Earn My Trust

Chapter 26 - The Charity Gala Part Two

"Ok, this I can get used to." Hannah laughed, keeping her smile in place while she snuggled into Ethans side on the stage. "I wouldn't mind asking one of them for a print of our photo together."
Ethan chuckled and held her closer. "I do feel a lot better now we've been separated from them."
She was about to reply when a photographer called out to them.
"Will we get a kiss this evening, Ethan?" The man shouted over the noise.
Ethan, who had always told Hannah to be calm and collected around the media, decided he would give them what they wanted for once, but only if she allowed it. Half because he wanted to show everyone how much he loved her, and the other half was to try and put the petty rumours about him and Bianca in the past.
He leaned in closer to Hannah so he could whisper in her ear. "Do you want to?" He asked, his eyes flashing with anticipation for a chance to show off.
Hannah blushed but nodded shyly.
He wasted no time and pulled her closer, reaching up and tenderly caressing her cheek before closing in for the kiss.
The photographers went wild!
The shouting increased tenfold, and the photos were now set to auto, taking snaps within quick succession.
When they broke apart, Hannah felt breathless from how exciting and alarming that had been at the same time.
She loved how he showed the same affection for her in public, not just keeping it behind closed doors anymore, but having your photo taken while melting into a kiss with the person you love was kind of unnerving. She felt like she had just participated in some kind of soft porn for the publics benefit.
Ethan, however, had never felt so in control before. The significant difference between going through this experience with Hannah was how shy and timid she got in front of the cameras. Especially when he knew what happened behind the scenes, where she was a seductive Goddess.
Bianca had yanked and shoved him into poses that put her in the limelight, even if he didn't want to do it. Hannah, however, allowed him to place her by his side and be his equal.
She always managed to surprise him with how well she could cope with these situations.
The couple were left to get a few more pictures together until they were called down by the next organiser, who was looking up at them with a big smile on her face.
Ethan allowed Hannah to step down first, and they approached the woman together.
"If you could just hang back for a moment to allow Christine more time to move along." She said to them warmly.
Hannah nodded and looked at the stretch of red carpet in front of them.
This seemed to be a little more relaxed on where you could go than before. There were celebrities, footballers, models, influencers, and YouTubers all mingling with either the crowd on the other side of the barrier or grouped together closer to the wall of the venue on the left hand side. Body guards stood every ten meters in case of any incidents, and some of the guests were taking selfies together.
As far as she could tell, everyone was relaxed and friendly, but something told her to stay cautious when it was their turn.
The lady beckoned them forward once Christine was ushered along, and they walked hand in hand along the carpet.
It barely took a second before they were called to the barriers by a woman holding a microphone that advertised the womens magazine she represented.
Hannah distinctly heard Ethan huff in annoyance but obediently approached, pulling his lips into a tight smile.
"Hi, Ethan!" The woman greeted him like an old friend, and he couldn't help but grip tighter to Hannah's hand.
"Good evening." He responded politely.
"So this is who we've all been itching to meet. Hannah, isn't it?" The woman wasted no time in zeroing in on her, her eyes flashing in delight at being the first to corner them. "You have everyone entranced by how you've just popped up out of nowhere."
Hannah was strongly reminded of the YouTube video with the American host saying that their British friends would soon 'dish the dirt' on her, and she quickly schooled her face into an impassive, friendly smile.
"Benefit of having the ability to fade into the background." She shrugged, smiling up at Ethan.
The woman forced out a fake laugh at her joke and dived straight into her questions.
"So, tell us, you two. How did you first meet?"
Ethan took over answering the questions and smirked down at Hannah. "We've actually been dating for a while."
"Is that so?!" The woman gasped.
"She's not the only one who found a way to fade into the background." He added, making Hannah laugh.
"How did it all happen?"
"We met at a pub in London through some mutual friends of ours." He explained loosely. "She took my breath away, and I just had to get to know her."
Hannah felt her cheeks heat up and smiled widely, leaning into him. "And the rest is history."
"Why did it take you so long to come out in public together?" The woman pushed eagerly.
"And have our privacy compromised? No thanks." He responded coldly, making the woman wince a little and change her tactics to soften them up a little bit.
"But you look so good together! What is it you do for a living, Hannah?"
"I work in payroll." Hannah replied simply.
"Oh, so you must be enjoying this newfound freedom to be able to get whatever you want, surely?" The woman's eyes flashed as she realised she'd hit a good topic for a story here.
Hannahs smile changed from friendly to a small warning at the woman. "I think you'll find I can pay my own way, thanks." She said sternly. "Yes, he made be rich, but that's not why I'm dating him or why I love him."
Ethan knew they would be asked this and had already prepared his own answer to this question.
"She's more than capable of being my equal, as well as a lover. She holds her own and prefers to show her independence instead of being carried. That's what attracted me to her the most. The fact she overlooked my finances and took the time to get to know me as a person first!" He took the time to enjoy the way the woman was left speechless by them both before deciding they had wasted enough time talking to her. "If you'll excuse us..."
He led Hannah away before she could stop them, raising a hand in goodbye at the reporter and faced forward.
"Well, she wasted no time in getting right to the good stuff, did she?" Hannah joked, trying to lighten the tense awkwardness the brief interview had left them in.
He chuckled humourlessly. "Ohh, they do. They want all the tea."
She gazed up at him while they slowed down, purposely trying to avoid getting too close to Bianca and Christine, who were approaching the media without being asked to.
