I started swaying with the beating music as I blended among the hundreds of people dancing around me. I don't know where my hands or legs went/swayed because I was feeling too relaxed to care about it. I looked over at Ace who was watching me, standing in front of me. I took his hands and swayed them but it didn't work - he pulled it out of my grasp. So I took his hands and wrapped it around me such that he was holding me while I made him sway along with me. My whole body was on fire and the tingling sensation was everywhere as he touched my bare body. After a few minutes, we were both dancing, jumping and shouting the lyrics of the song 'One Kiss' by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa - like everyone.

I looked at Ace smiling and enjoying. And in between everything I saw something which he has not been in years I guess - carefree. The way he was with me right now was someone I didn't know. Someone who was alive. Someone I could live with. Someone I could call the real Ace. Someone with whom you can fall in love with.

That moment, I wanted nothing more than to be with him. I had seen this in movies and books but trust me when I say that it felt like the world around me was fading, I could only feel and see him. I could see his charming smile which was etched on his handsome face, the shining eyes which were full of life, the brooding and grown up face which now looked relaxed and free. I could easily say that it was that one moment which I wanted to freeze and replay forever. I had this sudden feeling of kissing him and without a second thought, I leaned towards him. And so did he.

I was breathing heavily and so was he, the air around was oddly hot. With each mini-second, we both were coming closer to each other till there was almost no space between us. Everyone around had faded and I could feel nothing except for the feeling of us holding each other so close. But that very fucking second-

Someone pushed me from behind and I lost my balance - falling directly on Ace's shoulder - ending up kissing Ace's shoulder. Who the fuck was that?!

I steadied myself from Ace's shoulder and looked at Ace to find him glaring behind me. I turned around to see a guy who I presume had pushed me.

"Watch it, asshole." Ace spat out holding me firmly by my waist -as if he was protecting me.

The guy looked scared at Ace's loud voice and actually sprinted away.

What were we doing just 30 seconds ago?

Were we about to kiss?

Was I going to kiss ACE PARKER?

Something is seriously wrong with me.

"Uhh..I think we should go to comparatively less crowded place. I am tired." I shouted over the music so that Ace could hear me. I didn't want to have an awkward moment with him, I think I have had enough for my lifetime.

He nodded at me and we started to walk away from the crowd. On our way, we grabbed a bottle of drink and kept walking away from the crowd. A sudden idea sprang into my mind. I started walking faster and then when there was a fair distance between me and Ace , I shouted -"Catch me if you can." Ace just looked at me like he had seen a Kanima or werewolf.

But I was learning to get past his initial hesitation when trying things he never had in years. So I pushed him further by saying -"Show me what you have got, Mr. Apathetic. Are you scared that you won't be able to catch me?" I mocked him and it definitely worked.

He smirked and started running towards me and I ran like hell. But of course he was faster than me so I thought of the smarter way. I started turning here and there to divert the path and thus slow Ace down, and it worked for a little while before he understood that I was stalling. He gave me a knowing smirk and started lunging towards me. I laughed and shouted while he chuckled along with me.

I love his deep laughs.

Stop procrastinating Eva.

I was still running, and I turned my head back to see where Ace was but that very second I collided with a hard chest. Strong arms gripped my waist, but it wasn't Ace. I looked forward to see a guy in 20s staring at my chest. Pervert.

"Heyyy..... be....auti...ful" He slurred. Uggh.

"Uhh..you need to leave me" I said wriggling out of his hold, but he was too strong.

I am going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine if he doesn't leave me.

"You have got a ....really... nice ass, love." He said.

Okay, it's enough. But before I could raise my legs to hit him - a punch landed on his face and I pretty sure that I heard his nose crack. Serves the pervert nice. The guy's grip on me loosed giving me enough time to get away from him. I looked at Ace whose eyes were dark from anger as he was not finished. He started punching him again and again.

"How" punch

"dare" punch

"you" punch

"touch" punch

"her." He said punching him with each word. And yeah I was damn surprised.

But he wasn't stopping so I ran towards him and tried to detach him from the guy who was black and blue from all the beating he had got from Ace. After many attempts, I managed to pull the hulk aka Ace away to prevent him from killing the guy. The guy took his opportunity and ran limping away from us. I held Ace by arms trying to decipher why the hell he got so mad. But I knew better than to ask him that. I took his hands and dragged him further to the beach side where no one there in sight. I pulled him down as we sat down on the sand, with the water some feet away from our feet.

"Where is your bottle of drink?" I asked him.

"I dropped it." He said in a low voice, not looking at me.

"Okay." I said not knowing what to say.

He was still not looking at me. He was looking at the sky ahead and the sun which was going to set in a few minutes. I stared at his face and then his eyes. How can someone's eyes be so beautiful?

