Chapter Five

As if feeling my gaze on him Nicolas turned towards me. He looked at me with a cold expression. I continued staring at him until he reached my father. He completely ignored me.

The King family and the Brown family followed them. My father greeted both Ava and Nicolas and their family while I stood watching them like an outsider.

“How are you, Ava? You’ve been gone for long and now you are back.” Rachel talked to Ava with a fake sweet smile.

“I’m good Mrs Williams, it's good to be back,” Ava replied. “By the way, where is your other daughter Mr Williams?”

“Oh, she is right here. Come here Aria.” My father acknowledged my presence for the first time.

I stood rooted in my place not knowing what to do. My walked towards me and pushed me gently towards the group. Seeing Nicolas after two whole weeks brought a new kind of pain.

“Don't do something to embarrass me or William's family.” My father hissed in my ear.

As I was standing next to them all of them looked at me with condescending looks and Nicolas was ignoring my presence as he talked with Ava.

“I hope you are doing something with your life other than working in that low-class company.” Mrs King Nicolas’s mom Stella sneered. I gulped, unable to answer her questions. I didn't know that she hated my profession.

I was a jewellery designer at Nyx and co a small-time company that opened recently. Nicolas had never had a problem with my work he never said he had.

I looked at him but he looked at me emotionless like he was looking at a stranger. “I still work there. I like the company and the people. It has the potential to grow.” I answered, mustering a smile. She just looked at me with disdain.

“Ava here is the best criminal lawyer and she is soon going to work for our King Empire.” She looked at Ava with a proud smile.

“At least for adopting and giving you a good life you could have done something for the William family in return but all you are doing is wasting their resources bringing disgrace to the family.” Ava’s mom Sophie Brown spoke.

Why are they talking like I’m not William and they adopted me like I am an orphan? I frowned and looked at my father and Rachel but they looked anywhere but me.

Suddenly it dawned on me that maybe they never said anything to anyone about me being Willima’s daughter. “What are you talking about? Adopted what do you—”

Rachel interrupted me. “That's enough Aria. You have embarrassed us enough.” she scolded. I looked around at everyone and last, my eyes landed on Nicolas. He was looking at me with his jaw clenched. Our eyes locked and there was something in them that I couldn’t pinpoint.

But soon he averted his gaze from me and looked at Ava. Heartbroken and embarrassed, I walked away from there and stood at the corner away from all the crowd.

I picked up a champagne flute from a passing waiter and took a tiny sip of it. I looked around feeling crushed by how Nicolas behaved with me when a shadow fell on me. I looked at him and sudden anger rose me.

“Hello, Aria darling,” Jackson said with a disgusting smirk on his face.

“Jackson, how dare you show your face to me again after what you did?” I fumed with my hand tightening on the champagne flute.

“What did you expect that I would say that we didn't sleep with each other? No way! You deserve everything that is happening to you.” He crackled like a hyena. “You are a botch who rejected me many times. And as soon as that rich asshole proposed you said yes,” he growled.

“But Jackson, I told you many times that I saw you as nothing but a good friend, I always thought of you as a brother.” I tried to explain. “Because of your lie, Nico broke up with me. How can you do that to me?” I asked, my voice breaking at the end.

“Friend, brother, my foot. You are a tease who only knows how to trap rich guys.” He spat in disgust.

“You are such a disgusting person. I never want to see you again.” I said with clenched teeth. He laughed a maniacal laugh. But he suddenly stopped and moved closer to me and held me close. I tried to wiggle out but he tightened his hold

“Aria, leave it. Let's just elope, nothing is more important to me than you.” He pleaded, I looked at him with confusion.

“What are you doing? Let me go.” I tried to push him away but he buried his face in my hair.

“Aria enough, how long are you going to betray Nicolas? I can not see you any longer with him. We got what we wanted, we had enough money from all the gifts he gave us. You fooled him enough, let's go.” Jackson rambled.

Before I could say anything I felt a looming presence if someone was on my right side. When I turned around Nicolas was watching us with clenched jaw and fury emanating from his.

Jackson quickly moved back and held onto my hand. I tried to push him away from me but he wouldn't leave me. “Me King, how are you?” Jackson acted as if we were caught red-handed doing something wrong.

Nicolas just glared at our hands. “Nicolas, no it is not what you think—” He held up his hand stopping me from speaking any further.

“I never thought you could be this shameless. You are disgusting.” He spat at me. Then he turned to look at Jackson. “I want you to leave right now,” he spoke in a menacing voice. Jackson looked like he was about to pee in his pants.

Jackson immediately left my hand and speedily walked away from us. As soon as he left I turned to Nico. “Nico, please listen to me. I never did any of those things. I'm being framed.” I said running my hands in my hair.

Nico looked at me for a second, held my hand and dragged me into a dark white corner of the banquet hall. As we reached the quiet corner Nico pushed me against the wall and pinned my hands above my head.

“You lied to me, you cheated on me. What more there is to say? There is proof of everything.” He growled.

“I didn't Nico please believe me,” I begged.

“Then what was that? I just saw you in that bastard's hands whispering about eloping.” He gritted against my lips. “Was I not enough for you? Was I not satisfying you? Huh, tell me?”

I shook my head at his accusations as tears streamed down my face. I shook my head. He held my jaw in a tight grip bringing our faces even closer than before.

“If you wanted money I could have given you. If you wanted more sex I would have fucked you more but instead, you went to other men. Which is your biggest mistake.” He spoke in a threatening tone.

“I'm going to go find every one of those motherfuckers you slept with and destroy their fucking life. But before that, I'm going to make your life a living hell. Starting with your job. Kiss your job goodbye.”

I gasped. Who is this man? What happened to the man I fell in love with? The Nico I knew and fell in love with would move heaven and earth for me but this person I was in front of me is a stranger.

He is the Nicolas King whom everyone fears. The tyrant, the business mogul and the most ruthless man in the whole country who wouldn't spare anyone who crossed him.

“Nico, no please no. You know how much I love my job it's the only thing I have to survive. Don't do this to me.” I cried trying to get out of his hold.

“It hurts, doesn't it? It hurt me too when I saw pictures of you with other men. Now I'm going to give you just as much pain as you gave me by making me love you and then betraying me.”

“Why don't you understand I never did any of those things,” I shouted feeling frustrated.

“Then Why is there so much evidence against you? You know I wouldn't say anything before I have concrete evidence of all the things. I was having doubts until now but looking at you being so cosy with Jackson erased any doubts.”

“Nicolas, are you there?” we heard a feminine voice calling him out. Nico pushed me away and took a step back. I wiped my tears as best I could.

“Yes I'm here,” he called out. Ava rounded the corner and looked at both of us with a frown. “What are you doing here Ava?”

“Everyone is looking for you, dinner is about to start,” Ava spoke as her eyes danced between the both of us. “Ms Williams, are you okay?” she asked in a concerned voice.

“Yes, everything is okay,” I said even though I was anything but. She nodded

“Come on Ava let's go,” Nico said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him and smiled at her lovingly. It was the same smile he used to give me.

Seeing him pulling her closer it felt like someone was stomping on my heart repeatedly. Tears pooled in my eyes watching them be so intimate. Giving me one last look, Nicolas and Ava walked away.

But before they could turn the corner Ava turned towards me gave me an evil smirk and kissed Nicolas’s cheek.