What could Aria want from him? He wondered. She was always good at manipulating people, the one Ash knew of was Nelly who Aria manipulated almost to the breaking point.
“Hello Ash,” Aria said again with her appealing smile which Ash knew was deceptive. He had so many dealings with Aria in the past and he definitely knew how she worked. She would use a smile to get you to relax then she would always strike like a venomous snake which she was, if not worse. He remembered her from taking away the first man Nelly ever loved, the first one she had blissful fantasies about.
“You might think I’ve forgiven you for what you did to Nelly but that’s not true. I’ll never forgive you for ruining Nelly’s life. As long as you are an enemy of Nelly’s, you definitely are an enemy of mine.”
This was how far Ash was willing to go just to show Aria that he got Nelly’s back anywhere, anytime and any day.
“I’m not Nelly’s enemy, Ash. She must have forgiven me by now. You know how Nelly is, she doesn’t hold grudges. Nelly would want me to regret my actions and turn around. You know that, Ash.”
Ash was disgusted by Aria’s words. She thought Nelly was an emotionless piece of shit, a robot? Or did she think Nelly was someone who was obsessed with friendship? Ash did not quite understand the statement. Or maybe Aria was trying to tactfully paint Nelly as naive, one that would also blindly forgive to her own detriment?
Whatever Aria was trying to say, Ash was not buying it. He looked at her with disgust and for a moment, he felt like just walking out on her, leaving her to her own presence. Ash decided to ask a her the purpose of her visit:
“Why did you come here? Or should I say, “What are you looking for here?”
Aria was smart. She didn’t want to be hasty. Ash might think she’s trying to monitor him. Ash was as smart as she was and she knew that his thinking ability could be wild.
“I just popped in to say hi to Nelly.” Aria answered, maintaining strong eye contact.
“Nelly doesn’t live here with me. If you want to see Nelly you should go to the Stratford’s, you will definitely find her there.”
“I did go there but I couldn’t see her. All I want now is to apologize and make her know how sorry I feel for betraying her. I want Nelly’s forgiveness. That’s all.”
Ash looked at Aria for a while without uttering a word to her. He was unsure of what to tell her.
Unsure?
Not that he was contemplating on telling her that Nelly already left the country, but he was contemplating on if he should simply ask her to leave or tell her that he doesn’t know where Nelly is. Ash would never let anyone with the potential of taking Nelly’s peace of mind away anywhere close to her.
“Nelly doesn’t live here, either. I wish I knew where she is, but I don’t. Like you too, I’ve also been looking for a means to contact her.”
Aria picked interest all of a sudden, she was curious and now desperate. “You’re trying to say Nelly left without letting you know where she was headed? Come on, Ash, we both know Nelly, she would never dream that…it’s impossible!”
Ash smiled, “I could have said the same for you if you didn’t cheat on your friend with her boyfriend.”
For more than twenty minutes, Aria kept apologizing to Ash. She begged him to let her get in touch with Nelly, even though it was via the phone. Repeatedly, Ash told her he doesn’t know where Nelly is.
“Nelly is my friend, I just want to…”
“Nelly was your friend,” Ash interrupted Aria.
“… was my friend, fine. That doesn’t mean that there’s no hope for our friendship again. She’ll be more than happy to see me again, to become friends with me again.”
Ash had nothing to say than to let out a mocking laugh. He could not believe what he just heard. Yet again, he told Aria that he is unaware of the whereabouts of Nelly. Aria had no choice than to take his word for it. She left disappointed, whereas Ash was glad he stood his ground. No way was he letting anyone who had proved to be toxic to Nelly in the past get close to her.
Ivan was in his office the next day after his grandfather, Easton Landers returned. He was hoping that Easton would drop by to check on things. He always did it after a business trip. Even though his grandfather was not upset anymore that Nelly left, he still felt bad, knowing he disappointed his grandfather by not being able to hold on to a marriage. How was Easton Landers now going to believe him when he says he can take care of the company? It was just unbelievable.
What pricked Ivan’s heart and conscience the most was the fact that Nelly saved his life many years ago. He swore to find the girl and get married to her but he himself was the one who pushed her away. As he was there, lost in his thoughts, his office door opened without him noticing.
Daisy had to snap her fingers right in his face to recall him to reality.
“Daisy? How did you get in here and when?”
Daisy felt so bad seeing Ivan in such a mood. She wanted to speak to him, especially after witnessing the mood he left the mansion during their grandfather’s welcome.
“You are just being too hard on yourself. If you’ve lost Nelly, then you’ve lost her for good. There might be no way to get her back except life decides to be exceptionally kind to you. You haven’t failed in anything, you’ve learnt.”
“No, Daisy. It’s not about proving myself to grandfather, it’s about being in love. For the first time, I was in love and I didn’t know.”
Ivan paused, “I know what to do!” He shouted.