CHAPTER 56

Sharon's fork fell to the floor

Her eyes went blank, and her face was frozen in expression

“Sharon I—”

“Leave”

“What?”

“I'm not comfortable— around you”

At that moment, Luca realised he had stepped on uncharted territory. Sharon never spoke to him about her nightmares, never gave him an explanation for her post traumatic responses

He always suspected something, but he never gave in to his curiosity. Never asked, never pried, never raised questions

And now, he just ruined a genuine moment, hopefully the first of many to come—

By stating that she had a traumatic childhood

Luca slowly stood up, with his head bowed

“Sharon”

“Don't fucking call me that. You're a stranger to me, remember?”

Sharon had never spoken to him like that before. Infact she hardly defied him. He usually had his way, somehow. But he was beginning to realise that he hadn't touched the tip of the iceberg

And winning her trust, her heart—

Was still an abstract thought.

One moment he felt like he was making progress. When she slept beside him, when he told her about his past, when she kissed him back for the first time

But all those things happened within the confines of her restraints. Now she was a free woman. Every decision she made, she made because she wanted to. Not because she was coerced.

So when she said she wanted him to leave, she meant it

He walked out, and the for the rest of the flight there was silence

The kind that existed when Sharon first entered Luca's mansion

********************

“Nothing”

Claire's voice came out in a whisper. She wiped her eyes quickly. But fresh tears trickled down to her cheeks

He adjusted the car's mirror, so he could see her

“Are you sure?”

“You fucking hate me! Why do you care?”

“I don't care”

There was a long, suspenseful silence.

He looked at the bag he had collected from her

“What's inside?”

He was trying to change the topic. Maybe trying to lighten the mood, trying to talk away the awkwardness he caused by prying into her personal life

“Leftovers”

“For what?”

“My neighbour's dog”

Arman laughed. It was then she discovered the dimple on his right cheek, just his right cheek.

It was at that moment she began to appreciate his features. Through the mirror, she could see him

His hair was cut at the sides, and he had a small ponytail at the back. The bones on his face were defined. He wore silver studs

She traced the movement of his Adam's apple, with her eyes

Her eyes narrowed down to his nape—

Arman was smoking hot!

How did she not notice it before?

“Claire”

“Huh?”

“I'm driving you home because the poor dog would expect you, no other reason”

“Fair”

He drove back into the road, towards her address. Like she wasn't crying a minute earlier, like everything that happened was behind them

But now things were just—

Weird

He was low-key being a gentleman

“He hit me”

Claire could not explain why she said what she said. She was hurt bad, and Arman hated her, suspected her. It was a bad idea, probably the worst of all the bad ideas she had made so far

But she told him anyway

“Really?”

“Yes, he also pulled out my hair”

“That explains the haircut”

“Yup”

His tone grew serious.

“Sue him”

“It's more complicated than that”

“He did terrible things to you”

“If you knew the terrible things I've done Arman, I wouldn't be sitting in your car”

“Until I find out—

You can hop in whenever you feel like you're sick of being drenched by the rain”

“It doesn't matter, I'll be wet either way—”

The car tires screeched. Arman stirred the car and hit the brake when he came to a stop away from the main road

He breathed fast

“You're gonna shut your fucking mouth, until we reach your house

Do you understand?”

“Yes Arman”

She said, dragging his name a little more than necessary

He continued driving, but deep down, they

knew that things were never going to be the same between them

Claire felt like her restraints were non existent, when she was with him

And she would tell him everything he needed to know, all her secrets, all her fears—

Everything she did for Donald, how she betrayed the Gray family, everything!

If he asked the right questions

In the right ways—

“We're here”

His voice echoed through the car, sending shivers through Claire's spine

“Oh, right”

Arman walked out, and gave her a long stare before opening the car for her

“That was— unnecessary”

“I think so too”

He handed her bag over to her, and for a moment they stood there, staring at each other

“Do you have a piece of paper, and a pen?”

Claire asked

“In my car, why?”

“Because—”

Claire walked back to the car and opened the front door. Her eyes scanned around, and she found a little jotter, and a pen inside it.

She took it, placed it on the bonnet and scribbled something mischievously

She walked back to him

“—because you're too dumb to ask for my number”

She squeezed the paper into his palm

He gave her a curious stare

“For your investigation purposes of course. I'm your suspect right? You don't trust me around Sharon. You should investigate—

I guess”

“Interesting”

“Plus—”

Claire came a dangerously close distance,and whispered

“If I reached into your pocket to grab your phone, I would've probably felt your gun—”

“What?”

“Because you're a bodyguard and stuff, you always carry it around for protection”

“Oh, right”

She put a finger in her mouth and bit it slightly

“Thank you

Arman”

She walked to her front door and turned around

“For an arch enemy, you're kinda hot!”

“Excuse me?”

She opened her door and entered in a flash, before she could face the consequences of her actions

Arman stood in confusion

“What the actual fuck just happened?—”