Arianne's Path to Happiness

CHAPTER FOUR: REFLECTIONS OF SAINT

All through the plane ride back home, I can’t help but marvel over how much of a magnanimous i***t I am.

Arianne had asked if insanity ran in the family and rest assured, if it didn’t before, it starts with me now. On account of a sane person having sense enough to not waltz into the life of his late brother’s ex-wife, and request what I just did of her. And end up calling her unreasonable.

Especially if said woman had a lot of bad blood with him.

Given, I’d been thinking up the best way to do this the past couple of months but the plane ride to Louisiana was not planned. I just thought I'd been postponing it long enough, so it was now or never.

But it ended up being a disaster. And I’m self-aware that it was my fault.

It was almost 10 p.m. when the jet touched down on New York soil once more and I pulled myself together, ignoring the two privately assigned air hostesses asking if I enjoyed the journey and service.

I did not.

The privately owned airport is void of any life but the car waiting a distance away I’m walking towards. I’m met halfway by my secretary, Harry.

“Did you have a safe journey, sir?”

“Don’t ask me that.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

He’s quiet until I’m settled into the car, leaning back on the headrest and closing my eyes.

“Sir…” Harry begins hesitantly as he drives off. I open my eyes and meet his shifty ones in the rearview mirror. “Your mother had asked about your whereabouts. She had come to see you.”

“Splendid.” I say and close my eyes again, not about to be bothered by this little “I told Mama's boy” he is going on there.

He hesitates again. “She had asked me why…”

“I’ll deal with my mother. You deal with your job.” I dismiss and Harry mutters a small apology and all is quiet until he drops me off at the garage of my building.

“Have a good night sir,” Harry says when we step out of the car, tipping his head slightly at me. I wave tiredly at him and walk into the entrance connecting the garage to the main building’s interior.

I rest my head on the metal wall as I enjoy the solitude of riding elevators alone.

It’s not until I’m inside my penthouse and all refreshed that I decide to check the notifications on my phone. Hoping to see a number I know by heart. A number I still have saved.

Nothing. Although I am not expecting her to reach me again. I blew it with this one attempt, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying different ways.

I’m clueless as to what inflated my confidence when I implied that Arianne would end up agreeing to this but right now, it’s gone. I feel it whizz away slowly like a punctured balloon.

“Fuck.” I groan and go to the bar to have a drink or three.

I’m staring into space, lost in thoughts when my phone starts vibrating beside me. It’s my mother. The only one bold enough to call me by midnight.

I have half the mind to ignore it and call back at dawn but I think better of it and pick up the call.

“Saint.” Her voice is calm and solemn.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” I ask, I stand letting out a deep breath of frustration as I walk towards my bedroom. “You’re the one always heavy on beauty sleep and whatnot.”

“I learned you flew to Louisiana today.” She says, straight to the point.

“Today? Technically we’re 13 minutes into today so–”

“Saint.”

“Yes, I did,” I reply as I enter my room, snapping my fingers twice to dim the light before sitting on my bed. “I went in to handle private matters.”

“I know Arianne Josten is based there.” Mother informs me and I sit up, surprised at this.

Mother knows she has a grandchild and has said nothing about it?

“Since when?”

“A few weeks ago.” She sighs and I hear the clinking of glass. Looks like I wasn’t the only one having a midnight drink. “You knew about your nephew all these years and said nothing about it to your mother.”

I don’t even bother asking her how she found out. “Don’t bother Arianne or Christopher, mother. I’m dealing with it.”

“What do you take your mother for?” She asks with an exasperated sigh. “If I wanted to do that, I would’ve flown there myself the day I found out. I just trust you know what you’re doing that’s why I’m staying out of it.”

“I do,” I reassure in a voice that almost affects me. If I say it enough, I might believe that I’ll get Arianne to agree to this marriage.

At least just for a little while because I have no idea how the both of us tolerating each other would play out when it becomes longer than necessary.

“Then I’ll leave you to it.” She says. “Unless you give me a reason to intervene, I’ll leave it to you, Saint.”

