The Arrangement

9: Meeting the Enemy. . .

"How long is it gonna take for it to heal, Doc?"
"Well, it's just a fracture, so three weeks at least," answered our family doctor as he handed, André my x-ray scans. I would be getting married in four weeks. "Can it take longer?"
"Uh, yes. Healing is different for each person, so it could take up to six weeks."
"I don't have that time," I whispered loudly enough for them to hear. André stiffened, realising why. "Oh, come on, Lia. I'm sure the bastard can afford to postpone this for two weeks. And if he can't our parents can also afford it." This is the recklessness that had my parents in debt. The twins couldn't care less about work and getting paid. They got their cashflow from 'The garden of Weston'. "I can't take advantage of Adrian like that."
"What? After this you still defend him?"
"I don't know if you're dumb or high. A normal person would've been grateful for him being there to help me to safety."
"How does that matter when you got into danger because of him."
"It wasn't because of him!" I said louder than I expected. The doctor excused himself from his own office noticing the fight that would come. I stopped him from leaving and left myself.

I opened André's neon yellow Lamborghini Aventador and plopped myself in the driver's seat. Somebody was taking a taxicab home and it wasn't me. I wondered, as I drove the low slung beast home, how I got into the accident. If I was normal, I would've been traumatised and afraid to drive so soon, but I wasn't bothered. I got to the turn that determined whether I was going home or to Adrian's Estate. I don't know exactly when I'd made the decision, but I found myself driving at a faster than normal speed to the Estate.

I struggled with my shoes at the front door for a while, before Adrian's butler came to help me take them off. He asked me if I needed help around the house and I politely declined. I made my way to his office, only to find it empty. If he wasn't there I had no idea where else he could've been. "Adrian?" I called, walking up the stairs to the second floor. "Adrian?" I stepped into his also empty bedroom and suddenly felt like exploring it. I walked into what looked like a closet, but was empty. Wierd. There was another closet. This one full of clothes, with an intoxicating male scent. Adrian's closet. I walked in, to take in the devine smell and learn his fashion sense. But found a scrawny girl, probably a year older than me, kneeled on the floor, cleaning the bottoms of Adrian's shoes. The OCD. "Hello. What's your name?"
"She stood and stared with something that looked evil in her eye, before coldly saying, "Sophie."
"Okay, Sophie," I said smiling, to show that I was a good guy, "Where's Adrian?"
She stayed quiet for a while. "Mr Reed isn't here."
"Where is he?"
"How should I know that?" Oh. I was taken aback by her tone. If she wanted a job here in the future she'd have to fix it because I wasn't going to tolerate it. "He's-" I stopped when I hrd steps. "Mr Reed," Sophie piped up, "I cleaned all your shoes and organised them in a new spot." I turned to see a half naked Adrian drying his hair with a towel. A part of me wished the one hanging around his waist would fall, before remembering the presence of rude Sophie. She was just beaming with joy, that he didn't seem to notice. I was suddenly overcome by jealousy, at her stare towards my man. I sauntered over to Adrian and placed my free hand on his chest, before getting on my tippy toes to kiss him hard and long. His still wet arm circled my body and pulled me into him. "How are you, princess? He asked softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Perfect." He smiled, then turned to his helper. "Thank you, Sophie. You can leave now." She gave him one last thirsty look and me another evil stare before scurrying away, Adrian didn't notice that one and telling him would be of no use. "Are you comfortable with her just being in your room while you take a shower?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"It's just. . .she likes you." I got a reaction I wasn't expecting. A laugh that had him tilting his head back so far I thought his neck would break. "No."
"But the way she looks at you. . ."
"Are you sure you aren't seeing things?"
"Well I'm seeing the things that you clearly aren't."
"I think it's the green eyed monster talking."
"I'm not jealous," I said with a pout. "It's okay to be, princess. I'm hot, I know," he joked. "Okay I'm jealous. Happy?"
"Very." He was now picking a shirt. Wait when did he put his pants on? "I'm serious, Adrian."
"Lots of women want me, but not her, okay. She's been working here since she was legal. She's like a little sister to me and I'm probably like a brother to her."
"More like a daddy." He laughed again while slipping his plain white tee on.
"Anyways, what are you up to?"
"I'm about to finish up some work but after we can watch a movie."
"Sounds great," I said with a light yawn. "How about you take a nap while you wait? So you don't fall asleep while we watch the movie."
"Okay."
"Back in an hour," he kissed me, than left me to take my nap.

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a loud noise. I rose with a struggle and saw (you guessed it) Sophie, walking around with a vacuum cleaner. Couldn't she do this in the morning. Who the hell cleans at 2pm in the afternoon? "I'm trying to sleep. Could you leave?" I didn't bother being nice this time. "I'm doing the job that Mr Reed pays me for. If you don't like it, tell him." She switched the loud machine back on. "Hey! I said go!" She gave me a killer stare. "I said no. What are you gonna do about it?"
"Why do you hate me?"
"You know exactly why, Amelia," she spat my name out like it hurt to say it. "I'm the future Mrs Reed. Adrian is mine. And I'll die fighting for him." With that she left. What had I gotten myself into. . .