Chapter 28: Almost a Normal Day

Devin rubbed his eyebrows as they continued to furrow at the problem at hand. He paced back and forth in the living room. The light that streamed in seemed to splice the room in half, leaving Alexander and Devin in the light, while the intruder and some of the guards remained in it's shadow.

To Alexander, it felt as though the walls were shrinking in. There was no erasing the shock of seeing one of his own employees there before him, but there they stood.

Jeremy's eyes were bloodshot.

Wild even.

His green eyes appeared darker, in more ways than one. Alexander could see him scanning the room, scanning the faces. He couldn't detect the emotion he was experiencing right then, but at that moment, it didn't seem that it mattered.

It was shocking that someone like Jeremy would ever team up with Lorenzo. Why would he team up with the man who placed Arielle's life in danger on more than one occasion? Did he know? Wouldn't he have to realize? Did he ever truly care about Arielle?

Alexander diverted his gaze to the windows. This time he felt at ease, knowing that the swaying of the branches and the gentle nudge of the bushes didn't indicate a threat any longer.

What more would be uncovered? He wondered.

"I don't know what we're going to do with him," mumbled Devin. He leaned on the counter toward Alexander as he kept his eyes trained on Jeremy.

"Hand him over to the police. There's nothing more for us to do. It'll be one less person that Lorenzo has access to." Alexander sighed before pushing himself up off away from the countertop and making his way out of the room.

"Are you sure you didn't want to ask him anything first?" Devin asked. He waved his hand toward Jeremy, who had nestled his gaze onto the floor.

"I... I don't know. However I guess you're right." Alexander shook his head and walked back over to where his guards stood around Jeremy.

"I can't tell you anything," Jeremy abruptly spoke before Alexander could say anything to him.

"And why is that?" He asked. His voice didn't give away how tired he felt. His sleep was rather horrible the night before, but he fought the sleep behind his eyes.

"Because I don't know anything. I just wanted to protect Arielle," he muttered.

"How would coming here, stalking us, and potentially breaking in, protect Arielle?" Alexander asked incredulously. The concept was wild to him, contradictory. He planted himself in the seat across from them, keeping his elbows on his knees.

Jeremy's dark green eyes met Alexander's. They were cloudy, holding their own confusion.

"I- I wish I knew what to tell you. I can tell just from how you guys have been talking and pacing for the past two hours, that I've been tricked, and now... Now I'm worried." Jeremy's statement slowly became a whisper, but Alexander caught all of it. His gaze fell back to the floor as the men around him remained silent.

"Why would you be worried?" Alexander asked while looking him up and down. He could tell from the state of his clothes that the outdoors didn't grant him much kindness.

Jeremy's eyes slowly raised again, but this time, the dark hues of green were laced with a strong emotion.

Fear.

"If he lied to me, that means he lied to them." His words were shaky, but a hint of anger seeped through regardless.

"To who?" Alexander's head was beginning to hurt, but he kept his demeanor stern as he waited for a response.

"To Meghan and that other lady." Jeremy mumbled, his eyes opening and closing, clearly from exhaustion. Alexander would assume that sleeping where ever he rested was not pleasant.

"Other lady?"

Jeremy shook his head quickly and sloppily. It seemed rather apparent to Alexander that Jeremy's exhaustion was likely greater than his.

"I don't remember her name. I just know that I've seen her around you two. Look, you guys have to do something. You have to get to them before they get to her." Jeremy spoke rapidly as his voice filled with panic.

Arielle sighed in delight as she sipped her Earl Grey tea. She surprisingly enjoyed the quiet of her house. Her mother had gone out to work and Julia had traveled to be with family for the next two weeks.

Arielle could imagine Julia's parents celebrating her recent success after she landed her dream job. She could recall the day as if it were yesterday.

Her best friend had been sqeauling with exctiment after she received the call back from her new employer. It was quite interesting to see that they didn't require her to physically go to the interview. Virtual interviews seemed to be common place for many jobs like hers.

It was all so techy, Arielle thought to herself.

Yet she was excited for her friend. The job surely suited her. It was extremely art-focused, specifically teaching beginner lessons in digital art. Something that was a great ambition for the young graduate.

Arielle's large brown eyes stared into the sky, watching as a bluebird flapped its wings merrily going in line with the breeze.

"What to do... what to do..." she sang to herself as she walked away from the window pane. Quickly glancing at the plain clock on the wall, it was only 11:00 a.m.

"Hm," she hummed as she thought and thought. Then it clicked to her, she could go on a bicycle ride! She skipped joyfully to her room, grabbing a small bag to hold her things and two small reusable grocery bags to come with. She looked over at her notepad which had a short grocery list on it. With a quick pull, she grabbed the note and placed it in her skirt pocket.

"I wonder if 'Leo's Groceries' is open today..." she thought aloud. Leo's Groceries was rather close to their home and she enjoyed picking fresh produce from them, but their schedule had since changed with their switch in management, now closing twice a week.

