Chapter 3. Piercing Gaze

(At the Wade Mansion)

A young man in his mid-twenties, sat, leg crossed on a leather couch, staring at the ceiling, where a massive chandelier hung.

A glass of red wine was wrapped in his long fingers, his eyes were dark like he had a smoky makeup on.

As he rested on the headrest, his dark curly hair spread on the couch, his eyes were a shade of gray and green.

 The door of the room opened and a middle aged man sauntered in, closing the door behind him. He walked nimbly and with high head to where the young man sat.

“Sir Damien Wade, I had made the arrangements, everything is going as planned. Arya’s father, Mr. Stark, has bitten on the fish hook, he’d be dragged to the surface now.”

The young man, Sir Damien, raised his eyes to the middle aged man. “Butler Jim, you speak like my plan is to marry her father and not Arya.” He placed his wine glass on the silver stool besides him.

“Since everything is going as planned, start with the wedding preparations.”

Butler Jim frowned, his hands, that had been behind his back, suddenly releasing. “Wedding? Is Arya ready for that?”

“She is. Her father wants her to wed a man who’d pay his debts. The contract will be signed by her on the wedding ceremony.” Sir Damien left the couch.

The Butler nodded understandably, moving backwards as his young master made to leave. “But sir, do you think you and Arya can be… married couples? She still doesn’t know who you are.”

Sir Damien stopped in front of the door, his hands already on the door knob. “But I know who she is. My first love. Stop the questions. She’s not home now. Go yourself, get your young master a wife.”

As he walked out, his driver, standing outside the Lamborghini pushed the honk button then bowed. “Sir Damien, where do you want to be?”

“At Northern Eclipse university.” He sighed, getting in.

He saw the Butler leave the room and wave, as his Lamborghini dashed out of the compound.

“Where are we going, Sir Damien? Should I call that you’re coming in?” His driver asked.

A ghost of smile spread across the pink lips of Sir Damien, he looked at mirror in front of the driver. “No need, Kane. This person I’m seeing, have no clue who I am.”

---

It was the last class for the day, then she’d have to face her father. Arya cursed herself for not packing up the other night so she could easily run away.

Winx tapped her on many occasions to bring her back to the land of the conscious. When Arya was finally concentrating, two late comers entered the class and totally all the students concentration.

 ‘Whoas’ and ‘Awwws’ filled the air as the campus couple, Seth and Edna walked into the class hand in hand with stunning fitting outfits. Their hair colors matched as Edna’s hair was a light shade of pink while Seth had a streak of pink on both sides of his head.

 The lecturer ignored the students and kept on scribbling the notes on the board. He was due to leave in five minutes and it was quite obvious the campus couple didn’t come to class for him.

 Along with the lecturer, another one not pleased with the campus couple was Arya but she didn’t show it, she was great at masking her emotions, no thanks to her abusive father.

Arya knew Edna Romanoff was a high class call girl who claimed to have changed and was ‘faithful’ to Seth. She realized Seth liked her and was using his affection to gain way into his family’s wealth.

Seth Darwin had been Arya’s high school crush even if he schooled elsewhere.

 She always came for his basketball practices and cheered him, but her love had been generally low-key, her father would strangle her if she knew she liked boys, like it wasn’t a natural thing to do.

Seeing Edna clinging on Seth like jam and bread, made her sick, since she knew Edna was cheating on Seth with her neighbor. But she didn’t let it bother her too much. It’s not like she had a chance with Seth anyway and he was too dumb to fight for.

She was friends with him and that’s enough for her but Winx pulled her towards the couple after their last class was over. She knew her Arya liked Seth but she didn’t know that she was also not interested in doing anything about her feelings.

 “Hey!” Winx greeted the two as they were taking selfies. Edna released Seth and rushed to give Winx a hug, the two were distant relatives.

Arya rolled her eyes, she noticed Seth’s gaze on her and looked up at him. “Congratulations to your dad for being elected deputy governor. That was a lot of work, I hope he takes care.”

Seth smiled, “Thanks. Everyone I met congratulated me like I was the one who won.”

Arya smirked. Of course they would, it was a way to gain favor from him. She went back as Edna tried to give her a friendly hug as well.

Winx chuckled nervously. “Arya isn’t a hugger.”

Edna frowned but went on with it.

“Meet you guys tomorrow then?” Winx asked.

“Yeah, we’d come at our own time.” Edna winked, before pulling Seth with her away.

“You know I hate her.” Arya turned to a Winx with a scowl.

“But you like her boyfriend so just put up with her till you can snatch him.” Winx laughed. Arya smiled but said nothing.

There was no need trying to snatch Seth, she had a complicated life, she didn’t know how to be in a non-toxic, non-abusive relationship, she didn’t need him in her wretched life.

 Her phone rang as she walked out of the university with Winx, she expected to see Sir Damien, she had been calling him but no avail.

 Seeing her sister on the caller ID, Arya’s heart skipped a beat. Was her sister calling because she heard she asked her boyfriend to marry her? She had to explain.

“Arya! Damien told me everything! I had no idea dad wanted you to do that!”

Arya exhaled, did Sir Damien not tell her of the marriage?

“Oh, um… I am thinking of how to avoid the marriage…”

“Thinking? Damien told me he agreed to marry you for the time being, don’t you agree?”

Was she agreeing for her boyfriend to marry her sister?

“But he is your boyfriend, Anna? Isn’t it weird?”

“Boyfriend? Who?”

Arya frowned. Wasn’t he her boyfriend? For the last one year she had assumed they were dating.

 She had never seen Sir Damien in real life, apart from the calls he gave from time to time, she engaged all as she deemed him as her sister’s boyfriend.

“Anna, you mean you and Damien aren’t dating?” she needed to be sure.

“What? He’s younger than me and I don’t do younger men, please. And I have a boyfriend already. I think you and Damien will be a cute fit.” Anna chuckled.

Arya’s eyes rolled. So that what Sir Damien answered her rather coldly whenever she spoke of her sister.

 “Please Anna, it’s just for the time being. We are not getting married for real. I am just nineteen.”

“What? Mom married dad at nineteen and even if their marriage wasn’t the best, it created two princesses.” Anna chuckled again.

Arya’s heart fell? Her mother’s marriage wasn’t even close to the best. It was just a contract marriage that she was trying so hard to make a real marriage because she fell in love with the man.

 And two princesses? Maybe to their mother but they were nothing to their father. She had to make sure not to fall in love in her contact marriage with Sir Damien. Who knows, he could turn to a wolf and she wants to be able to leave with no regrets.

“I hear you, Anna. I’d be heading home now.”

“Oh, okay, take care. Bye.” Her sister hung up.

Winx returned to her with an ice cream cone. “Does Anna know of the contract marriage between your parents?”

“I can’t tell her. At least, not yet.” She took the ice-cream. “Thank you. I’d head home first.”

Winx nodded, waving. Arya smiled at her before walking down the stairs.

With the corner of her eyes, she noticed the piercing gaze of a figure resting on a Lamborghini she had noticed drive in, the gaze made her feel fear.

She met the young man’s gaze, her brown eyes diving into his gray ones. She didn’t know the man but did he know her somewhere?