Chapter 16

Ariana prepared breakfast and dinner; she was going to work a double shift at the gas station, so she wouldn't be back early to make dinner.

She worked a double shift that night, and by the end of the night, she was exhausted. It was like she wanted to pass out because she had only had breakfast, and she hadn't bought lunch since she wanted to save money for her mom.

She walked home to save the bus money. This time, she wasn't going to spend money except for food and medication. She didn't care if she had to stay hungry for the rest of the day; her mom's life was more important.

As she walked home, she spotted a suspicious black car that seemed to be following her. She shrugged her shoulders and kept walking, thinking it might have been a coincidence that the car was going in the same direction as her.

After a few minutes, she realized the car might have taken a turn, but it was still following her. She stopped in her tracks, and the car stopped. She took a step forward, and the car moved forward. She took a step backward just to be sure the black car was still following her, and the car moved backward.

She sighed, wondering why this car was following her. She couldn't see who was in the car because the windows were tinted. She decided to run, and the car still followed her.

She had a million thoughts in her head. Why was the car following her? Who was in the car? What did the person want from her? Could it be Casey? She stopped to catch her breath, and the driver rolled down his window.

"Hey! Quit following me, or I'll call the police!" she threatened. What was she saying? She didn't even have a phone. She was scared but refused to show it. If this car followed her one more time, she was going to scream.

Someone stepped out of the car, a middle-aged man neatly dressed in a suit. Ariana stared at the man for a second and found him so familiar, like she had met him before. Her jaw dropped. Could it be? No, it's not possible.

"Hey, Ariana," Jack smiled. OMG! That smile. It was Jack.

Jack offered Ariana a glass of apple juice in the car. "I have a thousand questions."

"Ask away."

"Who are you? Why did you lie to me?"

"Jack Wilson, chairman of the Wilson Enterprise. I had my reasons for hiding everything from you. Ariana, I need your help."

"What do you need help with?"

"I need you to be my son's fiancée."

Ariana gulped down her apple juice. This was insane. First, she found out that Jack was rich, and now he needed her to be his son's fiancée.

"Excuse me?" Maybe she had heard him wrong.

"You heard me right."

Ariana chuckled; this was exactly what happened in movies, and now it was happening to her.

"I'd love to help, but I just can't do that. Your son should be responsible for his relationship life, not you."

"I'll make you a deal: get engaged to my son, and I'll cover your financial expenses. I will send your brother back to school, your mom will be able to get her treatment, and you will attend school again..."

"Jack..."

"I will sponsor you and your brother through college; you just have to sign an agreement and be engaged to him."

"You've been spying on me?" Ariana scoffed; she could not believe this.

"Ariana, it's not like that..."

"I'm afraid I can't help you, and please don't follow me again."

"Fine, I'll drop you home. It's late."

They got to Ariana's neighborhood, and Jack handed Ariana his card. "Call me when you change your mind." Ariana heaved a sigh and collected the card before leaving for her home.

Ariana got home and found Mike rolling on the floor, holding his stomach, crying. She felt her heart leap from her ribcage. What was happening? Why was Mike crying? She threw her bag and held him in her arms.

"Mike, what happened?" She asked, trying to stay calm.

"Honey, thank goodness you're here. I don't know what's wrong with him," Helena sobbed.

"Mike, baby, look at me. What's wrong with you?"

"My tummy...it hurts," Mike cried. Ariana ran out of options; she didn't know what to do. She quickly lay Mike on the couch and left home for the pharmacy close by. When she got there, she found Monica, Bella's daughter.

"Monica... Where's your mom?" Ariana panted.

"At her clinic. What's wrong?"

"Mike... he's... he..."

"Calm down, take a deep breath."

Ariana inhaled a deep breath. "Now talk to me. What happened to Mike?"

"He's complaining of stomachache."

"Did he eat anything poisonous? Like expired food?"

"No. Can you please come with me? We need to get him to your mom's clinic, please."

"Let's go then," Monica stated. She had other staff to look after the pharmacy for her.

Author's note:

I'm so sorry y'all, I know I haven't been posting recently but my editor is running late with the chapters of my book, I promise to make it up to y'all ❤️ Do y'all like this new edition? let me know in the comments 😉