35

HOPE WELLINGTON

I was surprised when Harry paid me a visit at my office. It was not usual for him to come uninformed or without a prior warning. But none the less I was glad that he came. He always made me feel better whenever I was low. But the disadvantage in this situation is that I cannot hide my problems from him.

" how are you?", he questioned sitting across me and look that Oliver who was sleeping on the couch, "You have called me less this past few months. What's the matter Hope?"

I shrugged, "Just been busy more than usual. There are too many things to care about. Just been struggling to balance all this."

He nodded, "Order a coffee for me. I can't function without one."

I called Rebecca and minutes later she came with the coffee.

"Is David treating you right?", he asked after a few minutes.
"He is. Why do you ask?", I answered in a single breath.

"Just wondering.", he said but his eyes were strictly trained on me. I know he was trying to read me, so like a good little sister, I sat quietly and waited for him to finish his analysis. He was a good one at reading people, and especially me.

"David has been fine with me. We both are really loving the concept of coparenting Oliver. And more than that, it is fun to live with him. You know he's my friend since ages."

"Friend. That is the problem. He is your husband. You should be more than friends."

I laughed, a little nervous, "We are more than friends. But it's growing on its own pace. I am not rushing anything. And he's being just fine."

He leaned back on his chair and sipped his coffee, thinking hard, "You know i always wanted everything to be perfect for you. So when I see you trying to adjust in David's life, it makes me apprehensive and a bit defeated at the fact that I couldn't do anything. I should have atleast found that guy who traumatized you for years."

I smiled at him, "The guy I loved. Don't degrade him like that."

He shook his head, "First of all, don't defend him. Secondly, don't defend him at all now that you are married."

By the time we were done conversing about several things, Oliver woke up and got down the couch himself. He stared at Harry for a few moments and then looked at me.

"Mumma! Boy!", he pointed at him.

I chuckled, "Yeah...he's a boy. You can call him uncle. Say hi uncle!"

He looked at Harry again, and smiled, "Hiii Unca!"

Harry waved back, pulling out a big chocolate from his jacket, "Hi Baby Wellington! You want this?"

The shiny wrapper attracted him swiftly, "Choco!", and with that he went towards Harry and he picked him up. The chocolate was in his hands in no time.

"Mumma! Choco!"

"Uncle gave you?", I asked and he nodded eagerly, and pointed at Harry, "Unca!"

"He's adorable. I guess that is why you don't call me enough."

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah! Most of the time, I am busy admiring his antics. Just see him play with his father. They both banter alot."

"You do know, you should put your love where your heart feels at peace. If peace is with David and him, i don't know what is the problem with that guy, other than his potty mouth. He's rich, stable, good looking and definitely best at what he does. So you should give it a serious chance."

'A serious chance'- ofcourse.

"I will Harry. I will try my best."

"But don't try hard enough. Like don't waste too much of yourself."

Like a concerned brother, his doubts were so real and true. Only that I knew well what I was getting myself into.

Oliver was busy interesting us in his animated talks when my phone rang. I saw it was David. He was in a meeting, so I wasn't really expecting a call from him at this time.

When I picked up the call, my brain freezed when he said, "Erica's been shot! I am sending a driver for you. Come to the hospital."

If it wouldn't have been for Harry sitting across me, i would have had a panic attack. He took the phone from me as shock registered on my face and talked to David.

"Don't worry. I'll drive her and Oliver to the hospital."

*

On my way to Hospital, i would have called David a thousands of time to ask him how it happened, what happened. But he only told me to calm down, his voice a little shaky, and that it happened when she was taking Eve to her vaccination.

She was immediately taken to the hospital by the guards. How come someone shot her when so many guards were around?

My mind was in constant panic mode, and Oliver must have sensed it because he was unusually quiet. I pulled him closer to me and kissed his head, "Calm down Strawberry."

He gave me a small smile and focused on the elephant stuff toy in his hand, holding him by his teeth.

I had a shawl with me, and covered him securely before I came out of the car. It was extremely crowded at the entrance and Harry held me tight before leading me in. David was already standing by the reception and as soon as he saw me, he came forward.

"Eric is going berserk in there. Jess is with him. C'mon!", he took Oliver from me and held my hand. Harry followed us as we got into the lift.

