Chapter 285 - Father and daughters meet

"Where are we going?" Ivy asked for the nth time as they sped towards a place she was not familiar with. None of the men were answering her and she was slowly getting vexed. Her sister was in a terrible state and these men were playing with them instead of helping her recover. 

Noah could see Ivy's annoyed face, yet he did not comment one word. He was more concerned about Aria who was silently staring outside the window as the trees and other vehicles passed by. She had not said a word since she had returned and he was dying to hear her sweet voice. He just hoped that the man whom they were going to meet in a few minutes would help his sweet girl to reduce her distress. ​​

Noah had been observing Aria since she had returned and his heart broke seeing her cry in her sister's arms. It was then he had made a decision to let the family meet each other. Aria needed someone who was close to her heart to help her bear the pain and he was sure that only her father, Oliver was capable of making her feel better. She needed security and peace of mind and for a second his face fell when he realized that he was not the one who made her feel secure. But on a second thought, he also understood that to any child their father was the first person they would look at if they needed security. So, his sad thoughts vanished immediately.

Noah sent a message secretly to Oliver informing them of their arrival before he held Aria's cold hands in his. However, he did not get any response much to his disappointment. In another car, Joshua and Ian were following them. 

"I just hope this idea of his works. I cannot see Aria this way." Joshua commented.

"Me too. I have never seen Aria this way since the time I knew her. She was such a happy lucky girl." Ian too added and they both sighed at once. Kaito, who was driving the car silently, heard them and wondered what had happened to her. He knew who Aria was as he was the one to guard her when she had gone to London. He was not inside the house when Ian was recounting the events that had happened to her. So, he knew nothing.

They reached Noah's house in a while and the entire route, Ivy had not stopped pestering him for answers. Finally, on seeing them entering a mansion, Ivy shut up. She saw a huge army of bodyguards stationed at each corner and for a second, she felt herself to be in the President's house itself.

She gaped at the beautiful mansion and silently followed Noah inside the house when she halted at her place seeing the person she least expected to be here. But before she could even react, her sister who was right beside her dashed forward and hugged him with all her might. "Papa."

It was only after Aria cried loudly did Ivy come out of the shock and sprinted towards Oliver who was patting her little sister dearly. Ivy could not stop herself from choking and all the pent up emotions came out. She too started crying and the two sisters hugged their father lest this was all a beautiful dream and he should vanish into thin air.

The two girls hugged him for a long time not allowing him to even move and Oliver could not help but chuckle in helplessness. "Ivy, Aria. I know you two are happy to see me but could you release me from your tight clutches? I am a little suffocated now." As soon as he said that, Aria and Ivy pulled back and Oliver chuckled seeing them.

"How?" That was all Ivy said and looked back and forth between her father and the three men in confusion. 

Noah's gaze was fixed on Aria and finally, he saw some color on her face. He let out a sigh of relief and was contented that he had taken the correct decision to bring her here. He padded towards them with Joshua and Ian right behind him. "I'll answer all your questions one by one. But let's tackle Aria's problem first."

"What problem?" Only then did Oliver notice Aria to be dull and silent. "What happened to my beautiful daughter? Who dared to hurt her? Noah get me my hammer. I'll go and smash their heads." Oliver said and his words were quite effective. Aria finally laughed out loud and everybody smiled on seeing her smile. Her eyes too brightened up and Noah, for the first time, felt that he had achieved something so great that was inexplicable. All he wanted in life was Aria to keeping smiling this way and he would do all he could to keep her happy, even if it meant giving up his life.

Oliver found out everything about Aria from Ian and this time he took her somewhere with him. He wanted to speak to her in private and the father and the daughter duo went to the garden behind the mansion. Aria was too lost to appreciate the beauty in front of her. She simply followed her father.

Oliver sat down on the rocky bench and made her sit beside him. "Aria, you are not a murderer." 

That was all it took and Aria dived forward to hug him. Tears started to gush out again and Oliver started to soothe her. "There, there, don't cry. Okay? You did nothing wrong. You are my brave girl and my girl does not cry. Okay?" 