Is he mad at me? Why isn't he saying anything or looking at me? Is he angry because I didn't look where I was running and it was me because of which he had hit the guy?

"Are you mad at me?" I asked in a low voice staring at him.

He turned his head towards me and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why the hell would I be mad at you?" He asked.

"Ahh..okay." I said shutting up.

"Here, have it. I think you need it more." I said handing him my bottle of drink. He looked at me and than took the bottle from me.

"It's non alcoholic." I said.

"I guess." I added.

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It was alcoholic, I don't know what it was but Ace looks pretty much drunk right now. You may ask how I know that but-

"You look smokin' hot today." He said scanning me up and down.

Yeah. this is why I know.

"Well, you only told me that I have a bad sense of fashion, so I had to prove you wrong." I said shrugging not knowing what to say because it's not always that Ace compliments me.

"Two things. First - you really have a bad sense of fashion. But that doesn't stop you from looking beautiful everyday." He started and I looked at him in surprise. Did he hit his head or something? No, he is drunk. Is he planning to kill me with his compliments?

"Secondly, I love it when you challenge me and prove me wrong." He finished with a smile.

he is seriously very drunk.

"Okay. I really think that you are out of your mind." I said blinking, not believing that he thinks about me that way.

"Oh shut up. Come. Lay down with me." He said and pulled me down such that we were both lying with our backs on the sand. It was peaceful. I looked at the sky above us and saw the sun setting. It was beautiful.

"Isn't it beautiful, the sun?" I said.

"No doubt it is. And so is the deep sea ahead of us." He replied back.

I nodded even though I knew he wasn't looking at me. We remained silent for a few moments, and it was comforting. It was not awkward, it was good.

"What happened to your mother?" He asked from beside me. I huffed and looked at my mother's pendant which hung around my neck right now. It has been there since the last night. I am not planning to remove it anytime. It's the only relic of my mother that I have. the presence of the cold yet soothing metal on me, reminded me that she will always be with me.

"I told you she died." I said with a croaking voice.

"what happened?" He asked again.

"What exactly happened on the night of your parent's accident?" I asked him instead. I knew he wasn't going to answer.

"Fine. Why did you run from the reception party that day?" He changed his question.

"You fucking manhandled me-" I started yelling but was cut off.

"Other than this. I saw something like fear in your eyes. What happened?" He reframed his question.

"I was scared, yeah I was. I was afraid that you would...hurt me or maybe h...hit me. You were furious, I mean I know you have anger issue and that you have a short temper but it was not just that. You looked murderous. The way you touched me and talked with me, made me feel disgusted from you. I didn't feel annoyed or angry that day. I felt disgust. It was like I was reliving a nightmare, it was like I wasn't able to hold my emotions, It felt like I was back-" I stopped due to the lack of words.

"Like you were back when your dad hit your mother. You thought me as your father. You thought I was a monster like that bastard." He completed for me, gritting his teeth.

I nodded and looked at him sideways. He looked guilty and ashamed of himself. He was no longer looking at me. He was too ashamed to do that.

"But you figured it out yesterday only when told you about my mother - didn't you?" I said guessing from his distant look. He finally looked at me and held my eyes.

"I am sorry." He said in a very low voice, but I heard it. I nodded at him after a moment.

"You remember that day when I ran or rather escaped your house when you were gone for weeks for a meeting? The day you came back from abroad to find me and I had run away." I said trying to make him remember that day.

"Yeah. How can I forget, the day you were drinking in the club when I found you, how you made me search every inch of the city? " He said shaking his head.

"yeah that day, when you afterwards accused me of being a runaway spoilt child and -" He cut me off by saying

"I didn't you know-" But I cut Ace off.

"yeah, it's okay. That day you misunderstood me, like you always do. I was not running away for fun. That day while I was in the market, I saw a man in fifties. He was wearing a blue shirt and was standing across the road. I stared at him and it didn't even take me seconds to realize who it was. He looked like my father or it was him only. I didn't know but the man looked like him only. I got so freaked out because I ran from Virginia to get away from the memories but after seeing him there I got scared and frightened. But it couldn't have been my father, it isn't possible. Maybe I was hallucinating or something. But whatever it was, I was so distressed that I ended up in the club drinking at the bar. I didn't know what I was doing, I was too scared to think. That is why you found me drunk that day. I don't drink usually but that day I was...it was as if all the memories and past I had kept buried were resurfacing again." I said remembering how I felt that day.

"Was it really that bastard? If it was I am going to put my men in his search, they will find him and lock him up -" Ace started gritting his teeth.

"No,no. It couldn't be. He might have been someone else. He can't be here. You don't need to do that." I said giving him a reassuring smile.

