The Greeks Demand

Chapter 5

Arabelle could feel her heart breaking all over again as she recalled the memory. On the other hand Niklas was thrown by her speech. He never knew why she had left. He had walked into the house to see her standing there with a bag she had yelled, ‘I’ve finally had enough!’ and then she left. Demetreus was sitting on the stairs with a look that screamed ‘what now?’

“She wanted to leave this morning, but there was no one to watch me.” Niklas had heard his sons voice break with sadness.

“She was a friend.” Niklas informed Arabelle nonchalantly as if it was no big deal, but to her it was.

“I was your friend too, Niklas. Every article said so, everyone remarked me as such!” Arabelle should have known that he had more than one friend at a time. She was just convenient. She did everything he wanted and didn’t get any of the benefits.

“Moró mou (My baby), You were more than just a friend.” He knew he was loosing control of the situation and he needed to turn it around as fast as possible.

“Right, I was your live in mistress that cooked for you, kept the house clean and organized and raised your son. Tell me did you have a friend in every town? Or would you find a new one every time you traveled?” Arabelle was working herself up, getting angrier by the minute, she had promised herself she wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t show him her emotions. She wanted to be as aloof and unemotional as he was. Niklas was out of his depth, Arabelle never lashed out on him before, which is what made her perfect she was amenable.

“I never cheated, I was faithful to a fault even though I knew we weren’t exclusive. She was an old friend that I ran into and you had become moody and distant. Everytime I was home you pushed me aside, I wasn’t important anymore.” She had only found out later that she was pregnant, but the moodiness was one of her symptoms. She was just is such a dark and depressing place she didn’t notice.

“Because I was moody you thought it would be fine to see this friend of yours. Good to know, I’ll try and restrict myself from having bad days!” Niklas was shocked at her sarcasm. How did he not know how she felt back then.

“I didn’t sleep with her! We just had dinner. You were the one to change not me. I had no intention of replacing you.”

“You kissed her Niklas! That is cheating! And replace me? I am not an object you can use and replace like you want too. I’m a living person!” Niklas felt confused by Arabelle, these were things he needed to hear three years ago. There is nothing he could do about it now. It is in the past.

“Yes we kissed. It was a greeting, we knew each other from high school which was when we had a thing with one another.” Arabelle felt raw, it was like it was three years ago all over again, her heart physically ached and her throat felt swollen from how she held in the tears of frustration. He just doesn’t seem to care, he thinks he did nothing wrong, how could he, Niklas Liakoss is flawless.

“Yes you always just have things.” Niklas felt relieve when the hotel came in view. He knew Arabelle would drop the whole thing once they were in public.

“Almost there.” Arabelle took in her surrounding and noticed they weren’t close to the house they shared here in Manchester, in fact they were as far from it as possible. She knew he had moved and made that his main house, but she never knew he had sold their…his home.

“Here we are.” Niklas informed her as they stopped at a hotel.

“What avons (are) we doing at a hotel?…What are we doing at a hotel?” Niklas didn’t answer her he got out of the car and handed the car attendant the keys. She got out and grabbed her bags, but driving of with the car attendant seemed like a wonderful idea. Her bags were taken from her.

“Niklas, I swear I will leave if you don’t answer my questions!” She said in a hushed tone. Niklas saw in that moment that she wouldn’t be behaving to his likes this time around. It’s going to be a big problem.

“What do people do at hotels, Belle?”Arabelle did not appreciate his words, she was already frustrated and furious he really didn’t have to add onto that.

“We are not sharing a bed.” There was no way she would share a bed or a room with him. She’ll be his girlfriend in public, but behind closed door she doesn’t even want to be acquaintances.

“Of course we are, we are back together as of the moment you agreed and it would seem odd if we didn’t share.” Arabelle had told him she wouldn’t sleep with him, that included sharing a bed. She felt bruised and sensitive at the moment she needed something to protect herself against Niklas. She needed a way to make him lash out in his unique way, because all off these niceties are causing her to remember the good old days. It makes her wonder about things and that makes her forget her resolve. Arabelle rushed to reception. Her resolve coming back with every step she took away from him.

