Chapter 5 one step at a time

Ariel's P.O.V.

"They found her. She was in a bar with a few of her friends last night and passed out there." Zion told us in a cold tone while clutching his phone hard. Not only me, but everyone present in the room was surprised to hear him.

I still didn't get her reason to call me early in the morning if she is in the bar. She knows very well that I don't like crowded and loud places.

"It... it means we worried for nothing?" Julianne asked him in an angry tone. I didn't want to dwell on this matter, though. I wasn't that close to any of them. They all were nothing but greedy vultures who wanted to devour me whole whenever they got the chance.

"I have something to do. I am going upstairs." I announced while standing up from the couch. We were sitting in the living room while searching for Fiona. "What is it?" Winston's mom asked me while narrowing her eyes.

"Uhhhh.... Tony asked me to start studying about th.... The family bu.. business that I am going to inherit after my birthday. I... I also think that I should start now. Call me when Arthur comes, or else I will feel hungrier with all the food on the table," I answered her while making an excuse hurriedly, signaling towards the dinner table.

It seemed that I needed to talk with Tony in this matter so that no one could expose my lie. "What? You... you want to... to take over the business?" Zion exclaimed in shock while jumping on his feet.

I furrowed my brows while boring my eyes on his face. "Is something wrong with this, Zion? I remember that my father left everything to me in his will." I asked him in a calm and cold tone this time, crossing my hands in front of my chest.

"She is right. I guess I was also informed that she will inherit the Mitchell business empire after her 24th birthday. What's wrong with starting to look into business matters now?" My father-in-law, Mr. Lucas, also confronted Zion while crossing his legs.

They didn't want me to inherit the business; that I knew already, but what's with this strong reaction? Were they doing something that I shouldn't know?

Or were they behind my kidnapping and then death in my past life? I was killed before my 24th birthday.

All the lines on my forehead straightened immediately, and I flinched harder in fear as this mere idea suddenly popped up at the back of my mind.

"Are you okay, Ariel?" I looked at my mother-in-law with a concerned gaze.

"I... I am okay... I.. am okay." I answered her while stuttering hard in fear and almost ran towards the staircase. The sinister laughter of my assailants and those cruel words that they spouted at the time of my death were now ringing in my ears.

"Ariel.... Ariel.... Are you okay?" I heard someone screaming behind me, but I didn't stop. I locked the door of my bedroom with a bang and leaned my back on the doorframe while clutching my chest hard.

Could they go to the extent where they schemed my death for wealth? If... if they wanted to kill me, why did they wait so long? Why didn't they kill me with my parents?

How could they do that to me? It was still not clear who gave that spiked juice to me during the wedding. Everyone suspected Fiona, but I knew Fiona very well. She had a sharp and venomous tongue but the heart of a rat.

I slid to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them tightly, still having my eyes closed. Tears pricked my eyes, but I didn't stop them. I was alone in the room.

"Be strong, girl... how could you still be so fragile and brainless?" I scolded myself and slowly opened my eyes. Yes, how could I still be so brainless?

I got the second chance to live my life again, to undo the mistakes that I made in the previous life. To find those who not only killed my parents but also Tony and me. I still had four months before my birthday.

It might be possible that we would face some changes in the trajectory as I faced just now in the living room. The change in the events, like Winston's attempt to make me stay in his room. I still didn't know his reason, but I needed to go back to the same room in which I stayed in the past life so that I could have less interaction with him.

I took a deep breath and thought about what I said to them as an excuse. Tony was my mother's cousin, and he took care of my mother's family business after her death, as I was still underage at that time. My parents appointed him as my guardian when he was only 6 years older than me.

I didn't know what made them think that a young unmarried man like Tony could take care of me, but I was glad that they didn't let the family from my father's side harass me after their death.

I slowly stood up and walked towards the bed. I dialed Tony's number while sitting on the edge of the bed. I needed to talk to him. By how Julianne and Zion reacted, I was now sure that they were doing something behind my back.

"Hey, cupcake... how are you feeling now?" Tony asked me in a cheerful tone as soon as the call connected.

"I am feeling much better, Tony.... But I called you for a favor. I need your help." I replied to him while climbing into my bed. Well, technically it's still Winston's bed.

"What do you want, cupcake?" Just tell me," he asked me in a serious tone this time. I took a deep breath while holding a pillow on my lap.

"You know that I need to take over the business soon in the future. So, I am thinking about going through the general history of what we have done in the past years after my parents' death so that I can get a rough idea of everything that I am going to face after taking over." I explained without hesitation.

"What is it, Ariel? Did someone say something to you?" He asked me in a concerned tone, and I took a deep breath while slumping my body. I wanted to be relaxed, but everything that I suffered before I died was now taking a toll on my mental health.

"Nothing happened, Tony... not yet... but now I am not sure about my uncles and aunts' intentions towards me and my business. I agree that they are taking care of everything on my behalf, leaving me to live a carefree life, but you know very well that I have never had a good relationship with them." I replied to him with a sigh while looking in front of me blankly.

"I don't want to appear like a headless chicken in front of the world after taking over the business, Tony. I don't know if things are still in the way they should be or if they have started manipulating things behind the scenes. It will be good if they don't have any malice towards me, but what will I do if they have planned to leave the company like a hollow shell?" I continued in a very low voice, similar to whispers.

"I got your point, cupcake.... You don't worry. I will make arrangements, and you will get everything that you need to understand not only the company's financial condition but also its administrative condition. You are not alone, Ariel. You always have me." He answered me in a firm and gentle tone while comforting me.

A small smile appeared on my lips after his assurance. "Thanks, Tony... thanks a lot." I thanked him sincerely, feeling light now.

"By the way.... aren't you going for a honeymoon with Winston? Why has he gone alone on a business trip, leaving his newlywed alone at home?" He asked me in an accusing tone, sounding angry, making me sigh aloud.

"I am not in the right physical and mental state, Tony. After what happened during the wedding has left a traumatic imprint on my mind. You ... you won't believe it, but I am now scared even to take a glass of water from the maids here."

I apologized to him in my heart for lying, but this was the best excuse that I could think of right now.

I heard him taking a deep breath. "It... it's just a normal reaction, Ariel. Everything will be okay. Ummm... I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I will call you back after the meeting, okay? Till then... just rest and don't stress yourself." He told me calmly, and we hung up after that.

I threw myself on the bed on my back and took a deep breath. Yeah... he was right. I would do anything to make sure things go better this time.... But one step at a time... and the first thing that I need to do is to change the room. I didn't want to make any big changes in the original timeline.