Chapter Twenty-Four – Sad is shopping. Damien smirked after seeing Arya fall down the bed. At first, when he was watching her face the ceiling with eyes opened, he thought that was how she fell asleep. “Are you okay, down there?” he moved towards the edge of the bed and mumbled. Arya was still shaking in fear and embarrassment. How long had he been freaking watching her? She wanted the earth to swallow her up. He asked if she was okay again and she couldn’t help but notice how deep his voice was when he mumbled words. It gave a sexy feel, the bedroom voice. She leapt to her feet like a dead game character. “Yeah, I’m good, just surprised that you were… awake.” She prohibited herself from using ‘staring at me’. “I stared at you as I thought you were actually asleep, sorry to startle you.” He smirked, and rolled back to his aide. She pouted, hearing him. So if she was asleep, he’d stare? She needed to get away from that man or her heart will fall. Clearing her throat, she said.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Pretty dress. The door was opened and Arya stepped out. She stared down at her flip-flops and her dress, second guessing if she should have actually worn that. “C’mon, you look amazing.” Damien assured when he noticed her expression. Her face lit up and she stepped out of the car. He stretched his arm for her to hold, and she clung into it. The gesture put a small smile on Damien’s face as they walked into the mall. The lights of the mall pierced into Arya’s eyes and she squinted, but her eyes widened again, darting around the place. It was almost empty even if it wasn’t yet midnight. Pretty dresses and cosmetics filled the front row, making Arya run to them. She picked up a nude bow and raised it to the light. She smiled, bringing it down and ran to another row. The sales assistant strolled towards Damien as he watched his wife. “Sir, is she the one?” she had a distinguished British accent, matched with a poker face. Damien faced her, then nodded proudly.
Chapter Twenty-Six – Thief. Outside, Damien was getting a call from his mother. She was reporting an insult Debby gave her, where she asked a question and the girl yelled back at her. Damien’s hand stayed on his hips as his mother narrated, he was resting on his car, facing the mall to keep watch on Arya. He knew his mother typically exaggerated her reports but since she added Junior as a witness, he was sure it happened. “Mom, I’m sorry about this and I promise to talk with her. But I also hope Junior didn’t snap at her.” He asked, calmly. “Why do you care if he did? Should he watch me get insulted by that girl! Whatever he did yielded no result as she didn’t answer the door when he knocked!” Mrs. Wade ranted. Damien sighed, rubbing his temples. Couldn’t the universe just make a day all round beautiful for him? “Mom, it’s not like that. Debby gets irrational when she’s mad, like storming out of the house and the likes. She was kidnapped earlier today so I’m…” “Kidnapped? The
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Opening up.Arya had a brain freeze so she shook her head when the ice cream man tried to give her another when the one she had having remained little. She glanced inside the mall where Damien was speaking with the sales assistant. She licked her ice cream, still feeling sulky that the thief was allowed to leave after she begged. Damien may be too nice for his own good, that lady would never have felt guilty if she wasn’t caught. “Are you worried about something, pretty lady?” it was the ice cream vendor. Arya looked up at home feeling shy. Did he call her pretty? Was she pretty? “Um… no. I’m just waiting for him.” She pointed at Damien, with a small smile. “Thanks for calling me pretty.” she felt the need to say. That was a hard compliment to come by. The ice cream vendor smiled back. “Aren’t you?” he walked back into his shop. His last words made Arya’s smile widen, when Damien came out, she put them away so he wouldn’t ask why.He walked to her with a r
Chapter Twenty-Eight – WhoreArya walked into the restaurant with steady steps, once again hoping she wouldn’t see someone she knew. She really wished she could enjoy Damien’s kindness comfortably but since her heart belonged to someone else, she couldn’t act like it. Her hands were pulled on and she dragged them from the person, glaring at the intruder. Her eyes softened when she saw it her cousin, Lucy, her aunt’s Jenna’s daughter. The lady stood at a height of 5’9 eyeing Arya down, her head was high proudly. “Why are you sneaking in like a thief, thief!” Arya frowned, many people were calling her a thief today. She glanced at Damien who was trying to park the car. She folded her arms. “I am not a thief! You were the one who lost your school fees that year. And don’t you get over stuff?” she retorted. It was since they were little that Lucy’s school fees went missing and she blamed it on Arya because they were in the same classroom.Lucy walked around Arya in a demeaning manne
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Break up. Arya’s face was still ruffled and her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered the words of her cousin. She should have slapped her twice, left and right. Damien noticed her fists clenched, he smirked. “I totally loved the energy with your cousin back there. I’m not an advocate for peace either.” She exhaled, blowing all the annoyance she was feeling. Facing Damien, she ran her hands through her hair, while staring at him. He was confused by the move, being distracted and he nearly hit someone’s car. Was she trying to seduce him or was he misunderstanding the situation? “Is there a reason you wanted me to be your contracted wife? Because I don’t think there’s a need for me to be.” Arya asked. Damien felt at ease that she wasn’t trying to seduce him but he didn’t know how to react. He cleared his throat. “From what I remembered, you called me first.” She agreed. “Yes, but then I didn’t know you and was desperate.” “So?” he raised a brow. “I’m not des
Chapter Thirty – Dinnertime.It was dinner time in the Wade’s mansion. Arya was helping the servants bring the soup bowls to the table, when a ball made her trip. Thankfully, the soup bowl was covered and didn’t spill. She snapped her head at Debby’s direction, knowing fully well the ball came from her. Debby smirked, “Oh, a mistake.” She was about walking away, through the other door when it suddenly opened and slammed on her face. She fell back with it’s a scream, holding her nose. Junior popped out of the door. “Oh, a mistake.” Arya grinned, getting up from the ground, “Oh, you both should be careful next time to avoid such mistakes.” Debby frowned deeply at Junior, then at Arya. She left the ground, still holding unto her nose. “It’s on!” she stormed off. “Won’t you stay for some of the lovely soup by lovely sister-in-law brought?” Junior teased further. Debby ignored him. Junior and Arya shared a laugh as he helped her dress the table. Mrs. Wade and Damien joined them lat
Chapter Thirty-One – Instagram. Her husband wouldn’t be at home that night. Arya fell on the bed feeling so free. Today had been a win, if she should remove meeting Lucy and the discussion she had with Damien. And realizing that the little teenage Debby was in love with her husband had made her whole day humorous. She’d have love to tease her about it for a while but she was leaving. And she having feelings for a married man, didn’t that make her a whore? Or the definition of a whore had been twisted. Arya saved herself the thinking and thought of happier things. The dresses she had bought from the shopping mall were the prettiest she’d seen. Turning on her back, she picked up her phone from the table. She had taken the upcoming designers social media handles from the sales assistant. And the sales assistant had told her that, to promote the upcoming designer, she could post herself wearing her dresses and upload on Instagram or make a vid for Tiktok. “I don’t even know how t