Katerina Pov
“Katerina, right?” Ava flutters her eyelashes at me as if my name is some kind of allergen to her delicate eyes.
“Still my name.” I say back.
Cara steps in front of us and extends her hand to Mr. Thorne. “Cassandra couldn’t make it?” She asks.
He briefly glances at me before returning his attention to Cara, sporting a charming smile. “Pregnancy hormones,” he explains casually.
Ava’s eyes widen and i can see and she struggles to remain calm.
“Congratulations,” Cara chimes in, genuinely happy.
I can feel Mr. Thorne’s gaze lingering on me, the silence hanging heavily in the air. “Let’s head inside,” Cara gestures towards the house. We obediently follow her, and as soon as we step inside, a toddler in nothing but diapers scampers over to Cara, clinging to her knees. A young adult trails behind, holding a dress in his hands.
“Lily?” He calls her name.
The boy looks up and smiles at Mr. Thorne, “Hi, Christian.” He waves.
“Are you ready to lose?” Mr. Thorne asks playfully.
He nods his eyes looking around us and settle on Ava, he blushes. He has that teenage crush look. “Hi, Theo?” Ava says.
“Would you like to see the car i will be driving and made with my uncle?” He asks. He is so focused on Ava such that i am invisible to him. He seems to be in his post teen era, while i can assume Ava is in her early twenties.
Theo throws the dress at Cara and Ava follows him. Cara excuses herself to dress her toddler while i am left with Mr. Thorne and the help that bombard us with questions about what we want.
“I thought this was a pretentious event?” I turn to him.
“It is, i just never said i wasn’t pretentious.” He fires back.
I sigh and roll my eyes in frustration. “And you thought it was appropriate to bring your mistress?” I inquire.
“Who Ava?” He chuckles with disbelief. “I like my women seasoned.”
“Are you calling me old?” I ask.
“It is a natural process and i find you very beautiful,” I turn around half-expecting Cassandra to appear and reveal that his twisted compliment is just part of the arrangement.
“Well you are ugly, it doesn’t matter what you think.”
“Ugly or you have no taste?” He shoots back as Oliver joins us
“How fast did you drive?” Oliver joins us.
“I flew to the ranch and took a car to here,” Mr. Thorne responds and i am surprised that his family has a ranch around this area. I saw several while flying here and have to wonder which one belongs to his family.
“Let’s go the event is underway,” Oliver says to me.
I follow him outside, onto a path that leads to the further end of the ranch. There, all sorts of cars, dirt bikes, and rally cars are scattered about. A wave of self-consciousness washes over me. Everywhere I look, people dressed in elegant attire catch my eye, oozing wealth and confidence. Meanwhile, I stand there in my simple, modest dress, feeling like a fish out of water.
The venue adorns itself with colorful banners and posters, all promoting the cause that the event supports. Volunteers, clad in matching t-shirts, rush around, ensuring everything is in place. Attendees mingle, sharing stories and connecting over our shared passion for making a difference. The 4by4, an event created by the Nickel family to protect the environment, brings us all together.
Oliver and Mr. Thorne are pulled away as I watch each one of them get into their individual cars, including Quinn and Theo. Both of them look like siblings, not father and son.
“Come, let the boys do their thing,” Cara soon joins me again with another lady. She bears a deep resemblance to Quinn, and Cara introduces her as Quinn’s sister, Meg.
She leads me to the stables, and I just can’t get over how huge this place is. I am not the country kind of girl, but I wouldn’t mind living here. It is beautiful, silent, and even the air feels fresher.
“Are you the girl that Oliver has been talking about?” Meg asks.
I nod, wondering just how much he spoke about me and what he said.
When I turn to Cara, she still holds the skeptical glare she initially had.
“What do you do when you realize someone you trusted lied to you?” I can’t help but ask her. I have this strong feeling she may give me insight regarding my current situation.
“The appropriate answer would be to ask the person why, but my advice is this: human beings are consistent with their ways, and in their own way, they think they are smarter. To beat them is to let them think so. Investigate their patterns from the past to the present, and you will find what you are looking for,” she says, and I am satisfied with the answer.
It is not long before we see two people rushing towards us, their faces revealing the panic they are in. We all turn to them as they halt in front of us.
Impatiently, we wait for them to catch their breath.
“Is there anything wrong?” Meg asks.
One of the men nods. “The car…” He stops himself to take a breath.
“Speak!” Cara demands.
“Mr. Cooper…” He stutters. “…The car had an accident.”
“How bad?” Cara demands.
“Very bad,” he responds, and…
“Impossible,” Cara mutters to herself. “He’s a good driver, and his car is built to withstand anything. He made it himself.”
“He was driving Christian’s car,” the other man informs Cara, and I see her turn to me.
“Let’s go,” Meg pulls her, and we get into one of the cars as we are driven to the scene of the accident.
I cross my fingers that Oliver will be okay and hope nothing happened to Mr. Thorne. He is unbearable, but I am sure the world will be more unbearable if something happens to him.
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