Arranged marriage : Married to an unknown man

Xavier Knight

I sighed heavily.

I didn’t intend to be harsh on her.

My mind was already whirling around the elevator incident. I couldn’t sleep for the whole night. She overtook my mind. Whenever I tried to close my eyes, her black, beautiful eyes would flash before me, making it hard for me to sleep.

I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about her. I was just trying to forget that incident, her alluring eyes, her pink lips, her blush that formed on her face when I touched her…fuck!!

I thought being harsh with her would make me not think of her but …NO! Instead, I felt guilty for shouting at her. It wasn’t her fault. It was just a wardrobe malfunction, It could happen with anyone.

In fact, she always showed professionalism. Not a single time she tried to make a move on me. Even she was doing her work remarkably, but she seemed to be very conservative. And I compared her with her stepsister which I knew was wrong.

Working with her for two weeks I learned that she was not at all like her stepsister. But still, I made a big mistake comparing her with Scarlet Smith.

And when I saw the hurt in her beautiful, innocent eyes, I regretted it immediately. I couldn’t forget how she flinched when I shouted and when I cursed. She was trembling by the intensity of my voice.

I admit that I was wrong and should not have been harsh on her, but I got furious when I thought that someone might have seen her in that state. I instantly sighed in relief when she confirmed that she hadn’t met anyone since morning or I would have lost my mind.

When I thanked her for helping me in the meeting, that was my genuine feeling. The way she gave a small smile made my heart flutter. I wanted to know her more. I wanted to give her a chance for the sake of my parents and for the sake of my sanity.

Deep down I wanted her to prove me wrong. I wanted her to prove to me that I was doing wrong by comparing her to her stepsister, I wanted her to prove to me that she’s not money-hungry and an attention seeker like her family.

But…

I fucked up big time!!

Ariana

When we reached Daniel’s office, he stood beside me and asked.

“Is something wrong, princess?”

I faced him and replied “nothing”. I think he sensed that I didn’t want to talk about it so he changed the topic.

“Hey, I received the news about what you did in the meeting with Mr. Sutharak. You saved my life princess otherwise I would have been dead by now by the bare hands of ‘your loving boss’.”

A laugh escaped my lips. He really knows how to change someone’s mood.

“I really forgot to tell Xavier to bring a translator with him. But you saved me from his wrath. Thank you, princess. I owe you big time.”

“Oh, Daniel, you don’t have to thank me, it’s part of my work. Besides, it’s just that… it was a coincidence that the meeting was with a Thai client and I know the language… That’s it. And you owe me nothing.” I said politely.

“And of course my boss will never kill you. After all, you are his best friend.” I added with a laugh.

“Oh, believe me, princess, you don’t know him.” He said playfully. The smile on my face died instantly.

“Yeah, I don’t know him,” I muttered in a low whisper.

“I am extremely sorry, princess. I have been very busy lately. I couldn’t talk to you about…about…” He sighed. “How’s everything going with Xavier?” He asked in a serious tone.

“Why do you call me princess? I have a name you know?” I asked dismissing his words. I didn’t want to talk about Xavier.

“I know very well that you have a name and a very nice name. And why I call you princess is a story for another time. Now don’t change the topic.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

“Is everything good between you and Xavier?” He asked. I can’t escape from this.

“Umm…We barely talk, barely see each other at his penthouse…so yeah, everything’s good.” I replied, averting my eyes from him.

He sighed out loud.

“Listen, princess… Xavier is not like the way he is behaving these days. He is a very loving and caring person. He’s just upset these days. Upset with sudden changes in his life. I know you must also be upset about this sudden marriage. But please don’t give up on him. Give him some time, he’ll definitely show you the real him. I know that.” He said reassuringly.

I stayed quiet; not looking at him.

“Princess, look at me.” I looked up at him. He took my hand in his which made me tense a little but I relaxed instantly. He’s Daniel… He’s no harm.

