章節 19: Who is she?

Aryana's face flushed with embarrassment when five pairs of eyes looked at her at the same time. She felt the hostility in their gazes especially from the woman who cling to Erik earlier. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

She felt an oppressive aura from the gazes of the two elderly couple and she felt suffocated. The young man on the other hand was undressing her with his dirty looks that reminded her of Antonio. The two women were sizing her up and scanned her from head to toe with raised eye brows. Their demeanor were showing her their superiority.

'What kind of people are they? What did I do?' She thought feeling inferior and threatened.

Erik silently observed everything. He glanced at Marlon who had been standing muted at the entrance.

Marlon understood Erik's intent without him saying anything. He took a few big strides and was beside Aryana in no time.

"Ummm." He cleared his throat.

"Sir Henry, Madam Martha, this is Aryana. She is a friend of mine. She will be moving out today." then he dragged Aryana inside the room and closed the door gently.

"Quick. Pack your things. I'll book a room for you at a hotel for tonight. You wouldn't want to continue staying here as it will be hell for you." Marlon said hurriedly that it was hard for Aryana to catch what he was saying.

Aryana finished packing in no time. There wasn't too much to pack anyway.

Marlon carried her things and they went out of the door together. The six people occupying the living room earlier were now in the balcony enjoying the view and the morning breeze.

Aryana looked around but did not find Erik. She turned to Marlon and was about to ask about Erik.

"Don't look for him. No need to tell him and even Sarah. Let's leave now." He said in a stern voice as he lead her towards the gate of the villa.

"Sir Henry, Madam Martha, we will go ahead." Marlon said in a loud voice.

Henry and Martha simply glanced briefly at them and then carried on their conversation. They did not have any regard on Marlon at all. He was only Erik's bodyguard and assistant and so they treated him like air.

"I feel like we are escaping as if we did something wrong!" Aryana whined trying to free herself from Marlon's grasp.

"You are absolutely right. We are escaping! You wouldn't want to get entangled with Henry and Martha. You will not survive." He said, his voice carried a hint of warning.

Ayana cocked her head to the left and regarded Marlon.

'Just remembering how they looked at me earlier, I would not definitely want to do anything with them.' She muttered to herself.

After checking in the hotel, Marlon introduced her to Amy. He said that if she needed anything she can ask help from Amy. He accompanied her for a quick breakfast in the hotel. After that, he gave her lots of cash.

"This is part of your compensation for the contract you signed last night. The rest will be transferred to your account." He advised Aryana to just stay in her room and rest so she can fully recover. After that he left in a hurry.

Aryana, heeded his advise. She took this opportunity to review the photos and videos she took for her project.

She checked the internet and was surprised to see the trending topic was the event yesterday when she almost drowned.

'The savior became the damsel in distress.'

That was the title of the blog. It detailed how an unknown woman courageously attempted to save another drowning woman. Unfortunately the woman being saved panicked and choked her savior. Fortunately the model Antonio Lopez was nearby and successfully saved the woman. The kind lady who initially wanted to save the woman suddenly disappeared under water. She drowned but a mysterious man came on a kayak, rescued her and resuscitated her back to life.

There were photos and videos of Antonio carrying Denise bridal style. There were also photos and videos of Erik coming out of the water and putting her on the kayak. The photos and videos were very blurry as if they were taken from far away.

While there were a lot of photos and videos of Denise and Antonio, there were only a few for Aryana and Erik. Not that she was disappointed. She didn't want to be seen in such an embarrassing situation.

She was puzzled why none of the photos or videos captured Erik's face.

There were so many comments on that blog.

'Antonio Lopez is so handsome. I wish I was the one who drowned.'

'I love you Antonio. You're such a gentleman.' Aryana frowned. Heck! What gentleman. He was a scumbag. She protested silently.

'What a stupid woman she is. The way she held into the other woman's neck almost choked her. Good thing she did not die.'

'Who is this mysterious man? If you have a clear photo or video of him upload them please.'

'What a perfect body. I'm pretty sure he has a perfect face as well.'

Aryana smiled when she read this comment. Erik was definitely handsome. He has deep set dark brown eyes and thick eyebrows. He has high nose bridge and a square shaped face making his jaw more pronounced and making him more manly.

Aryana breathed deeply. She remembered how she looked into those deep brown eyes and told him that she has forgiven him. She saw a glint in them and an emotion akin to relief and joy.

She remembered when he held her hands and felt warmth in it. It did not last long but Aryana was contended and happy. She felt safe beside Erik.

But just as she thought that their relationship was getting better, she was driven out of his villa just like that. She did not even got the chance to bid him good bye.

She wondered if their paths will ever cross again.