I faced him with all the calmness in the world. "I don't talk about rumors." My father had bribed everyone to never mention my name in relation to that incident when Michael and Adrian got in a fight. Besides, not many could have heard what Adrian told Michael, and since Adrian had cheated on other girls too and often gotten into fights, no one could prove the whole mess was about me. It was common knowledge that Michael and Adrian couldn't stand each other ever since Adrian broke Amaya's heart.
"You're right. It's not worth our time to talk about rumors when we can talk about other things." He sighed. "I only wanted to tell you that we're not very convincing as a couple. You barely spend any time with me and I don't know anything personal about you."
"Good," I said dryly. "We don't need to be convincing anymore since the government passed their law already."
"The government would be livid if people figured out the truth about our relationship."
I shrugged, contemplating telling Ethan here and now to get lost and never ever speak to me again. At least I wouldn't have to worry about finding out what he wanted from me, but there was a danger he'd only become more persistent and intent on discovering why I didn't want to date him.
"You shouldn't risk your job for this. I know it's not fair that we were forced to announce our relationship publicly before we even met properly, but we can still make this work. Or do you find me so repulsive?" His dark eyes were inviting and friendly, and for a moment he looked completely innocent.
"It's not because of you." I chewed on the insides of my mouth, unsure how to make him feel better and tell him I wasn't interested at the same time.
"Do you have someone else?" The coldness in his voice made me cringe. I could swear this guy had a double personality. One was nice and sweet, and the other one was angry and calculated. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to know which one was real and which one was only a charade.
"I won't discuss my private life with you." I crossed my arms. I didn't think he'd believe me if I outright told him I didn't have a boyfriend or anyone I cared about.
"So there is someone."
Great. No matter what I said, he would draw his own conclusion from it and twist my every word, so I had to find a believable lie. "I'm still in love with Michael."
"I thought you two were getting married," he said, the tension seeping out of his shoulders. "But I suppose you don't want to talk about that with me."
"Exactly."
"Fine then. I understand that you might still have feelings for your ex, but give me a chance. Please." He came to stand in front of me and I was afraid he'd reach for me. Even though he was in perfect control of his element, I still didn't want him to touch me.
"I'm not in the mood for dates." Adrian would kill me if I went on a date with Ethan, not to mention the press would go wild and hunt us wherever we went. I doubted we could even go to the cinema in the middle of the movie without someone snapping pictures of us in the dark.
"We don't have to go on a date, but I'd love it if you would come to my exposition." His face brightened with joy. "You were the one who convinced me I could do it, so I don't want to go to the gallery without you."
"Alright, I'll come." I couldn't refuse this offer when I knew painting meant a lot to him. Besides, an exposition wasn't a date, and the press would still get what they wanted, but I wouldn't have to pretend to be all touchy-feely with Ethan. Maybe the exposition would tell me something about him, give me a clue about what he was up to. "You should go now. I have a lot of work to do."
"Sure. I won't bother you anymore. The exposition is tomorrow at nine. I'll come to pick you up." He plastered a soft kiss on my cheek and it took all of my strength not to push him away.
"I hope you'll warm up to me," he whispered into my ear. "I'm not your enemy."
I breathed out a sigh of relief when he turned on his heel and headed for the door. I followed him all the way to the hall and left the door open when I was sure he was gone. Picking up my phone, I called the security and told them to sweep the whole room for any eavesdropping devices. Just because Ethan looked harmless from time to time didn't mean I could trust him.
A faint sound came from the storage room and I realized Adrian must have been banging on the door. Who'd have thought the storage room was soundproof? I used my element on the lock and entered the small room, which was lit up with a couple of lamps.
"I'm going to kill him!" Adrian rushed for the door, but I caught his arm.
"He's suspicious already. You need to get back to the university and stay away from him." I let go of Adrian and made sure the door was still firmly closed. "Besides, I don't remember I killed that girl that was all over you in the club."
Adrian sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, Ria, but that doesn't mean this asshole can come to see you whenever he wants and that you have to spend all of your free time with him."
"I won't spend my free time with him." I bit my lip, wondering how to tell him I'd accepted Ethan's invitation. "But I did tell him I'd go with him to his exposition."
"Are you out of your mind?" Fury filled Adrian's gray-blue eyes. "Why the fuck do you have to go anywhere with him?"
"It's my chance to find out something about him without going on a real date," I hissed. "You should now that I don't give a damn about Ethan, but he could ruin everything if he found out to whom my heart truly belongs. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Anger melted out of Adrian's eyes and he placed his hand on my cheek.
"Unless we run away together and forget this mess." I knew it was only a silly dream, but right now it was our only option to be truly together.
"We can't." Adrian's finger traced my lower lip. "It would ruin many lives if someone like your brother got the presidency of the Element Preservers. Oliver would declare a war if the government tried to do to him what they did to you."
"I know." I pressed my forehead against his.
"I'm going to follow Ethan," Adrian suddenly said, and I looked up at him, wide-eyed.