Eric was really loosing it when I saw him. He was pacing back and forth, his hair dishelved. A band of guards were surrounding the area where Erica supposedly was. And they looked very nervous, glancing at Eric like he was ready to burst any moment. Eve was in Jess' arms crying out loud, definitely in trauma.

"She's not hurt. Is she?", i asked Jess.

She shook her head, "She was with Stephan. But she's visibly shook."

After almost two hours, the doctor came out.

"Mr. Ashton!", Eric was before him even before he could acknowledge.

"She's okay doctor. Right?"

The doctor was a kind man, who gently patted his back, "Calm down Mr. Ashton. She's fine. Your guards were vigilant enough to push her at the right time. The bullet only managed to graze her arm. We have stopped the bleeding and checked for any traces of gun powder than could infect her wound."

It was then everybody present there took a sigh of relief. I felt like my heart was back at its place. The horror of coming from the office till here, and sitting for the time here, pushed me to an edge.

"When can I meet her?"

"You can go in. She was saying that you must be really worried but wear a sterilized set as you go in. And rest of the family can wait for some time. She's still under anesthesia."

After Eric went in and everybody was assured of her wellness, we settled in the waiting room, a little far from the room she was in.

Eve was sleeping now. I held her tight making sure not to move too much because she's really perceptive of movements and now she's panicking after every ten minutes. Oliver wasn't asleep though. He was chatting with everyone, from James to Embrey, telling them about God knows what. When I say he had the potential to bring light in every room, it was really true. He was doing it right now.

I got the chance to see her after David, and she was sleeping peacefully. Her upper arm was bandaged and tucked at a side. It was clear she would have to avoid heavy tasks for a while now.

After she was shifted from the critical unit to a private ward, and when she finally woke up and assured Eric for an hour, did he leave her with peace in his heart.

As her manager, I had to give a statement in the media about her conditions but I was waiting for Eric to respond and if he sees a security threat we can always delay it.

By the end of the day, Eric managed to hire a dedicated staff from the hospital and decided to take Erica back home. The doctor agreed on his insistence and when David fetched the police commissioner to cite a security threat at the hospital, they easily complied.

The doctor even promised to visit twice daily unless Erica fully recovers.

The mothers were busy cooking a meal, the children fast asleep and I was busy drafting a statement when the storm finally emerged.

"I don't care what happened Stephan! The fact is Erica is hurt right now. And if something happened to her, i would have thrashed the whole fucking world. You know me."

Eric entered followed by Stephen and David.

"Stephan! Just do one thing. Find the culprit behind this. I have hired a criminal lawyer already."

"Who? Carter?"

David shook his head, "That bastard is nowhere coming near us. You already used him once and he lost."

"He lost because he was paid for it!", Eric snapped making us all look at him strangely.

David narrowed his eyes at him, and I wondered if it was a slip of tongue.

"Carter is good, but his record for criminal cases is not better than Jeffrey. He is already on work and investigating with the police."

Eric looked like he was ready to attack, "Don't interfere in my personal matter!"

To that, David laughed unamused, "You know the word 'personal matter'? Surprising honestly! But well your personal matter concerns my personal sister. And my niece. I am not going to compromise on that matter! If you want to sulk, go sulk in a secluded corner. We are glad here that Erica is fine!"

And then he turned to Stephan. Eric wanted to protest but he didn't seem to find any words.

"Stephan...the guards did a good job. But if Erica's location was out. Or may be they knew she'll visit the hospital today. May be it was some obsessive fan. We have seen such things happening with celebrities. Or may be it was some of our own rival? It can be business, or any man that your boss must have offended in the recent past. Because he is the best at doing that. Also investigate Aurelio too. We evicted him from this building not long back and I even got his bank accounts frozen after he intruded the building. So get it all checked. And make it fast."

Ignoring the scowl on Eric's face, Stephan left as fast as he could. He wouldn't come back before he finds the culprit. Because angry Eric was never kind Eric.

"Now if you are done sulking. Go have some food. I don't want Erica worring over because you starve yourself!"

I shook my head at his attitude and resumed writing my own statement. I decided not to give face to face interview over this but only drop a statement on my social media because these men were thinking somebody is behind us. And everyone has to be protected. And since I am a Wellington now, I too will have to be protected.

When I was done with the statement, i finally sent it to Rebecca to post it.

