Chapter VI

A chill spread through the air at the sound of the deep baritone voice laced with a thick foreign accent. Everyone was so focused on the argument that they were unaware of the tall handsome young man who stepped into the room. Strolling into the room dressed in a black three piece suit with a black tie, his jacket loosely hanging off his shoulders and the sleeves effortlessly swaying as he walked, was none other than the King Pin himself, Elliot.

Elliot's long legs carried him from the entrance of the banquet hall towards the center of the room where Ariana was standing with a angry expression in her eyes. Hearing the stone cold voice, Stephan blinked in a daze, questioning whether or not the voice really belonged to who he thought it was.

"What is going on here?" Elliot didn't bother to look in Stephan or Sofia's direction, his gaze solely focused on the emerald eyed heiress.

He had not seen her since she stomped out of the hospital room fuming at him two weeks ago. Instead of being angry at her actions and the fact that she was daring enough to give him an order, Elliot found himself interested in the feisty kitten. Elliot was no stranger to women with attitudes. Women had a habit of throwing themselves at him discreetly or purposefully and he never found himself interested in any of them, even when they did the most outrageous things to catch his attention.

Yet, Elliot found himself attracted to a woman who had nothing special about her background or appearance. He had tried to convince himself that Ariana was just like every other woman he knew but his mind convinced him otherwise. He was good at reading people and when he met her, he had searched her eyes for any clue about her intentions.

He found nothing. Her eyes were incredibly clear that he could see everything within it. No malice. No hatred. No hidden motives. All of her moves and emotions were genuine. She had the charisma of a strong and independent woman and Elliot found her to be a breath of fresh air.

"Elliot," Stephan's eyes flickered in surprise at the abrupt arrival of the powerful man. "You're here."

Elliot turned his head in Stephan's direction but made no effort to acknowledge or dismiss the presence of the man. Stephan mistook Elliot's silence as a form of approval and he quickly extended his hand, pulling Sofia to his side and lovingly wrapping an arm around her waist.

"When I was in Melbourne a few days ago, I didn't get the chance to properly introduce you to my fiancée. This is—" He started to speak with a proud smile on his face.

"I didn't ask, neither do I care." Elliot's spoke nonchalantly with a dismissive tone.

A few of the socialites started to snicker at this embarrassing turn of events. Sofia felt her face turn red in embarrassment. Stephan's proud smile watered down into a shaky smile, the one most of Elliot's victims wore whenever they were exposed to the merciless tongue of the Navarros. Not sparing the couple a second glance, Elliot wordlessly brushed his jacket off his shoulders and reached across to drape it over Ariana's.

Feeling the warm material being draped over her shoulders, she jumped with a small frightened yelp, finally taking notice of Elliot and the fact that his jacket was on her shoulder as he fixed the front to cover her up. Ariana looked at him with a hint of surprise, suddenly realizing how tall he was when he was now that he was standing directly in front of her and she wasn't clouded by her anger, maybe about 6'2 or 6'3. A wave of confusion clouded her mind at the electricity and warmth she felt as his fingers gently brushed across her exposed skin to securely cover her with the jacket.

"Elliot, what are you doing here?" Ariana pulled the jacket further over her body, unconsciously leaning close to the warmth it provided, the smell of his cologne intoxicating her senses.

Elliot watched her cocoon herself in the warmth his jacket offered. Elliot was quite observant and calculating and during their first encounter he was quick to notice the goose bumps which had formed on Ariana's arms and the small shivers she gave after stepping into the cold room. The banquet hall was lightly air conditioned and it didn't help that the dress she wore was one shoulder and sleeveless. He could see the tell tale signs of goosebumps on her arms indicating that she was cold.

"I'm your date," Elliot replied to her casually.

"My date?" Ariana frowned, ignorant to the astonished looks on the faces of the people around her, a few of the woman almost green with envy. "I thought Quinn arranged for Talon to be my date?"

"My brother is tied up with business in France so he's unable to attend. I was in Ireland for a meeting when Quinn texted in a fit of exaggeration and unnecessary exclamation marks. She said you needed a date, so I came. Are you disappointed that I'm here?"

