Free The One by Vivienne Harris-Scott Page B

exciting, isn't it? You might want to
follow.... ” she stated in a joyful tone.
    He erupted.
    “ Mother you sound like a broken record. I
am not Ethan, will never be Ethan and quite frankly do not give a flying fuck
about Ethan getting married, or whatever else he's doing these days! I haven't seen
or spoken to him in years, and wished you would let this go, but since you
won't, I'll go for a drive.... ”
    He kissed Melissa on the cheek and headed
for the exit.
    I'll be on the 1 st plane
out after the ceremony, was
his thought while violently slamming the front door.
     
     
     
     

 
     
    CHAPTER 10
    Who the hell are you? Part I
     
    Vi
     
    She had fallen asleep in the bathtub while remembering
at what point in her life she took the wrong turn.
    Accepting Ethan's proposal.
    Shaking the cold water off her body, she pulled
a fluffy Egyptian towel, and went to her kitchen to get a glass of wine.
    Looking at the clock she realized 3 hours
had passed.
    Crap! It's almost midnight!   Well, it's actually perfect! You
can make that call!
    She went to her bedroom, slipped her flannel pjs on, returned to the kitchen to get her wine,
rummaged into her laptop bag to get her one of her cell phones, her notebook
and her cigarettes case, and headed for her little terrace.
    Settling herself comfortably on her chaise
longue, she looked up at the stars.
    She had always loved looking at the sky at
night, ever since she had moved in with Kevin. The penthouse had a fantastic
view of the Eiffel tower, and she recalled with affection the countless nights
she and her best friend had spent there, talking, drinking and smoking
cigarettes well into the nights.
    These memories always lifted her spirits,
and that's what she needed tonight.
    I need to call him , she thought.
    She opened her notebook, scrolled through
her blackberry to get the number she wanted, closed her eyes for a minute in
order to focus, and pressed dial.
    “ Hello? ” a male voice asked.
    “ Good afternoon. Salam Malekoum [1] . Victoryn McGregor for Mr Harami , please. ” she said pleasantly.
    “ One moment, hold please. ” was gently replied.
    “ Hello Victoryn! How are you? “   Sheikh Al Ben Harami cheerfully exclaimed.
    “ I am well, thank you. ” she said, relaxing in her seat.
    “ I am surprised to hear from you. Has
something happened? Please don't tell me you are calling to cancel.... We have
been working on this for eight months already, and changing counsel in the
final run will not do... ” he stated with dread in his voice.
    “ No, not at all. On the contrary, actually;
I was wondering if I could come earlier. I have unexpected free time as of
today and figured I might as well get us a head start, “ she replied in a reassuring tone,
smiling.
    “ I know the final contract will be signed
in five weeks as scheduled but since I'm free, I think it couldn't hurt to be there
and hammer out the final details of the negotiations …” her voice trailed.
    “ This will give you extra time just in
case... ” she punctuated.
    “ Well... ” he hesitantly started.
    “ I wouldn't change my fee of course, and
you would be doing me a great favour by accepting... ” she added in a cajoling tone.
    She
started to grin, as she knew he was about to accept having her around for free
for four weeks.
    Sometime,
you have to spend money to get some peace.
    I
simply can't be here and think of Julian.
    Never
mind, Sheikh Al Ben Harami would no doubt exhaust her
asking every legal question he could under the sun now that he knew he wouldn't
have to pay for it, but what mattered was to leave LA as soon as possible.
    She
would call Emirates in the morning and be on her way to Dubai by the evening.
    She
lit up a cigarette, sipped some wine and pressed 1 on her phone.
    “ Allo ? ” was said in a bright tone.
    “ It's me. ” she said exhaling.
    “ Hey baby girl, how are you? Where are you?
Still in Hong Kong? ” he said, clearly happy to hear her voice.
    “ No,