Genre: Romance
Rating: NC 17
Disclaimer : Standard disclaimers apply. The characters belong to Shalz R.
Chapter 11: Part Two : A New Beginning
Ian started his walk home through the woods! He walked on thinking only about Sonya. After a long time Ian was feeling himself! He had taken a walk, had a party, danced, had a good breakfast, made a new friend, and enjoyed it all!
He walked back home, smiling, unruffled, and very happy!
He went up his to pool, swam and then got dressed. It was eight-thirty.
When he went down, he was informed that everyone had decided to take the breakfast in the family room.
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“Have you seen the newspapers?” remarked Mr. Maxwell
“If you mean the party, then yes!” answered his wife, as she handed him his coffee.
“It’s all over the papers. Most of them! Ian Maxwell with a new woman! The pictures, the news! They’ve shown him escorting her into the party, introducing her to us, with her during the tour, dancing with her, dining with her! All over the place it’s Ian and his interior decorator, Ms. Stephens. They won’t leave him alone?” he remarked sarcastically, happy with the popularity of his son.
“Do you wish they did?” she laughed with him.
“I don’t like this!” announced Dee. “Why was he with her all the time? He was simply ignoring Sam! Didn’t even say a hello! She was so disappointed! What has gone into Ian! Why is he” she caught Kevin's eye, who silenced her with a look. Ian was seen walking towards them. She was quiet for the time being but made a mental note of bringing this up with Ian.
Ian walked in and found all of them waiting for him! They hadn’t seen him since last night after he yet again was missing from the party. Evan and Sera ran up to him and he handed them the cake he had brought for them. Something was different with Ian today! Mrs. Maxwell was cross with him for not turning up for breakfast on time.
“Ian, why weren’t you on time for breakfast? Carlton! Get Ian some breakfast!”
“No Carlton! I’ve had breakfast. Mom I’ve been up for hours, I went for a walk.”
She noticed the change as did everyone else! “Oh! Where did you take the breakfast?”
“Umm. At the house of a new friend!” he said smiling, and placed a kiss on his mom’s cheek!
“Where did you get the cake, so early in the morning?”
“My new friend made it. I had some packed for the kids.”
“Ian!”
“Yeah, Mom!” he said.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asked.
“Sure, Mom. Never felt better!” he said before picking up the kids to take them out in to the sit out to play with them. And he wasn’t lying. Everybody could see that! Ian was back in his old self. They all were surprised to see such a drastic change in one night!
Tyler worded the unanimous feeling, “Something happens to him at nights! The last time he looked good was when he stayed for a night at home, and now again this morning he is good ole Ian. I hope this change is for good!”
“Me too! But what happened!” Adrian asked.
“I don’t know. But Tyler the change did not come this morning. Didn’t you see him at the party last night? He was dancing! He danced four successive dances with Ms. Stephens!” Mrs. Maxwell reminded them.
“Umm do you think they got something up?” Kevin asked.
“No way!” Tyler and Adrian answered in unison.
“Why?” Mrs. Maxwell asked, surprised at the consentient response.
“Because Ian just avoids her. Last when she was here, that was before we went for the shoot in Europe, she was after him to get answers to her queries, but the way Ian behaved with the poor girl, properly snubbing her, we all felt bad for her!”
“Well, he didn’t look like he was avoiding or snubbing her yesterday. Like I said he was practically all the time with her! By the way, the guests’ list had Mr. McKenzie! Why was Stephens invited?” Mrs. Maxwell asked.
“Well, Ian asked me to invite her!” Tyler said looking like he had spotted something fishy!
“This certainly is a paradox. I wish someone would throw some light on the matter. He is becoming secretive!” she said, throwing up her hands in despair.
“Excuse me, madam!” Carlton spoke of the matter what he knew, “If I may speak, I may know something of this matter too! Well Ms. Stephens had actually come in the evening..” and he told them of their evening meeting and the talk with Ian regarding Ms Stephens, and the apparent disappointment of Ian. … “After that Mister Ian was missing for about forty-five minutes and when he was seen again it was with Ms. Stephens.” He followed it up by telling the wide-eyed family of the night Ian was here and Ms. Stephens had also occupied one of the guest bedrooms. In fact, Ian was the one to inform Carlton in the morning that Stephens had stayed the night in the house.
As if all these details weren’t enough for the family, just then Jean came with a bag in his hand, asking permission to see Mr. Ian.
“What’s the matter?” Mr. Maxwell asked.
“I had to return Ms. Stephens’ bag of clothes to Mr. Ian.”
“How did Ms. Stephens’ bag of clothes reach you? And why do you have to return them to Ian?” Mrs. Maxwell, just like others, was all puzzled.
At first reluctant to tell, Jean soon poured out his side of the story to the stunned family.
“Well, Kevin, I think you maybe right, after all!” Tyler remarked with some suspicion. “Are you sure he was here in the night? He disappeared last night and was seen this morning! And he said he’d had his breakfast!”
“That ‘new’ friend of his?” Mrs. Maxwell asked slowly, a smile playing on her lips.
“Well, she seems like a nice girl!” Mr. Maxwell leaned forward and sounded his approval excitedly to the nodding Mrs. Maxwell.
“No. She isn’t. And it isn’t good!” Dee tried to butt in, but was again silenced by Kevin. Ian was just outside the door, and he looked so happy that it would be disastrous to even mention Samantha around him.
All this time Ian was outside playing around with the kids. He saw Jean inside and came in.
“Jean! Good you came. You do have the bag? Is that it? She’s going to come to pick it up. If she does not, I will give it to her. Thank you, Jean” he said and turned to the baffled family, of course he did not know that his little secret was now public!
“Well!” asked a very happy Ian, “What’s up?”
“Son, you are supposed to tell us that!” Mr. Maxwell who had heard enough from the family, now wanting to get it from the horse’s mouth. Ian looked around confused at the little group of his family and friends, who looked like they had just dug up a treasure trove!
Then one by one the family told him of the little details they had gathered, and asked him to clarify!
Ian sat down on the floor, his back against a sofa. He smiled coyly, as they told him of what they were hearing.
“Well. It might sound all fishy, I agree. But here’s the truth. Her name is Sonya Stephen. She lives at a ten-minute distance from here! I was at home last night, I went for a walk this morning and went to her place, where we had breakfast, and she made that cake! Sonya and I are friends. That’s it. No more than this is true!”
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