Chapter 5 - The Other Man

Edward dismissed Matt from his office and sighed heavily. He knew well that there was only one other man that could enter Vicky's eyes more than him. Though that man had not attended the event last night, he had checked in to a room on the 18th floor. Openly checking in to the hotel under his management and then having his fiancé over to that room, was how his cousin openly mocked him. Edward found it amusing how he had never changed from the very first day they had met when he was 6.

Wilson Huxley-Wellington, Aunt Velma's only son, was quite openly disapproving of him and his existence from the moment they had met. Things only became worse when Edward was introduced to Vicky, who at the time was one of Wilson's close friends along with her other sisters.

These few months, Edward's reputation among the high society had been improving quite a bit due to his very lovable and social fiancé, Vicky Charlton. He had expected his cousin to show up soon enough and get close to Vicky in order to humiliate him. Wilson however hadn't expected Edward to humiliate himself that very night instead. Thinking so far, Edward felt grateful for Leah appearing out of nowhere. Him blanking out drunk during a charity event was much easier to deal with than his fiancé being swept off from right under his nose by his older cousin, who was also the heir to Wellington Jewelers in addition to being William Huxley's first and oldest grandson.

Looking at the paperwork needing his attention, he decided it could be dealt with at another time. He got up from his seat and took the elevator to the 18th floor.

They would be expecting him.

When Matt saw that Mr. Huxley had left the office without informing him of anything, he was a bit confused on what to do with himself. He was surely fired, but Mr. Huxley had not told him anything of the sort. He didn't know what to do. Thinking back on what would happen if his little sister found out that he lost his job, he decided to stick to his place and keep it as long as possible. He couldn't afford to lose his job even if he had quite stupidly crossed a said red line of the zombie CEO.

He decided that the best course of action would be to act as if nothing had happened until confronted. Erased from his memory completely, he went about his work as usual.

***

There was a knock on the suite's door and Vicky's head jerked toward the sound. She knew it would be him. Before Vicky could get up, Wilson had already left for the door giving her a meaningful look. She was lost in her thoughts for a second before she was brought back to reality by the sound of her little sister who teased her with a mischievous smile, "Your fiancé came to pick you up, sis. How nice of him is that."

Last night when her waltz had ended, her partner was about to ask her to continue on the night by having a drink with him when Wilson appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her waist, bringing her much closer than appropriate.

Not welcoming the interruption, Vicky had glared at Wilson who had already chased away her partner. Seeing that Wilson was ignoring her as usual and his grasp on her remained, she unconsciously looked back to Edward's table. Seeing that his attention was elsewhere, she sighed in relief.

Wilson noticing that Vicky's attention was elsewhere and that most probably towards Edward, his hold on her tightened. Vicky jerked slightly in pain, but she did not let it show as there were people's eyes on them.

Wilson being so close to her would already create a bit of gossip, them getting in an argument would be quite a bit of gossip. She put on a great smile for Wilson and greeted him per her usual self. Wilson seeing Vicky's social face was on, played along with her. He softened up and engaged in casual chatter. When the eyes of people were not so much on them anymore as some sort of thing seemed to have happened in the direction of the auction, Wilson grabbed Vicky's hand in his and they left the venue.

Vicky though unhappy at being pulled along did not say anything and went along with him. Her heart jumping a bit as they walked hand in hand. She reminisced about when they were children and she would be the one pulling him along wherever she went. As they got older their roles seemed to have reversed. However, she was no longer in a position where she could allow herself to follow Wilson even if that was truly what she wanted. Her eyes fell on her engagement ring that was the envy of many.

As they were going up to what seemed to be the 18th floor, Vicky removed her hand from his and asked with her head lowered, "Where is my sister?" Wilson did not bother looking at Vicky as he replied coldly, "Where is my cousin?"

Neither of them responded and with a ding, the elevator had reached its destination. Before they walked any closer to his room, Wilson turned towards her and simply said, "Put on a smile for Veronica, Vicky." With a simple blink of an eye, the usual Vicky that all loved and admired had returned. They entered the suite and as soon as the door was shut, a girl who looked no older than 23, jumped into Vicky's arms in great delight.

"Sis, Wil told me you would be here. We came to see you. Sorry I took you away from the party and Edward." Veronica innocently explained as she walked her sister to the seating area. Vicky reassured her that it was all okay though it really wasn't.

