CHAPTER 6: CARNATION

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Sometimes your brain gets in the way......

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The first week would be the worst for Arabella, mostly because she barely had anyone to talk to. Her boyfriend, Austin, too was unavailable. She had wasted her teenage life helping her parents with everything, and when things got difficult, the people she relied on the most made a run for it, and abandoned her. Arabella was not going to leave, she literally had no where to live, plus she was totally broke to afford even a motel on the cheap. She hoped that the salary deduction made by Riven would eventually clear the debt of her father. After seeing Riven's anger first hand, she was certain that it would end horribly if he found out that they had fled. It would be worse if he thought that she had helped them to elope. So she decided to keep her head down at work, and tried not to annoy him with any mistakes.

But this secret was like hiding a pregnancy, eventually, the belly would pop, and in this case, he would find out.

She reported to work earlier than when the sun reported to its work. And she left immediately after Riven, then proceeded to her evening job. She had no desire to stay in the empty house, it only reminded her of her misery. On some nights she cried herself to sleep and on others she didn't sleep at all. She was very careful not to go to her parents's room, because that would make the already deep wound deeper.

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On the first day, Riven reported to work early, and he expected to find Arabella absent. He exited the elevator on his floor and made his way to his office. On opening the door, to his surprise, Arabella was there, behind her desk, working away. She looked up from her work and instantly stood up to greet him.

"Good morning sir!" She said once she was on her feet.

"Good morning Arabella!" Riven replied. But before he went into his office space, he looked at her closely. He noticed that her once bright and gleeful hazel eyes had a dark character of despair in them, not failing to spot the dark circles under her eyes, had she slept the previous night? Her brown hair seemed to be, dump and it was clear to a keen eye that she had put a lot of effort into making it presentable and neat. Tragedy was well distributed across her face. It was clear to Riven that she was tormented enough, and for some reason, he hated it, he wanted to be the one to rob her of her joy. He quickly went into his office because he couldn't bare to see her like that. But why couldn't he bare it? What was the reason for his want..... his need to see her....to make her happy?

Arabella knew that Riven would eventually find out that her parents had fled. She was conflicted about whether she should tell him, or run away herself, despite being broke. Either way, it was like sitting next to a ticking time bomb, and the moment it went off, it would leave utter destruction at its wake.

A few times that day, Riven called her privately to his office, his face always mirroring anger, and every single time, she thought that he had found out, only to be told something far from her expectation and more work related. It was getting tedious and her heart couldn't take the high anxiety any longer.

But how much longer until he found out?

"The debt will become yours to pay,"she remembered the words in the letter that her parents had written. How could that be fair? But was it true?.......... Nonsense! That was impossible.

Luckily, the day ended well, he didn't even try to torment her. And she was glad that he hadn't found out. The next couple of days went smoothly as well. Riven was still in the dark and that was good, no, great for Arabella. 'Ignorance is bliss' they say, and the saying has never had a literal meaning to Arabella till now. Riven's ignorance was her bliss. Though she wasn't really in the spirit to be happy.

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On Thursday night, Riven was in his study room, working the night away, preparing for a big business meeting the following day, before Agatha placed a slight knock on the door and made her way inside the room.

"Master Riven, shall I bring dinner to your study?" Agatha asked the young man who was going through a lot of work on his desk.

"Yes, I'm famished!" He replied, excited that he would finally have something to eat after a long day's work.

In the next five minutes, the old lady was back with the food on a large tray. The man had an appetite.

Two spoons into dinner. Igor knocked gently before barging in and closing the door shut behind him. Ensuring that no one outside would hear there conversation, or Riven's yelling, given that the room was sound proof.

Riven passed a napkin around his mouth, took a sip of the juice before he spoke.

"What is it now that made you interrupt my meal, it better be worth it, for your sake." He warned, but with the frightful expression on Igor's face, he was certain it was bad news.

