"Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up."
Hans Christian Andersen
Euphony (n.)- pleasing or sweet sound; especially : the acoustic effect produced by words so formed or combined as to please the ear.
Adrianna's POV:
For me, life was a pretty simple, one way concept. It wasn't smooth, but it wasn't as complicated as some depicted. I believed that life was pretty simple for those who could see the world from a third perspective.
It was like a road. A one way road that you would eventually have to go through. Those that are fated, will happen and if you want to move forward, you will have to overcome everything.
Meaning, if the road is to have some sort of obstacle, you must face it.
We call these obstacles 'accidents'. We compare them to ripples that leave traces on the shore or destroy everything.
What we don't realize is, accidents are meant to happen.
Whether we try to divert the car or stop the car, there's no other way to move forward.
If the tune of life must go on, so must the raucousness of the happenings.
The only thing about accidents is, there are no accidents.
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Thousands of monsters screamed in my ears.
I felt touches, I felt the chilling aura of the demons as they surrounded me.
Their aura chilling, goosebumps arising over my skin as I breathed heavily.
"Is she okay?" A voice rivened through the eeriness.
A voice that reassured me.
I felt a drop of light entering the melody of my darkness as I saw a long silhouette of a man.
Who was he?
Was he the man that saved me?
"She will be okay, Mr. Estevan. She just had a shock that's all."
Shock.
When a person experiences traumatizing experiences or something triggering that overwhelms them, they can experience nausea, dizziness or faint.
I was almost raped today.
Almost.
If he didn't save me on time.....
"She is stirring!" I heard another voice exclaim, making me squint my eyes.
My body felt numb, yet I could still feel the throbbing pain in my ankle.
My head was pounding, I could feel the blood racing in my veins. A faint sting on my left hand told me I was hooked to a needle.
"I need to examine her," I felt the bed dip as I felt someone's dainty finger on my pulse.
After what seemed like and eternity, the touch was gone.
"Her pulse is stable, but she needs to be under proper rest."
I frowned, slowly opening my eyes. The glaring light made me flinch, my vision adjusted itself on it's own. I laid there, unanimated, staring at the ceiling.
"Leave."
His voice resonated through the room, sounding more intimidating than ever.
"But-" I recognized Archer's voice.
"Leave now, Archer."
I heard a sigh, followed by shuffling as footsteps resonated along with a door being clicked shut.
A moment of silence surrounded us.
I knew he was there, he knew I was here.
We were both here, He had questions, I had questions, both of us needed answers, yet no one spoke.
I felt the bed dip.
A rush of fire ran down my body. Suddenly, I was aware of him, his presence, his warmth.
Heat pooled within me as the realization dawned upon me.
Ares saved me.
From being molested.
A flurry of butterflies fluttered within my ribcage. Who knew a man, a man I fantasized about, a man that was too uptight and cold- would end up saving me.
A new feeling aside from lust filled within me, I had a new found respect for Ares Estevan.
"How did you find me?" I whispered out the question, discovering my sore throat that was probably from screaming.
"I happened to pass by," He replied quietly.
Another veil of silence.
"Are you feeling okay?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"I am," I replied quickly.
"What happened to them?" I decided to ask, "I saw you injuring them pretty badly."
"Do they always bother you?" I turned my head to look at him. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he looked like a shadow. My eyes lingered on his perfect nose, jawline and slightly long hair- a strand or two fanned his forehead.
My eyes watered.
He saved me.
"They do," I whispered in a broken voice, "Thank you for saving me."
"Do you live in that area?" He questioned, turning his head to me. His black eye was emotionless, his grey eye shone dully. I knew they couldn't encase emotions, but for a passing moment I saw something flcker in them.
"I did before living here."
What do I call this?
Fate?
Now, I didn't want to believe in fate. It was a bitch that ate you alive. I believed in living, not being a puppet on the stage of a play.
But I knew it existed.
"I hope you aren't thinking that I am some weak bitch who can't defend herself."
Something akin to disbelief flashed in his features before he concealed it swiftly.
"Is that the perception you have of me, Ms. Campbell? You think I am someone to deem women weak?"
"No I didn't mean that," I denied vehemently, "It's just how people think. So I wa-"
"I don't think you are a weak person who can't defend herself, Ms. Campbell," He replied politely, sneakily censoring my words, "I think anyone in your situation would react how you did."