As her management company, we held a responsibility to make sure that no misinformation is spread around her.

Absent mindedly, and still a little shook from the days event, I stood up. But as soon as I walked ahead, i bumped with none other than David.

"Careful Hopeless!", he whispered in his deep voice, making me look away.

"I.. I'll help Jess.."

"There are four women in there. Jess, Embrey and two cooks, you can instead focus on me."

I shook my head, "I am not interested."

"Then how can I interest you?"

I sighed and looked around. Eric was sitting a little far from us, typing profusely on his phone. God knows who's about to get grilled.

"C'mon Hope! There's no way he's more interesting than me."

I stared at him for a moment and then turned around him to leave. I had a lot to do today, and I was feeling mentally drained. The only good part about this day was Erica being fine at the end. It took great efforts to calm down Eve. And seeing her hysterical, even Oliver became too quiet.

"Hope! Don't ignore me!"

"What do you want?"

He smiled sheepishly, "I know you want to thrash my face right now. So here I am, presenting myself before you."

I folded my hands before him and looked at him, like really looked at him, "Tell me why would I be angry at you? I lied. I 'betrayed'. I am the culprit. I have no right to be angry."

He huffed, "Listen...you would have done anything. But you have every right to be angry. And your reasons? Let me state them- I accused. I said rubbish even when I didn't mean it. And i cancelled our date."

That offended me, "It wasn't a date!"

The corner of his lips lift up, "Oh! But it was. A date. Our first date. You and me. Alone. Out on a dinner."

"No David! It wasn't a date. You may be my husband but I know my limits with you. I know I am nothing but a wife and your child's mother. So even though, things may look pretty much good, there a clear line between us. They just blurred a littl..."

"The line between us blurred the day I asked you to marry me. You get that!? And if you don't, i know exactly how to show you how blurred our lines are."

I was agitated and annoyed beyond everything. Whenever I think my walls are high up upto the sky, he'd try hard to hammer them down to the ground.

"I am going to eat something. I am starved. Let's talk about this later on."

"When exactly? Give me an appointment?"

If only I could kill this man, "How about never?"

"Okay...I'll talk to you after dinner...like you just asked. Go and eat something."

I left but my mind shook when I thought about him showing me how blurred our lines were.

*

DAVID WELLINGTON

I watch her stomping her feet to the dining table. She's cute when she's angry, making it an even more fun business to agitate her. I was liking it all. Her showing me her anger, and holding a grudge against me. Me running behind her like a list puppy. It was bond of some sort. Something intimate. Hope has never shown so much right on me. And I was loving it.

But what I didn't love was whatever she was thinking now. She was thinking she doesn't mean anything to me. But now, even I am clear that I cannot neglect what I feel with her. With Venus, it was me being her safe haven. With Hope, it is her being my safe haven. I don't know what feeling to love more. But Venus is beyond my grasp. Hope is not. I can't let her go.

"She's angry because she didn't get to say what she wanted to say to you."

I turned at his voice to see him standing just behind me. I am sure he noticed our exchange. I hate this guy. Privacy bloody invader!

But I had to think about what he said.

"How come you know she wanted to say something?"

He smirked, all the distress from earlier forgotten.

"My wife is her best friend."

"Your wife is also my sister."

He nodded, "But you hurt her best friend."

I rolled my eyes, "What do you know that I don't?"

He chuckled, "Everything Dickhead. Everything."

"So what should I pay you for you to utter it all?"

"Pay me? You think you can pay me with money?", he folded his hands.

I was perplexed at his confidence. He definitely knew something. May be I can find my answers with him. May be I can get him to use his kickass investigation team to find me that lover of Hope. After all, there are only two problems in my life right now. My own liver. And Hope's lover.

"What do I have to do?", I asked. I can take my time with finalising the whole ordeal.

"Be my slave for a month."

I rolled my eyes, "What are we? Two?"

"You think I care? Tell me if you accept the deal or not. And take your time. You are a businessman after all.", smirking at his vicious plan, he left me wondering.

If he knew, he must have definitely heard Erica talking, or may be Erica told him willingly, oblivious to the fact that this man can trade this information for making me his slave.

He thinks he can overthrow me. I will go and directly ask Erica.

Next day, after facing more ignorance from Hope, and smugness from her son, I came back to Erica's penthouse.

