My Wife Is A Stranger

Chapter Seven - Who?

“You have one last chance, tell me who sent you, or I’ll kill you,” He firmly stated, so Lowella gasped for air, she could feel her consciousness slipping past herself.

“The S-Stone Kingdom,” She weakly spoke and gasped for some air after Arthur let her go, she was coughing tremendously while holding her neck.

“H-How can you still talk and stand straight when you drank the whole glass that I spiked?” She confusingly asked, so he just sniggered.

“People with numerous rare guns can’t even defeat me, did you think that a mere sleeping pill could put me down? You underestimate me too much,” Arthur had this sinister smirk plastered on his lips, he isn’t the same kind, gentlemen that Lowella used to like.

But deep inside, even after he did to her, she still finds him attractive, she still wants to be with him. She still loves him.

Arthur then fish out his gun from his pockets and pointed it at her head, “Now give me one good reason for you to live,”

Lowella slowly raised her head as she felt tears streaming down her eyes, “P-Please spare me, I was paid to do this, I needed the money to get out of the bar,” She pleaded.

Arthur just stared at her coldly, it looks like he didn’t hear what she just said, “Why did you do this, Lowella?” 

She stopped when Arthur mentioned her whole name, “Why did you think you could take me down? Do you even know who I was?”

Lowella lowered her head, but Arthur raised her chin using the tip of his gun, “I’m Arthur, the King of Crestfallen Kingdom, the highest rank in the pyramid,” 

Arthur mentioned his title with pride, dominance, and power, he sounded like a different person from who he was a while ago when they ate and danced.

“Answer me, why did you do this?” He asked one more time as Lowella felt shivers running down her spine. She feels like she had to answer him or the bullet on his gun would be on her head.

“I-I love you Arthur, when I heard there was a chance that I could be with you and earn money, I took that chance, you know I confessed before, right?” Lowella mumbled.

Arthur just gazed at her coldly before chuckling, “I never remembered having that kind of memory, are you sure you didn’t hit your head somewhere?”

Lowella was stunned, she did confess before when he gave her food back in high school, he even accepted it and thanked her as he promised that they would meet up someday.

“Y-You even said thank you, you accepted my feelings by having that food, you promised to meet me someday,” Lowella clenched her fists.

Arthur just shook his head, “If I did, I would’ve remembered, the only woman I’ll accept in my life is Claire,”

“You know her, don’t you?” Arthur demanded an answer, so she just averted her gaze at him. How could she not know her?

Ever since high school, all he ever spouted was the name of that woman, no matter where he goes, he’s always looking around for her like it was his job to do.

The woman she despised because she tried so hard to win Arthur’s heart, yet she did it effortlessly, she loathes her.

“Now I’m going to spare your life, not because I pity you, but for you to give those people a message that are after me and the woman I’m planning to marry,” Arthur informed before gripping her face using his bare hands.

“One more plot and they’re dead, got that?” Arthur harshly pushed her away from him as he fixed himself and paced to the door.

Lowella started weeping so he stopped on the space in between doors, “And about that confession you were saying, you misunderstood it,” He claimed, so she raised her head at him.

“I thanked you for liking me and didn’t want your efforts to be wasted so I accepted the food and also, I never said I’d promised to meet up with you,” Arthur added, so her eyes widened.

“I told you we might meet up someday and be good friends, were you listening that day?” He asked, but no words came out of her mouth.

She knows that's not what happened, did she get that day wrong? Was she just dreaming that it happened because she was too hurt to accept that Arthur doesn’t like her the same way he views Claire?

Arthur just shook his head and walked away from that room, “Choose what side you’re on Lowella because the next time I see you with them, I wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet on your head when you plan something devious about my woman,”

She closed her eyes and collapsed on the bed inside of the hotel. She was exhausted, scared like she was going to run out of air.

What happened inside of this room terrified her, but she couldn’t exclude the fact that Arthur looked really hot no matter what his expressions were.

Lowella laughed while touching her head, she then rubbed her face using her hands, “He likes me, he likes me,” She continued giggling like she was sick in the head.

But she was truly sick in the head and only she knows it, she doesn’t have any family because the money that she’ll get from this will be her treatment for herself.

She was skilled at manipulating people because she was a lunatic that isn’t getting close to being cured.

“Now I just have to go back and take the money and tell Vladimir that he’s planning to marry Claire,” She sniggered before cleaning herself up and checked out of that hotel.

***

(The day after Karyl told the plans to Claire,) 

Claire woke up with a smile plastered on her lips, Karyl already informed her yesterday of everything that they had to do tomorrow to escape.

At first, she was surprised that Karyl’s fiance was willing to help them with this plan despite that they were both busy with the wedding preparation, but Karyl told her that Adrian was almost about to be engaged, but thankfully, he fought for his love for Karyl.

He proved himself worthy of running the company just on his own without an arranged marriage involved just to forge the company’s shares.

So Karyl told her that Adrian wanted the same for me and Arthur because they were all friends after all.

After she finished her morning rituals, she squinted her eyes at her door and saw an envelope over there.

She slowly paced over there to check what it was, she almost gasped after seeing that it came from Timothy.

“What’s this for?” Claire wondered before she decided to open the envelope and read the letter that was inside.