"No, it's fine."

Elliot immediately knew that she was lying. They had gotten off on the wrong foot so he wasn't expecting sunshine and rainbows when they crossed paths again. He wanted to probe further, at least clear the air between them and apologize, but it wasn't the right time with so many ears lurking around.

"It's cold in here. Let's go outside for a bit so you can warm up." Elliot suggested.

Ariana nodded, not wanting to stay a second longer at the banquet. She knew this was a bad idea from the beginning. And besides...she was freezing!

"The sooner I get out of this despicable dress, the better..." Ariana muttered to herself, looking down at the spiteful dress from hell.

Elliot's sense of heading had sharpened during to his line of work and he heard exactly what she said clearly. He looked at her attire from head to toe before he frowned.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why on earth did you buy a dress from Margery John's reject fashion line?" He looked at Ariana with genuine confusion, like he was staring at a complicated math equation. 

Ariana blinked at him. "What?"

"The dress you're wearing. It's from a fashion line which didn't even make it at Fashion Week in London neither Sydney. Quinn was rambling something about cheap knock off material and careless stitching." He explained with a wrinkled brow. "Why did you buy it?"

The crowd of socialites started mumbling again as Elliot's words were like law. He had spoken what he knew in an offhanded manner because he was genuinely confused. But, his words were the key to Pandora's box.

The blank look on his face and the neutral tone he spoke in made it seem like he was unimpressed by the dress. The second he finished speaking, the tables turned. Before, the crowd had been criticizing Ariana for stealing Sophia's dress. Now, they had turned the story in a different direction. Now that Elliot had mentioned it, it became very clear to everyone why Sophia was wearing the dress.

If the dress failed at both London and Sydney's Fashion Week then the designers would be desperate to get their line out there. They would reach out to a number of famous celebrities with hopes of them wearing their line as another means of promotion. Sophia happened to be one of those celebrities. While the dress would gain attention being promoted on London Vogue, it wouldn't change the fact that it was rejected from Fashion Week on two different occasions.

Sophia felt tears pricking her eyes at the audible insults. She was someone who couldn't handle public criticism and the smallest open insult would hurt her feelings. Elliot's words weren't intentionally directed at Sophia but he had indirectly insulted her and Stephan couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"How did you get the dress?" Elliot realized there was something wrong when Ariana stared at him blankly.

He knew women in the socialite circle were always on top of the latest trends. Even if she had fallen off her throne, Elliot didn't think she was one to fall behind when it came to what was trending. In fact, Elliot suspected that she was secretly holding onto her title of being a trendsetter.

"I thought my dad sent the dress," Ariana replied truthfully. "But never mind, I'll deal with it later."

She made a move to walk towards the exit but was halted by Elliot. Ariana tried to yank her wrist back, his grip was as firm as iron despite his touch being gentle, like a soft caress. She lifted her head to stare at him and immediately regretted doing so.

She wasn't going to deny the fact that he was extremely blessed with outstanding genes. There was something about him which fascinated her, something about the darkness compelled her to embrace it. It didn't scare her and she wanted to probe at the darkness to see what was beyond the layer of frost and cold, to figure out what he was like behind his constant mask of indifference and coldness.

Lost in her analysis of his features, she didn't realize he had bent down to whisper into her ear.

"Don't stare at me like that or it might give me reason to believe that you find me attractive." Elliot teased her.

Ariana blinked, feeling her face flush at their proximity. His voice was rich and husky, a smirk on his lips and mischief in his grey eyes.

"Sei un assoluto coglione (You're an absolute jerk)," She huffed at him, yanked her hand from his grip and stomped her way to the washroom.

A low chuckle came from Elliot as he watched the feisty kitten widen the distance between them. He was glad to see that her fierceness had returned. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he wordlessly followed after her.

••••••

Elliot leaned against the wall at the end of the hallway, one hands in his pocket and the thumb of the other flying over the keyboard of his phone as he stood near the door of the female washroom.

King Pin🖤: Access the security cameras at Regal View and see who delivered an unauthorized package yesterday.

