Chapter 105_ Challenge

Nicholas clenched his fist at Arya's words, and he couldn't help but stumble back slightly. He seemed so affected by her words that he couldn't say anything for a few moments. After a long moment of silence in the room, he broke the silence. “I wasn't aware of what was happening in the company, Arya. I was out of the country for personal reasons and had put someone in charge, but I didn't know that would lead to so many losses and the bad blood between Maranello Enterprises and the Nicholas group of companies.”

Arya raised her chin and said, “I don't need an explanation from you. What do you want from me, Mr.? You can't possibly want to marry someone you don't know, right?”

"Have you forgotten me, Arya Cobbler?” Nicholas said, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes for a quick second before he masked it with indifference.

“Do we know each other?" Arya asked, curious.

“You truly have forgotten the incident," Nicholas muttered under his breath and then said loudly, “I won't be giving up without a fight, Arya. You can think whatever you want to think of me." He turned to Kane. “I want you to race me on the track, Maranello. If you win, I’ll leave here and never show my face to you or her again. But if you lose, I’ll make her mine and take her away from you."

“Not a chance, Nicholas." Kane seethed, and when Nicholas held out his hand to Kane, challenging him with his eyes to race, Kane smirked and shook Nicholas's hand—a sign that he had accepted his challenge. “No one takes what belongs to me."

Arya looked at the two men in the room, dumbfounded. Didn't they realize she was in the room with them? And there they were, making bets on her head. Did she look like some chip they could bet with and get away with it? “I am not some damn property or toy that you both could gamble with!" she snarled, glaring at the two men while Chloe stared at them, amused.

“No, my love, you are not. But this is between me and him. You don't need to concern yourself with anything. You just need to rest and recover quickly so you can be discharged, okay?" Kane said, winking at Arya while she stared speechlessly at him. ‘Does she have a say in this at all?' she wondered.

======

“What are you thinking about, Arya?" Chloe asked, taking her hands in hers and rubbing her palms. Nicholas had left the ward after he was certain Kane wouldn't back out of the challenge, while Kane went back to the company because Marco had put a call through for an emergency that needed his attention. At first, Kane was hesitant to leave Arya alone, but she had convinced him to go and that he shouldn't worry about her since Chloe would be staying with her.

“I'm thinking about the race between both men, Chloe. I'm worried for Kane; Nicholas seems like a powerful opponent. He wouldn't want to race Kane if he wasn't good himself," Arya expressed her concerns.

"You shouldn't worry about him, Arya. Don't let the challenge between them stress you out. You should be concerned for yourself only. I can't believe you're pregnant, Arya; I’m going to be an aunt! I can't wait for the little bun to be born so I can spoil her silly,” Chloe said, her eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of the baby, and Arya smiled as she rubbed her flat tummy.

"I was shocked too, Chloe. I'm going to be a mother! Everything's happening so fast that it feels as if I’m dreaming,” Arya commented, and when she felt a pinch on her arm, she glared at Chloe. "What was that for?”

Chloe grinned at her and answered, "You're not dreaming, baby. It's all real.” Suddenly, Chloe turned serious as she asked, "Tell me, Arya; have you forgiven Kane?”

Arya was silent for a moment before she parted her lips and said, "I can't be mad at him for too long, Chloe. I didn't realize how much he meant to me until I felt my heart clench painfully in my chest when I thought what we had was all a lie. I felt suffocated, Chloe. I love him so much, Chloe.” She confessed, her voice thick with emotion.

"Oh, Arya,” Chloe said, standing up to wrap her arms around Arya, pulling her into a tight hug. They both stayed in each other's arms for a few moments without a word; the silence was a comforting presence that spoke louder than words ever could.

“What’s up with you and Alonso? I haven't seen him since I got hospitalized,” Arya said, breaking the silence and pulling away from her.

Chloe sighed, “Honestly, I don't know, Arya."

“What do you mean by that?" Arya probed.

“Well, I think I overreacted with him because of what happened between you and Kane. I blamed him for not telling me about it and also fought with him because I thought he might have placed a bet to get closer to me too. I told him not to come near me and ended things with him, even blocking his number on my phone.” Chloe explained, and Arya gaped at her, stunned that Chloe would do something like that for her sake.

She knew how much Chloe loved Alonso too; in fact, Chloe had had an interest in him at first sight, and was it not the other day that Chloe confided in her that Alonso wanted to take her to visit his parents, and that was why they had flown to Italy? So Arya was taken aback that Chloe would end things with him because of her, and her eyes watered as she looked at her best friend, who had always been there for her and was like the sister she never had. Chloe had always been loyal to her and their friendship, and she would be damned if she allowed what occurred between her and Kane to affect Chloe's relationship with Alonso.

“You shouldn't have done that, Chloe. How do you think I would feel that you ended things with him for my sake? I wouldn't hold anything against you even if Kane didn't fall in love with me; you know that, right?" Arya said, raising her hand to rub Chloe's cheek with her palm. Chloe nodded at Arya, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I love him, Arya,” Chloe confessed, and Arya nodded at her.

"I know; I can read you like a book. You should go look for him, Chloe. You need to find him and make things right between you both again. Go now.” Arya said, and Chloe glanced at her with hesitation.

"But I can't leave you all alone here. I promised Kane that—” Chloe trailed off when Arya interrupted her.

"Don't worry about me, Chloe. I’ll be fine alone; moreover, the nurse Kane assigned for me is just outside the ward. Now go!” Arya said, and Chloe nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she pecked Arya and hurriedly left the room.