“If you told me the truth, why would you have done it?” Aria asked the moment Deagan pulled open the door to his apartment.
He stared at her shocked for a moment with his hand caught in his messy hair, he wasn’t expecting her to be the person on the other end of his door at 2 am.
“Aria…” She resisted the urge to smile upon seeing his awe-filled face, “What are you doing here?” He composed himself and gripped the door handle harder.
“I need to know, why would you have told me the truth?” His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to grasp why she was asking him such a question.
“Because you deserved to know.” He frowned.
“No, I mean, what makes
“Aria Gray’s office,” Lawrence answered Aria’s office phone while she sorted through her filing cabinet.“Morning, you’re speaking to Andrew King, is Miss Gray in?” Hearing his voice Aria placed the files in hand down on the counter and nodded at Lawrence.“Yes, hold on a moment please.” Aria walked over to the desk and took the receiver from the hook.“Mr King, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Aria answered happily.“Oh I thought we were in the very least closer than that, please call me Andrew.” Aria chuckled.“Fine, fine. What can I do for you, Andrew?” Andrew grinned on the other end of the line, ignoring the daggers
“No, you stay here, I’ll go. You have that meeting with Aria later.” Andrew frowned.“You guys fought again, didn’t you.” Deagan scoffed.“She insists that I keep everyone at arm’s length because I don’t want to share my success with them since I can’t share it with my parents.” Andrew remained quiet, instead he stared at Deagan with pursed lips. “What’s that look for, don’t tell me you agree with her!” He asked incredulously.“Why have you refused to tell them after all these years? In fact, why did you hesitate to tell Aria?” Deagan frowned deeply, unable to believe that they were ganging up against him.“I didn’t tell them, because they wouldn’t unde
Deagan spent two weeks in Mumbai, trying and failing to come to any solid conclusion of why things just weren’t working out at the shipyard, but alas he needed to come home.He stepped out of the airport, feeling relieved at the cool air that touched his skin. Mumbai is a great place filled with a wonderful culture and amazing food, but the weather was a curse. He noticed the red Ford Grenada before the person leaning against it spotted him, he wondered for a second how she got the keys to his car before a bitter reminder that she was too friendly with Andrew kicked in.Aria was the last person he expected to see waiting for him outside the airport, in fact, he was fully prepared to take a cab to his apartment and spend his evening relaxing with a beer in hand and too many thoughts on his mind.&ld
Aria and Deagan entered the restaurant hand in hand, looking around till their eyes landed on Andrew with his head buried in his cell phone with a small frown on his face.“Table for two?” The host smiled politely.“No thanks, we’re meeting a friend, Andrew King?” Deagan answered and the man’s eyes lit up with recognition.“Of course, right this way sir.” The man led them to the table and promised that a waiter would be with them soon.“Hey, guys.” Andrew stood up and smiled at them, but his eyes lacked conviction.“Are you okay?” Aria asked when he hugged her.“Yeah,
Deagan stared at his reflection in the small mirror above the sink, his uncle’s guest bathroom was rather cramped in comparison to the one he was accustomed to moving around in, in his apartment.He wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or his eyes really did look wide in panic and his lips parted more than usual because he was having a hard time breathing.He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly the way his therapist showed him to do if he felt overwhelmed which is exactly what he felt at that moment.“Deagan, are you okay? You’ve been in there for a while.” Amaya’s voice travelled through the crack of the door, stunning him a little.Clenching his teeth together, he decided to bite the bullet a
Deagan marched into Andrew’s office without knocking, ignoring the horrified look he got from his best friend, he picked up the office phone and placed a call to the company’s PR officer.“Mr King?” Sandra answered in her “I’m-busy, what-do-you-want” tone.“Sandra set up a press conference for tomorrow afternoon.” Sandra was quiet for a moment, he half expected her to give him a sarcastic answer, but it must have been something in his tone that stopped him from questioning him.“Okay, what should I tell them is the reason for this conference?” He could hear her typing away at her laptop.“Just tell them that Ivan D’Heart
“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, members of the press and media. D’Heart Incorporated, previously known as “Cross-C Shipping” has come a long way from where it all began, under the impeccable guidance of our CEO, Mr Andrew King, and the distant watchful eye of the infamous Mr Ivan D’Heart himself, we have conquered the world of international shipping, going as far as to own our own shipping yard in various countries. Our line of business is quickly evolving, the world is becoming more and more accessible as the days pass and the demand for products across the world is greater than ever.” Sandra announced.“We’ve heard his name countless times over the years, somehow getting used to the idea of the phantom, but today ladies and gentlemen I am pleased to an
Weeks passed with Deagan in and out of interviews, having given the first interview to Olivia, her channel was being noticed and she was gaining followers.His family also came forward and apologised for not trusting him which pleased Aria greatly, because it was the start of a new relationship for them.She was currently setting up Christmas decorations in her living room, it wasn’t her favourite time of year like it was for others, but she enjoyed exchanging gifts and spending time with loved ones.She spent Thanksgiving with Deagan’s family as her own parents were out of the country at the time, but they had an enjoyable time and spent the afternoon playing board games since it was too cold to step outside.
