16 Pitter Patter

Kyle felt like the ground beneath him shook strongly, he staggered to sit down across his father. After taking a few breaths he finally spoke.

"So to sum it up. The accident that killed the three of them was a lie and that the master, which is Nathan's grand father, allowed them to leave."

"They left the young masters as some kind of payment, for them to leave."

"But Patrick Price, actually lied about letting them go and that he left the token to them without them knowing."

"Now those who want the power went after Nathan's family, who was running away, yet towards the end they died and their bodies were retrieved."

"Patrcik Price, didn't try to protect them?" he couldn't help but ask as a tremendous feeling of sadness and grief engulfed him.

Towards the end, his friend still lend a helping hand.

"That old man is in death's door now. His too old already after all. He must be laughing right now," Gideon replied his face darker than awhile ago.

"Why didn't they ask us for help the moment they appeared before us three years ago?"

"They must have still took into consideration that there are people within the family that didn't want to interact much with the other royals. In the end, their decisions are something unknown to us."

"So you are fulfilling her wish because of her father?" Kyle asked seriously.

"No, that child, since the beginning where she can finally write and talk have always been a smart one. Even smarter than her brothers. I want to see her full potential and seeing how Ashton wasn't against it. Let's let her be but do give her full protection, I shall speak with the other elders regarding this marriage. Ashton was after all, a future successor."

Kyle acknowledged and was about to repare for their departure.

"One last thing, don't disclose the relationship between our family and her parents, to her and Ashton. Let it flow the way those young ones want to."

"I understand father. I shall keep quiet about whatever happened in this room."

When he was finally left alone, "Let's see just how far your daughter could spread her wings, Nathan. This is payment for the enjoyable talks we had in the past."

He sighed before leaning back on his chair and closing his eyes.

*****

Amber didn't turn down the offer of bringing her back to the hotel. She had even accepted the medicine for the bruise.

"Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter, *sigh* Why is it that when you are feeling down, the rain would come down as if teasing you?" Amber suddenly spoke as she lean on the window.

Carl who was driving silently listened and didn't comment on it.

"Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter," Amber kept going as she follow the drops outside the window with her finger.

"I must look like a crazy person, right?" she smiled as she look at Carl.

'No, if it were me, I feel like I am in a horror scenario right now. And you are the cursed doll,' Carl, who had always been the serious one, couldn't help but think as he shakes his head in reply to her.

Amber returned to her silence until they arrive in the hotel. She was just happy that the other two weren't in front and so she was able to go up to her room without answering any questions.

*****

"So you broke this table because you got mad at her?" Blake asked after hearing the whole story from Ashton.

"Maybe if you do something that makes me mad, then I will do the same and break a table in front of you," Ashton replied.

His mind is actually in chaos, they have accepted her condition. In the end, he was the one in the losing side. A fiance and bride was thrown at him and he could only accept.

"Your actually against this arrangement aren't you?" Devon asked.

Blake and Devon could see the minute changes in him while he was telling the story. Of course it was not the whole one, just the important parts. Her having the medicine, her parents that were dead and the condition for her to give the medicine.

"Isn't this normal? Engagement for convenience?"

Blake and Devon looked at each other.

"This is still because of Mad-"

"Whether it is or not. The contract is already being made, in another week it shall be finalized and Ashley would become better," he stopped whatever Devon was about to say.

"I'm no longer in the mood, see yourselves out," he then stood up and went to the room inside.

Without anything else to do, the two of them left the office and went to their own buildings. These three came here for the promise and so the place where they live was actually a room inside the office of the student council president of the department.

*DING*

Ashton who was sitting in his bed and was leaning on the headboard, without really doing anything heard his phone receiving a message.

FROM: Narcissist Doll \u003e\u003e\u003e Marriage for convenience, you must be thinking that way. But who knows I might be able to finish my revenge in less than ten years. Then you would already be free by then.

His exquisite brows were furrowed. Why is she saying this now? Is she trying to cheer him up? With a sneer, "How stupid."

He didn't reply and just threw the phone on the bed. He then leaned his head on the headboard before closing his eyes.

On Snow Fall Hotel.

Amber was doing the same, after sending the message which she thought wasn't really necessary but still sent it, she leaned her head on the head board and closed her eyes.

'Since it already came to this. I can no longer work as a part timer. I should increase my workload in programming instead. I'll have more income that way.'

She started tapping her fore finger on her knee as she kept thinking.

'I'll speak with Hayley and Alissa tomorrow. Then I'll have to speak with sir Dan. It was only a month but it was a beautiful experience. Too bad, the events today made me wake up from such a beautiful dream.'

'With the income from all those, I would be able to afford this room without doing anything in the hotel.'

This thought made her sigh even more. She really was in a beautiful dream this past month. Who would have thought that it would end just like that?

'I'm going to ask them to allow me to use their defense as my barrier. In this way even if I return to my identity as Pianist, those people would no longer equate her to me. They'd only think that Pianist was really under the Wright family and was just using my address and details as cover up.'

'5 years, I have to become someone in 5 years. This was not included on my first plan, but to think that I would succeed in entering a marriage contract with the Wright family. Am I lucky or am I cursed? Using another royal to deal with a royal.'

"You must be shaking your head right now, aren't you mother? Father? But your daughter could only come up to this, I guess I really am still young."

'Though I really do feel bad for him, despite this being a cure for his sister's illness, he still became the sacrificial pawn. I can only apologize with him quietly though.'

She after all checked the Wright family and found out just how capable Ashton was, so she also knew that he was a future heir to the Wright Empire. He is the best candidate for this.

'Come to think of it, he was two years older than I am. At 18, and he was already considered a future heir. But I guess I am lucky as well, the Wright family was the most family oriented royal family. They were the complete opposite of the Price Empire.'

Still feeling a little bad, she decided to have a warm bath instead, she might be able to clear her mind even more.

After removing her clothes and standing up in front of the mirror, she couldn't help but to feel bad for herself this time.

'This transaction actually gave me a bruise, ah how sad. I have to wear some scarf until this subsides. Though it was still a bit warm right now.'

She looked at the bruise as she pouted her lips, 'Yup I am no longer feeling bad for him. This is already a revenge from him.'

Amber had completely forgotten that it was because of her attitude that gave her this bruise and not because of the marriage with him.

As she soaks in the bath tub, she then remembered something else, 'Sir Gideon didn't say anything else after hearing my past name. And he just agreed to it as well, did he know me by chance?'