"No! Don't do that. If they catch you, they'll think you're the one who killed that man. You know what it means when a carrier stalks someone with an element." I gripped his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. "Adrian, please, for me."
"Fine," he relented. "I'll go back to the house of boredom."
"Good." I smiled and kissed him. "I think the security should be done with sweeping the room by now."
"You really don't trust him, do you?" He chuckled.
"Nope, not a tiny little bit."
Chapter 14
I was sitting in my office and waiting for Philip Elroy from the Elemental International to show up. My security hadn't found anything suspicious, which made me feel a bit better. I didn't know what I would have done if it turned out I had fallen for Ethan's act and let him into my office so he could spy on me. I only hoped Adrian hadn’t lied to me when he said he wouldn't go after Ethan.
Katherine opened the door and let in a middle-aged man in a black suit. Philip's lips spread into a smile as he strode across to room, extending his hand toward me. His brown eyes assessed me up and down as we shook hands.
"Please take a seat," I said, settling myself into my chair.
"Thank you. I'm glad I finally have a chance to meet you." He ran his hand through his short black hair and took a seat opposite from me.
"What can I do for you?" He wouldn't have come all the way to my office just to meet me, so there had to be something else he wanted to talk about.
"I've talked to many people during my stay in your city and I must express my discontent and worry about the new law. I'm sure you know which law I'm referring to."
"Yes, I know about the new law, but why are you worried about it? I'm sure it won't affect any international laws." I found it strange that he hadn't expressed his discontent to the president of the country or someone in a higher position, but came to me instead.
"I believe the law is the first step of a major plan, which could affect the wh
ole world." He leaned forward, clasping his hands. "Do you know anything about that?"
I frowned. "Well, the law will certainly bring in more money and help promote pure elements, so it's a good deal for everyone." I couldn't trust this guy and openly tell him I disagreed with the new law. The only reason I was still the president of the EP was because the government thought I wasn't really working against them.
"Yes, of course," Philip said, his voice filled with suspicion and disapproval. "But my analysts believe there is more to that decision. My organization is not happy that our problem with energy shortage was partially revealed. Independent scientists and spies could discover the truth very easily if they decided to investigate the matter. It was a risky move, just like revealing the secret about sub-elements and carriers with elements." He eyed me under his thick eyebrows.
"The information about sub-elements and carriers would have leaked sooner or later. I stand behind my decision." Honestly, I’d expected some kind of a reaction from people, but many simply shrugged their shoulders and went on with their lives like that particular information didn't concern them. Others already knew the truth, and a small group somewhere probably went into hiding for fear they'd lose their precious element.
A smile quirked the corners of Philip's lips. "That's good, but I'm worried about the new politics your government leads against carriers and those with weak elements. Since you exposed some of the laboratories that mistreated carriers, I supposed you wouldn't approve of the new law. Your generation is more tolerant in general, so maybe you should try to find out what your government plans to do before it's too late. I'd do it myself, but I'm not allowed to meddle in the politics of another country. You know how badly that usually ends."
"Well, I can't promise you anything because I don't have that much power to change a law, but I assure you that I will do everything for the good of my country." And now I sounded to myself like a model trying to win a beauty contest and wishing for peace in the whole damn world. Working for the government like mine surely did turn a person into a perfect bullshitter.
Philip got up and I did the same, offering him my hand. "It was nice to meet you, Ria."
"It was nice to meet you too."
He squeezed my hand and went for the door. His words still rang in my head after he closed the door behind him. Was there really something else the government was trying to do? Something that could put carriers in danger? But the government couldn't single out carriers now that they knew some of us could have an element, so I wasn't sure what they could do. Paula was certain they didn't have a device for detecting carriers and that they were still in the first phase of their research.
Then again, Philip mingled in the circles of influential people from the government, so maybe he had overheard something, but couldn't outright tell me that for fear I'd tattle on him, which would endanger the good diplomatic relationship between our organizations. I had to call Lily and ask her what she thought about this. Uneasiness spread through my stomach and I couldn't help but think that something bad would happen.
My phone rang and I answered it without looking at the number.
"Ria, hey," Adrian said, sounding as if he was out of breath. "Your boyfriend, Ethan, left two guys near your office to spy on you and follow you around."
"What? How do you know that?" My temper flared. "Where are you? Don't tell me you didn't go to the university!"
"You're asking way too many questions, but let's focus on the biggest problem. That jerk actually sent someone to follow your every move. That's unacceptable."
"I'll send security to get them." I rubbed my eyes, feeling more tired than ever. "You should return to the university now." I couldn't believe Ethan would do such a thing. What was he thinking? That sending someone to follow his fake girlfriend would be an awesome idea? Fucking idiot.
"Oh, I'll take care of them," Adrian said determinedly. "And I'll call your security later."
"Adrian, no!" I yelled, but the line went dead. Fuck! I dialed the number for my security, my anxiety increasing. "Hey, I was just notified that there are two suspicious men waiting for me outside. Can you get them?"
I could hear mumbling in the background, followed by scraping of chairs and sounds of typing. Tapping my foot against the floor, I waited for their answer.
