Arielle's POV
'Always love and Respect yourself.'- The first thing my eyes catch when I wake up. In the most beautiful calligraphy, my mother gave me the lesson just when she was about to leave. Leave me forever.
F-O-R-E-V-E-R.
The sun rays peeped inside my small room through the grey curtains. I sighed and sat up in bed, stretching my arms above my head I looked at the wall clock, six in the morning. I had been awake for almost two hours. Not a new thing.
It has been like so for four years. Sleepless nights, boring days, constant fights with my fate, loneliness and me.
My mother was the only one whom I confided in. I was never good at making friends. I could never trust anyone, maybe that's the reason why I was alone for so long.
Perks of having trust issues.
I hopped off my bed and walked into my washroom. The mirror that was above the sink reflected my face. I was not a pretty sight, with a face that was worn out from crying and lack of sleep. Rolling my eyes at my own self, I splashed water on my face, hoping that it would make me look better. Of course, it didn't.
I felt my mother's hand on my shoulder. "You look beautiful."
I smiled shaking my head, no matter where you are mom, I know you're always by my side. I quickly finished my morning routine and walked into the kitchen, While I was having my breakfast, I pulled out the newspaper from my bag and looked at the job section. I was running out of daily resources and money.
Why?
Well, I may have left my last job. The manager was a big jerk, he didn't appreciate my work. He was always mean to me but still, I tried to manage but things went out of control when he started making me uncomfortable. His expressions used to make me feel sick so I quit.
Bastard! My blood literally boils even thinking of him.
Money is important but till the time you earn it respectfully, not by stepping on your self-respect. My self-respect and dignity is everything to me. I've promised my mom, however long I live, I'll live with my head up and not by listening to anyone's crap about me when I'm right at my place.
I locked my hom- no-house. A home is a place where you have got a family and I didn't have anyone, let alone a Family.
I know I'm not going to be able to solve all my problems but I will try my level best to fight them because I was not weak. I'm strong enough to keep going forward. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give up on my life.
I started walking towards the bus stop. I applied for an interview in four companies and I had interviews at two. I got on the bus and sat in the back seat, to my left I witnessed a little girl staring outside, a woman was holding her hand. Just the way Mumma used to hold me. I chuckled when the little innocent girl asked her to buy the building she was watching earlier.
My stop came and I got off the bus. I walked towards the building. I entered and quickly made my way to the reception. The receptionist was a redhead and very polite, may I add. She asked me if I had an appointment. I smiled and told her I was there for an interview. She asked me to wait in the waiting room.
As soon as I entered the waiting lounge, I gasped. I thought there were fewer people but I was wrong, there were around fifteen people waiting for their turn.
I looked at my side and found a woman scanning me, I glanced down at my outfit and got conscious the same second. She was wearing a really classy professional outfit and I-well I just wore black trousers, a white shirt and a black blazer.
She averted her gaze when I raised my brow at her. Weird woman!
"Miss Claire, you may go.", the receptionist reported. The same woman who was first staring at me got up and went away. What surprised me were the four-inch heels she was wearing. Wow! I need to learn this art from her. I can't walk in heels even if my life depended on them.
I asked the receptionist how much time my turn will take to come and the answer she gave me made me sigh. "Sorry, Miss Summers, there are fourteen interviews before you. You'll have to wait."
I had another interview at eleven and this one according to my calculation would take more than two hours. It was ten, I decided to go to the other company first and then come back here later if I don't get a positive answer.
Lucky for me, my next destination was just a twenty-minute walk from here. I was just going to enter the skyscraper when I found the same little girl I saw on the bus, standing and crying alone. My heart sank, where was her mother?
I started walking to the girl and kneeled beside her. Her cheeks had dried tears stain. I felt a sense of déjà vu. looking at the girl." What happened, baby? Where's your mom?", I asked pulling her aside from the middle. She looked at me blankly and continued her crying. I panicked and did the only thing my Mumma would have done if she was here. I hugged her and rubbed her back to soothe her. Surprisingly, she stopped.
Wow!
"Now tell me baby, where's your mother."
"Mommy.. mommy gone. Kia is alone.", my heart thudded inside my rib cage. I felt as if I was seeing myself in the girl.
I lifted her and wiped her cheeks."Don't worry Kia baby. I'll find your mommy."
Just when I was to cross the block, a warm hand wrapped around my waist catching me off guard. I bumped into a hard chest. My hand instinctively went to Kia's head to make sure she doesn't get hurt.
