The same morning, Theo received a call from Neel about the plagiarism case against Fragrance which is directly aimed at Nina. "I know about this. I am planning to attend the hearing with Nina today" Theo replied. Theo walked downstairs to the dining area where he found Nina who was looking at her mobile with a deep frown. He kissed her cheek before he sat beside her on the table. Nina was startled and she looked at him with red cheeks. "What are you looking at? By how deep your frown is, it doesn't look good" he asked curiously. Nina sighed and turned her mobile screen towards Theo. "This Nova Fisher turned out to be a leech and a snake. His company stole my incense formulas and they released perfumes a day before Fragrance. As if it's not enough, his filed a complaint against Fragrance for Plagiarism. Now we have to attend the initial hearing of this case. I don't know how to prove that those formulas were mine and they are the culprits here" she confessed with anger. Theo c
In the initial hearing venue, as soon as Nina and Theo stepped out of their car, they were surrounded by the reporters who were eager to hear what Nina had to say about this case. 'Mrs Morrison, you rose to success faster than anyone would have expected. Is that because all of your works are not genuine?' One of the reporters asked Nina, trying to get a raise out of her. Nina became very angry. Nina respects her work and she is very proud of her talent which was inherited from her mother. She would have snapped at the reporter for asking unethical and baseless questions like this, but Theo stopped her by tightly holding her arm. He didn't stop, he was escorting her towards the entrance with a blank look. 'Mrs Morrison, are the Plagiarism claims true?' 'Mrs Morrison, it is said that your husband is supporting you in your career, is that true?' 'Mrs Morrison, there were rumours about your conflict with the Fisher's. Is this case a retribution from them?' Questions of all kinds are
"Let's begin" the jury announce. One of the three jury members was a Famous perfumer a few years ago before he retired. One of them is well versed in Plagiarism laws, and the other is an expert in the corporate laws. As if on queue, Nova's lawyer stood up and adjusted his suit jacket and gave his opponents a arrogant look. "Respected Jury, the Fragrance company has stolen my clients formulas and they released perfumes based on those formulas. We demand an immediate recall of all the products they delivered to their retailer using our formulas and a compensation of hundred million for the Fisher's group" Nova's lawyer put forth his argument. The jury motioned for Jeremiah to take over. Unlike Nova's lawer, Jeremiah was humble. "Good morning dear jury, it's an honor to work in your presence today." the jury gave him a nod of acknowledgement. They looked impressed. "Coming back to the case, the opponent lawyer is concluding that my clients company stole their formulas. But nothin
"Please forgive my brashness Respected Jury. But may I know why you decided that those formulas belongs to Mrs. Morrison and not my client?" Yunnis requested in a much tamer tone than before. The jury doesn't feel like they should explain their reasons behind their judgement after the way Yunnis spoke with them. But that would only make the Fisher's side look like the jury is being partial towards the other side. So they decided to explain. "Every perfume has more than one ingredient added to it to reach the final smell of that particular perfume. Miss Macy successfully wrote down the formulas like every other perfumer would if they smell any perfume. But she failed to recognise the key ingredients in each perfume which gave the edge to that perfume when compared with the other perfumes in the market. Like for example, one of the perfumes had wild lilies used as one their main ingredient. While Miss Macy guessed the lilies part, she failed to recognise that the Fragrance of green ho
"It's you who tried to defame me, or more precisely Fragrance. This is all on you. Why are you blaming them?" Nina demanded coldly. Nova gave her a smile. He is not made at her. He can never be. She is his sweetheart, and she is going to be his sweet revenge against Theodore Morrison. The ever loving prince-charming for as long as he remembered. "Nina, so what if I am behind all this? But my intention was never to hurt you. You are my sweetheart. How can I hurt you?" Nova spoke rather flirtatiously, which angered Theo to no end. He glared at Nova. "You are as disgusting as the scum under my shoes. I would have knocked out your teeth if we were not standing inside here" Theo snapped at Nova. Nova smirked at Theo. The jury just left, but this place is still safe for him to mess with Theo. Here, Theo cannot hurt him out of respect for the jury. "Relax Theo, don't be so upset. When I marry Nina, I will try to find another beautiful girl for you. But I cannot promise that she will be
After the Jury declared their final verdict, the Fragrance company won ten million in compensation. As they are under the process of expansion, they are in dire need of money, which Nina and Ella refused to take from anyone else, not even Theo. And the Morrison heir respected their decision and never broached that subject again. So now, Ella would have been jumping with the joy if she was normal. But despite gaining so much money unexpectedly, there is no trace of happiness in Ella's eyes. She is too quiet. Jeremiah, Ella and Noah are travelling with Theo and Nina in the same car. Ella was sitting in the back beside Jeremiah who is in the middle. Liam was sitting on the other side. Theo is driving while Nina sat beside him in the passenger seat. Theo noticed Liam taking glances at Ella more than once, which spiked his curiosity. While Nina turned to look at Ella more than once. She is worried about Ella. "What happened to Ella today? We won the pathetic case that Nova has fil
Liam is not understanding why Ella seems to look devastated. She was not herself this morning. And she ran outside suddenly from the moment she saw that kid. 'What is bothering her so much that she is crying like this? Is she worried that she might get pregnant from last night? Is seeing that kid triggered that fear?' he thought to himself. Whatever happened last night, he did not think that it would end this way. After a while, when she stopped crying, but was still looking lost, he decided to apologise and assure her. "Ella, i am extremely sorry for what happened last night. I promise you, I will be responsible for you. I will not leave you to deal with the aftermath. Please, don't cry. I just can't see you like this" he spoke as gently as he could. She smiled sadly and pulled away from his embrace, as if realising where she was. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Don't worry about it. You are not entirely responsible for what happened. You didn't force me.