I stared at him.
For the first time, ever, I felt like I was talking with someone who had a wider perspective of everything. Someone who didn't measure everyone on the same scale and didn't assume things.
It just made him ten times hotter.
A man of intelligence was hard to come by, a man of look was hard to come by. A man who possessed both looks and intelligence came by once in a millennium.
Ares was a man of looks and intelligence- and it suited him.
"Thank you for understanding that," I sighed, "I am a bitch but I am a human too you know?"
I saw the corner of his full, plump lips quirking upwards ever so slightly, "You have a... colorful mouth."
"And I think you are too polite," I let out a sigh as I got up.
I felt the air between us shift as I let my eyes linger on him. He was dressed in a ashy green button up shirt that was loose and exposed a generous amount of his decolletage, his rough, yet smooth olive skin on display.
His stubbles were carved neatly to perfection. His eyes stared ahead, his wet hair indicated that he had just taken a shower.
"Ms. Campbell?" His baritone broke my trance as I blinked.
"Yeah?"
"I will send the doctor in, please discuss whatever you have to with him..." He stood up, much to my dismay, "I have to attend something. See you later."
"Wait!" Before I could think, I lurched forward and grabbed his wrist. His callous skin was soft under my palm, I could feel his veins.
He froze under my touch.
I scooted myself closer, at the edge of the bed, looking up to his eyes. He was intimidatingly tall from this position.
I licked my chapped lips, "Are you okay, Ares?"
A frown etched his brows as he turned his head to me. My skin burned, a droplet of sweat traveled down my neck in my cleavage, the coldness of it making me shiver, my nipples pebble.
My eyes fell on his full, supple lips and I imagined how it would feel to kiss them.
From this angle, he looked like the male epitome of sex. Someone who oozed sensual aura but wasn't aware of the effect they had on others.
He looked like a god, his name did him justice. Ares.
"I am."
"You fought pretty fiercely back there," I whispered, my heart palpitating furiously, "I hope you didn't get injured."
He raised an eyebrow.
"How did you learn to fight so smoothly?" My voice was an octave low, slow, I couldn't find my voice; not in front of him. He just looked so domeneering, so neat. My thumb softly caressed inside his wrist, feeling his pulse.
His face hardened instantly as he yanked his hand, "It's none of your business."
With that, he walked away, slamming the door behind him.
I frowned, confused.
What happened that made him react that way?
I saw Archer lurking behind the door as he watched Ares, hands shoved in pocket.
He wore a coat, a loose tie hanging around his neck as he walked in with ease, a smile on his face. He looked like he just returned from a meeting.
"How are we doing Adrianna?" He questioned as he took a seat beside me, scrutinizing me intently, his eyes roaming over my face as if to check if I had any injuries.
"Better," I sighed, my head felt like a lead, "Feels like a truck ran over me."
"Ares told me what happened," He frowned as I stiffened, "Seriously Adri, how can you not eat enough?"
I let out a breath, my body alerting itself as shock coursed through me.
He told Archer that I passed out from fatigue?
I was grateful to this man, in more ways than one.
"Sorry," I said sheepishly, smiling.
Suddenly, the question I asked Ares previously popped in my mind.
"Archer?"
"Hm?"
"Ares... uh did he learn to fight somewhere?" I asked carefully, trying not to let my voice waver.
He frowned as his smile fell.
"How do you know he fights, Adri?"
"Uh..." I pursed my lips, "He slipped and told me."
That was probably the lamest excuse I could come up with.
Hell, I only knew the man for three days and even I knew he didn't slip.
Every word he spoke was well thought, articulated carefully. He wasn't a man of many words, but every word that came out of his mouth was heavy and meaningful.
And Archer probably knew this man his whole life.
Archer's frown deepened.
"He slipped?" He asked in disbelief.
I nodded vigorously.
"Wow," He scratched his neck, "And I thought we were brothers. He doesn't even spare me a second glance."
I nodded sadly, sympathizing with him.
I wish he would spare me a second glance too.
"I don't know if I can tell you about it..."
"Then..." I interjected carefully, "Would you mind telling me about the accident?"
It was a question I have been meaning to ask since I got here. I wanted to know what Ares had lost.
