27 Truce
Athena looked at her wristwatch, and seeing it remained just a few minutes before Ewan
pulsation of her heart.
appeared before her, she inhaled calmly to quell the err a few minutes before Ewan
She had fixed the meeting by nine a.m, but had arrived at the restaurant by thirty minutes past eight to gain an advantage.
Yet, her heart wasn’t cooperating as she wanted.
This would be the first time they would be having a civil conversation since her return. It was all the fault of her children. Those precious brats!
Earlier this morning, after she and Gianna had discovered the mishap that had wrecked Ewan’s company in mere hours, she had been gobsmacked, literally.
Even so, she hadn’t confided in Gianna about her suspicions because her friend believed her children were the most innocent creatures in the universe.
But Athena knew better.
After tucking her friend to bed, and making sure the latter was asleep, she had brewed a cup of strong black coffee for herself, and conducted her own research.
Was she a global hacker for nothing?
Knowing the possibility of her children denying their involvement in the matter, she had gotten evidence first, straightened her findings, before heading to the children’s room to wake them up. When they sat up after her taps on their thighs, pretending to rub sleep away from their eyes, she had known they hadn’t even slept at all.
She had wondered how long this had gone on.
Did you do it? The defaming of Ewan’s company, did you do it? I’m sure Kathleen told you he came here. I’m sure you know he is your father.
Nathaniel hadn’t bothered to deny it. He has to pay for troubling you, for not recognizing my sister. She was traumatized by it!
Athena had ignored the puppy look Kathleen gave her.
Rather she had scolded them and tasked them to return every information to Ewan; to hack ins
the press companies and to take down the news about Ewan.
She had also told them to keep away from her business with her father.
They had grudgingly accepted her decision.
She wondered how long the acceptance would last.
She sighed and took a sip from the drink a walter had served her some minutes ago.
She wished her children would listen. She didn’t want them involved in her revenge plas
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27 Truce
She wished her children would listen. She didn’t want them involved in her revenge plans. She wanted them to live their lives as children.
Hopefully, they will listen.
She didn’t want to tag them with cameras, in order to follow their movements, or hack into their laptops and phones. They won’t be pleased with an invasion of privacy.
She also wanted a leveled battlefield with Ewan, with no interruptions.
She looked up, breaking away from her thoughts, when she heard mutterings around her.
And when she saw Ewan, she understood.
The people weren’t happy with him. It will take a while before this matter blew over.
She sighed again.
Ewan hadn’t really done anything to her this time, so she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
She watched him walk to her, confident and stoic, and marveled at the similarities he shared
with Nathaniel.
Zane was right.
If Nathaniel had been the one that had walked into the sitting room last night, Ewan would have recognized him as his son.
“Ewan, good morning. She greeted first, refusing to be dazzled by his handsomeness that hadn’t been deterred by the dark circles surrounding his eyes.
She knew he had been awake all night. She felt guilty. A little.
“Athena, good morning. Or rather, Doctor Athena…”
Athena smiled thinly. They were already off on a bad foot.
“Please sit down, Ewan. Let’s be done with this. We both have busy days.”
She watched Ewan trail his eyes all over her face and upper body and flushed. Why did he look at her like he was ravishing her?
The look lasted for barely a minute, before Ewan was back to ice.
When he pulled the chair and sat down, Athena took note of the strength of his biceps.
Instantly, her mind brought back those crazy nights of hot intimacy with him.
She felt herself become red.
“Are you okay?” The ice has disappeared again. There was now worry in his eyes.
Athena hated it. She didn’t want anything to change her perception of Ewan.
He had never worried about her when they were married!
“Yes, I’m fine.”
27 Truce
Then she licked her lips, out of habit.
A flurry sweet feeling instantly developed in her lower belly when Ewan’s eyes darkened with pleasure as he followed that singular emotion.
However he looked away seconds after, cleared his throat, and reverted to her, waiting.
“I’m not here to gloat, Ewan. Why would I do that?” Athena finally managed to ask.
Ewan chuckled humorlessly. “I don’t know. Maybe because you were behind the attack last night?”
In a way, she was. Athena thought. But Ewan didn’t need to know that.
“I wasn’t. But I know who was behind it. The person did it out of blind loyalty. And I’m here to apologize. Zane isn’t involved too. He is still your best friend, never mind his funny antics.”
Ewan didn’t know what to say; fight or accept? He wasn’t sure. So he waited.
“If you check the socials now, the news have been taken down, and the data has been returned to you. Your clients and shareholders have also been apologized to. You won’t incur much loss, except a little of your client’s trust.”
Ewan didn’t believe Athena, didn’t believe the thumping matter had suddenly disappeared in a space of three hours..
He thought she was exaggerating.
“You can call Sandro or your operations manager.” Athena continued, having noted the disbelief on Ewan’s face.
Ewan obeyed, without hesitation.
Two calls and five minutes later, he was speechless.
Athena had meant her word.
He even checked the socials. All posts had been taken down.
The shareholders were responsive now, according to Sandro.
The hackers had even left a tip for his technical team: on system fortification.
Ewan couldn’t believe his luck.
Yet he couldn’t help but wonder who the mystery person was.
Her husband? It would explain the blind loyalty!
Ewan felt the pain again right at his chest. He strove to push it aside with a deep breath in. “Thanks Athena. I’m sorry for everything”
Athena shrugged her shoulders. “It’s okay. In addition, you won’t need to pay me twenty percent of your shares…”
Ewan broke out in a wide smile, almost blinding Athena, but she held on and completed her
Trude
Ewan nodded. It was a better deal than the last. “I can work with that. Thanks again, Athena.”
He paused, wondering if his next suggestion will be accepted. “Can we call a truce?”
A truce? Athena was okay with it, so long as he stayed out of her business, and didn’t interrupt her plans.
Oh, a truce won’t stop her plans!
She shook the hand he stretched out.
“Truce accepted. But we are not friends, just business partners.”
Ewan smiled. “I can work with that, partner.”
