FLASHBACK...
FOUR YEARS AGO...
Hospital abroad.....
"Dr James, Ashton's condition isn't getting any better....he hardly anything but the name Ariana.... he's been diagnosed with depression" a psychiatrist said after thoroughly examining Ashton.
"Depression?"James asked confused.
"Yes, he's in depression....as a junior doctor, you wouldn't yet understand James" the psychiatrist replied.
"And in this condition,he can do anything to himself or have suicidal thoughts"
"But doctor, what can be done to help get him out of this depression state, even just for a while?"James worriedly asked.
His best friend was suffering.
"Whoever Ariana is, you should bring her here, she's the only one who can help him..."the psychiatrist replied.
"But doc, I don't know where she is...even if I ask, he wouldn't be able to tell"James said.
"Please, there must be some other way" James continued to plead.
"Ok. In the meantime, I'll prescribe some pills...you should make sure he takes at least one... it'll help,but he won't completely recover from depression" the psychiatrist replied.
"Thank you doc....one more favor to ask of you, please keep this between us, don't tell his mom or anyone else about it"
END OF FLASHBACK..
Current time..
ASHTON
Even after all these years of suffering without you by my side....things had to come to this.
What could I do? I just can't bare the thought of losing you again.....like I did the last time. My life has been hell without you in it, no one could help me....no one but you.
I could've died....
All I ever wanted was to stay by your side, even if it meant sacrificing everything....was that too much to ask?
Even if you still don't get back together with me, I'll cling to you until you give in.
If that fails too, I should just tie you up, so you won't leave me again.
Ariana...I missed you so much, did you miss me?
~~~~~
Ashton stared intensely at Ariana, sleeping comfortably in his arms... without a care in the world.
He missed that, watching her sleep next to him.... he hoped that things could just go back to the way they were...his life was incomplete without her.
He was happy...
Letting her go again would be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do....and he still hadn't got any answers to his burning questions.
Ariana was still hiding so many things from him, and he was desperate to know....why she left him years ago? What was her relationship with Samuel? Why didn't she want to get back together with him?
So many unanswered questions, and only she could answer them....only she could clear up the unwavering thoughts he had in his mind.
~~~~~~~~
Claris' place...
"I'll never love you..."
"There's nothing between us..."
"Just give up already..."
Claris couldn't stop thinking about the words Ashton said to her. This wasn't the first time, yet the words kept hurting her over and over again.
Back then, while they were still in college, Ashton wasn't as cold and distant as he was now. The old Ashton was a bit more lively and easy to approach....no wonder she fell in love with him.
She thought she could have a chance with him... after all, their families had matching statuses... their parents would approve for them to be together.
His mom liked her.
But soon after Ariana came into the picture and Ashton hopelessly fell in love with her..... everything between them changed.
Ashton was ready to live everything behind just for one woman.....that's how much he loved and treasured her. She didn't stand a chance against that kind of love.
Ashton would never leave Ariana alone for her sake.
Their breakup was unexpected....and his mom's sudden marriage proposal was even more surprising.
Even though she knew that his heart belonged to someone else and that he'd never love her, Claris still agreed to get engaged to the man she loved.....with high hopes of getting married to him.
She thought in those four years that he was separated from Ariana, he'd forget about her and move on with her.....little did she know, Ashton's love was beyond control.
He was secretly obsessed with her planning to force his way into her life again.... buying her whole workplace and making her the Assistant CEO.
Making her share his office with him, keeping her with him all day.....all just to get closer to her again.
Ariana's presence in his life means that her engagement to Ashton hangs on a thin wire, it can break at any moment.....and Ashton won't think twice about getting back together with Ariana and leaving her behind again.
She wasn't going to give up that easily again after coming such a long way to reach where she was now.
If it meant fighting for Ashton, she was willing to fight with Ariana.
Her marriage to Ashton had to push through, no matter what she had to do to make it happen.
Ariana's unexpected accident was just the start of it.
Everything is fair in love and war.
LATER.....
The Hospital...
"Please Mrs Vibbles, this is too much...."Ariana complained to her former supervisor who'd come to visit her.
She was serving her much more food than she could eat.
"You should eat much more, look at how thin you've become Ari"Mrs Vibbles replied.
Mrs Vibbles treated her like a daughter, she was the closest to her eversince she joined Golden Empire as an intern and then an official employee.
"What happened to you was so terrifying.... luckily Mr Ashton showed up at the right time"Mrs Vibbles continued to say.
She could speak so freely because Ashton wasn't around, he'd left again....it was just the both of them in her room.
"The way he treats you so differently from the rest of us, makes me think that there's something going on between you two..."Mrs Vibbles whispered.... considering that the walls have ears.
Ashton Kaur, known as the Domineering CEO, who'd never praise the work of a mere employee....praised Ariana's work, he gave her a huge promotion, higher than that of his so called fianceé...saved her countless times...even after knowing her for a short while....as the others thought.
So many things had happened between them both...
Even those that were done in secret, behind the closed doors..
Paying for her hospital bills and giving her such a lavish and comfortable private room to make her feel better.....like he was her boyfriend.
He was taking care of her way too much.
No one knew about the past they once shared together.....so this aroused all kinds of rumors all over the company.... amongst the other work colleagues..
What else could it be if he didn't have some kind of feelings for her.....or some hidden intentions...
"Mrs Vibbles, there's nothing going on... he's like that because he's my boss... he'd do the same for anyone else in my place"Ariana replied.
Denying it was all she could do... lying to everyone and herself over and over again.
"He's an engaged man, and his fianceé is way better than me, he'd never have anything to do with a mere employee of his like me"Ariana added.
"I'll leave his life soon anyway, last night...was the last time we'd ever be close like that"
The faster she completed her task, the sooner she'd disappear from his life.
"Ari, I can't say I know you so well.....but I can tell, something's bothering you.... whenever you feel like you want to open up and talk to someone, I'll always be here for you"Mrs Vibbles replied.
She could read her like a book, whenever they talked about Ashton, her mood and attitude changed, like she was trying to hide something.
"Actually, Mrs Vibbles, my friend and I are looking for a new place we can stay.....I don't want to bother Mr Ashton, I was hoping you could help me out"Ariana said.... changing the topic of the conversation.
"Say no more, I was about to talk to you about it....I have an apartment which I rarely use, you can move in as soon as you're discharged..."Mrs Vibbles replied.
"How about the rent?"Ariana asked.
"My friend owns the building, she'll give you a discount...you don't have to worry...just focus on getting better..."Mrs. Vibbles replied.
The two were still chatting while Ariana slowly ate her food, then the door suddenly opened..... revealing the face of the last person she ever expected to visit her at the hospital in a time like this.