The Arrangement: It Led Me To Love

Chapter 38 - Ellison's POV

Six hours. That is how long it has been since I last saw Laurene. I threw my phone out of my balcony when I got home and heard that she is shopping from the guard. Does she not care that we have fallen out? How can she act so calm and collected when we have had a big argument with each other? I obviously do not mean that much to her, if she is able to do something as trivial as shopping and act unaffected by the big blow up we shared in the café.

That blinds me in an ugly rage.

However mad I am with her, I will never be able to outrun the drowning sadness and worry that follows her lack of presence like a boomerang. No matter how hard I try to stamp out, or distance myself from the fruitless emotions, they always come skulking back to me. Is this the end of us? No. It cannot be. I just need to wait for her to come home and then we can talk it out. However, I cannot escape my gut feeling that everything is going down hill from here...

After checking that Laurene had not been in contact for the seventh time this hour, I trudge down into my wine cellar to grab a drink of something strong. The air is cool down here, and offers a tantalising tickle of fresh air. I imprudently pull a bottle of fine wine off the shelf and harshly bring it down on the polished wooden table in the centre. The light is dimmed, as there is only a light orange glow from the dying candles to light my way. I never bothered to brighten things up down here, as any guests that come never see it, and only the cook comes down here to grab a bottle of alcohol. Looking around, the place has an eerie glow about it, probably because of the dark shadows dancing around the walls and the piles of murky dust gathering in every nook and cranny.

I carelessly pop the cork of the bottle and then clumsily bring it down onto the cold glass making a loud clanging sound resonate through the little room. The deep brown liquor swiftly fills up the glass, the warm liquid quickly creating condensation, and making the glass steam up. Fat drops of water smear down the glass and collect with the splashes of alcohol I have sloppily spilled.

The liquid burns my throat but I welcome the sensation as it dulls my senses and helps to take away the aching pain of the missing presence of Laurene. A couple of minutes later I am called by the ringing of the phone, and hastily make my way to it, to see if Laurene has finally called. I am more then a little disappointed to hear Jorge's voice instead of hers.

"Sir?" Jorge asks me.

"Yes? What is it? Is she coming home?" I probe nervously.

"I... I am afraid not quite yet sir. I have been following her, and she has not been in interaction with anyone, apart from now. She... she is having dinner with someone. A man. I am not close enough to see who it is." He explains fretfully.

"What? A man? Find out who now!" I growl out before ending the call.

Jealousy burns through me like an unbridled fire, restricting my breathing and making a dangerous look mature in my cold eyes. That should be me with her right now. Me. Not some random person off the street! Why would she make such a stupid decision? She could be kidnapped! Killed! When she gets home, we are going to have to discuss this! She cannot just go off with any person she meets! I am so mad that I feel like punching someone. Whoever that man is, I will make sure she never sees him again. It won't be hard since we are going home tomorrow, but even so, what if it is love at first sight for them? No! I cannot bare this pain. I should be with her right now, laughing, cuddling, and talking. But no. Here I am sulking around whilst she is with someone else.

Maybe she has done this to spite me. This may be true to any other girl, but Laurene would not do that. She is pure, and kind. She does not even know that I have a bodyguard following her. This was obviously her choice. She wanted to go out with this man. I wonder how their first meeting with each other went. I was far from nice to her at our first meeting, at that restaurant, all of those months ago. I wonder how this person is treating her. Probably like the Princess she is, doing everything I should have done.