"Why—How dare you show your face here!" Roseann shrilled, stunned by the sudden appearance of an unwelcomed guest.
Before she could even blink, the woman merely strode past her as if she didn't see the lady of the house. Ara heard the brisk clicking of heels echoing through the hallway but Roseann haven't been to catch up with her quick pace.
"Who even let you in?! Hey! I'm talking to you—Guards, guards!" The mistress yelled behind her, evidently frantic with what to do.
Ara's heart dropped as she was hit with a deep familiarity of the place, briefly wobbling her steps that made her nausea worse; she was now certain she'd been here before.
Turning to her right, the faint smell of fresh flowers were becoming more apparent, albeit different from the scent her mind had recalled. This only added to her discomfort but not enough to stop her or her steps as she picked up her speed again.
Meanwhile, the Madame's frenzied voice in the house had caused some guards to flock towards her. Shortly, the small meeting at the gazebo was interrupted upon hearing the commotion inside, reported by one of the uniformed men.
"This..." Ara could only mutter as her tracks halted in front of a fountain in the courtyard. Her breath hitched and bile threatened to rise from her stomach, prompting her to hunch down the fountain with both hands on the rim to steady herself.
It could be due to morning sickness or the sudden wave of memories flooding her mind, she didn't know.
With her vision spinning, Ara tried to straightened herself up as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. 'Holdittogether,holdittogether,' she kept chanting to herself while clenching her fists as if to materialize her thoughts.
Seeing the girl standing in front the fountain—her back towards her, Roseann sneered out of breath as she walked up to Ara, "What a thick-skinned garbage you are! How dare you barge in here!"
The mistress yanked her jacket's hood, causing her to fall backwards. However, Ara didn't even wince in pain and remained silent but protectively shielded her belly.
Roseann who was fuming in anger didn't realize this and glared toward the men in suit, "What are you standing there for?! Throw her out now—"
"What's going on here?" Asked Mr. Rowan in a commanding voice, snapping Ara's wandering thoughts and got everyone rooted in their places. Her gaze went up to the people who just arrived at the scene, as if a clip from a movie. TheSiedels.
'Thisisreallytheplacehuh.' she affirmed and stood up but she could hardly compose herself while doing so. Her neck was now throbbing in pain from earlier, which even intensified her dizziness.
Roseann ran over quickly to the old master. "Dad! Right on time! See, this pig barged in here out of nowhere and—"
"Hey." Ara walked—staggered towards the confused group of people, finally facing the man she's looking for—Luke Siedel, the remaining heir to this business conglomerate of a family, and one of the most successful bachelors in the West Borders.
"Congratulations, I'm pregnant." She casually said, and handed him a folded paper she's been hiding in the kangaroo pocket. Audible gasps from the housekeepers were heard—mirroring the shock of Roseann and the elders, Rowan and Shantal.
"Oh, of course! You wanted more money!" Roseann spat in disbelief and marched back towards her.
"You're truly shameless!" She added as she slapped the pale girl real hard.
Ara stumbled back, her head buzzing but she's didn't mind the enranged Madame and turned to Luke, whose gaze was burned on the paper. She needed to settle this now before her consciousness would slip away, which was dangerously imminent.
The old master stepped in, "Roseann, behave yourself! And you, young lady, barging in like this is—"
"Leave." Luke simply said and threw the now wrinkled paper towards her. Another security team has arrived at the scene, ushering the onlookers away. These bulky guys were in black and had subtle earpieces on.
His remark only earned a scoff from Ara.
"I-is it true, child?" Shantal inquired as she quickly took the paper sprawled on the ground.
"Name your price and have the thing aborted." Luke interjected before Ara could answer and turned to leave.
"No one's leaving!" Declared Elder Rowan, massaging his temples.
They have been pressuring Luke to get married all these years, and secure the next generation of Siedels. However, the man had no intention of settling down at all until Sam Knight came back. Now, the past issue has also caught fire, putting them in a tight spot.
"Is this true, young lady?" Rowan repeated his wife's question hastily.
"Yes sir, what happened to us has bore fruit."
While it was indeed true that his grandson was involved in a scandal with this young lady a few months ago, Rowan never expected that it would come to this. Her bump was also noticeable now that he paid attention to the scrawny and sickly looking girl before them.
"Dad! You'd really believe this conniving dirt?!" Roseann exclaimed. "She drugged my son into sleeping with her. I'm sure she's already done that with other men just to get money!"
"Why would I do—" Ara's already on the verge of fainting and she feels like throwing up again.
"Shut up! You reek of poverty! People like you are money-hungry! You leech off of others and—"
"Enough!" Rowan hammered his cane to the ground.
"What happened is already done. If this young lady is certain, then it's really our own blood she's carrying." Old Shantal looked at Luke, who remained indifferent.
A few minutes of silenced passed. Ara was hardly fighting the darkness swallowing her vision. Notyet, she thought.
"I'm not postponing my plans any longer." Luke spoke first, breaking the silence.