“Ma’am Clara, your parents with your sister will be out today, I know that because I’ll be driving them on the company today, they might take a while so here’s a little gift for you,” She read the letter of Timothy.

She took out something from the envelope and gasped after seeing a small keypad-styled phone, “P.S. the boss knows what I did, so you better brace yourself because he’ll call you after he realized you already opened it, enjoy!”

“That guy, he’s too sweet,” Claire just giggled before she securely locked her doors and windows, she didn't want anyone seeing her speaking with the man that she loves.

She turned the phone open and checked if there was a sim card attached to it, when she noticed it had gained signal, she knew for sure that Arthur probably had been notified that she opened it.

Claire was nervous, she was pacing back and forth since she was waiting for Arthur’s call coming from Timothy’s phone.

It’s been a while since she heard his voice, she was only updated by the letter that he keeps on sending to her.

At first, she was anxious when she read about him meeting Lowella almost a week ago, but he reassured her that everything was fine.

Arthur and Claire had been honest with each other ever since she found out Arthur’s true identity, she requested that there should be no more secrets that should be kept since they’re planning to get married.

Back to Lowella, Claire knows her since she witnessed back in high school how she was getting treated by men.

Claire was worried about her at first, but she later found out that Lowella wasn’t the one who had it worse, those boys were being manipulated because she’s trying to sleep with anyone and try to win their favor.

Most of the boys on their campus have slept with her and some of them quarreled and killed each other just to have Lowella. It was an issue at their school that’s why she was expelled together with those boys.

Claire even heard that she never got to college and just started to have a job at numerous bars as an enslaved woman for s.ex, so she just sighed.

After the phone vibrated, she immediately grabbed it from the bedside table and raised it towards her ear, “H-Hello?” 

A loud sigh was to be heard on the other line, she was confused for a moment because she knew someone was there, “Hello? Arthur? Is this you?”

[The one and only,] Arthur sighed in relief on the other line, [Sorry, it’s just that, I missed your voice, hearing it right now makes me want to see you,]

Claire just smiled as she decided to sit on the edge of the bed, her smile couldn’t be erased on her lip, “I missed your voice too, thank you for sending me letters and being open to me, I know it’s hard since, you know?

Arthur just chuckled, he feels so lucky because the woman of his life was that understanding, [Of course, anything for you and having our communications blocked doesn’t mean they could easily stop me from finding ways on speaking with you,”

They spoke for hours, talked about a lot of things that they were both doing those times when they couldn’t see one another.

[So have you heard about the plan?] Arthur brought it up after they managed to check if both of them were alright and doing well.

Claire nodded even though he couldn’t see her, “I did, do you think it would work?” She worriedly asked.

Arthur just sighed, [It would work, the Zaveri’s are the top one billionaires of this city and everyone knows that, if your parents heard Adrian Jay Zaveri wanted to invite you, they wouldn’t decline,] He claimed.

Claire bit her lower lip, “W-What if they asked Vladimir to come with me?” She anxiously asked, so he just smiled on the other line.

[You don’t have to worry about anything, Claire, I’ll make sure everything goes well tomorrow,] Arthur reassured her, so she just exhaled a lungful of air.

They were both silent on the other line as they listened to each other’s breathing like it was their therapy from stress.

“Can I still put you on call until they get back? I’m still nervous about what’s going to happen tomorrow,” She requested.

Arthur lightly chuckled because he found his girlfriend too adorable, [Of course, you don’t have to ask that,]

They continued speaking with each other until she didn’t realize that it was getting late already. A knock from the door made her flinch as she instinctively hid on the left side of the bed.

[Claire? Did they already get home?] Arthur spoke, he could hear what was going on the other line.

“I think they’re home,” She whispered before flinching again when she heard another soft knock, “W-Who is it?” She asked.

“It’s me, Ma’am Clara,” Timothy answered from the outside, so she sighed in relief before standing up and gently opening the door.

It revealed to her Timothy that was saluting at her with a tray of food in his hands, “I came back here to take the phone, they’re almost upstairs and I pretended to give your meal to you,” He smiled.

Claire just frowned before tightly gripping the phone that was placed on her ears, “A-Arthur, I’m going to end the call,” 

He just sighed on the other line, [Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow okay? Your parents are probably informed about the wedding tomorrow, I love you, Claire,]

She smiled on the other line before biting her lower lip, “I love you more,” After she said those words, she gave the phone to Timothy who was just smirking at her.

“W-What?” She blushed before averting her gaze at him. Timothy just chuckled before giving her a meal.

“Nothing Ms. Claire, I’m just happy for you two,” He playfully winked, so she just smiled at him before nodding.

“Claire, let’s talk,” She flinched when she saw her mother on the far corner of the hallways, she glanced at Timothy and he just nodded at her.

“Don’t worry, she didn’t see you give the phone to me, go on, they’re probably going to discuss to you about the wedding tomorrow,” He reassured her, so she just sighed in relief before she slowly approached her mother.

“Yes, Mom? Is there something wrong?” She pretended to wonder while asking, so her mother just took her to the study room.

“You’re going to the wedding of your friend tomorrow, Adrian Jay Zaveri specifically requested for you,” 

To be continued…