Chapter 115 Taste of Defeat
The following morning, Arabella woke up to a crushing silence.
She checked the room, searching for a sign of William, but found nothing. For the first time since they had arrived, he had left without making her breakfast.
This silence was louder than any roar. It confirmed his fury was absolute.
His statement about the proposal was not a slip of the tongue, it was a wound he couldn't hide.
‘How could I have been so blind? Was my own self-absorption so great that I saw my love and ignored him?’
Hugging her knees close to her chest with dejection overflowing in her. She held her anguish at bay, contemplating their complicated situation.
‘Now, even if I try to fix our relationship- Will it work? Can I have my William back?’
Thinking sorrowfully, she was exhausted. The weight of knowing he was going to propose was too heavy, it emptied her from inside.
Subsequently, with merest hopes of saving whatever they had left, she decided to gather her fragmented composure and think what she must do next.
“William…?”
Arabella heard Liyah calling and unwillingly came out of the room.
“William left in a hurry. Would you like to have breakfast?”
“Sure. I would like waffles and green tea,”
“Okay,”
Nodding, for William’s sake, she made breakfast for her and served her in William’s stead.
“Here,”
Liyah glanced suspiciously, “Aren’t you eating?”
“I am not hungry,”
“Are you alright? you look quite perturbed,”
“... I am fine,”
Mumbling, Arabella was about to go back to her room so she won’t ruin her mood by talking to her but she held her wrist.
“Where are you going? Sit with me for two minutes. You rarely come out of your room anyways,”
She didn’t want to, she was already tired but to avoid a fight, she sat beside her, keeping her gaze lowered.
“What do you want to talk to me about?”
“Tell me, child, who fell first? Who proposed the stupid idea of being married when obviously, he is only enduring you?” Liyan smirked, taking a bite of her food.
“Why do you want to know? Whatever is between us is none of your concern,”
“Because I am intrigued to see what he saw in you to make you his bride. What’s in you?”
Arabella clenched her hands to maintain her posture as her bitter words tested her little patience.
“He even made his room so disgusting with your expired things,”
Inhaling sharply, Arabella decided to pinch her, “Do you want to know a secret, Liyah?”
“Hmm?”
Leaning forward, she looked at her dead in the eyes and enunciated darkly.
“It wasn’t after our marriage. He created that ‘masterpiece’ the moment he built that apartment building... For me,”
“Tsk,” Liyah averted her gaze but then something dark flickered, mocking her.
“Still it looks like you can’t handle your man yet,”
“Why do you think that?”
“Oh, child, don’t be delusional. Despite the love, you failed to have him as yours. I heard how he yelled at you last night,”
She smirked victoriously, judging her whole character by what she heard.
“So I am intrigued, what did you do to make him marry an unworthy woman like you who had something going on with Luke too?”
Arabella hissed, rising from her seat, “Why don’t you stop sticking your nose in our business and leave us be?”
“Oh, let me give you a fair warning, child, don’t test me. You will lose if you try to go against me.” Liyah smirked victoriously.
She scoffed, folding her arms at her chest, “Why do you think that?”
“Do you want me to show you a demo? To show you your inferior place?”
“Whatever,”
Not wanting to ruin her mood more by hearing her taunts. Arabella went back to her room, uncaring of what she would do.
Firmly believing William won’t reprimand her due to his Auntie who made their childhood a hell. He knew his menacing Auntie after all.
Remaining nonchalant, Arabella was in her room, ignoring what Liyah told her completely and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
‘Not this time. Not after knowing he also felt what I did. I won’t lose my William this time. For it, I would do anything,’
Thinking firmly, Arabella applied some lipstick, setting her posture to greet William when she sensed him returning only to get interrupted by an outraged call.
“William! I am so done with your bride!”
Frustrated William stood in the lounge, hands on his sides, simply frowning at his Aunt, “What happened, Auntie?”
“Not only she yells at me but today she even cursed at me. She called me a bitch. I cannot bear disrespect, Son,”
Arabella’s jaw dropped when she lied, peeking through the room when she continued complaining in a crying tone, clinging onto her nephew.
“You kids never dared to raise your voice and she. How dare she? What does she think of herself?”
Stepping forward, narrowing her eyes innocently, Arabella shook her head in denial, trying to make his listen softly.
“William, she is lying. I-I didn’t do anything. I was in my room-”
“Don’t lie, girl. Because I am tolerating you doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want,” Liyah faked a cry, pointing her finger at her.
“Stop lying. What is your problem!?”
“Apologize. You shouldn’t have cursed at me,” Liyah demanded sternly.
Arabella gasped, “Why should I? You are lying,”
“Enough. I don’t want unnecessary drama in my home,”
William, whose mood was already ruptured, extended his hand mid-air dominantly, cutting the thick air sharply with one command.
“End this talk here. Say sorry, Arabella,”
Her heart sank. Lips quivering with discontent, glancing at the stoic man miserably who held an unbothered expression on his face.
“No… I won’t. Why would I? When she is lying?”
Arabella stepped back, glaring at Liyah with her hands trembling with a bitter taste of defeat.
“I don’t care. You must respect my Aunt, so do it.”
“No…” Shaking her head in denial, William’s gaze darkened evoking a flinch from her perturbed woman.
Holding the hem of her shirt, she made a crying face when he stepped forward, giving her one strict order.
“Apologize to her, Arabella Grayson.”
She didn’t, wearing his patience thin, doubling his dominance.
“Now!”
Hitching her breaths, she blurted out weakly, “... I am sorry,”
Liyah suppressed a smirk to show her victory and with utter humiliation brimming in her chest.
Arabella ran back to her room with tears glistening in her eyes with a heartbreaking thought stumbling her determination-
‘From William to every other person is against me. In that case, how am I going to win him back? Am I going to lose this time too…?’