The Traps of Black Swan

Dax ran as fast as he could and reached the mall as he tried to call Aarvi repeatedly before he got through her. "Dum Dum, where are you?" His voice was filled with worry for her, and anger for her mother.Â

He heard her try for a long time to speak suppressing her emotions so he waited without pressing her as he ran inside the mall.Â

"R-r-roof." Aarvi's voice ailed on the other end.

'Roof? Rooftop?' Dax who entered the elevator, hurriedly asked, "Dum Dum, you aren't making any rash decisions, are you?"

He heard the other end calmly respond, "Nope, I came for some air."

Dax knew Aarvi was a stubborn girl and she wouldn't think of killing herself so easily but this mother of hers is truly insensitive and could hurt her own daughter mercilessly. "Be right there, I am coming."

In less than five minutes he reached the rooftop to see her sitting on the helipad looking at far distance lost in her own thoughts.

He didn't take stairs to climb on the helipad, instead stood below near her and raised his hands, "Come down. It's too windy up there." He said softly.

Aarvi looked at extremely concerned Dax so she slid down the helipad and held his shoulders as he helped her stand on her feet.

"Look at your hair. It looks like a bird's nest." Dax uttered, pushing her hair strands away but Aarvi took a step and leaned her head on him hiding her expression and suppressing her emotions.

However, a tear rolled down her cheeks as she said, "S-she still wants me dead." She sniffled to complete, "A-and m-my face is a jinx."

Dax caressed her head silently hoping she should cry out although he knew she wasn't going to do so.

Aarvi soon composed but to the form Dax hates the most. It was the composition that makes it hard to bring a heartfelt smile to her face.

Dax's eyes fell on the fallen shopping bags on the ground which had black dresses with a hint of white. He inwardly sighed hoping she doesn't take a step back due to her mother.

Dax pointed at the chairs that were on the rooftop, "Shall we sit there?" His voice was low and gentle looking at her forlorn gaze.

Aarvi nodded, she knew she still needed time to recover her mood. Even though she was prepared to meet each one from her past days, she didn't want to see her family members.

Dax who had messaged somebody delivered water which she drank and sighed loudly. She narrated whatever happened to Dax so that he could stop worrying more.

---- Half an hour earlier in the mall ----

Aarvi took a break after little shopping as heard the press conference. When most of the important part of the press conference was over, she again went hunting black dresses which will have a hint of whites.

After wearing a wedding gown, she weirdly craved white so she had tried a full white dress too but disliked it so she started buying the one which had grey and white with the black.

The craft business took off with good feedback, Skylar market value is increasing and Leon was breaking things realizing how he stupidly brought luck to Skylar when he could have acquired the Craft business by himself.

Everything was going good and her mood was also light causing her to enjoy shopping without checking messages or calls arriving during her conference call.

Aarvi was strolling when she noticed a middle-aged beautiful woman who gasped loudly. There are very few women who work on their looks and achieve amazing results, and the woman in front of her belongs to it.

Nobody could guess her as a woman in the mid-forties. It might be her striking face or a slender finger, she had maintained really well that could make most of the girls in twenties be envious of her.

But that face was a nightmare for Aarvi, the face which she never wants to remember even by mistake. Her whole being froze on the spot looking at the woman who kept her hands on her lips watching her top to toe repeatedly.

Aarvi who had held breath without knowledge felt suffocated. Her breathing was silent but irregular forcing herself to stay calm and handle the situation.

But she couldn't believe herself at some part of her heart, she still wanted to see her mother get happy and hug her saying, 'Thank god, nothing happened to you and you are safe.'

Then she felt her heart was expecting too much and replaced it with her mother smiling in surprise and saying, 'Oh my god, you look like my daughter.'

Anyhow, she was hoping a lot when she actually expired for her, so it again replaced with, 'Ava? Are you Ava Kelly?'

Anyway, she felt that's too much to ask for so it was replaced with just a little surprised or slightly happy or confused.

But what she got to hear was, "Y-You...You... How are you still alive? How could you be alive? Y-You died and we buried you. Who are you?"

Words full of disbelief and face full of cautionary towards her.

Aarvi really wanted to believe it was the disbelief of seeing her back alive and hoping it can be true. But it was disbelief without understanding why she is alive instead of being dead and buried. The woman was full of cautionary to be prepared to keep Aarvi away if in case she dares to step into Kelly's family again.

Her mother was aghast to see her alive instead of having any glimmer of happiness.

Aarvi's world stumbled again and felt sorry to be born as the daughter of a cruel woman. She tried to push her words out to sound like a stranger but her feet and tongue seemed to be glued after hearing her mother.

Having no choice, unwilling to hear more hurtful words and see the gaze full of contempt, she pulled her hand up, raised it to her shoulder, and clenched into a fist to send a signal to the Shadow team to stand by her to quickly send her mother away.

The woman saw her fist in the air and crunched her brows to an ugly scowl, "Such bad luck!? This face of yours is jinx even if you come alive from the tomb."

Aarvi sucked a deep breath as she was enveloped around by the tall, brawny men who were stoic, cold, and alert.

Aarvi really wanted to utter hurtful words but they seemed to be fastened in her throat struggling to come out. She really wants to know how people scold their own parents privately or openly. She also wanted to be capable of scolding her parents and use damn hurtful words.

When they hurt her every time, why can't she do it? When they hurt her biological daughter for doing no wrong, why can't she hurt them back for their ill behavior?Â

Probably that's a kind of weakness she had, she never thought respecting parents could also be a drawback.

The Shadow team head seemed to sense her so he asked, "Miss, is she troubling you?"

Aarvi clenched her fist catching her words looking at her mother's astonishment at the realization that she had bodyguards who reached her on a single cue, "She is cursing me to die. Send her away."

Her mother kept her hands on her mouth hearing the foreign language in an amazing dialect which she didn't understand but the Shadow team head did.

"Thank god, I thought that useless daughter of mine came back alive to jinx us more." She haughtily uttered thinking the lady couldn't understand.

While Aarvi seemed emotionless, the Shadow team members felt their blood boil in their veins hearing her. It was hard for them to believe such a mother exists on the earth.

The Shadow team head called the manager of the mall stepping aside while the mother snorted and left aside.

Her luck wasn't good and three security guards of the mall threw her out and the jinx again settled to Aarvi from her mother who entirely blamed it on her.

Aarvi was pulling her heavy leg away, other team members quickly disappeared when the head of the team apologized, "I am sorry Ms. Evans, we should have personally given you heads up."

Aarvi learned her lesson, never ignore any message beep or incoming call, and enjoying shouldn't be in her dictionary. She controlled her thoughts and spoke, "It wasn't your mistake. Please don't inform Aaron, he is busy."

She looked at him with an unfathomable gaze until he hesitantly accepted.

----

Dax didn't show his extreme hatred towards her parents. He again unscrewed the water bottle and handed her, "Drink some."

Aarvi obeyed, took a sip to wet her dry throat caused by her soundless sniffles.

Dax looked at her again losing in her own world gazing at the air. He couldn't understand what is the problem of her parents' that they are so cruel towards her. Seeing her sigh, he rubbed her head to get her attention and chose to ask, "Tired?"

'Was she tired?' No, she was broken-hearted and dejected. She didn't ask her parents to give birth to her, why should she bear the curses for doing nothing?

Probably she is tired, exhausted by assuring herself that the past didn't matter when it kept haunting her.