Her little sister would most definitely insist on her sleeping over in their suite room.

This was her fiancé's hotel if anyone finds out, it would create a scandal that she spent the night with her fiancé's cousin. She took a quick glance towards Wilson who was simply sitting and watching the two beautiful women in front of him.

They both had a certain beauty to them.

He looked at his fiancé who was almost done with her studies and noted how her beauty was comparable to her older sister's. Out of the two, Veronica was more pleasing to the eyes, but Vicky to Wilson was simply Vicky. There was only her and no one else. Even the things he liked about Veronica were the simple features and traits that the two sisters shared such as their golden locks.

She had been all he had ever wanted.

But…

His eyes fell on the ring on Vicky's finger that was bought from Wellington Jewelers as the symbol to her engagement to Edward. The look in his eyes in that moment was not charming.

The next day came as the two siblings fell asleep in each other's arms as Wilson simply remained an onlooker.

***

When Edward came face to face with Wilson, he only gently smiled as he said in an even tone, "Hello, Wilson. How is everything?"

"Great, Eddie. Though I did not get much sleep last night", replied Wilson with a rather suggestive tone to get under his skin.

With a knowing gaze, though hidden under the shades, Edward replied, "Veronica enjoys her talks."

"You know my fiancé pretty well."

"So, do you mine."

Just when a heavy feeling was about to settle in, Veronica's complaining voice was heard. "Get here already. I want in on the conversation as well."

Without another word, both men walked right after each other into the seating area, joining the sisters.

Veronica maintained the conversation with her stories and other talks until she decided that it would be nicer if they changed sceneries. She suggested a double dinner date that early evening in one of the hotel's restaurants. Vicky was hesitant not wanting to spend anytime with the couple that was her little sister and her childhood friend, Wilson. Edward though was not eager to spend time with his cousin knew better than to straightforwardly avoid him which would only give Wilson joy.

With only a second of pause Edward accepted as he said, "Great. Let's make it triple. Nick will join." Veronica clapped in excitement as she replied, "I didn't know he was here. Even more fun. Isn't it, Wil?" Smiling brightly without a trace of annoyance, Wilson agreed, "Sure is. Text us the meeting place, Edward?" Taking that as a cue, Vicky and Edward got up to leave and left the suite as Edward replied, "I will. Until dinner then, Veronica." Veronica nodded as she along with Wilson walked them out.

When Vicky and Edward got into the elevator, she had expected him to say something. However, he had said nothing to her until the very last moment when he had walked her back to her room when he had simply stated, "Check your messages." , and headed back for his office to call Nick and reserve a table for six.

***

The three couples, Edward and Vicky, Wilson and Veronica, and Nicholas and Melany, had had an almost pleasant evening until Veronica had innocently brought up the subject of their childhood together. Melany had felt left out which left Nick anxious as she could get very sensitive at such times. Wilson and Vicky were left with an even more of an awkward atmosphere while Edward simply felt his mind wondering elsewhere.

At a certain point in the conversation, Veronica had mentioned how nice it was that all of them are experiencing this place for the first time together when Wilson had without much thought, other than wanting Veronica to stop talking, interjected, "I've been here before."

At this point Edward had shifted back his attention on his tasteless, only to him, dish when Melany who wanted to get back into the conversation followed with a question, "When was that?"

Wilson who had not taken a good look at Nick's date till that point paused for a second and replied, "It was the summer that I met Edward for the first time."

Seeing that Melany was starting to brighten up a bit Nicholas continued, "Oh, I'm sure a 6-year-old Edward would be very adorable." Melany wondered why the cousins had only met until Edward had turned six but thought it better not to ask at that moment.

Vicky somewhat annoyed by Nick's comment said, "You met him a year later, Nick. He wouldn't have changed much in a year."

"So, we have a family home here, Wilson?", Veronica asked.

"More of a summer home.", Wilson replied as he took a sip from his white wine, glad that the topic of how close Vicky and he had been since birth and the upcoming wedding of Edward and Vicky had been dismissed.

"I'm sure it's a sight.", Melany commented.

"It was a beautiful little country home.", Wilson confirmed.

"It 'was'?", asked Nick noticing the tense that Wilson had used.