A rich expensive cologne surrounded me. I looked up ready to give whoever he was a long butt lecture when my eyes met with a pair of steel grey eyes. The man in front of me was honestly a blessing to the whole women race. How do such beautiful people even exist?
I was never comfortable with men. The closest I've ever been was two feet with a guy. That's who I am, so when this man standing less than a metre away, 6'2, athletic build, black hair and sharp jawline glared at me, I went speechless. He was glaring at me as if I just asked for his freaking kidney.
"Where are you going?", his voice was like a knife with a silver handle. My heart was racing due to how close he was standing. I'm that girl who loves to admire men as long as they are far. Once they are close, I become too shy and unresponsive and well my anxiety. Don't even question it.
I tried to move away but his grip only tightened. I glared at him back."Who are you to ask?"
"That's my niece. How dare you kidnap her?", I looked to my left and found Kia nodding her head. Oh! But what pissed me was he called me a f*cking kidnapper. I was just helping her out for god's sake.
"I didn't know she was your niece. I just saw her crying and was going to look for her mother. Why the h.", I paused, I shouldn't curse in front of a child." Why in God's name would I kidnap a girl in the middle of the day."
"How do I believe?"
"Ask your niece Mr.", I retorted.
"Kia is she saying the truth?", the man asked in a business tone. Come on! she's your niece, you can be a little bit nicer.
"She's good. She helped me.", Kia said in a baby voice. The four-year girl was too cute.
The man didn't say anything after that and proceeded to pull Kia out of my arms and without a single word he turned to go.
What a butthead?
No thank you, no sorry.
"Excuse me Mr I think I deserve a thank you and an apology from you."
His grey eyes looked at me in disbelief. "For what?", he asked. "For being a total..", I closed the little girl's ears."For being a total jerk and arrogant bastard to me."
"What did you say?", his eyes portrayed icy arctic coldness.
"I said the truth, you jerk."
"You don't want to mess with me, woman.", his voice was deadly yet low.
I let out a mock chuckle."You are talking as if you're the king of the world. Your ego can't go higher, can it? Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Nicolas. Nicolas Arnold."
"Ha! Nic-", my words died as soon as I realized who I messed with.
Nicolas f*cking Arnold!
The CEO of Arnold Enterprises, the richest man in New York and the man in whose company I was about to go.
My mother always told me, "You don't have a filter on your mouth." I never understood what that meant. I thought it was a compliment.Until today. My subconscious chided me for messing with the man but me being me, I couldn't help it. I wanted to see what he would say. I looked at him and to my utmost surprise(not) he was still glaring at me. He called a man who I suppose was his bodyguard." Chequebook.", he asked him.The bodyguard handed the book and took Kia with him. Mr CEO raised one sharp eyebrow at me."How much?"I squinted my eyes in confusion."You think I'm asking for money?"In reply, he just gave me a deadpan look. Does this man really think I'd ask for money for taking care of a lost kid? Is he stable in his mind or what? I've never come across someone more infuriating than this specimen.I closed my eyes for a second and cooled myself otherwise I don't know what I'd have done."You are contemptible." and with these last words I stormed off, swearing never to see his face
"I want you."I threw the duvet that I'd pulled over my head to escape those three haunting words. Why the f*ck did I go there? Why in God's name did I meet that devil's son and what in the world did I do to land up in this situation.The last few hours were the most traumatizing hours of my life. Why?Let me recap.As soon as Mr Bodyguard left with Kia, Mr Arnold turned to me, his jaw ticking like a time bomb making me scoff.I was about to take a step towards the door when his voice echoed stopped me dead in my tracks. "I want you.""I'm sorry what?""You heard that.", he seethed.I was angry was an understatement. I was furious. What does he think I'm, a f*cking object? My fists clenched ready to punch the brains out of him but I controlled myself. Violence is the second option.I walked to him and kept one hand on his bicep and stood on my tippy toes, tough move Ari! He stiffened when I kept my forehead against his. His eyes watched my every move intently and for that moment I fel
Shut up! Stop tormenting this poor soul early morning!Ding! Ding! Ding! *Click* Click* Click* Click*I groaned in dismay and tumbled down my bed in a pure clumsy manner. But who cares. I'm alone and no one can see me embarrassing myself. That's the only thing that matters. I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes but regretted it the very next moment.The noises from outside my house grew louder. I could hear people calling out my name and that made me frown and confused since I knew no one here.Not personally for sure.My residence was in a good neighbourhood, safe for sure and that was a good thing since I lived alone.Tring!My mobile phone rang loudly and the frown on my forehead grew deeper. Who the heck is calling me? Me? The loner who hardly talks to anyone. It's not like I don't want to but again I say I have high heights of trust issues and when I say high I mean my benchmark is beyond the sky.My doorbell rang again. Bloody hell! Curse that person to the seventh circle of
