Chapter four

A week from then a bunch of black roses arrived for me with a card telling me that he will be leaving to go study overseas. At first I was hurt but then I felt relief after realising that Clare Haistings won’t have a chance to seduce him.

  Yet.

   And when my father told us that he was finally coming back and would be at our birthday party I was both happy and sad. Happy that I’ll finally see him after three years and sad that Clare will finally start seducing him. After he left we never stayed in contact, I tried sending him birthday wishes but he never replied back, I guess he was protecting his heart. And it’s Not like I expected him to after I told him I didn’t want him to be my boyfriend.

  And now I have to get him drunk.

  Yes drunk. That’s Clare’s orders unfortunately.It goes against everything I stand for but I can’t refuse Clare when she’s recruited my father and my sister to convince me that I should do this. Not that they know what she wants me to do, but I honestly don’t think they’d care.

  My eyes seek out Shane only to find that he was already looking at me. He nods to the people he was talking to and then he immediately walks towards me and Clare. Clare fixes her already perfect dress and flips her hair to reveal both her  shoulders and cleavage but Shane Ryders eyes stay on me the entire time, his steps are measured like a predator hunting it’s prey. Everyone is parting like the Red Sea when he passes until he is standing in front of me.

  He looks me up and down his eyes hard and heated “Happy birthday Ari Rose” he says his voice sending a shiver down my spine, melting me.

  “Thank you” before I can say more Clare subtly pushes me away 

  “Shane Ryder don’t you know it’s also my birthday today. Why are you only greeting Aria Reed” she pouts 

  He gives her a halfhearted “Happy birthday” then he looks at me again and says “I brought you presents from overseas” he pulls his phone out making a quick call.”I just told my assistant to bring them in”

  “Oh. You didn’t have to” I tell him but I can’t keep the smile from my face and the excitement from gripping my heart. Most of the presents here belong to Clare it’s nice to know he thought of me.

  “I wanted to. We’re friends right?”he arches his brow.

  “Yeah…thanks”

  We stand there awkwardly since Clare is still kinda standing with us. She looks livid but you couldn’t tell if you didn’t know her. She still has that timid smile she has perfected but her talon nails are digging into her palm. She’s mad, if there’s one thing Clare Haistings doesn’t like is being ignored.

  The double doors open wide as two burley looking guys walk in carrying a lot of gift bags led by one who is talking to his phone in rapid speed. When he reaches us he goes straight to Shane saying “Mr Ryder the property agreements were singed by the previous owners and I brought the documents.”

  “Give them to Miss Reed”

  I reluctantly take the papers and ask“Shane what’s all this?”

  “Your gifts. I couldn’t give you on your past birthdays so…” he shrugs “if you don’t like them I can get you more”

  “NO!.No thank you. I appreciate everything you did.”I tell him giving him a sincere smile so he knows I mean it.

  Clare nudges me, whispering “Aria this is your chance don’t fuck it up” then she storms off to her mother and father who were pretending like they weren’t watching our interaction.

  “Can I have this dance”he asks when were finally alone.

  “Yes, sure”

  Shane Ryder pulls me close slow dancing with him under the big chandelier. 

  “Ari Rose”

  “Mmmh”

  “I missed you, did you miss me”

  I nod my head then proceed to lay it on his chest feeling his heartbeat thumb against my cheek. I savour the feel of having him close because it would probably be for the last time he is letting me. He will never forgive me for doing what I’m about to do to him but first I need to calm my racing heart.

  “Hey I need to use the restroom I’ll be back” I hand him back the papers.

  “Okay” he kisses me on the forehead. His friend make hooting noises making me blush as I rush so they don’t notice.

  I use the bathroom then fix my makeup and hair and then leave. Before I can show myself to the crowd a bust of laughter halts me on my tracks. I don’t know why I choose to just stand there, call it a gut feeling or intuition but every fiber of my being is telling me to stop and that’s when I hear it, Shane’s voice as clear as day saying “Me and Aria Reed have a good thing going. If I marry her I’ll merge our business into the pharmaceutical industry which my Father has been wanting and failing to do. I’ll hold more than forty percent of the shares for all our businesses” he shrugs taking a sip from his glass to drink.

  “So you mean to tell me that it’s purely transactional between you? That girl has a piece of ass on her why not get a taste of that?”

  “Because I’m not interested in romance, I want to become the greatest Ryder to ever have existed, besides She is a spoilt sensitive girl who knows nothing about real life”

  “Dude he implied that you should fuck her stop spouting shit about romance and about how stupid she is” one of his other friends says and I almost laugh at his words. Of corse he’d think I’m stupid but in reality I’m not. I’m not a scientist for any other reason that the fact that I now what I’m doing. But fuck me, I guess

  I don’t want to risk someone seeing me so I take a deep breath preparing to reveal myself. I feel like I’m going to vomit when I finally decide to walk out. At least they have some sense to look a little ashamed when they see me.

  “Aria” Shane rushes towards me “why do you look so pale, are you okay”

  “I’m fine. I need a drink please come with me”

  “Of course” 

  When we reach the open bar he orders for both of us. A glass of champagne for me and a whiskey neat for him.

  “Thank you for all the gifts and the birthday wishes. You’re the only person besides my mother who remembered it isn’t just Clare Haistings birthday”

  “Oh you’re welcome”he smiles tucking some of my hair behind my ear. He keeps drinking and we keep making small talk until he can’t sit up straight. Which is the plan.

  I lean close to whisper in his ear “come to the first room on the right in the third wing after thirty minutes” I place a small kiss under his ear to drive the point home and when I finally pull back he smirks downing the entire glass in one go.

  I stand up my knees shaking from knowing what he truly thinks about me. Knowing what we had was never real, that it was for his ascent to success only.

  Knowing what I’ve done to him.

  Knowing what will happen between Shane Ryder and Clare Haistings.

  It is all making my heart feel like it’s going trough a torture session so I grab two champagne glasses from the passing waitress drinking both of them down within seconds then I decide that doing this will take me forever to get drunk so I go to hunt down a full bottle which I find easily enough and immediately start gulping it down. I sit down in one of the balcony chairs watching the moon. Time passes but I don’t know how long it’s been when my older sister Aurora Reed comes to find me.

  “Aria, father has been looking for you! Why are you out here getting drunk like poor scum! We have a reputation to uphold Aria! father invited his important associates today they can’t see you like this”she says. Aurora is the last person I wanted to see me like this but I’m not surprised. She likes talking down to me.

  “I’m sorry” I slurr then start laughing because my voice sounds funny.

   She shakes her head, eyes judging as always “Go sleep it off I’ll tell father that you’re not feeling good but you owe me one”

  She stands there waiting for me to carry out her orders. I try to stand up but my legs give out and I let out a fit of giggles.

  “God you’re a mess, why couldn’t I have been Clare Haistings sister instead” with that she leaves me there not turning back once.