eyes back on me once more, and her expression looked like a sad one. She placed her hands on my face as she shook her head in a slow manner. “It’s too late now,” she whispered. I quickly let go of her. “Too late for what?” “I don’t have to say too much.” Ariel shifted backwards a little, her eyes looking down. “And although I don’t want to, I need to apologize.” She looked at me and sighed deeply. “I’m sorry for what happened at the party.” “Keep your apologies to yourself.” I told her in an unfriendly tone. “What did you just say?” She gave me a look that said, ‘I couldn’t believe it‘. But it was good that she reminded me of what happened at the party. Now this spleen for her had dawned once again. “I don’t have to repeat myself.” I crossed my arms. “You don’t have to act nice and all that. It’s just the two of us around here.” “You want to know something?” She snapped. “You’re crazy, you’re unbelievable, you’re just so… I don’t even know the words to use!” I did nothing but watch her as she continued, “One minute, you’re an annoying dirtbag, and the other minute, you’re a superhero, being so nice and friendly.” “Are you done?” I asked with a deep voice, my arms were still crossed. She closed her eyes, making a frustrated expression: “Oh, you’re about to make me go nuts. Just shut up!” “Don’t you dare talk to him in that manner!” Someone chimed in, so I quickly turned around. Act Fast Free Bonus Time is Running Out! 12 GETTING THE COUNSEL ARIEL’S POV You shosid really watch your words,” Harriet said, approaching me with an excessive amount of makeup that made her almost unrecognizable. Despite that, I somehow managed to recognize her and was surprised at myself for remembering her from our brief encounters five. years ago, when she used to follow her boyfriend’s lead and treat me poorly. Harriet walked over to Lake and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, a huge grin plastered. on her face. It was obvious that they were still dating, and I couldn’t help but be happy for them. Although I had my doubts about their relationship lasting.. “I never thought you were still around,” Harriet said with disgust, her fingers gently rubbing Luke’s shoulders. “Have you come back to ruin our lives like you did in the past?” I simply stared at her, unable to find the right words. I had no desire to engage in a verbal spat with someone so petty. I had better things to do. I looked at Luke and noticed that he was also looking at me. He was a handsome man, but hist character was the complete opposite. “Honey, why are you staring at her?” Harriet tried to kiss Luke on the cheek, but he turned away. His expression made it clear that he was annoyed by her presence. I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Wow, you two make such a perfect couple,” I said with a clap. “You should enter a couple’s competition; I’m sure you’d win first place.” I “Miss Clinton,” my driver, Ben, approached me. “I’m glad I found you. I heard there was a robbery at the Sun House, and I also heard gunshots. Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” I reassured him with a smile, then turned to Luke. He had a serious look on his face, the same one he used to give me when I lived with him. “I was just talking to some friends. Would you like to meet them?” “Sure, that would be nice,” Ben said with a smile. CTING THE COUNSEL “Great, this is Luke Reynold,” I said, gesturing towards Luke with a raised eyebrow. “He’s the current owner of The Reynolds, the company we’re collaborating with for a project.” “Nice to meet you, sir,” Ben said as he extended his hand for a shake. But Luke just glared at him and walked away. Ben turned to me, confused. I simply shrugged. “What about her?” Ben asked, pointing to Harrict. “She’s not important,” I said dismissively, and I walked away. I didn’t even care to look at Harriet’s face. “Ma’am, hold on!” Ben called after me, following me. “Don’t worry, Mr. Richardson, I’ll make sure everything goes according to your wishes,” I said into the phone before ending the call. Daniel Richardson was one of my business partners, and I admired his logical thinking. Unlike some people,. I sat down on my couch and turned on the television, only to see news of the incident at the Sun House all over the screen. It wasn’t surprising, considering the fame of the Reynold family. Such an event was bound to make headlines. Andre, who had just taken a shower, came downstairs in his night robe. I was still on the couch, my attention on the TV. “You’re going to bed early?” I asked him, popping a French fry into my mouth. Andre was someone who usually stayed up late. “Yeah,” he replied, picking up some files from the table. “We have a business meeting with the Reynolds at their company tomorrow, remember?” “Yes, I remember,” I said, taking another fry. “I have to go to sleep early so I can be ready for the early morning meeting.” 17ⱭUTTING THE COUNSEL “What time again?” “7:00 a.m.,” he reminded me, going through the files in his hand. “Ugh, that’s too early.” “I know, but it’s business. We can’t afford to let anything ruin this project.” “Fine, I’ve heard you,” I said, lying down on the couch and flipping through channels. Andre started to head upstairs but then stopped. I glanced at him before focusing back on the TV. “One more thing,” he said, turning to me. “I didn’t like what you did at the party.” “Says the guy who was on his phone the whole time instead of dancing,” I retorted. “I’m serious, Ariel,” he said with a serious expression. “Okay, go ahead,” I said, muting the TV. “I’m listening.” He looked at me for a moment before continuing, “I know you and Luke have a history, and you can’t stand him. But you shouldn’t have acted the way you did. You need to learn to control yourself, Ariel. Self–control.” “I understand your perspective, Andre. However, the self–control you mentioned was already present in me during my marriage to Luke. He did many hurtful things to me, and I endured each one. But I had to put an end to it. I’m not some piece of garbage.” “You want to know something?” Andre moved closer and sat beside me. “In high school, I had this close friend. We were too close, really really close, to the point that people thought we were a couple.” “Just like how we are now,” I whispered to myself. “What did you say?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, nothing,” I replied, avoiding eye contact. “Do people really think we’re a couple?” He asked, his forehead creasing in confusion. He heard me, plece of sh*t. “Let’s just forget about it,” I said, forcing a laugh. “Please continue with your story,” He leaned in closer. “So here’s the thing: My friend became popular in school, and her attitude changed. She started treating me poorly.” “How bad?” I asked after a moment. “She made me drink toilet water.” “Ew!” J exclaimed. “And you actually did that?” “I had no choice. I had broken a rule and didn’t want to get caught. She said she’d help me, but only if I did that.” “That’s awful.” “Exactly,” he agreed. “What rule did you break?” I inquired. “I’d rather not talk about it,” he replied jokingly. “But she did other terrible things to me, I won’t go into details.” “Please don’t,” I said in a low voice. “I put up with her behavior until we graduated. I kept my cool. And since then, we haven’t spoken. I tried to reach out to her, but she wouldn’t respond. It was painful, but guess what happened?” “What happened?” “We ran into each other in Canada after I started my own company. She was struggling financially and felt embarrassed when she saw me. She didn’t want to talk, but I approached her and acted like nothing had happened. That’s how we became friends again.” “Wow, that’s nice, but as you can see, my situation with Luke is totally different.” “I know,” he said knowingly. “You had self–control, but you let it go. Imagine if I had done the same to her.” “Uhmm, you guys wouldn’t have been friends,” I answered slowly. “Exactly. Remember, always have self–control. You know what they say: Silence is the best answer given to fools.” “I know. Thank you for the advice,” I said, smiling. He chuckled and stood up. “I don’t think you understood anything I just said,” he teased, and we both laughed. “Goodnight.” He walked away. Honestly, his story was nothing like mine. But let’s not dwell on that. A video call appeared on my phone, and I answered immediately. On the screen were these two adorable children, and just seeing their faces filled me with happiness. One of them exclaimed, “Mommy, we miss you so much!”