With a few clicks and taps on her phone, she saw that they were open. With a joyful squeal, she cheerfully walked out of her home, being sure to lock the door behind her.

Grabbing the newly gifted bicycle, Arielle placed her folded reusable bags in the pocket of the fanny pack she wore and began her trek to the grocery store. Christian music played aloud from her phone as she cycled through the small city.

"Hey there, sweetheart!" An older lady from church called over while waving. She stood at the end of her lawn watering some of her flowers. The glow of the sun highlighted her brown skin and the natural highlights in her hair.

"Hi, Ms. Eva!" Arielle waved. "Those tulips look beautiful!"

Ms. Eva grinned and gave her one last nod as she continued up the street.

"I have an awesome God!" Arielle sang along to the Christian song as she continued cycling through. The bright sun felt like a warm hug against her skin.

Within five minutes, she was at the grocery store. She parked her bike, attaching the bike lock that lay in the basket behind it. Grabbing a squeaky cart, Arielle walked into the grocery store, still bobbing her head to the music and a bright smile to match.

The cashier waved at the festive young woman and Arielle responded with a wave of her own as she continued shopping through the aisles and by the refrigerator. She had been shopping for only a few minutes. Once her two large daisy bags were filled with produce, she glanced at her list yet again.

"Apples, check. Oranges, check. Kale, check. Bread flour, check..." She mumbled as she made sure she got everything on her list.

"Arielle! I'm surprised to see you here!" A voice called out. Arielle's eyebrows furrowed instinctually as she only mildly recognized that voice.

"Hm?" With wide eyes, she saw not one but two tall women standing over her.

"Meghan! And... Claire, was it?" Arielle asked. She could feel the gaze of some bystanders as they took in the three women chatting casually by the broccoli.

Claire nodded excitedly, while Meghan simply gave a tight-lipped smile. She didn't appear thrilled to be there.

"It's nice to see you two. I didn't realize you were friends." Arielle said, relaxing as she continued. Maybe she was overthinking their arrival. Leo's Grocery was a shop in her small city, but they were known for having an amazing bakery connected to it. People traveled far and wide throughout their state to give it a try.

"Not really," Meghan mumbled, clearly displeased to be so far from what she was used to. Arielle raised an eyebrow and brought her attention back to Claire.

"Oh, well I'll be going now." She spoke up slowly, holding up the daisy bag of groceries.

"Oh, no no, we were thinking about stopping by your house!" Claire remarked quickly, stopping Arielle in her tracks. Her brow rose, a natural suspicion stirred in her stomach, but she remained quiet for a short moment.

"Oh?" She finally offered in response.

"Mhm!" Claire replied quickly.

"Huh, but how would you know where I live?" Arielle questioned. Her suspicion less hidden now. Meghan seemed to shift uncomfortably, but it was so quick that Arielle wasn't sure if she truly saw that or not. Yet Claire stood her ground with a confident expression on her face.

"Meghan here was kind enough to help me locate where you live," she replied with a toothy grin. Meghan's head rested in her hand, clearly seeming to regret being in the same vicinity as Claire. "I hope you don't mind. Do you?" Her questioned feigned concern and Arielle's gaze quickly looked over to Meghan once more.

"How would Meghan know where I live...?" Arielle asked slowly, keeping her eyes on Meghan. "Meghan?" She prompted.

Meghan's eyes widened for a short moment before she shook her head quietly.

"I've had access to the records for a while now, but I didn't snoop into your file until today. Claire claimed that it was important." She spoke quickly, a bit of shame in her tone. Meghan may not have liked Arielle before, but she worked for AMI for a long time and Arielle could tell that she didn't pride herself in breaking company policy.

"And it is important!" Claire exclaimed happily, but even her happiness seemed forced.

Arielle's eyes wandered back over to Claire. She couldn't help but study the tall brunette. What could it be? Was Claire fishing for some trick up her sleeve or was there truly something of importance that brought the two women there that day?

"What if I'm judging them wrongly?" She thought to herself.

"You know what, it's not a big deal. I just wanted to grab these. Um, you can come up to the cashier with me. May I ask why you planned on visiting me?" Arielle asked as she walked with them up toward the register. She quickly greeted the young cashier as she placed her items down.

"Well, I came here for two reasons." Claire began.

"Hm?" Arielle hummed as she organized her products, placing them on the conveyor belt in order.

"The first reason was to ask you about Alexander's whereabouts, I can't seem to find him. And well, the second was to apologize." Claire spoke plainly with a shrug.

Arielle's eyes snapped up at Claire. It was too late to reel back the initial look of shock, causing her to cringe inwardly.

"I know, I know. You wouldn't expect that from me because of how I treated you- I know I treated you horribly. I just felt weird having my boyfriend around you. Especially when my father is arranging our union." Arielle took a sharp intake of breath, thankfully it was too quiet for either woman to hear, but she did catch the questioning gaze of Meghan.