Aria nodded silently as she tried to muffle her cries. "Good girl. Listen to me Aria. There are only two kinds of people in life, good and bad. The man you killed was a bad person. He was not worth living and if he continued to live, he would only hurt other innocent people. He was a traitor who sold his country. All this says he was unfit for living, you did the right thing by killing him. So, always remember this you are not a murderer, you are a soldier, my brave soldier." Oliver said with pride and Aria smiled faintly hearing him praise her.

For the first time in three days, she understood that her actions were not wrong and she was not a murderer. She had in fact helped the nation and her countrymen by eradicating the garbage that would only create more problems if he was allowed to live. Her face bloomed again and Noah who was watching them from afar too smiled with delight seeing her return to normal.

The father and the daughter duo stayed this way without speaking for a few minutes when Oliver opened his mouth. "Are you alright now?"

"Yes, Papa. I am fine."

"Good girl. Remember, I'll always be there for you. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Come, let's go in now. Your sister must have gone crazy by now with all the questions she is desperate to ask and I am sure that the three men must be finding it a challenge to control her."

Aria giggled hearing her father taunt her sister, but that was the truth. As they had expected, Ivy was demanding answers from Joshua who was the only one in the hall. Noah had come out to see Aria and Ian had gone to prepare something for his shouting stomach. Meanwhile, Ronnie and Kaito had slowly slipped away seeing Ivy pester the poor guy. 

Joshua was not as lucky as them and could not escape from Ivy's clutches. He was stuck with her and was trying every possible way to dodge her questions. He silently cursed his friends for leaving him alone in this situation. Yet, he donned a charming smile that had no effect on the fuming woman beside him.

"How did you find my father?" Ivy asked the question when she noticed Joshua's attempt to avoid her question again. This time, however, she got an answer, not from the man before her but from her father. Oliver had finished his talk with Aria and had stepped inside the hall when he heard Ivy's question.

"They saved me, Ivy."

"What do you mean Papa?" Aria asked from beside her eyes blinking in confusion.

"Let me tell you everything. Joshua could you give us some privacy."

Joshua nodded and left the family alone. He went in search of Ian who right now was eating some sandwiches he had prepared in a hurry. Seeing Ian enjoy his snack while he had to put up with Ivy's questions, Joshua was vexed and snatched the last piece from the plate and gobbled it at one bite in revenge.

Ian did not protest seeing him eat his food as he had already expected this outcome when he had seen his friend enter the kitchen. "Why are you here? Did you finally escape your girlfriend's interrogation?"

"Yes, thanks to father-in-law. He came right on time. Otherwise, Ivy would have eaten me alive not that I minded it." Joshua said with a smile. "Anyway, you have no idea how deadly she could be if she irked. Man, she was like a fire tank that would make me explode into pieces if she was provoked."

"I am glad you found someone like her. You deserve it."

"How could you do this to me? Are you even my friend?" Joshua w_h_i_n_ed as he plopped on the chair beside Ian.

"Not at all. I am not your friend."

"I knew it. I knew it."

Ian shrugged and picked up the glass of juice. "By the way, how is everything between you and Ivy?"

"It's awesome. I never knew I could be this happy with her." Joshua answered honestly and he looked far ahead as he imagined his life with Ivy.

"I knew it," Ian replied after noticing the genuine smile on his face. 

"What do you mean?"

"We could see the way your eyes sparkled in Ivy's presence. Only you two were blind to not see the spark between you. Anyway, I am so happy for you. You finally found your happiness."

"Yes. Who knew the man we saved was destined to bring such a huge change in our lives?"

"Definitely. Both his daughters are in a relationship with two out of three of us. If this is not fate, then what is?"

"I just hope Aria and Ivy will understand our predicament and not be angry at us. I definitely do not wish to lose Ivy. She is my lifeline."

"Wow, Jo. You have fallen deep for her. I never knew your feelings were this intense." Ian said in joy. His face lit up hearing his friend's words and who would not be when his friend had been living a life a misery in the past.

"Me too. Just the thought of her leaving me makes me want to kill someone."

"I hope that day would never come." Ian wished sincerely and patted his friend's back. "I hope the sisters will understand us."