Chapter 53: Night Out II

Chapter 53: Night Out II "Ewan, take it easy! The night is still young, and you’re already on your third glass of wine. Do you plan on being carried out of here?" Zane asked, shooting a glance at an amused Sandro, who chuckled before chiming in. "If that’s his plan, then he can forget it. I don’t have the will or the capacity to carry anyone out of this club tonight. So let’s all be responsible. Remember, some of us are driving tonight! We are not like Ewan that moves everywhere with his driver..." Ewan ignored them, taking another sip from his glass. Athena hadn’t replied to him yet. He inhaled deeply, trying to quell the growing hurt in his heart. What’s happening to me? He thought weakly, downing more wine, oblivious to the glares coming from his friends. "Ewan, you didn’t hear what we just said?" Zane pressed, reaching for Ewan’s drink. But Ewan was faster. He snatched his drink away, before Zane could touch it. This caused Sandro to laugh boisterously this time around. His friend was really acting up tonight. "Let him drink." He quipped. "Let him drown his sorrows. Isn’t that the essence of this meeting in the first place?" Zane snorted, shook his head and took a sip of his drink. Ewan followed right after. He needed to forget for a while. After Sandro had announced the press conference on their official website a few hours ago, things had taken a turn for the worse. People had believed that the press conference had been fixed to debunk Athena’s truth, and as a result, his company’s stocks had plunged again. Ewan had been tempted to call the press team and ask them to take down the news, but his conscience hadn’t let him do so. Yet, it was saddening to watch his company crumble before his eyes. Hopefully, things would get better by next week after the press conference. But what was the guarantee? People might not be as forgiving as Athena. Ewan sighed tiredly. The only silver lining was that the KN Media hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon. That spelled hope for him. Maybe Athena was looking out for him—maybe she didn’t want his company to go down like Zack’s. And for that, he was very grateful. He checked his phone for the umpteenth time. No texts from Alfonso, who claimed to be a dependable senior. No messages from Fiona either, the one he would have married next week. He never told her the date, wanting it to be a surprise wedding. However, he had told the wedding planner yesterday to put everything on hold. Would he ever go ahead with it again? He wasn’t sure. Hearing those truths from Athena had changed everything. "Hey, I think we should go and dance, you know, meet some people of the opposite gender..." Zane suggested, causing Sandro to laugh. "Spoken like a true playboy..." Zane threw up his hands in mock frustration. "When was the last time either of you had fun?" Both males knew what kind of fun he was talking about but chose to keep quiet. "Sandro, when was the last time you enjoyed the company of a woman?" Sandro shrugged. "I don’t see how that’s your business." Zane scoffed, muttering "uptight fellow," before turning to Ewan. "What about you? Since you haven’t slept with Fiona, who’s been taking the heat off you?" No one, Ewan thought, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. The last time he had sex was with Athena, six years ago, on the day she had demanded a divorce. Back then, he had been so angry and restless—both at himself for not understanding his emotions and at her for being so unpredictable. He had thrown the words "give me a son" at her with more venom than he intended, just to spite her. If he had been smart, he would have taken his restlessness as a sign to pull back and reevaluate their relationship. If he had, he would have realized that he never wanted to lose her in the first place. Ewan’s eyes widened at this sudden revelation. He shut his eyes, trying to push away this truth, longing to return to a blissful state of ignorance. But it was no use; the truth had been laid bare. He had started the marriage feeling resentful, but somewhere along the line, he had lost that resentment without even realizing it. His hands shook as he reached for the wine bottle to refill his glass. Even now, trying to be civil with her, he thought he was merely making amends and trying to live peacefully. But that wasn’t the real truth, was it? His hands trembled so badly that wine spilled over the glass, drawing Zane and Sandro’s attention. All this time, he had been uneasy and restless because deep down, he liked her—he never wanted to lose her. When had that change happened? Just as his mind began to drift back in time, Sandro yanked him to his feet. "I’m not sure what your problem is, Ewan. One minute you’re sober about the company, the next you look like some woman just broke your heart. Zane is right; let’s go dance." Ewan allowed himself to be pulled away from their private corner of the club and into the public area downstairs, where loud music thumped through the speakers and bodies were grinding against each other. Zane led the way and stopped them at the bar. "Let’s check out some chicks..." He said, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. Sandro chuckled, but Ewan said nothing. Maybe he needed this. He thought, ordering a scotch to the chagrin of his friends. Maybe he needed to bed a woman. Perhaps that would make his frustration disappear. But even as he thought that, he knew it was impossible. He could now understand why his body had been unresponsive to Fiona; his body wanted only Athena. He had just been too slow to follow through. As he lifted the glass of scotch to his lips, his eyes caught sight of a woman in red, who stood at the opposite bar, with her back to him. Instantly, his little man (ahem, penis) jerked to life. He cursed loudly before he could help it. Speak of the devil! And there she appears, wearing red!