Elliot pocketed his phone and resumed with his wait. It suddenly occurred to him how uncharacteristic the situation was. With the fast pace of his life, he wasn't use to slowing down for someone else's convenience. He felt like a giddy school boy waiting patiently to walk his crush to her next class. The only woman he ever waited outside the bathroom for was his sister and even then he was an impatient brute, shouting at her every few minutes to 'hurry the hell up' with her make up.

After entering the bathroom, Ariana released a large huff of air. She expected her night to be full of snide comments and disapproving glances from her mother as she walked around with a fake smile plastered across her face, playing the part of the caring older sister.

So far, it had been far from it.

"At least I showed up and Seraphina got her gift," She spoke to no one in particular as she looked at the bags one of her father's men brought for her.

She didn't know what was in it but at the moment, anything was better than  what she was wearing. Looking down at her dress, Elliot's words replayed in her head. She reached for the hem of her dress and gave it a light tug. To her amazement the small force she applied resulted in big rip in the fabric.

"Bloody hell," She muttered.

Elliot was right — well Quinn was. In order for a design to make it to Fashion Week, there were certain requirements which had to be met. Twisting the hem over, Ariana noted the careless hurried stitching and the flimsy fabric. At first glance, the dress looked like one of the top-of-the-line designer dresses, but looking closer, it was a knock off. If her shoe had caught in the fabric there was no telling what degreen of embarrassment she would have faced. It could range from a simple tear to half her dress becoming undone.

Ariana made a mental note to thank Elliot. He had saved her from another horrendous affair which could have ended with her trending for all the wrong reasons.

Ariana set the bags on the granite counter and started to open them. Her new attire consisted of a beautiful light blue dress which reached her knees, sparkly black heels and a clutch to match her dress. Ariana changed quickly and stood in front of the large mirror with a makeup wipe. Her make up was done to suit the first dress so she needed to change it. It didn't take her long to apply a new coat of lipstick, fix her eye shadow and touch up the small smudges.

Dropping the mascara into the make up bag, she double checked in the mirror to ensure everything was fine.

Let's do this.

Just when she was about to step out of the bathroom, Sophia walked in  wiping tears from her eyes and sniffling to herself. Ariana stilled at the sight of the other woman. The last person she wanted contact with was the woman who always seemed to ruin everything good in her life. A bitter feeling rose in her as she remembered the last time they had been alone together in a room.

Ariana had confronted Sophia on her deepest secret and the other woman had stirred chaos, making a scene of crocodile tears and words as smooth as oil and as sweet as honey. That day, Sophia had painted Ariana out to be delusional and right after their confrontation, Sophia had fled into Stephan's arms. One thing led to another and with a woman so pitifully crying with the expression of being so horribly wronged, Stephan obviously chose Sophia over her and Sophia's secret was forgotten.

Sophia wiped a tear from her eyes and looked up at that moment, taking a step back once she realized she was alone with Ariana.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here." Sophia's voice was soft an innocent, her doe-like eyes projecting the right amount of emotion to really give her the looks of the innocent female lead.

But Ariana wasn't having it.

"Save me your teary eyes and pretentious apology." Ariana rolled her eyes.

Sophia's lips quivered and Ariana could see tears welling up in her eyes. If there was one thing about Sophia that Ariana actually despised, it would be her inability to handle criticism. The world of the upper class was harsh and backstabbing. For Sophia, it was a turning out to be quite a challenge to fit in, especially since she didn't join the circle in the most welcoming way.

"I'm sorry..." Sophia sniffed.

Why was this woman apologizing?

Ariana felt irritated at Sophia's meek behavior. There was nothing wrong with a meek woman but there was a lot wrong with a woman who exploited it for her own gains.

Ariana realized Sophia was the polar opposite of herself. While Ariana was fierce and independent, Sophia was sweet and delicate, the type to apologize even though the matter wasn't her fault, gladly taking the blame for a crime she didn't commit. That was maybe why Stephan chose Sophia instead.

