Daughter-in-law Strikes Harder

‘Where are you? Where exactly are you? Are you okay? Have you given up already? Please come back home.’

‘Why aren’t you checking your text? Email when you see this? Are you intentionally ignoring? Are you still alive?’Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

‘Can you just call someone and tell them that you are fine? At least give a hint. Don’t you care about anything anymore? The fight isn’t over yet. Can you reply?’

‘Dalton would hang everyone dry if you don’t come back.’

Aria’s email address had been flooded with emails from the same person immediately she turned on her phone, and there was quite a number from Amelia too who continually asked about her whereabouts. It was her private email that even Dalton would have no idea about. Thinking about him, she missed him.

But facing the realization that was on ground, had spoken the vivid truth without even having to dig further into it. The person who had been sending her emails and information, who had dared to go against the family by washing out their dirty linen in the public, and was also MAS would be no one other than one of the Miller sisters.

It was no secret informant, maid or anything, but one of Dalton’s sisters. It made her wonder who among them. It made her wonder why one of them would be nice enough to help her, when no one had helped in the past.

But to her and for her peace, all those things didn’t matter anymore. She just needed to find out whom it was and challenge her. There needed to be no secret anymore.

‘I will come back home, if you agree to meet one on one. At least to know that I’m talking to a real person.’ Aria responded to the message.

Collin decided to suspend every question that he wanted an answer to from Aria, and just allowed her to be till the rest of the night. It was heartbreaking for him to handle her revelation knowing that he really loved her, even if it was not her fault that things had to end up that way.

He would make further investigations by himself without including her in it, because that was the best way that he could help her without being too possessive. Wishing her good luck with Dalton was something he could not do, but he would help her to shake the family till their backs bent.

The next morning was quite a silent one for both of them, as Collin helped her to get ready to leave without objecting. The doctor came the very last time to administer the last dose of shots for her, and prescribed more drugs that she would use to feel better than ever.

MAS had not replied to her email till that morning, and it left Aria with no choice. Even if she had no choice she knew that she needed to meet Dalton to help her with some investigations. She was not going to tell him the details of things that had happened, but he was probably the only one who could do it best.

She knew what she had said the previous night had hurt Collin, but she couldn’t reach any further into their relationship, and it was better to end things on a good note. And with that final conclusion, she contacted Dalton.

On her way to Dalton’s nearest private suite that she had asked him to meet, Aria’s mind continually pondered on what Collin had strictly told her before they left together.

“There are so many things I want to tell you, Ria. That I want to say. That I want to ask you too. But the most important of all now is that you know that returning back home now, is the most dangerous move. The enemies are the closest ones. The ones you can see, but can’t see.

I hope you can be cautious enough to see through everything. But just know that I won’t let you get harmed or bitten. Not anymore.”

The words were quite a lot, jumbled, and didn’t make any sense to her, but she soon realized what he was trying to say the more she pondered on it. It made her wonder if he knew anything but was not willing to say.

However, amidst her confusing and self-wallowing thoughts, she still knew what she was doing.

‘Wait. Does she?’

~•“•~~•“•~

The moment Dalton saw the message pop up his phone, he wanted to lose his mind thinking someone was probably playing a prank. Alex had told him about what he saw the evening before at the gallery, and it was definitely too suspicious to believe that nothing serious happened.

‘If someone had cleared the whole place out before the next morning and made it good and perfect. Who? And why would they do that?’ Those were the numerous thoughts of the mind that had remained unsolved, especially with the fact that the gallery footage was missing.

He had been too sad for days that it was hard to concentrate on office work, but he didn’t show it in any way. It was more difficult for him to even be fine, but he acted like he no longer cared if she wasn’t found. He just let Alex report whatever result they found from the next research.

In secret, he even took pills to make himself feel okay when it became too suffocating, which he had never had to do in years. Not seeing her for days even had hallucinations effects on him, because he could hear her laughter in his head or picture her on the couch in his room.

Soon, he didn’t return back to the mansion to sleep in his room, and just decided to work overnight while checking the same page of files over and over again. He had fallen too much for her, that not seeing her was a big blow to him.

After the first text popped up on his phone on the fourth day of her disappearance, he didn’t even have the strength to get angry at whosoever did it and just deleted the message. He was really tired and stressed out.

‘Are you just in doubt or are dumb? Do you want to meet or not?’ were the texts that were next sent to his cell phone again.

As much as it was so annoying and pissing off to read, he knew that there was only one person who could do that so easily. And without any denial, he picked the keys to his car and hit the road immediately like a crazy man. He was panting in fear. He was breathing so fast.

Even if he knew that it could be a lie and it could be a prank, that she could be messing with him just to agitate him and rile him the more. But he missed her too much to bet on it. Too much to hesitate.

Sitting in front of the private suite’s gate was Aria, who couldn’t access the place since she wasn’t the owner. She was wearing a floral dress and sitting on the sculptured chair, with her mind and head far in space filled with so many things.

Dalton’s car halted just a few miles from the gate where she had sighted a lady, as he came down from the car and tried not to lose his elegance as he moved over to her side. He didn’t even wait for her to reckon that he arrived already, and just pulled her into a tight hug before anything else.

Asking where she had been, why she had ghosted everyone, and why she was calling him now after messing up, were questions that he planned to put before her immediately he met her. But seeing her was more than the answers he needed.

Gently, he pulled her closer to him for a kiss. The one he had missed. So much.

Aria didn’t even object and just allowed him to do whatever he wanted. He was changing from his old grumpy and cold self to the patient kind, and it was worth everything.

“Where have you been, Aria? Why did you leave so abruptly? I mean, just why …….

“I know you’ve got a lot of questions to ask, Dalton,” she cut short his words. The look he had in his eyes was so beautiful, and they held emotions that she couldn’t even completely interpret.

“Of course, I do. It has been four days already. Messing with Dalton Miller wouldn’t just cut it, but you put everyone in…….”

“I was out, chilling and resting. Wanted to be free from you guys and it worked. I am doing much better,” she lied with a smile that stretched across her lips.

“Aria?” Dalton called in a warning tone that indicated that he didn’t like what she was doing. He wanted something more plausible.

“What do you want to hear from me, Dalton?” she groaned like he was putting pressure on her, as she took her seat back on where she was sitting before.

“Everything Aria. The truth. Reasons you went to the art gallery. Where you suddenly disappeared to. Your alibi that would prove everything you just said,” he tried hard to be calm and collected, because he didn’t also want her to get mad and break the connection.

‘He sure was becoming a different person and it was unbelievable. So crazy that he could be like this because of a woman.’

“And what does your research say?” She pushed further.

“There was nothing there that that. No CCTV footage. Nothing at all to give us clues. So now you tell me, what happened? Especially between you and Eva,” he gritted his teeth.

Aria looked deep into Aria’s eyes to see if she could actually tell Dalton the truth, and that he would not treat the information as lies or uncertainty. She actually knew and saw the desire of his to know what happened. That he deeply cared.

“Fine. There was an accident. Just like the same thing that happened, at the vacation house. It was gas this time. Someone locked the door. I blacked out, and I’m alive again,” she confessed, biting on her lips slowly like she had made a mistake confessing.

She could at least withhold the remaining information about her painting. Till she was done with investigating herself.

“Wait, wait, wait. I cannot comprehend all this. What really happened?” Dalton rested his hands slowly on her shoulders to make her calm down. He needed to understand what she was saying.

“Someone is trying to kill me. Okay!”