Wait. Did he just say reunite? Does that mean…


    "Torex and Silva were in a partnership before?" I asked in wonder.


    "You’re a fast one. That’s right…" Ethan said before grinning at me.


    "Really? How long ago was that?" I asked in wonder.


    From what I could tell now, the two groups were not on good terms at all. I didn’t have to understand mafia politics to figure out why that is. However, if they were in a partnership before then something must have happened…


    "When Hayden and I were kids our groups were quite close. Hayden and I go way back. He probably doesn’t want to remember it but, we grew up together. We were childhood friends, I guess you could say…" Ethan said as if reminiscing on some distant memories before he chuckled to himself.


    I blinked my eyes rapidly a couple of time to clear the image of a small blond boy ying around with a dark-haired boy. The idea of these two guys being childhood friends was just difficult for me to believe andprehend. Although now that I look back at it, Hayden did mention that he knew Ethan and he seemed to know how Ethan spent his childhood.


    Why didn’t I catch onto this before this?


    The thing that I didn’t get was…


    "Why…are you telling me this?" I asked, clearly confused.


    Whatever happened or will happen between the two gang has nothing to do with me now. I was no longer connected to Hayden or the Torex gang anymore and beyond Ethan being my ex-boyfriend, I wasn’t connected to Silva either. This issue has nothing to do with me…or so I thought.


    "Maybe because I’m just bored and had a lot of free time on my hands that I coulde all the way here to share an old story with you?" Ethan replied sarcastically before he smiled amusedly at me.


    I hated it when he spoke to me like this. It was like he always knew everything, and I was the one who didn’t know anything at all.


    "I’m listening…" I muttered, not willing to y his little game of chase.


    "Hmm…where should I start..." Ethan said, and I knew that he was teasing me.


    "I don’t have all day. If you’re going to waste my time, I’m going back to the exhibition," I said curtly.


    "Then what about I pick you up for dinner when you’re done for the day?" Ethan quickly suggested.


    He’s always like this…


    "No…" I replied firmly.


    "You’ve gotten more difficult. Is this because of Hayden, I wonder…" Ethan before faking a loud sigh.


    "Listen, Ethan. I don’t know why you told me about your little n, but I don’t see how it’s rted to me. I’m not part of the mafia…ok?" I said, feeling tired all of a sudden.


    "Hahaha…you’re the one who doesn’t see or get anything," Ethan said with augh.


    "There’s nothing between Hayden and me anymore…" I said.


    "Oh…so there was?" Ethan said with his eyes narrowing at me.


    I narrowed my eyes at him in return. My temper was clearly boiling over, and it was taking all I had to control my anger just so that I wouldn’t cause a scene in public. If only this wasn’t my art exhibition…


    "It’s got nothing to do with you…" I said defensively.


    "It has everything to do with me. After all, you’re the key to bringing Torex and Silva together," Ethan said before he smiled at me.


    "I don’t understand a thing that you’re saying…" I muttered.


    "Look around you. Can’t you see?" Ethan asked.


    "Huh?" I said in confusion.


    However, just like Ethan had suggested, I started looking around me. For the life of me, I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. There were people in the café, waitresses walking around to serve the customers. Outside, through the clear ss disy for the café, I could see people standing by or walking along. There was nothing suspicious or anything that seemed out of ce at all.


    "They’re buzzing around you like flies," Ethan said before a look of disgust appeared on his face.


    "What?" I asked in confusion.


    "You’re being watched, and you have no clue. Maybe they’re evening listening to our conversation as we speak…" Ethan said before he shrugged his shoulders.


    "What are you talking about? Who are you referring to?" I asked in panic.


    "Who else? That man standing over there leaning on the pir. That man there in the white shirt and ck suit. That man there who’s just sitting there and drinking coffee…" Ethan said as his eyes nced around the people who he had just mentioned.


    My eyes followed his nce although I couldn’t see why those people were out of the ordinary. Whatever Ethan wanted me to see or understand, I just wasn’t getting it.


    "I don’t understand…" I said softly.


    "Torex gang members…I can smell them from miles away…" Ethan said with a shrug of his shoulders.


    Torex…


    Hayden’s men are here?! What does that mean?


    "You look so shocked. Don’t stare at them," Ethan said casually.


    "What is going on?" I asked, more confused than before.


    "You said that there is nothing between you and Hayden but I wouldn’t be so sure. Hayden wouldn’t keep a woman under such heavy surveince if she meant nothing to him no matter how many free men he had to spare," Ethan said with certainty.


    "It can’t be…" I whispered.


    "You probably didn’t realize anything, but he’s probably been keeping tabs on you all along. He probably doesn’t want me to get close to you either…" Ethan exined casually.


    "Then…why are you here?" I asked sarcastically.


    "Did Hayden tell you about Amelia?" Ethan asked abruptly.


    "Yes. I also visited her…" I replied.


    Ethan nodded seemingly satisfied. I didn’t want to tell him everything that Hayden told me though because I was quite certain that he knew already.


    "Amelia was my fiancée. We were engaged since she was born. When she was young, she had a lot of healthplications. Her body was frail and because of that she was sent to live abroad where it was warmer and where the air was cleaner," Ethan started exining.


    --To be continued…