I decided to say fuck it and alter the story here that way I have a better foundation to work with so that I can still have something to work with, so I can have more motivation. Enjoy!
~
Derek's POV:
There she stands, the beautiful, tall brunette. She has piercing green eyes that could have any man on their knees at any moment. Aria Torres, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, walks down the sidewalk in front of a bunch shops in the middle of town. Her short hair falls just on her shoulders, her bangs curtaining on the sides of her complexion as a firm facial expression sits on her face.
I'm not a stalker, Aria knows me, but there are things she doesn't know, such as the standing marriage contract for our wedding.
I didn't want that for us, but it's what my father and her mother wanted. Aria's mother is a wicked woman. She hates her daughter with everything she's got. I'm unsure why though.
I watch as Aria and her best friend Rowan continue shopping around, killing time at the outlet mall. I hate her best friend. She takes subtle jabs at Aria, small remarks about her weight, her occasional acne, her struggles with mental health, it pisses me off. I still remember when Delina told me about it, laughing at her daughter's misfortune. I wanted nothing but to punch that damn woman.
Aria isn't fat, but she's not the skinniest person either, which is fine, perfect even! She has a belly, it's normal, but Rowan has to shame her for everything. I don't know why such a beautiful person stays around someone so ugly. It's honestly sad. I feel bad for her.
My phone begins ringing, so I answer.
"Derek speaking," I say into the phone. A woman's voice comes through the other end.
"Derek, it's Delina. I was just wondering if our plan is still set for you grab her?"
"Delina, I'm not gonna hold your daughter at gunpoint and make her come with me. I'm gonna get her to come back to my place, if that doesn't work, then I drug her and she's at my place. I don't want her to be scared of me shooting her," I explain to this moron of a mother.
"Fine. Do what you want, but make sure she's out of my house by tomorrow," Delina replies, her tone rude as she hangs up. I roll my eyes and put my phone down before driving off.
My history with Aria is complicated. She dated my brother Ryder for awhile. They were extremely toxic for each other, mainly him. He was a nightmare to deal with, especially when he was angry. Sometimes he'd come to me and tell me about how he'd hit Aria. Any time he did, I'd hit him and force him to apologize to her. Every time he did, he put on this sorrorwful and regretful act that made my blood boil, but she bought it every time and forgave him. It was such a shitshow.
I planned on making a move on Aria shortly after her and Ryder cut off their engagement, but she ended up cutting all ties with my family. She refused to speak to any of us. Her mind was made up and she made it clear that she wasn't changing her mind any time soon. Three years later, she has no choice. I'm going to try to make this transition as smooth as I can for her. I use that term losely. I'm uprooting her life and making her live with me so that her mother doesn't fucking kill her.
I glance back at Aria and notice that she's staring at my car. I can't risk her seeing me right now. I put on my glasses and pull out of my parking spot and zoom by Aria. Her face says it all. She recognizes the car. Damn it, I knew I should've driven something more discreet than a porshe.
~
Aria's POV:
"I'm positive that's Derek's car," I whisper to Rowan, trying not to alert my body guards. They don't really pay attention to me, but I'd like to be safe. If it is Derek, I'd rather not have all the drama. As much as I hate that family, I don't need a shoot out at the mall.
"Whatever, just get over it. Ooh, you have a patch of acne near your ear, I could play connect the dots all day," Rowan giggles, pointing out a small break out on my cheek. I flush red slightly, getting self-conscious. She means well but the things she says upsets me sometimes.
"I know, I've been treating it," I reply. Rowan nods before turning her attention to her phone. She looks back up at me before walking to my body guards to grab her shopping bags.
"Alright, Sean's almost here to pick me up," Rowan says, hustling up the side of the road. I try to protest, but Sean is already there. "Thank you, A, love you, bye!"
I just spent four-hundred dollars on her and she just left me hanging. That's so damn rude. I'm going to have to talk to her about it later. I look down at the ground for a second, but my body guard, Ethan, puts a hand on my shoulder. I look back at him, and his stern expression softens. Ethan's kind of like an older brother to me. He's in his mid-thirties, and I'm in my mid-twenties.
"Forget about her, let's go get some lunch," Ethan suggests. I nod, a smile creeping on my lips. Ethan and Max, my other body guard, walk with me until we get to my favorite restaurant to have a nice quiet afternoon lunch.
That can't be Derek's car. He hated the porshe, I think? Or did he love it? I don't know anymore. It's unlikely that that's actually Derek. I haven't spoken to that family in years and they don't have any business in town.
If it is Derek though, I wonder what kind of damn business him and his family are up to, because I know damn well, if he's in town and not sitting at his mansion, he's up to something.