Chapter Eighty-Nine – Pitter Patter.
The media. Arya accepted she’d never understand them.
She had scrolled through Tiktok and Instagram searching for actual videos of Connor harassing reporters as the media said.
They were only just memes about it. He hadn’t even caused bodily harm per se yet the reporters called it harassing.
Weren’t they the ones harassing the Wades by storming their house? A talk show had even made it a subject matter.
“But the fact that the masses are praising him is…” Arya shook her head. She was glad though.
Many people actually supported Connor behavior telling the media to leave his cousin alone as he said.
The video they posted to soil the Wade’s good name had backfired and many young people even thought he was cool and ‘savage’ for threatening to release dogs.
“Young people these days are something else.” Arya rolled her eyes on seeing a comment that said, “Connor! I love him already.” Connor became popular for yelling at reporters?
The gate to the mansion opened and Arya ran to the door. Her eyes lit up on seeing Damien behind the wheel.
She almost ran to him but held herself. What was wrong with her? Was she this excited because she had information to give him? But the information wasn’t anything exciting.
She sighed and mellowed down. Her body had began reacting strangely to Damien and she didn’t appreciate it.
Damien looked distressed as he walked out his car. He switched off the radio and pulled his suitcase out of the car.
“Stressful day?” Arya ran to him with a smiling face.
He tried to smile back and rested on the car. “Where you home when Connor lashed out on the reporters?”
She paused, noticing his displeased tone. Her hands went to the back of her neck. “I really couldn’t do anything to stop him. Also, the masses seem to think it’s cool.”
Damien’s expression changed. “They think it’s cool?”
“Yeah, all the comments I saw thought he was cool for that. It has a trending hashtag now, #LeaveMyCousinAlone.”
Damien found the turns of events amusing. He only hoped it wouldn’t affect his company’s sales in the slightest way. Or make the media go after Connor.
The worst people to make enemies were the media. But again, the media still found something to milk of the Wades.
“Connor isn’t home, right? He called saying…”
“Yeah, he left with Ken.” Arya responded, disdain laced in her tone. “Oh, Connor called you?” she looked up at Damien.
Damien looked down. The other day, he had enquired from Kane how Ken and Arya’s meeting went in the car.
Even if Kane’s account was that it’s a ‘funny banter’, Damien didn’t like the fact his best friend and wife didn’t get along.
Arya clearly disliked him and they were few people Damien knew she openly showed dislike for.
He brushed the matter aside as they were more pressing issues. He didn’t know how to bring up the truth of her mother’s death so decided to tell Anna on a good time.
“You had something to tell me?” He asked Arya, walking inside the house. Arya nodded and narrated the discovery of Lucy as well as her speculations.
Arya also added that Anna could have a spy at her workplace too, Debby might be trying to source for any type of information without being violent as per the challenge.
“Arya, don’t think Debby would play fair in that ‘challenge’ you accidentally suggested. Debby looks down on you so she won’t expect you to take it seriously.” Damien said.
It made Arya feel bad and less of a genius but she had come to accept that Debby would easily outsmart her.
With the counter measures she had for every plan, covering her tracks too, it would be hard to pinpoint her.
“For now, I had someone get me proof that Debby and Chen are linked to the explosion that happened. You and Connor can testify as victims.” Damien showed her some files.
It stunned Arya that he had already gotten this far. Wasn’t it enough to put Debby in a rehab center? Or was there another thing that should be settled?
“We could go with this and Debby would be put in a rehab for instigating such disaster but she won’t go down alone, she’d go down with your aunt Jenna and expose our marriage.”
“Exposing our marriage is trivial but if Debby exposes your Aunt… it would affect you psychologically and would be a bad stain on your in-laws, the Wades.” Damien concluded.
His words scared Arya. So what aunt Jenna did was enough to affect the Wades as well? And also herself psychologically? She was no longer curious to know.
“So our goal should be Debby giving up and accepting rehab then?” Arya questioned. “Could that even happen?”
Damien smiled. “That would be a miracle. If she decides to, I could drop the case but make sure she’s treated accordingly in her home country. I have nothing against her.”
Nothing against her? Arya glared at him. “Yes, you’d have nothing against her. She didn’t blow up your project and attempt blowing up your wife… I mean, your cousin.”
Damien stared at Arya. She misunderstood him. Or maybe he had spoken without thinking much.
“It’s not like that, she is wrong for hurting you and Connor. I just didn’t have problems with her before.” He rephrased.
“You should’ve. Connor said that before you married me, she had a crazy behavior towards other people around you. And you didn’t have problems with it?” Arya raised a brow.
Damien looked away from her. He did find it odd but decided not to think much of it. “I didn’t think it was because she liked me, really. I have no experience with girls.”
The last part made Arya sigh.
He had mentioned it before but she still found it hard to believe he never interacted with girls enough to know when someone liked him.
He never also had female friends? Well, he did mention he had few friends. Then did it mean, she was his first love?
“But, I’d make sure I deal with this before it escalates to…” Damien trailed off when he noticed Arya’s face red and she was looking down, lost in thoughts.
What’s it something he said? He looked down to study her but she hit her face. “I’m alright, I’m alright.”
Her cheeks were burning so she rubbed them soothingly. Was she really his first love?
She headed to the door but paused. “I hope Lucy doesn’t lose her job though. She had been worried about that.”
Damien made an ‘hmm’ sound. “She wouldn’t. I’d make sure of it.” He wondered why she was leaving suddenly.
Arya held her hand on her chest, commanding it to be still. “Yeah, okay then. I’d trust you to it.” She walked out.