5 Restless
Fiona shriveled when Sandro came to stand before her, his eyes glazing with a sheer
indifference to her, as always. For the first time, she was glad about it–it showed that he hadn’t. heard her discussion with Athena.
Sandro was Ewan’s right–hand man, and his best friend. A no–nonsense man who wasn’t fooled by her antics. He knew of her obsession with Ewan, but had maintained his peace for the unity of his friend’s union.
Fiona wondered what he would do now. She knew that he had always favored Athena over her, even though the latter wasn’t aware of it.
“Mis… Athena, what are you doing here?” Sandro questioned, darting glances between the two
women.
He bit his lower lip for almost calling Athena, Mistress, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw the knapsack in the latter’s hand. “Where are you going?”
“She is going…”
“Fiona, I don’t remember asking you any question. You can leave now. I think your father is searching for you.” Sandro mentioned, not bothering to even bestow a glance at the offending female.
For reasons best known to him, he had never accepted Fiona into his life as a friend or whatever, no matter how much she had thrown herself in his way, a fact that Ewan was unaware of.
Sandro was beginning to wonder if he had made the right choice by keeping it away from Ewan.
Perhaps if he had told his friend, the latter would have been skeptical in believing whatever
Fiona told him, the latter would have probably investigated the cheating event, befo
denouncing Athena from being his wife.
Sandro was logical, especially as he wasn’t involved in the scandal. There were a lot of loopholes in Luca’s account, yet nobody had mentioned that. He knew that if the matter was thoroughly investigated, Athena would be innocent.
Athena wasn’t one to cheat.
She was illiterate, yes, but she wasn’t disloyal.
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5 Restless
He knew that much, having known her these past three years.
Too bad that Ewan had been too caught up in his emotions, that he had acted unlike himself, or had the latter seen this as an escape route out of the loveless marriage, and a way to get back
his father’s land?
Sandro shook his head. His friend wasn’t that underhanded. No matter what, Ewan always chose the truth over anything else, including his emotions. (2
This made Sandro wonder why Ewan had let his feelings cloud his judgment. Could it be…?
“If you say so, then. I am out of here. Enjoy your journey, Athena. Hopefully, the highway criminals won’t tear you apart before commented, breaking
you get to another city” Fion Sandro’s thoughts, just before she turned away and began to head into the town.
Sandro scoffed just at the same time as Athena, who found the wish evil. Criminals? She hadn’t thought of that.
“Don’t mind Fiona. The criminals have been pursued far north. Just keep to the path, and out of the thick bushes, and you will be fine. I promise.”
Athena nodded in appreciation. Sandro was just as cold as Ewan, but she knew that he didn’t hate her. “Thank you, Sandro. And for your question, I’m not sure
where I am heading to. Time will tell, I guess.”
Sandro piqued his eyebrows, still not understanding why she was leaving her father’s town.
“He banished me.” Athena said, after a beat, reading off the question on the male’s face.
“My father banished me.”
Ewan dropped the pen he was using to sign on the ledger, out of frustration, when Sandro sighed for the third time in a row.
His best friend had arrived in his office a couple of minutes ago in a sour mood; he had resisted asking him what the problem was, because he had been busy. It seemed that he couldn’t help but get involved now.
< 5 Restless
“What is it, Sandro?” He asked, pushing the ledger in front of him to the right side of the large brown mahogany desk, his hands clasping, and resting on the now empty space on the desk.
“It’s about Athena, and the incident that had transpired yesterday” Sandro started, his morale. not in the least dampened when Ewan scowled at him.
“I don’t want to hear her name, Sandro. And why the sudden interest in my ex–wife? Did she manage to sink her sly claws in you, before leaving for her father’s town?” Ewan inquired, getting out of his seat, becoming restless all of a sudden.
It has been like this, since he had found the shaming photo. He didn’t understand why it was so, but he believed that time would cure it.
However, why was his best friend interested in that sly woman now? Had she told him something?
Since he married Athena, Sandro had only been civil to her, and that’s because of the position she held in the town; yet here was his friend, talking about her, as if he wanted to defend her.
Ewan could see the look in Sandro’s eyes, and he knew that his friend wouldn’t stop until he had said what was in his mind.
“Ewan, I think she is innocent. Sandro started, standing up to his feet, abandoning the comfort of the soft sofa, when Ewan glared at him.
