I sat in the green room with earpiece man, David; who ordered me a cup of coffee even though I said I was fine. It wasn't like I was the one who got into a fight, I was merely the person stuck in some plot that didn't make sense.

'Why did you call Ethan, young master?', I asked and David looked at me puzzled.

'Has he not told you anything?', he asked and I shook my head.

'My apologies then, Miss Salome. I'm not allowed to tell you if young master Pharaoh hasn't', he replied curtly.

'Fine. I'll find my answers on Google', I mumbled and I watched as David almost smiled.

Pierce Pharaoh, I typed and my phone exploded with millions of articles about his work and company.

Pierce Pharaoh son, I typed and waited for the screen to load again.

A family portrait came up and I pounced on it, revealing Pierce with a strikingly beautiful woman and there in the center stood Ethan.

I didn't know what to do other than keep staring at the picture from which I understood that Ethan had gotten his looks from his mother while his eyes belonged to his father's.

It suddenly dawned on me why Aravind made fun of Ethan when they heard Pierce was coming and also why he was so offended at what Sumi had said.

I internally cringed as I realized that I had called him a dick.

But why would he keep this a secret? And how on earth was Nicholas the heir if Ethan was still here?

The door opened to reveal the person of interest with a poker face and I shot up from my chair.

'You have some explaining to do, Ethan Pharaoh', I said stressing his sir name and he immediately looked at David who shook his head at him.

'I Googled you', I said and he sighed.

'There's not much to know', he said under his breath.

'Not much to know?!', I scoffed and he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

'I just found out that I have more pictures out there with you! That you're being watched!', I exclaimed furiously.

'How would you know-'

'I was there too you know? I heard everything that Nicholas said. And what did he mean by you kept repeating your past? Why am I suddenly his interest?', I fumed.

'Salome, I know this is a lot to-'

'No, Ethan. It's actually quite simple. You can either explain what this is all about or you can stop talking to me. I'd rather have someone I can trust to be around me than someone who won't even tell me who their own father is', I hissed and stormed out of the room.

As I got on stage for soundcheck, I noticed that a crowd had formed outside.

'Pierce Pharaoh's son goes here!'

'I wonder who he is'

I turned to find some students from our department indulging in the latest gossip and I was stunned at how quick word traveled.

Wait.

Did that mean I was trending as well?

I internally groaned as I leaned against the podium with my head down.

Why was it that wherever I went, I always ended up becoming friends with the one male who just happened to be Mr. Popular and attached with the most dramatic background story?

My ears perked up at the sound of someone coming towards me and I turned to find Ethan looking at me with a desperate expression.

'I'm busy. You can wait until this is over', I said not caring that my words were cold. 'Salome, please. I'm sorry', he said coming closer but I stopped him with a raise of my hand.

'Save it for your explanation', I said and went back to my notes.

Over the years, if I had learned one thing, it was to learn how to not keep things bottled up inside. If I was angry, sad or happy, I'd show it. Suppressing all of these feelings had made me an easy target for people until I learned to remember to put myself first.

If Ethan thought that he could get away with his secrets, he had befriended the wrong woman.

The program went smoothly except Nicholas now sported a tiny bandage on the corner of his lips. The asshole deserved it as I replayed how he had grabbed me as if he owned me.

'I own you', I remembered from their fight and it sent a chill down my spine.

How could someone own somebody else? And the way Nicholas had described his claim over him as if he were just some object to him and not human.

How could Pierce let someone treat their son that way?

I remembered how David had immediately called off the guards when he recognized Ethan. I guess he still had an influence on the security team.

To be honest I did feel quite impressed at his authority over the guard when he commanded him to let go of him.

'That's not important, Omi', I scolded myself and shook my head back into reality.

I let out a deep sigh and wondered what kind of mess I had dragged myself into this time.

Once the program had ended, I darted into the green room where I found Ethan waiting patiently in a corner.

'You look really pretty today', he said and I paused in my steps.

'I mean you do every day but I've never seen you with straightened hair and makeup', he said quickly and I felt flustered at his comment.

For a minute I didn't even know how to respond. Half of me was ecstatic at his compliment while the other half wanted to turn my nose up at him.

Concentrate Omi.

I let out a sigh and said, 'Well shame you had to ruin the vibe with your lies' and turned on my heel to leave.

As I walked out into the main hall with Ethan at my heels, Nicholas' voice called us from behind.

'Leaving so soon? Won't you even join us for a family dinner?',

The hall was filled with students who were exiting the auditorium and I could hear the whispers become louder by the second.

