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  Chapter 2- The Repercussions

  Janet walked into university the next day and the first thing she noticed was a group of giggling girls throwing her furtive glances and whispering. That was normal; every time Ethan deemed someone unworthy of humane behavior, his fan girl group decided to humiliate the person by their stingy comments. Ethan had been intimate with every one of these girls, or so rumor had it, and probably kept them all hinging on hopes of more which explained their obsession with him.

  “Hey Serving Girl!” one of the girls called. Janet figured they had seen her working at The Four Stars. Or maybe, everyone knew that now owing to her outburst the previous day.

  “Thought you could get away with answering Ethan back because you’re a girl?” another one called. “Have you forgotten Ethan has all of us? Even if he’s too gentlemanly to say anything to a girl, we’re still here.” They burst out laughing at that. Janet kept walking, too annoyed at their stupidity. It was very much like Ethan to set a few girls to torture her instead of doing it himself. He had never had an encounter with a girl before so no one knew how he would react.

  Janet continued hearing snide comments from several different girls throughout the day. It was almost like everyone knew of the events that had taken place there. She didn’t see Ethan but he had done his job well. By the end, she was dying to get out of university and head back to her apartment. When she was finally done at school, she had work so she headed straight to The Four Stars but what she found there made her wish the events of the previous day had never happened. Ethan was sitting with Madam Pamule, sharing a cup of coffee and chatting good naturedly. Madam Pamule was the owner and manager of The Four Stars. When Madam Pamule spotted Janet, she waved her over.

  “Janet, your friend has been waiting for you for ages,” she said. “And a charming young man he is. Don’t keep him waiting. You don’t have to work today.”

  “I’d rather work,” said Janet. She didn’t know what Ethan was up to but it was nothing good, clearly. Madam Pamule, however, looked enamored by whatever charm he had used on her.

  “Don’t worry about it. I won’t cut your pay days. Ethan took care of that. You’re free.”

  “No, Madam Pamule-” Janet began but she was already leaving. Janet turned to Ethan and frowned.

  “If you think you can threaten me by showing up here and talking to my manager, you’re mistaken,” Janet began.

  “Sit,” said Ethan, pointing to the chair in front of him.

  Janet thought of arguing but there was no point. Madam Pamule had already dismissed her for the day and she didn’t have much choice.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Just gathering some background information on you,” Ethan replied casually, stirring his coffee. Up close, he really was gorgeous. He had green eyes and light brown hair. Janet thought she should tell Aveline next time she saw her but that wasn’t really appropriate in this situation.

  “Pam told me everything.”

  “Pam?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you’re on nickname basis with her now?”

  “I’m charming,” Ethan replied. “You’re a scholarship student, as was obvious by your clear disregard for manners yesterday. Clearly, no one taught you how to talk to others.”

  “How to talk to rich kids, you mean?” Janet knew she was pushing it but she was furious now. There must be an upper limit to how arrogant a person could be.

  “You work here part time to meet your tuition fee. Your mom is a junior accountant and your dad is a cab driver. You need this job.”

  Suddenly, Janet was scared. If Ethan was planning on getting her fired, she would have to find a new job and quickly since the semester fee was due in a month. Her parents were already working hard to fill the gap between tuition and scholarship and Janet wanted to help them in any way that she could. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. It was the only way to complete her degree. What if he did get her fired and she was unable to pay her tuition? She would be kicked out then and jobless, with no degree. Now she was really scared.

  “Don’t worry,” Ethan smirked. “I won’t do anything.”

  He watched her with his green eyes for a moment before adding- “if you apologize for yesterday.”

  Janet stared at him, too surprised to reply. “No.”

  Ethan looked her over. “You will apologize.”

  “Apologize for stopping you from bullying a poor, scared girl?”

  “I don’t care who or what she was. You came in my way.”

  “And I would do it again.” Janet shut her eyes, willing her tongue to stop saying stupid things.

  “You need this job,” Ethan repeated casually.

  “I don’t believe you,” Janet said, shaking her head. “You’re more terrible than I thought.”

  “Thank you. And the apology?”

  “You’re not getting the apology, Ethan.”

  “The apology or your job.”

  “How vile can you get?”

  “More than you can imagine.”

  “You spoiled little brat. You can’t always get your way. Why haven’t you been able to figure that out yet? Oh wait! It’s because you threaten to ruin anyone’s life that comes in the way of you and your immature desires. You’re so spoiled. I can’t believe people like you exist!”

  “Was that your apology?” Ethan replied coolly, though his jaw had tightened.

  “I am NOT apologizing!” Janet said exasperated.

  Ethan shrugged. “Think about it, Serving Girl.” He pushed back his chair and with a last loathsome look at her, he exited the shop.

  Madam Pamule can running outside. “How was the date? He left already?”

  “It wasn’t a date, Pam,” Janet said wearily.

  “Oh come now,” Madam Pamule waved. “He was so interested in you. Wanted to know every detail about your life. It’s so sweet. He came earlier than your arranged time to talk to me about you. He’s so gorgeous, Janet.”

  Janet was too tired to point out that they had never arranged a time and Ethan had come to threaten her.

