The Traps of Black Swan

Aaron entered the Dawson mansion to pick his wife. He saw his wife sitting on an armchair, crossing her legs and sipping coffee or tea. Opposite to her, Eliza and Catherine were seriously discussing something.

One had business knowledge and another one was daring. Putting them together, they could boost each other's personalities. His wife had her ways to deal with the things but he didn't like she had so many things on her mind and solved them for others.

The sound of his shoes caught the attention of three ladies. Eliza and Catherine looked at the handsome man making his wife to his wife without averting his gaze. Then they looked at Aarvi who hadn't smiled even once, was glowing at the sight of her husband.

They recalled what Aarvi had told them. 'Don't fret what's done. Focus on today and tomorrow. Love yourself, build yourself. You will get what you deserve.'

They didn't know what they deserve, they just knew they would have to thrive for better days.

Aarvi stood up elegantly and left the unfinished teacup on the center table. She turned to the ladies who were in a daze, "I will take my leave. If there is anything, feel free to reach out to me."

The ladies stood up and responded in composure, "Thank you, President Evans."

"Sorry for taking you such a long time."

Aarvi just nodded in response. She took her bag and reached Aaron. She wasn't a friend of Catherine and Eliza so she didn't feel the necessity to introduce Aaron to them or vice versa.

Aaron tidied her frizzy hair as he asked, "Did President Evans complete her work?" He didn't know if there was any more work left.

Aarvi had plans to meet Dylan. Anyway, it wasn't important so she thought about what was next on the schedule. Nothing important. She wanted to take him somewhere but it would take a long route to return to the Rivas mansion for dinner.

"May I plan tomorrow's date evening?" She asked as they walked towards the door hand in hand.

Aaron could tell there was something on her mind. "Absolut…" He paused. Whenever she planned something, he or his work always ruined it.

Aarvi giggled looking at his deadpan face. "It's alright if we skip it."

The two ladies looked at each other and watched them leave, talking nothing special or behaving no different than any normal couple in love.

"I guess, we were with the wrong one from the beginning. And my daughter too." Catherine never saw Sean and Sara having any sweet conversation.

Eliza wanted to agree with her but Leon had really treated her like a treasure. So well that, she was ready to endure him for three years and also ignore his lust for other women.

Hearing about Sara and Sean, "Sean loves Aarvi Evans. He is working towards the future hoping to get a chance to be with her."

Catherine's eyes widened. Her hand pointed towards the door where the car disappeared. She wanted to say Aarvi seems to love her husband, how could Sean get her. Anyway, she recalled something more important. "I should teach my daughter to be independent. She shouldn't become like me." A spoiled princess who doesn't know how to live without anybody serving her all the time.

Catherine knew it was going to be too hard to handle Sara. Sara might even hate her for taking away the privileges and guiding her to work hard. Catherine hoped Sara could understand taking her life as an example or… take Sean as her beacon and work hard for him.

"Let's get back to work." Eliza cut off the silence and sat with the office documents. They got guidance from Cathrine's assistant who was appointed by Aarvi.

One was determined to succeed in business and another one was building the courage to divorce her husband.

-----

At the other end, Nikun fell on his bed after returning from the lunch date with his master. He knew his master was cunning to get the truth out of the mouth of anybody. If he didn't know James was using him, probably he would have blurted out everything. But acting as if he didn't know was the toughest job.

James wanted to know where Aaron met Aarvi, if their love was called decade long, then they should have met when they were in school. Were they schoolmates? And so on. Nikun felt drained by the end; he was able to smoothly escape.

'Click.'

Nikun jumped off the bed when the ensuite door opened. His mind ran so wild that he was sure Leon's men were there to attack him, silence him or kill him.

The moment his eyes fell on the gloomy figure, he furrowed his eyebrows, "Shea!!?"

Shea looked up at his brother, there was no smile or her cheerful greet. Her shoulder stayed drooped and her face glum. Her dark circles were clearly visible.

