Chapter 17: The Endless Night

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Standing still in front of the full length mirror in his closet, Nikolei stared at himself for a while. He was in his black tuxedo, fixing the bowtie around his collar. Tonight held the grand Carson's annual ball and he was invited to be one of the exclusive guests since he was one of Patricia Carson's client.

Patricia had been a loyal interior designer for his hotel branches and still was. The ball was something the Carson's family held every year, as a custom tradition from their great ancestors for the close friends and acquaintances to mingle with each other and also for the entrepreneurs and businessmen to make connections.

Running his hands down his torso, he took a last look in the mirror and walked out of his room. Gayle was watching him from his bedroom door. He chuckled, looking at his son who was half hiding behind the wooden door looking at him timidly. Walking towards the door, he squated down in front of his son and smiled warmly.

"Finish your homework and go to bed, okay?" He murmured softly before kissing Gayle's forehead.

Gayle nodded and hugged his father tightly before giving him a cute smile, showing him his dimple. Maria showed up and led Gayle back into his room. She approached him, fixing his bow tie with one last touch. Nikolei just smiled as he knew Maria was still a bit mad at him about the whole Alexandra fiasco but once in a while, she would still threw him some of her mother advices.

She sighed irritatingly, "Your date is downstairs."

He nodded and thanked Maria after he kissed her on the cheek. Maria just shooed him, going down the stairs towards her bedroom. He noticed she had sent Sophie a small glare on her way, and he was not bothered by it. He even laughed a bit, but sighed afterwards when Sophie clad in emerald green long dress reached his eyes. He could see very clearly the long slit of her dress had revealed her toned leg as she stood in his foyer looking at her well polished nails.

"Hey, Sophie. I told you I would come and pick you up tonight." He said tiredly.

The woman smiled seductively, "I know, but I decided to meet you at your house instead. Where's your son?"

Nikolei remained silent for a moment as he fixed the cufflinks on his sleeves. He never let his son nor Sophie hang out with each other. As fas as it was hard for him to admit, Alexandra had that motherly aura all around her while Sophie... she just had those model figure and none of that aura he was thinking about.

And he will not let Gayle be around the woman who will not remain as a mother figure in his life.

But you let Alexandra in his life... and yours too.

His hand raised up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Once again, his consience had said the truth. He knew Alexandra had wrote that she had gone to fight dragons to win Gayle a princess, and it brought a warm feeling in his chest that Alexandra had took a different road in explaining to his son why she had left that night.

He had witness the faint smile on his son's face when he read the letter given to him. His son was a smart boy and he knew that his son was smart enough to figure out about what Alexandra had wrote on the letter was to calm him from all the worries, so he was more than happy to follow in Alexandra's steps and put up a smile for him everyday.

"He's upstairs." He glanced at his watch. "Let's go, we don't want to be late."

After the forty-five minutes drive, Nikolei handed his keys to the valet and walked into Carsons' huge abode with Sophie clinging to his arm. The woman was so closed, that Nikolei started to feel suffocated. Once he get a sight of his father and Petra, he inched closer to them and greeted the two person in front of him with a nod.

Petra grimaced and scowled, "Sophie... Nice meeting you here. I'm surprise you're not busy chasing fat-bellied businessmen tonight."

Sophie's face was red with embarrassment while Logan tried his best to hold his laughter down before they could burst out. Petra maintained her smug look as Sophie turned to her side, asking for Nikolei's back up. Her face soon turned redder seeing Nikolei just threw her a boring stare and sipped the champagne from the flute he took from the nearby waiter.

After a while, Nikolei spoke up, "Where's mom?"

Logan nudged his head towards a group of women talking. Nikolei nodded in understanding and continued to sip his alcoholic drink. Sophie remained silent by his side and he was thankful of it. He would be damned and went home with a headache tonight if his date decided to make a scene like she always do.

"Why'd you bring her to the ball?" Petra whispered in Nikolei's ear with a hint of disgust under her tone. "You could've just show up alone or bring me as your date, or any other ladies would do just fine."