Her mischievous side decided to make an appearance and poked at her, wanting to have some fun, just like it had done in Harrods.
"How do you do it?" She asked him, trying not to give in to her demons temptation.
"Do what?" He asked flummoxed by her sudden sneakiness.
"Resist the voices." She hissed. "Those intrusive thoughts that tell you to spread rumours on someone having an std or something."
He hadn't been expecting that. He threw his head back and laughed loudly at her question. This, in turn, attracted a lot of attention.
"Ethan! Hannah! Can I grab you for a second?" A young looking man waved at them hopefully.
Ethan was still chuckling at her, wiping a tear from his eye, and narrowed his eyes at her, feigning annoyance.
"You've done it now." He breathed, leading her to the man who called them over.
"Hi!" The man looked overjoyed that they had agreed to approach him. He held a fluffy tiny microphone in his hand, and on his chest, he displayed a badge that read 'Ramos Huntley, St Kingley School Reporter'.
Hannah pointed at his badge with interest. "You report for a school?" She asked excitedly.
Ramos nodded. "I do, Saint Kingsley Primary. I try to get influential people included in the schools paper to show the kids what their career choices could be when they're older."
Ethan was astounded that someone like that had managed to get in amongst the usual reporters.
"Well, at least your intentions are in good standing." He responded without thinking first.
"Haha, right?" Ramos laughed happily. "I was here last year, but unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch you."
Ethan winced guiltily. "I'm sorry about that."
The reporter waved his hand dismissively. "Not to worry, I've got you now. I know the kids would love to hear how Mr Ethan Sanders became the world's richest man, along with what his girlfriend also does for a living."
Hannah felt sympathetic for the poor guy and nodded, looking at Ethan and waiting for him to respond.
"Well... um..." Ethan was caught out here.
He'd never been asked for his back story before. Everyone had just assumed he'd been born into the wealth, and he had just made it grow.
Hannah gently squeezed his hand in encouragement, and he smiled at her.
"Well, I wasn't actually born rich." He began. "I was actually raised in a very poor family. My dad raised me on his own. He struggled so much that he could barely afford to feed the two of us."
Ramos gasped, moving his microphone closer to make sure he caught his story.
"When did things start making a change for you?" He asked eagerly, his face empathetic.
"Not until I was a teenager. Thankfully, I'm a good artist, so I started selling paintings and sketches in my neighbourhood when I realised how bad our situation really was."
"You're an artist?" Ramos blanched.
Hannah nodded eagerly. "He's amazing! Here." She pulled out her phone from the small clutch she'd borrowed from Lisa and showed him the picture of the sketch he'd drawn the morning after their first night together. "He drew this of me and my daughter. Isn't it wonderful?!"
"That's incredible!" Ramos nodded. "How old is your daughter?"
"She's about to turn eight, and Ethan loves sitting with her while they sketch and draw together."
Ethan humbly smiled, shuffling shyly from one foot to the other while she exposed the little known information about him.
"So you started earning through your art?" Ramos switched his attention back to Ethan.
"Er, yeah... that's right. At the time, it was only to ease the burden for my dad, you know? Take a little pressure off him. He paid the rent and bills, and I paid for our food and days out."
"So how old were you when you began building up your billions?"
"Well, I went to college to study art and business studies. Throughout college, I continued selling my art and saving every penny I could. My friend and I struggled together, living in the smallest place we could easily afford, and I waited until the perfect opportunity to buy somewhere." He paused, feeling like he was rambling a bit, but carried on. "I managed to save up hundred and twenty thousand pounds by the time I finished college with my friends' help. I looked at an auction site one day and found a dilapidated property in Scotland that had a guide price of that amount and decided to go for it. I was lucky, I got it for less than the asking price, and we managed to get a loan to allow us to do all the work mostly by ourselves. It took us a year to finish, and we sold on the property for nine hundred thousand. I had just turned twenty-two then."
Ramos whistled in awe. "So you sold that property then took to upselling other properties to build revenue?"
"That's right. It took a few years, and we kept to auctions, so we were pretty much guaranteed a profit. We kept a few aside as rentals, which became my friends income every month, and then I turned my attention to starting my own finance company."
"That's seriously impressive! It must have taken a lot of hard work and perseverance to reach that point?"
"Oh yeah. These kinds of opportunities don't just land in your lap just by wishing. You have to put in the hard work to make it a reality."
Hannah watched the men talk with ever growing pride. She was so proud of how far Ethan had come, and she really wanted the children of this school to realise the importance that hard work will one day pay off.
Ramos turned to Hannah. "And Hannah, what is it you do? I've noticed you're working in London?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm a payroll assistant for a small firm." She replied. "It's not as impressive as Ethans, but it's enough to keep me busy."
"Well, at the end of the day, if you didn't do your role, no one would be paid at the end of the month." Ramos joked.
She laughed with him. "Exactly!"
Ramos laughed in delight and shook Ethans hand ecstatically, then Hannah's.
"I can't thank you both enough for taking the time to speak to me. I truly appreciate it."
"Of course." Hannah assured him warmly.
"Any time." Ethan nodded, grinning at him.
"If possible, could I give you my contact card? We hold a careers day at the school, and I think the lesson here would really sink in if the kids heard your story in person." He asked, wincing a little at his boldness, which swiftly turned to relief when Hannah took the card and slotted it into her clutch.
"Children need to realise that anything can be possible if you really, really want it to happen." She grinned at him.
"Thank you ever so much. I truly appreciate it, and so do the kids."