Chapter 129 A Cold Goodbye
The next morning, Luke was in the lounge with Peach was once again working on a file, leaving the man frustrated and enraged yet he attempted to conceal it.
He was smoking a cigarette with a glass of wine in his hands, deep in pondering, on what to do.
Unaware of the conversation of a certain couple at his main entrance.
Dress elegantly before leaving for their trip, William held a deep grimace plastered on his handsome features.
“You are going there to show off,”
“I am going there to show off.” Arabella nodded in agreement, no longer denying it with her hands clamped around his arm.
“You have a problem with that, Mister?”
“Don’t want another knife at my throat,” He shrugged his shoulders, hands resting his pockets.
"See? You are learning to be a good boy." She pinched his cheek playfully before reaching out to press the bell.
"This is going to be fun."
William could only sigh, disliking the theatrical display she was about to put but permitting her to fly high for the time being, he agreed.
She had been working hard to convince him after all, she deserved a little freedom.
“Hey guys, congratulations on your new home,”
Luke flicked his gaze toward them, his expression hardening.
He didn't miss the way Arabella’s fingers lingered on William’s arm or the triumphant glint in her eyes.
She was giving him payback for his past actions.
"You are early," Luke said coldly, his voice rasping from the cigarette.
"And you are brooding. Some things never change," Arabella countered.
She turned to William, tilting her head back to give him a look of pure, manufactured adoration.
"Darling, tell them our news. Or should I?"
William looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole, utterly against the idea of disheartening his brother.
But Arabella’s grip tightened, a silent warning.
"We have finalized the plans. Florence, Italy," he muttered.
"The honeymoon!" Arabella squealed, pressing a lingering kiss to William’s jaw. She looked directly at Luke, her smile sharpening.
"Four weeks. Private villa, in the valley... just the two of us, completely unreachable.” She beamed, her sincere adoration brimming.
William failed to comprehend it was much more than showing off to Luke, she wholeheartedly yearned for this trip.
Locking her eyes on her husband with unspoken adoration, she whispered honestly.
“I told William I wanted to be somewhere where the rest of the world doesn't exist."
William’s gaze cascaded down. For a heartbeat, he also submerged in the affection yet forced his heart to discard it.
Peach finally looked up from her files, her eyes flickering between Arabella’s smug face and Luke’s whitening knuckles.
"How romantic," Peach said, though her voice lacked conviction.
"It’s more than romantic, it’s necessary. Right?" Arabella sighed, running a hand down William’s chest.
"Right." William cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably, “We are here to bid goodbye. We are leaving today,”
The air in the room turned frigid.
Luke’s gaze moved from Arabella’s hand on William to the wine glass in his own hand. He could see exactly what she was doing, throwing his own failures in his face,
“Anyways, can I use the restroom? Can you show the way, Luke?”
"Fine," Luke groaned, the word vibrating with annoyance.
He slammed his wine glass onto the side table, the crystal ringing out in the silent room, and followed her out.
Ignoring the suspicious glances sent in his direction through Peach and William, failing to comprehend what happened between them.
Once they were tucked away in the narrow privacy of the hallway, the masks slipped. Luke’s jaw clenched, composure slipping through the cracks.
"Are you satisfied?" Luke hissed, crowding into her space, "Or do you have more to show off?"
"Watch. All of you. Just watch," Arabella breathed out with determination, her voice no longer chirpy, but desperate.
"I will make him mine this time.” She enunciated, curling her hand in fist before staring dead into his eyes, accepting his untold challenge.
“I won't stray, I won’t take another option, and I certainly won’t accept defeat. I am going to make William mine, truly and finally."
Luke let out a harsh chuckle, shaking his head in denial, “I pray you don’t. Never. Ever.”
Arabella’s features softened, studying the mindless man who had gone down a ‘very’ wrong path that would only end in destruction.
A string of pity for what he was going to himself emerged.
“Are you happy? Using an innocent for your revenge, Luke? Are you that desperate to ruin me?” She whispered, hoping to knock some sense into him.
“She is not innocent. And so what if it was for revenge?” He countered, folding his arms at his chest, gaze averting in the other direction before invading her personal space.
A devilish smirk emerged before making a piercing statement, just to ruin her.
“That woman loves me desperately ‘unlike’ your husband,”
Her jaw clenched, glaring at him when he returned the stronger resentful glare, leaning forward to hover over the timid woman.
“How heartbreaking is it? Everyone around you are surrounded with their loved ones but selfish people like you are alone, all alone,” He hissed, piercing her sensitive spots, leaving her vulnerable.
Dejected when he was at an irrecoverable point, her fingers clasped anxiously on her dress, stepping back until her back hit the wall.
“Don’t you feel any mercy, Luke?” Her voice broke, “Towards yourself or anyone else?”
He rolled his eyes off, gritting his teeth, hating the reply of this question.
She whimpered, “I am in love with that man for years-”
He cut her off harshly, “So what? I was in love with you too. What did I gain? Life is unfair, live with it, Arabella,”
Her brief compassion converted into rage and disgust, “You can’t change, can you? You will be an asshole,”
“Thanks to all of you,” He smirked coldly, stepping back, unable to endure two seconds in her proximity.
Arabella straightened her spine, her eyes burning with a terrifying resolve.
"Not this time, Luke. Not. This. Time."
Luke turned to head back to the lounge, pausing only to throw one last look over his shoulder.
“We will see who will attain their redemption in the end, Arabella Grayson,”
She returned the same look, accepting the quest, her eyes burning with a passion and desire of being his.
“We will, Luke Grayson,”