Nikolei sighed and glanced at his sister. "She won't shut up about it. Besides, I always bring Sophie to formal functions."

"So? Just flick her off then! You have no problem in doing so to Alexandra." She retorted. After a few seconds, she realised that she had just touched the sensitive topic in their conversation when Nikolei stood with full silence in his position.

From her eyes, she could see the bulging vein started to appear on her brother's neck. She sighed inwardly, "Look, I'm sorry. It was uncalled for me to say that."

It was all silence. Nikolei didn't bother to retort back at his sister. Half of his good mood for tonight had been flushed down the drain. With Sophie clinging onto his arm who was busy throwing the women around her her snarky glares, he was getting slightly irritated and had wished that he was home instead of attending the ball tonight.

But no, he couldn't do that to Patricia who had been like his own dear mother throughout the years they have worked together. For her, he was more than willing to go through this night without having to yell at somebody.

"Nikolei, dear! Thank you for coming." Patricia held out her arms and engulfed him in her hug.

Nikolei smiled faintly towards the woman clad in pink ball gown dress. She had a huge smile on her face as she winked at him before pulling his arm with her. She eagerly pulled his arm towards a man in his sixties, drinking a flute of champagne. The man instantly grinned as Patricia pressed her lips to his lovingly.

"Honey, I want you to meet my most loyal client, Nikolei Machiavelli. Nikolei, this is my husband, Jerry." She introduced.

Jerry's brow shot up as he shook his hands. "I assume your father is Logan Machiavelli?"

"Yes, I'm his son. I've heard a lot about you from my father, Mr. Carson."

"Good things, I suppose." He grinned. "Call me Jerry, son. No need for formalities."

Nikolei chuckled, "Of course, Jerry. Though my father did mention you're a brute for giving him a strict diet for him to follow."

Irritated that she was not introduced, Sophie interrupted their warm conversation. "I'm Sophie Qaldwell, Nikolei's girlfriend."

Patricia and Jerry stopped chuckling and turned their attention towards the woman who just interrupted their conversation. Both their eyebrows shot up judging Sophie with their heated gaze, waiting for the next word to come out of her pretty little mouth. Nikolei sighed inwardly, slowly pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Well-" Patricia hesitated, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Qaldwell."

Jerry just cleared his throat and nodded towards the lady who had a strong arrogance aura surrounding her self. He quietly stood by his wife as she leaned into Nikolei's side, whispering something in his ear.

"I'm hoping she's just delusional as all the other girls." She whispered carefully not to let the woman beside Nikolei heard her. "Or is it-"

"No." He cut her. "She's not my girlfriend. She thought she was because I always take her to most functions since two years ago."

He could feel the grin making an appearance on Patricia's face as they spoke. "Thank the Lord! But do be careful, my dear. She's that kind of girl who can't take the truth of reality considerately."

Both of them chuckled, keeping the jokes to themselves as Sophie frowned in their direction. Patricia just shrugged it off and inched her body closer towards Jerry as his arm encircled her waist. A few minutes later, the room suddenly became awfully quiet when the door that led to the beautiful garden opened slowly from the outside, letting out a loud creak in process.

Everyone's attention was on the back entrance when a young man in his tuxedo minus the blazer came in, with his right hand holding onto the lady's hand tightly. Behind him entered the woman dressed in baby pink silk dress, with his blazer over her torso covering most of her shoulders.

Nikolei tensed as he watched the man and woman who just made an entrance a few seconds ago. His eyes were slightly widened but was quickly replaced with a cold stare as he stared at the lady who was hugging the man's arm affectionately. He could feel his heart, thumping loudly against his chest as their eyes met.

Alexandra.

She didn't remove her eyes from him as they stared at each other for a good few minutes. He was shocked to meet Alexandra here, after he had asked her to leave his house two years ago. She smiled at him, and it made his heart bursted out of his rib cage.

