Chapter 101_ Fear!

It was Saturday night, and Arya had spent the whole afternoon with Chloe because the guys had scheduled an all-night bar celebration in one of the exclusive and renowned bars in Italy.

“Come on, Arya. It's 7 p.m. already, and you are not dressed yet. We will be late." Chloe said as she walked to her room and saw Arya lying lazily on the bed as she snacked on some chips.

“I'm tired, Chloe. I don't feel like going anywhere tonight. Can’t we just let the men enjoy themselves and stay back here?" Arya said. Lately, she noticed she had been feeling too tired and had no appetite for food either. It was so unlike her; she didn't feel like partying tonight and just wanted to lie in bed. Was that too much for a girl to want?

Chloe put her hands on her waist and glared at her. “There's no way we are going to do that, sweetie. Get your lazy ass off that bed and get dressed already. Alonso called already, and he said Evelyn has arrived with Marco; Kane’s there too. You are not always like this; what's happening to you?”

Arya shrugged and put a chip in her mouth. "I don't know, Chloe. I feel tired, and the idea of being in the midst of alcohol and partying makes my stomach churn. Can we not go, please?”

“No! Arya. I won't listen to you today. Kane specifically asked me to make sure we came together. Think about it: What if he has some surprises for you?" Chloe said, racking her brain on how to convince Arya and get her out of bed.

“What surprise? Arya asked, and her curiosity piqued as she looked at Chloe.

Seeing that she had Arya hooked on that already, Chloe gave her a sly smile as she said, "We won't know until we get to the bar and find out, right? Now! Move your lazy ass off my bed and go get dressed.”

"Fine.” Arya muttered under her breath and got up from the bed as she headed to the bathroom.

An hour later, both of them were ready and came out of the hotel looking smart and gorgeous.

Arya was putting on a sequence red gown that was just below her knees and had black heels on to complete her outfit. She had simple makeup on, and her long black hair was let down and cascaded down her shoulders. She looked completely breathtaking.

Chloe, on the other hand, was putting on a black knee-length gown and paired it with leather thigh boots. Her black fringed hair framed her face, and the simple makeup she had on her face made her look youthful and gorgeous.

They entered Arya's car and drove to the address Alonso had sent to Chloe's phone earlier. As they turned on the music in the car, they listened to some R&B songs, singing along and moving their hands to the tunes. Soon enough, they got to their destination, and Arya turned off the engine as she and Chloe came out of the car and made their way towards the private room of the exclusive bar, where Kane and the rest were present.

Just as they opened the door of the room, Arya stopped in her tracks when she heard Marco ask Kane a question, and she gestured for Chloe to stay quiet as she listened with bated breath, eager to also hear Kane’s response.

Inside the room, liquor bottles were placed on the table. As the men in the room drank and reminisced about their past together before the separation between them, Evelyn sat beside Marco, sipping on her cocktail and giggling at whatever funny thing the men would say.

Judging by the many bottles on their table, it was clear that all of them had drunk a lot that night, were already drunk, or were on the way to being drunk. Alonso tilted his head to the side and turned to look at Kane as he said, “Hey, Kane. It's been one month already since you met with Arya outside the Maranello building, isn't it?”

Kane nodded as he poured himself a glass. “Absolutely." He answered,

Marco's ears perked up at the change of conversation. He had been curious about their relationship when he found out Kane was her boyfriend, but hadn't had the chance to ask either of them.

So, not wanting to miss this chance, he said, “I’m curious to know how you met her, though. The last I heard about you then was that you didn't care about your father's company and were always on the track racing, frolicking with women, and touring the world. How did you meet a workaholic and amazing woman like Arya?”

Kane chuckled, and a small smile bloomed on his face as he remembered his first encounter with Arya. “After returning from my last tour, I visited my father to submit a file to him, and there, I saw her carrying a stack of binders in her hands as she struggled to keep a hold of them. She told me to hold the door, but I didn't and instead slammed the door on her face. When she confronted me with those amber eyes of hers and the way she glared at me, I was stunned. That was the first time any woman would talk to me that way, and I tried using my charms on her but failed miserably. She caught my attention that very day, and I had told myself that I’d do anything to get her into my bed.”

Alonso nodded and chimed in with a laugh, "Yes! I even made a bet with Kane that if he was able to win Arya over and get her to be among the many women he had, I’d give him my shares in his company. Hahaha!"

Arya felt her world crumble as she listened to Kane’s and Alonso’s words. Her feet wobbled as she tried so hard to steady herself that she was finding it hard to breathe as she felt an invisible knife being cut into her chest.

Tears blurred her eyes, and clenching the car keys in her hands, she stumbled backwards and opened the door, running outside.

“Arya! Arya." Chloe called out loudly, gaining the attention of the men in the room, and everyone's face turned ashen as they realized what just happened. Kane stiffened, and he felt every trace of alcohol disappear from his system as he rushed towards Chloe.

“Arya…. Did she hear my conversation just now?” Kane asked, his heart trembling at the answer he knew already, but he still clung to a little hope. And when he saw Chloe glaring at him and cussing at him as she chased after Arya, Kane felt his heart drop to the ground with a deep-rooted fear— the fear of losing her.