Beneath The Orange Sunset ✔️

Twenty one

Never a rose without thorns

~21~

As if it were a worse case scenario, Olga Dewinski felt like a truck just ran her over that morning.

She always jumped straight to doing her morning yoga which helped keep her body tight and shapely. But today, she wasn't in the mood.

Last night, she had allowed the thoughts of Maxime to roam her mind. The words he had said last time she had met him seemed vague. She still couldn't accept it, but she was skeptical as there might be an iota of truth some where. Maxime wouldn't just come up with such information to scare her away.

She had left his room so fast because she was scared of Emile. She had always been scared of her. She could have made Maxime say that to scare any unwanted visitor away.

She was sitting on the disheveled bed, her traveling bag wide open stuffed with a few clothes. A piece of small red envelope had taken her attention.

She looked at a small love card with two red hearts drawn on it. The same one Maxime had slipped into her hands the night before they made love.

Outside the window, the white dew was gradually dissipating. The full blown sunrise had woken the city up. The sound of blaring car horns could be heard in the distance.

The air inside the room was warm in contrast to last night's cold weather. The windows were still closed but the sun rays had begun to warm up the building.

Olga laid flat on her back on the soft wool blanket. Shutting her eyes, a warm smile appeared on her face.

She breathed in the clean, crisp February air that lashed across the ocean and listened to the distant melody of a love song. How she missed that day, the only day she ever felt like a woman.

Beautiful, so beautiful.

That odd sexy groans made by him... his slim body with the perfect mounds of muscles at the right places. His dark curly long hair that tickled her skin when he kissed her.

How perfect the moment was, how perfect love could be. Olga blinked her eyes open. She parted her pink lips as she allowed the feelings sweep through her body. Those amorous thoughts warmed her.

The memories were so vivid, she couldn't forget that night. But she couldn't be with Maxime right now. It was all a mess especially with his current condition. She felt drained by the certainty that he was handicapped.

Here she was in another man's house, thinking about Maxime. She couldn't help it. If that is what a one night stand feels like, then she was ready to do it again and again, but with the same man, Maxime.

Every thing seemed obscure at the moment as she didn't know where all of this was heading to - if at all anywhere - but she had to admit that the last time she saw Maxime, he was so irresistible. When he wrapped those warm arms around her back, she couldn't help but melt in his embrace.

She wondered what he was thinking. Was he in love with her? Did he say those words just to scare her away?

A hidden camera in his room?

How could that be? Maybe she should tell Antoine about it.

Olga stuck the love card in a hidden porch inside her Givenchy handbag. She wouldn't want Antoine to see it. Thinking of Antoine brought a frown to her face.

~~~~

Antoine drove straight to the mansion. His head was reeking with thoughts - bloody thoughts that were threatening to rip his mind apart.

From Olga - his beautiful Olga - to Fabien LaPointe, that square headed monster and now Maxime, that son of a bitch brother of his. Where was his mom when he needed her most?

Antoine chuckled in angst. He gaped at the busy road ahead with bloodshot eyes.

He rested his left elbows on the window panel and bit his fingernails. His suit and tie laid crumbled in the backseat, his shirt sleeves folded to his elbows.

He was going to teach that son of a bitch a lesson.

He controlled the wheels with his left hand while he took his phone to dial Emile's number, but he got the same voicemail answer yet again. He hit the phone aggressively on the wheel.

Put it together Antoine, don't let yourself go into shock.

No, he couldn't.

He had never considered fate. Things didn't just happen unless we allowed it. A soldier must kill when he fights a war. It is inevitable. It was getting harder and harder not to believe in something. What had happened that morning still left him shocked.

Fabien's threat and plan to take over the company was a mere trifling issue compared to his girlfriend's affair.

Now that he pieced the puzzle together, he understood what Olga really meant when she wanted to see mom. He had taught maybe she wanted to grab the opportunity and create a friendly bond with his mother.

But no. It was just an excuse to go see that piece of...trash. Antoine hit the throttle pad harder, but he was been careful not to break traffic rules.

What? You pretend to be blind yet you go screwing my girlfriend. And here he was rooting for him to be president of the company.

You'd rather be dead, son of a bitch!

Not until he taught someone a lesson before they will learn not to mess with him. He made his way through the lonely roads leading up to the mansion.

He pulled the car to a stop in front of the huge white door. He walked to the house and burst in.

"Maxime!" He called. "Maxime! Get down here you..."
He wasn't too familiar with the rooms in the building since he spent most of his teen years in hotels abroad.

He looked up and down and headed towards the kitchen where he ran into Henrietta.

"Oh sir..." Her round eyes widened and she held her chest.

Antoine eyed her making sure she was still the house keeper he used to know. She was getting more petite as the year runs by.

"Where is my mom?" Antoine demanded.

"She left early..." she stammered.

"What do you mean she left early? To where?"

"She didn't say where..."

Antoine paced back and front again. Henrietta watched him curiously. It's been years the younger brother stepped foot in the mansion. She wondered what could be the special occasion.

"Where is my brother?" Antoine breathed.

"He..." Henrietta glanced up the stairs and wiped her wet hands on her white apron.

"Upstairs?"

"No..."

"Where is he?"

Antoine covered up the distance between them and gestured his hands in the air.

"Are you deaf now? I said, where is my brother?"

With shaky legs, Henrietta took a short step back.

"Please don't tell ma'am," she fidgeted. "The tall doctor came early this morning and took him away."