Leave Me If You Dare

Arabella looked at him. She saw the kid side of him and she couldn’t believe the overbearing billionaire had this kind of side. After she hit him last night, he seemed to be okay and didn’t hold any grudges on her. She didn’t want to dwell on questions in her mind about his actions as she didn’t want to expect something from him. All she knew, he had always a scheme for her and she should not fall into his trap.

“I’m ready. Give me my reward now.” Bill closed his eyes and opened his arms to accept her. She promised him earlier a kiss after he shooed away her uninvited visitors.

Bill asked for one simple reward.

A good morning kiss.

Arabella agreed just to use him.

“Hmmm… So sorry. I changed my mind.” She said proudly then quickly ran off outside without waiting for his reply. When Bill faced Kelly and Trishia, she already fixed herself to escape from him.

Bill was left smiling due to her cute stubbornness.

Today, she decided to visit her mom. Due to Adam’s situation, she just monitored her mom by calling her nurse whenever she got a chance. Luckily, everything about her was all fine.

When she reached there, Jaime greeted her with a delightful expression.

“My daughter, you’re here. Come!” Jaime opened her arms to hug her.

Arabella quickly hugged her mom. Her tears immediately came out.

“Oh, my daughter. What happened?” Jaime asked worriedly.

“Oh! Nothing mom.” Arabella swiftly wiped her tears as she didn’t want her mom to get worried about her but she just couldn’t help it. Her mom’s warmth made her cry. “I just miss you, mom.” She added as she hugged Jaime tighter.

“I have good news for you.” Jaime excitedly announced as she held Arabella’s shoulder.

Arabella looked at her mom who wore a delightful smile but her entire aura was weak. She seemed to get weaker and weaker every day making her heart bleed but she could not show it to her mom. She needed to put up a happy smile whenever she entered her room to keep her boost and uplift her fighting spirit.

“What is it, mom?” Arabella put a glow in her eyes to make her more interested in Jaime’s news.

“Your father… your father visited me again,” Jaime announced with excitement but a weak tone.

“Oh! That’s…. really… fantastic.” Arabella felt her words were stuck in her throat. She didn’t know what to say as she could feel pinched in her heart. She couldn’t say that her mom was wrong as she didn’t want to hurt her so she decided to play along with her story.

Hearing Arabella, Jaime laid down on her bed with satisfaction.

“He asked about you.” Jaime continued her story while Arabella gently gave her mom’s hand a soft massage. She just listened to her.

“He said he missed you,” Jaime added. “He said, he missed our family.” This time, Jaime cried in silence that made Arabella startled.

“Mom, don’t cry. I am here.” She stroked her shoulder. Arabella was fully aware that Jaime had to refrain from crying as it would trigger her strong emotions that could lead to heart failure.

“Calm down, mom. Don’t worry. When you are okay, Dad and I will be waiting for you at our house. So please be well very soon.” She felt bad about lying but she had to say it to stop her from crying and also to encourage her spirit to fight her sickness.

After her words. Jaime breathed steadily. She calmed down and held her daughter’s hand. “I am looking forward to that day.” She whispered with a smile and her eyes were full of hope.

When her mom went back to sleep, Arabella felt relieved and at the same time pitied her. She knew Jaime loved her dad so much that even if he had another affair with another woman, she still accepted him wholeheartedly. Her husband had died a long time ago, but still, she was holding to his memory and started to daydream of him.

Tomorrow is the big day. Bill and Trishia’s wedding was the headline of all magazines. Their faces prompted on big LED billboards. Their posters were everywhere. TV news, advertisements, and press topics were all about their wedding. Even people around were gossiping about tomorrow’s wedding. As for Arabella, she was excited to see Adam, and finally, she could take him away from them. She would never miss the chance of kidnapping her own son so she had to go back to Bill’s house to easily implement her plan.

Getting hold of her excitement and plan, she decided to stroll in the park to get some fresh air before going back to the dungeon, Bill's house.

She sat on the bench to enjoy the fine weather. Closing her eyes, she raised her head upwards to face the sun while her arms were spreading on the backrest of the bench.

After she absorbed so much positivity, she opened her eyes and fixed herself.

“Water?” A man beside her suddenly sounded.

She was stunned for a moment and raised her head to look at the man who’s standing beside her. His shadow was covering her.

“Jayson?” Surprised, she asked with wide eyes.

Jayson smiled and sat beside her.

“I’m not so sure but my instinct told me that I can find you in a park.” Jayson’s smile never left his face while he uttered his words.

“Why are you here?” Arabella directly asked him.

“Hmmm… To see you and hopefully, we can talk.” Jayson answered seriously with sincerity in his eyes.

Arabella looked at her ex-boyfriend. He was still handsome but he got a little mature. He was still strict looking when he’s not talking but very approachable when you get to know him well especially to her.

“What are we going to talk about?” Arabella asked. It was better to catch up with Jayson than to go back to the dungeon or maybe she wanted some good conversation with someone. Luckily, Jayson found her.

“You are still the same. You go to a park when you are troubled. Just we always did before.” Jayson muttered smiling. His eyes were looking at the distance like he was reminiscing their past.

Arabella smiled too. Jayson brought her happy memories with him. They were good friends before they became lovers and he was right. They both enjoyed the park whenever they wanted to breathe and had a quick escape from the hectic world.

“I guess we ain’t never getting older,” Arabella remarked smiling looking at the distance.

Silence filled the air for a while as they were enjoying the huge open space.

“Water?” After a while, Jayson offered her the bottle.

“Sure.” She accepted and drank it. She felt thirsty after a long exposure outdoor.