“You’re like a sister to me. You know, you can tell me anything that is bothering you? You can tell me about your worries, your feelings, you can tell me what’s going in your head. I can be a good listener.” He said politely, letting go of my hands.

I was touched by his words. No one had ever bothered to listen to me. And he was willing to do it. I knew I was a little unsure about it but I also knew that I could share my feelings with him. He’d listen to me. After all, he was my newfound brother.

I nodded my head and smiled at him.

“Thank you, Daniel. So, as you called me your sister, can I call you brother?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“Of course, I would love to be called one.” He beamed.

He was about to say something when the door of his office opened and Sean entered.

“Hey, Dan…oh, Hey, Ariana.” He said when he saw me.

“Hello, Sean.”

“Some serious talk going on here?” Sean asked, looking towards Daniel.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“Oh, no. Nothing serious. I was saying to her that she is my sister now. She can approach me anytime she wants to talk about anything. And…” He sighed. “And asked her to give Xavier a chance.”

“Oh, okay. Umm, Ariana, I’ll say the same as what Daniel just said. Give Xavier some time, he’ll come around eventually.” Sean said, standing in front of me.

“And consider me as your brother too. You can also share your worries with me. You should not give that advantage to Daniel only.” He said the last sentence playfully making me laugh. I could feel tears developing in my eyes.

“Thank you, Sean. I never had a brother but see today I.. I.. got two brothers.” My voice broke.

“Hey, hey, hey.. don’t cry, princess. See what you did Sean! Why did you even come in here? She was happy when I was talking to her.” Daniel snapped annoyingly at Sean.

“She is not crying, Daniel, or are you, Ariana?” Sean looked at me. Panic could be heard in his voice when he asked me.

“No, I am not crying it’s just that I am happy and emotional at the same time, nothing else,” I reassured them.

“Good because I don’t want to see my sister cry,” Sean said, patting my head with his hand in a brotherly way.

I couldn’t help but smile. A smile that would assure them that what they said to me means a lot to me.

“Oh, Daniel, I want the file of our France project. That was the reason I came here.” Sean said.

“Okay, here is your file.” Daniel picked up the file and passed it on to Sean.

“Okay, so… I’ll take your leave. I have to check this file. And Ariana, I appreciate what you did in meeting with Mr. Sutharak.” Sean said and went out of the office.

“Okay now… Daniel, can you tell me with what you needed my help?” I asked because it seemed like we both forgot why he brought me here.

“Oh, yeah, actually I wanted you to go through some documents and check if there is any mistake in there because I have sent my P. A to another department for some work. So sit, I’ll just pass you the documents.” Daniel said as he went around to sit on his desk.

I did the work he asked me to do and left his office. I then reached my floor to meet Mrs. Miller to go to have lunch in the cafeteria. Kevin didn’t join us for lunch since he had some work to do.

Mrs. Miller left in the middle of lunch break because she was called to the accounts department urgently. I finished my lunch and went out of the cafeteria. I was about to push the button of the elevator to go back to my cabin when I was stopped by the three women. Bianca, Diana, and Katherine. They are always together.

“What are you playing at Ariana by acting all innocent?” Bianca asked. I looked at her in confusion.

“Diana saw you coming out of Mr. Adam’s office. You were there for a long time when his P. A wasn’t there.” Katherine said in an accusing tone.

“What were you doing there? Seducing him too? Because as far as I know, you don’t work for him.” Diana accused.

“What magic did you cast on Mrs. Miller and Kevin that they can’t see your real face? You can play your innocent card on them but not on us. We know who you are.” Bianca said in an accusing tone.

I didn’t reply. I just smiled at them turned around and entered the elevator.

I didn’t want them to ruin my mood. These women didn’t know anything but still accuse me of the things I could never do. I didn’t want their words to affect me. The incident in Xavier’s office and his words had done enough damage to me.

Though I was really upset with what Xavier said to me, I was happy that I met the two amazing people who are now my brothers…Sean and Daniel.