Chapter 149 - Who Is He?

"Come in."

An annoyed, cold sonorous voice escaped from his pale, roseate lips while he fixed his eyes at the door.

Clutching the doorknob open, a tall, slender and gracious lady walked inside, tapping her feet quite boldly. She was no one other than Ivory, dressed up in a violet-colored muslin silk embroidered chiffon gown, side slit from the knee. Her shimmering dark brown hairs were wavering down her shoulder and even with minimal make-up on, she looked none less than a goddess.

But Zeus wasn't pleased to find her there at such an unexpected time. Frowning his eyebrows, he grabbed the packet of cigarette again before asking, "why are you here?"

She quietly walked in wearing those dark purple heels and rested on the chair just opposite him. "You are still working? Gosh, it's almost dinner time--"

"I said why are you here?" Liting up the cigarette with his wolf-head curved metal lighter, he sounded heavier.

She continued looking at him with her deep brown pupils dilated wider. Taking a heavy sigh out, she reciprocated, "Zeus we are meeting almost after 10 days. Aren't you glad to see me even if it's a little bit?"

"Ivory if you are here for some casual talk, I suggest you can come back later. I have some work to finish right now." He turned his chair a bit left towards his laptop, averting his gaze away from her, intentionally trying to act much blunt.

Her facial expressions immediately became quite surly as she sharply glared at him for a few seconds. Clenching her fist and trying to calm down her exasperation, she responded intensely, "I am not here to waste your time. I guess you are too distracted to even remember that today is your parents' marriage anniversary. They want us to accompany them to dinner at the Grand Dior hotel. That's why I am here to pick you up and head towards the place." 

A bit surprised at her exclamation, Zeus paused for a moment and grabbed his mobile right next to him on the table. Indeed, there were countless missed calls from his mother but his mind was too disoriented that he even neglected to pick it up.

Along with a huge sigh, he emitted white fumes of smoke before crashing the cigarette into the astray. Caressing his hair, he seemed a bit perplexed.

Sharply, Ivory picked a glance at the astray, and it was almost full piled up with the remainings of his cigarettes. Frowning her face, she whined at him, "it seems that you are smoking too often, Zeus. The whole room reeks of the absurd smell. The environment isn't amicable at all!" 

Keeping his tight-lipped silence, he stood up from the chair and grabbed the suit coat hanging on the metallic stand. Wearing it over, he declaimed in a grumpy tone, "Then we should head to that place first. I guess, they must be already going impatient for me now. Let's go." Intensely he walked straight out of his cabinet leaving her behind sitting on the chair. His neglectful behavior was hurting her brutally and making a frowned grimace, she took inhaled her wrath in trying to soothe herself.

.

Both of them were seated next to each other at the back seat of his car. An awkward, extremely intense silence persisted between them as if they were at a loss of words of communicating with one another. Slowly, she stole a small glimpse at Zeus who was gawking out of the window, watching the night scenario holding a glum expression all over his face. His face was pale, his puffy eyes looked tiresome and he was breathing quite heavily. She was unknowingly lost in him, without even realizing it for a few minutes.

"Zeus, are you even eating properly?" She chose to break the silence first, asking him.

He didn't shift his gaze at her, instead kept looking at the scenario slightly nodding his head.

"You have developed deep swollen eye bags beneath. Your face looks haggard, filled with sadness. It seems as if you aren't eating or sleeping and just pushing yourself to become too exhausted to even realize it." She whispered, scrunching her brows in concern.

A small sad smirk escaped his lips as he huffed out aloud. "C'mon, it's not like I am going to die off I just skip my meals for a few days." He reciprocated thinly.

"Are you intentionally trying to die?" Her voice crooked a little, sounding very deep.

He stayed silent at her sharp query, holding the sad smirk leniently. "I wish...I could..." He wondered.

"Zeus, it seems that you have lost the will of your life. She has been away from your life for merely a few days and you are already so hollow! What would have been happened if this ill-fated relationship continued and merely after a couple of years she died? You do know, that humans don't get to live a long life like us! What could possibly have happened to you, then? Weren't you living before meeting her? How could your entire life depends on her?" Her eyes were blazing in sadness, looking irked at him she grumbled her anticipations.

He still stayed still, lowering his gaze down from the window. A wide smile covered his grimace but the smile was deeply indulged with agony.

"Before meeting her...I was just existing since we are destined to a long life. But...after meeting her, I learned how to live my life. She taught me to find joy in the simplest things. She taught me how to survive a hectic crowd in a public bus...or consuming a bitter medicine despite resisting hard! She was my inner peace which has hold my serenity against roughness.

Now...when she is gone... I...am back to my life where I just used to exist...I don't want to imagine the life I had to lead without her in the future...but as long as I have her memories cherished in my heart, I can keep existing." His voice sounded thick and dense, reflecting the immense pain he was holding within.

Ivory didn't utter a single word anymore and turned her neck around, shifting her gaze outside the window. She took a deep huff of breath in and clenching the gown over her lap, she tried to stay still holding her patience within, intending to quell the discussion.

..........

Marino Cafe:

At the extreme right corner of the cafe, on the table placed right next to the giant glass walls of the cafe, a handsome, well-groomed charming man wearing a navy blue suit was peering on a weekly magazine holding it in his arms. His shimmering deep brown hair was properly styled with gel and with the bright dazzling face, he was attracting the attention of quite a number of women present within the cafe. The man seemed calm and composed, sipping his coffee and glancing at the magazine while sometimes taking a peek at his wristwatch.

"Err, are you Mr. Eric?"

A modest, cordial voice interrupted him from behind. Quickly he closed the magazine and turned his gaze behind, looking a bit impatient. 

Dressed up in a deep brown laced full sleeve top with a black down the knee-length skirt, holding an anxious face Eva was standing right behind him while gripping a brown handbag. Her hair was tucked behind her ears clipped with a small hairpin and overall she was looking an absolute beauty in the simplest attire. 

"Yes. Are you Miss Eva Ricci?" The man smiled widely at her, with a wide smile prevailing on his face.

"Oh." Nervously she walked towards the chair and pulled it out taking the seat opposite to him. "I am sorry, I am a bit late in arriving here." She placed her phone over the table and spoke coherently in a gentle voice.

"It's fine that you have arrived at least." Peeking a glance at the wristwatch, he whispered in a meek tone. "For a moment, I was dubious whether you would actually arrive or not." 

Trying to project an awkward smile, she softly nodded her head. She was indeed 1.5 hours late for the date but watching his cordial reaction, she tried to act at ease.

"Would you like to have a coffee? Do you prefer strong or mild?"

"I...I am fine. Thank you." 

"Miss Ricci, you don't have to be so nervous around me." He tossed a kind smile at her and straightened his back against the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don't have to act like we are on a date. Just think of me as your acquaintance and try to loosen up a little. Don't be so dense." His mild tone sounded quite soothing while he was trying his very best to tranquilize her anxious self.

All of a sudden her phone screen blinked once with the advent of an unknown text message. Quickly she took a glimpse at it and as soon as the screen flashed out, Eric could evidently see her wallpaper consisting of both Zeus and her. Staring at the picture for a few seconds, he frowned his eyebrows before raising his chin up to look at her.

"Who is he, Miss Ricci?" A stern query in a deep voice escaped his lips.

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**Hello, my dear readers,

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