Paparazzi

Chapter Eighteen – Paparazzi.
It was a total mistake on her side. Arya forgot about Seth’s warning to her to wear warm clothes. She left with Damien on a sleeveless pink gown.
She had only been thinking of looking cute to appease Seth that she forgot he wanted her warm. She was basically distraught all though the ride to the summit.
“You look beautiful, Arya, don’t feel bad.”
She turned to Damien as he spoke, he gave her a reassuring smile and she smiled back. “Thank you.”
She sat straight. Well, if her billionaire husband thought she looked nice then Seth would surely not be able to resist her.
She looked behind her, as she was at the front seat, there was no one at the back seat. “Um… where’s Debby? Isn’t she coming?”
“She went earlier, speakers come in earlier to get their script. I stayed to wait for you.” He explained.
Arya nodded. She was actually glad the girl wasn’t with them, someone who hated her for no reason, it would be a lot of bad energy on this day she needed all the best.
She glanced at Damien driving, and back at the road. “It’s a weird question but you never got a girlfriend you could have asked to be your arranged wife? I mean surely…”
“None. I was too busy to.” He replied before she finished.
She gently nodded and smiled, he smiled back. “I’m sure if you had announced it on a radio, lot’s of girls would have volunteered.”
He was the owner of lots of companies and had workers amassing more than hundred in each firm. Surely more than half of his single female works had a crush on him.
“I didn’t just need an arranged wife. My mom wanted me to get married.” He reminded. “So I got a wife.”
Arya wasn’t sure she got that part. She wasn’t his wife, just playing the role. “They would play the role too. And fall in love with them, cos they’re already in love with you.”
He shook his head. “That will be setting myself up. They are clearly just for my money.”
She sighed, relaxing on the chair. “Don’t blame them. Money is hard to find and parents could sell their children for it.”
Damien looked at her, then back at the road. “Not all parents. Your dad is a dick and he didn’t win so don’t let it affect you.”
The fact that he could read it was her father she referred to impressed Arya. She breathed in and out, feeling confident. “Thanks. Wish you luck in your speech.”
The conversation ended at that point as they drove into the venue. Arya’s head was outside the window as she took in the magnificent building.
She whipped out her phone to call Winx but then a shout startled her and the phone dropped. “Oh my goodness!”
Damien snapped his head at her, realizing what dropped, he came down from the car but the man who shouted ran towards him.
“Sir Damien! It’s Sir Damien!” he shouted and a group of reporters and photographers ran after him.
“Arya, stay inside!” Damien immediately ordered, winding the windows up. They were tinted so no one could see in. Arya stayed calm, silently praying her phone was still alive.
The reporters flashed mics in front of him and the photographers took his pictures. He had an uneasy smile on his face.
“Sir Damien, how many students are you expecting to attend the summit today? Is there anything you are excited about?” a reporter asked.
Damien subtly rolled his eyes with the smile till on his face. “I expect it go well, miss. And I’m excited about everything.”
Arya shifted uneasily on her seat, she needed to check her phone. The tension was eating her up. She was at the side of the car so they wouldn’t see her come out, she thought.
Her car door slowly opened. Damien heard the sound and froze. He slowly shook his head, praying she saw him.
“Oh no.” Arya gasped, seeing her phone from the little door opening, cracked and half way in a puddle of water. “Damn!”
She slapped the car door back.
The reporters, heard the sound and rushed to the other side with their trusty photographers. Damien blocked them before they got to close to the door.
“Excuse me, could you guys give me privacy?”
“Someone is in there…?”
“It’s none of your business, could you please?” he gestured for them to move back.
Arya clenched her fists, feeling uneasy and anger.
The reporters backed out but the photographer kept taking random pictures of the car. Damien picked up the phone, and went back to his door. Photographers followed him.
He opened the door slowly and slipped in. “Arya, I’d get you a new phone when we return home, okay?”
She was stunned he wasn’t yelling at her for being noisy. She nodded, taking her phone out and dismantling it to save the memory card and SIM.
Damien drove the car inside the building, trying to avoid the paparazzi who still followed but stopped outside the gate.
He parked the car in a way that Arya’s door will be unseen. He came down and opened up for her, together they slipped in with the reporters till shouting his name.
“Okay, stay in the student column, I’d come take you after the summit, okay?” Damien said, bringing out a phone from his pocket. “Keep your SIM and Memory card here.”
Arya took the black and shiny new Samsung Galaxy and her jaw dropped. She had always been a sucker for Samsung phones. She hid her iPhone in bag, nodding. “Sure, thanks.”
Damien disappeared in the crowd. Arya giggled to herself, trying out her new phone’s camera. She tried calling Winx again when her SIM was in.
She remembered the earlier incident with the paparazzi and shook her head, some people can be too nosy for their own good.
“Hey, Winx! I’m here! At the student column… you haven’t arrived yet? How lazy can you be!” she rolled her eyes, plopping down at a seat.
“Don’t be mad, I met a stray cat in front of my door, he was injured. I couldn’t just leave.” Winx pleaded.
Arya glanced around for anyone familiar she could hang out with. “Well, I’m all alone here. Please hurry.”
“Sure baby girl. You need to see my dress! The details, everything!” Winx gushed.
“You need to see mine too, okay, hurry.” Arya hung up.
A sigh left her lips as she looked for anyone familiar. She saw some seniors who were mean to her, she looked away.
By her side was a leather bag, she checked for the owner then stared at the Naruto sticker on it.
“Hey, Arya!”
Her heart stopped beating for a second before they started again, she leapt to her feet. “Hey, Seth. You’re here already?”
“Yeah, my dad asked me to drive a speaker so I came like two hours earlier.” He smiled, brushing hair away from his face. “And you found my bag.” He pointed at the leather bag.
She shrugged. Things seemed to be falling in place.
“So what did you have to say? Honestly, it’s been haunting me for a while now.” He smiled.
She opened her mouth to speak but closed them back, a ridiculous smile was on her face now.