Clashing Hearts

23

"To fall in love is awfully simple, but to fall out of love is simply awful."  -- Bess Myerson

Carter's POV

How much time needed for a person to recover from a heartbreak? 

Actually, there was no exact answer. Some would recover overnight, others in a week, many in three weeks... and those who loved deeply would take months, years or forever. It was just a matter of acceptance. How long one could accept that it was over.

I gave Athena a week. 

Everyday I kept on counting until I would see her again. It was like counting till Christmas eve to open my presents.

Six days, five days... four days more. 

I told myself to stay away from her for a week, but it was not that easy. It was like torture. Every single minute, I kept on thinking of her - what she was doing and where she was. I was concerned on how she coped up with her pain and sadness. 

She needed time to grieve and go through her broken heart in order to move on. Being there at the intense pangs of her grief to distract her and become her diversion would not be a good idea. She had to fill her emptiness and stitch the tear of her heart on her own, so in the end she would surface strong and be able to love again deeply.

I decided to focus on my new hotel and got myself very busy. I secured Mr. Murphy's property after buying it at fair market value, followed by a couple of meetings with the engineers and architects to finalize the structural design of the hotel. I could not figure out what to do with the museum. But everytime I'd think of it, I always ended up thinking of Athena. 

In the middle of the week, I attended a business meeting with the Petrakis that involved only the men. You can call it a double standard idea that left the Petrakis women out in business but it was implied beforehand. 

It started with my grandma, Nina Peres-Petrakis. She did not want anything to do with the business and concentrated on learning how to cook. She was once an awful cook and grandpa Markos could not bear eating burn foods anymore. My mom, Chloe Petrakis-Monteiro was once active on business, but when she married my dad Iñigo Monteiro and had three kids, her hands were full of waking up early morning preparing our lunchboxes, helping us with our homeworks and school projects, attending parents-teachers meetings, shopping for our clothes and accompanying us in summer camps and workshops. The same with my aunt, Jade Collins-Petrakis, Zion's mom. 

Emerald was the only one who insisted in joining the meeting and ended up leaving the conference room at her first attempt. She could not tolerate the manly talks inappropriate for female ears -- dirty jokes, women, sex, cars, sports, money, explosions, politics and conversations classified as TMI.

I was able to talk to Zion after the meeting. His happiness showed on his face and his whole aura. It was like facing the young Zion that I used to look up-- very adventurous, full of life and energy. A smile could not be erased on his face despite his father's ranting and scolding on why he signed a two year contract for Mariah Carey to do the TV commercials and sing the jingle of the Petrakis airlines instead of Ariana Grande.

"How's your trip to Dubai?"

"Great. I was just on time." Zion answered with a sigh of relief.

I knew what he meant. He was just on time to get his girl, Claire. His long lost love and the only girl who could ever move him. He was probably obsessed with her that he refused to live a normal life after their break up.

"Good for you."

"Athena said you were a great help in saving her at that moment. Thank you man, I know I can rely on you." Zion continued.