Everything will seem fine before you bring your boss back home very drunk and you have no choice but to look after him...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ari, you got all drenched in the rain, let me take care of Mr Ashton...you should cover yourself up and drink some herbal tea" Lexie tried to convince Ariana.
She was too focussed on Ashton that she forgot to take care of herself.
"I'm fine, you can go back to sleep, I'll take care of him..it's my fault his like this anyway" Ariana sat beside him, on the bed. She'd taken him to her room.
"Nothing can convince a woman madly in love.." Lexie whispered before she walked out if the room and left them alone.
"I can change"
"I'll be better"
"Just come back to me"
Ariana's eyes filled with tears every time she remembered Ashton's words.
"Were your words sincere, or you just want to toy with me again Ashton?" She asked herself, staring down at him. Her heart sunk watching him in such a state.
"Can I trust you with my heart again?"
She wanted to walk away, but even in his sleep he didn't want to let her go.
"Stay, please.. don't go Ariana" he grabbed her hand tightly, with his eyes still closed.
He could sense her presence. He couldn't mistake it for anything.
"Don't go, please" he pleaded in his sleep...like he was having a nightmare.
Despite the coldness, he was sweating.
"It's okay, I'm here" Ariana whispered, running her fingers through his hair.
Once he was calm, she brought some warm water and a towel to wipe his face. She watched over him all night, until she fell asleep by the bed side, holding his hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE NEXT MORNING~~~~
Ashton was the first to wake up with the sun rays hitting his face, and with his massive hangover, it took him more time to realize that he wasn't in his room, or at his house. He removed the small towel he had on his forehead before his eyes landed on Ariana, sleeping right beside him and holding his hand.
He tried to recall somethings from last night, he didn't remember how he'd ended up there, with Ariana. The last thing he remembered was being drunk in a bar..and then nothing.
He stared at her for a while, she was so peaceful in her sleep...the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her. She'd watched over him all night, that was the least he could do for her.
"If only things could go back to the way they were" he thought to himself, removing the strands of hair that had fallen on her face.
"Why can't it just go back to the way it was?"
Ashton was helpless, he claimed he hated her, but his heart said otherwise. No matter how hard he tried, he was way too deep, trapped in her love that he couldn't escape, even if he wanted to.
He scanned the room, and he spotted the roses he gave her by the window, in a vase blooming already. She didn't throw them away, she looked after them.
His heart just continued to melt more and more.
Ariana felt his movements and she opened her eyes.
"You're awake" she quickly stood up, and let go of his hand, she thought he'd lash out at her.
"Did you bring me here last night?" He asked calmly.
"Yeah, I didn't know where else to take you" Ariana replied, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Though,
she could feel his burning gaze on her.
"Won't you even look at me, do you hate me that much?" Ashton asked, getting out of the bed.
"Ashton please..." Ariana tried to run away, but he caught her and pinned her against the wall.
"Please don't do this" she put some distance between them by putting her hands on his chest, still avoiding eye contact.
"Ariana, don't try to avoid me...please"his voice was full of sadness.
Pleading with her.
"Ashton, you should leave, your fianceé must be looking for you" Ariana replied coldly, trying so hard to hide her emotions and her tears.
"So, this is what you really want? You're giving me up so easily?" Ashton asked, anxiously waiting for an answer.
Hoping she'd prove him wrong, and ask him to stay, and say that she's just pretending to hate him.
"This is what I want, you should leave, just go away" Ariana gathered the courage to look him straight in the eyes, and say those words.
"Fine. I'll leave, but after this... don't ever come looking for me again, just forget about me!!" Ashton's voice was filled with anger.
He turned to leave, but before he did, he broke the vase by her window with the blue roses. Shattering it all to pieces, before storming off.
"I'm sorry Ashton, but this is the only way to get you to leave me alone....I don't want to get hurt by you anymore"
She fell to the floor and burst into tears, this hurt her way more than it hurt Ashton.
"Ari! Are you alright?" Lexie came in after Ashton left through the front door.
"Did you two fight?" She asked, sitting beside her on the floor.
"I asked him to leave and go to his other woman" Ariana replied sadly.