Unlike other brides, Aria didn’t want to be escourted down the aisle by her father. While their relationship was far better than it had ever been in the past, she held onto the dream she had as a little girl of her grandfather giving her away and since he wasn’t there to do it, she opted to leave the space beside her empty. She sucked in a deep breath as the last of her wedding party exited the mahogany doors and descended the stairs into the backyard. “You okay, Honey?” Her mother asked when she saw the nervous look on her face. “Yeah, just nervous.” Her mother smiled comfortingly. “Why? You’re about to marry the man of your dreams.” Aria blushed at her mother’s words.
“Deagan Lockheart, I swear to God I will cancel this wedding in a heartbeat if you don’t get that creature out of my bedroom right this instant!” Aria screeched from upstairs, gaining the attention of all the guests that were invited for their rehearsal dinner.Deagan with a huge mirthful grin on his face carried the glass tank down the stairs, much to the amusement of their friends and family.“I am going to kill that man and it will be completely his fault, but I’ll have to rot in prison for it.” She mumbled, stomping down the stairs, trying to brush away the escaped wisps of hair that tickled her chin.“Oh honey, he’s just having a little fun.” Aria’s mother tried, but her face morphed into a po
The evening turned to night as the sunset in the sky and before Aria knew it, they were taking the elevator down to the basement parking. She was beyond happy that Deagan was officially taking over D’Heart enterprises, but she had worked herself up to a different kind of happiness which she never received and that was disappointing.“Everything okay?” Deagan asked just as the silent elevator ride came to an end.“Yeah, just a little tired. I’ve kind of been living on coffee this week.” She confessed, blushing when he sent her a disapproving frown.“So all that talk of, ‘I slept well’ was just a hoax?” Aria grimaced and nodded.&ldquo
Aria hopped off the truck with her heart rate erratic and smoothed down the frock of the beautiful red dress. The sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves accentuated her collar bones and the flattering A-line fit made her waist appear smaller. There was a pair of silver heeled sandals inside the box which fit her feet perfectly and complimented the dress in the most subtle way possible.They were parked in front of D’Heart Incorporated as the sunset. She had no idea what to expect, but at the very least she knew she would find the love of her life in that glass skyscraper which calmed all the nerves she felt.The chauffeur handed her another rose, making it the sixth she received that day.Halfway there beautiful, are you ready for a little walk ‘up’ memory lane?
One year laterAria turned to exit the Espresso bar with an iced coffee in hand and her phone in the other.‘You know. I still owe you a cup of coffee.’- Deagan Lockheart ‘Why?’- YouHer eyes were so focussed on the strange text she received from Deagan, trying to decipher what he meant, that she didn’t notice the man in front of her until he placed his hands on her forearms and stopped her midstep.Aria was shocked out of her distraction to find a si
“Sweetheart?” Deagan’s voice pierced through the darkness.“Hmm?” Aria hummed from her position with her head on his chest.“Have you ever considered London home?” Aria bit her lip.“No, not really.”“Have you ever considered moving back to Seattle?” Aria sat up and folded her legs beneath her, prompting him to sit up as well.“I’ve thought about it a few times, more so after the party the other night. I mean it’s cool that you guys are all here right now, but everyone has a life back there and I don’t expect you to stay here forever
Deagan waited patiently outside the ladies’ room as Aria tried to pull herself together, the redness of her eyes refused to subside and the pain in her heart wouldn’t allow her peace.She sighed for the umpteenth time, throwing away the tissue with resignation.“Hey, you okay?” Aycin asked with a worried look in his eye the moment she exited the bathroom.“Not really, but I will be.” Aria smiled, taking Deagan’s outstretched hand.“Just mingle a little, then we’ll run away.” Aycin winked and Aria grinned.Together they made their way back to the table where Alaster’s parents w
Aria blew out a heavy breath as she stepped off the podium, the bright stage lights made sweat bead along her hairline, but despite the discomfort, she was elated at the response she received. The crowd was alight with cheers after she told her story and made the opening pledge towards the charity of her choice.Taking a deep calming breath, she placed her hand in Alaster’s and smiled at the photographer as he escorted her down the stairs.“You were amazing, Aria.” Alaster complimented seriously, making her smile.“Thank you, Alaster, thank you for giving me the honour of doing this.” He nodded at her, smiling tenderly. She was an inspiration that he was proud to call his friend.
“What the hell?” Aycin commented, seeing Andrew seated on Maddie’s bed, feeding her a cup of yoghurt.Maddie looked at Andrew in panic, she knew they would put two and two together when they saw them, but she wasn’t ready for the outburst, especially knowing about Andrew and Amaya’s recent past.“It’s okay, I’ve got this. Did you have enough?” Drew asked, putting the empty cup and spoon down on the table. Maddie nodded and glanced over her shoulder at her family who watched the exchange with confusion and suspicion.“Does someone want to explain what’s going on here?” Uncle William asked sternly when Drew turned around.&