7 Chapter 6

Thomas didn't count how many glasses of wine he consumed after that. He was utterly pissed. At himself. How could he be this way? How could he be so weak? The mere sight of Carina was causing him pain. And he was supposed to see her for the rest of his life. He felt suffocated at the thought. He needed some air.

Thomas cut through the crowd with a frown in search of some space. He decided to ignore the questioning looks and whispers the relatives threw at him. They were the last thing on his mind now. The alcohol was starting to work and he was getting drowsier by the minute. A few more painful steps later, Thomas found himself at a balcony. He sighed as the cool winter air hit him.

It was almost evening. The sun had not completely set yet. A few stars were visible in the changing sky. Thomas felt himself relax. But he regretted his decision immediately when a known figure caught his eye. He mentally cursed himself for being so careless. It was Carina's mother , Sophia.

She examined him for a bit before stating, "You're Ainsworth." In any other situation, Thomas would've ignored her. But then again, he was drunk. He couldn't think straight.

"Mrs. Howards", he greeted.

She took a couple of steps towards him and spoke,"It's been a while. You're a man now." She didn't bother to smile as Thomas had suspected.

"So what do you do for a living?" Blunt and rude. That was who she was.

"I uhm...I'm an artist", Thomas stuttered. Why was he so nervous?

Sophia's brows raised,"Oh . So do you earn anything or do you live on your mother-in-law's money?" There it was. She didn't change one bit.

"Mrs. Belle pays for me", Thomas lowered his head as if he was ashamed. He wasn't ashamed before. Sophia was doing this to him. On purpose.

"I didn't expect otherwise", she looked at the evening sky.

"Did you meet her ?" She asked casually. Thomas nodded, not wanting to think about her too much.

"They're all demons, Thomas. You'll have to protect her", she looked into his eyes. Thomas couldn't make much sense in his drunk state. But the look in her eyes made him shiver.

"Protect my daughter, Tommy." Thomas saw a ghost of a smile on her lips.