"Forget it. Do enjoy the remainder of your evening here." Ariana gave a polite smile and brushed past Sophia.

Unfortunately she didn't make it to the door. Her arm was hurriedly grabbed.

"Wait! I just wanted to clear up the misunderstanding about the dress—"

"Save it!" Ariana wasn't in the mood to hear Sophia's petty excuses.

Sophia's pretentious apologies rubbed her the wrong way. The issue of the dress was a simple matter which Ariana felt didn't need much explaining. It was a mere coincidence which happened between the wrong people at the wrong time.

Speaking of wrong place and wrong time, Stephan who was waiting outside of the bathroom door, heard the commotion from the other side of the door and walked up to it, knocking lightly.

"Sweetheart, are you alright in there?" His voice was full of concern and worry.

If Elliot hadn't been standing at the other end of the hallway staring at him with an impassive expression, Stephan would have walked right into the bathroom to see what the matter was. But Elliot was like the angel with a flaming sword standing at the entrance of the garden of Eden. It was hard to determine what he was thinking in the moment and Stephan knew better than to provoke the King Pin.

Stephan's voice irked Ariana further and she clenched her fists. When she was hospitalized for over three weeks, after a traumatizing event, Stephan couldn't seem to care less. He only showed up to the hospital once and when he spoke to her there wasn't a single trace of worry or concern was in his voice. A simple squeal from Sophia like a dying pig and he sounded like he was ready to break down the door and remove all obstacles in his way.

"Y-yes I'm fine." Sophia nervously lied through her teeth. "It's just a small spider."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry darling, everything's fine."

Ariana wasn't sure how much more of their sappy conversation she could tolerate. Casting another cold glance at Sophia, she grabbed the bathroom door and flung it open. The sound of the door opening caused both men standing outside to turn to it.

Elliot watched as Ariana stepped out in a new dress which he personally thought fitted her much better than the first. He saw her glance around in search of him and he made his presence known, pushing off the wall and walking towards her with his hands stuffed into his front pockets.

"Ready to go?" He inquired.

"Sure." She nodded then held up the bags in her hand. "I just need to give this to Pierce."

"I'll handle it." Elliot took the bag from her and held it out.

Ariana looked confused until she saw one of Elliot's men appeared from the shadows on the far end of the corridor. He stepped forward and took the bags, giving a nod to his boss and to Ariana before walking down the corridor and disappearing again.

"Come, there's a garden out back." Elliot held out his hand to her.

Ariana nodded his head and accepted his hand. A rush of warmth and a sense of security flooded her as he secured her small hands in his big ones, a touch of gentleness peeking through the frost in his grey eyes.

Stephan's handsome face suddenly went rigid. A mix of emotions flashed across his eyes and his posture stiffened. An ugly feeling swelled up inside of him. It was bitter and very unpleasant, coursing through his veins angrily and clouding his judgement.

"Elliot, what are you doing?" A small hint of bitterness laced Stephan's voice.

Elliot turned to him quizzically.

"She is no good. She's practically useless to you. Why are you defending her?"

Stephan couldn't believe that his friend would abandon him over a woman—especially one who happened to be his ex. He felt like Elliot had misunderstood and picked the wrong side. He wracked his brain for all the clever things he could say, hoping that something would change Elliot's mind and he would snap to his senses, realizing he was defending the wrong side. However, he failed to realize one key detail.

In actuality, Elliot had never acknowledged Stephan as a friend of his, much less an acquaintance.

The Navarros had a good working relationship with the Harpers as fellow members in the global business empire but when it came to personal affiliations between the Harper CEO and the Navarro CEO, their relationship was practically nonexistent outside of the conference room and board meetings. But Stephan didn't know that.

The Harpers held fourth rank in the Big Five. Because he was usually outgoing and seemingly easy-to-get-along-with, Stephan believed that the majority of his business associates liked him and considered him a friend. The role of being the male lead gave him expectations that he would always receive friendly treatment. Stephan had grown use to Elliot's impassive, silent manner but he didn't really know where he stood with Elliot until today.

