"Missed me?" 

Master Ethan scoffed standing in front of his two friends wearing all black, with his both of the hands shoved inside his pockets. 

His eyes judged the faces of his childhood friends for a minute or two before letting a small chuckle out. 

They were still overcoming their surprise, master Ethan shook his head momentarily and looked at the both in a better way. 

It has been 10 long years yet nothing much seemed to be changed about the two. They were still the same. 

While finally overcoming his surprise, Payton frowned deeply. 

"You are late bitch and you know my time is money!" 

Payton argued showcasing his fake anger while still holding the stick of burning rich cigarette between his index and middle finger.

He pointed out towards master Ethan who looked at him with no surprise, Payton has always been one business oriented man.

And now that he has become one successful entrepreneur in New York with his mind of fox, those words were not much surprising coming from him. 

But still Payton's reason of frustration was not limiting with master Ethan being late at all, it was just he had a lot in heart since master left because it's been so many years. 

There were no signs of master Ethan for years and out of nowhere suddenly now he finally showed himself up in front of them, it wasn't one easy resume for Payton and Nicole.

They were the closest before and, always the closest gets hurt the most. 

But acknowledging deep down Payton too was glad to meet master Ethan again, he still pretended to be a little reserved but obviously failing on his intentions, he looked away from master Ethan. 

Before parting his lips to place the burning cigarette again on his mouth to smoke, Payton suddenly felt a hand stopping his intention and stealing the cigarette from him.

Judging the big hand, it was indeed master Ethan who stole the cigarette from him and placed the end of it inside his mouth instead while sucking the smoke out of it as if he didn't care for none.

Momentarily shrugging his shoulder without any expressions, master Ethan then commented. 

"Cannot help it. New York's traffic sucks!" 

Wearing a straight face which didn't surprise his other two friends who exchanged glances with one another before shaking their heads at him.

He was still the same. He never changed even though it has been 10 years, master Ethan still had all sort of excuses ready beforehand. 

Payton and Nicole seemingly were New York's born and brought ups, even master Ethan who had been their other childhood friend until one day tragically master Ethan had to leave New York in short notice but he never returned back.

Never did he returned back nor he tried to get in touch with his friends after their last meet.

Payton and Nicole did everything in their reach to meet master Ethan and at least get in contact with him but the circumstances were difficult at the time because they got to know that madam Thompson had passed away. 

They lost the contacts of him eventually but they sure waited for his return until today he finally called them saying he was back. 

Finally after such long years of 10. 

Nothing was hidden from the two friends though, they knew his parents' separation was the cause of all situations. 

Master Ethan lived in England for almost 10 years, ruling his mother's territory which was one served liability to him. 

While Payton and Nicole never complained, staying in New York together they did wish all of best for master Ethan.

Shortly completing their studies in business fields they decided to start their own respective company in each other's partnership which within a year or two became very successful. 

However acknowledging the fact that for master Ethan it wasn't easy to overcome the separation of his parents, then the loss of his mother and also he had been forced to grow up to take care of the business very soon. 

He was forced into the business when he was just a teenager, he didn't get to enjoy his younger years much like other people. 

He had sacrificed a lot like that. 

From the very start his mother held strict morals for him, she wanted to make her son the best and win over his father one day. 

Well that eventually included him abandoning his father at the end too. 

Finally now that master Ethan was back, it was not any easy matter for his friends to believe now. He had been living in cold conflicts with his father for 10 long years and now returning to him, whom he hated all these years with so much passion sounded too suspicious to believe isn't it? 

Even though his father's heritage needed his assistance but still he was never the type to ditch his hatred that easily for his father.

After all, master Ethan blamed his mother's death to his father. Things couldn't be that easy right? 

Payton sighed a long breath of relief while looking at master Ethan who sure seemed a lot of mature and stronger mentally than physically. He have become more serious than he was before. 

"Heard you have become the master now." 

Payton uttered after a moment of silence between the three, soon continuing after a pause in his statement to sound little mysterious. 

"Are we suppose to call you that too?" 