“Booking for Mr. Liakoss.” The receptionist seemed frazzled by the sudden approach. He gave a glance past her at Niklas.

“The penthouse suite was booked ma’am.”

“What is the layout like, specifically how many bedrooms?”

“Two ma’am.” Arabelle smiled at him. Her resolve all the way back and it will stay with her as long as she has her own room.

“You’re Arabelle De Lancret. You were the only girl to ever live with Niklas Liakoss, are you back together?” Arabelle looked over her shoulder at a furious Niklas.

“Yes we are back together and more happy than ever.” She turned and walked back to Niklas who took her hand in a tight grip making sure she couldn’t escape. He only let go once they were safely in the elevator.

“I can’t believe you did such a foolish thing!” He was furious with her that much was clear.

“Well believe it, next time be honest with me or just answer my questions then I might not do such stupid things.” Niklas ground his teeth together in frustration. He was determined to win her over, which means as his mother puts it he can’t be an ogre.

“I wanted to surprise you with a nice night at a luxury hotel, you seemed so stressed. I thought it would be a nice reprieve.” Arabelle’s resolve started to crumble again, who is this man. Niklas was never this nice, he always just thought about his needs.

“Of course I’m stressed, Niklas! You are blackmailing me!”

“I’m trying very hard to be nice!”

“Try less!” She felt a sudden wave of guilt from her rude behaviour, but she is just so afraid. When they broke up her whole world shattered, when she left she believed she was okay, but once she was further away and alone it hit her. It was a sadness that crippled her emotionally. For three years he was all she had, it’s pathetic she knows. They were done and she was suddenly alone for the first time in a long time with nothing to do, but wallow. This time around she wants to protect her heart as best as she possibly can. She can’t fall apart when the three months is over or when he tires of her again. She can’t go home broken where a two year old girl depends on her to be a 100%. The elevator finally came to a stop.

“There are two penthouse suites, ours is the bigger one at the end of the hall.”

“You’ve never stayed in the penthouse, you usually stay at one of your houses. You never flaunted your money.” He stared right into her blue eyes his brown ones dull and uninterested.

“I also changed after you left.” Another stab of guilt ran through her. Had she caused that change. Did her leaving cause him pain as well.

“You’re new thing spending your money, are you trying to spend it all?”

“That wouldn’t be possible, I make all the money I spend back with one project. Maybe if I flaunted my money and spoiled you more you wouldn’t have left me.” was that what he thought? Niklas felt uneasy thinking back to the period after she had left him. He hadn’t known why she ran out on him or if there was anything he could have done about it. He had told himself that it hadn’t been his fault over and over again. They weren’t exclusive, but he felt a void, the space was empty, which is why he sold the house.

His next challenge was not going over to her and ordering her to come back or demanding a reason, but he is a Liakoss and they don’t give in. He wouldn’t be the first one to crawl back. Which is why he left Manchester and moved to Australia, where his second largest operating base was located. That has also proven to be a bad decision.

“No matter how much money you threw at me I wouldn’t have stayed. I wanted to leave for the longest time before that. I actually tried, but Demetreus got sick and then I got the bug from him.” Arabelle said as she walked into the penthouse. That bug is why she got pregnant, she had to take antibiotics which canceled out her birth control. Niklas grabbed Arabelle’s arm to stop her.

“You wanted to leave other times too?” She sighed and looked into his eyes. She saw the uncertainty in his eyes, she could sugarcoat it, but Niklas always appreciated the truth.

“Nik I wasn’t happy anymore. The relationship hat turned toxic for me. Didn’t you notice how thin I had become, How lifeless? It drained me. I needed more than you were willing to give and not getting it was killing me.” he let go of Arabelle and left the room closing the door. If he wants to hide away in a room, fine she can do that too. Arabelle felt like she needed the space anyway. Arabelle stormed into her room slamming the door shut as hard as possible she was angry because once again he walked away from an issue, hiding away like he always does and always will.