Daughter-in-law Strikes Harder

The air in the house was awkward, and everyone could feel that it began after the banquet. They all wondered what was going on with the couple, that seemed like they were on non-talking terms or more like an inarticulate situation.

It was more different than how the past had been between them, and how it usually was like if their cloudy space was as a result of a grudge or fight. More like Aria didn’t want to ever be in the same space with Dalton. And he knew it.

He noticed that she had been avoiding him so effectively ever since, and didn’t even really open the door to anyone who came knocking. She was either out of the mansion once it was dawn, or in her room doing something no one knew about.

Dalton had really been so frustrated because of her behavior, and thought it would be the best to just act normally like nothing ever happened. But she was not ready to give a chance to meet, which was aided by his constant travelling throughout the week.

It was during one of their trips back from Singapore for a meeting, that Alex made a report of the investigation that he asked him to conduct concerning the family picnic. It was rather something scripted than coincidental.

“There is no footage from that day that shows that they were there for the picnic?” Dalton asked Alex in surprise, as they travelled back to the states in the family’s private jet.

“Yes sir. Especially the ones from two days to the day that the picnic ended. When I asked around from the workers that could have remembered, they said that some kind of incident happened that day but no one really knew what it was,” Alex further explained to Dalton’s astonishment.

He wondered what could have happened that caused the CCTV footage to get wiped off, and for Aria and his family to arrive at the mansion separately with a great time difference. Even if they hated her, the story didn’t sit well with him.

‘Only they would know.’

“What about the nearby CCTV cameras around the places, that would have caught a glimpse of the car they came back in,” Dalton asked again, really interested to know what exactly could have gone wrong.

“I checked that too. The ones in the areas seem to have been wiped too, but with just a few days that didn’t exactly align with the deleted footage at the picnic resort. In the few videos I was able to get, it seemed like the family really commuted a lot during the trip in a short space of time,” Alex presented to him the white tablet that had some of the videos playing.

“First was Emma, who went back and forth through this route almost three times, then on that same day when the car appeared again, she was with Ellen. They took that route more than two times that same day too, and came back pretty late through that same route. Then the next morning, which had few hours of its recording time, showed Eva and Mrs. Miller in the car together with everyone,” Alex took his time to explain every piece of the puzzle that had not formed out a picture, in case his intelligent boss could bring in a perfect scene too.

“It sure does look like some kind of lead, but it is difficult to explain what is going on here. Asking mother and the rest would not do it. For Emma to keep quiet about it considering her nature, there is probably a perfect story to cover up what exactly went on if they are asked. Just keep investigating. Make use of whatever funds are needed for that,” Dalton instructed his assistant, so that he could get over the complicated suspicion that revolved around his family which also involved Aria.

He wasn’t really interested in the issue again as much as he was before, because of the new problem that had developed in their relationship. It was harder not to think of her again and again, as the scenes of that night kept playing in his head.

Her cluelessness. How vulnerable she looked. How innocently her eyes gazed at him like a tender child, and what she had said to him the moment he wanted to let go of her dress. That wasn’t the feisty and fearless Aria that he knew.

The one who was not scared of taking on any task. But she looked terrified and uncomfortable when he touched her any further, as she truthfully expressed her fear and insecurity.

‘He couldn’t have been her first, right? Was she by any chance traumatized by something?’

Dalton’s mind tried to think of ways that he could make them talk together, without sounding too possessive and rude about it even if she refused. He knew that she might end up not opening her door if he tried to gain entry into her room, or would snub on him like she had been doing before. That was when the right and perfect idea struck his mind.

..~•~.. ..~•~.. ..~•~..

Classical music played and resonated through every corner of the high rated restaurant, where both Dalton and Aria were sitting across each other. She wore a black long body fitted gown and white leather boots to match the outfit perfectly, with the right glasses that made her look absolutely stunning.

Her look was ethereal to sight that he could not believe that she was the person he had been married to for so long.