"Brother Nick, I am crashing here tonight." Her lifeless voice sounded. Her hazel eyes held no color either. She went to the study table and sat down. She forced herself to read her book.

To Nikun's eyes, she was behaving like a gloomy, depressed ghost. Instead of making fun of her state or ignoring her, he was genuinely worried about her. Even if she was sad, she never showed it to anybody except him and his elder brother so he could guess, she fought hard before giving up and becoming the ghost.

He searched her bag and found a scrunchie. She said nothing trying to study something. He held her hair carefully and tied it up. Then he held the swivel chair, pulled it till the corner of the bed and both sat face to face. "Tell me what happened?" He asked dotingly and worriedly.

Shea mulled over if she should share it with Nikun. She knew he wouldn't judge her and try to understand but she was also afraid thinking he might start hating her. Due to this reason, she didn't speak to Mehak.

"Did… Grandmother ask you to go on a blind date?" Nikun carefully asked as their grandparents were looking for a match for her and might force her to go on date.

Shea was already a mess. She widened her eyes in terror, discerning what was going on in the family. She cried, "I-I will run away. I won't come back…"

Nikun: "..."

'Did I just make something worse?'

He quickly tried to calm her, "Shea, listen… You know I and the elder brother will support you no matter what. So stop crying and tell me what's going on."

He searched for a tissue box and started handing her the tissues while she continued to cry. He knew something was up, hence she was acting so drastically. He didn't lose his patience and waited for her to calm down.

Just when he thought she calmed down, she cried harder than before and revealed between her sobs, "I slept with Shawn again."

"What!?" Nikun blurted out before realizing,

Shea's heart skipped a beat in pure fear and froze. If Nikun goes wrong, then she knows she will end up in somebody's house very soon as a stranger's wife. She stared at Nikun without daring to take a breath. She was ready to be lashed out.

Nikun breathed slowly. At the first encounter of Shawn and Shea, Nikun brushed it off without thinking much. Then he thought Shea might be attracted to Shawn and she night slowly come out of her closet. But hearing she slept again, he didn't know what to say or how to react. If those were together, Shea wouldn't have kept it as they slept.

"Did he seduce you?" He started the interrogation.

Shea finally breathed and lowered her head. She responded sadly, "No."

"Did you make the first move on him?"

Shea unemotionally responded, "No."

Nikun: "..."

If Shawn had forced Shea, Nikun knew Shea would have probably beaten the man or killed him. So he brushed that off. So who the hell made the first move?

"Wait, you guys just went with the flow, with mutual consent without any move or words."

Shea bit her lips and slowly nodded. She hesitated to say, "I ran away in the morning and then he gave me birth control pills." Then she thought, 'He isn't talking with me.' She felt even sadder about it.

'Snap'

Nikun smacked her head and demanded an answer, "Do you like him?"

Shea pouted, rubbing her head, "I don't know. He doesn't like me."

Nikun didn't think that way. Shawn and Shea never repeated their nightstands. Taking his and Aaron's friendship, Shea and Shawn should have avoided each other but failed.

There should be a reason, Nikun thought and asked "Why? Did he tell you that?"

Looking at Nikun calmly, waiting for her response anticipatingly, "Aren't you angry?"

"Answer me." He demanded coldly.

Shea pouted again. She imagined herself to be hanged soon and responded depressingly, "I am always rude to him, yet he was so good to me. He doesn't look at me in the face anymore."

Nikun: "..."

Although he didn't know what Shawn feels for Shea, he wanted Shea to come out of her assumptions and theories. So he gave her a new theory, "You were rude yet he endured you for so many days. What if Shawn actually likes you? You ran away so he might have assumed you regretted your time." Hence Nikun says one night stands turning into love is the toughest path. He had seen his friends struggling.

Shea fell for what he said, "You think so?" She gave long thought and questioned again, "Then why did he give birth control pills?"

Nikun's hand was itching to smack her again. But he sarcastically responded, "I didn't know you were so eager for a baby."

"No…" She almost screamed and fell silent. 'He did it for me..' She thought.