DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 2

       When Ethan and Faith left after dinner, Nora noticed that Danny looked all dazed. He looked like someone who had been confronted for cheating and was racking his brain for excuses. Nora also noticed that he blacked out on them severally before Ethan and Faith left. She kept wondering what Ethan said to Danny on the roof that made him look like that. She had not seen Danny look this confused before. 

      "Danny," she called as Danny was running up the stairs to the room after Ethan and Faith left. 

    Danny stopped and looked at her.  "Yes, babe." 

      "Is there something you need to tell me?" 

      "No, no, not at all. I am just tired I need to rest." 

     Nora stared at him for a while.  "Did Ethan say something to you?" 

      "Who is Ethan..." He stopped and closed his eyes.  "No, I'm sorry. Ethan? No, he didn't say anything to me. I will go up the stairs right now." 

      Nora nodded and started moving towards the kitchen. Danny bolted up the stairs. When he got to the top of the stairs, he stopped and turned. 

     "Babe?!" 

      "I can hear you!" Nora answered from the kitchen. 

      "What's Ethan's last name? Is it Flood or Floyd?" 

       "I know something is definitely up, you will tell me later. His name is Ethan Floyd." 

       "Gracias!" Danny said and went into their room.  He ran for his laptop, sat down on the bed and opened the laptop. 

      His heart was thumping because he didn't know if Ethan was real or not. He still didn't believe Ethan transferred three million to his account and he was living in a rented apartment, sharing it with Faith. Who is he? He was also scared that Ethan might be a fraudster or a swindler. His fingers shook as he typed in Ethan Floyd's name in his browser and everything about Ethan came out. 

      His eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw Ethan's asserts and when he saw the company that Ethan was the CEO in San Francisco.  God! What was he doing here in a rented apartment and thrift clothes? 

     The room door opened and Nora came in with a tray with two cups. She took it to the bed and handed him one.  "Here, have some ice tea. Danny, what is wrong? Did you cheat?" 

      "Cheat?! Che…Why would you even say that?" 

      "Because you are behaving strangely. It's like someone pointed out your hidden pleasure to you." 

      "I am just working, you know. I have to work extra hours to make ends meet, I have to work and make ends meet, you understand me. This is for us, for our future, I have to work hard to make ends meet." 

      "Do you realize you are bluffing? Why do you keep repeating to make ends meet?" 

       "Did I repeat that?" 

      "Yes. Danny, you are not a good actor, you know that right?" 

    Danny placed his palm on his forehead.  "Oh, I feel so stressed. I am so stressed out that I repeat words." He stretched himself and yawned.  "I will go and have my bath and have a good night's sleep." He closed his laptop, stood up and patted Nora's shoulder.  "You should have a good night's sleep too." 

       Nora watched him as he unbuttoned his shirt and walked to the bathroom. She looked at his laptop on the bed and shook her head. She took it and kept it on the nightstand, dressed the bed and started to remove her clothes to join him in the bathroom. 

      When Nora woke up in the early hours of the morning to ease herself, Danny was awake staring at the ceiling, his arms raised behind his head and his laptop sat on his thighs. She sat up, her eyebrows drawn together in a scowl. She glanced at the clock, it was five-thirty A.M. She looked at him. 

       "You are still awake?" 

  That was when Danny seemed to realize that she was awake. He looked at her.  "Good morning, Babe." 

       "Did you even sleep at all?" 

      "I slept, you should go back to sleep." 

      "No, Danny. I'm not going back to sleep until you tell me what's going on with you. Is the company's situation worse? What is it? Talk to me!" 

      "It's good news though, but this good news is so incredible." 

      "What do you mean incredible good news?" Nora asked and shifted to see his face. 

       "I am not supposed to tell you this, but I can't bear it alone and you are already inquisitive and I know you, I don't want you to go confronting Ethan." 

      "Finally, it was all about Ethan." 

       "Yes, it is all about him. He is not the person we all think he is." 

       "What? Is he a serial killer? Is he a thief? A swindler? What? Is Faith safe?" 

     Danny looked at her.   "Can you stop freaking out?" 

