Bonus Chapter (Chapter 8-Comfort)-1

Zach's POV To say that things with Arianna weren't working out was an understatement, it seemed that I could do nothing right when it came to that girl and that was a startling reality for me. All my life I'd had it easy when it came to girls, I didn't have to try hard to make one of them end up at my apartment and it seemed like to them I was perfect given that they always wanted to come back for more. Love was something I'd intentionally kept away from and that wasn't only because every relationship I saw which had love as its foundation was at the brink of self-destruction but also because no girl I'd ever come across wanted to know the real me. Girls were attracted to the mystery that was Zach Price, the arrogant, self-centered jerk who used them and then left them with a simple pair of diamond earrings as a parting gift. Some struggled to get me to commit, thinking they'd be the one to change me but the moment they began seeing through me, the moment they saw the insecurities and got a glimpse of my temper, they ran. My parents weren't too pleased with the playboy image of the only heir to the Price Empire and they decided to do something about it and my father was never one for subtlety. Olivia Bell was their cure for me, the leggy brunette with her translucent skin and deep brown almond-shaped eyes was the girl for me, or so they thought. I'd agreed to marry her, at first only due to the fear of disinheritance but the more time I spent with her the more I realized that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with her. She was free, she was vivacious, she wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind and she was charming as hell. I found myself attracted to her in a way that I hadn't really felt attracted to a woman before; not only was she insanely gorgeous but she also wasn't like the pretentious girls who lusted after my money and my body. Or at least that was what I thought. For the first time in my life, I was glad that I was incapable of falling in love, that I was incapable of trusting someone with my heart because had I done that, the extent of damage that Olivia's actions had done would've been far greater. I wasn't devastated, I wasn't brokenhearted - I was furious, raging and seething. To top it all off, to have to marry that woman's kid sister was so utterly embarrassing and demeaning. I had no idea what my parents or her parents had been thinking, marrying me to that school girl but the only reason that I hadn't stormed out of the church that day was because my best friend Liam, for all purposes, had made me see the bigger picture - I needed to get married to inherit Price Enterprises, plus he seemed to be convinced that Arianna was a much better person than her sister. In the weeks that I'd known her, I had begun to see what Liam meant. Arianna might still be childlike in her stubbornness and innocence but she had a good heart. I had married her out of greed but she'd married me to protect her family's reputation and her father's career. She'd left behind her boyfriend, someone she obviously loved, for the sake of people who'd sacrificed her happiness so easily. The boyfriend was an issue we had to discuss, I couldn't live with the guilt that was eating up at me and I couldn't just let her throw away everything for people who didn't give a shit about her. But that would have to wait since today I had something else planned, something that I'd been working on since the day I'd first heard from the bastard himself. It had been during the second last day of our trip and ever since then, I had wanted to seek him out and beat the truth right out of him. He'd said his name was Nick and that he could tell me where Olivia was. I didn't give a damn about her anymore but I needed to hear the words from her own mouth explaining why she humiliated me like that. "Come again?" Arianna's soft feminine voice shook and I noticed that her entire body had gone stiff, almost like she'd frozen from the impact of my words, "Someone who could possibly tell us where your sister is." I hadn't wanted to do it so soon and not with her with me but I couldn't help myself; patience wasn't my strongest suit and the sooner I had some peace of mind the better, because then I wouldn't be biting Arianna's head off all the time. I noticed how her already pale skin had lost even more colour if that was even possible, and her warm green eyes had widened considerably. My eyes stayed on her as I repeated myself, "We're going to meet someone who might know where Olivia is." I didn't know what I expected to see on her face and it appeared that she was just as confused, like she didn't know what it was that she was supposed to feel. It was surprising for me that she didn't look overjoyed at the news that she might meet her sister; wasn't that a normal reaction? Why did she look so forlorn and troubled, was she concerned for me? Even if she was she didn't say as much, instead as we stood outside the door of the decrepit apartment building, she asked ever so gently, "How...how do you know this?" I told her what I knew since there wasn't much point in hiding information from her; Olivia was her sister and she deserved to know everything about it, more so than me. "This man called me a few days ago; he said he had some information for me and that if I didn't come see him he'd go the press with it," I stated matter-of-factly so that she wouldn't see how furious I was. My emotions were something that was better if just kept to myself. I rang the doorbell, letting my impatience getting the best of me once again; I knew Arianna was hesitant about this and she made that obvious when her hand immediately grasped mine, clinging to it tightly. I was taken aback by her sudden actions and immediately felt bad for dragging her here with me. She was scared and shivering, her clothes no match for the harsh New York cold. Something inside me hurt as I saw her breath billowing out in front of her and her hand holding onto mine for support. I took off my jacket and put it over her slim shoulders; she looked at me with gratitude but quickly tore her eyes away like she'd seen something that frightened her. I led the both of us through the grimy hallway which led to the apartment of the man who had called me. Arianna followed me close, looking out of place in her gritty surroundings; a fierce need to protect her arose in me and I looked out for anyone who might harm her. She shouldn't have to go through with this, I yelled at myself mentally, but I'd already gone and done the stupid thing. We reached room 405 and the door vibrated due to the shrieking sounds of Screamo coming from the room, obviously the dick had horrible taste in music. I knocked without pausing to look at the girl beside me but by the way her nails were digging into my palm, I could tell that she was more than nervous; I wanted to know what was going through her mind but now was not the time. Almost torturously the door opened, slowly revealing a blonde-haired man in tattered jeans and a Metallica shirt and leather jacket; what he had to do with Olivia I couldn't fathom, was this some sort of a joke? But apparently it wasn't one to Ari; a low gasp left her mouth as she stared at the man before us like she'd realized something. Curiosity was killing me but before I could ask her anything, the man, Nick, spoke. "Are you alright little Ari? You look like you've just seen a ghost." She stayed quiet but it was obvious that she was thinking hard, her mind going into overdrive. I couldn't take not knowing anymore. "You know him?"