“Arabella, about the…” Jayson started talking but contemplating.

Arabella looked at him and smiled. She knew what he wanted to talk about. “You don’t need to explain.” She said smiling. “I am happy to you that finally you are settled.”

“I have to go.” After realizing that Jayson was already a married man, she wanted to avoid any malicious issues between them. When she stood up, she suddenly felt dizzy and lost her balance. Luckily, Jayson was quick to catch her.

“I’ll drive you home.” He offered.

Arabella wanted to refuse but she could not stand up steady without him holding her. She felt cold sweats all over her body.

Without her saying anything, Jayson led her inside his car. Feeling the comfort of Jayson’s car seat, she finally slept.

Jayson buckled her seatbelt and looked at her closely. She was still a beauty. The girl who captured his heart for the first time. His first love. After all these years, he regretted his wrong decisions and actions. Before, he promised himself that he would only protect Arabella at any cost. When she’s gone in capital Z, he used all his connections to find her but all failed. She seemed to hide very well and didn’t want to be seen by anyone. She still couldn’t believe that the girl he was looking for for a long time was actually sitting in his car.

Still mesmerized by her beauty, Jayson’s lips slowly approached her forehead. Then he drove away.

Arabella woke up with still a little dizziness. Her eyes widened seeing a strange room. Quickly, she cracked her brain to remember everything.

“You’re awake.” Jayson suddenly appeared with his casual attire but he still looked stunning.

“Where am I?” She quickly asked.

“In my bedroom,” Jayson answered. “Are you okay now?” He then strode towards her with a worried expression.

Arabella quickly jumped out of his bed.

“What’s wrong?” Jayson was surprised by her act.

“What time is it?” She asked nervously.

“8 p.m sharp,” Jayson answered plainly.

“I need to go home.” She then fixed herself getting ready to go away. She had to go back to Bill’s house or else she could not enter the reception of their wedding tomorrow.

“Let’s have dinner first. I cooked food. Please?” Jayson’s expression was pleading.

Arabella stopped for a moment and nodded with a smirk.

“Let’s go,” Jayson said then strode ahead to his dining room.

“What about your wife?” Arabella was hesitant to ask but her curiosity took over as she sat on the dining chair.

“Margaret. She’s not living here.” Jayson answered.

“What? You mean… Margaret!” Arabella was shocked by the news.

“Yes. I married her but we are living separately.” Jayson explained with sincerity in his eyes.

“Why?” She frowned.

Jayson released a heavy breath. “I never love Margaret but she’s a good friend. She had a lot of help in the company. When her baby was growing up, she begged me to stand as the father of her child. I gave her the privilege.” He explained.

"You mean, she got pregnant again?" Arabella was a bit shocked but at the same time happy for Margaret.

"Yes," Jason answered with a smirk.

“I’m proud of you. I know you have a big heart.” She knew Jayson was an abandoned child. His father left them that’s why he had compassion for children specially the abandoned ones. He even supported lots of orphanages.

Jayson smiled at her. “But you know where my heart belongs,” Jayson muttered pointing out something.

Arabella’s smile stiffened. She knew the meaning of Jayson’s words.

“Ja…” She wanted to confront him directly but her words were interrupted by the loud banging of his door. She suddenly felt very nervous. She could imagine Margaret’s murderous face while she attacked her with a knife in her hand.

Jayson quickly stood up and went to his door. He was living in Hotel Zeus and he had no expected visitor. Even Margaret could not come as he prohibited her to come in his place as part of their deal in marrying her.

When he saw the person on the small screen mounted on the wall, Jayson smiled irritated.

Arabella went to him and saw Bill standing outside the door accompanied by his men wearing neatly black and white.

“Jayson, opened the door.” She asked pleading.

“Why him?” Jayson asked with a gloomy tone.

“A long story.” She answered then opened the door but Jayson held her wrist.

“Can I see you again?” He asked pleading.

She nodded to finish the conversation as the banging got louder.

Jayson opened the door.

“Mr. Sky, what a pleasant surprise!” Jayson greeted Bill playfully.

Bill didn’t answer but his expression could kill. Jayson never saw Bill with an intense fury as he was always wearing his calm whenever he saw him.

Bill strode towards Arabella and dragged her away from Jayson’s side. Arabella followed Bill willingly. When they strode out, that’s the only time she saw Bill’s men were all around the hotel forming a barricade for them, others were guarding the staff and controlling the crowd. If she was not mistaken, he brought about 100 men inside the hotel and 20 men outside. Her jaw wanted to drop but she tried her best to control it. Is she trying to lock down the hotel? She couldn’t believe him.

Bill drove the car furiously without saying anything. An intense tension was circulating the air. Arabella was nervous but she didn’t care about his anger. She just needed to be with him no matter what for tomorrow’s very important event.

When they reached Bill’s house, Bill roughly carried her like a potato bag. “Put me down!” Arabella shouted angrily and was scared.

Bill seemed not to hear her as he walked inside with big strides.

“Bill, you’re here. What?” Trishia deliberately waited for him in the living room but was surprised to see him carrying Arabella harshly.

Bill didn’t answer her like he didn’t notice Trishia. He went directly to his room with Arabella on his shoulder and closed the door with a loud bang.

Trishia followed them excitedly. She knew Bill was very angry with Arabella judging from his murderous expression and rough action. She leaned over to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.. She couldn’t wait to hear Arabella’s crying and pleading due to Bill’s beating but suddenly her smile faded and her teeth hardly crashed each other when she heard Arabella’s voice loud moaning in intense pain and pleasure calling out Bill’s name.