"Athena, where are you?"
That was the first statent Athena heard from Antonio hours later when she picked his call. The little party in her honor—and well, Ewan’s too, since they had both cut the cake—had long ended. The children had gone to school, and the adults had gone about their business.
At the mont, she was in her office, going over so files Ciara had ntioned needed to be vetted by her, the feeling of contentnt still lingering despite the chaos building from her enemies.
"At work," she replied, turning over the next page in the docunt she was reading.
"At work?" The sharp lowness of Antonio’s voice should have been a pointer that her fiancé was in a foul mood, but Athena’s mind was too preoccupied with the docunt before her.
"Yes. What about you?" she asked, too absorbed to notice the hesitation on the other end, just as she hadn’t noticed when he’d skipped the customary Darling, how are you?
"Athena!"
Athena frowned sharply, pulling the phone away from her ear, annoyed at the sudden shout. What was the matter now?
She put the phone on loudspeaker and kept it on the table, eyes still fixed on the docunt—though her mind was already drifting.
"Why are you shouting, Antonio?" she asked, her tone tired but steady.
"Why am I shouting? Are you really that ignorant of what today is?"
For a second, Athena assud he was talking about her birthday. "About that, I’m sorry you weren’t invited..." she said, curiosity stirring on how he’d even found out. "I was in the dark too. I had just co to work this morning, gone to my grandmother’s ward, only to be sung Happy Birthday to when I opened the door."
A pause followed.
"I wasn’t aware. We can celebrate together later today," she added, wincing as she rembered the dinner date she had promised Ewan.
Hopefully, it can be moved, she thought. Surely, it could. She only had to—
"Your birthday was celebrated without ? And none of the family mbers could reach out to ? Even my children?" Hurt and disbelief laced his voice, the softness in it making Athena instantly apologetic.
"They must have been let in this morning..." she said, excusing her children. "They had even been in their uniforms."
"Was Ewan there?"
Athena sighed now, already knowing where this was heading.
"He was, right?"
"He lives in the mansion now—well, on most days. So it’s not surprising that he would be aware of it..." she began, but bit her tongue before saying that the day had been Ewan’s birthday too. There was no need to.
"From the mo released by the company’s site and distributed in the KN newspapers, today is his birthday too. So, you two celebrated together, cut the cake together..."
Athena wisely kept her mouth shut, letting him vent.
"...laughed together while I slaved away in the company for the both of us."
Athena frowned slightly, confusion flickering. For who now?
"And you wouldn’t even show an atom of respect, especially since I will be your husband soon..."
Athena tried to be understanding as Antonio continued to ramble about respect and whatnot, but she couldn’t possibly see how she had disrespected him.
Yes, he should have been invited—would have been if she had organized the party—but was it her fault? And what was this nonsense he was saying about Ewan now?
"...that fool should be minding his business, not seeking to dip into a well that no longer belongs to him."
She blinked, incredulous. She was a well now?
"Antonio..."
"I’m still talking..."
Athena oohed quietly, leaning back in her chair, the prospect of being married to Antonio no longer looking as tantalizing as it once had. Each second of his tirade only confird it.
"And seeing as you forgot about inviting to the party, you forgot too that today was supposed to be our engagent party," he continued, his tone edged with bitter laughter that grated on Athena’s nerves.
"I dressed up like a fool and ca to the mansion with flowers and whatnots, with a few of my friends, and you embarrassed ! I had to learn from a common maid that you were out at work—that there had been a celebration! She was just as surprised as I was that I wasn’t aware."
A long pause followed.
"I don’t know how long I can take this disrespect, this disregard, this—"
"I’m sorry," Athena cut in, tired of hearing the endless rambling. And, to be fair, she should have inford him of the cancellation, even though he could have easily connected the dots as her grandfather had. These were chaotic tis—not exactly the best for engagent parties. Still...
"I should have inford you of the cancellation. I’m sorry, my love..."
"And why was it cancelled?" Antonio asked, annoyance seeping through his words, ignoring her effort at appeasent.
"Because I’m busy. Because I have the lives of people on my head... I told you that yesterday."
A pause stretched from the other end.
"If you say so."
And the line went dead.
Athena frowned, peering at the phone, disbelief creasing her brows. Did he just hang up?
She called Antonio back, irritation simring beneath her calm tone. "What the hell, Antonio? Why is it so hard for you to understand the situation of things?"
"And why is it so hard for you to carry along?" Antonio shot back instantly. "I’m just tired of it all. Why can’t you treat fairly?"
Athena pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling slowly. "I’ll be better," she said, her voice even. "And I’m sorry for cancelling the engagent without letting you know. My apologies too for embarrassing you in front..." She paused, pursing her lips. "You ca with friends? I thought I asked for a private engagent."
"Surely, three people will make no difference. And your family was going to be there, so I thought to co with a few of my people..."
"I see..." she said dryly. "Didn’t know you had those. I’m happy for you."
A beat passed.
"So, when is the engagent holding?" he asked after a while.
Athena licked her lower lip. "I’m not sure. Maybe after this madness."
"That’s not fair. This madness could last for months. I don’t want to wait that long."
Athena felt a headache building behind her eyes. She massaged her temple. "I’ll think about it and let you know, Antonio. I need to get back to work now."
"Of course. Take care...my love."
Athena ended the call before he could say anything else, staring at the silent phone for a long second before sighing. Her shoulders slumped. The weariness wasn’t just physical anymore—it was emotional too.
Reviews
All reviews (0)