Chapter 22
Today makes it the fourth day since the day she called Mia and ever since then they have been chatting online, with her not revealing her hideout. Mia, being not the too poky type decided not to pester her, as she awaits the day they will see physically. She vowed to beat the hell out of Ariel for keeping her location a secret from her, of which she will find out at all cost.
Ariel laughs off her threat calling it nothing but a fling.
Ever since Axel came back home looking cold, and after that weird dinner they had; she hasn’t really been coming in contact with him. It’s either she wakes up to see him going out, or perhaps out already or go to bed before his arrival.
And anytime she got the opportunity to see him at close contact, they only greet and nothing more. He is trying his best to stay away from her and she; the same. Sometimes she feels like he needed company or someone to chat with, but wouldn’t wanna admit it.
He never smiles when he is around her, and she wonders why he hates her so much. Or perhaps he just doesn’t wanna get along with any girl; but he does talk with other girls. She could clearly remember the get-together night with Aiden and his friends; the triple girls were also present.
She glances at the stairs that leads to his room, and felt tempted to climb up and head for it. He locks himself in it whenever he is alone; either playing his keyboard or doing something else.
Today, she decided to wake up very early just to make breakfast herself. It’s been a while she ate her food, and she miss her cooking so much.
Getting to the Kitchen, she met few maids, doing their cleaning chores.
“Thank God they haven’t made breakfast yet” She muttered, stepping into the big and spacious kitchen.
The cabinets were classic, as the ties glittered from the reflection of the electrical light. The maids really did a good job in making it sparkle.
They bowed to greet her on sighting as she softly responded to their greetings. She signaled to one of them, who left her chores to attend to her.
“You called me ma’am” The maid muttered softly
“Yea…erm…what are we having for breakfast today”
“Just erm..French toast, coffee and some piece of fries and a hot chicken soup” She noted
Ariel nodded taking note of each word that spurt out of her mouth.
“Ok, the thing is..I wanna make breakfast today, I really miss cooking”
The maid gasp lowly
“Erm…we can’t let you do that ma’am. Boss gave us strict others not to let you do any work, being a visitor..we are here to serve you miss” Ariel busted into laughter.
“Come on..it’s not work….cooking isn’t stressful. Just for today..okay…trust me, Axel won’t find out about it. And what if he finds out; he’s never gonna do anything about it…hunn” She snickered, moving away from her. But the maid stopped her, shaking her head at her. She couldn’t clearly read her expression, but she felt something was wrong.
She could sense another presence staring at her, apart from that of the maid. Turning swiftly to look at the fellow, she saw him sitting at a far end, close to a cabinet. He was still putting on his pajamas, with a cup of hot coffee steaming out vapour from it, in his hand.
His hair, ruffled on his head, fell free on his face, giving him this bad boy look; as their eyes locked. She gasp, noticing that he had been staring at them all along; and perhaps heard what she said, but didn’t give a damn. Instead she went closer and stood before him
“Good morning…” She muttered feebly
“Morning…” He replied…taking a sip from the cup, with his eyes still boring hole into hers. This made her feel uncomfortable. Can he just look somewhere else for once? And what is he doing down here by this time, it’s just 6:00 in the morning”
“Erm…I…actually…wait..why are you down here this early” She shuttered. He stared puzzled at her, squinting a little
“What do you mean?” He snorted after a few silence
“Well……you should be in bed now….you know…” She snickered
“Huh…” He scoffs
“Are you trying to tell me when to be in bed and when I should be awake? I thought this is my house and I can decide to wake up any time I want to”
“Don’t get me wrong…I was just asking though…and just a bit of concern” she shrug, going towards the sink
“And what are you doing here” He asked gruffly
“I wanna make breakfast…you gat any problem with that” she said, washing her hands and mopping it with a napkin
“Huffnn, look here girl…just watch the way you speak with me…I don’t want to lose it with you okay” He gruff. She rolled her eyes a bit, but he was oblivious of it.
