C20 Chapter Twenty

Nothing was the same anymore, the normal life of waking up and heading to the gym to lift some weights had changed and now all Mc could do was wake but wrap himself up in the thick bed sheets avoiding conversations with everyone. "You need to eat my friend, your father wouldn't be happy if he was here to watch you live like this, you still need to be healthy." Khan would alway say whenever he saw him like that.

Someone knocked at the door but Mc said nothing, he didn't care if they decided to enter or leave, the young master just wanted to be left alone.

The door opened silently and someone seemed to have walked closer, they said nothing and the room was quiet for sometime, it was quite unusual because Mc had become used to people walking in and starting to talk right away "I'm sorry but everything will be fine." they would always say.

This time, Mc opened the sheets he covered all over his head and he saw Emily standing in front of him with a tray of food.

"I brought you some food. I noticed you don't want to go to the dining room and don't want to leave your room so I decided to bring it here, in your room." She sounded so nice and he liked it. She had an effect on him that he couldn't explain, but he still declined, " I'm not sure I want to eat right now Emily."

"That's what you've been saying for the past few days, and you end up just taking the liquor. You need to eat something healthy, I even cut some carrots for you just the way you like it." Why was she sounding like his late caring mother? He liked her.

"You cut the carrots for me?" He managed to let go of a smile and he sat upright.

"Yeah, I noticed you like ‘em carrots, so here." She sat down beside him and placed the tray of food on his lap.

"Thank you Emily," He said, looking deep into her eyes with gratitude and affection.

"You're welcome. When I lost my dad, I couldn't eat too. I mean I lost interest in everything."

"That's exactly how I feel."

"But you know what Mc? I discovered that I was still alive and my life needed to go on. No amount of tears will ever bring him back, ever again. You're the boss of this mansion now, I don't think you'll make a good boss crying in these sheets every day." She was calm and made perfect sense to Mc as he listened carefully to the maid, a personality that no one that rich will sit to take an advice from.

"Your words are as beautiful as you." He finally managed to flirt and Emily couldn't help but smile.

"And now you make me blush, I should leave before you make me feel like a princess in a novel." That finally made Mc laugh and she felt so fulfilled, she'd finally succeeded in making him smile after all the tears and silent treatment of people around him.

"Wow!" Emily exclaimed.

"What?"

"There, right there, you laughed. We should let the whole world know that you've finally cracked a smile." She joked and it made him shine those teeth the more. He couldn't help it, he couldn't explain it, but he found peace and comfort around this very girl who was assumed to be the lowest personality in the Milburn mansion.

*****

The gates to Mc's home opened revealing the figure of Michael's car as he entered the luxurious compound. He parked in the well made car porch and took time to look round the beautiful environment for a while before finally opening the car door. "Good morning Mr. Michael," Khan approached him with so much warmth and they shook hands firmly before heading in.

"He has been saying No to eating for days now. We've tried our best but we failed. Since you are his best friend, we thought you could help us on this one." Mr. Khan explained on their way.

"He could be difficult sometimes. I thought I had seen him at his worst, but I was wrong."

They finally reached the door to Mc's bedroom and Mr. Khan gently opened it and they were all in shock as Mc Ethan, the emotionally broken son was sitting upright eating some food with Emily the maid right beside him.

"Oh wow! He's already eating?" Michael asked in shock! "This girl must've got some magic yeah?" He added while laughing with a knowing smile. "Hey papi, you want us to leave you two together so you can continue eating more privately?" Michael always had a way of lightening up the mood, he'd crack jokes even at a burial and he'd definitely get people laughing.

"It's not what you think, fool," Mc joked, knowing exactly what Michael had in mind.

Emily stood up, "I think I have to leave now," she whispered with her head down and walked out the door, her eyes still on the floor.

"I should leave too, I've already seen enough to be at ease. Now I see you're eating so I'm okay." Khan said and left the room too, now it was just Mc and Michael who was definitely not going to stop making fun of his friend about what he just saw.

"So uhm... You're doing her?" He started again with his unserious voice.

"Look Michael, I'm not doing this with you."

"Yeah I know you're not doing it with me, you're doing it with her ha ha... Gotcha!" They both laughed and Mc passed the food to his friend, "you should try this, she's a really good cook."

"I see man, and she must be really good at talking to you."

"I don't know man, we just developed some kinda bond."

"Tell me about it."

"At first, I thought I just liked her because she's nice. But then I slowly see that I don't even know why I like her, I don't have a reason, I just like her the way she is."

"Wait a minute, no no wait. Is Mc Ethan in love?" He asked with a mouthful of rice.

"Man... The air blows differently when she passes around, and It feels calm when I talk to her."

"I'm so glad we're not talking about your father now, it shows you're slowly letting things be the way they should."

"And now you just brought him up again."

"Aha... Aha ha nah man, just keep going, tell me about this cutie that's rocking your world."

"Why are you making it sound like that?"

"Tell me, what's that thing in her that sparks differently? What's the difference between her and Melissa? Trust me I know there's alot but I wanna hear you say it."

"Michael, it's the first time a girl has made me feel that conversations could be about me also. She makes me feel like my feelings matter too. While I dated Melissa, it was always about her. Everything revolved around her."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"I felt like I didn't have a life anymore. I felt hurt when I found out she was cheating, but when we split up, I suddenly found peace of mind."

"Does Melissa know you lost your dad?"

"Yeah she does and she asked to come over today."

"You said yes?"

"Yes, I don't hate her, I don't see the need to avoid her. But she'll be in a hijab, she uses it to..."

"Yeah I get it. But man, you need to be careful with her and her family. You know what I mean?"

"It's never gonna happen man, we're never going to work out again!”

*****

“Why are you looking so hot Melissa?” The voice of Sonia came on her way out of the bathroom.

“Of course you do know why.” Melissa winked.

“I see someone's going to see her ex husband. And they're trying to look their best mmn...”

“I want him to forget about his dad's death the moment I walk in, I want to take his breath away with this beauty he hasn't seen in a long time.” She made a 360 turn and they both laughed giving a high five.

“Wait a minute!” Sonia’s forehead squeezed.

“What? What's wrong?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Are you gonna tell me or you'll keep me asking?”

“You wore a bra! You're not serious!”

“Why?”

“If he happens to cry on your shoulder, how could he get to feel the soft and tender texture of those boobies? The aim is to remind him of how attractive he once found you and how bad he once wanted you.”

“Ah… Sonia, I don't think that's necessary.”

“You can't be serious Melissa. Do you want Mc back or not?

“Of course I do want him!”

“Then go extra miles to get him cos that's exactly what it requires.”

Melissa paused to think for a moment then decided to take her friend's advice, she took it off then reached for a small box in her purse.

“What's that?” Sonia was curious after seeing the box in her palm.

“It contains my wedding ring with him.”

“You want to wear it?”

“Yes, it will remind him that I still care about our union and the door is still open to get together.”

“Smart girl.”