Be careful with my heart

Chapter Two

Dustin's POV

I sat in a meeting, watching those fools I pay trying to impress me with their gibberish.

"That will be the end of my research." The stupid man In front of the projector concluded.

"Is that all you can do?" I sat back in my swivel chair with my face furrowed, disgusted with the man.

"Is that all you can give me?" I growled and slammed my hands on the table, everyone flinched in their seats.

"I am sorry sir. I will redo it." He shook with fear.

"Just fire the incompetent fool" I ordered my assistant.

"Yes sir." She obeyed.

I got up from my chair to leave.

"Sir, please give me one more chance to prove myself." The man pleaded.

I walked out of the meeting with my assistant walking behind me.

I entered into my private elevator and she pressed the first floor button.

"Any news from my Grandmother?" I asked as I adjusted my tie.

" Yes sir. I was just going to report to you. She left the hospital two hours ago, sir." She informed me.

"Call Jasper." I ordered her.

Jasper is my grandmother's chief security officer.

"Here sir." She handed the phone to me.

"Jasper?" I said into the phone.

"Yes sir?" He answered

"I heard you left the hospital with grandma two hours ago?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you heading home already?" I inquired.

"No sir. She said she wants to meet a friend at a restaurant in downtown." He informed.

"Okay then. Keep her safe." I ordered.

"Will do sir"

And I hung up.

The elevator got to the first floor and the doorr open to reveal Benjamin who was just about to press a button to my private elevator.

"Yo" He grinned when he saw me.

"Were you going to use my elevator again?" I narrowed my eyes and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come on man, we've been friends since diapers. So, we are literally brothers." He said.

I ignored and walked past him but he followed me.

"What brings you here Mister Smith?" I enquired while walking with my hands in my pockets and my face straight.

" Well, I am here with a proposition." He said and I stopped walking.

" What proposition?" I creased my eyebrows in confusion. I am a business tycoon, so I am always opened to propostions about business.

"I remember your grandma has been pestering you to get married." He said.

"So?" I creased my eyebrows.

"I might have found just the perfect girl for ya" He said waggling his eyebrows.

I eyed him and continued walking.

"Don't look at me like that. You know you need to find yourself a woman before she finds one for you." He chittered after me.

I stopped sharply, closed my eyes in frustration and turned to him

"I told you Ben. I don't want to get married." I snapped.

" But your grandmother wants you to." He reminded me.

" This is not your business Ben. Leave it to me to handle. Find a wife for yourself first, because you need to get married as well." I snarled and continue walking.

He was going to follow me again but I stopped him.

"I have work to attend to. So, go do your work." I glared.

" Whatever."He rolled his eyes and walked off.

I went out of the company and got Into my car, my assistant sat in the passenger seat and the driver drove off.

Ariana's POV

I found out from my cousin that Aunt Matilda would be staying out for the night. She works as a nurse in a small hospital. So, her job requires her to travel at times.

Mercy leaned on the doorframe of our room and folded her hands over her chest as I was taking off my clothes.

"What were you thinking?" She questioned with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would you bring a strayed child home?" She questioned

I sighed out and closed my eyes for a second.

"She needed help Mercy. I couldn't leave her out there in the cold and if anything happened to her knowing that I could help, I'd never forgive myself." I blurted out.

"Then you could have just taken her to the police rather than bringing her here." She moved away from the door.

"She doesn't want to go and i believe she must have a reason for that." I stood from the bed and walked to my wardrobe to get my sleepwear.

"Oh my God Ariana" she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"You are so unbelievable. A child told you she doesn't want to go to the police to find her families and you thought this was the best place to bring her? This is not a foster home!" She blurts out.

I turned from the wardrobe to look at her. "Just this night. She only has to stay for this night and I will take her to the police to find her families tomorrow." I said trying to convince her.

"No! Please No." I heard Clair's outburst from behind Mercy.

"Please don't take me back there." She shook her head frantically, breathing heavily with tears streaming down from her eyes.

I walked to her and bent to her level.

"Why are you afraid to go back?" My forehead knitted.

Why would a child be afraid to go back to her families. I mean, going back to them should be her greatest joy right? But she doesn't want to go back.

"Why do you not want to go back? We can't keep you here forever though" Mercy said to her harshly behind me.

I turned back to look at her.

"Mercy!" I whispered in a warning tone and looked back at Clair.

"Why are you afraid to go back home? I beseeched

"Because they will kill me if I go back." She whimpered.

