29 Playboy
Athena knew Zane’s mood was ruined.
It was evident in the change of his demeanor, in the monotone replies he gave her concerning her questions on his father, and in the way he openly flirted with the female waiters.
He never did that when they went out.
His focus was entirely on her and their discussion whenever they went out.
He respected her enough, to put a hold on his playboy activities till they parted ways.
Yes, she had lied about her love for Ewan during their marriage. So what?
It was six years ago! Things were different now. Why couldn’t he see that, and behave appropriately in public?
She watched, in tired disgust, as he gave a sleazy smile to a female waiter.
Does she need to indulge this too? She was tired.
At least he should have believed her last statement. She concluded. She could never
Ewan.
go back to
Yet Athena couldn’t believe that Ewan had thrilled Zane with her foolish submission to him
during their marriage.
Egocentric brat! He must have been so full of himself, so full of gloating!
She held back vomit when she remembered the way she had followed Ewan like a lost puppy all through their years of marriage, the things she had put up with; his coldness, his infidelity.
She shook her head, pushing the painful memories.
Leaving the marriage had been the best decision of her life.
Maybe, she should be thankful to Fiona, for helping her get free from the bondage that was her previous marriage.
If not, how could she have been enlightened now?
How could she have been educated and emboldened?
How could she have been this rich and influential?
Athena gazed at Zane again. He was staring at a woman’s ass this time around.
She knew it was a pretense though. These brash actions of his.
She knew he was baiting her. She knew he wanted to confirm her feelings about him.
Howbeit, she felt nothing for him, other than friendship.
20 Playboy
She sighed. She didn’t want to give him false hopes. Yet she didn’t want the weird atmosphere
too.
“Zane, what’s the problem?”
Even though she knew the problem, she wanted him to speak, to smile, to not act as the playboy he was, because she was with him in public.
She had a reputation to uphold.
Zane, on the other hand, didn’t understand his feelings, or rather didn’t want to understand them.
He already knew he was attracted to Athena, but he didn’t know the depth of the attraction till the likelihood of her returning to Ewan came up.
Would he give her up?
“Nothing, Athena. I’m just processing things.”
“Things like what?”
“Your partnership with Ewan. What does it entail? Would you both be going out?”
Athena scrunched her face. “Not if I can help it.”
Zane sighed. He wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “I think I love you, Athena…”
Athena kept her cool, while her mind ran helter–skelter.
She had thought Zane’s declaration would come later, not today.
She inhaled softly, and toyed with her fingers. “Zane, you already know my position. I’m a single mother.”
“I don’t care for that, Athena. I see them as my own children, you know that…”
Of course Athena knew that. She sought for another straw to grasp.
“You are a playboy, Zane. You’ve flirted with more than ten women since we spoke about the
contract…”
Zane sighed. “I was angry, I was baiting you. I should have known that you wouldn’t bite it. Your can be chill when you choose to be?
Athena resolved to take that as a compliment.
“I love you”
Athena shook her head.
Zane didn’t love her, not like she had loved Ewan once.
She knew love, and knew what it looked like. And that’s how she was sure that Zane didn’t love her.
“You aren’t sure of that yet, Zane. And personally, I don’t think you do. You are attracted to my
“You aren’t sure of that yet, Zane. And personally, I don’t think you do. You are attracted to my personality, and the fact that I have my game cards and life in order. You are attracted to my carriage and composure. If there is someone I believe you love, it is Glanna…”
Now that Athena was on a roll, she could see things more clearly, and she wondered why she
had been so blind to it before.
“Even though you treat her as the scum of the earth, it’s a kind of hate that comes from a deep
kind of love…”
Athena chuckled now, her eyes as sharp as ever.
“You both have a history, a dark history, that has to do with you being together for a while. What happened? Where did you two meet for the first time? Gianna won’t speak about it. Can I trust you not to do the same?”
Athena stilled when she saw the deathly calm on Zane’s face.
There was it again! The coldness that he relinquished to the background whenever he was with
hert
Had she crossed a boundary?
“You can trust me to do the same, Athena. I don’t want to talk about Glanna.”
Athena noticed that Zane’s lips had turned up in disgust when he pronounced her friend’s name.
She pot defensive.
“What did you do to Glanna?”
“What did I do?” Zane cackled in unbelief. “The question should be what did she do to me… that
wretched.”
“Shut up, Zane! I won’t have you insult my best friend…”
Zane chuckled snidely, his anger unfurling at a great speed. “That’s the only reason why she and her stupid parents are not in jail! …because she is your best friend, and the children’s godmother…”
Athena blanched. Had Gianna really wrecked Zane’s life?
“Her stupid parents… I would have put them in prison if they had shown up around my property…for any reason?
“They won’t be able to do that.”
Zane stopped, and scowled. “And why is that? Are they crippled? Because that won’t be enought to stop me if they cross the line
Athena’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Because they are dead”
It was delivered in a soft tone, but it had the desired effect on Zane.
His anger suddenly dissipated, and for a moment Athena glimpsed the man that had been in love
29 Playboy
This was the love. She thought, mesmerized. Not the one he had professsed to her earlier.
But the imagery only lasted for a second.
“They deserve it then!” Zane gritted his teeth. “Yet why did they die? They haven’t paid for their
crimes!”
Athena was done hearing this evil side of Zane speak.
She stood up from the chair, picked her bag, and strolled out of the restaurant.
However, when she got to her car, her arm was grabbed from behind.
“What do you want, Zane?”
yet
Zane stared at Athena keenly, still angry that she had brought up his past with Gianna, knowing he had to keep their relationship afloat, at least for his father’s sake, for his feelings about her, and for his godchildren.
“I’m sorry, Athena. I just…” He paused, staring down at her with eyes now void of fury.
“Does this change things between us?”
Athena shrugged his arms off. “I don’t know, Zane. Let me be for now.”
She ignored the remark he was about to make, and walked into the car. Her driver had left the door open whil
