Love And Betrayal | ✔️

43. Stupidity or treason (I)

AN HOUR LATER, we walk into the conference room.

No one else apart from Ashton has arrived yet.

"Hey," He smiles as I take a seat.

He's dressed in a white shirt, the collar button being undone. A cup of coffee rests on the table as he pores through the documents. His attention is on Ariana who drifts into the room and chooses a chair a little distance away.

I cough.

His eyes return to mine. A smirk climbs up his face. "You clean up well. Hungover much?"

I pull a few of the files towards me. "I'm a tough cookie, Ash. I'll live."

Silence befalls us.

Ashton pretends to read while secretly stealing glances at Ariana. Is she okay? He asks through the mind link. She seems quiet.

"Hey Arie, Ashton wants to know if you're okay. He thinks you're being too quiet!"

"WHA-?" Ashton turns red as he stomps on my feet under the table. "Traitor! I hate you."

"I love you too. Stop being a wuss."

"I'm fine." Ariana's soft reply comes from across the room. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Ashton's stares at her. Pink taints her cheeks as she studiously ignores him, choosing to focus on the blank wall instead. Her phone rings right on cue. "Sorry, I need to get this." She mumbles hastily, "I'll be back before the meeting commences."

The door shuts behind her as she leaves.

A second ticks by before he turns to me. "Okay, spit. What the hell did you tell her?"

"Do you just naturally assume I am somehow involved in the matter?"

His eyes narrow into thin slits. "Kiara."

I shoot him a cheeky smile. "Is my name, yo."

"Kiara."

"Is smokin' sexy, yo."

He continues glaring.

"Fine!" I say, relenting. "I told her your weenie is small and you wear still wear Superman boxers to bed. Relax. No biggie."

He gnashes his teeth together and cracks his knuckles. "That's it. Today onwards, you are thereby banned from talking to people."

I roll my eyes. "Boo hoo. I'm so devastated."

A pause.

"I'm also changing my Netflix password."

"I didn't tell her anything about your weenie." I concede immediately. "The conversation was strictly limited to your beautiful face. Please don't change the password!"

"What about my face?" He demands. "She thinks it's beautiful? No, that can't be true. There must be wrong. It's the tan, isn't it? She doesn't like the shade, does she? Dammit!"

I raise my eyes skyward in exasperation. "Yes, that's exactly what's wrong with it. It's the middle of winter, you dingus. You're about as tan as a polar bear."

He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly.

"So, what did you guys talk about?" He props his elbows up on the table, curious, but there's an unfathomable emotion drifting behind his eyes. "She didn't seem happy when she left."

She didn't seem happy because she doesn't believe me. She's afraid I will leave once she takes over as Luna.

Of course, I don't say none of this aloud.