Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 396

Chapter 396: The meeting of brothers
“Pallas!?” Nicolai turned to look over his shoulders and found Ari on the floor of the ward. “What are you doing?” He asked as he twisted on his feet and walked over to where Ari was now pushing herself off the floor.

Nicolai eyed her suspiciously. He reached his arms forward to pick her up, he noticed the slight flush on her cheeks.

“Here, I will help you get up from the floor,” he said to her, but Ari grasped hold of his wrist causing Nicolai to pause in his actions.

He swore to god, if Ari once again started talking about how it was not right for him to touch her when they were not alone, he was going to lose his shit.

“Why are you leaving?” She asked as she slowly raised her head and looked him in the eye.

“I am not leaving,” replied Nicolai calmly. “Just thought of calling Aiden, you need to get checked up, princess.”

And yet, the woman did not let go of his hand. Instead, her grip turned even tighter as she questioned again, “Why do you have to leave?” Her voice wobbled at the end along with her lower lip as she gazed at Nicolai.

“Ariana,” Nicolai said unhurriedly to Ari, seizing her by her arm and then helping her on the bed. “Shouldn’t you be saying ‘don’t go,’ if you are scared, then you need to tell me that you are scared and don’t want me to leave?”

“I am a man with more muscles than brain, you can’t expect me to catch the meaning of your frown.”

“I—I …can I?” Ari questioned with a frown as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Nicolai’s broad chest. The memories of her childhood came flashing in front of her eyes —

‘It’s just a cold,’ said Mrs Harlow as she plopped a strip of fabric on top of the head of a sick and young Ari which hadn’t been wrung properly. ‘There is no need for you to make a fuss, just close your eyes and take some cold medicine. You will sweat it out by the next morning.’

‘But—’

Her mother turned and looked down at her with a dissatisfied smile on her face. ‘Now, honey. You don’t want to make your mom angry right? Our family suffers so much because of you, surely you wouldn’t ask your mother, who is the only breadwinner of the family, to stay back and care for you?’

As Ari blinked her eyes, she snapped out of her memories. In the past, she had believed that she was unlikeable and unlovable which was why her mother didn’t care for her.

But only now she knew that her mother never cared for her because Mrs Harlow knew that she was not her daughter.

Ari wondered who her family was and why had they abandoned her in the care of Mrs Harlow. Did they not care what happened to her?

“Yes, you can,” Nicolai said as he helped her lay back on the bed. “There is nothing wrong with putting forth your thoughts and desires, as long as someone cares for you, they will listen to what you want. And for those who don’t, you shouldn’t pay any heed to their words.”

“Why should you? When don’t they care about you?” Nicolai said to her with a smile on his face. “Live the life that you want, Pallas. Even if you are scared to do so, at least take the first step.”

Six more days passed since Ari was rescued by Nicolai, though her injuries were quite severe, under careful care, Ari was now getting better. As days passed, it felt as if what happened to her was only a bad memory which time had turned distant.

Thankfully, no one from the Harlow family came to her and peace filled her mind —

“Doctor Harlow, you do like these bourbons right?”

Or at least a part of it.

Breaking away from her thoughts, Ari turned to look at the man who sat next to her bed. “Mister Emil, I do like them, they are not really sweet and have a spicy flavour of vodka to them. But I can’t eat a lot of them.”

After what happened between her and Penelope, Ari was prepared for the Ashford brothers to appear in front of her with poisonous fangs and spitting venom, accusing her of hurting their precious sister.

But that was until Emil turned up at the doorways of her ward with his elder brothers. The three Ashford brothers not only told her that they blamed her not in the slightest but even came to show their gratitude for saving the life of their younger brother.

However, this gratitude was stretching a bit too far.

She turned to look at Emil who was shooting proactive to his brothers upon hearing that she liked the bourbons that he had bought for her when Ari had only been polite.

“I would rather not be rude,” began Nicolai who walked inside the ward with a styrofoam cup of coffee in his hand. His other hand was in the pocket of his denim jeans as he glanced at the three men sourly, “But why are you three so eager to meet with her every day?” He asked.

His tone was as rude as it could have been.

Mateo turned to look at Nicolai and sparks seemed to fly inside the room as soon as their eyes met. Ari ducked her head and brought another spoonful of soup to her lips.

“I believe that it is only right for a gentleman to care for a lady who has been frightened out of her wits,” Mateo replied with a smile which didn’t reach his eyes as he eyed the man in front of him with great distaste.

Don’t think he didn’t see what this man had been trying to achieve, and he was not happy with it in the slightest.

“But what makes me wonder is why you are coming to see Doctor Harlow every day,” Mateo spoke with a hint of warning in his tone.