"It's the Golds, they didn't show up to make their commitment payment..." Igor paused a bit, as Riven narrowed his eyes at him, was that the "to kill for" info? He motioned his hand gesturing for him to continue.

"And when I did further digging, I found out that they had fled." Igor immediately found a suitable place to side, as Riven shot up and started throwing the utensils about, and bellowing like a grizzly bear.

Wait, had Arabella fled too? That would....kill him? He didn't know, but the thought of her out of reach hurt.

"And Arabella? Was she with them?" He found himself asking about his wonder, something he didn't think he'd do. Igor came to a clearer spot, from behind a bookshelf, a wide grin playing on his face, so he did care about her?

"No, my intel says that the parents left on either Saturday or Sunday, but the young lady wasn't with them. They left her behind." Came Igor's response.

He was relieved that Arabella was still around, but even angrier that those worthless pigs, with no honour whatsoever, had abandoned her, they would pay, dearly this time!

"Find them Igor, get the best men on the job, spare no expenses!" Riven barked, and the other man nodded his head and made his leave.

He set his jaw with determination, tomorrow would be another day. Well, there went dinner!

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The following morning, Arabella went to work normally, relieved that she had spent an entire week in peace at work. Shortly had she put her bag down, when Riven came blazing in, his manly cologne filled the air as he walked passed her. Hot damn that scent!

"My office, now!!" He bellowed at her.

She followed behind him, cautiously. Was this it? Had he found out? No, she remembered all those times he was angry but it was over something else, this was one of those times, right?

They entered the next room and she shut the door behind her. He turned around like a cobra which was about to spit venom on its victim, oh her corpse in a freaking casket, this must be "it".

"Where are your parents Arabella? Did you help them flee? Are you going to flee too, what's the plan here?" He asked through gritted teeth. But he only asked if Arabella was leaving just because he wanted to know if she was going to stay, he wanted her to stay, and he had been up almost all night, until he admitted it to himself.

Arabella's resolve shuttered before him, she became the epitome of sorrow, and just by looking at her, you would know what sorrow meant. Her hazel eyes grew watery and tears instantly started to roll down her pale cheeks. Had he said a "trigger " word? It didn't matter, her breakdown gave him all the answers he needed, and now he understood why she looked tormented the whole week.

She shook her head, "No, I-I don't know where they are..I h-had noth-thing to- to do with this. Please believe me." She said through shivers, trying to make a straight sentence.

Riven wanted to reach out to her, embrace her, let her know that everything was going to be fine, and he was shocked when he felt something on his firm chest. Her body was pressed against him, her hands helplessly wrapped around him.

"Hug her back you fool, you know you want to." something whispered.

So he brought his arms around her, one on her back the other in her hair, it was because of the apparent difference in height. But suddenly, he pulled away, and pushed her back.

"You know that the debt is now yours to pay, you are mine Arabella, and you cannot run away, the consequences will be fatal." Riven sternly said.

''You fool!! You really are an idiot, ain't you?'' the part of him from before whispered.

As soon as she was away from him, he felt like something had been taken away from him, no come back to me, but the expression on her face showed that she had no intention to. Arabella wiped the tears off her face, feeling stupid for having allowed herself to be weak around him, what was she expecting? He was still the same old beast he was that night.

"Of course, I will pay it, I won't run away like my parents. I will work till my last breath until I'm free from you. I'm sorry I forgot myself, it was a mistake, one that won't happen again, sir." She said before she stormed out, her eyes glinting with hate, and her entirety burning with a bright flame of confidence. That was a look that Riven would never forget, he was a fool.

He liked her fired up version though.

He wanted her to forget herself around him, but he had just killed any hope of ever being on good terms with her, but he didn't know what to say, and said the first thing that had come to his mind,....of course, his rebellious mind!!!

"Don't let her go without clearing this, go after her." Came another whisper.

But no, he didn't adhere, he just stood there, feeling his heart break at the bitter sight. Wait, heart?

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Sometimes the brain gets in the way of what your heart really wants to say. ?

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