Out of the Flames

Chapter VI. Impact of Rescue

Chapter VI.

I hit something tall and hard. The breath left my lungs in a gust and I reached out to grab something before I fell over. I felt someone's arm wrap around my waist and catch me as I fell. I looked up and into the most familiar pair of golden brown eyes I had ever known.

Our eyes locked and he froze. After a moment he slowly let me back up and set me on my feet. His mouth was still slightly open and his eyes had confusion written all over them.

"Tina?" He whispered.

"Pardon?" I said feigning incomprehension.

"Do you know Christine Sterling?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't." I lied. He narrowed his eyes seeing right through my act.

"Sorry, have we met before? I am Enrique Mendez." He held out his hand palm up like always. My eyes flickered from his hand to his watching eyes before I shook his hand.

"Serena Metz. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said trying to gracefully step past him.

"I am big fan of your skills, tell me, how long have you been do ballet?" He asked studying my face for any sign I was Christine.

"Oh, since I could walk." I replied still trying to brush him off.

"You do ballet?" Jeremy asked and I realized my slip up. Christine did ballet, Serena, I, do contemporary.

"Well then, Serena," Edi said my name in a pointed manner to let us both know he didn't believe me for an instant, "I need be on my way, but I would love to see you again soon." He shook my hand and as he brushed past me I thought I heard him whisper, "Your eyes give you away." He walked off leaving me standing there frustrated and Jeremy confused.

"It is just me or does he seem odd. Like weird even for a billionaire." Jer said.

"Nope, he just knows me better than I know myself." I said mostly to myself. I shook my head at how canny Edi was at detecting me. He could always seem to read me like a large print book. For all I knew, my thought were written across my forehead in a ink only he could see.

"I am very confused, would you like to explain that little conversation you just had?" Jer said as I walked down the red carpet in long, quick strides.

"You want to know? Wait thirty minutes until we are in the car." I kept my chin up and headed toward my first interview. I spoke smoothly and represented myself well before I moved on. Jer and I did our interviews quickly, but politely and the minute the door closed to our limo he faced me.

"Spill." He said.

"Cover your mouth." I told him and waited until he rolled his eyes and did as I said. I leaned in and whispered, "Enrique Mendez is my old boyfriend."

"What the f-"

"Shhh, no one can know."

"But! How? Why! Are you getting him back?" He asked with wide ready for gossip eyes.

"In the beginning, I was planning on it, but now look at me, I'm just another drunk, washed up Hollywood actress. But he, he is even more than we ever dreamed." I closed my eyes and ran my fingers around the finger that used to have that delicate copper ring on it. I had removed it on the day I decided to drown myself in alcohol.

Before I had convinced myself that we were equals because of his money and my Eliteness. However, now I suppressed my gifts and went through cash as quick as I made it, whereas he was building one of the greatest empires the world had seen in millennia.