Chapter 10

“Yeah, I guess.” Toby was almost snorting. If distributing weapons and arms was a cargo company, then it was one. But Ariel was smart, and if he didn’t find a way to distract her, she was going to continue drilling him. “You were going to tell me something.”

“Yeah, so...” she drawled. “I met a guy, and I think I like him.” As soon as she finished her sentence, she heard what she thought to be an animalistic growl. “What the hell!” Ariel wondered, almost throwing her phone away. “Toby?” She tried to call the man on the line, but all she could hear was shuffling and a static sound.

“Toby?” Ariel screamed into the receiver, trying to be calm but failing desperately at it. “Toby?” she tried again, but all she could hear were struggles, and suddenly the line was dead. “The hell?” Ariel was looking at the receiver as if she had somehow conjured what had just happened.

No human could produce the sound she had just heard, and it was unlike Toby to go hiking or even to the forest without mentioning it, and suddenly she feared for his life.

The screen lit up as she pressed the power button, and she tried his number again, but it went straight to voicemail, along with the other two, and she had no choice but to give up. Ariel took a long look at the dress she had laid on the bed, and she was changing her mind.

She needed something more classy, and she ended up with a black short dress that had white sleeves. She did her usual ritual of eyeliner and lip oil that had her lips looking more plump than ever, and she nodded her head in satisfaction.

Ariel was a lady who knew how beautiful she was, and she made sure she flaunted it. She has been blessed with good genetics and a fast metabolism, so she has always looked like a goddess while everyone was passing through their awkward teen stage, and she had the money to back it up.

Ariel glanced at the time, and she was picking up her bags. Claudia would be here any minute, and she was going to bitch about it the whole day if she ran late.

And trust me, you do not want Claudia nagging in your ears. True to her words, she heard her front door open and footsteps approaching the room.

“What happened to your car?” Claudia asked, popping a gum as she dumped her ass on the bed. Ariel took a look at it, and she was pursing her lips.

“Get up; you are going to rumple the sheets with your fat ass, and there is nothing wrong with my car.”

“Girl, that wasn’t the car you were using before. I could swear I saw an Audi packed outside.”

“Oh, it had a fault, and my guidance decided to change it.” Ariel said offhandedly, and Claudia could only look at her with an open mouth.

“Girlll, how the hell did you meet him? Quick question: Is your guardian up for grabs? Because hell, I am definitely interested.” Ariel didn’t take it funny from the dirty looks she threw her friend’s way, and the latter was raising her hands in apology.

“Girl, it was just a joke. Come on, we are going to be late.”

Fortunately for them***,*** the exam was simple enough to pass even though you didn***’t read,*** and Ariel was just glad she was out of the school system***.*** She had a plane flight already booked in two days***,*** and she didn***’t know how to feel.***

But one thing was sure***:*** She was ready to meet Kane***.***

Ariel sat with her legs stretched on her flight, enjoying all of the benefits first class has to offer. She popped a grapefruit in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully and nodding her head as the pleasure burst into her mouth, while her watchful eyes were training on the aisle, scanning for any celebrities she could notice.

Claudia was going to kill her if she knew that she had entered the plane with celebrities and had refused to update her, and she couldn’t risk the wrath of her friend. There was no one on sight, so she contented herself by closing her personal door for the rest of the flight. As she sank into the chair-turned-bed, she couldn’t be more happy that she could afford a first-class ticket.

The pilot’s voice was waking her from sleep as he made his announcement that they were getting ready for descent, and Ariel was shuffling in her seat, trying to arrange herself before the flight would start descending.

She quickly typed a message for Toby, reminding him to come pick her up before the nosy flight attendant was in her face, telling her to turn it off.

Ariel rolled her eyes as the flight attendant told her off. She hated being told what to do, especially if she was about to do so. But she ignored the flight attendant and focused on the plane that was descending.

She held on to her seat as the plane rolled on the tarmac, and an air of nervousness filled her. While she had been communicating with Toby for a while now, she wasn’t sure how the reception at home would be.

Hell, he could be pretending, and he could totally stand her up today. Suddenly, Ariel felt like a lost ship in the middle of the sea with no way to go out, and her chest began to rise rapidly. A thin film of sweat covered her forehead, and her heart rate picked up at the thought of being abandoned in a foreign land.

“Miss.” The attendant gave her a light tap on her shoulder, but she was too far gone to notice her surroundings. “Miss.” She tried again with more force, and Ariel broke free from her reverie, her breath coming out in short pants as he tried to normalize her breathing.

“What?” She turned to the flight attendant, her tone coming off as rude, not as she intended.

“We have arrived, and you can disembark now.”