“But I didn’t say anything wrong…just wanna know your mind about me cooking”
“Then you need to ask it in a respectful way…this is my house and I can kick you out of here any minute”
“Oh gosh…..” she exhaled
“Fine…I’m sorry for speaking that way….but can I cook now”
“The cook will prepare my food, suit yourself, but don’t mess up things” He muttered coldly, standing on his feet and headed out
“Huh… The cook will prepare my food, suit yourself, but don’t mess up things” She mimicked his last words
“He is just too rude and arrogant” she scoffs
~~~~~She succeeded in making her breakfast, while the chief cook prepared that of Axel. Well, she wished she could make breakfast for both, but he gave them strict warning not to let her tamper with his meal. No doubt, hers taste better, even the maids acknowledged it. But that dumbass won’t wanna have a taste.
After freshening up, she hurried down to the dinning room to fill her stomach. The maids did a great joy already setting the table before her arrival. She dug into the chicken soup, inhaling the mesmerizing flavor steaming out of it. She kept waiting for Axel to stride down from the stairs to have his meal, but it seems he had been served in his room.
“Huh…idiot” she mumbled
Finishing her meal wasn’t a great deal, she picked up her phone, slumping on one of the couch in the living room; as she punch in some keys on the G****e app. Life hasn’t been that interesting in Axel’s house, like that of Aiden’s or the Mansion. Though, she has been attending online lectures, and subsequently been, doing live video calls with Mia and Aiden. But those haven’t still ease this sudden boredom erupting.
The few moments she spent arguing with Axel most times, ease that odd feelings, and she wished she had more of those moments, even if it’s not actually a good conversation.
Still engross in her phone, she heard the entrance door open with a glossy figure stepping in. A young man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, looking stunning in his lustrous tuxedo, a fancy cover shoe, perfect sets of eye glasses, with his dark hair perm backward, giving him this finicky look.
In walked in, holding a small brief case, punching into his Ipad as their eyes met. He stiffens for a moment before regaining his self.
“Hi—good day” He muttered quietly
“Good morning….sir” She replied, not wanting to sound rude, like Axel do say. She gave him this ‘who are you’ look, making him chuckle
“Oh…I actually came to see Axel…I’m his manager. My name is Karl” He garbled with a lingering smile across his face, offering a handshake
“I’m Ariel….his…erm…” She paused not knowing what to say. Perhaps to call Axel her friend or, what relationship do they even have. She decided not to say more, but receive the handshake
“It’s an honour to meet your manager Karl” She shuttered with a weary smile
“The pleasure is mine. To be honest with you damsel, I haven’t come across a lady as stunning, gorgeous and beautiful as you are. Are you from heaven? ” Karl asked in his sweetest voice, as his hand gently caress her hand, not letting go of it, even when she seem to be uncomfortable. She laughed sweetly at his funny remark.
One thing about Karl is that, he is always free with anyone he comes across, not minding if the person is a stranger or not. And one more thing is that, he flirts a lot. One won’t notice due to the way he dresses; more like a gentleman. But deep within those dresses is a freaking flirt, who used the opportunity of being close to Axel to win the heart of many girls, who are ready to sacrifice anything just to have a night with Zel. But his jovial character is what still made him retain his post; whereas, he is also hardworking, totally different from other managers that had worked with Axel.
Axel walk down the stair case and they immediately disengage their hands, after they heard him cleared his throat. He glance an expressionless look at Ariel, before directing his gaze to Karl.
“Oh..boss is here…I need to go now. See you later” Karl winked at Ariel. She blushed slightly, making Axel scoff. She frown making Karl chuckle; he totally understand the reason behind that scoff
Not wasting much time, they screw through Axel’s schedule for the week and headed out; not without Karl blowing a kiss at Ariel, and receiving a friendly smack from Axel.
