Chapter 5 THE TASK

"How's my barbie doll doing?" Liana jibbed from the phone and Aviva smiled wryly.

"You didn't even let me arrange my stuffs Lia"

"Do you know the level of anticipation I fought within myself just to wait this long to call you?" Liana sounded curious and Aviva couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Come on, come on, come on, how're you getting along with my Adonis?" Liana didn't give her time to respond as she asked again.

With a slight crease of brows Aviva asked " Adonis?"

"Jace sweetie, he's the Adonis" Liana clarified her words.

"Oh...about that, I haven't seen him since I got here but probably he's out for work"

"That's not nice..." Liana cooed and Aviva laughed shortly.

"From what I heard, the Hilton's have a particular time for dinner where everyone must be present, so I guess I'll see him by then" She informed and heard Liana squeal from the other side of the phone.

"Okay amigos, till then" Liana beamed and hung up. Aviva immediately fell into the bed and exhaled deeply with a soft smile.

"I'll get to see him during dinner" She whispered to herself as a silent giggle escaped her mouth.

Gosh no, what was she doing? Why was she getting anticipated about Jace's arrival? She can't be doing that. She scolded herself mentally. She's here for her the sake of her mom, no strings should be attached, no strings at all, Aviva reminded herself continuously. But when she recalled his ever so glorious face and his enigmatic smile, she could see the invisible strings pulling her into his embrace. 'For goodness sake, back to earth Aviva' Her subconscious scolded.

It was 5:00pm when Aviva woke up from sleep. The workers in the mansion had stuffed her up with food every two hours consecutively, especially Henry who made sure that she ate them all. She had no other option than to force herself to take a nap, in order to avoid the unending meals.

Just as she was stepping down from the bed, a knock resounded in the room which made her crease her brows. It couldn't be another meal, could it? She thought as she proceeded to open the door.

"Ahh thank goodness, it's just you" She sighed out of relief when she saw that it was only Henry without any maids.

"Young miss, you have a visitor, male precisely" He informed in a polite tone.

"Okay I'll be there shortly, thanks" She replied in a soft tone and he left.

Aviva was done showering up and she left her room to meet the visitor. She didn't have the slightest idea of who it could be as she was expecting no one in particular. While she was walking down the staircase, she spotted the guy, for some reason he looked familiar but she couldn't recognize him.

He was quite captivating, Aviva admitted to herself. Most especially his blonde hair which curled endlessly and fell across the left side of his face. Just one thought crossed Aviva's mind and it was that... 'Who exactly is this man?'

"Wow honestly miss, words did no justification to this beauty" He gawked at Aviva when she got to where he sat.

With slightly creased brows, Aviva asked "Pardon?" She didn't quite comprehend what he was saying.

"I meant to say you're hundred times more beautiful than Jace's explanation" He complimented her with a soft smile and Aviva bit down on her lower lips to stop herself from blushing foolishly.

"Thanks" She managed to say

"Sorry please have your seat" He offered and Aviva settled down on a couch facing him.

"I'm a friend of Jace, Connell" He introduced and Aviva's lips curved up into a light smile. She now felt at ease with the man as he was no longer a stranger to her.

Meanwhile, Connell was automatically struck as he witnessed her smile, he could've sworn that her smile can serve as a love potion for any man if only she wasn't Jace's fiancee. But still, he was glad that she wasn't an outsider, she now belonged to them and the thought of it made him happy.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Aviva" She spoke politely, her smile still lingering on her lips.

"Pleasure to meet you too" He smiled back. "How do you feel so far? I mean...moving in with the Hilton's" He asked gently as his eyes glistened, awaiting her answer.

"Not so bad I'd say" Aviva shrugged quietly. "But I'm kinda bored" Her tiny voice died down.

Leaning forward Connell caught his lips between his teeth as he rubbed his jaw slowly, brainstorming on what to assure the girl with. He understood exactly what the girl was saying, he knew his friend too well. Jace was someone who chose his work over anything. Jace literally avoids anything that'll keep him away from his work and that could be Aviva, but the girl was clueless.

"I know how you miss Aviva but don't worry, things will change for the better and besides you haven't stayed long with the Hilton's right?" He inclined and Aviva shrugged despondently.

"Trust me when you get to know them better, you're gonna love them most especially Jace" He assured her continuously but the girl didn't seem to brighten up a bit with her eyes glued to the floor.

"You that Jace loves you right?" The words hadn't left Connell's mouth completely when Aviva lifted her head towards him with wide eyeballs.

"No way! You've gotta be kidding me!" Disbelief etched the corner of her eyes, her gaze pinned on him without looking away, not even for a second.

Connell could finally let out a throaty chuckle upon seeing her expression, therefore... "I'm serious miss Viva, ask anything of him and see if he doesn't do it" His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.

"That's the task I'm giving you" He concluded and stood up

"Don't forget to give me feedback okay?" He smiled and left before Aviva could respond.