Chapter 6

Thomas didn't count how many glasses of wine he consumed after that . He was utterly pissed . At himself . How could he be this way ? How could he be so weak ? The mere sight of Carina was causing him pain . And he was supposed to see her for the rest of his life . He felt suffocated at the thought .He needed some air .

Thomas cut through the crowd with a frown in search of some space . He decided to ignore the questioning looks and whispers the relatives threw at him . They were the last thing on his mind now . The alcohol was starting to work and he was getting drowsier by the minute . A few more painful steps later , Thomas found himself at a balcony . He sighed as the cool winter air hit him .

It was almost evening . The sun had not completely set yet . A few stars were visible in the changing sky . Thomas felt himself relax . But he regretted his decision immediately when a known figure caught his eye . He mentally cursed himself for being so careless . It was Carina's mother , Sophia . She examined him for a bit before asking ,"Are you...Ainsworth ?" In any other situation , Thomas would've ignored her . But then again , he was drunk . He couldn't think straight . "Mrs.Howards", he greeted .

She took a couple of steps towards him and spoke ,"It's been a while . You're a man now ." She didn't bother to smile as Thomas had suspected . "So what do you do for a living ?" Blunt and rude . That was who she was . "I uhm...I'm an artist", Thomas stuttered . Why was he so nervous ? Sophia's brows raised ,"Oh . So do you earn anything or live on your mother-in-law's money ?" There it was . She didn't change one bit . "Mrs.Belle pays for me", Thomas lowered his head as if he was ashamed . He wasn't ashamed before . Was Sophia doing this to him ?

"I didn't expect otherwise", she looked at the evening sky . "Did you meet her ?" She asked casually . Thomas nodded , not wanting to think about her too much . "They're all demons , Thomas . You'll have to protect her", she looked into his eyes . Thomas couldn't make much sense in his drunk state . "Protect my daughter , Tommy ." Thomas saw q faint of a smile on her lips .