Chapter 9 - How he is

As they sat there in silence, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell stood up and looked at her with sympathy. Mr. Blackwell left the room, and Mrs. Blackwell went to her and said, "Take all the time you need. When you're ready, we'll be waiting." Then they left in the direction of the dining room.

Ariella felt worse. Now people were feeling sorry for her. She had to compose her anger and pain and walk through this. She knew she had to join the Blackwells in the dining room. She didn't want to keep them waiting, especially Asher's grandparents, whom he respected more than anyone else in the world.

Taking a deep breath, Ariella composed herself. She wiped away traces of tears and smoothed her clothes and then walked towards the dining. When she entered the dining room, Mrs. Blackwell looked up and smiled warmly. Mr. Blackwell gave her an encouraging nod. They had already taken their seats and were waiting for her.

"Come, Ariella, sit next to me," Mrs. Blackwell said.

Ariella managed a smile and took her seat. The table was full of various different types of delicious looking dishes. She knew the meal was made to comfort her as well as to keep up with the family's traditions.

The meal began quietly. Mr. Blackwell initiated light conversation. Ariella appreciated their efforts but found it hard to participate. She kept thinking about Asher and trying to understand the hurt caused by his decisions. 

After lunch, Mrs. Blackwell suggested, "Why don't we go for a walk in the garden? It's a beautiful day, and the fresh air might do you good."

Ariella nodded. As they walked through the gardens, Mrs. Blackwell spoke gently, sharing stories about Asher's childhood and expressing her excitement about the new additions to the Blackwell family.

Asher did not grow up with his parents. His grandparents raised him from when he was a baby. His mother, Lily Blackwell, and his father had a terrible relationship. Even though they were married, Lily did not love her husband. Asher's father used his connections and resources to get Lily to sleep with him, resulting in her pregnancy. Due to family traditions, she was forced to marry him, but she never loved him.

Later, when Asher was still a baby, Lily met her now-husband, which caused a scandal. Asher's father, who was deeply in love with Lily, was hurt and both humiliated and embarrassed by the infedility, and chose to run away, leaving Asher and Lily behind without a second glance. Lily, resenting Asher's father for taking advantage of her and getting her pregnant, also resented Asher. She went on to marry her new husband and left Asher with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell. As a result, Asher and his mother have a strained relationship, each holding a certain amount of resentment toward the other.

Asher grew up to be the Blackwells' golden child, their golden grandchild. He was smart, a good businessman, composed, and handsome. He knew how to exude power, control, and lead. He was the best thing to ever happen to the Blackwell family. This is evident in the fact that, despite Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell having a daughter, Lily, and a son, Matthew, they still gave the company to Asher, their grandchild. Asher was smart, resilient, and a force to be reckoned with in the business world. He became the most powerful and richest man in the country.

Ariella was already tired, so she said goodbye to Mrs. Blackwell and went to get some sleep. She was surprised when she woke up and found that everyone in the house had already had dinner. Mrs. Blackwell had been waiting for her.

"I didn't know when you were going to wake up, and I didn't want to disturb you," Mrs. Blackwell said. "I know that today was very tiring and you just got out of the hospital. You need a lot of time to rest. I prepared some soup especially for you. Why don't you just sit down and I'll bring it over."

"Oh no, I don't want to bother you. I can just go and get it myself."

"No, it's the least I can do for you. Just wait here." Mrs. Blackwell went to get the soup and brought it to her. Ariella drank it while Mrs. Blackwell stayed with her, both sitting in quiet silence.

"Has Asher already come to say goodnight? I would feel bad that I slept through his visit."

"No, he hasn't come yet, but he has a tendency to come even in the middle of the night, so don't worry yourself. I'm sure he'll be here."

"But he promised he would be here to have dinner with me."

"I know, my dear," Mrs. Blackwell said as she patted her hand. "Do not think a lot about Asher. He is your husband and you know that he loves you, so stop worrying about that."

Ariella answered noncommittally, "Okay."

It was already morning, and Ariella didn't think Asher had come during the night. The first thing she did when she woke up was call him, but he didn't pick up. Ariella was suddenly in a bad mood. When the maid came to get her to go down for breakfast, she asked for breakfast to be brought to her room instead. She expected the maid to bring it, but instead, Mrs. Blackwell was the one who came with her breakfast. She felt embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were going to bring it. I would have come down to get it myself," she apologized.

"Oh, don't worry yourself. This house has about 15 maids, and I cannot even remember them all. I know the main keeper, the one who tends to me, and the one who tends to the garden. And I can't even remember the rest by name. So do not worry yourself about that. Some, I think I even pay for doing nothing. But you're family, and I know about your condition right now. Sometimes you just don't feel in the mood, and I just wanted to come here and see how you woke up, if there was anything you needed."

"Oh, no, I don't need anything. I was just tired. I didn't mean to alarm you."

"No, you didn't alarm me. It's okay if you don't want to join us sometimes, although we would expect you to join us for one meal at least so you could be close to the family. But I will come and check on you if you don't mind. I hope I'm not interfering in your space."

"Of course not, grandmother….. Mrs. Blackwell."

"Oh, no, you can call me grandmother. I'm Asher's grandmother, and I'm your grandmother too. I think it's time you also called me grandma. It would make me very happy."

"Of course, Grandma. Um, did, uh, did Asher ever make it last night? Did he come? Is he here? Did you talk to him?"

Mrs. Blackwell looked down before she looked up at her again"I'm sure he will be here. I didn't think about him. I will go and call him right now. Haven't you talked to him?"

Ariella shrugged, then she answered,

"I have not talked to him. I've been trying to call him, but he's not picking up my calls either. I don't know what to think of it," Ariella said, her eyes wandering over the room deep in thought.

Mrs. Blackwell reassured her, "Oh, I'm sure it's fine. Let's finish breakfast first. He's probably in a meeting. You know how busy your husband can be. Stop thinking about him. You should be thinking about my future great-grandchildren. How are they? How did you wake up this morning?"

"Uh, I'm okay. Yeah, I'm fine," Ariella responded.

"How did you sleep? Were you comfortable? Did you have a hard time sleeping without Asher beside you?"

Ariella blushed. "Oh no, it was a really comfortable night, and I slept through it. I just woke up this morning, very late too. I just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Okay, I'm glad you could get some sleep. You know how Asher is. I do not want you to think a lot about him."

Ariella wanted to tell her that it wasn't Asher she was worried about; it was Scarlett. But she didn't say that. She just answered, "Okay," and continued finishing her breakfast. 

When she was done, Mrs. Blackwell said, "Okay, I'm going to take this down. Why don't you rest, and I'll see what's keeping Asher from checking on his wife and his future children."

Ariella smiled. "Thank you, Mrs... sorry, Grandmother. That would mean a lot to me."

"Of course, my granddaughter. Just relax," she answered and left the room.

Asher never got back to her until he showed up at the estate during dinner.