~~~~~
Few hours after they left, Ariel starting feeling bored. She really missed Josephine and Granny Naomi; though she is always at loggerheads with Josephine, but she missed those moments. If she should e here, she won’t have been this bored. Most especially, she missed Elsa and the mansion, she wonder how she is faring now, and hope Mr. Shaw isn’t getting too harsh on his wife.
She finally got a plan to kill the boredom. Taking a stroll round the house won’t bad, since she can’t go out for safety reasons. She succeeded on her little tour, but got stressed out, after walking for more than an hour. No doubt, Axel’s house is almost a mansion when it comes to the width of the landscaped.
She felt excited, opening each of the other rooms that were not occupied yet; scrutinizing the layout with ecstasy, until it remains that of Axel.
He had actually warned her not to by-pass her boundary to his, but this strange force is always pulling her legs towards his room, and anytime she tried climbing up the stair, she will have a change of mind. But this time seem different, she is already at the door post, turning open the knob, and surprisingly, it wasn’t locked.
“How does his room looks like” she thought going in further, as its beauty slams her face. Her eyes widen with surprise as at how a guy’s room will look so clean, perfect and sparkling neat as this. The structure was done by a perfect architect, who perhaps might know his taste. His soft and fluffy bed, lay just in the middle of the room, with some fashionable furniture lingering in a semi-circle form, set in a perfect accord.
A well designed piano, just at the extreme of the room, with a glisten guitar, hanging on the wall added to the room’s mesmerizing look. Other musical instrument could be found, but she couldn’t name them all as her focus was actually on a piece of painting made on a carved flat-surface glass; more like a glass frame. The frame was placed on his reading table as she goes closer to have a better look, ; her warm feet kissing the cold ties on the floor, making her shiver a bit.
She held the frame firmly in her hands and bore holes with her eyes into that of the lady in the picture. She looks so young and very beautiful. A small dot could be seen just above her upper lip; perhaps a birth mark, she assumes. But something caught her attention, and that is her facial look. She seems to be someone she had seen somewhere, or is her mind playing tricks on her. Still in her engross thoughts, she heard the door cracked open as a figure steps in. Jerking back to the world of reality, she turned swiftly to see who entered, but her leg clumsily collides with a foot stool, making her slip.
The glass frame slip off her hand in a second, landing on the cold and hard floor as it made a loud crashing sound. The glass splattered on the floor, spreading round to create an orbit in the center of the room.
“Harggg” she gasp in fright.
Chapter 23Ariel’s POV“Harggg” I gasp in fright, my eyes scrutinizing the mess on the floor. Axel steps in fully with a worried look. He seems to have heard the sound and wondered what caused it; not until he caught me standing close to his bed.He furrowed his brow a bit, walking closer to the splattered glasses. He picked a glass up and stared at it, sighing softly. He dropped it, raising his head to face me. No doubt, I was visibly shaking as my legs wobble fervently. His eyes held fury, as he folds his fist annoyingly.“What…have you done” He muttered in his scariest voice. I have never heard him speak this way before, and now my mind is blaming me for being too curious. I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, now see where it has landed me.“I-I am..erm…I’m sorry…I- I actually&he
Chapter 24Ariel’s POVFolding me legs to myself, I sat on the bed in my room and the sunlight lit it up from the window. Last night event clouded my mind and I began to wonder how I managed to sleep, despite the war going on in my mind due to what I did last night. This is not the Ariel I used to be, I wasn’t the hard type, neither am I too stubborn. But lately I haven’t being getting along with Axel even though I get along well with others. Sometime I feel like he had really offended me even when he did nothing wrong.What I did last night was totally wrong, I shouldn’t have been too curious and even after I broke the glass frame, I should have feel a little remorse. Yea..i did say sorry, but that wasn’t enough, considering the fact that I went against his wish. Now I couldn’t even face him, even after practicing my apology, I still don’t th