Was his loss as damaging as mine?
Did he see those images in his dreams like I see my father's disfigured body almost every night?
I wanted to know if he was shattered, like me.
It was a thirst for finding someone similar to me, someone who understood my nightmares.
He sighed, "I guess I can tell you this one."
I nodded, shifting myself to make myself comfortable.
"It happened 13 years ago."
My heart jumped in my ribcage.
"2008?" I questioned, my voice shaky.
He nodded, "Ares was 22. Young, handsome. Dark. He was reputed to be the most eligible bachelor in Annapolis. Of course after our older brother Liam. Liam was the primary heir and he was to take the reign of the Estevan chain of companies soon."
"How old was Liam?"
A sad look passed on his features, "He was 25. He was of my age. Ares was known to be our introverted brother, while me and Liam were the most extraverted ones. Liam liked parties, girls. He enjoyed life. Like how I am now."
"Ares would be the one whom you would find on a table, either playing games or solving calculus. He gained a lot of attention as an heir, but as a man? Not so much."
I cracked a smile, "He is always like this, isn't he?"
"He is."
I let out a breath.
"It was the night of a ceremonial gala. A gala for the employees of the Estevan group and industries. I still remember my dad tucking me into bed, kissing me goodnight, here-" He pointed at the middle of his forehead, "And telling me that I couldn't go because I had a bad fever. How I wish they would stay back for me."
Melancholy swirled within me as the glimmer of his eyes faded into a depressing grey.
"Ares didn't want to go too. It wasn't crucial. Dad pressurized him, insulting him and he finally managed to get him in the car with him."
If Ares didn't go that day...
He would probably still have his eyesight. He would probably be living a normal life, with a normal family.
I let out a sigh.
Travelling down the road of life, sometimes we see many hurdles that we are bound to cross. Ares probably saw that hurdle too.
"It was 1 AM when we got the news. A butler informed me that our Porsche was the subject of an accident. The cause of death, another car flying towards it. Dad was dead on the spot, Liam was still breathing. Ares was driving the car. He suffered from injury in his head and his spine."
Archer was breathing heavily, I could see that he was trying to keep himself together.
"Archer it's ok-"
"No, it's alright. I wanna tell."
I nodded.
"Ares and Liam were taken to the hospital. It was a noisy situation. Two heirs of the Estevan corporation were injured, the CEO is dead. It was bound to be noisy. Liam died in the way. I didn't get to see his body. People say it was distorted."
Like my dad.
"He was buried before the dawn could paint the sky. Ares however, was still alive. Fighting with death, like the stubborn ass bastard he is."
I let out a breath.
"By the span of hours I lost two of my major family members and one of them was severely injured. The doctors discovered that small glass shards penetrated his left eye. His right eye was also severely damaged because of his head injury. After surgery they had to remove his left eye's iris and replace it with an artificial veil, concealing his distorted eye forever."
"Wait... his eyes aren't.."
He shook his head, "His eyes were grey, much like mine. They weren't naturally of different colors."
I blinked.
My eyes examined Archer's eyes.
Archer's eye color did match Ares', but his eyes were more upturned, accentuated, piercing, like a regality. Archer's eyes were more almond like. Both were different and attractive, but still, I preferred Ares' eyes more.
They didn't shine with life but they were like magnets.
"Half of his face was damaged as well. He wears a mask because of that."
"Why not get a cosmetic surgery?"
"The muscles are heavily damaged, so much so that they have replaced them bit by bit. He is getting continuous surgeries. In a year and a half, he should be able to regain his facial form."
I let out a sigh.
An accident that changed so many lives.
I licked my lips, "I know it's not appropriate to ask again, but I really want to know how he learned to fight..." I sighed.
"You will be able to understand better now why I refused to tell you earlier. He was trained to fight.
He was brooding but rebellious, so when our father wanted to keep him as an extra heir for our company just in case, he got himself into something that was not expected from an Estevan. After his accident, he was deemed to be ineligible for it."
I frowned. "What is this-"
"Ares used to serve in the military Adrianna. He was a soldier on break when he got into the accident."
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Boom.
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𝐌𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐨. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬!
🍿🍿: 𝐬𝐬𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐡𝐳.𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝.𝐜𝐨/
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𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 ❤︎