Chapter 6: Her Return

Six Years Later. Athena inhaled deeply, calming her fraying nerves whilst sitting in the limousine her friend had hired for her. In her hands was the ticket to the party, which he had pleaded with her for months to attend, the party that would herald her return to the world where she had been exiled from. She had thought she was done with that part of the universe until she had met Zane... "Ma'am, we are here." Her driver reminded her. It's been more than five minutes, she thought, looking at the slim watch on her slender wrist. It's been more than five minutes since she has been here, resetting her mind, and preparing it to take, in a cool stride, whatever she would see at this party. "I'm aware, sir. Just give me a few more, please." Her phone dinged right at that moment, preventing her from hearing the driver's dissatisfied grunt. Quickly, she swiped it open, her breath held in suspension, as she perused the content of the message. It was just an amount from a client for a successful treatment. Wheew! She exhaled harshly, splaying her right hand on her chest. She didn't want any interruption of any kind, not even from her favorite people. Especially them. Her eyes, for the third time, found the hall, which had been picked for the event. It was huge and extraordinarily beautiful, big enough to contain a lot of people. She wondered if she would see familiar faces here, if they would even remember her. A lot of things had happened since her exile, and although she was tougher than she had been then, she would have appreciated a quiet evening with no familiar faces. But the celebrant was a popular one; her wish would be nearly impossible to grant. The loud sighing of the driver again interrupted her reverie, reminding her of his impatience. And so, with a final inhalation of calmness, she thanked him for the ride and stepped out of the car. As she walked toward the hall's entrance, blinded by the lights of the paparazzi, she wondered if they knew who she was, if they knew what her role in tonight's party would be. She hoped not. Just then, she noticed a handsome, suited male in his late twenties—she made the gueguessapproaching her. "Dr. Caddel, please this way..." Athena sighed softly in relief, following the male immediately. Her friend had made arrangements for her. This new man took her past the standing queue of finely dressed men and women, who were waiting to be scanned by the hefty man in front, to the hefty man-scanner. The man-scanner, who could easily pass as a bouncer, exchanged glances with her escort, probably wondering why the latter was displaying such favoritism in the open. "It's Dr. Caddell..." The only indication that the bouncer had heard the escort was a pique of his eyebrows, before he turned to his iPad to search for her name. Athena tapped her feet on the ground, counting until the moment when the man would locate her name. She was already hearing murmurs from the people in the queue. They were wondering why she was taken past them; they were wondering if she was more important than the most elite of the staff who were still in line. They didn't know who she was. Athena relaxed, a relaxation that became short-lived, when there was a tap on her arm. "Athena?" It has been six years, but Athena would never forget the voice of the lady who had been the source of her misery for three solid years. Fiona. Athena quickly sported an aloof demeanor and swiveled gracefully; there wasn't an indication on her face that she remembered her old rival. "It is reu..." Fiona breathed in awe, not believing what her eyes were seeing, fanning the embers of Athena's aloofness. "Do I know you?" Athena asked, almost purring in excitement, when she saw the swift change in Fiona's countenance. The awe was displaced and replaced with sheer contempt. Athena watched, unmoved, as Fiona cackled in derision, attracting the attention of the people in the queue. "What are you doing here, Athena? How are you here?" Yet Athena remained silent. And when she saw that Fiona wasn't forthcoming with any more speeches—for the latter was unable to get rid of the shock of seeing a curvy Athena—she turned around, and tapped her escort on the arm. "Can we leave?" This simple question, this snide dismissal, caused Fiona to see red, to grit her teeth in anger. Without stopping to think, she dragged Athena by the arm, causing a tear to appear on the latter's dress. The escort tried to intervene then, seeing the harsh treatment inflicted on the VIP his master had told him to take care of, but Athena stopped him with a wave of her hand. She could handle it. "I don't know who you are, but are you sure you can cover the expenses for this torn dress?" Fiona seized that opportunity to look at the dress Athena was wearing, very well. She bit her lips hard, angry, as she noticed how the dress fitted Athena perfectly, gliding over her curves sexually. She was about to make a false dig out of jealousy, when she recognized that the dress was the latest customized dress of the popular fashion designer, Areso. Fiona gritted her teeth openly then, envy riding her in waves, especially as she began to hear the awestruck words of the people behind her in the queue. They had noticed the design of the dress too. There were just two of these dresses in the whole country! How had the twat gotten her hand on it? Which big shot did she saddle herself with? Or was it a fake, a caricature? It must be that. Fiona sneered. "You're wearing the fake version of a dress, and you are bragging? You must be more stupid than I thought!" "Should I call Areso?" Athena's lips turned up in a smirk when she saw Fiona pale in fright. She was liking this more than she would care to admit. Fiona gulped after hearing the confident words of Athena; confidence that only came from truth. But how? How had Athena gotten the dress? She was supposed to be dead, or at most, a menial worker! What was she doing at a party hosted by one of the richest men in the world?! Fiona's wandering eyes, which were taking in the originality of the seams in the dress, stopped when she saw the black ticket, only reserved for the VIP of the occasion. Her mouth fell open in shock. Even Ewan, as rich as he was, had only secured a gold ticket for both of them! She shook her head in disbelief. Who was backing Athena? Who was the illiterate sleeping with?! She hissed and tried to grab the ticket like a mad woman, but Athena's reflexes were faster. "I see you are with some rich old man. Are you his mistress or slut since Ewan turned you down?" Athena laughed, "You wish! If you want the black ticket so much, become a valuable woman, or better still, leech it off your husband. I think he is looking for you". She pointed at Ewan, who had just come down from a limo with Sandro. "Has my name been cleared?" She asked the escort, and immediately Fiona turned around to watch Ewan approach them. "Yes, Dr. Caddell. I am sorry for keeping you here. I didn't know you were the special guest we were expecting here today. If you had shown me the black ticket, it would have prevented negligence on my part. I am sorry, ma. Please this way. Take the right end, it leads to the VIP area." The hefty man spoke, instead of the escort, surprising the entire crowd in the queue, including Fiona, who sharply swiveled to face Athena. If she had maintained her gaze on Ewan, she would have seen the flicker of recognition and amazement in his eyes when they landed on Athena, and the tightening of his fists and lips. But Athena, not wanting another confrontation, this time with her ex-husband, walked swiftly with the escort into the party. She was aware, however, as she walked away, of Ewan's cold gaze following her every step. And she knew it was only a matter of time before her ex-husband came for her.