Their friendship was considered one sided as Elliot disliked Stephan simply because he found the latter to be quite annoying, like a persistent fly. Stephan would seize any opportunity to be included in the same rank as Elliot, too blinded by the power and wealth attached to the Navarro name, to fully realize that he had no qualifications to rank alongside Elliot.

"And who gave you the right to decide whether or not she's useful or worthless to me?" Elliot chuckled dryly. "Don't you think you're overstepping your boundaries?"

Gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Stephan?"

All eyes turned to the woman who stood in the doorway of the bathroom with a nervous look. She could feel the tension between her fiancée and the King Pin and she crossed had fingers behind her back, praying that the situation didn't escalate. She knew about the King Pin. He was calm and reserved and he appeared harmless, but underneath his suave persona was a beast of a man.

"Have you been crying?" Stephan frowned at the sight of Sophia's puffy eyes.

Sophia shook her head with a small smile. "No. Something just went into my eye."

Stephan knew she was lying. He had seen how pale she became once the criticisms of the onlookers grew brutal. Sophia did maintain her posture and left the room with her head held high, but he knew that deep down inside she had been hurt. Momentarily forgetting Elliot and Ariana, Stephan pulled Sophia into a gentle hug, sighing regretfully when she started to sob pitifully.

Ariana rolled her eyes and turned away. The sight of the loving couple stirred something deep inside her which she had desperately tried to bury and forget. She had been told that time was the best healer, that over time she would be able to accept everything and move on, possibly opening her heart up again. But she didn't see how that was posdible.

It had been a little over a year ago and her wounds felt like they had been inflicted yesterday. Seeing Stephan and Sophia together brought back a rush of painful memories and unwanted feelings. She felt disoriented and dizzy, closing her eyes as the painful throb in her chest grew stronger. Elliot felt her grip tighten on his hand and he looked down.

His heart twisted painfully at the hurt he could see reflecting in her eyes. She tried to keep up a strong appearance but inside he knew she was still broken and defeated, still sitting on the ground surrounded by the broken fragments of her heart. The sight of her pain forced out a protective side of him. Something in him hated to see her so vulnerable and defeated and an invisible force compelled him in her direction.

Tightening his grip on her hand, he tugged at her roughly, the force causing her stumble in his direction and fall onto his chest. Before Ariana could react, Elliot wrapped arm arm securely around her waist and held her there, the scent of his cologne invading her sense of smell. She had gotten a whiff of it before when she was covered in his jacket, but now she was able to pin point exactly what he was perfumed in.

Clive Christian No. 1, Ariana noted. That's some really expensive shit.

"Thank you." Ariana muttered.

She didn't know what she was thanking him for, for saving her from utterly embarrassing herself once again in front of many important socialites or for shielding her from the scene which was akin to a knife stabbing at the wounds which had yet to heal.

"I said I'll take you wherever you wish to go. Where do you want to go now?" He knew that she wasn't in a stable emotional state to handle the vicious socialites in the banquet hall neither did she have the energy to pretend to keep it together after witnessing the intimacy of the couple for the remainder of the evening.

"Home." Ariana replied.

"The hotel?"

"No. Melbourne."

"Okay."

Elliot put one hand on her back before leaving his figure down, putting a hand behind her knees and sweeping her off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Ariana squeaked as she clung bounce his shoulder, in fear that he might drop her.

"We're leaving."

With that, Elliot turned around to leave the banquet through the back entrance. At the last second his eyes locked with Sohpia's and she was quick to turn away, but not before Elliot spotted the unpleasant glare she was shooting at Ariana. Elliot ignored her and started walking.

"Put me down. I can walk." Ariana struggled to break free from his hold.

"If you don't settle down, you'll fall," Elliot cautioned her as he opened a door and continued walking.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take." Ariana tried to push him away. "Now let me go!"

"As you wish,"

One second she was being carried and the next she found herself falling to the grass with a squeal. Her landing wasn't hard but it wasn't soft either. Elliot casually looked down at her as she snapped her head up at him with steam coming out of her ears like an animated character. He didn't look the least bit sorry for letting her fall.

