Chapter 2 In the beginning: Arielle's office

Could you imagine the audacity, the effrontery, that imbecile is getting on my nerves," Bianca says as she walks into my office. I drop my pencil and drag my eyes absently from the dinner

gown I'm working on. After weeks of researching, I woke up with my thinking cap intact. I knew precisely what to design for my upcoming campaign, but with my

best friend here, there's no way I'm getting this dress out of my mind and onto paper. "Bonjour, mon amie" I greeted Bianca , stifling a grin."Francis Bridgeton stole my concept and pulled it as his". He won the contract I went through hell racking my head for. I lean back in my chair and let my look meander over Bianca 's messy,auburn hair. "Weren't you the one who disrupted him the last time? You deflected his tires so he'd be late in meeting the client bearing in mind that lateness was one thing the client wouldn't tolerate." Bianca grinned devilishly,her blue eyes lit up with delight at the memory."If not for that, his company might have gotten that resort contract. "That was a huge one." I shake my head giving her my utmost attention. She won't take off until she's had ample time to complain about Francis Bridgeton.

"So you should have anticipated he would retaliate?" Bianca glares at me as if l have let her down, but she knows I'm right."I want to retaliate,"she snaps. "That charlatan," he can't go scot-free". " I need your assistance, Arielle." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No. I can't do that ." I'm not insane to annoy an influential person like Francis Bridgeton. My phone rings and I reach for it absentmindedly, petrified when I see the name 'Ariel'. My heart skipped a beat as I gazed at my phone, allowing it to ring. "Arielle ?" Bianca called , her voice delicate, concerned. I sighed in exasperation. "It's your brother," I told her, "Hi! Ariel," I say, my calm tone is different from the beating of my heart. He chuckles, and a sharp sense of yearning surges through me.

You're so difficult to reach these days.It's been ages since I heard him say my name. "What's up?" I asked, knowing that anything it is he's calling for is bound to harm me."Want to go shopping with me? I got to purchase a present for Loretta's birthday, and who better to ask for assistance than you?"

"Absolutely," I said to him, Bianca shot me a quizzical look as l finished the call. "What did he want?" she snaps. I grin firmly. "He needs a birthday present for Loretta." Bianca locks her jaws and casts a wary glance at me. "Don't go," she says, he can figure out what to give her himself. Why does he require your help?" "It's fine," I told her."It isn't," Bianca says. "I adore my brother, but I cherished you. You need to cut ties with him each time you see Ariel

you're completely heartbroken.I shake my head in refusal. "I'm not," Bianca ,Ariel and I are just friends.You're seeing things that aren't there." She crosses her arms and gazes at me. "Lie to yourself all you need, Arielle, but you're not tricking me." I deflect my look, incapable of keeping up my affectation when she's looking at me that way. She's the one who knows l had a one-night stand with Ariel five years ago, and even though I deny it, she's the only one who knows that I'm still in love with him as I am at this point. "Arielle, don't you ever ponder what would have happened if you'd confessed your feelings to him after

you slept with him that night at my birthday party?"I raised my chin defiantly and shook my head. "It wouldn't have mattered. It's Loretta who is clinging to him. From the minute she strolled into his life, she's been all he seems to see. How could we have a beautiful night together and the next morning, he announced he is dating Loretta?She looks into my eyes, her look filled with the same anguish I'm feeling. "Will you sit back and watch Ariel wed your sister?" I turn to face the window and breathe in shakily. "What choice do I have? They've been a couple for five years, Bianca . If there was ever a time to make a move, I missed it.If either of them finds out about my feelings, it'll take a toll on my relationship with Ariel, and it'd devastate the strained relationship I have with my sister. And what for? He's never seen me as more than a friend. Bianca shakes her head. "I can't say exactly but I do not think Ariel is as happy as he is, and I earnestly doubt he sees you as just a friend, Arielle. He might not be able to confess it but there's a special bond between you two. It had been there even before Loretta got on board, and she was never able to completely eradicate it. She may have attempted, but she's never been able to take your place in his life."

I fondle my hands, uncertain what to say. He will soon be my brother-in-law, and I have to keep boundaries between us. "Arielle, Bianca called me, I can assure you that the reason they're still together is because they know they have no other choice. Ariel knows he must wed somebody our grandma chooses but the one she chose for him first wasn't Loretta. It was "you." My heart throbs at the reminder. "I retreated into the recesses of my thoughts, seeking solace when my parents told me they needed to retire and choose to combine their company with Warren Media. The Warren and the Rowan had been business rivals for ages, but the proposed merger changed everything, especially for my parents. They needed to keep their company within the family and avoid impending bankruptcy.A marriage between Warren and Rowan would keep the company within the family, and it'd keep both families in the realm of the affair. At that time, the one they considered for this wasn't Loretta. "It was me". Due to my relationship with Bianca , they thought.

I'm the right choice. I was then twenty when the deal was made, it was perfect with me and Ariel wasn't opposed to it either. That all changed when I took Loretta with me to Bianca 's twenty-first birthday party. That night will forever be green in my mind. Ariel was drunk and one thing led to another. We made love but l left his bed before dawn to freshen up at Bianca 's and at breakfast next day, Ariel announced he is dating Loretta and it seemed as if he was clueless about our beautiful moment last night.