Souls tend to go back to who feels like home.
~N.R. Hart
~~~~~~
"Where is Celina?" Aaron asked, taking off his suit jacket.
"She is sleeping." Shadow said stiffly and added, "I have looked after Bram. Want to see him?"
Aaron and Shadow went downstairs in the basement and the former felt his lips parting to curl up in a sick smirk as he smelt the fear lurking in the air.
"I can hear your pathetic heart thumping." Aaron's low voice echoed as the lights went on once Shadow opened the door of the basement.
"Chef Shadow, you did a really good job not only at cooking but at serving as well." Aaron's eyes glinted with pride as his chest rumbled with dangerous laughter on witnessing the handiwork of his man.
On the cold ground laid down the harshly breathing, shivering man whose swollen eyes were barely open. His tattered body had deep wounds with dried blood surrounding them. Not only that but there was an open gash on the right side of his stomach. Starting from under the right nipple, the slash started to curl before ending just above his waistline. The blood was still dripping down from the cleft, reddening his stomach before falling down on the ground.
Aaron bent down before sticking his index and middle finger in the slit and twisting his fingers which made the man scream on the top of his lungs in agony. Aaron guffawed sickly before thrusting his ring finger as well and ordering Shadow to kick Bran's abdomen.
After fisting the gash, Aaron took out his blood covered hand and sprinkled the thick, crimson metallic blood on Bram's pain filled face. Standing up, Aaron schooled his features, commanding, "Sew him up without giving him anesthesia."
"That will be done." Shadow turned around in order to get the necessary medical equipment but stopped in his tracks as Aaron said, "Ask Samael to do it. You should be with Celina now."
Shadow nodded his head before asking, "How is Ms. Johnson?"
"She is on the road to get better. Did you and Celina have dinner today?"
"We did. Rosalind made Lasagna on Celina's request."
Even though Shadow's back was still facing Aaron yet the latter could hear the relief in the former's voice.
"That's good. Send Samael to look after it. We do not want it to die before it suffers, do we?" Aaron asked rhetorically, referring Bram as it.
Both the men left the basement, not at all moved by the anguished yells of help of Bram. Going into his room, Aaron changed into his night clothes before going to the study room through the attached double doors. He was about to study the files placed on the glass table when his cell phone started to ring.
"Yes Dad." Aaron said, opening the file.
"That is no way to greet your father, Aaron."
"Dad, I am sure that you have not called me to give a lesson on my greetings and etiquettes."
"That is true, son. Where are you now?"
"At work." Aaron said stiffly, keeping answers as short as possible.
"Why are you still at work? I thought we specifically asked you to go home after our dinner with the Johnsons." Alexander spoke in disapproving voice and added, "We should have followed you to your home and I should have let Kiara tuck you in the bed."
"Dad, I am not a four year old who needs to be tucked into the bed. I have some important work and that needs to be done here. That is why I am here." Aaron ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Can your work not wait till tomorrow?"
"Dad, you know I would have not come here if it was possible. Don't worry, I will sleep in the penthouse."
Alexander heaved out a deep sigh, knowing well that Aaron would not listen to him. "I wish you would listen to us for once, Aaron James Kent We are your parents."
Aaron cursed loudly as Alexander hung up the call without bidding a farewell.
"And I wish I could make you understand and the things they are, Dad but that could not happen. We all have wishes which cannot be granted to us no matter what. We all desire for the forbidden." Aaron said to himself before burying himself into the files.
It was after an hour when Aaron felt the need to have coffee. Brewing himself a mug, he read the time on his cell phone. It was quarter past eleven in the night. He frowned as there was a notification from Faith. Tapping on the screen, he let out a chuckle on seeing the picture message she had sent him.
It was a picture of Faith with her tongue poking out at the camera. On her left was sitting Iris, reading a book and from the looks of the picture, Aaron figured out that Iris was unknown to the photograph being taken stealthily by Faith. He checked the time to see that he had received the notification one and a half hour ago. He did not reply, not wanting to disturb Faith.
All the way back to the study, his thumb kept on hovering over Iris' picture. Though her face was not visible completely yet the rip could still be seen clearly on her face which only boiled his blood. Out of anger, he threw half-full mug of coffee against the wall before punching the table with his fist.
"I will make sure you die every fucking day before killing you mercilessly. I will make your soul suffer before your body will wither. Curt, you will be dead after dying every bloody second." Aaron vowed in deep voice which had an unflinching strength. His eyes grew purple with fury to the point where he could just burn up Curt to the mere ashes.
Taking the glass of water, Aaron poured it on his head an let out a sigh. He frowned as his cell phone began to ring at this hour. His frown deepened as his mind started running on the track of terrible thoughts on reading Iris' name.
"Ms. Johnson, what happened?" Aaron asked in grave voice but did not receive any answer which only added to his worries.
"Ms. Johnson, you have to tell me whatever is on your mind."
Aaron fell silent on hearing Iris' soft breathing on the other end which somehow managed to calm down his nerves.
"Why are you not asleep?" Aaron asked though he knew that his question would remain unanswered. Sighing, he switched off the lights and went into his room where he laid down on his bed and opened the blinds of the glass window on the roof. His lips curled up in a soft smile as he admired the starlit sky. It was a window as gigantic as his king-sized bed so he could see the entire sky.