My body went tense at her outburst and I heard Mercy gasp behind me

"Who are they?" I asked in terror.

"My foster parents" she snorted.

"What?!" I heard Mercy blurt out silently.

"Why do you think?" I asked still terrified.

She kept silent and didn't say anything.

I took her to sit on my bed and I saw Mercy sit on hers too. The angry face from earlier had change to a sad one for Claire. I knew she would change her mind

Mercy is a free spirited person, carefree and loving. We grew up togther but I came a year earlier. When my mom died and I moved in with them.

She and my Aunt had been my backbone ever since, supporting me every which way. She is my cousin, my sister and my bestest friend. I share everything with just as she shares with me.

"I grew up in a foster home until them came to adopt me from there." Claire explained and snorted.

"They took me home and gave me everything Showed me love. But few months later, they started having fights and they'd blame it on me, calling me a bad child and all." She whimpered and I heard Mercy gasped at her words.

"They called you that?" I asked shocked.

"Yes and the man would beat me with anything he got his hands on. So, I couldn't take the beatings anymore and I ran away." She snorted.

"Was that today?" I enquired and she nodded.

"Oh my God! I can't believe anyone would do this to a child." Mercy cried.

"Why didn't anyone report it to the police? That was child abuse?" I blurtted angrily.

"Don't you scream out whenever the man tortures you?" I asked still fuming with anger.

"He would take me to the basement where no one would hear me cry." She said and took off her dirty dress to show us the badges she gotp from the beatings.

"Oh my God." I gasped.

Her body was covered with red stripes

"That man is a monster" Mercy said angrily and pounded her a fist on the bed

I ran my fingers through the red marks and she winced.

"Do they hurt?" I asked concerned and she nodded.

"Of course they will hurt! What do you think" Mercy blurtted out.

"I think we need to report this to the police" I suggested to Mercy.

"Don't we need like need her permission before we proceed?" She pointed out.

She is right we do need her permission before we do anything.

"What do you think? Do you want them arrested for what they did to you?" I asked Claire.

"I really want them to but what if they win the case? They will really kill me." She said terrified.

"They can't win. I mean we have evidence" I shrugged.

"Where?" Mercy asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Here." I pointed to the bruises on Claire's body.

Mercy shook her head at me and rolled her eyes.

"We need more than that ma'am. We need more evidence against them. And one very important person."

"Who?" I knitted my eyebrows.

"A competent lawyer." She replied.

"What?! Do we have to go to that length?" I asked shocked.

"Yes. We do and from what I know Ariana, we are not fit for that. Not you nor me." She pointed.

"We can try something." I suggested.

"Try?! Ugh! You've got to be kidding me Arianna" She threw her hands in the air.

"Have you forgotten you still have to look after your dad? And pay up the hospital bills by the end of the month? This Month!" She pointed out.

"Now tell me, how are we going to make the two work without one being affected hm?" She folded her hands over her torso and tilted her head to the side looking at me.

She is right. What do I have? I have nothing to fight with and I really wish to help Claire justice for how she was being treated by those monsters but I have nothing to fight with.

I looked at Claire and felt sorry for her. She had to experience all those at a age.

When I first got the news of my mother's death, i wished for death to take me with her because I couldn't imagine how life would be without her but Aunt Matilda and Mercy helped me recover from the loss and Aunt Matilda taught me how to see my mother through me by standing in front of the mirror.

Because I wanted to look a lot like my mom, I dyed my caramel colored hair the one I inherited from my dad to my mom's pepper and salt hair.

I had my dad's amber eyes but had most of my mom's facial features. Her pointy nose, bow shaped lips and was complimented with an oval head shape but her eyes colors were sienna brown.

To feel more like my mom was still alive, I decided to always treat myself the way she would and I was able to live again.

My heart felt sour for Claire and I couldn't hold the tears that fell. I moved closer to her and hugged her.

"You'll be fine." I closed my eyes as tears fell down my face.

*******

It was a busy day at the restaurant, couples swarmed the whole place, ordering food every minutes. I barely had a moment of break.

I was at the kitchen waiting to get another tray of food when Stella one of the Vip's attendant called me that someone wanted to see me at the VIP section. I asked her who it was that wanted to me but she said I would find out once I get there.

She knocked at the door and it was opened by a black man in a black suit. I entered after Stella and I saw an old beautiful woman, white has become the color of her hair and wrinkles covered her once beautiful face. How did I know she was beautiful? Well, one could tell from her beautiful wrinkled face that used to be beautiful with those gray eyes that are looking at me as I speak.

