Arranged marriage : Married to an unknown man

Ariana

“Ariana.”

I heard my name being called by Xavier. I was in the closet of his room-our room, changing into my nightclothes. True to his words, he asked Mrs. Molly to transfer my clothes to our room.

“Yes?” I came out of the closet to see him sitting on the bed. He gestured for me to sit beside him on the bed. As I sat, he took my hands in his.

“I’m sorry Ariana.”

Sorry? Again?

“You’re saying too much sorry for the past two days. Now for what?” I asked, frowning.

“Even hundreds of sorry are less to the mistakes I have committed.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“And this time, I’m saying apologizing for forcing you to work as my P. A. I was so blinded in revenge that I ignored that being my P. A. is not your field of work. Today, I realized that you’re made for something else.” He said in a low tone, not looking at me but my hands. He was feeling guilty for what he did. He melted my heart again.

“Xavier look at me.” Slowly, he craned his eyes up. I smiled and clasped his hands tightly.

“Xavier, you don’t have to be sorry about this. By employing me as your P. A., you made me realize what I’m capable of doing. I had never imagined myself working in a huge company. You know, people are ready to kill each other to grab the opportunity to work in your company.” Xavier laughed at my comment.

“And I got the opportunity without even asking for it. You made me stronger, boosted my confidence, unleashed my worth. And you most definitely have not to be sorry for making me see my worth.” I reasoned out.

“You have a very positive approach, Ariana. You inspire me.” He smiled faintly.

“And this time I won’t mess up. This time I’ll give you a perfect offer. *Ahem* So Would you like to work in XDS AUTOTECH as IT security head?”

“Wh.. what?” Did I hear it right?

“You heard me.”

“B.. but how? Wh.. when? I mean I’m not trained to work in big companies. I work as your P. A and what will others say? Just like that, I’m appointed as an IT security head? What about the current person working on that position?” I said everything in one breath.

“Do you really think after what you did in my office I’ll ask you about training? You have worked with the Cybercrime branch which is more than enough for any company to recruit you. And no one can question my decision of employing someone in my company. You’re the perfect choice for that position. And besides, your favorite brothers want the same. So will you?”

“What about your P. A?” I asked.

“As much as I want to be selfish to keep you as my P. A, I can’t. Now that I know what you can do, I can’t let you waste your talent. And about my P. A, with a heavy heart, I’ll appoint a new one.” He said, showing fake sadness.

“As much as I want to work as your P. A, your new offer sounds too tempting. And if I accept your offer, it’ll be a dream come true. So I think I’ll take your offer.” I grinned.

“Good. So, it’s settled. After coming back from France, you’ll work in a new position.” He replied, giving me a most dazzling smile.

“Coming back from France?” I asked in confusion.

“Yep. Because my Ari.. you’re coming with me to France.” He grinned.

“Now, stop talking, and let me give you a small reward for saving us.” Saying that he pressed his lips on mine. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed me softly making me lay on the bed, and hovered over me. He groaned and abruptly broke the kiss and pulled away balancing his weight on his arms by putting them on either side of my head.

“You’re not wearing anything underneath your shirt?”

My face flushed. I closed my eyes in embarrassment. I was in haste that I forgot to wear it. I don’t wear a bra while sleeping but I wore it yesterday as I was conscious that I’ll be sleeping with him then how did I forget to wear it now? How can I be so careless?

“Goodness Ari, you’re making me lose control.” He groaned, burying his face in the hollow of my neck.

“Open your eyes, Ari.” This time he whispered while trailing his hand up my curves. I closed my eyes more tightly. A gasp left my throat when I felt his touch on my breast. Fully covered in clothes but it felt like he touched me bare.

“Look at me, Ari.” He whispered huskily, rubbing his thumb on my erect peak. My eyes shot open due to the heat that rushed in my body. My body shuddered due to the unexplainable desire that developed inside me. My breathing became ragged.

“Xa.. Xavier” In no second his lips again came down on mine. Closing my eyes again, I gripped his biceps with my hands and returned the kiss with equal passion. He trailed kisses down my neck and his hand reached up the top button of my pajama shirt. Opening it, he showered kisses down my cleavage. My eyes shot open when I felt him unbuttoning the second button.

“Xavier.” I panted heavily. I can’t let him see my scars. I’m not ready yet.

I was about to stop him when he slumped onto me burying his head in the valley of my breast. He was panting hard. After regaining his breath he pulled up and looked into my eyes, searching for something.

“As much as I want to loose control & ravish you, I can’t.. I can’t Ari. You’re not ready yet.” He whispered & kissed my forehead.

I felt a tug on my heart. How did I get so lucky to have him in my life? I had never met a man who’s so understanding. He always senses my discomfort, he never forced himself on me. I wanted to give him all of me but I was still scared. I was scared that my past, my scars, my insecurities would snatch him away from me which I couldn’t afford. I didn’t know till when I’ll be able to keep him like this. At some point, he’d demand it, and then what will I do?