"There was a fire, so it burned down." , Wilson cleared up.

"What a tragedy! How did the fire start?", Veronica asked her curiosity piqued.

Wilson took a quick glance toward Edward and saw that he was listening in on the conversation with great interest as well. He found it peculiar since what he was telling everyone was secondhand information he had heard from his parents as he had left after a week in the country house. However, Edward had been there until the very day of the fire. After the fire, he had come up to live with their grandfather in the family home which was not that far away from the Wellington family home.

Putting down his wine glass, Wilson replied, "I don't know. We should ask Edward who spent the whole summer there instead."

Hearing what Wilson had said, Edward tried to recount any memories he should have of living here an entire summer. Just when he started probing his mind for information, a sharp pain from the side of his head emerged. It was different from his usual headaches. This pain felt like an intense throbbing of an old wound reopening.

Nick who was able to read his friend's expression better than others could tell that there was something wrong with Edward. He was getting pale and it looked like he was starting to sweat as there were drops forming on his forehead. Just when he was about to say something to get the group's focus away from Edward whom they expected an explanation from, Edward reached out for his phone. Ignoring the eyes of the people on him, he slowly got up and apologized that there was something he needed to take care of. Not leaving any time for any of them to react or say anything more, he walked away from the group who were left hanging.

Nick seeing that Vicky was about to get up and follow Edward, nudged Melany to grab her attention as he abruptly asked, "Vicky, Melany was wondering if you could introduce her to some people. Didn't you?" She was only momentarily confused before she understood Nick's gaze and occupied Vicky with a conversation not allowing her to follow Edward. Veronica who was not phased by Edward's sudden leaving started looking through the dessert menu as she engaged herself with her fiancé, Wilson. Nick continued to finish the deliciously served dish as he patted himself for a job well done in letting Edward escape though he worried about his condition. As soon as he had this meal taken care of, he would try his best to go check on him. There were too many eyes at this very moment for him to do anything.

***

Edward barely made it to the bathroom where he hurled everything he had ate and everything that was in his system. By the end of it, he felt extremely lightheaded and could only sit down by the side of the toilet as his mind drifted away.

The sleep that had taken him was a dreamful one. Though it did not feel like what he dreamt to be simply a dream. Everything he saw was so vivid and detailed, he was not simply dreaming but remembering memories that had been locked away.

In the memory, he saw the younger face of his grandfather, William Huxley, and his late father, Victor Huxley. The three of them were eating a meal together when a young him had asked where his mother was. Instantly even the young him could tell that his father was displeased. His grandfather replied that she was gone with my aunt for a drive and would be home soon. His father remained silent. Not wanting to anger his father who already seemed to not like him very much anymore he had not spoken a word after. Just when he had almost finished everything on his plate except the kidney beans, there was a knock on the dining room's door. The young Edward instantly thought his mother was finally back and his head turned towards the opening door.

Before the door was fully open, from his seat Edward saw that it really was his mother but then he saw that her hair was a mess and that her white dress was not very white anymore. At the same time, a distinct smell started to spread into the dining room as the door was being slowly opened. A certain feeling rushed through the young him and he felt like running away to hide away in someone's embrace.

And that embrace was not the embrace of the wet haired mother who was carrying a half-empty container and a blood-soaked knife, and was getting closer and clos-

Frightened awake, Edward gasped for air.

When his breathing had calmed down, he pushed himself to stand up. He splashed his face with water and looked at the reflection. Earlier his sunglasses had fallen somewhere, and he hadn't bothered worrying about them. He saw his dark circles that had receded quite a bit, but due to his current paling had never looked darker. The somewhat healthy glow had disappeared with the shock of what he had witnessed in his dream. No, what he had remembered.

He remembered a lot of things he had forgotten about that summer. Meeting his aunt and father for the first time. Being spoiled by his grandfather who had gifted him a bicycle so that he could go exploring. Meeting Aunt Velma, her husband, and Wilson the one week that they had come to get to see him. They are all in pieces and foggy. When he tried to make out more of the memories and the countless images, he could feel the throbbing in his head intensifying.

Knowing it wouldn't be good if he was found in the bathroom of his own hotel, he gathered all the strength he had left in his numb body and headed for the elevator. Gladly the lobby was not too crowded and he was able to make his way up to his suite without capturing too much attention. As soon as he had pressed the keycard against the suite's door and he had pushed himself inside, he had given in to the feeling that was overtaking him. He had fallen unconscious just at the suite's entrance.

