Chapter 54 - UNEXPECTED VISITOR

Audible footsteps darted across the living room as I was intently flipping through some magazines. The distracting sound was enough to pull me out of my concentration and lift my gaze in time to see Elisa enter the door with her face bright with a smile, I noted that tears gathered at the corners of her eyes too.

Alexander volunteered to watch over Faith for a moment. He told me to sit down and relax for a short while which I was doing now. He then darted towards the garden with my daughter inside the stroller to take a subtle breath of fresh air. 

My face lighted up at the sight of Elisa. The magazine no longer seizes my interest and I place it atop the stack of other magazines I'd been flipping through a few moments ago, and impatiently waited for her to reach my side.

Her luscious hair was loose and it danced upon her shoulders with each move she made. I regard with an admiring glance that Elisa looked more stunning with her curly hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. She was already stunning in her own way but letting her hair bounce freely over her shoulder was a breathtaking sight.

Elisa was around the same age as me but I never heard she had a present boyfriend. 

The only relationship I'm aware she had in the past was a man named Nahte who unfortunately broke her heart three years ago. That's the only thing I know about her ex and I never attempted to pry deeper since I respect her privacy. 

But I couldn't deny the fact that her past made me curious. Nahte, the man who once broke her heart left a deep scar that she carries until now. The fact that she never showed interest in any other man was proof enough she hasn't been able to move on.

Elisa pulled me into a tight hug and warmth flooded my eyes. I missed her so much. The last time I saw her was at the hospital, and that was almost over two weeks ago. My arms tightened around her. I was too happy to see her at home.

"I missed you, Lis." I finally spoke when we let go of each other, my eyes were misty as I looked at her.

"I miss you too Beatrix! And Faith! I miss her too." Elisah responded, wiping the tears on the edge of her eyes.

"How were your parents doing! Oh, I badly wish I could visit Lis but I wasn't allowed to travel, still can't visit them with my present condition. Especially there was Faith to consider. I couldn't leave her behind. The whole household would go ape if Faith wakes up without me. Eight of my brothers and even Papa couldn't let her stop her from crying. I guess it was my scent that calms her down."

Elisa nodded her head sympathetically. Then the flicker of amusement sprung on her huge jaded eyes as she imagined the Crawford men trying their mighty best to suit a wailing baby with faces overcome with panic. That would be no doubt the most entertaining sight to feed a curious eye.

"My parents are doing great. And before I forgot why I came here, I want to tell you how much I was grateful—and so my parents—for the new home Mr. Alexander was generous to give us. A burden had been lifted from my chest! Also, Harvey University called to inform me yesterday! I could enroll in their school with free tuition and a monthly allowance. Without you, 

everything wouldn't be possible Beatrix. You're an angel sent to me."

Overwhelmed by the gratitude glimmering on her eyes in the form of tears, I took Elisa's hand into my own and held them firmly. "You deserve what you and your family have now. I'm more than happy to reciprocate the same goodness you showered me before."

We didn't speak for a moment, letting the calming silence drift between us. I smiled at her, it was a smile that spoke a thousand words. In return, she did the same. The simple gesture filled my heart with warmth. Elisa and I were sisters, not by blood but by heart. That bond could never be broken between us.

"I will be leaving next week Beatrix. I shall miss you! But don't worry, I will text and call you non-stop until you get tired of me."

I chuckled, mirth now dancing in my eyes. "That wouldn't be necessary Lis. You will eventually be busy with school activities. You could pay me a visit during weekends or holidays, I shall let one of my brothers fetch you from the boarding school."

"Thank you! That would be great!"

I was intently staring at Elisa's face when I saw how the smile slowly left her lips. A frown made its way to my forehead when her pleasantly smiling countenance turned into a startled awareness.

The soft whisper of movement caught my attention, the sound was coming from the door, I lifted my puzzled gaze to the door and saw Ethan enter from the door and froze when his gaze locked to Elisa whom I realized had vacated her seat and was now on her feet.

I swore that the mood escalated quickly, before I knew it the room's atmosphere darkened. The palpable tension was so strong that it was impossibly hard to ignore.

Ethan and Elisa fought each other's gaze without blinking an eye. The tension that wrapped the room thickened.

"You two know each other?" I jumped in between colliding stones, attempting to stop before they could create a massive eruption. My remark was enough to pull them out of their glum reverie. But It seems I jumped on the wrong timing, both gazes shifted at me rather sharply, I nearly froze by the sudden cold treatment that was redirected in my direction.

"I think I better leave now. I can't bear to stay any longer." Gone was Elisa's eternal calm demeanor, she regarded Ethan with a frosty glare that turned the whole living room into a freezer.

My eyes wandered over Ethan's tortured gaze, he caught Elisa's arm before she could march to the door. Lost for words, I watched the scene with a curious interest.

"We need to talk." My brother spoke finally, his lips were pressed together into a thin line. His bushy eyebrows merging into a straight line. His inky eyes never once left my best friend's face.

"Cut the crap Nahte, don't act as if you cared! Let me go." The stabbing sharpness in her tone made him set her free.

I gasped after realization struck me. Nahte is a name that means Nathan when read backward.

Elisa made a beeline straight to the door, her hair furiously bobbing on her shoulders from her inelegant exit. The sound of her heels slapping against the marbled floor reverberated in the living room.

"Wait, Elisa! Please let me explain!" Ethan's voice thundered across the room as he fled to the door in pursuit of her.

The couple had been gone for a while now but I was still there standing. Realizing my mouth was still wide open I closed my lips.

What the hell just happened?

It was the most intense drama I've ever seen.

"There you are Beatrix, been searching for you."

Alexander emerges from the door pushing the stroller.  A smile was stretched into his lips when he saw me. The frown that wrinkled my forehead faded when I saw Faith Vienne already fast asleep. 

"What happened to Ethan? Have you seen the look on his face? I wonder what had pissed him off."

I pursed my lips firmly before I could blurt the truth out by narrating what took place inside the living room before he arrived. I don't have the right to speak for Ethan and Elisa since I don't exactly know what happened between us. I assume it wasn't an ordinary misunderstanding by how intense Elisa had reacted.

"He was probably pissed off over something Pa. I didn't ask him why."

He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a smile filled with amusement. "Lovers Quarrel, I assumed." He said which sounded as if he knew something more than I had witnessed.

I moved to the stroller and picked Faith into my arms. She truly enjoyed the short walk with her grandfather that she easily fell asleep.

"I think I'll bring Faith upstairs pa."

"That's a good idea, Beatrix. Get some rest while she's still asleep. You barely slept last night watching her."

I nodded and walk towards the door with Faith safe and snug into my arms. I was out the door when a uniformed servant entered the living room announcing the arrival of a guest. 

"And say who would that guest be? I don't recall a visitor coming today," Alexander replied, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"A man name Ace Carter Greyson was your visitor, Sir!"

It was the response I heard the servant reply before I departed from the doorway. I  went to my room in silence wondering where did I hear the name before.

The name sounds familiar…. too frighteningly familiar.