Chapter 111

"I thought you'd be sleeping, where were you going?" Calhoun asked after they had settled into the foyer he sat on.

"I was going to make this," Ariana replied stirring her glass of milk.

The television was playing on a low volume and they sat enjoying each other's warmth.

"Did you miss me so much that you couldn't sleep, love?" Calhoun asked

Ariana wasn't staring at him but she could feel his devilish grin flashing down on her. Rather than smile, her brows met up as she remembered why she could not sleep in the first place. Their relationship was too complicated.

"Carl, what are we going to do about your family?" She asked in a small voice.

Calhoun's breathing changed as his happy mood also vanished. "Forget about my family. They will have no choice but to accept you." He said firmly.

Ariana was quiet. She contemplated if she should tell him about his aunt coming to threaten her in the office earlier in that week. Would it cause problems for them?

"Besides, it's just my grandfather. As soon as he gets it into his head that I want nothing to do with Alice, he will come around," Calhoun said as he absentmindedly played with her hair. All those who mattered to him in that family already accepted Ariana. Grandfather would just have to come around and like her, the rest could fuck off.

Ariana stayed silent still. The only person who showed even a small amount of acceptance in her opinion was Rosa. The rest were either too nice or outright hateful.

Silence filled the room till the point, Ariana could pick out the murmuring sound of the television set. She gulped down her glass of milk and rested her head on Calhoun's chest. At least it was good to know she wasn't fighting the battle alone. Calhoun was with her.

"Elsie called asking about your phone number. Do you want me to give it to her?" Calhoun asked breaking the silence.

"I don't know..." Ariana trailed, "do you think I should?" He knew his family better. He would know if associating with his aunt Elsie would be a good thing or a bad thing.

Calhoun shrugged. "Elsie is a little crazy in the head but she is one of the few people in that house I actually trust."

His reply made Ariana wonder what he thought of the rest of his family. Seeing them that day, she knew that they had interpersonal feuds but she didn't think it was till the point of trust.

Wasn't family supposed to trust one another?

"Are there people you don't trust in your family?" Ariana asked in a low voice. She hoped Lily was one of them, so she could tell Calhoun about her visit.

"Yes, a lot of them. But the first on that list is Lily."

Ariana felt like her breath had seized as he mentioned her name. Calhoun felt her demeanor change and he looked down at her with a frown. "Did Lily say something to you when I was away?" He asked sternly.

Ariana shook her head refusing to look him in the eye.

"Ariana, did something happen?" He growled. No one laid a finger on what was his. He wouldn't let anyone speak or act with his Ariana with disrespect.

"She came to ask me to stay away from you," she replied.

"What? She did what?" Calhoun asked with his eye already twitching in anger.

Ariana got away from his chest and held his arm, "I think we should lay low for a while and see what happens..." She said

"No! I do not want to lay low with you. I want to marry you! I want to show you off to the world! Not lay low!" He said the last words like he was taking a very bitter substance.

It made Ariana smile but she knew what she meant. "Lily thinks I am a gold digger. In fact they all think I am a gold digger. She said it to my face. They think I am after you for your money... That day at your family place, I felt so embarrassed Calhoun... I am not so sure about all of these anymore," she said shaking her head. Even if it would break her heart if she stayed away from Calhoun, she was starting to feel like it was the best thing to do.

"Ariana, I love you. I want you. I know you are not with me for my money, why does her opinion matter?" He whispered in a low husky voice that made the hair at the back of her neck erect.

"It isn't just her opinion, Calhoun. She spoke like a messenger. I think your grandfather sent her to me," Ariana blurted out as she hugged herself.

Calhoun's face contorted and he turned a light bright color on his cheeks. "Lily is working on her own! And I will make sure that was the first and last time she comes to you to do such a thing. The next time, she will lose her kegs!" Calhoun growled as he took out his phone and sprung to his feet.

Ariana sat back watching him. His way of loving was a kind she hadn't experience before. He was ready to fight everyone else just for her. She felt a warmth drip into her heart and a small smile appeared on her face.

Calhoun was standing a few feet from her and he was speaking sharply on the phone to someone she couldn't exactly tell. No one could speak to her as they saw fit and get away with it. He would never let it go. Lily was going to pay for daring to come to his office building to speak to her in that manner.

His love was true and despite his busy schedule, she felt he would always be there for her. His money was just an addition, his soul was the real deal. In that instance she realized how much she had fallen for him despite denying it to herself over and over again.

Lisa was right.

She was helplessly in love with Calhoun Lawson.