"Ms. Johnson, can you look up at the stars?" Aaron asked politely and added, "Today they are shining extra brightly, don't you think so?"
Aaron heard a soft sigh falling from Iris' lips which he knew meant that she was staring at the sky, admiring the same stars as him.
"Is it peaceful enough to make you sleep, Ms. Johnson? Even if it is not then also you have to settle down at this for my singing does not lull one to sleep but makes one sleep forever."
Aaron sat straight abruptly as his world felt swaying, turning upside down and spinning continuously before falling and sitting still. He blinked his eyes as the melodious chimes kept on ringing in his ears. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the light giggles coming from iris. It was for the very first time that he had heard Iris' voice though it was a giggle. Never before in his life of thirty-one years had he felt such serenity he felt on hearing the sweet light laughter.
"Charming." Aaron let the air carry the sweet whisper that tumbled out of his mouth without his consent.
Suddenly, they both fell silent before Aaron laid down on his back and said, "You know why stars tonight are emitting light so fiercely? It is because they are smiling with you, Ms. Johnson. They are happy to see your progress. Keep on marching forward and the stars will keep on glistening for you, to cheer you up."
Settling on the bed, Aaron said, "Come on, Ms. Johnson, you are safe. Sleep peacefully, without a care in the world for not only I but from now on these stars will look after you as well. Just look at them and hear my voice. Let us take you to the land of sleep."
~~~~~~
Next day, Aaron went whistling to the work which took his employees by surprise for they had never before witnessed this side of their employee.
"Good morning, Margaret. Please come to my office and tell me the schedule of the day." Saying that, Aaron went to his office, carrying on whistling joyously.
"Today you have no meetings except going through the reports of the departments and you said you would like to visit our new café today and restaurant tomorrow."
"Is the furniture set up at both the laces?" Aaron enquired.
"Yes, everything is done. It is only about the time that you get it opened."
"Why don't we inaugurate our café and restaurant?"
"Inaugurate?" Margaret's eyebrows rose up in surprise as she said, "But you have never any part of your food chain before?"
"Because earlier I did not have someone for that." Aaron smiled gently saying, "So it is decided that we will get them inaugurated on coming Thursday. And now about the preparations for the gathering I will be having with the girls and their families."
"Yes, everything is arranged. If you want I can connect you to the organizer right now." Margaret offered, taking out the tablet but Aaron abstained her from doing so.
"No, I would like to go there and finalize everything. You have to attend the dinner too."
"I still don't understand why you are inviting me." Margaret stated her doubt to which Aaron gave her a smile.
"Margaret, why do you think you are not important to me? You have given four years of your life to this food chain. Besides, you have stuck to me even when you did not know what I was up to. You support me when I keep things hidden from you. I respect you for being my employee and friend. Thank you for being here and never doubting me, never questioning my intentions though it gets on your nerves pretty much all the time."
Margaret gave Aaron a wobbly smile as the tears threatened to spill from her green wrinkled eyes on her cheeks. Dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief, Margaret let out a soft chuckle, saying, "You cannot do that, Aaron. You cannot just pour out everything when it is the least expected. You could have just ordered me to attend the gathering instead of saying all this and making me so emotional. Now I need touch up."
Though Margaret let out an annoyed huff yet both of them laughed at her overdramatic speech.
"Now should I take that you are accepting my humble invitation?"
"Of course, it is a yes. I can never say no to free food." Margaret giggled to which Aaron chuckled but his laughter died down as Margaret's smile turned into a mischievous smirk.
"So who is she?" Margaret asked with raised brows.
"Who is who?"
Margaret rolled her eyes, warning with her index finger pointing at him, "Don't you dare hide it from me, Aaron. As you said, I am your friend so you cannot just hide such important things from me."
"Margaret, really I do not understand what you are saying." Aaron said seriously with his bushy brows drawn together.
"Aaron, you came here whistling and smiling which is so not like you. And you are even ready to have inauguration this time which is unusual so who is responsible behind the sudden changes?" Margaret asked, her voice turning serious.
"I am just happy that I finally got this get together to arrange. You know I have been trying for this dinner for a while now." Aaron lied straight through his teeth.
"Just so you know that I am not buying your lies. It is okay if you do not want to tell me the reason, I understand. So, I will be there at night." Margaret stood up to leave the office.
"And bring your family as well." Aaron said, opening a file.
"Sure, thank you." Margaret opened the door and glanced over her shoulder, calling out Aaron's name. He looked up at her with questioning eyes.
"I do not know what it is that made you so cheerful today but I hope that the reason stays in your life and you keep on smiling." Saying that, Margaret left the office.
"I hope the reason stays happy as well." Aaron mumbled into the empty office before taking out his cell phone and dialing Iris' number who picked up at the fourth ring.
"Ms. Johnson, good morning." Aaron greeted and basked into the soft breathing he could hear coming from the other end.
"I hope you slept well last night, Ms. Johnson. Will you be coming to the dinner tonight? Please do come tonight for all the girls will be there too."
Aaron leaned into the chair and smiled on hearing the soft sigh of Iris.
"We will meet tonight, Ms. Johnson. Take care." Saying that, Aaron hung up the call and kept his cell phone in the mobile holder.
He opened the file again to read the departmental reports when his phone went off, notifying him about a text message.
I slept well. I will come tonight.
It was a simple message from Iris, answering Aaron's question but it was enough to make his mood even better.