DOCTOR ADRIANA AND ETHAN

        Ethan drove back to the psychiatrist he had to clear this up so that Dr Adriana won't rat him out. Faith was her client and her loyalty lies with Father, but she has to keep quiet until he was ready to tell her. He sat in his car for a while watching the building, contemplating if he should go in or not. After contemplating for a while, he decided to get it over and done with. 

       Luckily, Dr Adriana had no patients she was attending to, but her assistant won't let anyone in unless on appointment. Dr Adriana had to come out and asked the receptionist to let him be. A few minutes later, they were in her office, sitting and facing each other without saying any words. When the silence became unbearable, Dr Adriana cleared her throat. 

         "How may I help you, Mr Floyd?" Dr Adriana asked. 

        "You know why I am here." 

         "I am not some kind of psychic." 

          "I didn't say that you were... And please, call me Ethan." 

         "It's a bit awkward to address you by your first name, Mr CEO." 

       Ethan stared at her for a while.   "A lot of people don't recognise me." 

        "Yes they won't, but not someone like me who had worked with you in a very close proximity." 

     Ethan's brows drew together in confusion.  "What do you mean?" 

        "Your father, before he passed, I was the doctor that came to help him manage stress. You always come by the house or the office, but I guess you weren't really seeing me." 

       Ethan recalled that there was a doctor that talked to his father when he was diagnosed with stress, but he never looked long at that doctor. It was such a small world and she must have thought him to be arrogant.

     "Oh,  I'm sorry..." 

      "It's nothing to be sorry about."  Dr Adriana chuckled lightly and Ethan raised a brow.  "I'm sorry, I just remembered how your dad tried to matchmake us." 

       "Matchmake?" 

      "Yes. He paid me extra to come even when I don't have sessions with him and he always sends for you within those periods, he wanted it to be as natural as ever, but then you were always in a hurry." 

      "Jesus, I was really clueless," Ethan said and placed his hand on his forehead. 

      Dr Adriana huffed.   "Fresh doctor, I just finished my internship then, he was my first patient." 

       "Oh, really?" 

      The doctor nodded.  "He was a good man." 

    Ethan concurred.  "Yes, he was." 

     Silence settled in between them for a moment and Ethan decided to lunge into why he was there for. He cleared his throat and squirmed in his seat. 

       "How is it going with Faith?" 

       "I don't discuss my patients with other people." 

        "No, we are not discussing her. I just want to know how it's getting on." 

        "Are you two dating?" 

The question struck Ethan and for a while, he was short of words. He blinked severally and shrugged.  "Kind of." 

     "Kind of," the doctor repeated nodding.  "Your dad, always said you were not interested in women and I had wanted to stalk you and know if you were just pretending to your parents and if you weren't, I had wanted to stalk you to the future and find out the kind of woman you would end up with." 

        "What stopped you?" 

      The doctor hiked her shoulders.   "Uhm...well, I told myself is not worth it. So I did the job I came to do and left. I never thought about you again until today."  She looked at him fixedly.   "So, why is the heir of Floyd Empire dressed like a..." 

        "Tout? Pauper?" Ethan finished up. 

         "I wasn't going to say those, but since you used them, I'll just go with them. Why are you disguising?" 

        Ethan smiled.  "I'm certain if I was more sensitive back then, I wouldn't be in this position right now." 

         "You want to go a wife this way? Why?" 

         "Why do I feel that you are interviewing me?" 

        "This is not an interview. I'm just looking out for my patient here." 

       "The one you don't want to talk about?" 

        "She is going through a lot of stress, emotional especially and I want to know what games you are playing. Her mental health is all I care to protect, at least for now, she is under my custody." 

        Ethan looked at the doctor for a while.  "I don't plan to ruin her. I have the same genuine plans you have for her." 

        "So, why are you hiding under someone else?" 

          "I didn't do this because of her. It was a decision I took before I met her." 

          "You disguised yourself to find a wife. How do you think that's going to work?" 

           "Doctor..." 

            "Adriana, please."

             "Adriana, I have one question for you and I want you to give me an honest answer.  When my dad tried to matchmake us and paid you a little extra to come over to see me, you wanted it right?" 

          "At that time, yes." 

     Ethan nodded.  "Why?"  The doctor stared at him without saying anything. Ethan smiled a small smile.  "I don't mean to disrespect you, but then, you were only glad that if it works, you would be a Floyd, you never had any feelings for me, it was only for the name." When the doctor didn't say anything, he continued.  "I have come across most women like that too. They would marry me because of my status and name, but they don't have any atom of love." 

          "Alright, you feel a woman would love you because you act poorly?" 

        "No, I'm not saying poverty is a path to love. All I want is a woman who would love me for me. Without the money, the fame, the status. I want a woman that would fall in love with Ethan Floyd, not the heir of the empire, nor the CEO." 

        "So, Faith is that woman?" 

          "That's what I am still trying to find out. As you know, she is too preoccupied with stress to give me a thought. So, I'll keep trying, since I have fallen head over heels for her." 

      The doctor's mouth twitched into a smile.  "I just hope you don't leave her hanging." 

        "I am not certain about that but I will keep trying." 

        "It's funny, how my curiosity still got satisfied upon I didn't stalk you." 

     Ethan smiled.  "I just need one favour from you.  Please, don't let Faith know yet." 

        Dr Adriana leaned closer.  "Confidentiality is my key. Do you know we just had a session?" 

     Ethan was confused.  "What?" 

        "We just talked like a patient and a doctor." 

        "No way," 

         "Yes, way.  You will give me ten dollars for half a session," Dr Adriana teased. 

        Ethan laughed.  "I can do that, even though I was the one who explained." 

        "I knew your reason all this while, just wanted to drill you. Just be careful with Faith, she is not only a patient to me, but I have also developed a sudden fondness for her too." 

       "Oh, really?" 

       "I love that she is stubborn and can hardly be swayed by what anyone else wants. Just show her you love her, never relent." 

       "I will try my best." 

     The doctor and Ethan exchanged contacts and Ethan left the office. He had one more thing to do. When he got home, he called Tyler his assistant to delete all articles about him from the interest. 

       The evening finally came. Faith has never been excited about going home as she was that day.  When her last client left, she jumped up and took her jacket. Although Noah was long gone, she felt like she still perceived his scent and it choked her, then she kept thinking about the threat that Noah had given her. Her heart had skipped throughout that day in the office. 

     She contemplated if she should go and report to the police? She had seen in movies where this kind of threat is issued, it always results in the death of the victim. Noah, won't kill her, he can't kill her. She knew him too well or does she? She went out of the office and asked her assistant to lock up properly and go home. She called Ethan, he had promised to pick her up after work and luckily for her, he was around her office area. 

       Douglas sat in his car and watched his sister come out of the building, he was going to give her a ride today and maybe know if she has learnt to apologise properly. She stood by the walkway, looking around like she was scared that someone would hit her from behind. He ignited his car and was about to reverse his car when a saloon car pulled up in front of her. 

      He watched her smile and a man his age or a year younger, who wore a cap that concealed his face, got out of the car, circled to his sister and hugged her. He watched as she beamed with smiles as he hugged her. His brows furrowed.  Who was that jerk and why was he hiding his face? He wished to see the guy's face, so he watched on. 

      Judging from his look, his dress, his car, he was not rich,  he was not poor either, he was middle class. The man opened the do or for Faith, she went in, the man went over to the driver's seat and in a few seconds, he was driving away. Douglas followed them.