"Why did you have to do that? It's clear you're the one he loves" Lexie said, wiping her tears with her hands.
"I had to do it, we can't be together.. I just can't do it" Ariana replied.
"But how long will you keep avoiding him, you two practically share an office. You're always next to each other" Lexie explained her point of view.
"Which is why I asked Mr Tobe for a day off today, I won't be able to face him again after this" Ariana replied, picking up the shattered pieces of the vase Ashton had broken.
This vase was like her heart, broken into tiny pieces that can't be repaired...even if you try to gather them up.
"Ari, don't you'll get hurt" Lexie tried to stop her.
"I'm already hurt, this is nothing compared to the pain I feel right now, don't worry about me Lexie, you should head to the office and stay on his good side" Ariana faked a smile.
"Then, what will you be doing all day?" Lexie asked curious.
"I'll just head somewhere important, where I haven't been in a long time"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that day
AT GOLDEN EMPIRE
CEO's Office
"Is this all that your team can do? I can't believe I hired such useless people, all of you.... ARE FIRED!!"
This was the fifth time Ashton was firing people, with just being at the office for an hour.
He was in such a bad mood, and it was affecting the whole company. Everyone was restless, asking "who would be next?" He wasn't going to hesitate to lay off anyone he wanted to.
"This proposal isn't to my liking, repeat it, until you give me exactly what I want!" He threw the papers he'd just read through to the helpless employee standing in front of him.
"Right away sir" he replied, picking them up before rushing out.
He was in his office, and whenever he glanced at Ariana's empty desk, he'd just remember her words and become angrier.
"Just go away"
"You should leave"
Her voice kept ringing in his head, he ended up throwing everything that was on his desk again.
He was furious!
Like breaking stuff was his way to express his anger.
"Who does she think she is? Turning her back on me whenever she wants to, tossing me away like I'm some piece of trash!" He kept on losing it.
"Tobe! Get in here"he called him through the intercom.
"Where the hell is the Assistant CEO, isn't it your job to keep an eye on her?" He asked the terrified Tobe.
"Sir, s... she took the day off" Tobe replied.
"Day off?, I didn't approve her day off! I don't care how, but get her here right now, or else you can also find another job" he warned.
"I'll do everything I can sir" Tobe replied, before he left, then Claris used the chance to get in before the doors could get locked.
"Ashton, what's wrong with you today? I've never seen you so furious like this" she said, approaching him.
"Take another step, and you'll be the next leaving this building" Ashton's voice was colder than usual.
"I still have some days to prove myself as the Vice CEO, and I'm still your fianceé" Claris replied.
Like he cared
"I'm very busy, don't waste my time, just get out!" He didn't even spare her a single glance.
"Ash, your mom's been pestering me these days, she wants us to get married soon before she arrives" Claris said.
"Then just tell her there's no more wedding" Ashton replied, clearly he didn't care about that.
"What?? But Ashton, you promised your mom that you would marry me"Claris said, she was on the verge of crying.
"If you still want this wedding to happen, then give me my space, I still have a company to run and you're not helping" Ashton replied.
"Fine, I'll give you the space you need, as long as you don't cancel the wedding" Claris said, before she finally left.
He walked towards the couch and he sat down. He took out something like a necklace he had kept in his pocket.
The necklace was in form of a ring that he'd kept close to him, always. The same ring he bought years ago and planned to propose to Ariana with. It had on the initials of their names, it was so precious to him.
He kept it and wouldn't dare to throw it away, no matter how many times he claimed to hate Ariana, he held onto it. He wore it close to his heart, because even up to this day, he still loved her just as much, despite everything that was happening between the two of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mr Tobe, I took a day off already, I can't come to work today," Ariana was on the phone.
"Ms Lissio, please, just cancel whatever you're doing and come to the office. Mr Ashton is furious and threatened to fire me if you don't show up" Tobe pleaded with her.
Ariana felt so guilty, the reason Ashton was furious was because of her, everything that was happening was also her fault.
"Alright Mr Tobe, I'm on my way" she replied softly before she hung up...
She was on her way to visiting her mom at her place but had to turn and go back straight to the office...
Knowing what awaits her, she could hardly even breathe, she was so restless.
He was going to make her life miserable at the office..