A costly switch
It was already minutes past five in the evening after the long day’s job and meetings, when Alex realized that he was supposed to call Aria about the outing that Dalton had talked about earlier.
He fumbled with his phone for a while as he contemplated in his mind, on how he would talk to her on phone since he had never had to call her in that manner before.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
The clothes and shoes that he had ordered were on their way to the mansion by delivery, but he had not even called the owner of the dress to inform her that Dalton wanted her to be ready by six for an event.
Before he was done with every company issue that he was to sought out, time flew so fast without him even realizing.
He would have thought that calling to inform her an hour before the time would be easy, but he soon realized in disappointment the moment he had called her phone and it was switched off.
Calling the home phone would not have even been a problem, but it was certain that no one would even pick the phone up to give it to her. The head maid who was mostly the phone receiver could never climb the stairs that now led to her room, which would have been easier in the past if she was still in the room by the hallway.
As Alex continued to try calling her phone to confirm if she would switch on the phone soon, he used his second line to call the dispatch company if the package had been delivered to the mansion, alongside the note that was meant to be put in it.
He was somewhat relieved that the note in the package had every detail, of the time, place and other things to be known by the receiver.
Never would he have thought that including Dalton’s wife in his daily routine too, would be the beginning of his job jeopardy at the Millers.
****~•`•~****
Aria laid longer than she could vividly remember on the cold floor, the moment she finished the second part of the piece of work she was painting.
She was exhausted and tired beyond being able to move her limbs, with her brain trying hard to shut down to the sleep she was struggling with. Her body system was responding to the shot that the doctor had given her, early in the morning before she left the room.
Not too long after she did not reply to Dalton’s message and switched off her phone, she remembered that Collin had told her to send a picture of what she was painting, when she told him about it. He was not able to believe her immediately, when she said she had started painting again.
He could tell that it was the only thing she enjoyed doing when he met her, in which she rarely even devoted her time to it, but she was close to perfect. She didn’t have to learn so fervently or practice much, before she performed art wonders with her stroke of brushes.
Seeing the great potential she had as an artist that she always claimed she wasn’t, he joined an art competition on her behalf without telling her, because he knew she would oppose it.
Collin created an account for her, registered her name, and even made a portfolio using the best amongst the artworks she had painted for fun.
It was really surprising since it was just a trial to him, but she came second place for the first round of the competition. The moment he told her what he had done against her wishes, she cut him off for two weeks without contacting or seeing him.
It took so much consistency for him to convince her to take part in the second round, after he apologized for doing what she had always insisted that she wasn’t interested in.
When she finally agreed to take part in the contest, it was totally based on a confirmation that it was not going to be aired on the internet, so that no one would have to recognize her.
The paintings came out much better than she had ever done, because she had put more effort into it than she had ever done. Coming second place again for the second round, suddenly gave her a desire to beat the same person who always came first.
The evening for the final evaluation of the winner by onstage painting and voting, the candidate for second place was nowhere to be found when it started.
Collin had searched frantically for her in frustration and craziness, with every of her contact lines switched off with nowhere to trace her to. By the time he saw her after hours had passed and everything had ended, it was raining hard that night and she was completely sodden in water.
It was the first time he had ever seen her show her worst side, which had her sobbing on the spot without any words to say.
They were not loud or chaotic, but silent and painful. She never told what had caused her to cry or where she had gone to, and also quit painting after without giving a reason for it.
No matter how hard he tried to help her to get back to it, she always told him never to bring up the topic of painting anymore to her ears. However, he was more than shocked at what had suddenly made her start painting again.
It was when he got a message from her, which was a picture of what she was painting. He couldn’t help but think more of the fun times he had with her.
The time he had run away from home and ghosted everyone in his family, she was the only friend he made even if their good relationship was a toxic beginning. He definitely wasn’t going to lose her this time around.
With her eyes drooping nonstop and flickering to sleep, Aria had so many skeptical thoughts going on in her mind.
‘What if I sleep and these drugs don’t black me out finally? What would I do? Think!!!! Should you sleep or not? Should you give in to this sleep or not? Should you……..’ And right there in that position, she drifted into a deep sleep right on the floor in the center of the mansion library.
The mood at the ball party that was being hosted by Dalton’s grandfather at the tower top, exuded the extreme power, opulence, wealth and affluence that the people in that space possessed.
Mr. Mark Miller was hosting the event to pass on the highest percentage of his company shares to his grandson, which would automatically make him by far unbeatable in every economic sector in the country.
He had promised Dalton that he would make him the wealthiest billionaire in the country by far, if he married the lady of his own choice and became a better person through the marriage.
The fact that Aria had been hanging on well without putting any fight against the family, was a saving grace which would completely fade off the moment she threw another tantrum again.
Bringing her before his grandfather had been a very hard speculation for him for days, because the moment she dropped the bombshell of how sad and loveless the marriage had been, it would be over.
Therefore, the moment he got a mail from his grandfather after the morning she sent her divorce papers, he knew he could never do anything to aggravate her till he succeeded in getting what he wanted.
Getting her the most luxurious cloth was the least he could do, to make sure that she was in the best shape for her not to sabotage his step way to higher success. He just had to bring her before his grandfather, looking all beautiful and radiant that no one would suspect a thing.
‘Giving her a company of her own? That was the least of what he could do. They could never divorce before the three years were finally over. Never would he allow that.’
Alex had called the mansion operators at home to confirm if Aria had left the mansion, and they told him that a car had left with a lady in it from the mansion. They didn’t see her face, but they knew that she left in the black limousine that was arranged to pick her up in the mansion, by exactly 6:20pm.
He got a call a few minutes later from the chauffeur who was driving the limousine, that they were just a minute away from the towel ground.
Quickly, to avoid no ostentatious display or anything too attractive in front of the tower, he told the chauffeur to drive the limousine to the back of the tower where there was an exclusive entryway to the top.
Dalton, who knew his grandfather would soon give a short speech which would follow a greeting, excused himself from the party and took the elevator that would lead him to the underground parking lot. Making a grand entry with Aria would be the best, so that people would not have a reason to question their physical closeness.
When the car parked neatly at the positioned spot, the chauffeur stepped out of the limousine immediately looking all manly and built. He walked over to open the door to the car, for the beautiful lady that occupied the backseat to step out gracefully.
Her long slender right leg strapped to her light striking stilettos stepped out of the limousine first, revealing the carat diamond heels that was fitted perfectly to her legs. Her second leg followed for her entire body balance, before she finally stepped out of the car looking so gorgeous and intimidating to sight.
The moment her face came to light for Alex to see clearly as she stepped into the underground lot, was when he would have begged something to snap off his neck at that instant.
It would have been probably bearable for him if was able to scream out at the costly mistake that he had made, but Dalton was just walking into the space to hold on to his wife by the hand, and lead her back to the tower top.
But that was going to happen. They were both staring at an entirely different person who was wearing the complete combination of the cloth that Aria was supposed to be putting on for the party. There were four ladies that were present in the mansion when the package arrived, but they just had to deliver it carelessly for the wrong person to wear it.
‘He better go just stand in front of a moving truck, because there was barely any way to fix the shit that was about to happen. Screwed was an understatement.’