'He's the son!'

'Ethan? No way'

'He does look like him'

I turned around quick enough to catch Ethan's face turn to pure calm murder but before he could turn I quickly grabbed him by his sleeve.

'If you leave to pick a stupid fight with him, don't even think about trying to talk to me', I hissed and he released his body from its tensed position.

'How is she friends with him?'

'Are they dating?'

'I've seen them together a lot'

'Why would he be with her?'

Their mouths were now aimed at me and I quickly let go of him and made my way through the crowd which felt like it was slowly suffocating me.

I didn't stop walking until I reached the doors and once I was out in the open I let out a deep breath.

'Are you okay?', asked Ethan from behind me.

'Ask me that one more time and I'll make sure that you're not', I said through my teeth.

Ten minutes later we sat in Elixir at our usual spot. Ethan had ordered our drinks but I wasn't in a mood to consume anything due to the lump that had formed inside my body.

'As you found out, my Dad is Pierce Pharaoh and I'm his only son. I was supposed to be the heir to Pharaoh associates but after I graduated from college, I renounced my claim on it', he said not looking at me.

'Why?', I asked nonchalantly.

Ethan's mouth twisted into a frown and then a smirk as if he were trying to convince himself about something.

'My family has been in the construction business since forever. You could probably date us back to the renaissance era. We've worked with every member of high aristocratic blood including the royal family, so you can imagine the pedigree we try to keep', he said.

'What does that have to do with anything?', I asked uninterested at his family history which was a first for me but right now I wanted simple direct answers.

'Let me finish, Salome. It's not something I can just answer with a yes or no', he said tiredly and I nodded wrapping my fingers around the tall china mug.

'For generations, the trade had been passed down through my father's line and we were proud of our heritage. I was proud of it', he said with a small smile.

'I was raised no differently than my father or grandfather. I had the same upper-class family education and etiquette classes to fulfill the standards. I always knew that I wanted to be an architect and it was included in my education ever since I was a child', he said and I hear the pride in voice causing me to pay better attention.

'In a nutshell, it meant that my life had been scheduled for me the second I was born and I was okay with it. I mean who wouldn't love to grow up knowing what their purpose in life was and that they would be doing what they loved for their entire life? I felt like a king', he said.

For a minute I could feel envy creep up on me as I wrapped my head around the fact that there were actually people out there who threw away solid futures like Ethan while people like me woke up every morning begging the creator to open a door that makes sense.

'Dear old Dad had caused quite the controversy when he married Mum because she wasn't from a rich family. She was a theatre artist, a dancer to be exact. The second they got married everyone was at his throat for disrupting the line but he didn't care because his heir was what mattered for the company and not his wife.

While I was taught art and business on one side, Mum taught me something more important; how to understand my soul. We'd dance whenever I was free and as time passed it slowly became as precious as architecture  but not once did I ever feel like I should choose another path. Pharaoh Associates was my future'.

Ethan paused and then took a minute to drink his beverage and for a minute I felt guilty of forcing him to tell me all of this.

'I think I'll leave', I said but he stopped me by gently placing his hand on mine.

'Please sit. I don't know if I can say this again or if you'll even give me a chance to explain myself again', he pleaded and I adjusted myself back into my chair.

'All through the years of training to become the next heir, I was oblivious to what was happening to my family. My schedule was so busy that all I had were meals and Sunday afternoons with them and besides, they were busy too. It wasn't until one unexpected free day that I caught my parents mid-fight', he said twisting his mouth.

I could already feel my body change temperatures at rapid speed as I recalled a similar childhood.

'I'd never seen or heard Dad drunk because it was not idealistic for us to appear unprofessional. He looked angry and towered over Mum who was in a corner of the room. She sat huddled in a ball as if she were scared out of her mind. He kept shouting at her for being sad all the time and that he couldn't understand her and something about pushing him out of her life', he said looking outside and then slowly met my eyes.

'I was sixteen when that happened and I made an alteration in my schedule without Dad knowing so I could keep an eye out for Mum. It was during that time I understood that Mum was depressed, well, she's been depressed ever since she was young and dancing was her medicine. It all suddenly made sense of how passionate she looked whenever she danced as if she were coming back to life, which was exactly what was happening.

She had medication and even sessions with a psychiatrist. I couldn't believe that I didn't know that my own mother was depressed or that my father was a struggling alcoholic who had to hide his weakness for the sake of his company', he said with a small smirk and I could feel my heart grow heavy for him.