Rolling over his back, he made me rest my head on his chest. I could hear his raging heartbeat.

“I’ll wait for the day when there’ll be no hesitation in your eyes. On that day no force on Earth will be able to stop me. On that day, I’ll own every inch of yours. Till then just have mercy on me.” He chuckled, kissing my hair. I don’t know when I’ll be courageous enough to tell him everything.

“Good night, Ari.” After mumbling good night to him I closed my eyes and slept, listening to his heartbeat.

When I woke up in the morning I didn’t find Xavier beside me which made me look at the clock. The clock indicated 7:15 am. Oh goodness, I’m late. Why didn’t Xavier wake me up? I immediately bolted up from the bed and rushed into the bathroom, took the quickest shower, and wore my work clothes. After getting ready I ran downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Molly and Xavier must be waiting for me to have breakfast. My steps halted abruptly when I saw the scene in the kitchen.

Mrs. Molly wasn’t there in the kitchen, instead, Xavier, Sean, and Daniel were standing near the stove wearing an apron and paper chef hat, arguing about something like kids. The kitchen counter was messed up.

“What’s going on over here?” I asked in confusion. Their heads shot up and the look on their face almost made me laugh.

“Oh, you’re up. Good morning. We’re making… breakfast.” Xavier replied, scratching his head.

“Breakfast? Why? Where’s Mrs. Molly?” I asked, frowning.

“We asked Mrs. Molly not to come today because we wanted to make breakfast for you,” Daniel said, waving a spatula in his hand.

“For Me?”

“Yep. This is a small payback for what you did yesterday for us.” Sean replied.

“You don’t have to do that. You are making big deal out of it. Now get aside, I’ll cook for you.” I said, walking towards them.

“Nope, breakfast is almost ready. You just sit here and wait for breakfast to be served.” Xavier forcefully made me sit on the barstool. I sat there without uttering a word. I admired them lovingly. Expressions on their faces and their actions made them look so cute. Daniel’s eyes were twinkling while looking at the pan as if he had achieved something great. Xavier was standing crossed hand near the toaster, staring at it intently while tapping his foot on the floor. Whereas Sean was in his own world concentrating deeply on whatever he was making.

“Why are you all wearing that cap?” I asked them.

“Oh, that.. it gives the feel you know,” Daniel said adjusting his hat which made me laugh.

“Have you three ever cooked before?” I asked, leaning forward on the counter.

“Nope.” Their unison reply made my hands slip from the counter. What? Then how are they cooking?

“Here, your breakfast.” Xavier severed the breakfast plate to me.

“Let me tell you, I cooked the scrambled eggs,” Daniel said proudly.

“I made vegetable sandwiches,” Sean exclaimed.

“And I made butter toast.” Xavier said proudly. I stared at the breakfast thinking what will it taste like.

“Wait, we forgot about the coffee,” Daniel said a bit loudly.

“It’s okay, I don’t drink coffee,” I replied.

“Tea?” Xavier asked.

“Nope. I don’t take caffeinated drinks.” I replied casually.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen you drink coffee. Are you allergic to it?” Xavier asked staring at me intently.

“Not allergic. Actually, the doctor advised me not to take caffeine in any form because of my headache issues-” I bit my tongue after saying that.

“Headache? Are you on medication?” Xavier came near me. Oh uh! Now I have to explain.

“Umm…I used to have a headache problem a few years ago. I’m not on medication now but the doctor advised me to cut caffeine from my diet.” I explained in the simplest way I could. Three of them were looking at me with concern.

“Do you experience headaches now?” Xavier asked.

“Not really. Only happens when I’m extremely stressed.” I replied lowly.

“If you ever feel even a slight headache, inform me immediately. Get that?” Xavier said with concern. I nodded my head. Then he placed a glass of juice in front of me.

“Aren’t you eating?” I asked them.

“We’ll eat after you. First, tell us who cooked well. You know we made a bet. The one whose food tastes good will win and the other two will have to give $1000 each to the winning person.” Daniel replied.

Competition.. I nodded my head and ate breakfast. Well, the toast was a little burnt, scrambled eggs were salty and sandwiches were okay. Sean played safe by making sandwiches. I told them the truth and appreciated their effort. Xavier and Daniel’s faces fell, not because of the breakfast they made but because they both lost to Sean. They tasted their food and made faces. I laughed and asked if they wanted me to cook but they refused, saying that they will eat whatever they have cooked as it was their first time cooking. I let them eat and prepared coffee for them.

“Ariana these are for you,” Xavier said, pointing towards four gift-wrapped boxes placed on the center table in the living room as we walked there.

