Chapter 39: Chapter thirty nine

Chapter thirty nine

Arielle

“Remind me again why we're sneaking out of the house on a Sunday morning?” Drayton said and I flinched at the closeness of his voice.

I turned my head slightly to look at him without making any sound. His face was so close to mine that i could feel his breath on my skin. I reined the urge to move closer and schooled my face into a scowl.

“Seriously, dude. Personal space. Ever heard of it?” I sneered.

“Nah, not really.”

I tried not to be annoyed by the cocky smirk on his face but he was making it impossible. This was literally life or death and he's acting so nonchalant about it.

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating. But if we were caught, it would literally be a matter of life or death.

“That doesn't answer my question. Why are we hiding from your mother? Joyce is a very nice woman. I don't think she would mind if we just tell her the truth.” Drayton said again.

I swear to God, he was one more sentence away from receiving a punch in the face.

“Just shut up, okay? I'll explain everything later.” I groaned.

He made a show of putting a lock on his lips and throwing the key away. I tried not to chuckle at the display and turned my face away.

“Your car key. Where is it?” I whispered.

He brought out the keys from his pocket and placed it into my open palm.

“Wait, no. I can't let you drive Medusa.” He attempted to snatch the key from me but I closed my palm on it.

“Medusa? Really? That's what you name your car?” I snorted a laugh.

I didn't wait for his response before breaking into a jog towards the door. I heard him curse but followed me nonetheless.

As soon as we got out of the house, I sprinted towards his red Ferrari. Thankfully, Drayton didn't waste time asking questions before he jumped in after me.

Immediately the door shut, I pulled out of the driveway and sped off. A scream of ecstasy tore out of me as the adrenaline surged in me. Sneaking out was like stepping into old shoes. It was exhilarating.

“You've been here one week and I'm already sneaking out of the house with you. I swear to God, Frozen, you're a bad influence.” Drayton said, laughing heartily.

My grin widened at his expression.

“Don't pretend you're a good kid, Dracula. You obviously enjoyed it.”

“True, it's been a while since I sneaked off like that.” His smile slowly faded and his eyes clouded like he was relieving an unpleasant memory.

I didn't ask him what it was. I had a lot of bad memories to know he wouldn't appreciate me prying.

“Why didn't you want to tell your mother that you're looking for a job?” He asked after a few beats of silence.

I pondered on the question, trying to decide whether to reply him or not. Drayton and I have reached a silent understanding these past couple days. Or I thought we had, until he pushed me into the pool.

But he was also the first person who offered to help me with my financial situation. And he'd helped me prep for my interview last night. We'd stayed up until four in the morning before we retired to our rooms.

I didn't know why he was doing this, but I knew it was the most kindness I'd received in a long time.

“Because if she knew I was struggling, she'd go back to him. I don't want her putting herself at risk because of me anymore.” I said, keeping my eyes firmly on the road.

I didn't want to look at him and see the judgement in his eyes. Maybe he would think I was being illogical and that my mum wouldn't actually do that. But he didn't know her like I did.

I'd watched her stay with that monster for years because she didn't want to leave me. And I knew for a fact that my mum would go back to him if she knew everything he was doing to me. I didn't want that.

But when I finally tore my gaze off the road and stared at Drayton, I didn't see any judgement in his eyes. He stared at me with understanding. I didn't know why, but I felt a strange sense of relief at that.

We didn't speak again until we got to Chuck's.

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.

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“Yo, Brett!” Drayton nodded to the male barista as we entered the coffee shop.

The guy raised his head and flashed Drayton a smile, revealing his dimples.

“You're awfully early today. The babes wouldn't start coming in until after church service, you know.” Brett said.

“Seriously? You think I'm only here for the babes? You wound me, Brett.” Drayton chuckled.

My eyes darted between them in sheer curiosity. This was the first time I was seeing Drayton interact with anyone so casually. Well, aside from Jack, when they were still friends.

Drayton King was popularly known as the cold, absolutely mannerless playboy, but he seem to have an entirely different personality with his aunt and in this cafe. I noticed he was acting the same way with Suzie yesterday. He was freer here.

Brett tipped his head back and laughed. His eyes finally landed on me and he smirked. My heartbeat increased with the thought that he might recognize me.

“Who's this beautiful angel? She your new girlfriend?”

“No!” Drayton and I yelled in unison. The relief I felt when he didn't recognize me wasn't enough to drown the annoyance of being mistaken for Drayton's girlfriend.

Why does everyone think I'm his girlfriend?

Drayton glanced at me, an undecipherable emotion in his eyes before he turned to face his friend.

“Why would you think she's my girlfriend? She's definitely not the kind of girl I usually go out with.” He bit out.

I shot him a glare. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Yeah, she's prettier.” Brett shrugged and I snorted a laugh.

“She's not!” Drayton seethed but Brett ignored him and turned to me instead.

“Hey, beautiful. I'm Brett. It's nice to meet you.” He stretched his hand out for a handshake. I accepted it with a smile on my face.

“It's so nice to meet you too, Brett. I'm…” I trailed off.

Drayton had told me he uses a fake name here, although the employees knew his real name. But I wasn't employed here. And it was also great to see someone who doesn't immediately recognize me as ‘the Minister's sick daughter’.

I glanced at Drayton but he didn't even look at me as he snatched my hand from Brett's.

“She's here for a job, Brett. Is Chuck here?” Drayton asked. He grabbed my hand a little tight but I didn't complain.

“Sure, he's in his office. Just don't rile him up. He's extremely cranky today.”

Drayton nodded and dragged me away from the counter, a little roughly than necessary. But I couldn't focus on that. Not when I was this nervous about passing my very first job interview. This wasn't only about money anymore. It was about integrity.

We finally stopped in front of a door and Drayton knocked.

“Come in.” A masculine voice said from inside.

Drayton pushed the door open. My eyes immediately landed on a man sitting behind a desk, his face buried in books. He seem to be in his late forties, but looked enough to pass for a thirty-something. I assume he was Chuck.

“Darien, I wasn't expecting you until later today.” the man finally raised his head from the book he was reading.

“Good to see you too, Chuck. I can't early because this girl…”

I dragged my gaze around the office, my mind involuntarily tuning out Chuck snd Drayton's conversation. I could only point out a few things which included Drayton telling his boss about my real identity.

When their conversation finally ended, Chuck turned to me, a wary look in his eyes.

“You're Charles McAlister's daughter?” He asked.

I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat as I waited for his response. A part of me already knew

Chuck sucked in a sharp breath.

“I'm sorry, Arielle, but I can't hire you.”