"Baby sister!!! Where are you?"

Eric came out from the kitchen and narrowed his eyes at me. Ofcourse suspicious about why I was buttering Erica. You'll see doofos!

I went to their master bedroom, and saw her sitting on the bed. Her wound looked newly bandaged, and she looked a lot more better than yesterday.

"How are you feeling now?"

She smiled, "Very good. Eric his making me a delicious soup."

"Where's my little lizard?", I looked here and there and found her curled up to her stuff toy, eating his nose.

"C'mon baby! Come to the best uncle ever on the face of this earth."

She looked at me and then extended her hands. I picked her up and kissed her face, to which she giggled loudly.

"I wish you big cousin was as loving as you. He has waged a war against me. Threw up on my shirt twice today! That devil's spawn!", My complaint made her clap and she hugged my neck, sticking her cheek with mine. Unlike her dad, i didn't have an itchy stubble.

Taking her I sat near Erica's foot and kept her feet on my lap.

"I can give you the best massage ever. But you only have to answer a few questions."

She chuckled, "Oh the businessman! What do you want so badly? And yeah, use a little more effort."

I made Eve sit on my thigh, and kept massaging her mom's feet.

"What is it David?"

"Hope is angry. She's not talking to me. Atleast not like I want her to."

By then, the villian of my story made an entrance with the soup and sat near her, "Let me feed you."

He distracted her for a minute but her focus came back to me, "So David? How does it concern me?"

I huffed, "I know why she's angry but at the same time I don't. She's more upset than angry. And I even asked her to go on a dinner with me, and you know what happened!! First time in the history of this world, a woman managed to resist this handsome face and said a 'No'. A strict 'No'. No room for anything else!"

Eric laughed, but I ignored him. He was having fun,but I was having a serious discussion here.

She sighed after passing a glare to Eric.

"How do I say anything to that David? You know she's not wrong in her place. You were not considering your words before you uttered them. And Hope is a sensitive girl. She was preparing alot for that dinner of yours and when you refused, she is bound to get disappointed and say no."

A wave of guilt passed through me. And i thought only I was the one preparing for the date and so I refused like it was an endeavour of mine alone.

"Erica! You know her. She spends so much time with you. She wanted to say something to me that day. What was it?"

She smiled at me, gently, "That is her place to tell. Not mine."

"That means you already know?"

She bit her lips, but then eventually nodded, "I do."

"And he knows too?", I asked pointing at smug looking Eric.

Before she could say anything, he spoke up, "I do."

"Shut up Eric!!", she rebuked him, "That is not our thing to tell."

"What is it Erica? Tell me? Because Hope is not going to say anything."

She patted the place beside her, "Come here."

I obeyed and settled beside her, taking Eve with me.

She leaned her head on my shoulder, "You know yesterday when the bullet hit me and i saw Eve wailing in distress, it was his face that flashed before me.", She pointed at Eric, "and that's because he's loved me beyond everything. I don't know how, but I was feeling really secure, even at that moment, that he won't let anything happen to me. But you know life is uncertain. See what happened with Venus. Even you couldn't do anything even when your world was crumbling before you. What I want to say is- life is too small to run from things, people and feelings. Hold whatever you can. Grasp it tight and never let it go. Hope is not just your wife, she's your second chance at life. Hold her tight. She has the key to a very beautiful future for you."

Things were becoming clearer. Erica was convincing me, that if Hope comes to me with her heart, i should hold it tight and keep it safe.

But what do I do with this sudden urge of going to her with my own heart, and begging her to keep it safe.

I looked at Erica and declared something, acutely aware of Eric's presence too. After months, i was glad he was here, witnessing me at my most vulnerable.

"Erica...I think ...I think I have some really strong feeling for Hope now. And it is growing every day. And it is definitely not just friendship. It is something else. Something that makes me feel protected. I have been running away from the world,my responsibilities, my own life, my son. But her presence, it...it grounds me. It keeps me sane. I don't know how she manages to do it. That little woman! I want to hide behind her. She's...she's someone i can't let go now."

She nodded, "You shouldn't. But you should think what would she get from this whole ordeal..."

I sighed and leaned backward, "What do I have to give her Erica? I am a damaged man who has spent everything in.."

"You have love to give. And Hope deserves every bit of it."

*