19. Her death

They sure know how to ruin everything. Just a few words from them and I lose my mood. If only I could wish not to see them anymore, I would do it.

But our family is like a knot in the business world. Everyone is friends with each other..

"The bidding is about to start in a few minutes, and you're already drunk. It seems like you're indulging in the wines here," Aurora commented as she sat next to me. "Where's Arik?"

"He went to the bathroom. His uncle and aunt arrived, so I hardly got to accompany him. He's so busy when it comes to these things. He's completely focused on work," I said, pouring wine into my glass again. "I don't even get any attention."

I couldn't hide my annoyance in my voice.

I dressed beautifully and prepared well. I even wore my favorite army green gown that showcased my entire back, but he only glanced at me briefly earlier.

"Wow. Are you sulking?" Aurora chuckles. "So, you were in love with him all along? When did it start? After the one-night stand?"

I sighed in frustration.

I don't even know when. One of the reasons I wanted to tell him about my pregnancy was because of my feelings, but I forced myself to suppress them when I found out about his closeness with Isabella.

I was such a martyr at that time, sacrificing even my own desires for him. I want to slap myself.

"Do you think he'll take advantage of the situation when he finds out?" I asked Aurora, surveying the surroundings.

Everyone is getting ready. There are only a few people here, but I decided to head to Aomori's private place early to avoid any hassle.

"Which one? That you actually had feelings for him all along but your sibling relationship with Isabella held you back?" Aurora said that right.

I nodded. "I escaped a long time ago, Au. I know these kinds of scenarios. I'm not young anymore, but I'm afraid that he might take advantage of the situation and completely break me."

"What? Haven't you given up on him yet? Girl, you were already making out with him, what do you call that?"

"A fling?"

Someone chuckled behind us, and both Aurora and I turned to look. My eyes widened when I saw Arik quickly sitting beside me and taking the wine glass from my hand.

"Who's having a fling?" He trailed off and looked at me intently. "Why are you drinking? The event hasn't even started yet. Are you okay?"

Fuck. His voice suddenly made me dizzy.

"I just like the wine here," I made an excuse.

I wanted to make the most of this because when I'm at the mansion, I can't drink much since I have to take care of Ariah. I also didn't want her to see me drunk.

Arik's expression softened. I gasped as I felt his warm hand slowly slide from my back to my waist, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"There are plenty of them here. There's also some in our suite. If you want, you can finish them later after the event, just not now," he murmured softly to me.

My face heated up, especially when he mentioned our suite. Yes, we're staying in the same suite.

"So you're together in the same suite? I thought..." Aurora couldn't continue her sentence because of my glare.

"I hope Oliver shows up," she whispered.

As I looked at Arik again, he continued to gaze at me tenderly. My dirty thoughts were slowly reawakening because of the way he was looking at me. Both he and Ariah had the same way of staring at me. As if I were the most beautiful woman in the world. As if they were in awe of me.

I could see fire in his eyes. It was burning with affection and love. Is this real?

"You look stunning..." he whispered hoarsely to me, leaning against me. I shivered as I felt his lips gently brush against the base of my ear.

"You're the most beautiful woman here, Celeste. I still can't believe I mCelesteged to come back to you..." he continued.

I furrowed my brow. "Come back? What do you mean, Arik?"

"We should talk after this night, baby. There are a lot of things I want to say to you," he said, adjusting a stray strand of my hair. I just stared at him, and he did the same to me.

I couldn't resist letting my hand wander to his thigh, which seemed to surprise him as he momentarily paused and looked at me intensely, his jaw clenching.

"We can ditch this event so we can talk. It's not like it's the main Aomori event tonight," I convinced him.

There are still more Fuentebella assets to be bid on before the Aomori Resort, so we could choose not to attend if we wanted to.

Arik's eyes sparkled. "Do you want to?"

"It's fine... I'm getting sleepy too. I didn't sleep on the trip here," I confessed to him.

"That's why you started drinking right away?"

"Yes, to quickly knock myself out."

He suddenly smiled devilishly. "I know another way to knock your tired body out."

My cheeks immediately flushed. I quickly slapped him and stood up. "You're such a troublemaker."

"I'm serious though. It's a great offer."

"Where are you going?" Aurora asked, rolling her eyes and looking at the both of us.

"We're just going to talk," Arik answered.

"Talk or continue what I caught you doing in the conference room?" She accused me, so I kicked her foot under the table.

"We'll be back," I said.

"For how many hours?" she asked again, prompting me to curse at her.

"Where are we actually going? This isn't the way back to the hotel." I asked him as our path diverted through an alley, still within the Aomori resort grounds.

"I really missed this place, so I wanted to visit it with you. My mom and I used to come here often when she was still alive," he explained, causing me to look up at him.