‘How could he have been so blind not to see her? But why was she now so cold in her approach to him?’

Wanting to take much of their time to talk over a meal before moving straight to business, Dalton had the chefs serve them chinese chicken salad and spaghetti with ham, ceps and black truffle. There were wines served to match their taste, as Aria remained mute and silent throughout the entire show. It was obvious that the place was reserved for them only.

“Do you like the food?” Dalton, who was never the type to ask such questions, ran short of words, and just asked what felt like was the right question to ask her.

“Not bad,” Aria replied concisely, and continued to bite on the food gently without even minding the person that was before her. The ignoring attitude of hers was really clear to me.

“Why do you…”

“I think it would be nice, if we just get everything straight here. Have you finalized the paperwork?” She asked straight up without any compromise, for the real reason she had agreed to meet him for.

It was about the legal transfer of his rights and shares as the owner of their biggest departmental store, which would now go to her as the new CEO and head of the place. Alex had finalized it and everything had been done to her favour, in which the only thing last required was her final stamp and signatures electronically.

He had made her come all the way from home before he finally handed everything to her, knowing that she would have no choice but to do that to get what she wanted. Using each other’s flaws and what they wanted was the best strategy, for both of them to use against one another.

“I still have the papers and the rights. I can do whatever I want,” Dalton smirked and said in a low voice, making her understand that if he didn’t wish, he wouldn’t give her.

“Still back to the same old and disgusting tricks. You don’t have a choice here, Dalton. It would be better to end things here now,” she countered back at him with her words, in the same calm and polite way.

“And why do you keep acting however you like?” Dalton pressed.

“I think it is better I leave this place, and we will probably discuss things again, when we are both signing the divorce papers in Mr. Miller’s presence,” Aria uttered, and stood up with immediate effect after talking and grabbed her bag.

Dalton’s left hand was in place of reach to grab her by the arm the moment she turned to leave, and he ended up yanking her bag off to the floor instead.

The luxurious designer bag dropped to the floor immediately and spilled out its content, and Dalton’s eyes caught the only thing that pried both his curiosity and anger almost immediately.

He scooted over and grabbed it in his hand immediately before she could even do that, and opened his palms to see if it was really what he thought it was. She pretended not to see him and just picked up the remaining items on the floor.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Is it what I think it is? What is this? Birth control pills?” Dalton spoke silently even if he wanted to yell, considering the fact that they were in a public place even if they were alone, “You are taking control pills?” He asked incredulously yet again.

“And how is that a problem to you? It is so funny to see you act so surprised, and blow meaningless things out of proportion, when it is a fact that you know that everything we both have is a sham,” Aria replied to him immediately, remembering that it was the one she bought at a pharmacy after she sold his precious suit jacket.

She took it multiple times than she should have in one day, and it even caused her hormonal imbalance. Never would she ever allow her mistake control to haunt her.

“So you have finally agreed to talk about what you have been avoiding, now that it seems like you do not want to attach any strings anywhere,” his voice jibed.

“It doesn’t matter. It was just a drunken mistake and it should never happen again. As for the drugs, it is obviously to prevent procreating of my innocent children into a wicked family with toxic traits. I will never be the one to bear your child,” Aria stated to him so politely and subduely, that the anger that had been rising in him before, was at the verge of erupting.

“A drunken mistake?!”

“And, I will be waiting for the completion of the paperwork and company ownership rights. Thanks for the early alimony,” she said and walked out of the restaurant immediately. Boarding a bus would help her feel better, and think so many things through.

Aria got home really tired and stressed out of her mind, as she quickly walked into her dressing room and brought out a box from beneath her shoe rack. She opened it and brought out a syringe from its stop, and inserted the needle into her body.

She returned the box after she was done and returned back to the room already feeling so dizzy, as she struggled to pull off the dress that she was wearing.

“You can fight this. You will be fine. You are strong. You are almost there,” she continued to whisper to herself, as tears slipped down her eyes.