Chapter 47: Complicated.
"Arissa," her name rolled off his lips calmly as he stared down at her, and then, with a little walk, he sat down on the couch.
Arissa frowned. She asked him to get her water and not this so why is he sitting beside her?
"Hmm," she replied to her name, still not turning to face him.
"Did you agree to this marriage based on the benefits alone?" Nicklaus asked looking at the nude drawing on the farthest wall where the piano was based at.
Arissa almost jumped off her skin hearing his question and in an instant, her headache was gone, "What do you mean?" she asked sitting up. What kind of life-threatening question did he just ask her?
Nicklaus turned his face to her, "Don’t play that game Arissa. Was there an inner threat before you agreed to this marriage?" he asked and unlike the earlier calm tune he used in calling her name, this one was gravely stern.
A sweat broke out from Arissa’s forehead because of his tune and for the first time, she do not know how to dodge a question, or was it because she knows she was about to lie?
"Klaus,"
"Don’t call me that," Nicklaus hissed, cutting her off as the shortened name surfaced a glimpse of a buried dark memory.
Arissa bit her inner gum as she endured him. He’s a smart person, yes! And now if she makes a hole, no matter where Adele would be hidden next, her parents would not rest until they find her.
"Nicklaus," she took an unnoticed breath, "I don’t know what you are talking about," she lied as she tightened her legs together.