And with that, she drops the call, and I know my mother. And I know the promise lying underneath those words.

And so, it’s my responsibility to make sure things go smoothly with Arianne.

Because no matter how much she has hurt me by getting married to my brother instead of me and having a child with him, I won’t let her go through another round of hurt.

My family has already put her through enough, and I already hate myself for the fact that then, I let my hurt blind me and couldn’t protect her.

Like I should have. Like I promised to.

The next couple of weeks go by with me contemplating my next approach with Arianne.

My mother is silent now but I don't know how long for and I wouldn't risk leaving her to do things her way.

"Sir you have someone here to see you." My PA informs hesitantly through the intercom connected to my office from her booth.

Before I can ask for more information, my door swings open, and in walks Savannah Halloway, strutting toward me like a woman on a mission.

"Saint." She greets, going to settle herself down on the office couch.

I am unimpressed, extremely and I don't bother to hide it.

"You're fired!" I say into the intercom to my PA, not bothering to hear the excuses she's giving.

Savannah looks offended. "You're treating me like an unwanted guest."

"That's precisely what you are but the only distinction is I respect you enough to not call security to throw you out." I inform her, going back to the reports I was scanning through. "What are you doing here Savannah?"

Savanna scoffs. "Still the asshole, I see."

I hum in reply.

Savannah is someone my stepfather intended for me to get married to.

Correction, someone my stepfather didn't give two shits about considering who she got married to, as long as it was in our family.

Savannah is the only daughter of the Prime Minister of Denmark, who was good friends with my father.

After Morgan got married to my mum, he decided to still keep that going as best as he could.

He's too tryhard, even though he doesn't see it. And it's pathetic.

He's always made sure Savannah was around us or we were around Savannah, and his end goal is getting her married into the family.

At first, she was betrothed to Luke, then Arianne had secretly gotten married to Luke instead. The union was only announced after they were legally together.

Then Morgan decided Savannah would be married to me instead. Not explicitly, he knows better than to do that. But the hints and setups were enough for me to figure out.

When Arianne had sent Luke the divorce papers, Morgan started wedding plans between Luke and Savannah barely 3 weeks later.

Then Luke gets himself into a DUI accident which kills him and now I'm the only one left for Morgan to pester.

It's been 6 years and I've been ignoring the efforts to get me married to Savannah.

Savannah, who I don't understand why she's letting herself be thrown around like a doll.

If there's one thing I despise in this world, it's people who can't think for themselves.

Or wait. Maybe she only can when it comes to infidelity.

When it comes to sleeping with married women's husbands.

"I have a photo shoot scheduled in New York and I guessed I'd take the opportunity to check in and see how you're doing." Savannah says, in a calm voice. That disgusts me. "How are you, Saint?"

"More deteriorating since you stepped into this office," I reply without making eye contact. "I have no desire to converse with you, Savannah."

"Saint!" Her voice breaks as she yells at me, I can detect hurt in it but I can't care less.

"You can show yourself out since I fired the person who showed you in."

"Why must you still treat me so badly?" She angrily demands, rising to her feet. "It's been--"

"Really Savannah," I continued, fixing a blank stare on her. "I am busy and respect for your father is what is keeping me from calling security.

"You can't just drop in here like we're best buddies on account of seeing me. If you want to see me, for valid reasons only, set an appointment and wait your turn."

"Honestly, f**k you, Saint." She spits at me. "I can't even see a pal after a year of not--? f**k you."

She storms out of the office and I lean back on my chair, rubbing my face.

Yes, I was rude.

But again, it's been 6 years and she won't get the message.

And it's awfully convenient that just when my mother asks me to get married for her shares, Savannah suddenly pops up.

Even if all fails with Arianne (which hopefully, it won't) and I have to get married, it won't ever be with Savannah.

Morgan can go rage about that.

I pick up my phone, something I've been doing a lot since visiting Arianne. I don't expect to see anything of importance to me but the notification I see makes me sit up.

There on the screen is the one text I was convinced I would never see.

Arianne Josten: I have considered your proposal. Let's agree on a suitable date to discuss the terms.