“I know. I know. But just let me speak
“You have five minutes to state your case” Ewan obliged, curious to hear what his friend would say in defense of his ex–wife who had thrown mud to his face.
To think that he had resolved to be a bit lenient to her, at the request of her mother before the lovely woman had passed away.
Sandro paced around a few paces, collecting his thoughts before speaking again. “I think it was a setup by Elder Alfonso and Fiona to separate the both of you, so that Fiona can be your wife…”
Sandro shook his head, when Ewan waved him away, a sign to stop talking, and get out of the
office.
“I am not done yet, Ewan. I know that Fiona is your childhood friend, and that she had saved from drowning these wears son–although there is no evidence that she was actually the
you
5 Restless
“I am not done yet, Ewan. I know that Fiona is your childhood friend, and that she had save you from drowning those years ago–although there is no evidence that she was actually the
one…
“Okay, that’s it. Get out, Sandro. I don’t know what Athena told you, but that woman is as sly as her father. I don’t trust her, and you shouldn’t either. Secondly, I wouldn’t have you tarnish Fiona’s image. That lady has been of immense help to me. If she hadn’t saved me those years ago.
from…”
“Yeah…yeah, I have heard that so many times. She is your assumed savior…I get it..”
“She is not assumed, she is! Get out, Sandro! I don’t think you are in your right senses. Ewan stated coldly, angry at his best friend, angrier at Athena for trying to sow discord between his friend and him.
What was her plan? Maybe he should pay her a visit, and give her a piece of his mind. A last
warning, per say, to stay out o
his business.
“Ewan…” Sandro tried again, but Ewan wasn’t having it.
“Out, Sandro. You can come back in,
han your senses have returned.
Sandro huffed, and took a few steps in the direction of the door. He stopped, however, to the amazement of Ewan who was beginning to find the scenario amusing, yet annoying.
“Well, since you are hell bent on believing Fiona to the end, you should know that Athena’s father disowned her, and banished her from the town. Also, on my way here, I saw your Fiona in a heated discussion with Luca and her father. They seemed to be arguing so intensely, that they hadn’t been aware of my presence until later.”
Sandro turned, when his words were greeted with silence.
Seeing that Ewan was still standing, processing the information, gave him the incentive to say the rest of his thoughts.
“I didn’t hear much–but one thing was clear; Luca had been asking for money, amnesty, and something about the freeing of someone. I don’t know who. If that doesn’t tell that his account was false, and that he has been working for Fiona and her father to oust Athena, I don’t know what again.”
- Restless
“It seems that Athena’s father had also banished him. To add to these, I hadn’t told you before, but Fiona isn’t as innocent as you think she is. She has tried seducing me, times without a number. I know it is incredulous, I know that you are happy to be in possession of land now, but I think that you should investigate this scandal,”
your father’s
“And then what?” Ewan asked, folding his arms across his chest. He piqued his eyebrows, when Sandro’s mouth fell open. “Just leave, Sandro. The deed has already been done. But I will talk to Fiona, even though I think you must have heard wrong.”
Sandro recovered from his speechlessness then, and sauntered out of the room without a word, choosing to scrap the whole event under the rug, as his friend seemed to be doing. After all, there was nothing else to be done. Athena was already out of the towns.
Nevertheless, immediately Sandro left the room and shut the door behind him, Ewan spewed out curses, and punched the wall closest to him with all his might and anger, causing his hands to bleed and blister.
He didn’t seem to be fazed though by the blood dripping and staining the german tiles, for he punched the wall again and again, seeking to abate the feeling of restlessness that had tripled by the reason of Sandro’s reports.
Athena had been banished by her father? Where had she gone to? Did she have money on her? Why hadn’t she come to him for help? Would he have helped her? Was Sandro right about Fiona?
These questions without answers, pushed him the more, made him punch the wall the more, until there was a notable crack on the inanimate object, and a pool of blood on the floor.
“There is no proof. He muttered a few seconds later in annoyance, as he trudged to his seat, a show to congeal his emotions of probable guilt, to quell the restlessness and cover up the gaping hole now present in his heart.
“There is no proof that Athena was framed. Fiona wouldn’t do that. Athena is the sly one.
He bent his head, then sank his fingers into his lush hair in despair, after dumping himself on the
scat.
“But why?” He questioned, shuffling his hair. “Why do I feel so anxious and empty?”
