All Of You

Chapter Six | Maria

Part Two: Present

LUCIAN

My shoes scraped against the pavement as I walked aimlessly wearing a pair of sunglasses and a cap for a disguise.

I didn't want unnecessary attention plus if someone recognised me, I would have to run away again before they can inform someone of my location. I was here in Seattle for the past six months and it was peaceful here.

My face is plastered all over Australia and everyone is searching for me, I am a fucking fugitive but I just couldn't let them arrest me.

Someone slammed into me and I lowered my cap to hide my face as a soft, feminine voice reached my ear, "I am sorry."

My eyes were fixed on the ground and I moved forward, ignoring her but the similarity in that voice made my skin prickle with curiousity as I turned around and watched her enter a cafe.

I frowned and took off my glasses to watch carefully as Maria Andrews slid into a seat next to the window and started to chat animatedly to another woman, a lawyer to be specific, Drea Zaveri.

What the fuck is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be in Australia? Why is she here?

My jaw ticked as I watched her, questions arising in my mind. If she is here does that mean Calix's here too? No. He wouldn't be. Facing him is the last thing I want to do.

Seeing her amidst all the chaos was like seeing an angel in hell, seeing someone familiar and someone I should definitely stay away from.

I forced myself to move away from there but I couldn't, I kept watching her like a creep, watched her lips curve up in a smile that didn't reach her eyes, those hazel green eyes lacked the usual sparkle in them, something was off about her.

And I refused to believe that I was the reason for that, it's been four years for fuck sake, she must have moved on already.

Maybe she is not well but then that thought made me uneasy and I wanted to find out what exactly was wrong with her. Maybe something went wrong at work.

It's none of my damn business. I reminded myself and finally forced myself to move away from there.

Yet my mind forced me to relive the memories of her eighteenth birthday.

"So, are you coming today or not?" Calix asked me over the call.

"For what?"

"Seriously? It's Maria's birthday!"

"Oh..." I appeared to sound bored by that but of course I remembered her birthday. "I am supposed to be present there?"

"Of course! Why won't you be? Dad was asking about you too, he hasn't seen you in weeks. Don't you think you should go meet them?"

Even at the age of twenty six and being a millionaire, I owed them for everything, for giving me another chance at life. So, I couldn't ignore any of their requests.

I sighed. "What should I gift her?"

"I don't know...she asked me for some books and I ordered them for her..."

She had a huge ass library at home and she kept adding new books to them. "Hmm, okay...I'll ask her myself."

"Okay! See you there!" And he hung up the call.

It's not that I didn't want to go there, I was just avoiding her for I noticed the change in her a few years back, the way she started to gaze at me. It was anything but lustful, there was admiration in her eyes for me, respect and everything else that I didn't deserve. She gazed at me as if I was an angel but I was just a devil in the form of an angel and she didn't know that.