Daniel, the only one constant in her life other than Mira. Her childhood friend, now a detective.
He remains the one who'd helped her through almost every trouble. He makes it all go away.
Aria grabbed her phone again, calling him.
"Lunch?" she asked when he picked.
" You know I'm already parked outside," he replied with a chuckle.
Shortly after, Aria met him at a quiet Lebanese place near her office; their usual. Daniel was already halfway through the hummus when she slid into the booth.
"You look tired," he said. "And pissed."
"Because I am," she murmured, then looked up at him. "Thanks for coming."
"You know I always will." he said, the look on his eyes affectionate.
Aria nodded and proceeded to dump everything on him. Not about Adrian, of course, not yet, but about Kain and how he was settling in a little too well. About her guilt of Mira. About how nothing felt like it was under her control anymore. About how she felt her life was slowly drifting away from the course she desired.
Daniel nodded slowly, listening. "You still think this is worth it? All of it?"
"I don't know," Aria whispered, clearly undecided.
Just then, Aria's phone buzzed on the table.
It was Mira.
Aria picked up.
"Hey--"
"Did you give him the car?" Mira cut her off, asking almost immediately the call connected.
"What?" Aria voiced out with a puzzled frown, confused.
Mira's voice cracked. "Did you give Kain permission to drive one of our cars around town like some- some damn prince?"
Aria sat upright. "No, I didn't. What are you talking about?"
"Well," Mira snapped, "he's on campus. With one of our Audis. Parked near the library, and flaunting with his friends like he owns the damn place."
Aria blinked, even more confused. "Are you sure?"
"I watched him step out of it. I was heading to the library for a group project and... Aria, what the hell is he doing?" She seemed on the brink of losing her mind, Mira.
" What the--. Never mind, I'll handle it," Aria said calmly, though her stomach twisted.
Mira's voice dropped, wounded. "You… you should've let me take this on. I can't believe he's yours now to deal with. You don't deserve any of this." Her words cut through Aria, but before Aria could respond, the line went dead.
She stared at her phone, her heart pounding. Across from her, Daniel's brows were furrowed.
"What happened?"
"He's on campus," Aria muttered. "Driving around in our Audi. Mira saw him." She didn't even believe what she was saying.
Daniel leaned in, his expression hardening. "Want me to pay the kid a visit?"
"No," she said quickly, but her voice trembled. "No… I'll handle this."
But even as she said it, she wasn't sure she could.
Kain was more unpredictable than she thought.
...
The clock struck ten when Kain finally returned back to the Elmont mansion.
He pushed the main door open, stepping in slightly unbalanced. Kain reeked of alcohol and stale club air. His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot but lit with a smug kind of energy until he noticed the two women waiting in the main hall.
On the long luxurious leather couch sat the imperious Aria whose striking long legs were crossed. Her arms folded from having had to wait too long. She was still in her official dress; an off-white laced blouse, and long skirt.
To the side, the sophisticated teeny Mira was leaning against the stairs, arms stiff, chewing on invisible gum with the type of attitude that screamed impatience. It Seemed like she couldn't wait for something to start.
Neither of them said anything when Kain walked in, only their intense gazes sparked a tension between them that crackled louder than any words could.
"Whoa," Kain paused, saying in a jest, and blinking. "Is this… some sort of trap? Am I in trou-"
"You took one of the cars without permission," Aria said, cutting him off calmly but sharply.
Kain's brow lifted. "I saw the keys lying around. Thought they were for me. Surely I get to ride something to school too, right?"
"You're not entitled to anything," Mira snapped from the side and spoke before Aria could. "Just because you're married in name doesn't make you family."
Kain turned to her with a crooked grin. "And who are you again? The little sister who's too scared to live up to her daddy's contract making her biggie sister carry all the burden? Yeah, right. Plenty from you."
"Excuse me?" Mira took a step forward.
"That's enough!" Aria stood unable to bear it anymore. She stepped between them, casting a furious glance "Both of you. Stop!"
Mira's eyes widened. " Aria?" She called. " you're defending him?" She muttered in a daze.
"I'm not," Aria yelled. " But going back and forth with him won't solve anything." She told Mira then turned to Kain. "You shouldn't have taken the car. You could've caused a scene. We agreed that this stays quiet, I didn't expect you'd go back on your own words. But then, I guess I expected too much from you." Aria straightened her back, eyeing Kain up and down. " The car isn't yours. None of the properties are. This would be the last time I'll warn you, Kain. Stay off!"
Kain's grin faltered. For a second, he looked like a child caught red-handed.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Really. I saw the car and thought… why not? I got excited." He sighed a chuckle. "I understand now. It'll never happen again. I'll keep to my words. I'm just a guest, nothing more, nothing less."
Kain didn't wait behind. He dropped the car key on the table top and staggered to his room.
The sincerity in his voice threw Aria off for a moment. She hadn't expected that.
Behind Aria, Mira who'd been frowning at the whole confrontation turned and headed up the stairs. She didn't say anything either. But the stomp of her feet spoke enough of how she felt.
Aria didn't respond. She just stared in a daze, heart sinking. It's over. He already apologized, but she wouldn't let her guard down again.
Even though he'd apologized and promised to keep to his words, Aria could never trust him again.
She noticed the sincerity and sadness in his tone, but why should she care? He was wrong for what he'd done!
Aria was still frustrated as she'd had her day ruined by Kain's reckless act.
Just then, her phone buzzed again. It was the fourth missed call from Adrian.
She'd missed her dinner date with him after having to see to Kain's reckless actions.
" Ha!" Aria sighed, picked up the car key and went upstairs to her room.
Later that night, after having freshened up and relaxed, Aria sat on her bed, eyes glued to the unread messages from Adrian.
"Guess you're busy. That's okay. Maybe next time, huh?"
There were no accusations, just polite disappointment. And somehow, that stung worse.
Aria dropped her phone and went to bed early. It was best to act like something super important came up than to apologize and seem the asshole.
But anyway, she was glad that she'd been able to resolve the matter with Kain. Not that she trusted he wouldn't do the sameagain, but more that she wouldn't let it happen again. She'd let her guard down before, but not anymore.
She could let things slide this time, as it was her mistake. From now on, she planned to keep an eye on Kain.
But something else worried her.
'Mira…' Mira was starting to show signs of something else. The way she'd acted just earlier, coupled with the way she spoke to her on the phone earlier when she reported seeing Kain driving the car around, something seemed strange about it all.
That wasn't the Mira she knew, and Aria didn't know what to think of it all.
It felt like Mira was showing signs of something not unlike resentment...
She wondered if there was something bothering Mira, and realized she might have to speak to her sister about it.
" Ha!" She sighed again before slowly drifting to sleep, exhausted.