"Here is the staff you wanted to see ma'am." Stellar said politely to the woman.

"Thank you. You may leave now." She dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Stellar left the room and I was left with the woman and the black man in the black suit accompanied by another white bodyguard and he had a suit on too.

'This woman must be super loaded for her to have bodyguards' i thought to myself.

"You may sit dear." Her soft voice said to me.

"Thank you ma'am." I said politely and sat down opposite to her chair. She waved her hand dismissively and the two guards left the room.

"You must be wondering why I asked to see you, right?" She smiled as she asked me.

"I am known to be a curious cat ma'am" I smiled back

"Oh, really?" She chuckled softly.

Whoa how many days did God take to create this woman. He gifted her a beautiful face complimented with a beautiful smile and those lovely set of teeth.

"Will you be surprised if I tell that I know your name is Ariana?" She asked.

She wouldn't have asked for me if she doesn't know my name right?

"Not really." I replied.

"But you will surely be surprised if I tell you I knbo your father is sick anm you need money to pay his bills, right?" She asked.

I was shocked at her revelation. Who is she? How much does she know about me? These questions flooded my mind and brain.

"How did you know?" I asked in daze.

She chuckled softly and placed a brown envelope that has been laying at her table since I got there, in front of me.

"Open it, please" She said.

I looked at the envelope with mixed feelings. 'Should I open this or not?'

'What if it has something in it? Nah she wouldn't do something bad, she has an innocent face.'

'What if the content holds some bad news I wouldn't want to see?' These questions overshadowed my mind.

"I promise it's not something bad." Her soft voice brought me out of my inner fight.

With trembling hands, I unsealed the envelope and brought the contents which happens to be photos of me and Claire from a day before, the day I saw her stranded on the streets.

I looked at Carina Sharply and she chuckled softly at my expression.

"I knew you'd be like that. Well, let me explain. The first time I saw you was at the hospital's corridor, you were walking absentmindly and at the same time wiping off strayed tears from your face. I thought 'what could have happened to make this girl so sad?' The same day only few hours later, I came to meet my old mates in this restaurant but before I alighted from the car, I saw you giving food to the girl in the picture and I was touched by what you did. Even being sad yourself didn't stop you from helping others. Later, I got to know you took the homeless child home with thinking of the consequences and I was extremely touched by your good deed." She explained.

"So, are you here for the girl?" I asked.

She must have found me because of the claire. She could be from a charity center.

"I am here for you, Ariana." She declared.

"Me? Why are you here for me?" I asked as my eyebrow knitted in confusion.

"I have a proposition for you and if you accept it, I promise to give you anything and everything you want." She said to me.

Anything and everything I want? What makes deal like that if it's not something illegal?

"May I know what the proposition is all about?" I asked hesitantly.

"I want you to marry my son." She declared.

What?! Did I hear her right? Is she pulling a joke on me?

"Marry your grandson?" I screamed as my face went saucer shape.

"Yes. I want you to marry my grandson and I am willing to give you anything it is that you want." She repeated.

"May I ask the reason you are looking for a wife for your grandson?" I asked confused.

She chuckled and looked straight at me in the eyes. "Reasons best known to me." She replied me with a smile.

"So, are you up for the task?" She asked in a business tone.

Am I up for this? Truth be told, it's a catchy offer and it involves a lot of money that would get me out of my poor life but the question is 'Who am I getting married to?' What kind of man could he be that women doesn't want to marry him?

The lady brought me out of my little world by knocking on the table.

"If you can't do it, it's okay..... I will just keep looking for another non-gold digger." She chuckled but I sensed the sadness I. her voice.

' Non-gold digger?'

"How sure are you that I am not a good digger?" I asked her.

"I have seen you." She answered sharply.

"What you saw doesn't justify who I am." I said to her.

"I know but I am very sure you are not..... I am an adult and these old eyes, see far more beyond what you can see." She smiled sweetly to me.

I thought over everything she said. ' Should I do this?" I asked myself..

" Can I get some time to think about it?" I asked softly and her eyes glowed..

" Of course, you can." she smiled and brought out a small card from her purse..

"Call me on that number when you are done thinking about and Ariana dear, I will love to hear a positive response from you." She said hopefully and I nodded at her.

"Bye for now." she said walked out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

I sat at the spot, thinking everything over. Am I making the right decision?' I asked myself over and over again.

*********