  “Yeah, very,” she said glumly.

  Chapter 3 – The Other Side

  Ethan Reed was a man of his words, no matter how terrible the words were. When he promised to make someone’s life miserable, he went through with it. The fact that he was giving this plain, simple Jenny girl a chance to apologize was really gracious of him.

  In perspective, Ethan wasn’t a bad person. He looked out for his friends and when he cared about someone, he was fiercely loyal to them. The problem was there was hardly anyone he truly cared about. Jih Beton was Ethan’s childhood friend and one of the lucky people Ethan directed his loyalty towards. George Gamez and Kan Conner were also good friends of Ethan but none of them were the same as Jih. Besides Jih, Ethan was extremely close to his cousin, Nel Reed who was four years older than Ethan. She was one of the few people who Ethan forgave for being cheeky with him. In fact, he appreciated her straightforward comments. She wasn’t afraid of speaking up against him and normally, Ethan would seethe over that but with Nel, it was different. Nel was a local TV star, pretty popular in Georgia but not too known outside of it. She was trying to break into the national TV industry and so, was frequently out of town on tours. Whenever she was in Georgia, she was sure to give Ethan a piece of her mind whenever she could.

  Ethan was brought up in a family that was extremely well acquainted with the rich and wealthy in every single part of the world. His mother, Grace Reed, had started a line of bus and metro services while in her late twenties. Now, it was a multibillion dollar company reaping tons and tons of money every single day. His father, Simon Reed, was a politician, formed mayor of Georgia and now running for senator. When he wasn’t wooing voters, Simon Reed was overseeing his own construction business. Ethan had always had every little thing he had wanted or asked for. His parents loved him, he had excellent grades and money had never been a problem. In short, Ethan Reed led a perfect lif
e; a life several people only dreamt of. So when a spilled coffee changed his life forever, Ethan did not know how to handle it. At first, he thought his life had become imperfect. But soon, he learnt that his life hadn’t become imperfect. He had just come to terms with the fact that life wasn’t supposed to be perfect. And the spilled coffee had a lot to do with it.

  Presently, Ethan was lounging in the living room of his house. House would be an understatement. It was more of a mansion. When Ethan was young, he had lived here with his family. When he turned 12, they had moved to California for his parents’ work. The mansion had become more of a summer home to him. Nel lived in Georgia and so did Ethan’s (late) grandparents. He always visited them in the summer and when he decided to go to Georgia, Ethan had moved here permanently. He was usually alone, except for the several servants who worked hard to keep the mansion in order.

  Something was bothering him which he couldn’t quite place his finger on. It was either the fact that the serving girl Janet thought she was worthy enough of answering him back or it was the fact that he didn’t know how to make her life miserable. He couldn’t treat her like he did the other people who came in his way. There had never been a girl before and even if there was, she was more like that crying, sobbing friend of Janet’s and not big mouthed like herself. He knew one thing; she would have to pay for it or people at Georgia would think he had become soft and anyone can come in his way now.

  Ethan sighed, frustrated. He checked his watch again. Nel was supposed to meet him an hour ago but he supposed she had got caught up in one of her social gatherings. Ever since Nel had returned to Georgia from her tour, there had been social events every single night with everyone wanting to spend some time with her. When she finally showed up, Ethan’s theory was confirmed.

  “Sorry, cousin,” Nel said as she threw her bag on the couch and flung down on the bed besides him.

  “Caught up in your little fan gathering?” Ethan scoffed.

  “Is this how you greet your favorite cousin?”

  “You’re not my favorite.”

  Nel rolled her eyes and talked idly about her next tour for which she would be leaving at the end of the week.

  “So cousin, tell me about this little girl whose life you’re planning on ruining,” Nel began after a pause in their discussion. Ethan raised his eyebrows. “George told me,” Nel explained. “He said you went to her work to threaten her and you’ve been talking about how insufferable and insolent she is ever since- well ever since whatever it is that happened. I don’t really care what happened. I want you to leave this girl alone.”

  Ethan glared at her. “If you don’t know what happened, you don’t get to have a say in it.”

  “I know that you’re a spoiled brat who treats people horribly. Now, what’s her name?”

  “Janet,” Ethan replied grudgingly.

  “Where does she work?”

  “Why?” Ethan sounded suspicious now.

  “Where?”

  “The Four Stars.”

  Nel gave him an enigmatic look before changing the subject. “Well, I only left my little party because you were being anti-social. We’re going back.”

  “I’m not going,” Ethan said stubbornly.

  “You are.”

  Nel dragged him back to the party being thrown by Michelle Parkinson in Nel’s honor. Michelle Parkinson was the head of the little girl club who was presently trying to make Janet’s life miserable on Ethan’s account. She was also Ethan’s ex-girlfriend. When Ethan grudging entered the party, he was engulfed by George, Kan and Michelle and her little club so he didn’t notice Nel slipping away from him and out of the club where the party was being held.

  Chapter 4 – The Invitation

  Janet couldn’t concentrate. The music blasting from the club opposite The Four Stars was too loud and distracting. Customers were low today because of the cold weather, she presumed and so she had found some time to work on her homework during her shift. She was seated at the reception desk, reading and rereading a single line, trying to comprehend it.

