It felt like everything was a dream. Never in my life did I imagine having someone who would value me so much. I never considered how different it would be to love someone who would love me back.
The fear I had when I walked to his office was now replaced with a feeling of relief.
He loves me.
He had always loved me.
As he held me close to his heart, I saw the glimpse of my Mumma smiling. She softly nodded at me, and she smiled her heart out.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Amore." He said as leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he pulled my face closer to his. My breathing became erratic as he leaned into my lips. Earlier in the office, I'd just pressed my lips on his, what if he wanted to kiss me ? Damn it! I don't want to embarrass myself.
As I sped the train of my thoughts, I felt his lips on my cheek. He knew exactly the sort of emotions I was feeling because he was the one I was feeling them for. I could see him smiling."Only you, mi amore. Only you."
My heart raced on overdrive. Before he could tease me anymore, I pulled the door shut on his face, I could hear him laughing as I leaned against the door, keeping my hand on my heart breathing heavily, trying to calm my racing heart.
The next day came and I felt too excited to meet him. I was still thinking about the previous day, the day that had changed my life forever when I heard a knock on my door.
When I opened the door, I saw Mama and Nicolas standing there. While Mama was smiling, he had a tint on his cheek.
"Ari," Mama exclaimed as she threw her arms around my neck, hugging me close to her. I looked at him silently asking what was happening? He smirked at me and shrugged off making me shoot a glare at his side.
Mama then pulled me into the living room. Nicolas following closely. "I didn't know my one drink would do such wonders." She beamed as she looked at me and then at her son. "Finally you guys confessed to each other." she sighed dreamily and then added."Nico had literally eaten my ears off for the past three months."
I chuckled when Nicolas' face reddened in embarrassment.
"Spill the tea, dear." She said as she assessed me for details making me blush furiously.
"We talked Mama," I concluded in a sentence making her smirk widen."I'll spare you with the details since you are my kids but.." before she could continue or question any more I interrupted her by telling her that I'll make coffee for both of them.
I took a deep breath as I stepped inside the kitchen. I heard footsteps behind me, I glanced over my shoulder to see him walking towards me. As I looked over the coffee, I felt him placing his palms on the counter from behind me.
Surprise washed over me as I felt him standing so close."Someone was laughing a lot, huh?" he said as he kept his chin on my shoulder.
I smirked, tempted to get on his nerves today."Who? Who was laughing?"
I felt his hands encircling around my waist."Wasn't it someone whose name starts with A?"
"Nicolas what are you doing?", I ask with a hint of annoyance in my voice.
"Kids I told you to make coffee, not kids." My cheeks felt they'd burst into flames. What would Mama be thinking of me now?
I glared at him."You.. why the f*ck did you even come after me in the first place." He looked like he wanted to say anything but I continued."Do you realize what Mama would be thinking about me? How the hell am I going to face her now." I slammed his coffee mug on the counter back and gave the deadliest look I could muster. "Make your own damn coffee."
"Arielle.", he wanted to say when I heard loud voices from my living room.
".. you don't interfere in my Nico's life.", I heard Mama yelling. It seemed she was really angry at the other person.
As I neared the living room, I felt his hand wrap around my wrist, and when I glanced at him, I frowned in confusion and distress. His jaw was clenched, eyes filled with anger. I couldn't help but wonder who the person was who got Mama and Nicolas worked up so much.
His grip on my hand seemed to only tighten with every step we took. When we reached the living room, I noticed an elderly man glaring at Mama, it was the coldest glare I'd ever seen.
His grey eyes were as hard as concrete, surprisingly they resembled Nicolas' a lot, wait, surprise and Nicolas Arnold don't go along.
"He's my damn son, Rylie, ", His gruff voice resonated and my suspicion turned into belief.
He was his father.
I stood shocked, staring at him in disbelief. Why didn't he tell me about him before?
Nicolas' grip on my hand tightened more.
"Didn't remember that for the past five years?", Mama spat chuckling humorlessly." God! you're so pathetic." She crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the man in front of her with the same intensity, her beautiful eyes that always seemed to be flowing with love looked like a storm of hatred at this moment.
His eyes glanced my way and I felt my breath catch in my chest. The glare intensified as he slowly walked past Mama and towards me, the air around us so thick with tension.
Before he could stand right in front of me, Mama did the strangest thing. She grabbed his arm and turned him."Don't you dare go near my kids."
"What the hell is wrong with you, Rylie. Do you know how tarnished our reputation will be when the whole world finds out that the sole heir of Arnold fell in f*cking love and that too with a middle class lonely traumatized woman?" His voice cut through the room, sending the air around us into a frenzy. The hatred in his voice seemed as if I was some trash who clearly didn't deserve any love or respect.
His grip on me tightened more as if a chain had been cast over my wrist.
As if he let go, I'd vanish.
"Get out.", Mama's voice snapped me out of my chain of thoughts."Get out before I kick your a*s out of here Arthur and trust me I won't shy away from doing it." Her voice was so cold, like a frozen river, a river of anger, and I never thought she could possibly sound so dreadful.
