Ronnie did not know what to do now. They were still a few miles away from the destination and Aria was fast asleep. It would take him another thirty minutes or so to reach the Adler Law Firm where his Madam's friend was working. He could take her there, but seeing her exhausted face, Ronnie was sure that more than meeting her friend, she needed rest. Aria was mentally exhausted and it would be best if he waited until she got up.
So, he pulled over and parked the car in a cool area. He lowered the temperature slightly so that she could be comfortable and stepped out of the car. He had an idea in mind and he hoped that everything would be alright between his boss and madam.
He immediately placed a call to his boss and informed him about them. He also told him about his plan and not long after, Noah drove to the location where Ronnie had parked the car. He saw his guard waiting outside the car and smiled at his gesture. Ronnie was thoughtful enough to leave the car when his woman was sleeping and for this, Noah's respect for his smart guard rose another level.
Noah gave a curt nod to him and the next moment, Ronnie punctured his own car tire. Noah could not help but sigh at the man's ridiculous idea and hoped that his attempts would not go in vain. Now it was time for him to make his presence. He opened the back door of the punctured car and sat beside his lovely girl who right now was still fast asleep. Her head was tilted to the right due to which her ponytail had fallen over and was covering half of her face.
Noah looked at her, his eyes oozing with love and tenderness. Though he wanted to touch her, he did not want to do anything against her wishes. He knew that she would not listen to him irrespective of what he wanted to tell. But he too could not stay without speaking to her all the thoughts he had in mind. So, he had chosen this option of apologizing to her while she was asleep. At least this way, he would have apologized to his heart's content.
"Aria, I know I have hurt you a lot. I should not have lied to you, I should not have hidden the truth from you. But trust me, I did all this to keep you and your family safe. Your dad was injected with a poison when we found him and since then he was in a state of coma. Only recently did he wake up from. If people found out about him or you two, your lives would be in danger, and you no idea how dangerous the people behind these crimes are. I know I am at fault, but I don't regret what I did."
Noah stopped suddenly to take a breath and Aria, who all this time had been listening to him, held her breath too. She had been awake since the time she had felt his presence beside her in the car. Though she was on high alert, she wanted to see what he would do to her in her vulnerable state. She wanted to know if he would go against her wishes and touch her. But when did not do anything to her, she was a little relieved. 'At least man had some conscience.'
Aria heard him speak again after a long time. "I know I have messed up things and I apologize to you for it. I am sorry and I will always be. You can be angry with me however long you want, I will not stop you. But please don't leave me, I don't think I will be able to bear to see you leaving me. Because...Because.."
Aria breath hitched when she realized what he wanted to say next. Still, she did not open her eyes as she wanted to see if he would actually say those words or not.
"Because Aria, I love you. I love you a lot and I can't bear to see you hurt. I can't bear to see you leave me. Please don't leave me Aria. Please, I am begging you." Noah almost choked on his words and Aria felt a pang in her heart when she heard his desperate plea. She very badly wanted to hug him and console him. But her anger got the best of her and she held herself.
"I will wait for you. I will wait for you Aria until the end of the world." After saying whatever he wanted to say, he got out of the car. Ronnie who was waiting for him in the other car came out of it. "Change the tire and take her wherever she wants to go."
"Boss..." Ronnie exclaimed in frustration. He had given a perfect opportunity for his boss to utilize it to his full capacity, but he had done nothing. Ronnie could only groan inwardly for the failure of his plan.
Noah understood what the man wanted to say. he closed his eyes for a second before he gave him a reply. "I will not do anything against her wishes. If she wants me to stay away from her, I will not get close to her ever."
With that, Noah went to his car and drove away. Ronnie could only sigh and took out the stepney and started to change the tires. Aria, who had been sitting inside the car until Noah drove away, came out and saw Ronnie busy at work.
"What happened?" She asked stifling a yawn.
"There was a puncture Madam. Please wait inside, it will be done shortly."
"Okay." Aria went back in and sat down. Though there was peace inside the car, her mind was not at peace. She reminisced the words Noah had said a few minutes ago and could not help but feel touched. The man's intentions were not wrong, but the path he had chosen was. Though her anger reduced significantly after hearing his words, she could still not accept that the man had lied to her.
After changing the tire, Ronnie drove the car towards Daniel's office.
"You can go back. I'll not be going to his place after I am done." Aria said, her face void of any expressions.
"Where will you go Madam?"
"I'll be going to my house."
Before Ronnie could even tell her about the incident that had taken place at their house, Aria had closed the car door and had walked away. Ronnie could only growl in frustration. He had heard that among the two sisters Ivy was the stubborn one and Aria was the calm and composed one. However, this time why did it feel like both their personalities had switched with each other?
Ronnie again informed her decision to his boss and Noah allowed her to as she wished. Her apartment was now safe and nobody other than the residents were allowed to go in. If outsiders wanted to get inside, they had to get permission from the occupants. Right now, there was no danger and Aria was safe. If Aria needed time, Noah would give her just that.
Aria went inside and spoke to the receptionist. It was only then did she find out that Daniel had gone to meet a client and would come back after an hour or so. It struck her mind that she had forgotten to inform him about her coming to meet him. She had decided on a whim when Ian had angered her and now she had to wait for her friend to return.
The receptionist knew who Aria was and how close her friendship was with her Boss. So, she immediately brought her to the lounge inside the building and asked her to wait for Daniel to arrive. She even provided some refreshments for her and after making sure that she was comfortable, she returned to her work.
Aria had to wait for a long time before Daniel arrived. He was pleasantly surprised to see his best friend after a long time and he hugged her tight. How long had it been since he last saw her? He had even missed seeing her off the day she had left for the borders. He immediately brought her to his cabin as they had a lot of things to talk about.
"How are you?" He asked her again when they were inside the cabin.
"I am fine. How about you?"
"Aria, don't lie to me. I know you are not fine. Tell me what is wrong." Daniel said with a stern gaze. He had seen her dispirited eyes though she was trying to be bold by putting a forced smile before him.
"Everything is fine Danny."
"Aria, I know you better than you know yourself. Don't lie to me about it."
Aria gave eventually. She knew she could not hide from Danny. She was going to tell everything about it to him, but she did not want to show how affected and sad she was. However, she had misjudged her friend's understanding of her. he had caught her even if she had done nothing. "Danny, we met Dad today."
Her reply made Daniel to widen his eyes. He was shocked which later turned to joy. That was such great news. Only he knew how badly the twins were searching for their father and now that they had found him, they had to be happy. 'But why did Aria look sad?' Something did not add up here and he was curious now.
"Why are you not happy then?"
"I am happy Danny. I am very happy."
"But?"
"I am angry."
"And why are you angry?"
"Because of the man who kept my Dad with him and was lying to me about it on my face."
Now Daniel was having a bad premonition hearing Aria's words. He had a hunch on who she might be talking about, but he still wanted to confirm his doubts.
"Who?"
"Noah. He was the one who had kept Dad with him all these years."