"I'm sorry. There are too many people outside. If we burst out among them, we won't know who the men are unless you can describe them."
"I didn't see them. I have no idea what they look like." Damn it, Adrian! Frustrated, I hung up on them and ran my hand through my hair. What could I do? I wasn't sure was I angrier with Adrian for confronting the men himself or with Ethan for hiring them. My phone rang an eternity later.
"Ethan hired some idiots. They're so unprofessional," Adrian said, a satisfied tone in his voice. "They told me Ethan hired them to protect you and keep an eye on you. Of course, they believe he's a jealous boyfriend who thinks you're cheating on him. The good thing is that they both have elements and that they didn't see me. I'll let Lily deal with them now. I left them tied up in their fancy van."
I breathed out a sigh of relief, thanking God of Magic that Adrian was alive and well. "Great, but I still don't like it that you risked your safety because of two dumbasses."
"Relax. I was the only one who could do it. They'd have immediately run from the security. I saw them when they talked to Ethan, so I could easily identify them later. It surprised me that Ethan lingered near the building when I came out. Before you get worried, no, he didn't see me."
"Fine," I said, but let my annoyance show in my voice. "I'm sure Lily will interrogate them too."
"We should catch Ethan and interrogate him. He can't be an ordinary guy. Who in their right mind hires spies to go after his potential girlfriend?"
"There's something strange about him, but the whole world knows about him by now. We can't exactly kidnap him and make him disappear. I'll try to get him to tell me something when I see him the next time. We should definitely be more careful because we don't know who's watching us." I was glad Ethan didn't send carriers after me because they were way harder to avoid and track down. "Adrian, Philip Elroy was here, and he told me he suspects the government is planning something big and that the law is just the beginning."
"Huh," he said. "That's interesting. I'll try to find carriers and ask them if they know something."
I was about to tell him to stop being an idiot and just go back to the university, but I was sure he wouldn't listen to me. "Fine, but try to avoid the police or anyone who could accuse you of something."
"That will be hard, but I'll try." He laughed and ended the call. I shook my head at the phone, sighing. No matter how much I wanted to confront Ethan about hiring spies, I knew I had to wait for an opportunity to do that. Judging by his reactions to things, I wasn't sure it was a good idea to push him because there was no way of telling what he could do if I managed to truly piss him off.
Chapter 15
Ethan opened the door of the huge black limousine and helped me out. My long red dress with shiny sequins wasn't made for getting out of cars, so I clung on his arm until I was sure I wouldn't fall or twist my ankle in my high heels. But I couldn't exactly come to an exposition wearing ordinary clothes, so I even bothered to put my hair up. Ethan looked decent in a black tuxedo, a smile playing on his lips as he brought my hand to his lips.
Flashes of numerous cameras nearly blinded me, and I put my best fake smile on my face. The press was everywhere, even on the nearby trees. "Did your father change his mind?" I asked as we posed for another set of pictures. This was clearly a big event and Ethan's name was everywhere. So either he had lied to me or he stopped caring what his parents thought.
"My father let me do this because I told him you were the one who encouraged me," he said with a smile. Right. Was I supposed to believe that? I didn't know anymore. Ethan waved at the cameras and we started climbing the long stone stairs that led to a beautiful gothic house. The room we entered w
as huge and full of light. Well-dressed people with mostly pure elements were gathered around two big tables with drinks and food, chatting about the weather and other nonsense. Were these people Ethan's friends? I'd sooner say they were friends of his parents because they looked a lot like my parents' friends at one of my father's dinners.
"Is your family here then?" I turned to Ethan, giving him a curious look.
"No." A shadow fell across his face. "They avoid public events because of my father's illness."
"Oh, that's a shame. What illness does your father have?"
Ethan looked over my shoulder, waving at someone across the room. "Hey, Gary!" I turned around and saw a young couple. At least they looked more like Ethan's friends than anyone else in the room. The girl was breathtaking in a long dark blue dress, her curly light brown hair tied into a tight bun. The guy was wearing a tuxedo which was the same color as his short black hair. But as they approached us, my heart started to hammer like crazy in my chest because I couldn't feel Gary's element. Shit.
"Hey, man. Haven't seen you for a long time." Ethan patted Gary on the back and pointed at me. "Gary, Sandra, this is my girlfriend, Ria."
Gary's blue eyes raked over me as he squeezed my hand so tightly that I thought he'd leave bruises. I did my best to keep a polite smile on my face and pretend there was nothing wrong. Who would have thought there'd be another carrier among so many people with mostly pure elements? I knew I might run into carriers on the street or somewhere, but my guards were outside and they couldn't come to talk to this guy and convince him I wasn't a carrier. I had to act fast before Gary said or did something. Sandra offered me her hand and I noticed she had gorgeous sapphire earrings.
"I love your earrings!" I said in a high-pitched voice, waving my hand in front of her nose. If I was lucky, she'd comment on the only jewelry I had on me to return the damn compliment.
"Oh, thank you," Sandra said. "Your bracelet is lovely too."
Restless (Element Preservers, #4) Page 8
