He Doesn’t Like The Feeling

By the time Flora and May picked her up from the hotel, Erik and Marlon have already left for their meeting.

The Lao sisters brought her to the largest high-end mall in the city. The shops there sell luxury and expensive brands. She told them that she will be attending a banquet the following evening and she needed their help to select a dress for her as she has no idea what to wear.

"Don't worry. Leave that to us. You are with the right company." Then they dragged her to the formal wear section for ladies. The siblings were shopaholics and have a pretty good sense of fashion. All the dresses and gowns they brought to her to try were beautiful and a good fit.

In the end, they all agreed on a black ruffled off-shoulder dress. The dress hugged her body perfectly showing her beautiful figure and the hem was just a little above her knees showing a lot of her legs.

As she was not sure if that was appropriate for a banquet she wanted to ask Erik and so she sent him a photo she took inside the dressing room.

Erik was in a meeting when his cell phone vibrated. He took a quick look and frowned. He tapped a few times before putting his cell phone back in his pocket.

Aryana's brows furrowed when she received the message from Erik.

"Erik said that I should get a long gown instead." Aryana sighed. She really liked the black dress.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Flora asked her in a teasing manner.

Aryana paused. Indeed, what exactly was her relationship with Erik?

"He is my guardian and my future boss." She said confidently.

Flora and May selected a few more gowns for Aryana to fit. She eventually decided on an emerald mermaid gown with a V neckline and beautiful green embroidered pattern sequins over a green underlay. The long sleeves that clung snugly to her arms stopped at her wrist. They decided to match the gown with a seven centimeters silver stiletto and a pair of dropped emerald earrings.

The Lao sisters have a good sense of fashion. But they like expensive things. Aryana was not a pretentious person so she insisted that she can only buy up to a certain limit. In the end, they let Aryana choose the earrings and the one she bought was still very beautiful but not overly expensive.

Aryana paid for the gown, the earrings and the shoes. Unbeknownst to her, Flora and May had requested the shop assistant to wrap the black dress as well.

"This is from Mu Chen. Looks like this dress was made for you and it will be a pity if you don't get this." Flora handed her the shopping bag.

"I… I don't think I can accept this." Aryana hesitated.

"Mu Chen said he still owes you last week's tutorial fees." May butt in hastily giving no room for Aryana to decline.

"But this is very expensive." Aryana cried in protest.

"Just consider it as an IOU and give him 100 hours of free tutorials."

...

Erik and Marlon were on their way back to the hotel. They were caught in a traffic jam so Erik lazily checked his WhatsApp. He lingered on the photo that Aryana sent him earlier. Aryana took a picture of herself in a mirror inside the dressing room. Her eyes were bright and sparkled like a twin star, her cute dimples showing.

Incidentally, Marlon saw the photo and he leaned slightly to the right to take a closer look disregarding the increasing chilliness in the car.

"Is that Aryana? She looks very beautiful in that dress. Very elegant and noble. Is that what she will wear tomorrow?"

"No. The dress is too short." With a cold snort, Erik locked his screen and pushed Marlon away.

Marlon was speechless. Erik was acting like a possessive boyfriend.

...

The following day, it was Amy and Mike accompanied Aryana to visit nearby tourist spots. They did not go far as Aryana has to go back early to prepare for the banquet with Erik.

When she came back to the hotel, she was surprised to see that a make-up artist and a stylist were waiting for her. It was arranged by Erik.

She took a quick shower and let the makeup artist do her work. Only light makeup was applied to highlight her features. Her hair was done in a neat updo except for a few strands that were intentionally left cascading on both sides of her face.

"You have a pretty complexion and a beautiful face. Even without makeup, you are a sure head-turner." the makeup artist said cheerfully.

The stylist helped her with the gown and with her shoes. She put on her earrings. The stylist scanned her from head to toe and frowned.

"You'll look better in a diamond necklace."

"It's okay. I don't know anyone at that party anyway."

'Where the heck will she get a diamond necklace.'

The stylist just shrugged her shoulders and went out of the room to fetch the man from the opposite room across the corridor.

Erik and Marlon entered without ceremony.

Marlon let out a whistle as he stared at Aryana admiringly. Erik stared daggers at him so he stopped whistling.

"Come here." He led Aryana by the hand to his room just opposite hers. It was the first time Aryana entered his hotel room. It was a suite room with a reception area and two bedrooms.

Erik entered his bedroom and came back with a small red velvet box. He opened the box and took out a diamond necklace and matching diamond-dropped earrings. He led Aryana to stand in front of a full-body mirror and placed the diamond necklace on her neck.

Aryana blushed. She could feel her heart thumping wildly.

'How come every time Erik occupies her personal space she is very much affected?'

She stole a glance at the man in the mirror only to meet his dark dark gaze. Now even the tip of her ears turned red.

She withdrew her gaze right away and tried to look at the diamond pendant nestled a little above the tip of the V of her neckline.

'Damn, why is he so unaffected like it's the most normal thing he does while I lose my composure?" She thought bitterly.

Erik took her hand and placed the earrings on it.

"I can't do it for you so handle it by yourself." He said nonchalantly.

'Look at how much she blushed. What a silly girl.' the corner of his lips turned upward.

He liked how Aryana reacted every time they got close. He liked the smell of her hair. He liked the way she blushed and the way her dimples appear every time she smile. He liked her temperament and everything about her.

But he did not like to feel these feelings at all.