Constantine smiled smugly. “What if I say that he shared it with me?”
I immediately shook my head. “No way! I don’t believe you.”
“It is up to you to believe me or not. However, I know that you haven’t shared Ethan’s bed. Otherwise, you won’t be here. Unless ....” He stared at me with a gleaming in his eyes.
“Unless what?”
“Nothing.” Constantine ran his fingers to my cheek. “You are beautiful.” His eyes stared at my eyes, then at my lips. His finger followed later. “If you choose me, I can promise you the world. Wealth and power will be yours.”
“Choose you?” I wrinkled my forehead. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t your mother tell you anything?”
“About what?”
Constantine touched my chin. “I met your mother to ask for your hand in marriage.”
“What?!”
“Please, listen to me first.” He rubbed my hair. “I know you and Ethan are lovers, yet I offer you to be my wife. You will be royalty too. Being my wife means you don’t need to work anymore, and everyone will respect you.” Constantine smiled as he stared at my lips. “So, what do you think?”
I immediately shook my head. “Please let me go. It is so inappropriate.” I pushed Constantine, trying to get back to my seat.
However, he held my waist tightly. “Calm down. Darling, think about it. My offer is still open, but I can’t wait too long. If you don’t want it, I may find someone else.” Constantine held the tip of my hair and brought it to his nose. “Rose. I always love the rose fragrance. Because of this, I will try to be more patient.” Then he held my hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it while he kept staring at me.
I caught my breath since his stare was intense. “Please, let me go.”
“Sure, I won’t hurt you.” Then he lifted my body and returned me to my seat. “See? You are safe with me.”
Then he started driving again as if he had done nothing. We didn’t talk at all. It was weird since Ethan also loved the rose fragrance. Constantine said he knew Ethan. But Ethan said nothing about it. Did something happen between them? I needed to ask Ethan once he went home. I took a deep breath.
“So, where are we going, my dear? You refused my restaurant choice. So, where do you want to go?”
“To Ulala Restaurant at 25th Street.”
Constantine frowned upon hearing about the infamous restaurant. “What kind of restaurant is that?”
“Uh, they have various menus from Western, Eastern, Middle East, even fusion.”
“Hm, I have never heard the restaurant name.”
“It’s a small restaurant, but I like their meals. I think you will like them too.”
Constantine nodded. “Okay, I will follow what you want.”
“Did you pay the girl? You know, the messenger?”
“For sure. Why?”
“Because I do this for her.”
He smiled. That was when I gasped. From the side, Constantine’s face is similar to Ethan’s. He glanced at me and asked, “What?
“Uh, nothing.”
“Impossible since you just gasped. So?”
I took a deep breath. “I just realized how similar your face is to Ethan.”
Constantine shrugged. “Well, it is so disappointing, but I can’t deny that since we are related.”
“Oh?”
“As I said, he is my half-brother.”
“What?!” I ignored his words before. So, I was shocked to hear it now. “But how come he has never mentioned you?”
“Because we hate each other. Ethan has never accepted me as his family. People always praise him, saying that he is great, wise, and whatever. However, he despises me, his relative.” He glanced at me, giving me a crooked smile. “You can ask him if you don’t believe me.”
I said nothing since I would ask Ethan for sure. I didn’t believe Constantine, not after he blackmailed me into having dinner with him. I let out a long sigh. Just once, no more after this.
“What? You just sighed again.”
“I just dislike that you needed to blackmail me into going to dinner with you.”
“I apologize for that. I must do it because I knew you would refuse. I needed to see you again.”
“Why?”
“Because we have much more in front of us. It won’t happen if you keep closing the way for us to be together.”
“But—”
“Never say never, my dear. You don’t know the future. Ethan is wealthy and handsome. He can get any woman he wants. What will happen if he cheats on you?”
“He won’t do that.” I shook my head. But deep down, Constantine’s words started poisoning me. After Kenneth’s betrayal and Ethan’s refusal to mate, my insecurity and low confidence increased. I bit my lower lip. No, I trusted Ethan. He did nothing to get my doubt.
“You are a beautiful woman. A little polish will make you into a remarkable woman. I will help you.”
“But why?”
Constantine laughed. “Why? Because I want you. I want to help you to make yourself more beautiful than now. So, you will understand that you have other options other than Ethan. I am, for example.”
I said nothing. It was strange that though Constantine was arrogant as usual, I didn’t find him as annoying as before. Maybe because I had gotten used to him. But what he said about Ethan refusing him bothered me a lot. Was I wrong in judging Ethan? Since we didn’t know each other for a long time. But Ethan seemed like a fair man. Did something happen between both of them until Ethan refused Constantine?
We arrived at Ulala Restaurant, and Constantine opened the door for me. Many people stared at the red Ferrari, then at Constantine and me. I was nervous, but Constantine ignored them all. He offered his arm, and we entered the restaurant.
The host immediately greeted us more politely than I used to get. He even showed us the best table. Then, when Constantine asked for the restaurant’s specialty, the host grinned and praised Constantine’s excellent taste.
I waited for the host to leave, then realized that we had become the center of attention from other restaurant visitors. They observed us from afar, and my sweat started trickling on my forehead.
Yet, Constantine grabbed my hand to get my attention. “Ignore them. We are here for dinner.”