame, but Braydan’s husky voice suddenly reached my ears. “What are you doing here?”

What? Why was he asking me that?

I did not understand what he was doing, but I was so nervous that I could not think of anything else aside from answering his question. “Celebrating my friend’s birthday.”

Our conversation could easily make anyone’s imagination run wild. It sounded like we were very close but in reality, he was only my boss.

Would a boss ask his employee a question like that though? Nope.

Uncertainty returned to Eddie’s face. He looked at Braydan and I suspiciously. “Bray, you know her?”

Mr. Braydan ignored Eddie’s question once again. He looked down at me. A strange affection appeared in his blue eyes as he chided me in his deep voice, “You shouldn’t have come back here a second time.”

Second time… That was right. The first time I came here, I met Braydan and we had a one-night stand.

Memory of that night came flooding back again.

I was dizzy and confused. What did Mr. Braydan mean by that? Was he admitting that he was my boyfriend?

Although we had s*x, someone like him would never take a woman like me for his lover!

Eddie looked just as confused as I was. He looked at Braydan in surprise and repeated his question, “Bray, she’s your girlfriend for real?”

Braydan looked at him coldly and said, “Eddie, I think you’re not qualified to ask me about my personal affairs.”

There was patronizing superiority in his voice when spoke to Eddie.

Eddie immediately hung his head in silence, looking no different than a defeated puppy who did not get his treat. I could see the anger suppressed in his eyes.

My mood instantly lifted. Braydan had really done me a great favor this time.

Awkwardness lingered in the air, but Braydan suddenly placed his hand on my waist and led me to the exit.

HIs touch made me uncomfortable and I tried to squirm away while apologizing, “Mr. Braydan, I’m really sorry about that. I…”

Before I could finish speaking, Braydan suddenly shoved me into a black car.