The Forced Marriage With The Werewolf Prince [Completed]

Chapter 36. Invitation

After a few hours.....

Daniel's POV

I was skimming my eyes through a document that was in my hand, trying to rid myself of thinking of a particular someone. A particular someone with big turquoise eyes and a smile that could sway you off your feet. Ari has the most beautiful smile than any woman I've ever known. Or maybe I felt that way because I love her.

I shook my head as if it would stop me from thinking of her but then my eyes involuntarily landed on the couch adjacent to my desk and I was reminded of that day when she waited for me, sitting on that particular couch,  to complete my work so we could play water balloon fight afterwards. That day, was the first time I saw her look so happy and carefree while she threw those water balloons at me bouncing happily around and somehow it made me put down my walls and be free for once. I never said Ari this, but I had so much fun that day. It is one of the best moments of my life. It was like I needed that freedom. I needed that happiness. I needed her.

It's strange how almost every single thing reminds me of Ari even when I try hard not to think about her. 'Cause in the end, it always brings that bitter-sweet pain in my heart thinking of her being with someone else. In someone else's arms. Being someone else's happiness. Someone else's freedom.

And the funniest thing is, I can't seem to hate Ari--like I hated Kiana after she betrayed me--no matter what. They say it right.

You can never really hate someone you truly love.

A gentle knock on the door pushes me out of my thoughts as I glance at the door of the study and find Carla standing there. Her head is bent low, such that I can't see her face without her blonde hair blocking the view. Something doesn't seem right. Carla never looks down. She always has her chin raised with pride. It's simply how she is. She has a very cheerful and proud spirit to feel down so easily.

When she raises her head and I catch sight of her face, I realise my intuition was indeed right. Carla's eyes are puffy and she sniffs occasionally as she walks towards me and takes a seat on the leather seat in front of me when I gesture her to come in. I don't say anything and instead wait for her to speak herself. She'd always do that. Whenever she is angry, sad or felt down, she would always search for me and end up ranting to me about what had upset her or simply throwing tantrums. Sometimes, she would also curse profanities directed towards the person who had unerved her. It was a rare sometimes but it is funny and weird all at the same time, listening to my little sister utter all types of curses in the world.

"Danny...can I ask you something?" Carla sniffs yet again making me furrow my brows at two things in particular.

One, the person who had made Carla cry was going to pay a big time. I'm sure Carla will eventually utter the name and it's going to cause me a bit of trouble to get that person to beg for her forgiveness but I was willing to take that trouble. Just for my little sister.

Second, well, the second one is strange since it has never happened before....I mean to say, Carla always ranted out her cause of distress herself but this time around, she was asking me a question? That's new....

"What is it?" I tilted my head to the side, waiting for her supposed  'question'.

Carla stares at me for a while as if accessing my face before I see her taking in a deep breath and exhaling it whilst wiping her tear-strained face with her palm. I could say it was taking a toll on her to ask whatever she had to and that made me all the more curious.

"Is your marriage with Ariana fake? Is she someone else's mate?" Carla asks looking straight into my eyes.

My eyes widens considerably before I conceal it back to normal. How the heck did she get to know about me and Ari? Who told her? And my marriage with Ari is not fake! It's just that our marriage solely took place because of the truce. But it's a true one whatsoever.