I glared at him witheringly urging him to start with his "talk". He peered at me, uncomfortable with the silence, and finally said, "You know this is your mistake right?"I didn't say anything in reply, just looked at him, staring him out with utter disbelief. This man is the most infuriating specimen I've known and I'm quite sure I'll ever know. "So I was saying it's your mistake these people saw me with you. Only if you hadn't thrown those nonsensical tantrums and had accepted my offer of babysitting Kia, I'd have not come to that park and you and I wouldn't have been spotted together."I shot him an extra sweet smile and turned to open the door but he ceased my movements by holding my left wrist. "Jesus Christ! Why are you so stubborn?", he grumbled under his breath.Me?I'm the one who's stubborn.What a joke?"See Mr Arnold.", I took a deep breath."I'm actually trying my best to control my anger but if you do not stop with your outrageous comments I'll definitely lose my calm. If
"Kia where are you? If your devil of a", I heard a voice come from the corridor behind me but I couldn't see the owner due to how tightly this little girl was holding me. I was astonished by her vice grip on me but at the same time my heart was touched seeing her affection towards me, it was the first time after Mumma that someone hugged me. "Don't leave me again.", she mumbled, her head in the crook of my neck. Can someone get attached to someone within a few minutes? This was just so surreal for me that for a moment I thought as if it was some kind of two-hour movie going on. Unrealistic at its height. "I won't.", I whispered to her running my hand up and down her back to soothe her tense muscles. "Come on, show me that pretty smile of yours Kia." She pulled back and her face lit with a toothy grin. The kid was too precious. "Kia.", the voice came again. She peeped across my shoulder, my eyes watching her actions intently, and she gave a quick wave to the person behind me. My ey
Turns out I underestimated the job. Kia was a notorious kid, you won't know what she'll do or say next moment. Pretty unpredictable! And as if she has freaking wheels under her feet, the girl can't stay at a place for more than a moment."Kia baby stop running. You'll get hurt.", I yelled for the third time. We still were in Arnold Industries. While Mr Arnold was cooped up in his cabin or may be working, I was running behind the kid on the same floor. Her laughter was echoing in the corridor. "Ari catch me.", she peeped from another cabin which I got to know belonged to Mr Ryan, Mr Arnold's secretary. He was around his late twenty and sported light brown eyes with blonde hairs. I took a deep breath, bless the child but right now she seems a devil incarnation to me.I kept my hand on my waist and dragged myself to his cabin. In my defence, I was never good at sports and as much as I hate to publicize my weakness, I have got low stamina. I can't exercise for long even if my life depend
Now the scene was I, meaning the clumsiest and most unfortunate person on the earth was lying right beneath Mr Arnold and curse me if I'm lying, he was really heavy on top of me, and that was why I was having some pain in my head and why was I dizzy. I wanted to get up and make my escape, but I was caught in a very awkward position, no, I got myself caught in a very awkward position, I had my arms pinned to my sides and my legs were pressed to the ground by his weight. Goddamnit!I tried to get up but I couldn't. I tried to move my legs but they were getting tangled up with his. Mr Arnold's head was right beside my neck and then I heard him mumble."Coconut."What the-? I hit my head on the ground, why is he being the insane here? That's another thing, he always acts like this.Weirdo!"Wait Ms Summers.", he grumbled then placed his hand on my waist. Heat crawled my neck as I looked up at him. I saw he had his head tilted to the side and a small smirk on his face. "So clumsy.", he a
"Please don't hurt her. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt her. I can't take it if you-ah!", her screams rang in the air."Mumma", I screamed. I could still see the man's hand reaching for her, but it didn't matter anymore. I closed my eyes trying to erase those nightmares that left me traumatized for years. I knew that opening my eyes would only make it worse, so I clamped them shut and waited for darkness to pull me in but, bloody hell it never did.It's been four years still the wound is as fresh as then.Four years for that dreadful day.Four years of me running from my past.Four years of carrying the guilt that I was the reason for her not being with me.She was the best Mumma in the world. She was like the sky and the wind and the earth all wrapped into one. When she smiled at you, the sun came out. When she hugged you, the world was a better place. But when she was gone, the sun turned dark and the winds turned cold and the earth became the ground.I looked at the cloc