Act Fast: Free Bonus Time is Running Out! 108 AVERTING DISASTER ARIEL’S POV I pushed Luke out of the way, as Daniel wanted to strike him from behind. It seemed like he had regained all of his strength. He seized my neck and began to strangle me. “I’m going to kill you.” I struggled to get his hands off me. I could barely breathe, and I felt like I was going to pass away any moment from now. However, I had forgotten that it wasn’t only the two of us who were in the room. Luke forcefully took Daniel’s hands from my neck and shoved him to the wall. “Why do you have to be a pain in the ass?” Luke punched his face multiple times. Daniel managed to push Luke away from him, but he received a tremendous blow in the midsection. I had to ask myself if Luke learned martial arts or something. He was really incredible when it came to stuff like this. Holding Daniel’s hair, Luke tossed him to the floor, and the cops arrived. immediately, with Rose leading the way. I didn’t even know the time she left the office. “There he is, sir,” Rose pointed at Daniel. “He’s the one who tried to force himself on my boss.” *The officer glanced at everyone in the room while his fellow advanced toward Daniel, taking a hold of him. “There’s no need to be scared, ma’am. You’re safe now,” the officer assured me. I nodded, and the policemen took Daniel out of the office. I was glad that the terror was over. I set my eyes on Luke; he was also gazing at me, his hands covered in blood, and he was breathing heavily. He was a hero today, and I was really thankful. He always found a way to change my thoughts about him. And I tried my very best not to, but it was just… hard. “You need to get a shower,” I told him. “And so do you,” he smirked in response. I giggled, and I slowly walked to the door. I turned to look at him. His smile still dwelled on his face, his shirt stained, and he started traipsing to me, just as I had expected. I was smiling at him, and as much as I didn’t want to, I just couldn’t control it. But anyway, I had to turn my face away, moving out of the office in a slow manner. This place was messed up; it was going to need some cleaning. And right now, I needed to go home and get some rest. I lay on my bed, extremely exhausted from that event that took place at my office. today. My phone propped up on the nightstand as the familiar chime of an incoming video call echoed through the room. I reached for the phone and swiped to answer, revealing the beaming face of my cute and adorable Lukel. “Hi, Mommy!” Lukel’s voice rang through the room. “Hey, sweetheart,” I replied, a soft smile playing on my lips. “How was your day? “It was great. Mommy, I miss you,” he said, his bottom lip quivering slightly. “I wish you were here with me.” “I miss you too, Lukel. I wish I could be there to give you a big hug right now.” “Can you come home, Mommy? I want you to be here with me.” “I promise, sweetheart. I’ll see you tonight at the party. We’ll have so much fun. together; just you wait.” Lukel’s face lit up with hope. “Really, Mommy? You’ll be at the party.” I nodded. “Yes, really. I’ll be there before it’s over, I promise.” His smile widened. “Yay! I can’t wait to show you the drawing I made for you, Mommy! It’s a surprise!” I laughed. “Wow, you made a drawing?” “Yes Mommy.” “Wow, my little boy’s an artist now. I never knew you had such a wonderful talent. But what did you draw, exactly?” “Like I said, it’s a surprise!” I laughed. “I can’t wait to see it, Lukel. You always make the best surprises,” I grinned at him. “I’ll be there before you know it, okay? Just a little while longer.” “Okay, Mommy. I love you,” Lukel said, blowing a kiss to the camera before the call ended. “I love you too, Lukel,” I whispered to the now silent screen, feeling a mix of emotions–exhaustion from work, the bullshit from Daniel. Yeah, that was it. But I knew I had to make it to this party. My two babies would be waiting for me; I couldn’t miss this occasion. The door opened, and this maid slowly walked in. “Ma’am. Someone wants to see you.” “Who’s that?” I aksed, sitting on the bed. “She says she’s your your mother.” “Oh, okay. Thank you. You may go.” “Okay, ma’am.” She nodded and left. My mother had finally come to speak with him. It had been a week since we last talked to each other. I had no idea what was wrong with the both of us. I wouldn’t say I was mad at her, because I also did the same crap. Not calling or texting her. So, of course, we both messed up in this situation. And now, I think it’s time to fix this. I stood up, letting out a deep sigh, and I made my way out of my room. I went downstairs, only to see my mother in the living room. I was actually kind of surprised, because I thought Marcus was going to keep her waiting outside. “Mom?” I slowly walked to her. “Ariel!” She stood up and went ahead to hug me tightly. “I miss you, sweetheart.” “i miss you too. But where have you been the whole time?” I asked her, our embrace coming to an end. “I was out of the state.” “And you didn’t tell me about it?” “Well, sorry about that. I just didn’t want to disturb you since you and Luke were going through… you know what I mean.” “Luke was the only one who was kind of depressed. You should have paid us a visit at least.” “What if I told you I didn’t know the location of your new mansion?” “I wasn’t going to believe that,” I vocalized, and she laughed softly. “But hold on, how did you know I was at home?” “I heard what happened to you today,” she answered, holding my hand. “At my office?” I raised an eyebrow. “Yes. I’m really sorry about that. I hope you weren’t wounded.” “Nah, I’m good. I’m just tired.‘ “I also heard Lake was the one who saved you.” She gave me a silly smile. I exhaled deeply. “Yeah, he did.” She playfully hit my hand. “How romantic is that?” I chuckled. “Please don’t.” Marcus appeared in the living room. “Mrs. Reynold, two women are here, looking for you.” “Wow, I must be really special today,” I joked. My mom smiled at me. “You’re always special.” Marcus cleared his throat immediately. “Sorry,” was what he said when I glanced at him. “Should I let them in?” “Yes, you can let them in.” I nodded, wondering who they were. Marcus left the both of us. “Now, where were we?” My mom grinned. I sighed, closing my eyes, my hands fixed on my head. “Oh my gosh.” “What? There’s improvement in your relationship. You should be happy.” If only she knew my situation right now, she wouldn’t be saying all these things. LAVERTING DISASTER 201 “Ariel!” “My name resounded in the living room. I turned around. It was Hannah and Elizabeth.
