Unpredictable

CHAPTER 26

Song of the chapter:  Fix You by Coldplay

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Though I am already quite certain that it is indeed him who sits before me, I ask the question to seek confirmation.

"Theo?"

When he first hears my voice his head seems to pick up slightly from its low hung position. He turns ever so slowly to look towards where he had heard my voice from, his eyes widening faintly as the recognition goes through his mind.

And when those soft lips of his, that he appears to have been gnawing at, open, his voice is void of any emotion at all to my presence.

"Ella." he says with a curt nod in greeting accompanied by his blank expression.

I don't know what to say to him. He clearly couldn't care less if I was here or not and just needs to be left alone right now. I'm tempted to just retreat away slowly, lest I say something to push him further into this sour mood he seems to be in at this moment.

"I didn't know you were going to be here," he says, saving me from having to come up with something to say but also worrying me with the tone he uses when he says you, "I take it you're here with Damon." he guesses.

I nod in response, not wanting to take the risk of using any words at this moment.

He just stares back at me with that empty expression, a sense of fatigue appearing from behind his eyes; not to mention the dark bags which are clearly forming beneath them. I can't bear to maintain the eye contact, the extended contact with his domineering gaze intimidating me slightly, so I quickly flash my gaze away.

However, this does nothing to deter his gaze from me, catching them as they rake my figure up and down to observe my appearance, once I gather the courage to look him in the eyes again. His instinctual response after this is to take a long sip of the glass of scotch which nows awaits him on the bar, confusing me more as to what was going on in that head of his.

"Son, what are you doing over here?" a voice suddenly interrupts from behind Theo, "I need you to come and speak with Mr. Vidlovski over there. He wants to talk about the hotel venture."

The man has now completely stopped to stand right beside Theo. The way he had been approaching this spot I had just assumed he was coming for a drink.

Theo barely responds to the words, his look only slightly moving from where they had returned to look at me. He looks up at the polished man who stands before him with that same look of dissatisfaction from earlier as the man looks between the two of us, seemingly noticing that he might have interrupted something.

Before he can reply to the man, Theo takes one last chug of drink, finishing it off completely before he turns back to him.

"Ella, this is my father Charles Harrington. Father, this is a friend of mine, Ella Adams." he says, introducing us and utilising the word friend which at least reassures me of my position to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Adams," he responds in the charming British tone his son's is usually like as he outstretches his hand for me to shake, "I assume he has brought you along as his plus one then?"

I take his hand in mine in greeting as I deny his assumption by saying "no, I'm actually here with Damon Morales."

As he acknowledges this information, I take this moment to observe the appearance of Theo's father and compare it to his own. Now that I'm aware of their link I can pick up on the features which they share such as the stature and their steely blue eyes.