The smile he had missed during every restless night he had.

The smile that haunted his dreams every night.

It was hard for him to admit it, but he wanted her to keep smiling at him.

He wanted for her to run into his arm and hugged him tightly.

He wanted her to whisper in his ear about how much she misses and love him with all her heart.

He wanted her to kiss him like there was no tomorrow and forget about all the past between them.

However, he was too selfish and hypocrite to admit all of that and decided to bury all the feelings that overwhelmed him for a second there deep down into the depth of his heart. It would've been a lie if he told himself that he wasn't hurt when she had look away. His heart and chest clenched painfully when Alexandra tore her gaze away from him, looking a bit uneasy under his scrutinizing gaze.

He wanted to leave the room but the whispers around him did not help with the disruptive feeling he had going on in his chest at the moment.

It's the Carsons' sole heir and his girlfriend.

They look lovely and so happy together.

Are they engaged?

His heart thumped once again this time. Looking back in her direction, Nikolei's eyes caught the sight of a shiny thing on her finger. He knew he shouldn't be having this feeling right now, but he couldn't help it but to let jealousy riled him up all the way to his heart. It was an engagement ring, and there's no denying that.

What Jerry and Patricia whispered among each other beside him had his ears perked up. He couldn't help but to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Our son finally pops the big question! I'm going to start contacting my friend at Fairytales and Weddings tomorrow."

"Calm down, Patricia. They just got engaged tonight. It's about time he asked the girl's hand in marriage. Who would've thought we could finally see the day he smiled so happily again after Serena died."

Nikolei shut his eyes tightly as he listened to all the hush whispers among him. Tiredly, he walked towards the bar leaving Sophie alone gaping at the couple people were whispering about. He gladly ordered himself a glass of whiskey, strong one to be precise, hoping for the best that it could bring his mind to somewhere else other than a certain lady with red hair.

Drinking in his misery with full remorse over something he refused to admit, he frowned when he realised something. Something odd that had come upon his sober mind a few seconds ago.

Alexandra had smiled at him, like nothing happened between the two of them.

It would be usual and not out of the norm if they had parted in each other favours two years ago, but after what he did to her that night, it was odd for her to smile so friendly at him who had kick her out of his abode. Just as he swallowed the last drop of the whiskey in his glass, Sophie's irritating whiny voice reached out to his ears as she seductively rubbed herself against his arm.

"Babe, why'd you leave me there?" She pouted. "Anyway, let's go and meet the couple. I hear they just recently got engaged."

His brows shot up annoyingly, as he glanced at Sophie beside him. Didn't she recognize Alexandra from the night he flaunted her in front of Alexandra? But then again, knowing Sophie after two years, she could hardly remember the men she associated herself with. Let alone remembering Alexandra's face from that night.

Sophie quickly tugged his arm with her as they made their way towards Alexandra and her fiancé.

Fiancé.

Thinking of the word alone made him want to punch the man himself with his bare hands.

Oh, now you want to claim back your ex-wife? Don't forget the fact that you're the one who threw her out of your house two years ago when you had all the chance to make it right, the inner voice in his head mocked him.

"Hi. Congratulations, I suppose." Sophie said, faking a smile as she look at the couple in front of her.

Alexandra smiled faintly when the man who had his arm around her shoulder grinned and replied, "Thank you."

"I'm Sophie Qaldwell by the way. This is my boyfriend, Nikolei Machiavelli." She introduced, with a proud smug on her face.

"Congrats." Nikolei said monotonously towards Alexandra, waiting for her reaction.

Instead of a nervous or shock expression, Alexandra spotted a bright smile on her plump lips as she look at him. "I'm Alexandra Rakers and this is my fiancé, Grant Carson. You must be Logan's son, I presume. Nice to meet you, Mr. Machiavelli and Ms. Qaldwell."

He was deadpanned. Did she not remember him? Before he could speak, the man beside Alexandra turned towards her and kissed her forehead affectionately. Nikolei's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the scene in front of him.

