Chapter 14 14
Third Person POV
Adrian picked up his phone expectantly; he hadn't gotten a message from Hazel, and it had been well over two hours. He thought she might have missed it or something happened to her, but he knew deep down that she wanted nothing to do with him any longer.
The thought of that ached his heart. He dropped his phone, looking around for something that could distract him. He considered calling Thalia, but ever since his outburst at her, they hadn't spoken to each other, and neither did he feel the need to.
He wanted to look for Hazel, search for her even but he remembered that night, how he had abandoned her, he was arrogant enough to think she would come back if he let her go, how wrong could he have been.
Without having any other choice he picked up his phone and called the one man he would rather not have anything to do with, the phone rang, the more it rang the more he wished he wouldn't pick it up.
"Oohh, if it isn't my favourite nephew," Robin's said over the phone. Adrian rolled his eyes. He could never understand the man, much less tolerate his presence, but he had to admit that when Robin wanted to know something, he would.
"I have a favour to ask of you" he replied. "Ooh, what's so urgent that you need my help?" Danged sounded a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Adrian to swallow his pride and call.
"I need you to find someone," Adrian said with hesitation.
"Oohhh, you're looking for her, if I'm not mistaken." Robin said with understanding, It all made sense to him, or there wouldn't be any other reason for Adrian to call with his life being so peaceful.
"Yes, I need to talk to Hazel ; she doesn't want to see me," Adrian said. "And why don't you leave it at that?" Robin responded, and Adrian paused a bit confused.
"Are you telling me to let her go?" He asked Robin for clarity. "She has nothing else to lose, so why would she want to come back to you who abandoned her?" Robin asked him.
Adrian bit his lip in frustration, "I didn't abandon her; I was just a bit confused, that's all," he defended himself.
"So you're telling me you'd rather side with your business partner than your own mate?" He said, "I'm sure you don't think we're all that stupid," he continued.
"This has nothing to do with Thalia." Adrian retorted.
"But it has everything to do with her; if Thalia wasn't in the picture, I'm very sure you would have defended Hazel to the very end, making sure no harm ever came to her." Robin continued.
This is what Adrian hated about Robin; he said things in a way that made it sound irrefutable and logical; he gritted his teeth in anger.
"So what am I supposed to do now?" Adrian blurted out, accepting defeat. He knew Robin was right; yes, he felt guilty eating him about how he treated Hazel and still expected her to come back to him.
"You had two choices, boy; you lost one choice and still have another choice; would you risk losing the second choice by going back to the first choice that rejected you?" Robin said calmly.
"Think about it, boy. Hazel has come to terms that Thalia has taken over her family, her company, her wealth, and finally her Mate; she wants nothing to do with the family, so you should be grateful that she settled for peace," he continued.
"I know some women that would travel to the moon and back just to have their revenge; take what you're dealt with, boy; don't push your luck and ruin it all," he said. "If anything, you're the one with no other choices here," he chuckled.
Adrian didn't exactly understand what Robin meant by that last statement, but he understood the summary of what his uncle had advised him to do. "Thank you," he said hesitantly. "I really appreciate it. He finished.
"Well, that was unexpected, but you're welcome, boy," he said before ending the call. Adrian said down and thought for a bit. The more he thought about it, the more Robin has made more and more sense.
He decided it would be best to give up on Hazel for now; he couldn't give up on her completely until he saw her at least once and spoke to her. He looked back at his phone, then took a deep breath and called Thalia .
He wasn't sure why he was doing it, but he knew he felt something for Thalia, something enough for him to abandon Hazel ; he had to accept these feelings now.
"Hey," Thalia 's voice sounded small as if she mumbled the words into her phone. "Hi," he said awkwardly. He wasn't sure what to say exactly; it was the first time the both of them had ever fought.
"About the last time we talked..." Adrian was taking before she cut him.
"I'm sorry, Adrian; it was my fault, and I don't know what got into me enough to pour water on you and disrespect you like that. I was just upset that all the plans we had made were in the dirt," she apologised.
Adrian was so shocked he was speechless for a few moments; he certainly never expected Thalia or all people to apologise, but it made him feel somewhat happier. He smiled at the phone.
"It's fine, Thalia ; I'm not bothered by it anymore," he responded. "Are you sure or you're just saying it so I can feel better?" She asked him, and he laughed lightly.
"I promise, Thalia, I'm not upset with you; that's why I called, right?" He said feeling happier with every passing moment.
"Thank you so much, Adrian; I don't know how I could make it up to you." Thalia began talking.
"Dinner by 9?" He asked her; he heard her gasp lightly and smiled even harder at himself. "I'll be there by 8," she giggled on the phone.
Adrian finally felt at ease; he knew he wasn't the best, but at least he had found someone who wanted him as much as he wanted them; he would accept his feelings for Thalia and try something new with her.
\~~~~
"What?" Draven asked in surprise. He looked at her intently, seeing that she wasn't smiling, nor did she think this was all a joke.
"I'm serious, I'll get married to you since you want me to for some reason, but in return, you'll help me get my revenge," she said with fierce determination.
Draven looked at her for a few fleeting moments and smiled deeply. His smile was almost unnatural; it made Hazel take a few steps back. She looked at him and began to doubt the decision she just made.
"Good"
"Very good," he said in a low chuckle. The scary part was that he seemed truly happy but in a diabolical way; his low but deep laughter felt twisted, like he had finally attained freedom in exchange for her enslavement.
"Don't be scared, darling," he said, wiping a single tear from his eyes. He composed himself within a few moments and was back to the mysterious Draven she had been trying to figure out.
"I'll be safe, right?" She asked, just for assurance; she wasn't sure where her life was headed any longer, but she didn't want to walk through a path of thorns and pricks, or she'd rather end her life again.
"I swear it, Hazel," he said as he pulled her closer. "You will be safe; as long as you're with me and not with another, you'll be safe," he stated.
She took more of his wording and felt a shiver run down her spine. 'What did he mean by that?' She thought to herself, but amidst her thoughts, Draven held her close to himself; this had to be the closest she had ever been to him.
After a few moments, he pulled her aside and looked straight into her eyes, "Is there anything you want to tell me?" He asked her, and she pulled at him puzzled.
"I don't understand. What do you mean?" She asked him confused; she wasn't sure what he was talking about, but she also wasn't willing to lie to him; she couldn't predict what he would do to her.
"Anything recent perhaps? Anything I should know," he asked again. This time his face grew more taut; he didn't seem as happy as he was a few seconds ago.
She dug her mind looking for clues, but nothing came to mind. "Something recent..." She said to herself, trying her best to avoid his eyes.
"The only thing that happened was Adrian texting me that he wants to see me," she responded. She wasn't sure if that was the right answer or wrong answer, but that was the only thing her mind could think up.
"Good," he replied to her, a smile forming on his lips, a brief smile. "So I can trust that you won't lie to me or keep things from me, right?" He asked again.
She nodded immediately. "Yes, of course," she replied. He turned around and left her walking towards the door, then stopped, "Get ready, we're going to see a certain witch."