"You've always been like this, always had thought with your damn heart and by not your brain." The man snapped back at Mama." This was the reason why Alexander left us."
Deafening silence followed. His voice was like a sharp knife. The way he snapped at her, the way his lips curled into a snarl as he spoke. I took a step as I could see Mama's eyes fill with tears but his hand stopped me in my tracks.
"You were the reason why Alex left and now your this daughter will be the reason for the destruction of my other son," he added and before I knew Mama had hit him, the air was filled with the sound of a loud slap, it echoed and bounced around the rooms.
"Don't you dare call my daughter destruction.", she threatened. My heart swelled with an unconditional warmth. "You-", she pointed her index finger at him,"-You are the destruction of my family. You are the reason Amara is dead, you're the reason my Kia is living without her mother and you're the f*cking reason why my Nico stayed away from me for a whole year. You are the reason why our relationship didn't work.", she took a step towards him as her eyes glinted with pure cold hatred." And if I see you around my son or my daughter, I swear on my kids Arthur, I'll f*cking kill you."
His eyes snapped at me and throwing a glance that showed pure disgust and loathe, he left my house.
Mama sighed as she let out a trembled sigh. My heart constricted so tightly that I couldn't even breathe as I watched the tears trickle down her cheeks. The woman who didn't even show a pinch of weakness in the past few minutes looked so broken at the moment.
I felt Nicolas' grip on me loosen as he stormed off the room, my eyes catching a glimpse of tear in his grey eyes.
As much as I wanted to be with him, Mama needed her daughter more.
I cautiously neared Mama and my heart started to race as I could see her body tremble.
"Mama," I whispered as I wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Remember how you told me, Mumma was an angel sent for an angel." She looked up at me and smiled through her tears. "You were wrong," I said as I grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "God sent me two angels, one who gave me life, the other gave me love." Her eyes shined with love and unconditional warmth." and I promise you, Mama, I'll always treasure this love."
She looked at me with tear-stained eyes as she took a step and pulled me into a hug. The tightness in my chest subsided, my heart felt so full and I knew that I couldn't have a better life if it wasn't for her. "My Nico made the right choice.", she said as she held me close to her.
She kissed my forehead," God bless you, my dear." As she turned, I couldn't help but grab her hand back. She smiled as she told me she wasn't going to cry over a pathetic man but going to see Sienna who had earlier called her.
"Promise me you won't think about all that happened today, again."
"I promise.", she smiled as she walked out of the house.
Now, Nicolas, where was he?
I locked my house and first of all took a cab to his penthouse but when I reached there, the security guard told me he hadn't come for a few hours.
Office it was.
When I reached his office, I was a nervous wreck, what if he wasn't here too?
As I walked inside his workplace, the first thing I noticed was a tense silence. It felt as if the employees weren't humans but robots. They worked so mechanically and their movements seemed as if they had been programmed. I looked at each and every one of them as they passed by me. Most of them had their eyes fixed on the screens, their eyes furrowed in fear and pressure.
The scene was pretty clear, their boss i.e. Nicolas Arnold was here.
When I neared his cabin. I flinched listening to the sudden sound of things falling. Ryan was standing out, scared to death. I raised my brow silently asking what happened.
"Mr Arnold sir is so furious Miss Summers. He swiped all the things off his desk when he arrived. He's not talking to anyone and when I try to talk to him, he just stares at me with those piercing eyes of his," he shivered. "Now only you can do something."
I sighed as I opened the door. He was nowhere in the sight. His cabin was a mess, with papers on the floor and glass pieces splattered like water across the room. My stomach dropped, I swear if he hurt himself.
I pressed the witchy button that'd teleport us to the breathtaking place.
As I ascended the stairs, I saw him standing.
He was looking out of the large French windows, his hands fisted in a ball, knuckles shining with blood. My heart thumped against my rib cage as I neared him. I reached out my hand. "Nicolas," I said softly. He turned around and looked at me, his eyes were so red, blood-soaked.
"I don't want to talk now, .", he said and turned back. His voice was void of emotions as he glared at the view in front of him.
"I'm not here to talk to you," I said firmly as I stood right beside him."I'm here to be with you."
He looked at me as he neared closer and within the next seconds he reached out to embrace him." I failed as a son, Arielle.", he whispered, his voice cracked as he spoke. "I hate myself for not saying anything when the man insulted my Mama."
I shook my head pulling back."No, you did right." I reasoned."If you'd stepped in between Mama and him, Mama would have had felt weak which she's not. Don't blame yourself. You're a very good son, an excellent friend, an amazing uncle and above all, you're a good man." I smiled as I kissed his tears away.
His arms encircled around me in a death grip as I softly kissed his eyes."And I'll always love this man."
"Thank you for coming into my life, Arielle." He said as he kissed me softly.
"I'm the blessed one here.", I whispered against his lips.
***