Chapter - 4
"Given my situation…" Ethan sighed and looked out the window, "That is my only option for now."
Just as Ethan spoke those words, the car went silent. It was an open secret how Ethan entered Clara and Richard's family. There is nothing that remains secret in the world. There is always a whisper that leaks out and then with hush voices the secrets spread like wildfire.
So of course Isabelle had an idea what Ethan was talking about. The "stray" that Clara and Richard picked up off the street. The mysterious guy with no past. But she still tried not to show it, and let Ethan spill it out on his own.
"Your situation?" she prompted gently this time.
"You know," he said, a bitter smile playing on his lips, "I am just a guy that Clara found some place."
"I am someone with no knowledge about his past," Ethan continued, "I don't remember who I was, what happened, how I ended up there, nothing."
"All I know is that Clara was the one who found me and took me to the hospital."
"When I woke up, I was a blank canvas. Everything wiped out."
"I do sometimes think if out there somewhere, someone is waiting for me."
"Even this body of mine," he said, his voice dropping low, "I don't recognise it. I feel like a ghost in this body."
"But while I was lost, no one to rely on. It was then that Clara helped me pull out of that dark, empty feeling."
"She took me in," Ethan continued, "They did not have to. It was perfectly fine if they had just walked away after admitting me to that hospital. But they did not."
"They showed kindness to me, took me to their home, fed me, clothed me, gave me shelter. They made me feel part of their family."
All this while, Isabelle listened to him without interrupting him. She was not quick to jump the conversation, offer comfort or sympathy. The entire time her focus was on the road ahead, not even looking at him.
"They..." Ethan wanted to continue but he stopped suddenly, "I think I have said enough," He gave her a helpless smile.
This woman. How is she able to make him speak so much without even trying? He was afraid of this very thing before entering her car.
"So, what if you are a blank state?" Isabelle finally spoke.
She shrugged. "Sounds like a gift to me. No baggage, no guilt."
"You don't have to care about your past, any regrets you might have, mistakes you made. All you have to do is start fresh. Build a new life for yourself."
This is what made Isabelle lethal. It was the way she looked at them, talked to them that made every guy get pulled towards her. She knew how to handle others, what they needed, what they wanted to hear.
Just like how with Ethan, she did not treat him like a weak fragile patient or a charity case. She treated him like someone who was like any other guy with problems in his life, who needed someone to show confidence in him.
And that sent the urge inside of him to be honest with her, spill it all out.
"And I believe you can do it," Isabelle said as she put her hand on his thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze, "And Aura Media, it is the right place for you to start. Slightly brutal. But they value talent, commitment and loyalty above everything else."
"The job description said they just want the right person for the job," Ethan countered, "They are not putting much emphasis on college degrees. They just want someone who is smart, quick learner and blah... blah... You know how the Job description goes."
"And you believe that?" Isabelle asked raising her eyebrow.
"I don't actually. I am sure it must be rigged. Those with connections will get preference. There is hardly any chance for me."
"But I don't want to impose on Richard anymore," he said, shaking his head, "Richard and Clara have already done more than enough for me. Richard has even offered me to come to his company. But…"
"You are too proud to accept their help," she cut him off, saying what Ethan was hesitant about, "very good, very nice. It seems, I was not wrong about you."
Isabelle then remained quiet for another block, then she offered a piece of advice, "That girl, Jasmine. She values one thing above everything else. Loyalty. She despises double crossing, backstabbing and cheating above everything else."
"She might even forgive you for negligence, and be patient with your incompetence. So you better not go in there and pretend to be someone you are not. She will sniff it on you."
But Ethan noted the way she spoke the Aura media's boss lady's name… Jasmine… It sounded so intimate, familiar. It was not the way one talks about someone they did not know.
"You know her?" Ethan asked curiously.
Hearing his question, Isabelle glanced at him then, and for the first time, a genuine, full-blown smile touched her lips. Her face glowed and made her look younger and even more beautiful. The mention of Jasmine made her genuinely happy.
"You could say that," she said, her voice laced with tenderness, "That girl, she is like my younger sister."
Isabelle spoke those words so casually, but this wasn't as simple as it sounded. Aura Media was already a multi billion dollar company. Jasmine was one of the youngest billionaire CEOs of the country. And that hot shot was a younger sister to this lady who lived outside of the city in a quiet neighbourhood, away from all the limelight.
So was Isabelle a hot shot herself which Ethan did not know about, or was she just a distant relative to a celebrity who liked to brag about how they were the one who somehow helped them reach the stardom they are at by lending them money when they needed it the most.
Well, while Ethan thought about it, Isabelle had already pulled the car up to the curb.
"We are here," Isabelle said, breaking Ethan's chain of thoughts.
Ethan looked outside and they were parked in front of a big building of gleaming black glass and steel possibly 10-12 stories tall and the words AURA MEDIA were displayed in elegant, minimalist silver letters across the building's front.
'So this is it, huh?' Ethan was a little nervous now, 'Maybe I should ask Isabelle for some help. She knows the boss lady. She can surely pull up some strings.'
But when he looked at Isabelle looking back at him with that devilish smile of hers, he instantly threw away the idea, 'In return, she will eat me up for breakfast, lunch and dinner.'
And as if she read his mind, Isabelle chuckled, "Just say it, I won't say no to a cutie."
"I think I will be just fine on my own," Ethan opened the car door and quickly got out of the car, "Thanks for the ride Miss Vance."
Isabelle chuckled seeing his reaction, "Alright then Ethan. Good Luck with your interview. I want an extravagant meal once you get the job."
"Just you and me! And I will choose the main course," Isabelle said leaning forward.
"Definitely Miss Vance. But I think I should get going now," Not wanting to deal with her teasing anymore, Ethan was quick to turn around and walk towards the building.
"Hehehe… I guess this lady still has some charm left," Isabelle smiled, wore her sunglasses and got back on the road driving away.
"Guess, I will play with him for a while longer."
** ** ** ** **
[
Author's Question: Who do you think will enjoy the dessert more?
A. Ethan
B. Isabelle
]