“Me? Why?” I asked but then I realized why. “You know this is too much. Cooking breakfast for me was the best gift from your side. I can’t accept whatever there is in these boxes.” I said, putting my hands on my waist.

“Oh come on, princess, it’s just the way of saying thank you. We won’t accept your NO. So, take this.” Daniel placed one of the boxes in my hands. I argued back again but he opened the box himself and placed an apple smartwatch in my hand.

“This is from my side. Smart health monitor on the go. Always stay healthy.” He said and kissed my forehead. My heart melted at his explanation. He could have just said it’s a smartwatch for you but no, he especially gave it to me for an extremely beneficial purpose.

“I saw your laptop wasn’t the latest model so a brand new laptop from my side,” Sean said. I wanted to say that the laptop I have is working well but I decided against it. I can’t make him upset by saying so. He bought it with love.

“And these two are from my side.” Xavier came in front of me and placed one box in my hand and opened the other one himself. He took out glasses from the box and put them on my eyes.

“Anti-glare/anti-blue light glasses for you so that your beautiful eyes don’t get any strain due to working on computers as you’ll be working on them a lot,” Xavier said, adjusting glasses on my eyes. “And the second box contains smart glasses to ease your work.” He said, tucking the loose strands of hair behind my ears.

“Considering your field of interest we thought gadgets will be best to gift you,” Xavier added. I love gadgets but I never had money to buy them on my own.

“So, You like them?” Three of them asked.

“Like? I love them. But seriously, you shouldn’t have.” My voice cracked.

“You deserve that,” Xavier mumbled, pulling me in a hug.

“Group hug,” Daniel said and all of them wrapped their arms around me. A lone tear escaped my eye but I wiped it before they could see. They always make me feel special, wanted, and loved.

I love them.

Xavier Knight

“I’m bringing Ariana with me to France,” I said to Sean and Daniel as she went upstairs to grab her bag.

“You what?” They asked shockingly.

“You never bring anyone with you on any business trips,” Sean said.

“She’s my P. A, I want her there.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“You never took any of your P. A’s to any business trip before,” Daniel stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Okay fine. She sometimes gets nightmares, so I don’t want to leave her alone.” I replied. Their facial expressions changed.

“How do you know that?” Daniel asked, arching an eyebrow.

“We live together. Remember?” I didn’t know he could be that foolish. They both looked at each other and smirked. What’s going on in their head?

“You sure this is the only reason you’re bringing her with you?” Sean smirked. I rolled my eyes and ignored his question.

“Of course this is the only reason. Right, Xavier? I’m on your side, man.” Daniel said but I knew that was the teasing remark.

“Well, Daniel isn’t joining us in France so I guess the flight won’t be boring with her beside us,” Sean exclaimed.

“You’ll come in your plane after us. Ariana and I will go in my private plane.” I snapped abruptly. I want to spend alone time with her.

“Oh come on, Xavier. It’ll save fuel and time.” Sean whined. Seriously? I looked at him to see him smiling mischievously.

“Do as I say.” I shot back.

“Well, whatever the reason is, I just want my sister carrying my niece or nephew when you both love birds come back from France,” Daniel exclaimed excitedly. I smacked his head.

“Shut the Fuck up. That’s a business trip. And we don’t love each other.” I said.

“Yet. But you like her.” Sean said. I looked at him and the warm look he gave made me smile.

“Yes, I like her… she’s my wife and I want her beside me as my wife,” I said with a satisfying smile. I can’t hide it from them anymore.

“Finally.” They both grinned and embraced me in a hug.

“What happened?” Ariana’s voice made us break our hug. Daniel immediately approached her.

“Oh, nothing, just heard something which Sean and I wanted to hear for so long,” Daniel said.

“Listen Princess.” He gripped her shoulders. “Sean is accompanying both of you to France but I’m not as I have to look after our company here. So, let me remind you of some Dos & Don’ts because I’ll not be there to take care of you. So, eat your food on time. Don’t roam here and there alone. Make sure to be away from strangers and if Xavier annoys you or makes you upset then immediately complain to Sean or just give me a call.”

Ariana was looking at him with amusement, she was on verge of laughing. I knew he’s doing it to annoy me. Sean chuckled, standing beside me. I nudged Sean with my elbow and approached Daniel and smacked his head again.

“Ow,” He groaned as if I had hit him with an iron rod. Drama queen.

“I’ll be there to take care of her. And she’s not a five-year-old kid to whom you’re explaining your ridiculous rules.” I snapped at him. Ariana, who had been holding her laugh, broke into fits of laughter which lit up my mood. And then we all laughed for no reason.

“Okay, now let’s get back to work. Ariana, today, you have to compile all the documents related to the project as we’ll be leaving for France tonight.” I said to Ariana.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

We all then left for work.