His Forgotten Ex- Wife

Chapter 2

"Good evening, Amelia." He said as he kept his briefcase aside and loosened his tie. I just looked at him as he ordered himself a drink and settled as if we were friends. We weren't friends.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a raised brow. "You know you can only contact me through the manager."

"I know," I could feel him getting nervous as he moved his fingers between his tie and collar.

"And I'm on a vacation with Karl, Lucien." Picking up my sketches I swiftly pushed them back in my file. Lucien couldn't have more than a slight glance at them. Though even he saw them whole it wouldn't matter a lot because it was not the real piece altogether. The magic always came in the end.

"I know that you are both on vacation and that is why I approached you rather than going to Karl." He reasoned and I just stared at him before breathing out a sigh. The waitress brought his drink and he was sipping from it as soon as the glass hit the table which meant he was under a lot of stress.

"Because you know it well he would just close the door in your face." His eyes turned downward as he breathed out a sigh.

"He never has really liked me," holding his glass of whiskey he just smiled at me.

"Do you think he would? You keep appearing out of nowhere and pushing us for designs on a priority basis I might add." Lucien had a knack for always sliding into our schedules and pushing us. Though it made us get paid more but sometimes it became too much.

"You know I gave you your first break. I should surely get a bit of focus too," he smiled making me sit back in my seat with a small smile.

"You are growing old with that one, Lucien." I laughed picking up my glass of red wine. How many times had he used the same words and got all his work done? Numerous times and I had convinced Karl too.

"Well, I'm almost near fifty. So, I won't say I'm not growing old with that one but it always works." I shook my head at his words. He was never going to change. Maybe when he retired, I would be a bit happy.

"What are you here for? Henry would have let you know where we were only if the commission was really good." Lucien paid us a lot for the unique designs we made. He always had someone asking for something unusual, but in reality, we all wanted something unique.

"It is a lot but it's not mine though. I'm not buying for Callaway Jewelers though this time. A friend of mine has a client who is asking for it and I couldn't deny it because the money is too good. I mean after his cut and mine there is still a lot." I knew he was trying to pursue me to help him, but he forgot very well that our schedules weren't that open.

Karl and I had just completed our assignment for around ten pieces and none of them came easy. Besides it, a few pieces had come personally to us that we surely couldn't deny.

Working late at night and barely coming out of the workshop had both of us tired out. The perfectionist inside of us always demands us to make it better.

"Karl would disagree, Lucien. He has been tired, and I won't lie to you but he has been in a mood. He needs rest and even I need it too." The sad smile I gave him didn't waver him off.

"That's rubbish, you aren't tired because if you were you wouldn't be here designing those." He pointed towards my sketches. "It's in your vein to keep on designing and coming up with something new. I won't lie to you, but your best pieces come out when you are on vacation."

I knew what he was trying to do he just wanted to look at those sketches. Flattery got him everything, almost everything.

"Your pieces have only refined in design just like wine. That's why I keep on coming back to you." He was trying hard to butter me up but seriously I couldn't do much for him right now. Karl didn't want to take up another project for another month. Downing my last sip of wine, I stood up picking my things.

"Sorry Lucien but I can't help you this time. Really sorry about it though." There wasn't much I could do.

"Can't you do it for this old man? I'm calling a favor," he told following me making me realize that he wasn't going to let this go.

"And you know it well that I don't call in a favor." Now that was the truth but I really didn't want to agree. I have been on the verge of exhaustion. Karl and I both worked tirelessly to complete all the projects we had taken on. He even had to step out of the last one because he couldn't even look at things anymore.

"Lucien, Karl, and I worked for three months straight. Not even a day went when we weren't busy making something. We are exhausted and we just came here three days back." I tried my best to explain to him because I truly wanted him to give up. This man had great tactics up his sleeves to get you to agree to do something for him and I really didn't want him to play those on me. Though asking in for the great favor would be the undoing for me but not for Karl.

"I know that, Amelia but just hear me this once. If it wasn't for this and its importance, I wouldn't have come to you at all. It's never the mere things I come after when I ask for your help. Don't you think I would have passed it to someone else if I could?" He explained making me stop and breathe out a sigh.

"Lucien, I know that but not right now, and as you came down here fast you would want us to hand it over quickly too. I haven't got the energy to go back in the workshop and work right now." There was no way I could inhale any more of the fumes of chemicals as I polished things. However more than that it was the constant leaning on the table which was killing my back. I shuddered just at the thought of even going back in there until I had enough rest. Moreover, I wasn't going to ask my workers to come back so fast. Turning around I looked at him angrily.  Trying to show him that I really didn't want to do this.

"But you were sketching right now," I could see him accusing me of not wanting to work but still doing it.

"I was sketching which I might tell you is for my creativity. It's personal and something I love to do in my free time so you can't compare this to work at all. You know I rarely go into workshops and make them until asked by a client." I really missed doing this for fun. 

Now it was all work and I couldn't keep any more pieces with me any longer.

"Sorry," he sighed as if realizing his own mistake. "But can't you do this for me this one last time? Consider it me calling in favor of giving your first chance." I cursed under my breath. Why did he have to go there?

"Lucien," I sighed as I looked at him.

"Amelia," he said my name with a smile.

"I can't say that Karl would agree. I had to complete the last project on my own because he was too tired and we both know he has a reputation." This was the part I knew Lucien was stuck with. Getting me to agree was never a problem because he had that favor hanging over my head but Karl was another thing. He didn't listen to anyone. We have been living together for almost three years, no one knew his schedule and moods better than me. There were days when even I got scared for him and of him.

"Maybe you can help me with it," his words just made me look at him as if he was literally crazy. I was not going to do it. No, I was hellbound on it.

"No," I was not getting into the trap. Karl and I worked together but we never imposed each other to do something he didn't want and working right now would be the last thing on his mind. "On this, you are on your own." He made a disappointing face but I turned around and walked towards the elevator.

There were boundaries that I wasn't going to push anymore. The last time I pushed them all that was left was awkwardness that I had no idea how to get rid of.

The memories of those nights still had me entrapped under a spell and I just couldn't look at Karl the same way when I thought about it. Maybe he could because he might not remember much. Neither did I but there were glimpses that made me go weak on my knees. 

It was just a kiss that left an imprint behind. Just a kiss when we were down low, drowning in our own past.

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