He searched my face for something and then after a moment he nodded at me.

We again fell into silence. I realized that telling him everything was actually helping me. It was not like I could forget everything that happened but at least a feeling that there is someone who knows everything and is with me, keeps be reassured.

He is going to protect me always. This was one thing that I was sure of. No matter how much we fought or how we didn't get along, he is always there to take my side. I smiled at the thought and looked towards Ace.

"Why do you want John's company so badly? Like so badly that you were willing to marry me for getting it ?" I asked him.

"It's my father's company. My dad's company which John now runs as his own. The day when we first met, in the café - John told me that he wouldn't pass me the company if I don't settle. He thought that he was helping me by making me marry someone. He thinks that I need someone to take care of me, like I am a fucking child. Whatever so he said that if I didn't marry someone he would give the company to Nick. And no way in hell I would let that happen. So I had to marry someone. Then Ryder suggested you and then...well I married you for a year." He said and took one more sip of the drink left in the bottle.

"Who is Nick?" I asked confused, grabbing the bottle from him as he was drunk enough now.

Ace pouted at me. I glared at him even though I wanted nothing more than to smile at how adorable he looked right now.

"Nicholas Albrecht. Nick. The one you were dancing with in the reception party even when I told you not to. He is John's son." He said his anger returning.

What the actual heck? How come I didn't know this?

"So he is your step brother. Oh. So that is why you wanted the company so badly. And maybe that's the reason you hate him so much?" I said trying to figure out.

But before I could ask him anything else, he did the most surprising thing. He wrapped his arms around me and brought me closer to him such that I was laying on his chest while his firm arms around me kept me in place. Was I really sleep-hugging him?

Oh god. How much did he drink? Why did I give him that bottle? What the hell was that anyways?

"Stop overthinking and relax." He cooed in my ear and trust me - It took everything not to kiss him at that moment.

"Yeah, relax. Of course." I said.

--------------------------

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"Wake up sleepyhead."

"I am going to leave you here and go."

"Oh for fuck sake wake up. My head is already hurting like hell. Don't test my patience." A voice continued nagging.

Even though my eyes were closed, I could feel a lot of light around me. It was too much for my comfort. I squinted and tried to see why was it so bright. But I was too relaxed and groggy in my sleep to wake up. I hugged the hard yet soft pillow or whatever it was, tighter and snuggled. I am not ready to wake up. I haven't felt so comfortable in a long time.

"EVA WAKE UP OR I AM GOING TO GET UP NOT CARING IF YOU FALL DOWN." Ace's shouting woke me up. I could recognize that voice even when I am asleep.

"What crawled up in your pants?!" I said groggily trying to open my eyes.

"Sand." He said.

What?

I finally opened my eyes and found myself in the most compromising position of my life. I was sleeping on Ace's bare chest with my legs tangled around his. My hands wrapped around his neck and my face was earlier snuggled in his chest.

How did I end here?

Oh yeah..yesterday night..

"Uhh sorry." I said as I got up and detached myself from him.

"But your hands were also around me last night." I tried to reason which only increased the awkwardness as Ace looked anywhere but me.

How did he go naked from the top? Where is his shirt?

"It's with you stupid." He said rolling his eyes. What? Oh. I said that aloud.

I looked at myself to the shirt wrapped around me and because of its giant size, it ended just around my mid thighs, covering everything I was wearing underneath. Did he seriously do that for me? Is he drunk now also? I really hope he is not. Because I don't think I am ready for handling a drunk Ace right now.

"Oh sorry. But you must have given that to me because - uhh. Wait. Did we actually sleep on the sand the whole night? Like seriously? Oh my god. It's 7 in the morning. Did we actually sleep for straight 11 hours and that too on a beach? Oh shit." I said in disbelief checking the time in my phone.

"yeah we did. Now can we go because we have a fight in less than two hours." He said impatiently.

"Oh do we? I didn't know that. Okay let's go. Wait- Where are my boots? Oh no. I left it somewhere while dancing. I think we should go back and get it." I said as I started walking towards the place where we were dancing last night.

"Leave the fucking boots and come now." Ace shouted from behind.

"I am not going to leave them. they are worth $300 dollars idiot." I said yelling back.

"The pilot of my private plane would ask for extra $7000 dollars if we are going to delay the flight." He said making me freeze on my tracks.

He must be kidding.

I turned around to face him to see a smirk on his face as he himself turned and started walking towards the exit of the beach.

"I am not kidding, Eva." He said stopping for a while and then continued walking while I had no other option than to follow him.

I started following him while trying to make sure that I don't fall in the sand as I was barefoot.

"Fucking billionaire." I muttered.