A MAZE OF GREED

"Thea, what is taking you so long? Our guests are waiting here." Mr Green called for Thea when she didn't come with glasses of water for their guests for the night.

Mrs Green's lips twitched in irritation and that action didn't go unnoticed by Mr Green's eyes. He always had to play a role of a pacifier between his dear wife and beloved daughter.

Mrs Green always blamed Mr Green for spoiling their daughter with excessive love when she also needed some discipline. But what that poor man could do? Thea was an apple of his eyes.

"Oh no, what should I do?" Thea looked with panicked eyes to Ruth, who had managed to compose herself after getting hit by a shock that the other guest with Rees was no one but Edwin O'Dell.

"You are nervous to meet Rees?"

Thea groaned at her friend. "No... I mean yes. After the stunt I pulled I am very nervous to face him. But I am scared to face Edwin O'Dell. What if he recognises me?" Her eyes widened thinking about the possibility.

"Please Ruth. Help me and go instead of me. My mother would come any minute to drag me outside." Thea pleaded.

Ruth gave an incredulous look to Thea. "Have you already forgotten what I told you just now? I have INSULTED that man, Thea. He might slice my throat as soon as I get in front of him. And if Mrs Green comes into the kitchen then not only you but I will also be at the receiving end of her earful."

Realising that Thea's hopes were crushed into dust. "Oh, God! This is the worst night of my life!"

Mrs Green's lips twitched again with irritation because of the delay to bring water. Her daughter was set on damaging their image in front of their guests.

'But then what is Ruth doing? She is the more mature one amongst them. She should have sent Thea by now.'

With that thought, she excused herself with a polite smile and stomped towards the kitchen with a plan to give an earful to her daughter.

Mr Green sensed his wife's changed mood and to not make the atmosphere any more awkward than it already was, he initiated a light conversation with Edwin.

"Mr Berrycloth, I haven't seen you around Vincardine."

Edwin gave a polite smile to the man that made Rees look at him in surprise. Edwin was not a man who was used to social touch, except the small circle he mingled with or behave like a gentleman. Watching him doing something that everyone thought he was incapable of, made Rees surprised.

"Please, Mr Green, don't do these formalities. You can call me Edwin."

Mr Green nodded with a smile. "Edwin it is!"

Then Edwin continued telling the host a fake story that he had just made.

"I am Rees's childhood friend but had to shift to my father's native place to help my grandparents with their farm and other things. I was young when we went there. I came back in Vincardine only two days ago." He told calmly.

Rees cleared his throat and put his share of input in the lie that Edwin had spun. "I invited him for dinner because I wanted to introduce him to Thea and her family."

"You did a good thing by inviting him, Rees. Otherwise, we would have missed a chance to meet such a fine gentleman."

Mr Green smiled. He was always fond and proud of Rees and considered himself lucky that his daughter would be in responsible hands.

So far he was impressed with Edwin Berrycloth. He was a fine man with not only good looks but also good mannerisms. The way he spoke, the way his angelic face held a comforting smile, the way he acted... everything made Mr Green believe that his parents and family had raised him well.

After that, the three of them got engaged in another conversation where Mr Green told Edwin about his work and everything. He also asked Rees about his family's health and suggested having lunch together someday.

Edwin listened to Mr Green's every word carefully but the beating of the heart that he heard since he had stepped inside the Green's home kept distracting him. He first tried to tell his heart that it was not who his wolf wanted to see.

It must be Thea, who was nervous to face Rees after their fight.

But then he paid close attention to the rhythm while Mr and Mrs Green called for their daughter. He heard it right. Two distinctive hearts were beating rhythmically and both were nervous.

'Could it be her? I can't mistake her heartbeat to anyone else's.' But he had to wait in anticipation as neither Thea nor the other person came out of the kitchen to greet them.

In the kitchen, Thea jumped out of her skin when she heard her mother's hard voice. "Thea! What are you doing? Rees and Mr Berrycloth are waiting for a glass of water for the last ten minutes." Mrs Green scolded her daughter trying her best to not be loud.

She was already embarrassed enough in front of her guests and letting them hear her loud voice would put her face down in shame.

"I- I am sorry, mother. I was tasting everything for the last time. I didn't want any mistake to happen. Can you take-"

"No! I am not taking the water for them. It's you who have to do it. Now I want to see you there in the next minute. That's final!" Mrs Green was a calm person but her daughter always succeed in bringing the worst out of her.

"Don't worry, Mrs Green. You go and sit with the guests. Thea will be out in a minute." Ruth came to aid sensing the tension between the mother and daughter.

Nodding her head, Mrs Green left the kitchen but not before exhaling through her mouth and putting a warm smile again on her face.

"Ruth, what now?" Thea turned to Ruth with alarmed eyes.

Thinking for a moment, Ruth placed her hands on Thea's shoulders assuringly.

"Listen to me carefully, Thea. I don't think he has seen our faces that night because of the dark. You were running far ahead of me and if he had seen my face, then he would have reacted in some way in the morning when he had a good chance. But he didn't."

"What are suggesting then?" Thea asked impatiently.

"I am suggesting that we will act as if that night didn't happen at all."

Still not convinced with Ruth's idea, Thea asked. "But what if he recognises us somehow or-"

"Thea, I don't think he would do that. Not at least in front of your parents. Didn't you hear what he said? He told them his fake name and identity. It points out that he doesn't want them to know who he is.

If he reacts after recognising you or me, he will blow his cover too. And I don't think he will risk that."

Thea's face reflected understanding but she still had one question on her mind. "But then what he is doing here?"

Ruth's eyes darted in the direction of the living room where the man in the discussion sat talking with Thea's parents.

"That we have to find out."

After a good pep talk of a minute, Thea entered the living room with a tray in her hands where her parents, Rees and Edwin were busy in a conversation.

Her legs were wobbly so did her hands. A bead of sweat rolled down from her face and she kept her eyes away from the two faces in the room.

"Oh, finally she is here! Thea, Rees must be eager to see you and here you took so long to come out." Mrs Green teased her daughter.

Rees's brown eyes couldn't move away from Thea's face since she walked into the room. He kept staring at her unblinkingly that Thea felt like his eyes were boring holes in her face.

Her nervousness skyrocketed but she maintained calm so as not to embarrass herself in front of her parents.

She offered the water to both the men but avoided looking at them. But from the corner of her eyes, she watched Edwin smirking at her that made goosebumps rise on her skin.

'Has he recognised me?' She gulped her saliva in fear.

Accidentally or maybe intentionally, Rees's fingertips brushed her hand lightly and she felt light tingles rise on her skin. Her eyes snapped at his face instantly and her breath hitched looking at the intense look in Rees's brown orbs.

She wanted to look away from them but she was held captive by the surge of emotions behind those intense eyes. Holding her breath she stared back at Rees's face as if someone had commanded her to do so.

Ruth silently watched everything curiously from the kitchen, but hide well behind the wall when suddenly Edwin looked in her direction as if he knew that she was there. She had not expected to meet Edwin twice on the same day and that too in such an unexpected situation.

She placed her hand on her chest, right above where her heart was, only to feel how fast it was beating. Ruth realised that this was going to be a long night!