The Wife He Never Wanted

Chapter 4: All Because Of Arabella?

The moment Diane's name left Arabella's mouth, Alexander's expression changed. The small c***k she thought she had seen in him disappeared. Then his eyes hardened again.

"Stay out of my business," he said. Arabella stared at him. There was something about the way he said it that hurt more than it should have. Maybe because she already knew the answer. Maybe because she was hoping he'd deny it.

"If she's still important to you, then why are you doing this?" she asked quietly. Alexander let out a slow breath and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't owe you an explanation, Arabella. You don't have to worry about my personal life." The words settled heavily in the room. Arabella lowered her gaze. Of course he didn't. Neither did she have to worry about his personal affair. All she had to do was focus on getting them an heir. They weren't even really husband and wife. They were strangers standing in a room discussing a future neither of them wanted. Alexander walked over to the desk and picked up the folder again.

"Let's make this easy." His tone became businesslike.... and Cold. The same way a person would discuss a contract. "My father wants an heir." Arabella said nothing. "He wants a grandson. Someone to carry the family name. If you can give him that, then everyone's happy." The words stung. Her fingers tightened at her sides. Everyone except her was going to be happy. What part of good will she ever see in this man? His sister might have been toying with her when she said her brother was a good man.

Then Alexander continued. "Once that's done, we'll file for divorce." Which caused Arabella to laugh softly. Not because it was funny. But because if she didn't laugh, she'd probably cry again.

"So that's all I am?"

Alexander frowned. "What?"

"An heir. That's all you want from me. What if our first child is a girl?" She swallowed hard. The silence that followed was.... uncomfortable. Alexander looked away first.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"No," Arabella said quietly. "I think you're making it sound easier than it is." For a moment, neither spoke. Then Alexander sighed impatiently. "You'll keep getting what you want for as long as you stay. We'll make it quick. If it's a girl, we'll go the second time till we get a boy." Arabella stared at him. What exactly was this man saying? Wasn't she going to heal from the first issue? What exactly was she to him? Some kind of mother baby producing machine? No! All this was her mother’s fault to begin with. If only her mother didn't push her into this stupid deal.

"You'll get whatever financial settlement you want. And no one will ever have to worry about money again." The more he spoke, the smaller she felt. Could he just shut up? He genuinely believed money could fix everything. As though heartbreak came with compensation. "You'll be free afterwards," he finished.

Free? The word nearly made her laugh again. Because she had never felt less free in her life. Suddenly the room felt warm. Too warm. Arabella blinked. The lights blurred. She pressed a hand against the chair beside her. Her head was beginning to hurt. The ache behind her eyes growing stronger by the second. Alexander kept talking. But the words sounded distant. Like she was hearing them through water. Her breathing became shallow. The room slowly tilted. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. Then opened them again. Bad idea. The dizziness got worse.

"Arabella?" Alexander frowned. She looked... pale. Far too pale. Arabella tried to answer.

"I..." but the word never came out.The floor disappeared beneath her. One second she was standing.The next, her knees gave way. Alexander reacted instantly.

"Shit."

He caught her before she could hit the ground. Her body fell against his chest. Completely limp. For a second he thought she'd slipped. That she was joking. That she'd stumble upright again. But she didn't.

"Arabella." Nothing. "Hey." No response. Her eyes remained closed. Alexander looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms and cursed under his breath. Of all the things he expected tonight, this wasn't one of them. He adjusted his grip, making sure her head didn't fall back awkwardly. Then he sighed. Long and frustrated.

"You're troublesome."

His voice was quieter this time. Less angry.

More exhausted. But despite his complaint, he didn't let her go. Instead, he lifted her into his arms properly and headed for the door. Because whether he liked it or not, the last thing he needed was his fiancée fainting at their own engagement party.

[The Next Morning] The Hayes Residence

When Arabella finally opened her eyes, she thought she was dreaming. Golden sunlight spilled through floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in a soft glow. The curtains were made of expensive silk, gently swaying in the breeze from the slightly opened balcony door. The bedroom itself was larger than the entire living room in her parents' house. Everything about it screamed wealth. The cream coloured walls. The crystal chandelier hanging overhead. The king-sized bed beneath her. Even the fresh flowers arranged on a nearby table looked expensive. For several seconds, Arabella simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Then reality hit. She shot upright.

"Where am I?"

A startled gasp came from beside her. Arabella turned her head and nearly jumped again. A young maid was seated in a chair near the bedside. The woman quickly stood up.

"Miss Arabella!"

