|Ch.29
_________
"How did you find all these?"
Ian quirked an eyebrow at Jeremy's question. How did he find out? Was it his sheer dumb luck? Or maybe because it was his right to know? Whatever the reason it was,he knew it should be him who should handle this case. After all,Arabella was his wife.
"Does it matter now? And know that I'm only letting you join this because I also needed something from you?"
It was Jeremy's turn to raise an eyebrow. A mocking smirk fell from his lips as he judged Ian from his hawk like eyes which seemed to be hiding a storm. "And what is that if I may ask,your majesty?"
Ian felt this urge to punch the man right then and there. The sarcasm dripping from the blonde man was enough to provoke Ian's demon. Now if it wasn't for his wife dearest,he would have killed the fucker for the disrespect.
"How did Arabella go mute?"
Jeremy paused at the question. Squinting his eyes,he stayed silent for few seconds as if trying to comprehend the question. "....what makes you think she is not born mute?"
Ian wanted to scoff at this question. The woman could speak just fine,so why should he think she was born mute?
".....Arabella told me so",Ian lied shamelessly infront of her brother's face.
For a second,Jeremy had a disappointed look but it was gone sooner than it appeared. He looked away at the wall as if he is trying to search words in that damn boring wall. He opened his mouth but the words got stuck in his throat,he blinked his eyes as if trying to erase something from his eyes. It was obvious. So obvious how vulnerable he was when it came to this topic.
"...she–she told you anything?",Though Jeremy was trying his best to hide his breakdown,his voice broke slightly.
Ian squinted his eyes suspiciously. "What do you think?"
Jeremy looked at Ian with a mocking smile,"Tink will never speak about that day. Not even to you,jerk"
Tink,Ian had heard him calling her this specific nickname whenever he is subconsciously worrying about her. It seemed like even he did not notice when he called her that.
"What.happened.to.her?",Ian pressed each word as he used his domineering persona came out slowly. His patience had limits. And now was not a time he needed to test it.
Jeremy,"What will you do if you got to know it?"
Ian clenched his fists trying so hard to not snap at the fucker.
"None of your business"
"Oh yes it is! Fucker"
Ian took a deep breath reminding himself that this man was his wife's brother. His jaw ticked like he was holding every ounce in him from jumping at him.
"Jeremy Campbell,do not forget who I am! You work under me! And I am your sister's husband!"
Jeremy slammed his fist on the table like a beast on a leash. Gritting his teeth,he snarled,"I work for no one! And do I need to remind you that your marriage is just a contract?! Arabella does not belong to you,bastard! One day,the contract will come to an end. And I will definitely make sure that none of you fuckers will never see a glimpse of —"
Click
Ian's gun was at a centimeter away from Jeremy's forehead. "Don't test me Campbell. What,contract? To fuck with that. It happened between your father and my mother,it does not concern me. I chose to marry Arabella,I chose to give my last name to her,I chose to make her my queen,I chose to make her mine.....so when it comes to the end of the contract, I will decide what to do with my wife. And infact,I have already decided.....a mere piece of paper cannot control me"
Jeremy had a blank expression. "....you love her?"
Ian,"...."
His answer was silence. It was enough of an answer to Jeremy. Ian was not supposed to fall in love,infact it was the forbidden rule in their world. Love is a forbidden fruit. And the saying goes that 'forbidden fruit tastes the best'.
Jeremy,"You might die"
To love,you should be brave enough to take the risk of losing your life. Ian was clearly strong and upto this day he never had a weakness,thus his enemies had no opening. But what if he grew a weakness?
Jeremy stared into the unwavering eyes of the man. Looking away,he spoke,"....she was kidnapped when she was ten. After we saved her,she never spoke. We tried our best to make her speak but she never spoke. Then she got kidnapped a few more times too. Somehow,they left her alone even before we could find her again. Every time she went missing,she would come back like a soulless person. Never speaks,never responds"
Ian stared at how Jeremy avoided looking into his eyes. There were definitely some things he was hiding but Ian didn't go to pursue the matter for now. Not yet. He slowly lowered his gun.
"Is that why you chose me as his groom? To protect her?"
Jeremy snickered,"I did not choose you. It was the man who called himself our 'father' who chose you. And to think my dumb sister actually took a liking to you,I wanted to kill her"
Ian's eyes darkened,"Watch how you speak about my wife"
Jeremy did not seem to mind the threat. He had always treated his sister like trash anyways. Why should he change now?
"My old man must have thought of you as a perfect shield to protect her but I do not see it in that light. To me,you are a selfish bastard. Just like the rest. And Tink,she is different. She is too weak to live in this world"
Ian thought otherwise. Arabella was definitely not weak. She survived until now. She even went as far as pretending to be mute. She did everything to survive. It shows how desperate she was to live.