"Oh?" Arielle replied while swiping her card through the card reader. The cashier focused hard on the screen, possibly trying to blur out the strange conversation happening around her.

"Oh, I thought you two were close. He didn't tell you? We're getting engaged. That's why he's up at my father's U.S. home with Devin." Claire paused. Arielle could feel her sharp eyes studying her.

"I'd assume since you two were close, that he would have already told you." Claire continued as if to poke and prod at Arielle's heart.

"I-" Arielle began, but the kind cashier handed her the receipt and Arielle felt grateful for the distraction.

"Have a nice day, ladies!" The cashier called out as she then beckoned the next customer.

"You too!" Arielle called back, beelining it for the door.

The clicking of heels could be heard loudly behind her. She closed her eyes for a moment as they walked up to her.

"Lord, please keep my emotions steady." She prayed quietly in her mind.

"Chop chop!" Claire yelled. "I want to see your cute abode. Alexander told me all about it," Claire announced, walking past Arielle. Even though she walked past her at a high speed, Arielle was almost certain that she saw a smug grin on her face.

Arielle biked her way back as the two ladies entered a large black vehicle. Meghan looked tired of Claire's company already and Arielle couldn't quite piece together why the duo were so close in proximity if they clearly couldn't stand each other. Sure, it'd be good for them to learn to be patient with one another, but she had a feeling that that was not what was happening.

Arielle pulled up to her home with the ladies already standing in the driveway. Meghan shot Arielle a smile that seemed to spell, "sorry," and to that, Arielle shook her head no with a gentle reassuring smile of her own.

"I- I appreciate you ladies coming by, but I don't know how my mom will feel having unknown guests enter the house right now. I'll just put these away and maybe we can talk on the benches over there," Arielle said as she pointed to the two wooden benches that sat toward the front of the property.

"Oh," Claire looked at the two benches as if they were rotten sandwiches. "Sure!" She replied in a false happy tone for the second time since they began speaking. She stared at Arielle with wide eyes as she retreated into her home.

Arielle walked into the house, closed the door behind her, and took a deep breath. A huge part of her did not want to leave the house again. She had nothing against the two ladies, but something felt off. Meghan was acting fairly normal, but Claire... Claire was not. But what was normal for Claire? She wasn't around her enough to know.

And she felt even more confused by the concept of Claire becoming engaged to Alexander. She shook her head as she sorted through the fruits and vegetables, being sure to put them exactly where her mother would want them.

Her mind drifted back to what Claire said again. Alexander never mentioned being engaged to another woman. He seemed to focus on God as of late and Arielle wondered if she had become deluded into thinking that he seemed smitten with her as well.

She sighed.

"If it's meant to be, it'll be," she whispered as she thought back to what God revealed to her about him being the man she ought to marry. She was fine waiting, but she was confused by Claire's announcement, yet she knew that God's will would prevail in the end. She just needed to focus on Him and trust Him.

Arielle stood by the door and took a moment to pray. After about a minute or two, she went to reach for the doorknob when she heard Claire yell something at Meghan. Swinging open the door, Arielle's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. The two women were practically fist-fighting in her driveway.

"Ladies! Ladies!" Arielle yelled as she ran forward, pulling Meghan off of the fuming Claire.

"What is going on here?" Arielle's tone filled with confusion. She had only been gone for a few minutes.

"Ask her!" Meghan yelled. "Ask her why she wanted to come so bad that she was willing to blackmail me about it!"

"That's a serious allegation," Arielle thought.

"Claire?" Arielle asked slowly.

"You know what?" Claire spat. "I'm sick of this." She glared at Meghan and then directed her attention to Arielle. "Grab them." She spoke calmly, but loudly. Her voice was cold as she stood back and watched men pour out from the tree line.

Arielle's eyes quickly moved from her to the shadowy figures that stepped out of the bushes and two from the backseat of the car they rode in. Meghan began to kick and scream as two men grabbed her, pulling her into a new car that pulled up. Yet Meghan's swift kick landed on one of the men causing him to double over in pain, renouncing his grip on her.

"You-" he began yelling but ended it with a pained groan.

Meghan could be seen running into the wooded area across from them. The commotion seemed to die down for a moment, but as soon as she was out of sight, Claire grew furious.

"Just grab her then and stop wasting my time!" She growled, hopping back into the front seat of the car. Arielle was soon grabbed and pushed roughly into another car, being shoved into the backseat.

She was shocked as the whirlwind of events unfolded around her, but she closed her eyes and took a moment to pray. As the prayer went on, she could hear the engine roar to life and feel the momentum of the car pull her away from her childhood home, but despite that, Arielle began to calm down. She felt safe. She could feel the presence of God in the backseat with her.

When she finally opened her eyes, they were met with cold icy blue eyes looking back at her.

"Well hello, dear." Lorenzo greeted with a toothy grin. Arielle let out a slow breath and shook her head.

It was almost a normal day.