515 Itâs Your Choice
Those words were like a knife stabbing Elijah in the chest and he couldnât breathe. Arianna was his dream â one that was slowly fleeting away. No, he canât give up on her. If she could fall for Marcel, perhaps, he could make her love him again.
He grabbed her arm, âYou donât know what youâre talking about, Arianna! You have clearly been bewitched by Marcel!â
âDonât treat me like a child, Elijah! Iâm an adult and I know feelings!â She scolded him, trying to pull her arm free all to no avail.
âYou canât be with Marcel,â He commanded her
âYeah, why not?â Arianna scoffed at the authority in his tone. She was not his sister or girlfriend â not anymore.
âAbsolutely not, Marcel!â He refused to let the both be together. Marcel was not worthy of Arianna. He would only make Arianna miserable just the same way his father Daniel ruined his Aunt Natalieâs life.
Arianna was merely blinded by Marcelâs charms and the motherfucker has had no problems deceiving many women in the past. Just like Clara who he just dumped, Arianna would no doubt meet the same fate and he couldnât let that happen. He would rather die than see the both of them together.
Elijah would rather have Arianna hate him for the cruel choices he would make and the both be together than let her spend the rest of her life with Marcel in suffering. Just like his father Daniel, Marcel would never make her happy. A monster only begets a monster. Arianna just hasnât seen what Marcel is capable of and he would make sure to show her that.
He pulled Arianna to him by that arm so that their bodies were pressing together and the alarm went off in her head once again. They were crossing into dangerous territory and Arianna couldnât let anything happen between them. The first time might have been a mistake, but not the second one. The second time would be a choice made by her.
.....
âLet me go!â Arianna struggled all to no avail and all Elijah did was lock her arm behind her so she couldnât move. With his free hand, he lifted her chin but Arianna glared at him defiantly, daring him to kiss her again and see if she wouldnât bite his lip off.
As if Elijah knew what was best for him, he didnât touch her and said instead, âItâs quite funny, Arianna, you call me your ex but the both of us know that we never broke up. You were the one that made that decision on your own and I never gave consent.â He pointed out and all blood drained from Ariannaâs face.
âYeah, you thought, right,â Elijah smirked wickedly, âAs far as I know, you are still my woman and I donât acknowledge anything going on between you and Marcel.â
Arianna tried to speak up but Elijah pressed his finger against her lips, hushing her.
âHowever,â Elijah continued, âIâm no saint either, which means your sins are forgiven. But then, you should prepare yourself, Iâm taking you out of here, and thereâs nothing you canât do about it.â
Ariannaâs heart sank, but at the same time, anger filled her. She shook her hand and was able to pull out of his grip. Glaring up at him, she said, âYou have no right to make decisions for me. I told you that Iâm happy here, why canât you respect that for Christ fucking sake?!â
âHappy as a prisoner?â Elijah found it laughable, âHe went on to say,â Fine, letâs admit that the both of you are indeed together, what happens when the both of you break up? Would you remain there as his prisoner or would he toss you to the street like a rag?â
Arianna groaned in annoyance when she thought of how to explain it to him,
âMarcel would never do that, okay? Heâs not as cruel as you think he is. He takes good care of me -â
âYeah, by keeping you caged?â He sneered, âCould you hear yourself, Arianna? Would your past self think like that?â
Ariannaâs brows furrowed together as she found out that indeed that there was truth in what he said. Being together with Marcel had changed her thinking somehow. Or was it Stockholm syndrome speaking? No, Arianna pushed the thoughts to the back of her head. She has gone over this issue already and this was the choice she made.
âItâs my decision, Elijah. Even if I decide to stay away from him, Iâve been exposed to Marcel and his enemies would come after me. Staying with him is the best solution,â nor would she be penniless if he decides he doesnât want her anymore, Arianna added in her mind.
She has been stealing more of Marcelâs money and keeping them in a place he wouldnât be able to find it, nor was he wasnât complaining. If anything, Marcels seems to be dropping more for her to find as if it was fun to do.
âDoes it look like Iâm giving you a choice, Arianna?â Elijah asked her coldly.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAnd Iâm not leaving,â Arianna stood her ground even though her heart was pounding in her chest. She was afraid that Elijah would do something extreme, but she couldnât give in to his demands either.
Seeing her blunt refusal, Elijahâs face darkened and though he let go of Ariannaâs hands, the hollow and cold look in his eyes told her that she just successfully provoked him.
âIt seems that you have forgotten who I am,â He said with a sense of foreboding.
Arianna released a shaky breath, âYou would not hurt me.â She was sure.
âNo, not you. I would never hurt you, Arianna, â He admitted, âBut not Marcel.â
Her gaze shifted to him instantly, âYou wouldnât dare!â
âPush me and weâd see.â
âI would hate you,â
âI wouldnât care as far as I saved you from Marcel,â Elijah wasnât moved by her threat.
Arianna shivered, she was in deep waters and she didnât know how to navigate around it.
âIâll take my leave now, but Iâll be in touch.â He informed her, âYou know my real face now, hence, itâs left to you to inform Marcel about it and get me killed or keep your mouth shut about it and Iâll rescue you. Itâs your choice, Arianna.â Elijah told her, moments before he dived out through the window and left her alone with her thoughts.