***

The dinner finally wrapped up and put under Edward's name, the group finally bid each other their goodbyes. Vicky, Veronica, and Wilson stayed in the hotel and took the elevator to their respective rooms. Nick and Melany were heading towards the valet to ask for their car when Melany noticed Nick's sense of urgency. Melany understood that he was worried about Edward and wanted to go check on him. She was still with him though and that was stopping him. She was a bit caught off guard, she was ready to be told to go home by herself like the night before. However, it looked to be that Nick really planned on driving her home and then coming back to check on his friend that he so dearly cared about that would make a woman jealous.

"Are you going to drive me home?", Melany asked as they walked slowly towards the exit.

"Of course, I am Mel. I brought you here and I'll take you back.", Nick replied with a soft smile playing on his lips.

Melany internally melted as he called her Mel. It wasn't even a pet name, but coming from his lips did wonders to her heart. "Tonight was very informative. I got to hear a lot about you and Edward's childhood together." "It was a more restful time for him." They were almost out of the hotel when Melany paused as an idea popped into her head. He looked back at the girl he had been seeing for the last month in confusion as to why she had stopped walking. "You know I've never stayed at this hotel before.", Melany stated, hoping that Nick followed the way she wants him to. Though only a month, it had been enough to figure out the simple girl that Melany was and he did not hate her for being so easy to read. Deep inside it was one of the things that attracted him to her in the first place. At first glance, she looks like a vain and arrogant woman, due to her choice of outfits. However, she was the opposite of that. She was kind, quick on her feet, understanding, and simple. She was happy if she was simply loved by the man next to her, she never asked for anything more. As such he knew exactly what she had meant to say using that line. "The suite next to Edward's is reserved under my name. We can stay the night if you would like to." Delighted that her intentions were understood, she grabbed hold of Nick's arm as they changed directions to the lobby desk to grab their keycard.

In the elevator, Nick had tried calling Edward several times and all his calls had been left to ring until it was directed to voicemail. He was getting a bit worried remembering how Edward looked like when he left in the middle of that dinner. His worries came to a stop when the elevator door dinged and opened. He still kept calling Edward's phone as they walked towards the direction of their room, they could hear a faint buzzing.

The buzzing was in fact the cellphone of Edward ringing. Edward mostly kept his ringtones super loud before he went to sleep or was off from work. Nick was obviously aware of this. Hearing the ringing of his cellphone so close to the suite's door, did that mean Edward was just right in the entrance? He had a bad feeling about this and he looked around in hopes of spotting someone that could open the door to Edward's suite.

Not seeing anyone, all he could think of was to either keep knocking until he possibly got Edward to open the door himself or get a master keycard from the security somehow. Knowing that the first option had a low chance of succeeding, he could only think of his other option.

Still a bit unsure of how to approach the security without raising any alarms, Melany who was standing still this whole time as Nick was deep in thought, said, "Edward's secretary doesn't have a key?" Having completely forgotten about Matt, the secretary, he thanked her for reminding him and headed for the office hoping that he had still not left.

***

Matthew was just finishing the last of his work for the day when the elevator door opened and to his shock, it was Mr. Nicholas Lenard alone.

By instinct he said to Nick's oncoming figure, "Mr. Huxley is- " but was interrupted before he could complete his sentence, "Do you have a keycard to Edward's suite?" Matt could tell that he was not acting like his usual cool character and was a bit caught off guard by his question. Nonetheless, he still replied, "I do not." "Take me to the security department then." Noticing that it seemed to be a serious case, he didn't hesitate to reveal that he had Mr. Huxley's master keycard for the hotel in his care. As the master would be used to open Mr. Huxley's own suite, Matt was slightly unsure of the situation. However, he knew fully well that Nick was a close friend to Edward also he had already crossed a line anyhow.

With the master keycard finally, the door was opened to reveal what at first looked like a corpse as Edward lying on the floor totally unconscious. His breathing seemed to be uneven and his paled face looked almost yellow greyish. His blood pressure dropping was most probably the case is what it looked like. Looking towards Melany apologetically he asked, "Can you get my bag from the car?"