Ella was quiet after Nina spoke. Nina parked their car in front of a cafe. "I will bring us something to eat" Nina spoke up before exiting the car. Nina is giving Ella time to think and come to terms with what happened in the last twenty four hours. After Nina left, Ella's mind went to the time when she first met Vincent. He was gentle and charming. He charmed her in no time. He used to know when she needed something and what she needed. As Ella was an orphan, Vincent's mother and his family didn't accept her. But he didn't listen to them. Only Vincent's father gave his blessings to their union. They got married in a Civil affairs bureau and started their married life. Everything was fine for the first two years. She used to think that she was the luckiest woman in the world who got a husband like him. Then, Vincent got busy with his work and rarely at home. He used to spend most of his time in the company. Ella used to feel that they both are becoming distant. That's when Vincen
"She fed you lies. You don't know what kind of a woman she is" Stacy insisted. Asher glared at her coldly, while Aria was stiffly standing in his arms. Just their mere presence is evoking fear inside her. If there was ever a time in her life when she found herself helpless and scared out of her mind, then that would be with the Smith family. Nancy was better when compared to these people. She used to make Aria work, and that is that. If the work was done, then Nancy never used to bother Aria. But the other members of the family are not the same. "Enough, don't forget that you are talking to a Morrison. And you are insulting the mistress of the Morrison family. If you value your life and status in Neopolis, I suggest you to keep your tongue in check. One more word against her, then you will dissappear without a trace" he threatened Stacy, who immediately turned pale. Even Bianca looked scared. Even though they envy Aria's good fortune, they cannot afford to offend a Morrison. "I
"Who is your sugar daddy?" Stacy sneered. Aria is breathing heavily, looking wildly around her. She is expecting Bryan to pop in at any second and demand that she go home with him. She is barely listening to their taunts by this time. Asher forgot his mobile in his car, so he went to fetch it after confirming that she would be fine on her own. But little did Aria expect that she would have to face the people from her past one after another. "You ditch, how dare you? Can't you hear that we are asking you something?" Bianca became extremely angry when Aria immediately did not reply. Just then, all the patrons of the mall suddenly rushed to the glass railing of the mall from all the sides, waiting for something which they would know would happen then. Aria was left alone as Stacy and Bianca rushed to see what it was. Aria turned to run, but a loud announcement in the microphone stopped her dead in his tracks. "Today, we are excited to announce that a very special poster from th
"Bryan Smith? I know there was a Smith family in that town. And only an elder lady used to live with an adopted young girl. I remember this particular family because the details you have given me matched perfectly with this particular family. But only one important detail didn't" the PD, James explained. He is the PD whom Asher hired to investigate a man named Bryan whom Aria once mentioned to Asher. Her details were vague and she didn't give him much except for that name. She was a bit tipsy after one of their Friday ladies night out. That night, she witnessed someone abusing a woman and that triggered a section of her past. She mumbled something that shocked Asher to his core. He tried to pry more information from her, but she didn't give him much. The next morning he tried to ask her about Bryan, but she brushed it off as if it's nothing. But Asher remembered her reaction from the other night, so he knows that it's not nothing. But he didn't pry. He hired a PD and gave him as mu
'Don't you trust me Aria?' When Asher asked that question in a tone filled with pain, Aria felt extremely sad and guilty for making him feel that way. It's not like she doesn't trust him. "How can I not trust you, Asher? You are the person whom I trust more than anyone else" she shared softly. He looked at her with surprise. He was under the impression that she might not trust him enough to share her problems with him. But her confession made him confused. "If you trust me, then why hide everything from me? What happened the day before yesterday? What triggered your emotional breakdown? What happened back there? What made you think that leaving me would make everything better?" he inquired softly. He never wanted to intrude into her personal life and make her feel uncomfortable. But things changed between them now. He is protective of her like always. He wanted to be there for her. Aria looked at him feeling like an imposter. To Asher, she was always a confident and inde