Arabella pressed a hand against her chest.

"You scared me."

The maid smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Miss. I'm Alicia, your personal maid."

Arabella looked around again. "Where am I?" The last thing she remembered yesterday was having an exhausting conversation with Alexander but now in a luxury room with a maid by her said? Everything seemed... tiring.

"At the Hayes residence." The maid replied.

The answer made her heart sink immediately. Everything from the previous night came rushing back. Her stomach twisted.

"How long have I been here?"

"You arrived last night ma."

Arabella frowned. "Who brought me here?"

The maid hesitated. Then smiled. "It was young master Alexander." The answer surprised her. A little more than she cared to admit.

"Where is he?"

The maid adjusted the blanket. "Oh, he left for work early this morning."

Of course he did. Why had she expected anything different? The maid continued. "But before he left, he asked everyone to take good care of you. And put me in charge of your special care."

Arabella blinked. "Really?"

The maid nodded. "He said you were not to be disturbed." A strange warmth settled somewhere inside her chest. Just....Small. Very small. But then, just then she remembered everything he had said in that room. The warmth disappeared instantly.

Of course he wanted her looked after. An unhealthy woman couldn't give him the heir he wanted. Nothing more.

The maid smiled. "Master said he would return later." Arabella looked away.

"I'm sure he's busy." The bitterness escaped before she could stop it.

The maid pretended not to hear it. Instead, she asked, "Would you like breakfast?"

"No."

"Tea?"

"No."

"Anything?" She needed nothing at this point. If anything were to go down in her it would feel like poison, she felt too depressed to even eat. Her mother was no where to be found anymore. I bet she's somewhere comfortable spending what ever benefit she got from selling her daughter.

Speaking of mother, she decided to call her to see how it was going. "My phone." She requested.

The maid nodded. "I'll get it ma."

A few moments later, she returned carrying Arabella's phone. The second it was placed into her hands, Arabella immediately dialled her mother's number. The line rang once. Twice. Three times. Then— Click. The call ended. Arabella stared at the screen. Confused. Maybe it disconnected. She called again. The line rang. Then immediately went dead. This time there was no confusion. Her mother had hung up. Arabella slowly lowered the phone. The familiar ache settled in her chest again. Of course. Ever since the engagement, her family's priorities had changed. Everything revolved around the Hayes family now. Somewhere along the way, Arabella herself had become secondary. She dropped the phone beside her and fell back onto the bed. The tears threatened to return. Again.... She was tired of crying. Tired of feeling disappointed. Tired of expecting something different. After several minutes she forced herself to sit up again. No. She wasn't going to lie here feeling sorry for herself. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Immediately, the room spun. Arabella frowned. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Much stronger than before. The floor tilted beneath her feet. The maid rushed forward. "Miss?"

"I'm fine." Unfortunately, she wasn't. The dizziness worsened. Arabella reached for the bedpost. Missed. The room blurred.

"Miss Arabella!" the maid cried. The last thing Arabella heard before darkness swallowed her again was the maid's panicked voice. Then everything disappeared.

"Oh my God." The maid caught her before she could hit the floor. Her hands trembled. Letting her lay gently back on the bed.

"Miss?" No response. Arabella's eyes remained closed. The maid's panic instantly doubled. With shaking fingers, she grabbed her phone. A few moments later, the call connected.

"Master?" Alexander's voice came through immediately.

"What happened?"

"Miss Arabella fainted.... again."

Silence followed.....Then a sigh. A tired one.

"Is she breathing?"

"Yes."

"Did she hit her head?"

"No." Another pause. The sounds of people talking could be heard in the background. Alexander was clearly at work. Very busy work.

"Call Dr Benson." The maid nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"Right away." Have him check her."

"Will you come home, sir?" she asked hopefully.

The question was met with silence. Then— "No." The single word felt final. The maid lowered her eyes. Alexander continued,

"I'm in the middle of something important."

Of course he was. Business always came first.

"I'll call the doctor immediately sir." Then the call ended. Less than thirty minutes later, Dr Benson arrived. A middle-aged man with kind eyes and years of experience. He thoroughly examined Arabella. Checked her pulse. Checked her blood pressure. Asked several questions. By then she still hadn't regained consciousness. The maid wrung her hands nervously.

"Is she alright, doctor?"

Dr Benson smiled reassuringly. "She'll be fine." The maid visibly relaxed.

"Really?"

"Yes."

He finished writing a few notes. "She's just exhausted." He closed the file. "Physically and emotionally." The words felt heavier than they should have.