His expression was serious, but his eyes had a sparkle to them. He seemed genuinely happy about being here.

"It looks like this place is really important to you."

"She passed away here..." He muttered, which caught me off guard.

I wanted to say something, but I was too shocked by that piece of information, so I continued walking. Soon enough, he tightly held my hand as we reached a small villa.

My mouth fell open as the breathtaking view below unfolded before me. The villa was perched high, overlooking a small pool and a nearby jacuzzi. The vast and serene ocean was visible from our vantage point.

"Wow. I didn't know such a place existed here. It's my first time seeing it," I exclaimed, marveling at the entire setting.

"I asked your mom, Harper Fuentebella, if it was possible to have just this part in my name, and she surprisingly agreed back then."

"Really?" I said in astonishment, turning to look at him.

He leaned against the table that was there, slowly loosening his necktie. I found him so hot at that moment. I wasn't sure if he was doing it intentionally or not.

"Yes, they were friends, my mom and yours. Didn't she tell you? Well, only a few people know about that. They were best friends since college," he revealed, approaching me and gesturing for me to sit down.

"I didn't know that. Oliver and Benj don't seem to know either," I replied to him, curious about what he would do next.

He proceeded to take off his coat completely.

"Actually, they had one more friend. They were a group of three back then. My mom used to mention her often, but it's been so long that I've forgotten her name..." he mused, causing me to gaze at him.

Arik is different from everyone else, I can tell. From the way he talks, the way he passionately talks about his mom, it's evident that he loved her deeply.

I hope I can have as many memories of my own mother as he did before she passed away. I was still young when my mom left... and I can't even remember a single thing about her anymore. It's all blurry in my memory.

"Your feet might be hurting from your heels," he said suddenly, kneeling in front of me and gently lifting my gown.

"It's okay, Arik..."

It was too late as he raised my foot onto his thigh and slowly removed my heels. I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

But before I could speak again, he suddenly leaned down and lightly kissed my foot.

"Arik!" I hissed, trying to stop him, but I was too late. "What are you doing?" My whole face began to flush.

"Damn, Celeste. You're the only woman who would make a Rioflorida kneel down to kiss your foot like a queen..." he uttered, making me even more embarrassed by his words.

"Just stand up!" I said, pulling him up.

Arik just laughed mischievously and kissed me on the forehead. "Let's eat. I prepared some food and drinks here."

"What kind of drink?" I asked.

"Martini?" he suggested, unsure if I would like it or not.

I quickly approached him and ushered him into the villa. "Martini is my favorite drink."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Actually, with chocolate."

"What's the chocolate for?" he asked curiously.

"You'll know later," I whispered and walked ahead of him.

Fine. I admit it. I like Arik. I liked him the moment I saw him at the bar that night. That's why I approached him. That's why I snatched him away from that woman.

Because I like him.

No, it's more than that... I want him.

I love him...

And he doesn't need to know that anymore.

After dinner with Arik, we went outside again. I changed into an outfit that was available in the villa, so I guessed that he really planned and prepared for this.

I found him outside, silently gazing at the vast ocean. It was dark, with only the full moon providing our light and the dim surrounding lights in that area.

I was about to approach him when I heard that he was on a call with his cellphone, so I stayed there and listened.

"Dad, I want this. If only I could stay here for a long time, I would do it because this is the only remaining memory we have together..." Arik mumbled and muttered some curses. It seemed like he was holding himself back.

"Don't worry, I will find out who killed her."

I almost dropped the wine glass I was holding when I heard that.

Killed her? Someone killed his mom? But the rumor back then was that she died from her illness, cancer.

"They have been free for a long time while we continue to mourn until now! I can't let that slide, Dad! I know you also want to do everything to bring justice to Mom's death, but you can't do it because I know you are protecting me and Hannah..." Arik let out a deep, painful sigh before continuing. Who is Hannah?

"...and I understand that. I understand you, so let me be the one to find a way."

Before that conversation ended, I quietly went back inside. I could feel my hands trembling from what I heard.

I didn't know why I was so deeply affected. I felt overwhelming sympathy for Arik. The way his voice cracked while mentioning the death of his beloved mother was like a fire burning my skin.

Who killed his mom? Why was she killed? What really happened six years ago?

"Celeste?"

I was startled from my thoughts when I heard Arik's voice. I quickly composed and calmed myself before welcoming him.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked gently as I hugged him. I could feel the tension in his muscles, a sign that he was angry and trying to hide it from me.

"I'm fine..." I beamed and pulled him away. "Shall we talk? I have something to tell you."

"Okay—"

"Arik!"

We both turned to the voice calling out, and I was taken aback when I saw Isabella at the door. What the fuck is she doing here?

"I knew you were here..." she said.