'Remember when you spoke about troubled families caused by alcoholism? You're looking at one right now', he said leaning back into his chair.

'Ethan I never meant it-'

'I know what you meant, Omi and I agree with what you said; it is a curse. Well, a genetic curse to be exact', he said with a small smile.

'It was quite startling to find out that my Dad's alcoholism could be passed down to me as well as my mother's depression. I just didn't know which poison ran through my genes and I didn't even want to know in fear of what would happen. Think about it. What if I got both of them? I was just one trigger away from discovering it', he said and I bit my lip remembering what had triggered my first encounter with depression.

'My parents divorced during my first semester in college and because I was the heir, I had no choice but to live Dad while Mum went back to France. I knew that it was the start of my depression but designing and the curriculum kept me distracted and also because Nicholas was in my class', he said.

'Nicholas?', I asked stunned.

'He's my second cousin. He's next in line after me but if he proves that he's better than I am, he could easily knock me out of the race', he said.

'But he's the heir now', I said with a tint of disappointment.

'Only because I gave it to him', he said wryly.

'Why would you do that? After all of your hard work? Why would you just give it to him?', I asked bewildered at his words.

'Because I met someone', he said and I braced myself knowing what his answer would be.

'But before I tell you, I need you to understand that this was two years ago', he said slowly and I dug my nails into my wrist to control the urge to flee.

'Her name was Naomi but I called her Omi'

It was worse than my simple assumption that he had a girlfriend. I felt like everything had stopped and all that I could feel was this sharp pain in between my chest, along with a mocking voice cackling about how I'd just become a fool.

'Salome', he said but I raised my hand to finally speak.

'You said that I shouldn't be treated as someone's second choice or some antidote for their pain', I said slowly.

'I know-'

'And you became friends with me. An Omi. Let me ask, was she Indian too?', I asked forcing my anger to come out as a laugh.

'Yes'

I should have known better.

'You know Ethan, for a second I was actually empathizing there with you but you just became the biggest hypocrite I've ever met', I said and got up.

'Salome, please', he said and it suddenly dawned on me why he wasn't calling me Omi anymore and I scoffed.

'I honestly don't know if I can stomach any more of this Ethan. So please understand the position you've put me in and leave me alone', I said and then paused to say,

'I don't know how things work in the millionaire world, but I certainly don't enjoy being followed by spies and having my photos taken without permission so I'd really appreciate if you could put an end to that nonsense', I said and made my way out of the café.

'Salome, I swear I never meant it to end up like this! I was going to tell you!', he exclaimed out on the street causing people to look at us and I could feel my mind start to get distressed.

'Ethan, stop following me. I don't wanna talk to you right now', I said turning to face his distressed expression.

'Then when? You need to let me explain', he said and I scoffed.

'I don't need to do anything for you, Ethan Pharaoh. If anyone should be doing anything right now, it's you. I'll talk to you when I want to', I said fiercely and left without another glance.

The bus ride to the apartment was hell as I tried to hold in my tears but I couldn't and ended up shedding a few tears so I quickly plugged in my headphones and blasted One Direction music until it became louder than the mocking voices in my head.

'In the middle of the night when the wolves come out
They head straight for your heart
Like a bullet in the dark
One by one, I take them down
We can run and hide, ain't goin' down without a fight
I hear them calling for you'

Right now instead of running and hiding, I felt like I was being torn apart by them.

I had trusted him. I'd trusted Ethan so much that I even thought that I could like him more than a friend. I had let down my walls for him and he'd come so close to being someone like Karthick for me that I hated how I'd almost allowed him in like that.

I hated how I had almost made him my close friend like Karthick. I hated how I had given someone like him power over me, most importantly I hated how he could hurt me like this.

I felt so disappointed in myself for being so naïve, for believing in his charming words about not selling myself short and yet I had fallen into the same trap again.

The second I entered the apartment I dashed into my room and flung my bag against the wall. All the rage I had kept in suddenly came out and before I knew it I was throwing all the pillows and books I could get my hands. Each thump and crash calmed me down until I was left in the middle of a storm hit room and I fell on my knees out of breath.

My eyes fell on the smiling framed photo of Karthick and I could feel anger surge through my veins so I shot up to grab it but before I could smash it, I remembered that the photo was inside the glass and I couldn't take it out.

What a cruel joke.

The frame from the person who had hurt me now held my best friend and Ethan had no right to even be anywhere near Karthick.

I screamed as I flung it onto the bed and then finally fell to the floor in tears.