Damien's POV
It was a week since the Gala. I sat at the balcony looking at my garden, my grandmother gave it to me, we'd nurture it when I was a child and she'd tell me stories.
*Flashback
"Why do you take care of them so much Grandma?" I asked her raising the sickle for her to take.
"Flowers are like humans my darling. " She said patting my head.
"They don't have my strong arms." I said showing off my muscles I had acquired from 2 pushups.
"Oh my boy." She said laughing.
"See how this one is little, just like you, it'll grow to be like this one." She said pointing from one little flower to another.
*End flashback
My phone rang, it was an unknown number.
I hated calls except they were clients and no client ever called with an unknown number.
"If it isn't the man with a new bride." The voice said.
I knew this voice, my brain could recognize it even in deep sleep. It was Zane! My highschool buddy, he chased a different career path after his parents died and I hadn't heard from him for 10-15 years.
"Zane!" I shouted with excitement.
"Slow down cowboy." He said with his bass voice.
"Cowboy." No one called me that after highschool, I was a man now.
"How did you, when did you-" I said, not knowing what question to ask first.
"Calm down, I'm in town for a few days, hang like old times?" He said after laughing at my stuttering.
"Hell yes!" I said getting up from my chair.
"Well I'm at your gate now and some dude named Marco won't let me in." He said.
"What!" I couldn't hide my shock and my excitement.
I ran downstairs and Marco had already let him in.
"My brother!" He said dropping his bags and hugged me.
"I missed you man." I said in the hug.
He pulled away and then looked at the staircase and I turned, it was Sophie.
"You're even a goddess in person." He said walking over to her and kissed her hand.
"I'm flattered." She said, smiling widely.
Was that a flirt? Why was I noticing if she flirted, I didn't care anyways.
"Oh damsel, you look like you would ruin me in the best way possible." He said, bowing.
"Well, you'll be ruined." She answered and curtsied.
No, no this had to stop, these two wer irritating my soul.
"Mind if I borrow my friend for a while?" I asked stressing the word my.
"Yeah…uhm, sure." Sophie said and went back upstairs.
I hadn't seen him in 10 years and all he cared about was Sophie?
"She's more beautiful in person than the pictures dude." He said looking at her like she went back up.
"She's my wife." I said.
"Shut up man, I know that shit is fake." He said, using his hand to gesture to the maids to take his bag to the guest room.
He was always like this, my house was his. We were like brothers. The way he always saw through me made him look suspicious.
"Clean up that place Anne." I said to one of the maids as I led him upstairs.
"Now, where were we?" He asked when we were in the balcony.
I never asked about people's private or public lives unless they said. I knew why he went away and so I hadn't bothered to ask but 10 years was a long ass time.
"You, flirting with my wife?" I answered him.
"Shut up man. I know you're tripping." He said, taking a sip from his wine.
"What do you mean?" I asked him because I was confused now.
"No pictures, nothing and you kiss her at a Gala and say she's your wife? Common man you know I know a signed marriage when i see one." He said getting up.
" Reduce your voice dear sir." I said sarcastically.
Was it really that obvious? Zane knew almost all my secrets sometimes it felt like my mouth was loose when I talked to him. He always had advice for me, and he kept them and never brought them up, unless I asked.
"See? Your brows furrowed. I know you're lying man." He said laughing.
Damn! He was good.
"Okay fine, it's signed, I don't even like her, it's just for the contract." I said.
I told him everything that happened excluding some parts, while talking I smiled a bit, what was this?
"Get out of here man, I'm going there and I'm taking her." He said laughing at what I said and leaving the room.
I missed Zane and I hadn't even realized it.
"Argh!" I heard a scream.
I ran into the house to see what was happening.
Blood.
It was Sophie at the base of the staircase, her head tore and blood was coming out like it was a fountain.
"I'm sorry sir, she…she slipped." Anne said.
This bitch didn't clean the damn water she poured.
I carried her on my arm with Zane coming behind and we drove to the hospital.
"She's going to be fine sir, it's only a minor cut." The doctor said.
"Minor? You call that shit minor? What if she died? I'mma sue y'all. Incompetent." I shouted at him.
"Calm down man, he's doing his job." Zane said and patted my back.
I sighed and paced around the lobby waiting for the doctor to come back and let us in.
I and Zane went in to see her, she was asleep. She looked so tender if she wasn't a killer. Funny how that didn't even bother me. I held her hand caressing it.
"Time out, you only get two minutes." The nurse said.
Even if it was my hospital, I had to obey protocols, so we left.
"You like her dude." Zane said after the silence on our way back home.
"Huh?" I asked pretending I didn't hear him.
"You like her, see how you screamed? You've never been like that since…" he stopped.
I knew he wanted to say Valentina but he stopped remembering how I was when she left.
Do I like Sophie?