Chapter 25Laying his head on a fluffy pillow on the bed, Axel exhales softly, holding a piece of the broken frame in his hand. He frown a bit, remembering the fact that Ariel broke it. He value it a lot, though, not the frame, but the picture on it which he used to remember someone who he loves so much. The picture on the frame was the recent photo she took before leaving, and ever since then, her where about wasn’t known to anyone.He tried to look for her, his brother too, but all to no avail. It was useless looking for her, because many believes that she is dead or perhaps long gone in a far place beyond human reach. But he still feels it in his heart that she is alive somewhere, perhaps having fun or being miserable just like him over here. He prays in his heart to find her one day, before he leaves this earthGetting up from the bed, he took off his shirt, revealing is stunni
Chapter 26<Few Days After>*Hybrid University*A warm surge of freedom lighted my spirit as I stepped into the compound of the great Hybrid University. It’s been more than two weeks since I came into this compound, and being here presently just made me want to explore more; the whole environment seem a bit different from the last time, perhaps my absence made it that way.“I waved to Victor, yea…my Ex bodyguard, well he is now my driver. Aiden made it clear to him as his punishment for not being able to see to my well being, which wasn’t really his fault anyway. He was given the post of a driver, due to his excellent driving skills; that made him still keep his job in Aiden’s mansion, else he would have been fired for that single mistake. But I have a new body guard now, his name is Daniel.No doubt, he
Chapter 27< Five Star Restaurant><Cape Town>Axel and Karl , his manager could be seen, sitting in a classic restaurant; a glass of wine steadily placed in front of them on the table, as they scroll through their phones. They just finish having lunch and are relaxing after a hectic day of writing new lyrics for songs to be published, recording in the studio and many other minor but necessary things to be done.They also had a meeting with Mr. Noah Jenkins (Sophia’s dad), who is known as the CEO of Hybrid Record Label, and also the founder of the Hybrid university; discussing on the recent Live audition which will commence soon, and how to go about the new system which he introduced and advised they follow, other than the other ways they have been going about the contest.Other matters were discussed until the meeting was
Chapter 28 <Hybrid Musicals> <Live Audition> (Screening stage) First Day A total sum of 20 applicant including Mia and Ariel could be seen, sitting at the back stage of the company. Out of the 20 applicant, 10 people are student of the Hybrid musicals, while the others are perhaps from other schools or just some random people. They were all sitting on a long bench placed side by side, as they wait for the audition to commence. Ariel shivered a little as a cold hand touched her neck, it was Mia. She laughed at her expression. “Hey…you hand is cold…” Ariel muttered, removing Mia’s hand from her body “Yea….the weather is cold, remember? I need a cup of hot tea” She yawned “This is taking really long…I’m getting nervous” Ariel cooed. Mia scoffs “I should be the one saying that, you sing better, you
Chapter 29.Visiting Aiden’s House.<Aiden’s House>.“And…welcome to my humble abode” Ariel yelled as Mia drove into the compound.“Oh my goodness, Ariel….this place looks like heaven, it’s so beautiful. You never told me that your uncle is this rich and classic” She glared at me, and parked the car in the garage. Ariel frown, what uncle is she talking about, she thought, and chuckled“Oh….Uncle?” She asked“Yea….you don’t live with your parent which you clearly stated, so who else do you stay with” She grinned, and stepped down before I could reply. Well, the thing is, I really want Mia to know who I live with, if she finds out herself, she might feel bad that I made her be in the d
Chapter 30.Her Carelessness<Ariel’s Room>.“What was that for” Mia asked, placing her hands on her waist, akimbo“What?” Ariel replied, feigning ignorance“What you did at the dinning, why the laughter, you acted weirdly”“Oh…about that..haahaa” She chuckled“I need an explanation. You made a fool of me in front of Aiden, and you know that I detest that” Mia frown, going to sit on the bed“Hey…I’m sorry okay…you were actually funny…haahaa” She started laughing again“Now this is what I’m talking about. I couldn’t remember anything funny happening at the table”“Well, you did something funny that made me laugh. Perhaps you have