  The town had been celebrating Nel Reed’s return ever since she had- well- returned. Janet had caught glimpses of her when she was passing on the streets surrounded by her group of admirers and fans, mostly people from the affluent class. The fact that she was a TV star set to make her national debut soon along with her being from the Reed family, Nel was well known and well respected throughout Georgia.

  Janet looked up as the door opened and for a moment, she thought she was imagining Nel entering the restaurant. She blinked to make sure it wasn’t a product of her thoughts just moments ago on Nel’s fame and popularity. Nel was dressed in knee high fur boots with an emerald scarf wrapped around her neck. Her coat was pulled tightly around her and her brunette hair was wind swept. She was tall and- Janet couldn’t help noticing- extremely pretty.

  “Hello,” Nel said, coming up to the reception. “I’m looking for someone called Janet.”

  “Er-” Janet was extremely confused. “I’m Janet.”

  “Oh hey Janet!” Nel brightened up and held out her hand. Shaking it enthusiastically, she continued, “I’m Nel. Nel Reed.”

  “I know who you are,” Janet replied.

  “I want to apologize for the way my cousin has been treating you.”

  “Ethan?”

  “Unfortunately, that’s my cousin.”

  “That’s-that’s alright.”

  “I also want to invite you to the little party being held across the street.”

  “Oh n-no, thank you,” Janet tried to find an excuse. “I have homework to do, see – ”

  “Just for a little bit,” Nel said with finality, grabbing Janet behind the desk and pulling her outside.

  “But I’m not dressed for a party!” Janet protested.

  Nel turned to examine her. She removed Janet’s apron and adjusted her hair a bit. Then she pulled out some make up from her purse and set about applying it on Janet’s face. Once she was satisfied, she started dragging Janet along again. Janet couldn’t do much but pray that Ethan wasn’t at the party but of course, he was. Her eyes fell on him the moment they entered. Ethan looked extremely surprised as Nel and Janet entered arm in arm. Nel went about introducing Janet to other people present there. Most of them greeted her politely. However, the students of Georgia University looked plain shocked and didn’t know whether they should be mean on account of Ethan or polite on account of Nel so they stammered hello and turned away. Eventually, Janet was left alone as Nel was pushed forward in the crowd of all the guests who wanted to spend some time with her.

  Janet sighed. This was going to be awkward.

  Ethan detached himself from his group of friends and made his way to a now Janet-free-Nel. Pulling her away from a few fans, Ethan turned to face her.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

  “Teaching you a lesson.”

  “By bringing the serving girl with you?”

  “That’s exactly why I want to teach you a lesson. Serving girl, really? Maybe you should deflate your head a little. You’ll see what I’m doing.”

  Ethan opened his mouth to reply but they were interrupted by Michelle who was pushing her way towards where Janet stood alone.

  “What are you doing, Michelle?” Nel asked brightly, coming in her way.

  “Oh-” Michelle looked around as if she only just saw Nel. “There’s an uninvited guest. I don’t think we called her as a server either. I’ll be back . . . ” she said more to herself than to Nel.

  “I invited her,” Nel said.

  “What?” Michelle looked even more shocked than Ethan.

  “I invited her. Let her be.”

  “It’s- it’s my party,” Michelle said, clearly not wanting to offend Nel.

  “Well, I was invited to loads of parties tonight. I suppose I could go to another one…” Nel trailed.

  “Oh no!” Michelle said. “Of course, any guest of yours is welcome here.”

&nbs
p; With a forced smile, Michelle returned to her friends. Nel threw Ethan an exasperated look before moving away too.

  Janet accepted a glass of punch from a passing waiter, grateful for something to do with her hands as she stood awkwardly. Some people threw her curious glances but most just ignored her. Suddenly, a drunken man a little older than Janet appeared before her. He was stumbling and clearly out of his mind. Janet stepped out of his way but he lunged at her.

  “Hey Pretty,” he drawled. “Not alone, are you? Where’s your boyfriend?”

  Janet edged away, unsure of what to do. “You are alone,” the drunken man stated, laughing. He grabbed for Janet and before she could do anything to defend herself, he was planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. Janet struggled but he was too big and strong. Suddenly, the man was pulled away and Jih Baton was standing over him, looking furious. He roughly guided the man outside the club and instructed the guards to take him away. People were turning to stare at them now as Janet struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Nel was by her side, asking if she was okay and apologizing profusely but Janet didn’t want to hear anything. She wanted to go back to the safe confines of her room. Nel instructed her to wait outside for her so she could collect her things and get her car keys. Janet insisted she could go on her own but Nel was adamant.

  Janet stepped outside the heated club. The drunken man had disappeared and Jih Baton never returned after the little episode. She was in the back garden, which was a pretty little place filled with the smell of roses. Janet gulped the fresh air, willing herself not to cry. She had always expected her first kiss to be magical and romantic; not forced upon her by a drunken man. She remembered Marlene’s words when she had told Janet she was stupid for thinking first kisses are supposed to be magical. According to Marlene, Janet had been watching too many fairytales.