"Did you really have to drop me?" She fumed.

"You told me to put you done. I did as you asked,"

"By letting me fall?"

"You never specified how you wanted to be let go. If you had, I would have put you down on your feet. But I figured you wanted the fastest way so I simply let you go."

Elliot shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head at her, clearly amused by the entire situation. Ariana wanted to snap at him but his words made the situation a little bit funny. The two looked at each other, grey to green. Their eyes seemed to connect on a deeper level. In the dim lights, Elliot's looked more enigmatic than usual. The soft glow of the lights coming from the building where the banquet was being held caressed his face gently and from his small smirk, Ariana could make out the faint indent of dimples in his well defined cheeks.

"Take a picture, it would last longer." Elliot suggested.

"And run the risk of losing my back camera to your ugliness, I think not." Ariana scoffed.

Elliot's eyes flashed in amusement at her words. He extended his hand to help her up and pulled her to her feet.

"Why are you so nice to me? I thought you hated me." Ariana dusted her rear before folding her arms.

Elliot frowned, wondering where on earth she dug up that theory from.

"I don't hate you." Elliot clarified.

"But I do,"

"Why?"

"Because during our first encounter, you saw me as a gold digger and you treated me like one. You threw a check in my face and told me to write a price when all I wanted was a simple thank you." Ariana fumed at him. "I wasn't going to bother coming to see you anyways. It was Quinn's stupid idea because she wanted company."

Elliot instantly realized their first encounter was much more than a simple disagreement. Her intentions were different from what he had thought and he had unintentionally hurt her.

"That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry," He apologized.

Ariana looked up at him, searching his eyes for any trace of insincerity.

"I didn't mean to make you feel like you're something money can buy, so I sincerely apologize. I know this isn't a valid excuse for my behavior, but my day wasn't going as planned and I took out my anger and frustrations on the wrong person." Elliot honestly admitted.

He saw no reason to lie to her, her guard was up. She had been hurt badly before and in self defense she viewed everyone as a threat. He was strangely interested in her and while he could forced her to reciprocate feelings for him, he knew that the dumbest thing a man could do is to force a wounded woman. She'd either run away or she would clam up harder and emotionally cut him off.

The only way he would get through to her was to be as transparent as possible allowing her to trust him and let her take down her walls to let him inside on her own free will. Elliot didn't have a clear idea what type of relationship he wanted with Ariana, but he knew he wanted to her to be in his life and him in hers.

"Why wasn't your day going as planned?" Ariana questioned, wanting to know the reason behind his temper that day.

"First off, I was in a hospital and put on bed rest for a few days because of the blood transfusion. We may have the same blood type but there was a chance that my body could have rejected your blood and the injuries I had could have worsened."

Now that he mentioned it, Ariana remembered that Quinn told her that Elliot hated to be sick. It was a weakness and a vulnerability and more than anything he despised feeling powerless.

"Secondly," Elliot went on. "I had my men searching the area of the accident for and security footage that could give us a hint as to who was driving the car that crashed into mine, and they found out that all the cameras had  been wiped, and those that haven't were too far away to get anything on tape."

Ariana could hear the frustration in his voice as his body went rigid.

"Talon managed to find one of the cameras close to the accident but it's damaged. That's why he's in France. A friend of ours is working on restoring the memory chip so we could see what's on it." Elliot went silent for a moment then ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "I'm honestly sorry about what happened at the hospital. And thank you. For saving my life."

"Your welcome and apology accepted." Ariana forced herself to look away from his eyes.

The sincerity and honestly in them made her feel something she thought died years ago, something she wasn't ready to face. It scared and excited her but at the same time it made her nervous.   

"I also think you're incredibly stubborn." Elliot added while looking down at her.

"I'm not stubborn," Ariana huffed.

"Don't deny it,"

"Don't touch me." She mumbled, swatting his hand away like a grouchy cat.

A small chuckle left Elliot as he got another glimpse at his feisty kitten. Fixing his jacket over his shoulders, he turned in the direction of the back exit, taking a step before looking over his shoulder at her.

"Are you coming?"