Ara was already too dizzy to speak up. 'LukeisstillLuke,andheiseversoheartlessunlessit'sSam.'
A small smile tugged her lips before quickly vanishing.
"Then, you shouldn't have slept around carelessly you stupid fool!" Old Rowan hit him with his staff. Luke could only accept his wrath.
Shantal spoke and held Ara's hands, "Child, if you're really pregnant with our great grandchildren, we'd like to make arrangements and give you the best we could but—"
"Mom! You too?! We don't even know if the child really belongs to Luke! Besides, it's merely a one night stand! How could you possibly get pregnant in just a single deed!" Roseann debated.
"Stop it Roseann! You've caused enough trouble for today." Said the old mistress.
Rowan was deep in thought and Luke just stood there, shooting daggers at Ara. She did the same despite her state.
"How would I face Leslie Knight in the future?! What, you're just gonna cancel on them?!" Roseann complained.
"Well, we couldn't just ignore what happened now that there's children involved!" Shantal spoke but before anyone could answer, Luke grabbed Ara's hand and dragged her outside.
Ara struggled to keep up with Lukes long strides, his grip hard as if he was trying to squeeze lemons.
"How much?" Luke asked as she broke free from him, vomiting on the well-maintained bushes. It somehow eased her dizziness.
Ara couldn't care less about the mess but she thought it was still a good thing that nobody could see this horror now that it's dusk.
"Really? That's the best you can do?" Ara's sarcastic remarks didn't bother Luke as she wiped her mouth, her one hand leaning on a 2-feet garden lamp to support herself.
"It will be aborted either way." Luke glanced on his watch, impatient. He was already late on his appointment with Sam and now, this girl has spoiled his plans.
"So it's better to take the offer while it's still on the table." He added as the last rays of the sun died down, seemingly mocking Ara's predicament.
The woman crossed her arms and scoffed. "Oh, do you think I need your money?"
"Don't you? I'm not the first Siedel to go through this scheme."
'Notthefirst, huh?Soitrunsinyourblood.' Although her facade was strong, she was restraining herself not to puke again as she might faint and lose this only chance. Luke's strong perfume didn't help at all.
She stood straight, lips smiling but eyes cold. "You think so highly of yourself but you can't take responsibilities of your own doings?"
The man quickly closed in their distance and looked at her sinisterly. "If I were sober that night, you wouldn't be standing here and I would gladly take responsibility for it."
Unknown emotions swirled in his eyes for a brief seconds but were immediately gone just as fast. Luke regained his composure and adjusted his vest and necktie, staring over yonder.
Ara, on the other hand, was too occupied with the pungent smell to notice. It prompted her to throw up, yet again, on her knees. The summer breeze was cool but offered no comfort to her anxious mind.
Just as she thought she already emptied her stomach, she threw up even more while clinging to the garden lamp as if desperately holding on to the last shreds of her strength.
Luke was not affected by the sight even a bit. "My patience is running thin. What do you want?"
'Revenge.' Ara instantly thought, a surge of adrenaline cursed through her body and rage flickered in her eyes. 'It'swhatIwant.'
She smirked at Luke through her sweaty face, some strands of hair now sticking on it.
Feeling challenged, Luke crouched down and grabbed her chin. "That's it. Think of that very thing so I will have pleasure in destroying your last hopes."
Ara swatted his hands away and said, "Is that so?" Her smirk was icy but her stare, fiery. She tilted her head to the side and added while squinting her eyes, "You have brought this upon yourself. How shameless can you be?"
"So shameless that I could even make you disappear today with just a snap of my finger." His piercing gaze made Ara's heart thump wildly in anger, the distance of their faces were too close for comfort.
'Disappear, huh?Afterall, thisishowyou'dreallyliketoplay.' Ara laughed to herself as she dropped her head low. A mix of deep-rooted anger and resentment is now boiling inside her, threatening to spill. However, this feeling made Ara's head spin more.
Luke thought she was crying in fear as her shoulders are shaking up and down. 'That'swhatIthought,' he said to himself.
A millisecond after, he heard a laugh that Ara could no longer contain. Her laughed turned menacing, head still low.
"I already came back from the dead, do you think you can scare me that easily?" She spoke as she coldly glared at him.
Grabbing his necktie as a leverage to reach his ears, she whispered, "Then excuse me as I won't hold back, Luke Siedel."
Just as when she backed away, her grin faded and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
Luke reacted swiftly and caught her in time before she hit the ground. The girl who spoke so fiercely just now has fainted in his arms.
She's dangling like a doll and her face was drained of colors. He stood up and carried her like a bride, thoughts brewing a storm.
He was just about to carry her to the visitor parlor when he stumbled upon his mother and grandparents.
"I was wondering where you two went." Old Siedel said as his wife was assisting him, Roseann following behind them.
"What is she trying to do this time?!" Roseann chimed in, seeing Luke carrying the unconscious girl.
"Luke?" A sweet voice spoke from behind, and Luke instinctively turned around.
They were taken aback by the shocked and confused Sam who just arrived at the mansion.