"Ma chéri, would you like a drink?" He asked softly.

Alexandra nodded, "Just tea please."

"I'll go with you! Do you want anything, babe?" Sophie interrupted.

Nikolei shook his head. The man excused himself with a smile and went to the bar to get the drinks. As they stood awkwardly accompanying each other, Nikolei cleared her throat loudly. Alexandra glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, blinking them twice.

"So, how did you know Logan Machiavelli?" Nikolei questioned, trying to fish out the clues to quench his curiousity.

Alexandra smiled, "He came by the bakery yesterday. I'd meet him today too but something came up today. So, I'm not at the bakery this afternoon."

"Oh." Nikolei eyes widened in realisation when he discerned something. "Oh!"

Just as he was about to open his mouth, a familiar feminine voice resonated in their direction. Nikolei squinted his eyes towards the owner of the voice, who happened to be his very own sister. Petra's eyes widened when she saw her brother standing beside Alexandra.

His stares were cold and hard as he look at Petra who gulped audibly. "Excuse us for a moment, Ms. Rakers."

Nikolei quickly pulled Petra with him and walked towards the huge vintage vase situated by the wall nearby. He turned towards his sister and clenched his jaw tightly.

"You and dad know about this all along, don't you?" Nikolei questioned her, gritting his teeth. "Goddamnit! No wonder you took the day off just to sit in a bakery with dad. Alexandra fucking owns the bakery!"

Petra's eyes darted everywhere but not at Nikolei as she fidgeted her fingers. "Look, Nikolei. I'm sorry to-"

"You're sorry?" He scoffed. "What are you and dad planning to accomplish from hiding this news from me? I know both of you are up to something!"

Petra couldn't take it anymore. The patience in her was getting thinner and thinner by each seconds. She tried her best not to shout and make a scene at someone's ball tonight, so she decided to take the high road instead to get back at her brother's fuming self.

"Nikolei! If yes, so what? It's not our fault for trying to be friended her after your stupid move of divorcing her! You always use your heart to think instead of your mind whenever it involves her! It's not her fault, Nikolei. The woman practically saves your kid from the bullies and yet, you got rough with her and shouted in her face blamming her entirely like it was her fault!" She breathed in and out roughly.

"You don't know what you're saying right now!" Nikolei threw her a deathly glare.

She sighed exasperatedly, "I knew exactly what I am talking about. You ripped Alexandra from Gayle when he was just starting to get attached to her and you insulted her like she's some whore! You think I don't know? I've hired Boris for a reason, Nikolei, and seems like I was too late to stop you from divorcing her that night. I just hope that you don't regret your actions that night, Nikolei. From the looks your eyes have given me, I can see that you already have."

She swiftly turned on her heels and started to walk away. Before she could completely disappear in the crowd, Nikolei's next sentence stopped her from taking another step.

"You don't know what I felt when I saw her with him that day. That day when we are supposed to go on our honeymoon before she decided to leave me at the altar." Nikolei said gruffly.

"Yes, Nikolei. I don't know." She turned her body sideways. "I don't know but it doesn't mean that you should make assumptions on your own and make conclusions on what you saw that day. What you see with your own eyes doesn't always show you the truth. You dated her for months and you were engaged to her, but you failed to put your trust on her when the rough times hit you in the face. Standing there a few feet away from her, you could've confronted her about everything but no! You put your heart first and assumed the worst and chose to flee the States rather than asking her about the truth."

The fists on his sides repeatedly clenched and unclenched as he watched Petra walked away from him. His eyes move towards Alexandra in the middle of the room. She looked happy as she waltzed with her fiancé across the dance floor happily, laughing at something he had whispered in her ear. Her face was full of joy, very contrary to what she looked like two years ago when she lived under his roof.

Sad and depressed.

Only one question popped out in his mind at the moment as he watched the woman he once loved, and still was, danced in the arms of another man.

Is it him, who was too blinded by vengeance and rage, to be blamed here?

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