The Devil's Love

||. Chapter 25: Unanticipated Encounter .||

The evening sunlight reflected onto the rippling water in the swimming pool. Kicking her legs to remain afloat in the water, Ansel felt comfort coursing through her veins. Everything that burdened her seemed to have washed away within the two-hour swim. She hoisted herself out of the pool skillfully. Her one-piece black swimsuit clung tight to her skin. It was far from her liking, but she could not blame anyone except for her carelessness when she had gotten up late this morning. Pushing her thick locks backwards, Ansel grabbed the towel and wiped the excessive water dripping off her hair. Swimming helped her relaxed as it eased the stress that clamped onto her mind from the test earlier.

When her phone beeped, Ansel rummaged her bag for it only to chuckle with happiness the minute she read the text. Her afternoon job was cancelled due to her manager's matters. Even though it was rescheduled to Sunday, Ansel felt the happiness cruising down her veins. Her mind wasn't even in the right place after the test. She had been sure she worded her sentence wrongly when she was having a conversation with one of her lecturers. Having a break from one job would be the bliss of the day. After spending fifteen minutes regaining her strength, Ansel tossed her towel back to the side and dived into the pool.

Letting the water wash away her stress, Ansel dived deeper, drowning the sound of the lawnmower coming from the field. The water calmed her down, drawing her into a different reality. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift off to an old memory. She recalled the sweet times when she would spend her time with her mother swimming by the beach on weekends. Her father had always been too busy to be physically there for them even though he promised he would be there. She learned swimming from her mother. Her mother was an expert swimmer, a representative of the states when she was younger.

Ansel never dreamt of attending the university. She always dreamt of excelling in sports. One of her desire was to become a professional in shooting sports. She often pictured herself in the shooting range, challenging her peers along the way. During her few months of learning, Ansel realized that she wasn't the best, but the bliss of being able to do what she loves was everything she craved for. If only she could return home and live within the memories of her mother, she would. Ansel could still recall her mother's melodious voice dancing in the air just to calm her down. That once reality is now a memory that could be forgotten in years to come.

Spreading her hands out, Ansel swam up to the surface, gasping for air only to be surprised when she saw a man in a tux standing by the pool with a wide smile spread on his ivory face. His brown hair fell across the sides of his cheeks neatly, waving at her directly. Wiping the water from her face with both her palms, Ansel stepped out of the pool calmly, draping the large towel across her body. At one glance, he looked familiar to her eyes. Perhaps it had been the nose or the lips, but it reminded her of something she did not recall. Clutching the towel close to her body, Ansel noticed the visible family ring dangling from the necklace he was wearing when the boy bent down to tie his undone shoelaces. If she could, she would have kicked the boy into the pool, but remained silent when their eyes met.

"Ru Yi Zheng, right?" he questioned, a malicious smile lit across his face. "I'm so excited to meet you. Ever since I set eyes on my father's hidden family photo, I told myself that I will always recognize the face anywhere I go. You are the mirror of our father, only prettier," he stated, straightening his back to stand tall. "Sorry, I'm Ethan. Ethan Ru. I just finished a meeting with your board members fifteen minutes ago. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you dive into the pool earlier."

Ansel squinted her eyes at the word before staring on the ground while moving her towel aggressively over her wet hair. When the sound of squeaking sneakers came close to where she had been standing, Ansel looked up abruptly, straightening herself. Ethan halted a few centimetres away from her, holding both his palms up. Studying his features, Ansel counted the number of places she could attack to bring him down, just in case if Ethan decided to try anything stupid. She studied his hair waving smoothly across his face, the spitting image of the woman his father chose over her mother.