"No" Bruce refused to believe that Aria, his Aria is already someone's wife. He refused to believe the possibility. He has been searching for her for years now, but to no avail. After so many years, he refused to accept that she turned out to be Asher Morrison's wife. "Are you absolutely sure that the woman who was with Asher Morrison is Aria? I have seen his assistant and the woman who was said to be his wife. She doesn't look like Aria at all. They look completely different. You might have been mistaken" Bruce recollected Natalie and then seeing Aria's back in that party. There is no way the scared and clumsy Aria he was searching for is the hot and confident woman he saw that day. Lance was still following after Asher and Aria. The former is seen behind the wheel while Aria was seen sitting beside him in a daze. "I might not be the who lived with her under the same roof, but I have seen her while growing up. She is the same Aria, but different. The woman beside Asher is mor
"Ash, I was so scared" Aria whispered while hugging Asher tightly. The fear, unbearable pain, the feeling of being lost and lonely, and the desperation and guilt that followed as soon as she saw that dead body when she mistaken that for Asher's was too much to bear. She realised that it's not as easy as she thought it would be to leave Asher. It would be like losing herself along with him. She might not be able to survive a day without him. The image of Bryan sent chills down her spine. But her fear over Bryan felt like it was nothing in front of the feeling of losing Asher. She lived under the same roof with both the men. One of the scares the hell out of her, and she cannot live without the other. She realised that leaving Asher means losing her life. "I am fine. Don't worry" he rubbed her back, soothing her fears. This close, he could feel her heart still pounding loudly. She just confessed that she loves him too, and he still remembers the way she looked at him that morning.
Aria found herself sitting anxiously behind her desk. It's been more than a few hours since Asher went out on some work. This is the first time she didn't ask him where he was going and the first time since he left without informing where he was going. It's after eight in the evening, and Aria couldn't stop worrying about Asher. She refused to go home without him. Almost everyone left for the day, but she stayed back waiting for Asher. 'What is taking him so long?' she wondered for the nth time. Her finger kept hovering over his number, but retreated again reluctantly. She cares for him, but she doesn't want to show him that she cares. The only way to force him to let her go is pretending not to care. But who would tell her anxious heart to calm down and he will return soon. Just as she was putting her phone away, her mobile rang. She looked at the caller ID and noticed that it is Abel Anderson. "Mr. Anderson" she answered the phone quickly. After Abel's visit after their s
After their argument that morning, things remained tense between Aria and Asher. She didn't speak to him at all, and he is upset with her to talk about anything. He wanted her to tell him what happened and why she was so scared. But she is not trusting him enough to share anything with him, which made him feel upset. After yesterday's event, their photo shoot was posted to that day. And Abel wanted to finish the photo shoot first thing in the morning. As Aria couldn't do anything about the contract and she couldn't think about a way to leave Asher, she followed him to work. But she looked distracted at best. Today she is wearing a red dress. It has drop sleeves that are full with sheer lace fabric, leaving her shoulders and collar bone bare. This dress has lace detailing near the bodice. It hugged her frame till her waist before flaring down and reaching above her knees. Pairing it with red shimmer heels, she looked gorgeous. Her hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, showing off
"I Fu*king Love you" Those words made Aria freeze. Never in her life did she imagine that he would love her and even confess it like this. She hoped that he might one day start liking her more than a friend, and wished how wonderful it would be to be on the receiving end of his love. But to be able to hear those beautiful words come from his mouth like this felt like a dream. She almost turned to tell him that she loves him too. More than he could ever imagine. But Bryan's face that flashed in her mind made her freeze. 'You are mine' his Psychotic words made her fear about Asher's safety more than ever. 'No, i cannot let Bryan find out about this. I cannot let him hurt Ash. I cannot' she thought as fear forced her to stick to her plan. "Ash, you are being emotional. Let's think about this camly. I should go" she insisted. Asher gritted his teeth. She is not making any sense. This is not the Aria he knows. And the woman standing in front of him felt like a stranger. She is