CHAPTER 3
1264 Words
It was unbelievable to me. "Y-you?" When the man withdrew his hand from my mouth, I stammered. Only a month ago, this person saved my life. And now he was once more. How awful could I get? After escaping Robert's hold, I ended up in this strange person's hands.
Yes, I do have two points. He smiled as if it were no big deal, saying, "I've saved you twice now."
I sat up straight in the passenger seat of his car and rolled my eyes. "Did you give the bridal shop assistant that note?"
"Who else?" He grinned foolishly as he glanced around.
I sighed deeply. "What are you doing? Who are you, anyway? How were you aware of my location? Are you now following me?
He raised his eyebrows. "Hold on, just one question at a time, shall we?"
I sighed once more as annoyance began to set in. "All right. First of all, who are you?
"My name is Aroha. Call me Aroha.
"How were you aware of my presence? Are you following me around? I gave him a stern look.
As if I were being silly, he laughed. "Obviously not. I saw you enter the bridal shop as I was walking past the lobby. I spoke with the assistant and gave her the note because you seemed so depressed.
Fantastic. Should I then express my gratitude for that? Uncertain if I was meant to be appreciative, I arched an eyebrow.
He gave a casual shrug. "I don't need your gratitude," I said.
I was getting impatient. Why are you acting this way? Leave me alone if all you're trying to do is tell me that you want me.
Ready to leap out of the car, I opened the door. I assumed that by now the men who were pursuing me had left.
Naturally, though, one of Logan's men noticed me. He was hiding close by and saw me as soon as I opened the door.
The man shouted, "Boss, she's here!"
Before I could close the door, he grabbed it. I felt panicked. I turned to Aroha and begged for assistance in silence.
He simply shrugged his shoulders instead. My heart fell. He was not going to assist me.
"Please, Aroha," I begged. "Just this once, please help me."
"You told me to leave you alone, didn't you?" His voice was colder than ever as he answered.
Logan approached with a look of rage on his face, and I felt my heart sink. His grip on my arm was painfully tight.
"You think you can get away from me, Hannah?" I flinched at the pressure on my arm, and his voice was full of rage.
I tried to distance myself from the pain and pleaded, "Logan, please, I don't want to marry you."
"Hannah, why? Why is marrying me such a bad idea? He snarled.
"B-because, Logan, I'm pregnant." Before I could even think, I blurted out, "I'm in love with someone else." I had no idea where that originated.
Logan shook his head and started laughing. "Are you expecting a baby? Hannah, with whom" Both of us are aware that you haven't dated anyone.
I stumbled, "W-with him," indicating Aroha in the car, afraid to look him in the eye.
Logan gave me a perplexed look. "What are you discussing? The car is empty.
My heart thumping, I turned swiftly. Was he correct? The car was empty when I blinked. I felt a wave of panic. Now what? But then the air was broken by a deep voice.
"Are you trying to find me?"
My breath caught in my throat as I spun around. Aroha. There he stood, right behind me. At last. I hope.
Logan scowled as his rage gave way to perplexity. "Who are you?"
"Give up, Hannah," Aroha commanded in a firm voice.
Logan gave a gloomy laugh. "You believe you can control me?"
He looked at his men. "Acquire him!"
I was horrified to see Logan's men encircling Aroha. Tension was in the air. Then, however, an unforeseen event occurred.
Suddenly, a group of black-clad men surrounded us. Logan's men's faces went white as they froze. They were obviously outnumbered and appeared frightened, with their tails between their legs. Logan's face was shocked, too.
"Who are you?" With a trembling voice, Logan enquired.
Aroha didn't even recoil. "That's not important. Release Hannah.
I wasted no time. Logan let go of my arm, and I sprinted to him. Aroha encircled me with his arms, drawing me in. The warmth emanating from his body caused my heart to race. I felt a shock of electricity run through my veins as his powerful and reassuring scent enveloped me. I had a weird feeling and wasn't sure how to interpret it.
Logan whispered angrily, "You won this round." However, our work is not yet complete. Hannah, please have it ready by tomorrow. Make sure you are pregnant and settle your father's debt. If you're telling lies... His smirk conveyed the threat, but his voice trailed off.
Logan and his men then departed without saying anything more, vanishing into the distance. His warning had a profound impact on me. My knees started to give out, and I nearly passed out there.
As he assisted me in standing, Aroha's hold became more firm. "Come on." We're heading out," he stated firmly.
"Where are we heading?" Still reeling from the chaos that had just occurred, I asked in confusion.
He simply walked me to the car without responding. He spoke to his black-clad men, and they all departed, vanishing into the darkness.
Aroha started the car, and we got in. Lost in my thoughts, I gazed out the window. How could I ever afford to settle my father's debt? How could I be expecting a child? I kept thinking about the questions, and each one made me feel worse.
Aroha's voice cut through my thoughts and said, "Don't worry." "I'll assist you."
I looked at him and was taken aback by how serious he sounded. Now he was behaving like someone else entirely.
"How?" My question was barely audible over a whisper. "What will you do? Give me a loan so I can settle it.
"Exactly," he said without hesitation.
My eyes got big. Was he telling the truth? Was I going to get assistance from this stranger?
"Really?" I asked, hardly able to control my relief and surprise.
Aroha kept his entire attention on the road while driving, not even looking at me. Then he abruptly brought the car to a stop. Bewildered, I blinked.
His eyes met mine as he turned to face me. "One requirement exists. Aria McKenzie, marry me.
I went cold. I became disoriented. Was I hearing him correctly? I had just met this man, and he was asking me to marry him? It seemed like the most insane thing ever. What was happening?
I felt like he could read my mind. He clarified in a quiet but firm voice, "I found your ID when I saved you that night." "I recognise you."
I sat there, utterly bewildered. "Are you crazy?" When I did ask, it was a little shaky. "You're asking me to marry you? We're not even acquainted.
He noted, "Well, you told Logan that you're in love with me and that you're pregnant." "I'm just trying to help you."
I thought back to the time I had said those words earlier. Was I truly that desperate? Had I got myself into this situation?
God, oh God. What kind of situation have I gotten myself into?
- Writer
