Trouble in Paradise

Forget it. It was no worse than getting bit by a dog. I shook my head hard and willed myself to think of other things.

I still needed to get a job with Silas' team. I hoped that Pete wouldn't forget this promise and render all my efforts last night in vain.

I couldn't bring myself to call Pete, so I opened WhatsApp and unblocked him. I wanted to send him a text to ask him about the job, but after thinking twice, I decided not to. Instead, I asked Silas.

His voice was as refreshing as ever. "Ariana, come down to the firm. We'll talk there."

I had no choice but to go for the sake of the job.

Slowly, I brought myself to the mirror. I looked as pale as a ghost as if Nicholas had sucked all the life out of me last night. It didn't help that my nightdress was white. Shocked by my own reflection, I quickly went to the closet and brought out some formal clothes to wear.

I put on a black shirt with a plunging neckline and a pair of high-waisted flared pants. Then, I put on some makeup to cover up the paleness of my face.

Once I was ready, I opened the door to leave. At the same time, Claudia knocked on the door.

She stood at the doorway and peeked into the room timidly."

Ariana." She took my hand. "Did you fight with Nick? I missed you a lot when you moved out."

Her last word was caught in a sob. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

She was barely five feet in her flat-heeled shoes, while I was 5"5 and wearing 8-inch heels. Anyone who saw us together would assume that I was bullying her.

"We didn't fight. Nicholas and I are fine," I said with a smile. I was not interested in wasting my breath with an idiot; I was in a hurry.

She threw herself into my arms and hugged me while looking stricken. "But Ariana, Nicholas broke the frame holding your wedding picture in his study last night." "Yeah? Whatever."

I sounded nonchalant, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. The photo in his study was my favorite.

When we were getting our wedding photos taken, Nicholas had refused to smile despite the photographer's attempt to amuse him. He'd said, at the time, that he was naturally averse to smiling. Laccepted that as fact easily, as I knew that he never smiled in his photos with Claudia when they were both young either. The photo in the study was one of the only ones where he had shown some happiness. I had chosen that one specifically to frame, but now, he'd trashed it.

"You should resolve all your quarrels properly. If you keep fighting, you'll make me look like I'm homeless," Claudia said.

Claudia was a princess. In her world, everyone's life revolved around hers. She didn't know how the world worked, and would never have to suffer the knowledge either.

Nicholas had made her a perfect world that had only frayed around the edges when I began to suspect that he was cheating on me with her.

I picked through those frayed edges and left the world that I once thought was mine as much as it was hers. We were different people now, and I did not pity her in the slightest.

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I knew exactly why she was here. She information from me and get a gauge of how I was feeling. The calmer I was, the less she would be able to get out of me. I didn't want her to keep annoying me. "I need to go to work, Claudia. You should go back to your room."

I took out a napkin from my bag and pressed it against her face. I didn't want her makeup dirtying my clothes.

"Work?" Claudia gazed up at me. "Why did you get a job? Nicholas was furious when he found out. I've never seen him so angry before. Can you go and comfort him? I don't want him to be upset."

I rolled my eyes secretly and kept my face composed. There was too much at stake. It wouldn't do to offend her now.

Most importantly, my family was in trouble now. Mom would not allow me to divorce Nicholas, but she wouldn't help me either. If I ruined my relationship with Claudia and Nicholas, no one would help me.

I leaned down and placed a hand against her cheek. "Your brother is a big boy now," I said kindly and politely. "He should be able to regulate his own emotions. Now, I need to leave.

"Everyone has their own place in the world, Claudia. I did not fight with Nicholas. We're just having a bit of a dispute regarding personal boundaries, and that's between him and me. If you think you're unhappy with what's going on around here, you should go back to your d "Ariana." Claudia's eyes were wide. "Are you kicking me out?"