Bewitched His Soul

Aria's phone started ringing and it was a call from her mother, Sophia.

"Aria, it's been three hours since the plane landed. How could you be so irresponsible? You didn't even bother to inform us whether you've reached your apartment," Sophia screamed.

"Mom, I was so tired from carrying all the luggage. Let me breathe," Aria replied.

"Didn't I say not to do any tedious work. You are so far from us and if you get sick, who will be there to take care of you?" Sophia scolded.

Aria learned it was a wrong move to tell her mother about carrying her own luggage. Since childhood she had a weak immunity and easily got tired from doing the smallest of physical tasks.

"Your father hired a maid to help you with the housework. She will be joining you tomorrow, so you just need to concentrate on your work and don't stress much," Sophia continued.

Before Aria could reply Aiden took the phone from his wife. "How is my favorite child doing?" Aiden asked.

"Dad, I hope Asher is not nearby. You cannot openly show favoritism," Aria giggled.

"Well, I cannot hide the truth, and it's not like Asher doesn't know," Aiden chuckled.

"Dad, tell mom not to worry. I am 24 years old and I can look after myself," Aria said.

"I know my daughter is all grown up and capable. Now go and do some sightseeing. Italy is a very beautiful place, it's where I proposed to your mother," Aiden's voice became tender at the end.

Aria heard her mother grumbling in the background and telling her father that it was time to ask about the wellbeing of their daughter and stop remembering their youthful romance.

Aria laughed out loudly and stated ,"Dad I will do as you say. Let me get some rest. I am dead tired from the journey." Aiden bid goodbye and ended the call.

By the time Aria woke up after her three hour nap it was already evening. All she had just eaten that day was a sandwich and coffee on the flight, and now she felt extremely hungry.

Having no strength to cook and thinking it would be nice to get familiar with the neighborhood, she put on a jacket and went exploring.

She went to a café and ordered a plate of spaghetti and blueberry mojitos. This café was a family business and had been owned by four generations of the same family.

When she checked on Google this was one of the top recommendations and she was not disappointed because the reviews had been real. She gave a large tip as the management was very polite and courteous, even going the extra mile to adjust the spice level according to her preference.

When she came out the door she was startled as a huge dog barked at her and she dropped her phone and wallet. The dog looked scary and it was trying to lick Aria's leg. No matter how much she tried to push it away the dog would not leave her alone.

"Bruno…," A male voice called out harshly. The dog retreated from her and ran back to his owner quickly.

Aria lifted her head to look at the owner and for a second she was breathless. Having grown up with a handsome father, brother and friends, she was immune to how handsome men looked.

But this guy in front of her was totally eye-catching even if he was wearing an oversized black worn out hoodie.

He was tall, muscular and wearing blue denims with white sneakers. His face, oval in shape, was tanned, his eyes were grey, and his hair grew a little bit longer than his jaw. He looked like one of those sculptures found in the Greek museums.

"I…," Aria was abruptly cut off by that man.

His face was expressionless and thin lips pressed together as if he had no desire to say a word to her. He just waved his hand, turned back and walked away holding the dog's belt.

Aria was annoyed by his rude behavior, his dog gave her a mini heart attack and he did not even feel the need to apologize to her. She being the bigger person, tried to talk to him but he just brushed her off and walked away.

Aria decided not to bother too much as he was just a random passerby whom she may never see again. But she was very wrong as this was just the first of their many further encounters.

After going home, she took a long bath to help her to relax all her sore muscles. She unpacked all her luggage and arranged the clothes and art supplies at their respective places.

It took a lot of time to arrange her studio as she was very particular where each object should be. The apartment consisted of two bedrooms and she had converted the guest room into her painting studio.

It was around 9 by the time the whole house was set. She curled on the sofa with a book in her lap and a green tea in her hand.

One of the reasons she had chosen this flat was because the view was very good. The big window in her living room made her see the whole city.

The next morning she had a meeting with the manager of the art exhibition. They have already read her resume and done an interview through Skype last month and decided to display her painting in their upcoming exhibitions.

Aria got an email reminder to be there at the office at 10am sharp, and replied back that she will be there. She dressed in a blue shirt and brown skirt, wore kitten heels and carried her Hermes bag.

She opted for fresh blow dry hair, and opted for no make-up. The only jewelry she wore was hooped earrings and a fossil watch.

The whole office was painted white and had a rich interior. She gave her name to the receptionist and she told her to wait for ten minutes.

"Hello Ms. Aria Cooper, welcome to our company. We are glad to have you here," One of the employees welcomed her after a few minutes.

"The pleasure is mine," Aria smiled.

"I know you had a meeting with our manager but now our director will talk with you," the employee said.

"What? I hope I did not make any mistakes," Aria's eyes widened. New artists never met the directors and not on their first day with a big company like this.

"Oh you have misunderstood. It's not just you. Our director wants to have a round of talks with all the new artists," the employee explained.

Aria relaxed a little bit, but still she was worried that in front of such an experienced director she may mess up and they may even kick her out thinking her art style is not within their company standards.

When she went inside the cabin no one was there.She looked around and each furniture and showpiece were limited editions.

Whenever her mother travelled to various countries she brought whatever items were famous there.

Being an aristocratic wife she no need to fear missing the limited edition pieces because as soon as the products were released they were sent home by her father's order.

"Dammit, I pay everyone so much yet I end up doing all the work," A man entered the room cursing.

When Aria turned around she was shocked to find that he was the same person whose dog troubled her the night before.

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