Somehow thinking about everything she went through,he felt an unfamiliar and displeasing feeling rising up through his chest. It felt like someone is squeezing his heart from insides before boiling it in a hot pot. The pain shot through upon his veins like venomous poison. The killing intends intensified at the thought of someone hurting his little siren.
________
After the meeting with Jeremy,Ian straight up went to his bedroom to find his heartbeat. Yes,his heartbeat. He could only feel his heart wherever she is. The joy of feeling his blood pumping like it wants to drown in a sweet wine called 'Arabella',he so badly wanted that at the moment.
And when he spotted her laying on the bed with a facial mask on,he climbed upon the bed before ripping off the facial mask off of her face.
"Hey! My beauty mask!—",her accusation got cut off when the man snuggled against her neck like a baby. She started whining,not feeling slightest bit of romance in the air,"Get off Ian. I JUST put the face mask but you just had to ruin it"
Ian nuzzled against her neck gently,"But you look ugly with that thing on your face. I like beautiful things"
Arabella groaned,"That ugly thing helps me to be beautiful,you idiot"
Ian looked at her face with a raised eyebrow as if he was offended,"Did you just call me an idiot?"
"Yes. And you reek of blood,you know. Just what in the world —wait,what happened to Frieda?"
Ian saw how her face went from carefree to horrified,his little sweetheart wouldn't like what he did. But what could he do,he knows this world better than her. If he didn't eliminate the danger immediately,it would grow up to a disaster. This is hid way of protecting her.
"Stop worrying. I had to deal with some other matters. Wait here,I'll comr back after a quick shower",with that he put the facial mask back on her face and sauntered towards the bathroom.
Just as he said,it was really a quick bath. He came out wearing only a towel and hovered over her again like a clingy baby.
"You look rather clingy all of a sudden",Arabella commented with a now clean face. "What's up?"
Ian stayed silent as he watched how beautiful his wife is. And then he remembered what he got to know today. She was kidnapped,multiple times. Only she knew what she went through. How miserable she must have been.
The blue eyes of the man restricted his emotions from leaking out. "....do you trust me?"
Arabella was confused as hell. Where did that question come from? Trust? Did she trust him?
"Trust you in what?",she asked.
"Anything"
Arabella asked the question from herself. Did she trust him? This man? The man who tried to kill her? The who ......wait,he has not done anything horrible apart from trying to kill her that one time,right? Rather,he had been nothing but generous,specially with money. Well,it was still hard to forgive him for trying to kill her but.....
"If I give you my trust,will you break it?",she asked.
"....probably",he answered truthfully.
Arabella chuckled slightly,"You are despicable"
Ian smirked,"That's a part of my charm"
Arabella sighed sensing some unusual energy from her husband. Husband,when did she start thinking of him as her husband? Is it wrong to see him as her husband?
She knew it.
She knew she would definitely regret this.
She knew she is going to regret every decision she makes from now on.
Just why did she have to see a human in this demon? Just why did she have to feel something for him?
The pain is coming.
She could see it a mile away from.
"Don't break my trust,Ian. I'm not strong. The trust I place in your hand,it is upto you whether you are going to crumble it or not"
Ian stared into her sad eyes as if trying to swallow them up. Those god damn eyes that make him weak to the bone,he despises them at the same time loves them. He felt like he was trapped in a maze of mist with no escape. The depth of feelings in those eyes,he knew that if they would come to destroy him one day.
He kissed those galaxy of eyes gently,"....I'll be gone for a week. I'll meet you at the party next week. Wait for me there,alright?"
Arabella had a bad feeling. Some lines from the novel came to her mind like a curse to her existence.
Arabella waited for more than four hours at the entrance,waiting for her husband. The winter was already coming to an end yet the atmosphere was still freezing like a god damn ice day.
"The ugly duckling of the Carrington family,huh? Looks like even her husband does not want to be seen with her"
"Gee,even I would be ashamed to show up with a woman like her"
The harsh words didn't hurt her,what hurt her the most was the fact that they were all true. Her husband did not care for her. He did not show up to the party at all. She was like an abandoned child.
Later that night,when she went to her hotel room,she was horrified to see her husband having sex with another woman on her bed. And the fact that the woman looked like Anna even though it was not Anna,showed how much he is desperate he is for her.
The man did not desire his own wife.
He desired another woman.
Arabella gasped loudly when Ian tapped her cheeks with concern written all over his face.
Her breathing ragged slightly,would he do that? This man,this man who is looking at her all worried and concerned?
"You must come to the party",she deadpanned.
She had already placed her trust in his palms. It was his time to show her,to prove her.
"You must,"She whispered with a hardened gaze.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Hey guys
Hope you enjoyed
See ya soon
Vote and comment