His Drama Queen

Nicole Vargas

We arrived late at night in New York. The flight was very pleasant. Ethan didn’t even bother to have a conversation with me, instead, he was busy on his laptop most likely doing his work.

A sleek black car stopped in front of the private jet. Ethan opened the door for me while he was on the phone and ushered me inside. I stepped in and he closed the door behind me.

The car then started to drive away and I looked confused at the driver. “Why isn’t Ethan coming with us?” I asked, tapping him on his shoulders. “Mr. Gray needs to attend a meeting tomorrow morning in Arizona. I thought he had informed you.” The driver said, looking at me through the rearview mirror.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I shook my head. “He didn’t, where am I going now?” “He gave me instructions to bring you to his mansion where his maid will show you around.” I nodded my head and leaned back in the soft leather seat. I looked outside and let out a contented sigh. New York is so beautiful at night. So many people, lights, cars, no wonder it’s called the city that never sleeps.

Moments later we arrived at the mansion. The guard opened the huge black gate with the Gray name engraved on it in gold and the first thing I saw was the beautiful garden and fountain. My eyes almost fell out of my socket when I saw how big the mansion was. It was not even a mansion, it was a castle. I can’t believe Ethan lives here alone.

The car stopped in front of a huge glass door and I could see an old lady approaching the car. The driver opened the door for me and I stepped out.

“Good evening, Miss Vargas.” The old lady greeted and extended her hand at me. I smiled kindly at her and shook her hand. “I’m Lila and I take care of Mr. Gray’s mansion. If you follow me, I’ll show you your room.”

She walked back inside the house and I followed her. When I entered the inside of the mansion the first thing I saw is the tallest ceiling ever, lovely crown molding, a table in the center, and two flights of spiral staircases going up to the second floor. There was a huge silver chandelier in the middle of the ceiling and there were colorful paintings on the wall.

“Does Mr. Gray live here alone?” I asked Lila. We walked up the stairs and from up here I could see part of the kitchen and living room. In the middle of the living room I saw a black piano.

“Yes, his family often come here in summer and during the holidays. They have a ranch in the backyard.”

“A ranch?”

Lila nodded her head. “Yes, there is a ranch in the backyard with three horses. I will show you around tomorrow or any day you’re free.” We came into a space with huge doors on either side of the hallway. I guess that behind these doors is the bedrooms. The doors to the rooms are carved with an eight-panel design. She stopped in front of a huge door and opened it. “This is your room, Miss.”

I stepped into the room a small gasp left my mouth. The room contained a queen-sized bed, a vanity table, a white feathery carpet that felt like it was made in heaven, a flat-screen tv, a fireplace, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom. It was a thousand times better than my room in Brazil. Now I wonder, how did Ethan become so rich? Yes, he took the business over of his uncle, but from what I heard the business wasn’t really that stable.

I rubbed my fingers along the silken mattress. The comforter was thick and irresistibly soft, like a billowing cloud.

“Miss, do you want me to bring your food to your room or are you going to come downstairs?” I heard Lila ask behind me. I turned around and saw that my stuff was already placed in my room.

“I’ll come downstairs,” I said.

She nodded her head. “Great, dinner will be ready in a half-hour.” With that she quietly closed the door, leaving me alone behind in my new room. I sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. I was so overwhelmed by everything. I couldn’t believe Ethan had a ranch. My heart made a happy dance when Lila said that.

Since I was a teenager, I rode and took care of horses. It was my hobby until my dad decided to sell Arrow, my chestnut Arabian horse. I was so heartbroken. I was only seventeen and I had that horse since I was twelve. I won competitions with her and it was so hard for me to sell her. My dad sold her to a Costa Rican man, who took interest in her when she won the last race in Rio. After that, I’ve never ride another horse anymore. It took me forever to get over Arrow.

I stood up from my bed and went into the bathroom. I took a quick shower, wore a white dress with flowers embroidery on it, and put my hair up in a messy bun. I applied my face mask and studied my face in the mirror. My whole face was covered in white cream and it smelled like honey and cucumbers.

I waited until it dried a little bit and then made my way downstairs to get some food. I like to have my facemask as long as possible on my face because my face is very sensitive if it comes to traveling and stress. If I travel, I often get dry skin or sometimes I even get pimples or wrinkles.

I passed the living room and saw the piano from close up. It was so pretty and I wondered if Ethan could play the piano. It would be nice though to wake up to some Beethoven every morning.

I entered the kitchen and Lila was standing with her back towards me, doing the dishes. “Hey Lila.” I greeted and took a seat on the barstool.

She turned around and let out a shriek. “Goodness!” She yelled out, placing her hand over her chest. “What is that on your face?”

“Oh.” I forgot that I had a facemask on. “It’s a face mask.”

“Goodness, you scared the crap out of me.” She chuckled nervously. “You can choose whatever you want to eat, everything is still warm.”

I looked at the table and there was indeed a variety of food choices. There was Ravioli, Salmon, shrimp pasta, lasagna, teriyaki, lime chicken, mushroom risotto, and mini meatloaves. For dessert, there were cupcakes and red velvet cake.

“That’s a lot of food,” I remarked as I took a plate and fill it with lasagna and ravioli. “Are there other people coming?”

Lila shook her head. “No, Mr. Gray likes to have… choices.”

Choices? This doesn’t sound like the Ethan Gray I knew from a couple of years ago. This was a whole different Ethan Gray. And although I’m not here to become close with him, there’s a part of me that’s dying to get to know him better.

“Does Mr. Gray has a girlfriend?” I asked as I took a seat on the dinner table.

“That, I don’t know. He never brought one home, but if you listen to gossips it is rumored that he’s dating Veronika Morozov.”

“The Russian model?” I raised my eyebrows. He did have a good choice, Veronika Morozov is one hell of a pretty girl.

“Yes, she. But she’s a golddigger. His family doesn’t approve of her.” Lila said. “She came here to New York for a Charity, so I only met her one time. She’s very… vain. She thinks she’s better than everyone else.”

“Oh.” was all I could say. “Well, if he loves her then uhm… I don’t think his family can do anything about that right. Love is love. You’re basically blind until you break up.”

Lila chuckled. “I just think they use each other to get attention. Don’t worry, you still got a chance with him.”

“What?!” I choked out. “No, I’m not into him… at all.”

“Umhu.” Lila said giving me a smug smirk, but turned around and walked out of the kitchen leaving me all baffled behind.

I don’t actually like him, do I?