Chapter 10 - Ignore

Ariella was too happy to see Asher, that when he apologized for not getting back to her, she let it be. He was here now. What was the point of fighting over something that cannot change? He apologized. He was here. She was happy. 

After they were finished with dinner and they had gone to her suite to talk, he told her how busy he was at the office and how he was dealing with both her compay and Blackwell incy. His phone kept ringing and he was ignoring it. She also ignored it but decided it was enough. 

"Who's that calling you? Why aren't you picking up the calls?"

"It's Scarlett. She keeps ringing up my phone, like, the whole time. I already told her I'm coming to see you. I haven't seen you the whole day. And after, I will go there. I already told the guys to go and stay with her, and they're there right now, so I don't know why she keeps calling me. When I'm done here, I'll go, so just relax and forget about her."

"It's fine. Why don't you just pick up and listen to what she has to say?"

"Fine," Asher answered and picked up the call and put it in his ear, and they conversed. After they were done, Asher said, "Okay, so the guys need me, so I have to go. I'll come and see you tomorrow morning, but if I can't, I'll be here for lunch. I promise."

"I want you here for breakfast," she answered.

"Okay, fine. I will be here in the morning before I get to work. Does that work for you?"

"Okay, fine."

Asher kissed her and left. Ariella had the best sleep in she had had in a while. She had decided it was just a week, it was going to pass, and she was not going to let Scarlett get between them.

When she woke up in the morning, she found pictures of the four trial friends hanging out yesterday night at clubs and having fun together: Asher, Scarlett, and his two best friends. The four of them out yesterday night. She wanted to be mad, but she had decided not to get bothered by this, so she ignored it.

When Ariella woke up in the morning and Asher didn't call her, she ignored it. It didn't bother her. When he didn't call or show up during lunch, it didn't bother her, and she ignored it. When he didn't show up during dinner, she wasn't bothered, and she ignored it. And when she got into bed and was about to sleep, she decided to be the one to call him. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, baby."

"Oh, hey. Hey, baby. I was just about to call you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. I am in the bedroom right now. I came to change so I can go and help Scarlett during the night. So I thought I would call you before I go there."

"Uh, really?"

"Why are you asking it like that? That's what I said."

"No, I'm not saying you didn't. I'm just saying that maybe we're both thinking about each other at the same time."

"You're such a romantic."

"For you," and then they both laughed. 

"So, tell me, how are you? How are my children?"

"We are okay. We miss you a lot though," Ariella answered.

"I miss you a lot too. I especially miss sleeping close to you in bed at night, holding you close to me, and feeling your warmth."

"I miss that too, especially since I have to sleep in a new house, in a new room, and without you. I'm still waiting for you to be here next weekend. It will make me very happy."

"Don't worry, I'll be there before you know it." Asher reassured her.

" So tell me, how are you? How have you been?"

"Well, I have been having a burning headache, this migraine that has been eating at me. It was such a struggle at work today. I kept taking pill after pill, but I think I'm doing better now."

"Oh, is that why you couldn't remember to call?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure it's going to be fine. If it continues, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow morning."

"Okay, would you tell me if it gets worse?"

"Okay, I will do." 

And then, just as they continued talking, Ariella heard a female voice calling Asher. Very close.

"Who is that?" Ariella asked. She heard Asher responding to the voice saying, "okay, fine," and then he got back on the call.

"Oh, sorry about that."

" who is that?" Ariella asked again.

"Oh, it was just Scarlet."

"What does she want?"

"She was asking where I had put the medicine she was given at the hospital yesterday."

"Did you say you were in the bedroom? What is she doing in there?"

"She just came to take the medication. It's time for her to take the pills."

"Then why did she follow you into the bedroom? That is our bedroom. Why is she there? Why did she come inside? I didn't even hear her knocking."

"Ariella, you're going to get yourself worked up over nothing. She just came to get her medication. I already gave them to her, and she already left."

"I don't like this," Ariella said.

"Okay, good night, then."

"Okay, aren't you even going to say you love me before you hang up? Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad. I just told you I have a headache. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Ariella sighed. "Okay, fine. Tomorrow, then. I love you," but there was no reply, Asher had already hung up the phone.

Ariella felt herself getting worked up, so she repeated what she told herself every night ever since she came to the Blackwell House. "It's just two weeks, and he'll be here with me. Asher is my husband, and he loves me." And then she went to bed.

The following morning, Asher didn't call her. She was getting used to this. At lunch, he didn't call her either. But she called his assistant because she wanted to know if he had gone to the hospital or if he was okay.

"Good morning, ma'am, Ms. Blackwell."

"Yes, good morning, Henry. Are you with Asher, Mr. Blackwell?"

"No, we just got back from the hospital, and he went home to lay down for a few minutes."

"So he did go to the hospital this morning?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, what happened at the hospital? I'm calling him, and he's not picking up."

"Well, they found nothing wrong with him, but he was told to get rid of stress and try to spend a lot of time relaxing. He was given some medications to relieve the migraine. He was feeling tired, so Ms. Scarlett proposed that he go home and lay down for a bit, and he agreed."

"Scarlett was with you at the hospital?"

"Yes, she was here with us when Asher came to the hospital."

"So they're together at home?"

"Yes, ma'am. I believe they have been for a while now," Henry answered. Ariella could sende a bit of a dig there but ignored it.

"Okay, fine. Tell me when he wakes up or when you see him or whatever."

"Okay, ma'am, I will," Henry answered, and they both hung up the phone.

Ariella thought this was getting too much. Scarlett was playing a game and she hated to think she was winning.

Even though she was under bed rest, Ariella realized that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun. She called her best friend, Erica Howard, and invited her over to the house for a tea party. Erica was at work, but she promised to come over as soon as she could. 

She was happy when her best friend came and as the two sat having their party where she drank herbal tea that Mrs. Blackwell had promised would help her relax and her immune system. While Erica drank wine and Ariella drank her tea, the two kept teasing each other, it was a fun evening since the two had not met for a while. 

Ever since she found out she was pregnant, Asher had been ever-doubting, ever-attentive, always around. And because Erica and Asher did not get along, she did not get a lot of time to spend with her best friend. 

But today she got to spend time with her best friend and she forgot all about Asher and Scarlett for a little while, until Asher's stepbrother came to join them. He found them in the sunroom.

"Duncan," Ariella said when she saw Asher's stepbrother, Duncan Moffat, come into the sunroom. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were here."

"Hello, little sister-in-law," he greeted with an easy grin. "I heard you and Asher had a little tiff and that you were at the Blackwell estate. I just couldn't help but come and see you. You know how I feel about you …."