115 A Missing Piece
Alexander also keenly peeked out of the window to see what was so interesting that his friend kept on staring outside. But all he could see was the dark sky and the street that was sparsely lit with the lamps from the merchant’s houses and a few shops.
Everard, on the other hand, had his eyes dead set on the carriage. As the carriage that he had seen far away in the street was getting closer and bigger in view, suddenly a thought crossed his mind.
‘Could it be...?’
He swiftly turned to glance at Alexander and asked, “Alex, did you get the reply letter from Anna yet?”
“No, not yet. Why?” Alexander asked and got up to see if Everard saw a messenger’s horse approaching.
Everard’s heart suddenly began to hammer inside his chest with anticipation.
‘Is it the letter from Anna? Or...’ His eyes sparkled when his fantasy got the better of him. ‘Or is it Anna herself? I need to take a look from the street!’
When Alexander came and stood beside him, Everard turned on his heels and headed out of the room in a hurry.
“Eve? Where are you going?” Alexander asked and looked towards the door to see his friend but he was long gone. “Ugh! Where the hell did he go now?” He sighed and looked out of the window again, only to see Everard walking on the street. “What? How can he walk so fast?”
.....
Rather than sitting in the same room as drunk Lorenzo, Alexander also headed out to see where his friend was going.
Everard was walking at a much faster pace than normal humans. He was a little too excited to check if the carriage indeed came with the news about Anna or if Anna herself was in there.
As he got closer to the carriage, he saw the carriage coming to a halt.
His excitement and anticipation knew no bounds. He tried to see inside the carriage with the help of his sharp eyes but all he could see were the closed windows. However, he got this feeling that the carriage had stopped for him.
Before the coachman could open the door for whoever was inside, the door of the carriage flung open.
‘Please be Anna,’ he wished in his heart while his eyes were latched onto the open door.
In the next moment, he noticed a lady’s feet adorned in the brown bucked heels stepping out of the carriage. Needless to say, he instantly thought that Anastasia was going to step out of that carriage.
However, the anticipation in his eyes turned into shock when he saw the same red-headed woman who had managed to stir up unexplainable feelings inside his heart.
Everard felt as if the time completely stopped when his eyes locked with hers.
Unlike the last time he had seen her, she looked elegant. The uncombed red hair that fell down to her waist made her look like a rebellious young lady.
Her face still looked as innocent as before. But this time, her eyes told more stories than the last time he met her. The bags under her eyes made her look like she had been through a lot. There was a hint of sadness in her gaze.
But at the same time, she was smiling at him as if the two of them had known each other for ages. She seemed greatly relieved to be in his presence.
And oddly enough, Everard also felt relieved and happy even though she wasn’t the woman who he had expected to see.
Everard felt as though all of the worries, anxiety, and nervousness that he had been trying to drown with the help of the liquor had suddenly been washed away on their own.
His heart had never been this peaceful in his life before. And the constant lingering feeling that he was missing an important piece of his life also suddenly disappeared. He was feeling in his heart that everything had finally fallen into its rightful place.
“It’s you,” he whispered with compassion.
And even though she was at a distance, he heard her whispering back to him, “Yes, it’s me. I finally found you.”
Everard suddenly felt this strange sensation coursing through his body upon hearing her soft whisper. And before he could think, his mouth whispered again, “I’m glad that you found me.”
He abruptly covered his mouth feeling shocked and ashamed of himself. ‘How can I say something like that so casually? What the hell is wrong with me?’
Before he could think what was wrong with him and spiral back into the feeling of guilt and hatred towards himself, or before he could process how she was able to hear his whisper from afar, he saw an extremely handsome and wealthy-looking man stepping out of the carriage.
And when that god-like man stood right next to the innocent lady who put his heart at ease, a wave of jealousy splashed against his heart. Not just that, he sensed extreme hostility coming off from that man.
‘Why do I feel like he the danger that I was sensing earlier?’ Everard clenched his teeth and thought to himself. ‘And why is he wearing sunglasses when there’s no sun?’ He furrowed his brows because he found that to be a really absurd choice of fashion.
And his jealousy flew sky-high when he saw that man leaning closer to that lady’s ear.
“Are you sure he is the man you are looking for?”
Everard heard him whisper into her ear.
And she happily nodded her head.
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But that man asked again, “Are you a hundred percent sure? He looks a tad bit sketchy. I don’t like how he is reeking of wet dog and alcohol.”
Everard felt ashamed of himself when he heard such a rude comment from that man. But at the same time, he was enraged that that man was talking badly about him to her, that also right in front of his eyes.
So he closed the gap between him and them in no time.
He looked at that man’s eyes that were covered by sunglasses. And he asked that man in a rude and dismissive voice, “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
And Hamilton replied while asserting his authority, “I don’t think a drunkard like you would know who I am.”