"A fire?" Arianna pushed her tears aside and stared up at her mother's heartbroken expression. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that they just slept through a fire, their had to be more it than that?" Arianna was a mixture of emotions, overwhelmed with sadness for herself, her mother, the man her mother loved and his family. Joan averted her gaze as she too was filled with sadness and guilt.
"Official cause of death said they sufficiated on the smoke, but that happened a long time ago Ari, there's nothing you or I could do about it now." Joan tried to be brave, but this was the first time in more than 25 years she spoken about the tragedy. "Let's just focus on you. I'm sorry about what Camille said."
"She's right though, love is a privilege for the poor, I was so use to being the poor." Her once bright and lively eyes were now empty and cold, suddenly an insane laugh crept from her lips, "But then, I wonder what she thinks of her daughter's love affair, from what I heard the whole family gave Juliette and Felix their blessings."
"That's the thing about childhood sweethearts, are they really in love or is that just what they've been made to believe?" Joan stroked Arianna's hand. "Juliette and Felix probably have no idea their love was planned and organised by their families, they believe it was a happy coincidence, that they fell in love."
"HAHA how sinister are you upper class people!" Arianna snatched her hand away and gave her mother a filthy look. "You play with people's emotion, toy with their minds and then wonder why these people abandon each other. None of you know loyalty, you'd betrayed each other for the latest gossip." Filled with horror and coldness Arianna stormed towards the door, before leaving she looked back at Joan, "And I used to think that the gang was cruel, at least they had a code." The look of insanity and cruelty in her face scared Joan. Stunned, Joan couldn't do anything other than watch her daughter disappear.
~ ~ ~
"Excuse me Sir," Jeffrey's voice broke Liam's concentration.
"What is it?" Liam indifferent tone chilled the air, he didn't even bother to look up from the documents in front of him.
"Your parents are down stairs waiting to see you, they say it's urgent." There was a kind of regrettable sadness in his voice that set off alarms in Liam's head.
Looking down at his watch, Liam was suspicious, it was already half past seven, yet here they were sitting in his house. What was so urgent they couldn't wait until tomorrow.
"Fine." He sighed with regret, "I'll go see them." When Liam's ocean-coloured eyes finally met Jeffrey's, he realised something really wasn't right. The old butler quickly looked away, feeling his young master's suspicious gaze.
"I will prepare the tea then master." His tone was proper and polite nothing out of the ordinary, but Liam could tell by the aura around the old butler that something was wrong and he suspected it had something to do with parent's sudden visit.
Liam walked down to find both his parents sitting elegantly and proudfully on the couch.
"Good evening mother, father. It's a bit late for you both to be isn't it?" Liam raised an eyebrow, not hiding his suspicion.
"Take a seat son, your mother and I have something to discuss with you." William gestured to the lounge chair beside them. Liam's demeanor remained cautious, however fulfilled his father's request. "Now son I know we've let you live your own life, however after the Chloe incident, we feel it's best if we just arrange your marriage ourselves."
There was a long deafening silence, the air in the room grew colder like a sudden cold mist rolled in. Despite his anger Liam's expression never changed, his cold, indifferent mien caused his mother worry.
"No." Liam state after what felt like an eternity of quietness. Liam had never defied his parents before, never so much as a 'no thank you' and now here he was plain out refusing. Anger became evident in William's face.
"That wasn't a request!"
"William, take a deep breath and calm down." Camille affectionately soothed her husband's anger, rubbing her dainty hand up and down his back. "Liam what your father is trying to say, is that we've seen you hurt and we don't wish to see you fooled again. Tomorrow we will introduce you Odette, your new fiancee."
"No!" Liam was beginning to wonder if his parents had lost their minds. "I just got out of a relationship, I don't need to be forced into another one."
"You spoilt brat!" William yelled back at his son. "Never in all my years I have I been spoken to with such disrespect. .
"It's okay dear, let's just let him sleep on the idea." Camille guide her furiously rambling husband toward the door.
"Whatever happened to choice our own love story?" Liam cold eyes met mother's.
"Love is a privilege of the poor." As William disappeared out the door, Camille turned to look at her son, she met the handsome man eyes. "Forget about her, it's better to go through with the arranged marriage. Then no-one gets hurt."
To the unknowing eavesdroppers it may have sounded as if the Madam was referring their Young Master's ex-fiancee, Chloe, the woman who broke his heart. However, Liam knew his mother better than that, she was talking Arianna... but how'd she know about her?
Juliette... Liam's expression darken as he thought about his meddlesome little sister.