42. The Sugar!

Author's POV

It was a new day and Arabella was helping Cami with all the work as Christmas was near.

"Deep cleaning and decoration?"

Arabella questioned.

"Yes, after so many years they are here to celebrate New year and Christmas... We have to decorate the house and make it special for them. House is almost clean as you work hard everyday but some of the corners are ignored. And we have to decorate it... Aren't you excited?"

Cami was chirping.

Arabella was calm and was doing the dishes.

"I don't know how it feels... I have never celebrated it..."

Cami's smile fell.

"Then it's good that you are here this year. I'll show you how it feels to celebrate things."

Arabella chuckled.

"You sound like Julie when you are excited. I'll start my cleaning from the living room."

She kept the dishes away and walked out of the kitchen, just to see Rose sitting in living room.

She turned on her heels and went back to kitchen.

"I'll go after sometime, I guess!"

She smiled nervously.

Cami looked at her confused and shrugged.

"Okay!"

Arabella sat there until Rose decided to leave the living room. She was curiously looking at her from the kitchen door.

"She is so fit. Julie was right, she looks hot..."

Rose's fearless and confident aura was more scary than men in the house.

Arthur was passing by, he noticed that she looked at him but didn't smile like usual.

He frowned and waited by the pillar. Arabella was unaware of his presence as she was too focused on the cleaning.

Suddenly a large hand pulled her behind the pillar and she gasped.

"Chief!?"

She slapped his arm.

"You scared me..."

Arthur chuckled at her complaint. He also noticed that she is comfortable enough to hit him playfully. It was making him happy. They were finally breaking the barriers.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"Because you deserves it... I am mad at you for fighting."

She sulked.

He smiled and played with her hair.

"I am sorry, Dove... I'll never do it again... I will never do anything which will make you unhappy."

She smiled.

"Promise?"

He nodded and her smile widened.

"You are so sweet."

She pulled his cheeks and he looked at her amused.

"No one does that to me..."

He chuckled while caressing her cheeks.

"I can do it... I am your friend."

She said proudly making him smile wider.

"Of course. Only you can do it."

He pinched her cheek.

"Does it hurt?"

She looked at his eye which looked better than yesterday.

"If I don't see you."

He admired her beautiful face.

Arabella's heart melted when he said that. She leaned closer and gently kissed his eye.

Her face turned red when she realised what she did.

"Sorry!"

She looked embarrassed and tried to leave.

Arthur grabbed her by waist and pulled closer.

"Wow, Dove! I didn't know your soft lips can cure my pain."

He teased her.

"Chief!"

She blushed and looked away shyly.

He kissed her cheek and let her go.

"Go, continue your work."

She smiled and ran away.

After lunch, Arabella was cleaning the external walls of the house. Taking off dry leaves of climbers and scrubbing the dead moss.

Oliver came out in the garden while talking on the phone and saw her, he playfully bumped his shoulder on her back and she looked back at him with smile but he was acting like he didn't do it on purpose. She resumed her work and he did it again while walking around her. She was smiling at his teasing.

He tried to do it once again and she stepped aside, making him bump with the wall. Arabella laughed and he looked at her amused.

"You are getting naughty day by day."

He disconnected the call.

She yelped and started running while laughing when chased her.

"You run fast, have to give it to you."

He finally caught her and she grabbed on his shoulders when they lost balance and fell on the grass.

Oliver hovered over her and she was breathing heavily beneath him. His eyes wandered on her face adoringly.

She was also lost in his eyes, admiring his handsome face. Her thumb gently caressed his injured lip.

"I don't like it when you get hurt."

She mumbled in daze.

He was under her spell. Her touch was making him crazy.

Arabella's eyes stopped on his lips, she leaned towards him and pecked the corner of his lips softly. It was merely a touch, felt like a feather.

Oliver's whole body filled with butterflies when she did that. It wasn't even a kiss and he was already in bliss.

"Kitten, I___"

They both heard Damian coming out and Oliver quickly got up while pulling her up.

She was dusting her clothes when Damian stopped and saw them suspiciously. His blue eyes were piercing Oliver.

"What are you doing here?"

"She fell down, I was just helping her."

Oliver replied calmly, lying fluently.

Arabella stepped away and resumed her work. Oliver went to his father.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you really think something is going on with her?"

He chuckled.

"I thought you know my type."

Damian just nodded.

"Very well! Anyways, Steven has given new samples. We need to try it out... Meet me in my office once both of you are free."

Oliver sighed in relief when his father walked away.

It was evening when both of them went to Damian in his study.

He was sitting at his desk.

"You are on time. Come sit!"

He ordered.

Brothers took their seats and he threw one pouch at them and one kept it in his hand.

"These are the samples Steven delivered today. The new strong powder. He claims that it can knock out anyone for almost twelve hours if consumed or inhaled..."

Arthur nodded.

"Good, we can use it in our smoky bombs."

"But we need to test these first. Steven's words and samples don't match."

Oliver suggested.

"I agree! I am eager to try these out and want to do it now but all our men are at warehouse and we don't have any captives here."

He thought for a second.

"Yeah, we have someone..."

He smirked.

"Arabella!"

Brothers heads snapped towards him when he said that.

"She is too young, Dad... What are you even thinking?"

Oliver looked at him in disbelief.

"It can be dangerous for her health. Think about it!"

Arthur suggested.

Damian gave out bored look.

"Why do you care? She is an orphan, no one cares about her... And this is not going to kill her, she will be fine next day..."

Both of them grew tensed when Damian called Cami and ordered her to send Arabella to him.

"Dad, think about it!"

Oliver shook his head.

Damian ignored him and opened the pouch. There was a tea kettle in front of him, he emptied the small sugar jar in the dustbin and filled it with the white powder from his pouch.

Arthur released annoyed breath and Oliver tried to control his anger. They couldn't believe that their father was doing this to innocent girl but they also know that Damian Knight is not a saint. They can't openly oppose because then he will find out that they are interested in her.

Arabella knocked on the door and entered.

"You called me, Mr. Damian?"

Damian smiled at her.

"Yeah! Come here..."

She stood beside him.

"This is the new sugar powder which my friend has gifted me. I think it's little sour in taste. Can you taste and tell me your opinion on it?"

He said and she looked at Knight brothers who were looking tensed.

"They don't know how it should taste, they don't drink tea."

He asked her to ignore them.

Arabella smiled and nodded.

"Okay!"

She innocently grabbed the spoon and brought it to her lips.

Brothers couldn't see it, Oliver quickly snatched the spoon from her hand and Arthur pulled her away from Damian.

Oliver dropped the spoon back in the jar and pushed it towards Damian.

"She is not doing this. Find someone else!"

He turned towards Arabella who was in arms of Arthur and caressed her head.

"This sugar is not for you, Kitten... Go and do your work."

Arthur also caressed her head.

"Go, Dove... We will take care of it."

She looked at them confused, not knowing what's happening but nodded and walked out.

Brothers now turned towards their father just to meet his lethal furious eyes which had nothing but their doom written in it.