Master Ethan scoffed a breath of smoke while looking at his friend being unamused, he laughed off while shaking his head at the nonchalant yet unharmed comment passed by his friend.

"I won't like it coming from you!" 

Master Ethan uttered in reply stepping ahead towards his friend and leaning on his car beside him while sucking another round of smoke. 

A moment of calm silence clouded in the environment while enjoying the cold breeze silently, suddenly master Ethan uttered something out of nowhere. 

"Nicole are you married?" 

Master Ethan's eyes drew towards the lady on the left who had been silent since the start. 

She didn't even greet him yet.

The question of master Ethan was unexpected for the rest two while he acted quite usual. He didn't sound much to be cared about but sure seemed curious by judging the motive of his ask. 

Nicole looked at him for a minute of silence with her eyes having a lot of emotions hidden within, which Payton was able to see like always. 

Hence to cut off the moment of seriousness, Payton rolled his eyes. 

"With me, yes!" 

With his statement, the atmosphere sure lightened up a little while master Ethan chuckled off his choice of words. 

Nicole's eyes grew bigger at Payton's statement as she immediately protested. 

"Payton stop with your shits otherwise-." 

She intended to warn him but instead getting cut off in the middle, master Ethan looked at her finally. 

"So you are not." 

He uttered looking at her this time, which caused Nicole to freeze up again. 

While smiling to her face of shock, master Ethan took a short sigh. . 

Nicole gulped a hard lump down her throat, she could be a woman of her own holding a straightforward and upright attitude but whenever it comes to him, she always felt loss of words. 

Still shocked by the same impact of him working on her even after 10 long years, Nicole seemed to share a glance with Payton.

Remarking his words which he uttered earlier for her, she still like him, she still does. He was right! 

"What about you?" 

Overcoming the momentarily shock, Nicole came up with another question for master Ethan, who simply shrugged nonchalantly. 

Shaking his head once, he looked up above the sky while enjoying the peace of tonight, while letting go of another heavy breath of smoke out in relief then flicking over the half burned cigarette away feeling uninterested with it. 

"No woman likes me because I am scary!" 

Master Ethan uttered which sounded much of a save. 

Payton chuckled at his attitude. Knowing well that he was not really serious about his exclamation. 

Master Ethan had always been a man who cared less about materialistic things, it wasn't even a surprise that he never chose to have anybody with him.

As in order to make someone his priority, he had to deal with heavy risks too and he never even wanted any risk to hold him back ever. 

Master Ethan never felt the need of having anyone because he was never gets serious about people. Witnessing his parents' broken marriage in childhood he have lost all his faith in relationships. 

He doesn't trust anyone that closely but maybe the case was little different in Nicole's case. 

She was someone he knew since childhood, master Ethan knew she wasn't like other females seeking attentions for self benefits. 

Maybe that's why he didn't mind to question her so personally about her life, earlier. 

He really seemed to be curious about her life. 

"Let's race!" 

Payton suddenly suggested which surprised master Ethan a bit, acting a bit strange he tried to avoid the event. 

"Next time would do, I got jet lagged!" 

Master Ethan prepared an excuse but figuring out from the choice of his word, Payton was smart enough to not agree with him. 

If he was truly jet lagged then he would not have been much stupider to smoke. 

"Scared to lose?" 

Payton chucked hinting a sense of challenge in his tone which didn't seem to bother master Ethan much at that moment. 

"You can enjoy your victory already!" 

Master Ethan cared less which caused Payton to frown at the situation, knowing him well. 

He was never the type to accept the defeat so easily before then how come now he wasn't triggered much by his challenge? 

Something was wrong with him, Payton felt it too. 

His eyes momentarily went to master Ethan figure which was leaned over his sports car and eventually caught his right hand shoved inside his jacket. 

Payton noticed master Ethan never took his other hand out of his pocket the entire time. It felt sort of odd too when he saw him holding the cigarette with his left hand when master Ethan was never a lefty person.

But now judging some case with his right hand, it sure gained the attention of Payton. It earned his interest as he proceeded to enquire about his hand.

"Show me your right hand?"