"Stress can be harder on the body than people realise."

The maid looked toward the unconscious woman lying in the bed. Poor thing.

Even in sleep, she looked troubled.

"She needs proper rest." The doctor said packing his things. "She needs no stress. And.... no emotional pain."

The irony almost made the maid laugh. This was the Hayes family. Pressure was practically their family tradition. Still, she nodded.

"I understand doctor."

Dr Benson glanced toward Arabella one last time.

"Let her sleep."

Then he left. The room became quiet again.

Only the sound of the wind moving through the curtains remained.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Alexander stared at the file in

front of him. The executives sitting across from him were speaking.

Yet somehow, he couldn't focus on any of it.

His mind kept drifting back to the bedroom.

Lying on that enormous bed looking like she hadn't slept properly in weeks. It was disturbing. Very disturbing.He barely knew the woman. Yet for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He tried to take his mind off her but he just couldn't.

"Sir?"

Alexander blinked.

His assistant's voice pulled him back to reality.

"What?"

Ethan shifted awkwardly.

"You seem... worried."

Alexander slowly lifted his head. The room immediately became silent. Every executive around the conference table suddenly looked interested in their notes. Ethan instantly regretted opening his mouth.

"Worried?" Alexander repeated.

"Well..." Ethan began cautiously. "A little distracted perhaps."

Alexander stared at him for several long seconds. Then finally spoke.

"Cancel my appointments."

The room went silent. For what known as centuries, Alexander has never cancelled any of his appointments no matter what he had to do or what problems were on ground. Even after all the struggles to get all those people to be interviewed. Now he's about to cancel it just like that? With that Ethan asked, "I'm sorry?"

"Did I stutter?"

The assistant swallowed. "No, sir."

"Good."

Ethan looked down at the schedule.

"All.... your appointments?" He asked again, to be sure of what he was hearing.

"All of them."

His eyes widened.

"What about the interview?"

Alexander's expression slowly darkened. It seemed......Dangerous. The kind of expression Ethan had learned to fear over the years.

"What about it?"

Ethan suddenly felt as if he'd stepped onto thin ice.

"The board has been planning that interview for weeks."

Alexander's stare could have frozen fire. "Do you have a death wish?" The room became so quiet that a pin drop would have sounded loud. Immediately, Ethan straightened his posture.

"No, sir."

"Good." Alexander returned to the file in front of him. Conversation was over. At least for him. Ethan, however, still had a problem. A very large problem. Telling twenty important executives that their meeting had just been cancelled. Ten minutes later, Ethan stood in front of a group of very angry people.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience."

Someone slammed a folder onto the table.

"What inconvenience?"

"This interview has been scheduled for over a month."

"We travelled for this."

Another executive nodded.

"This is ridiculous."

Ethan forced a smile. A painful one. A smile held together entirely by desperation.

"I understand your frustrations."

"You clearly don't."

He absolutely did. But he had no other choice because his career was also on the line.

"If it helps," Ethan said carefully, "an emergency has come up."

"What emergency?"

Ethan opened his mouth. Then closed it. Because honestly? Even he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that Alexander Hayes had cancelled the biggest interview of the month and looked ready to fire anyone who questioned it.

"I'm afraid that's confidential."

More complaints followed. Several people stormed out. Others muttered under their breath. Eventually the room emptied. Leaving Ethan alone. And exhausted.

A few moments later, he returned to Alexander's office. Alexander was already buttoning his suit jacket.

"Sir?"

Alexander grabbed his car keys.

"Yes?"

Ethan hesitated.

"Is there a problem?"

Alexander didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his phone. Then finally said, "Prepare the car."

Ethan frowned.

"Where are we going.... sir?"

Alexander looked up.

"Arabella is unconscious."

The words took a second to register.Then Ethan blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"You cancelled your interview..."

He pointed toward the conference room.

"...for her?"

Silence. Alexander merely stared at him.

The stare lasted exactly five seconds.

Then—

"How would you like me cutting your salary for the next six months?"

Ethan immediately stood upright. "Wonderful weather we're having today." Alexander rolled his eyes. Ethan smiled nervously. Then grabbed the office door.

"I'm going to prepare the car now."

"Smart choice."

A second later, Ethan practically ran out of the office. Leaving Alexander alone.

For the first time since receiving news of Arabella's condition. He looked toward the city skyline beyond the glass windows.

Then sighed. Long. Slow. Annoyed. Because he still hadn't figured out why he was rushing home. And somehow...That bothered him more than anything else.