Smitten
Eleanor Miller was sitting on her bed playing a random game she accidentally installed on her phone, with her blood boiling at the highest point it could because of the other person who was leaning comfortably on the couch in the room.
She had said at least five sentences that warranted a reply or an answer, but her daughter didn’t seem to hear that someone was even saying a word.
For more than twenty minutes that she had called to see Ellen in her room, they had not communicated reasonably for two minutes straight since she sat on her couch.
She noticed that her daughter had become less responsive to things and everyone around her, and more to her phone and laptop than ever for the last couple of days.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
She was either texting and typing nonstop, or doing facetime with someone which was unlike herself. Even her page had taken a break from constant reels and posts, which had her fans wondering if everything was fine with her. She had also been going out of the house with different cars, more than the extreme way she normally did.
“What is it that you are doing, Ellen?” Eleanor asked in a very low tone, while trying as much as possible not to show her impending outburst.
She had been trying to work on the way she screamed and got angry, because it was one of the strict precautions told to her by the doctor in charge of her treatment.
With her eyes so transfixed on her laptop and her hands working so fast, Ellen who was engrossed in her chuckles, giggles and flusters could not hear her mother talk to her.
Her brain had failed to process any external noise around her, that it was solely focused on herself and what she was doing. Eleanor was certainly not going to find it funny.
“Am I not saying something to your stupid arse?!” Eleanor Miller raged so furiously, breaking every loose to her restraints and curbs. It was not possible to change her spots overnight.
“What is it, mother?” Ellen grumbled, as she quickly typed a few more words and placed the laptop a few inches away from her, to face her mother whose angry facial expression was not the best at that moment.
“Are you sure your mind is still in the right position? You do not need to get checked? I’ve been talking to you for the past few minutes, and you were being a dumb and deaf moth to hear what I’ve been saying.”
“I didn’t hear you speak mother. And there is definitely nothing wrong with me. I’m okay,” Ellen tried to clear the air as soon as she could without picking any fight, and was definitely not ready to spill why she had been so busy, with the only person that had taken so much of her time.
“You know that you have been acting weird lately right? You are rarely home for breakfast or dinner, and have been leaving home more often than when you always had events to attend. You can now compare to Emma now,” Eleanor clicked her tongue instead of gritting on her teeth, with an effort to keep her hurt to herself. Even if they always fought so much, she still doted on Ellen more than the other two daughters.
“Okay mum. Like Emma, I finally got myself a sweet, sexy, boyfriend…….” Ellen dragged her last sentence so proudly with a smirk to her mother, who was taken aback by her daughter’s sudden revelation to her. She didn’t expect it.
Despite Ellen being a more popular figure apart from being a member of the Miller’s family, she rarely dated anyone seriously majorly because of her pride and prestige.
They were either too low in the hierarchy even as a rich person, or too intimidating and annoying like her brother. Too sweet and clingy, or cheated on her with a lady of a lower class than her. There were always complaints and problems.
“When did that happen? I mean, when did you guys meet? How?” Eleanor Miller inquired so inquisitively from her daughter, as she tried to reason if it was really possible in a short space of two weeks.
Though Ellen always had an outing, event or fan meeting to attend, Eleanor would have never expected her to meet someone who would suit her class perfectly in a few days.
If anything about the reason she called her, she was still about to set her up on a blind date with an acquaintance’s son. The ones she had always arranged for her in the past, mostly ended up as flings and nothing more attached to it.
For Eva, she never attended any blind date arranged by her mother, except the only one that her grandfather arranged years ago which got ruined. The guy who was a son of one of the richest men in the country tried to touch her sexually, and it ended up with him breaking his nose bone and an arm.
Emma would certainly attend the blind date without complaining, but would ruin everything with her straight attitude and first appearance. Ellen was the only one to still act normally.
“It, just, happened,” Ellen shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to reveal any more details about her relationship.
There was no way she would tell her mother that she met some random guy in the club, they had a one night stand together, met up again, and now are dating.
Eleanor Miller would smack her hard against the face, and use her connections to find out who the guy was, and make his life a living hell. He wasn’t even close to the high level of men that her mother always wanted for her.
“Do you realize this is a rash…..”
“I really think you should emphasize this issue to Emma, mum. She is never a stickler for rules,” Ellen cut in immediately.
“And also, do not have anyone trailing me or running a background check on the guy I am dating, mother. I would love peace without your interference,” Ellen said to her mother sternly, meaning she wasn’t joking at all. Her relationship always went wrong, whenever her mother tried to know too much, “Maybe you should try trailing Eva instead. That lady’s social life is silently a mess.”
“You want to trail your sister?!” Mrs. Miller asked in agitation, in which her voice was kind of raised in alarm and somewhat shaky.
“No mother. Why do you look so stressed? Just saying.”
~•~•~•~
The drive back home was silent and kind of slow, even with the loud and busy roads of the bright and huge city. There was a parcel of painting sitting on the back seat beside Dalton, whose mind was raided with so many unsaid and unconfirmed things.
Behind the car steering at the driver’s seat was Alex driving slowly, still finding it hard to believe that his boss would attend an auction, and purchase a painting at that price because of his wife.
He could certainly not understand anymore, what was going on between the both of them. They were at the brink of a divorce weeks ago, and now he was buying a painting to make her feel better.
He hated her and loathed their marriage so much, and now he seemed to be so much interested in her life and health. Everything about them was really confusing.
Aria was stuck like a constant to her room all day while nursing her pain all by herself, without the help of the maids who were assigned to care for her.
The most painful fact of all was that she wasn’t about to leave the house, let alone meeting the private investigator that she had an appointment with.
The only person she allowed into her room was Martha, a new and young maid who was the one assigned to clean her room and do everything necessary. She told the others to leave immediately Dalton left the mansion.
Even if she had insisted that she was okay, Martha still went out of her way to bring Aria any possible thing she could need from the kitchen. She cared for Aria even if she had not known her for so long, because she had heard the other maids gossip about her past, and how terrible her matrimony with Dalton was.
Thinking it was Martha again that brought another set of dinner after she said she didn’t like the food on the menu, Aria stood up from her resting position and walked towards the door to open it, right after she heard a knock.
She was however surprised to see Alex standing before her with a parcel, which was replaced with a frown immediately the second person appeared before her door.
‘What was up with them?’
“I see that you are okay than before now,” Dalton insinuated, as he made his way in even before she would say anything further. His assistant just stood by the door with the huge parcel wrapped in brown paper, which had her thinking what it could be, and why they were in her room.
“I think the pain is starting to get worse, with your presence in the room,” she blurted out.
Alex, who would have expected Dalton to react so rashly in response to how Aria had answered to his question, could not believe that his boss chose to ignore her and just proceed to state why he was in her room, “If so, I bought something to make you feel better.”
The assistant understood the message and stepped into the room instantly, as he stretched forward the painting to Aria who was hesitant to collect it at first. Her brain could not even have thought of what it could be at the moment.
“This was the painting you sold at the auction. I bought it,” Dalton explained to her with a smug across his lips, only to see that she was not impressed a bit by his actions.
“Can you just quit the act you are putting on Dalton, and let me go away from your family forever?” She disappointed him with her words instead of appreciating, which caused Alex to gulp so hard on his saliva, as he began to experience intense heat from nowhere in his body.
‘There was certainly no way she wouldn’t see his wrath now.’