       "Why would I stop when Faith is in danger?" 

      Danny took the laptop from his thighs and placed it on Nora's thighs.  "Here, see for yourself. Who said anything about Faith being in trouble?"

      Nora took a closer look at the laptop, her jaw dropped and her eyes dilated. She kept scrolling down with wide eyes and jaw.  

      "CEO!" she yelled. 

       "Bring down your voice, babe, it's five in the morning." 

         "I can't, I can't. How did you find out about this?!" 

        "You know when I told you that I was short of funds." Nora nodded eagerly. "That was a lie, the truth is that I didn't have any money at all. I went broke and this house I got it on a mortgage." 

        "What?" 

      "Yes, but allow me to finish. I didn't want to tell you, so you won't be sad. So last night, Ethan and I got talking and it came out and to my uttermost surprise, he transferred three million dollars to me in less than five minutes, saying it's his wedding present to us."

    Nora screamed and held her mouth. " What are you telling me right now?"

    "Faith doesn't know, he said not to tell her. Please, that's the reason I didn't want to tell you since last night. He doesn't want Faith to know about it. It's a favour he had done for me and he expects me to return the favour this way." 

      Nora looked at him for a while then she burst into laughter. She laughed loud and hard until Danny joined in the laughter. 

      After work that evening, Faith left the office smiling. She instructed her assistant to lock up the place properly before going home. She was smiling because she kept thinking of Ethan. He was a very good person and goes to every extent to show her that he was a good person. She thought of the lunch he had sent that afternoon as she stood in the elevator that took her down. She stepped out of the elevator and out of the building reception to board a cab home. 

      Ethan had texted her that he might not be able to pick her up that evening, she should call him when she gets home. She stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab when Noah came out from nowhere and smiled at her. 

      "Hello, beautiful," he said. 

      "What are you doing here?" she asked calmly. 

      "I was around here, so I decided to check up on you and maybe give you a ride home since it's after work hours." 

       "You have seen that I am okay, you can leave now. Thanks for the ride, I am not interested." 

       "Why? Do you have someone coming to pick you up?" 

       "It's none of your business, please leave me alone." 

        "Why are you suddenly pushing me away? I was the love of your life before. Why are you so hell-bent on discarding me, huh?" 

       "Stop being petty and leave now," Faith said and looked around for any taxi. 

        "I know you, Faith, you don't change your mind that easily. Are their shafts sharper than mine? What did they do to you?"

       "What are you talking about?" 

        "You have been living with a guy since you came to LA and he has been drilling you, even when you came to my place claiming the victim and you condemn me for the sin when you are the real whore..." 

      Faith gave him a dirty slap.   "First, you don't know me at all! Second, how dare you call me a whore? You don't have to try to bring me down to justify yourself." She started leaving. 

    But Noah grabbed her so roughly by the hand. His eyes looked fierce. He dragged her back and made her stand in front of him.  "Now, listen to me.  You don't dare raise your filthy hand on me. I am the only that can love you and be with you. You know you are beautiful only on the outside, do they know about your irritable behaviour? Do you dress sexy to seduce him? Does he drill you every night? Huh? Tell me."

     Faith was holding back her tears she tried to wriggle out of his grip but his hold was hard on her. 

      "Let go of me," she cried. 

       "They would never love you as much as I do."

        "Let go of..." 

       "The lady said you should let her go!" 

   Before they could turn to see the person he had walked up to Noah and punched him hard on the nose. Noah left Faith's hand, staggered back and held his nose which was bleeding. Ethan grabbed Faith's hands. 

    "Sorry, I came late. Go inside the car." Ethan took her to the car and started heading towards Noah but Faith ran in between them and blocked Ethan's part. 

       "Please, stop stop!" 

     Ethan came to a standstill, Faith held him and took him back to the car. 

      "Watch out, I am going to sue you for assault!" Noah yelled. 

     Ethan walked towards him again before Faith could catch up with him and grabbed Noah by the collar.  "Now, you listen to me. I know you don't know about those hidden CCTV cameras around here, but I assure you the next time I will see you anywh ere around this premises, I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in jail." He pushed Noah away and walked to his car.