The Heiress

The Heiress-8

The next morning, Arian was taken to workout with the rest of the slaves. They were going to run laps around the grounds that morning because the weather was so agreeable. The entire group was stopped before they could begin. Each slave took to his or her knees as the master approached them. His two guards pulled Arian from the group and left him on his knees in front of Adler. Sophia, who had observed this from where she had been sitting on the patio having drinks with her mother, made her way over.

Adler removed the gun from his waistband and pointed it at Arians forehead. Arian felt the cold barrel on his skin and immediately knew what was happening. He had served his purpose by getting Sophia pregnant, and now he was being removed from the picture.

"Stop! Dad, no!" He barely heard Sophia, his own breath was too loud, his mind began to clot and he couldn't see straight. He felt the metal removed and a delicate body in front of him. Without realizing what he was doing, Arian reached up and grasped Sophia's arm, holding onto her if nothing but to be holding her when he died. She clasped onto his arm as well.

"Please, don't do this."

"You made your point well, Sophia. The possibility of a half sibling is too problematic to allow it to exist. I am exterminating the problem."

"You don't have to kill him for that."

"As long as he is alive, he will be fucking, Sophia."

"Dad, I'm asking you for the one thing you've always wanted me to ask for. Please," Sophia hesitated, swallowing hard before forcing the words from her lips. "Let me have this slave."

Adler looked at Sophia for a moment.

"I'll get you another," he put the gun back on Arian's forehead. Tears began to fall from Arian's eyes as he squeezed them shut.

"No. I will not let my child grow up fatherless. I swear to God if you kill him I will go and marry a suitable man and raise this child under his name. I will forsake the Rothschild name, I swear it."

"You will do no such thing."

"Please, just let me have him," Sophia placed her free hand on Arian's head, pulling it into her hip and away from her father's gun.

Adler didn't answer. He just motioned for his men to follow him back inside. Only then did Sophia begin to cry. She immediately collapsed onto the ground and took Arian's head into her hands.

"You're okay," she cried. "You're okay."

Arian hugged Sophia so tightly he was worried that he may break her.

"Sophia!" Her mother called from the patio where she hadn't so much as glanced at the scene that transpired.

"Come back here, the horses have been brought round.

Sophia pulled back and kissed Arian hurriedly before returning to her mother.

Arian remained on his knees, waiting to be called by one of the trainers. As soon as his number was spoken he returned to line and began the jog with the rest. They eventually spaced out, and he found himself alone. Garrick sped up slightly so that he was jogging next to his brother.

"I don't think you're okay."

"I don't think I am either," Arian spoke lowly, glancing sideways at Garrick.

"I suppose you still can't talk about it."

"You basically know at this point, Sophia is pregnant and it's mine."

Garrick nodded, he had taken Sophia's inferred meaning to be exactly that.

"And the master is worried about you having more kids."

Arian just nodded and continued to run. They didn't speak again for the rest of the morning, but continued their normal routine.

Arian completed each task with careful apprehension, knowing that at any moment his master's men were likely to come and take him away again.

It was during the group session that they did. They allowed him to walk on his own, he imagined to allow him one last shred of dignity before he died, not that walking naked through a large estate was what many would consider dignity.

They took him to small stone room. He stepped inside and left his head down, hands at his sides. Waiting for whatever was coming. He was surprised to be hit by a blast of cold water and soaked from head to toe. The men roughly cleaned him before rinsing him with water just as cold as before. They dried him quickly before handing him clothes and telling him to get dressed. He did as he was told, pulling his necklace out of the shirt when he was finished.

The necklace was immediately taken from him.

Arian closed his eyes, that couldn't be good. That was the symbol of his place on the estate, having it taken could likely mean that he was being removed from the estate. He was led back through the halls to a door, which opened to Adler's office. He took to his knees inside, waiting for his master to speak to him. His necklace was handed to the master, who took it and stood in front of the slave, gold chain dangling before his face.

"Do you know why I've removed this?"

"I imagine because you're selling me, master."

"Good guess, but no," Adler spoke. Arian didn't answer, assuming that he was not supposed to.

"I do not like rewarding bad behavior, slave. Nor do I like succumbing to threats. I ought to make my daughter kill you herself for the way that she acted today."

Arian gulped and tried to make himself look even smaller.

"But that child is my future."

Adler pulled the necklace up into his hand and turned to the desk. He placed it in a white box where it would remain before being placed on the neck of the next number 11. He took another box from where it had been waiting on the desk. He dangled this one in front of Arian as he had the last.

Arian glanced up to see a silver necklace before him, the initials for Sophia Anne Rothschild monogramed on one side of the the pedant and his own name on the other. He stared at the necklace, praying that his master was going to allow Sophia to keep him.

His master pulled the necklace into his hand and gave it to one of his men. Arian returned his gaze to the floor, barely seeing the silver chain was passed over his head.

"You will have a servant's duties now. I would suggest that you quickly learn the halls of the estate. Do not forget boy, that you are still a slave and I am still your master. I will not hesitate to punish you for any wrongdoings."

"Of course, master. I would never forget."

"If you are found wandering in the next ten minutes you will be whipped. Now go to my daughter."

Arian crawled out of the room as quickly as he could before standing and running down the hall, trying desperately to get his bearings to find Sophia.

He only needed to find Sophia.

He asked a number of servants to point him in the right direction before one finally did. He reached Sophia's room out of breath. He didn't bother to knock. She was curled up on one of the armchairs with tea in her hands.

She stood immediately when she saw him in the door and dropped her cup, it cracked on the floor, but she didn't care.

He was there.

Sophia ran into his embrace, holding him as though she would never let him go. He held her while tears came to his eyes, after a moment, he began to smile and breathed a laugh.

"Look," he held out the pendant to her.

"Is that?"

He just nodded, and she hugged him again.

"You're going to be okay...we're going to be okay."