3 He smells so good

Ariana quickly shook her head denying his words. "It's not like that... I trust Martha. She won't let me come here with you if she wasn't assured"

Lucian cocked his brow and slowly bobbed his head in agreement. "You seem to have blind trust in the old lady, but what if she also seems to hide something from you?" he asked the otherwise.

Ariana didn't expect him to doubt Martha's motives towards her kids without knowing her entirely. She wasn't someone who would let the kids leave the orphanage without proof-checking or for the sake of money.

A small crease appeared between her brows and she glared at Lucian angrily. "Martha never lies," she stated and watched Lucian pursed his lips.

He was trying to hold back his smile watching her cute little frown. She looked like an angry lamp who didn't like him bad-mouthing her warden.

Ariana was amused to see him hold back his laughter and she suddenly felt annoyed. Pushing the chair behind her, she stood up and glared at Lucian.

"I need to rest," she said and turned to leave but before she could reach her hand to open the door she heard Lucian and her steps halt on their own.

"Don't be upset. I didn't mean to hurt you" his words made her turn to look at him and before she could realize it, she found Lucian approaching her.

With just a few long strides Lucian was already standing in front of her. His tall frame hovered over her small one and slowly their closeness invaded her space and breathed his manly fragrance.

He smelled like a drug which slowly stirred her senses making her lean further closer to him.

This was the first time, she let a man come this close to her and it was enough to make her heart pound inside her chest.

'He smells so good' she thought and slowly closed her eyes feeling the heat radiating between their closed body.

"I-I am not u-upset" Ariana managed to speak but she could ignore the fact that his closeness was affecting her.

"Is that so?" she heard him and quickly raised her head only to find him bend down until their face was at the same level.

Ariana gaped when his well-crafted face came into her view and for a second she forgot to breathe. 'How can someone be this beautiful' she thought as her eyes fell on his lips and she ended up biting her own.

'Someone, please save me'

"Y-Yes," she said breathlessly, hoping he would bat her lie but she was wrong when suddenly he brought his hand close to her head, and with the help of his forefinger, he brushed the crease formed between her brows.

Heat erupted inside her body the moment their skin touched and she found herself melting into that small touch. 'What is wrong with me' she asked herself.

'How can his simple touch affect me so much'

Ariana fixed her eyes on his face and watched him speak," Then why are you still frowning" Lucian asked.

Ariana didn't know what she would answer him because she was finding herself slowly drowning in his deep blue eyes.

Lucian was waiting for her to speak noticed the stillness of her body and then looked down at the gap between the two. It was then he realized how close they were.

Quickly taking a step back, he cleared his throat and turned around, suddenly feeling the uneasiness in his heart.

"You should get back to your room now. Make yourself comfortable and let me know if you have any problem with your stay here" Lucian didn't bother to turn around and face her.

The situation was too awkward for them and now even he felt embarrassed about how he let lose himself in front of her.

Ariana kept staring at Lucian who had his back facing her and nodded. The moment he finished, she flung open the door and walked out of the study room.

Thud

Once the door was closed Lucian then turned and stared at the empty where Ariana stood a few seconds ago and sighed.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to calm himself and turned around walking back to his table and pulling out his chair before sitting back on it.

"What's wrong with you Lucian... You can't let her know anything yet" he talked to himself, reminding him of the words he had been replaying in his mind the entire time.

'But how long' the voice inside him once again took him by surprise.

******

After leaving the study, Ariana quickly sprinted to her room after memorizing the direction earlier and entered inside. Shutting the door behind her close, she leaned her back against it and tried to calm herself.

She was panting as she ran from the study like a scared cat and dashed into the room without looking back. Whatever happened inside the study kept replaying in her mind and she quickly closed her eyes.

Ariana was so engulfed by her thoughts that she didn't realize she had been hugging herself all this time while her mind kept imagining Lucian's face and his intoxicating smell that invaded her rational thoughts.

Staying like that, she slowly found herself calming down and once she felt better, Ariana opened her room and the reality stuck in. "This isn't an orphanage, but your new....home" A sigh escaped her lips and she walked ahead inside her room.

The next few hours Ariana spends inside arranging her clothes inside the closet. She had already excused the maid from doing her work because she was used to doing her work.

Everyone inside the orphanage was self-dependent kids who were taught to take care of themselves and after coming here and seeing the luxurious life, she didn't want to forget her manners and upbringing.

"Done" Stretching her arms up, Ariana yawned and turned around walked towards the bed, and slumped down. She didn't sleep the entire night thinking about the place she had been sent to, but now that she was here, Ariana didn't find her new home that bad.

Closing her eyes she let the sleep engulf her mind and in no time Ariana dozed off to slumber.

*****

[Living hall]

Fret had been instructing a few things to the servants inside the house on Lucian's orders. Now that apart from them another person was staying inside the house, their master wanted everyone to be on their best behavior.

"There shouldn't be any mistakes done from outside. Is it clear to everyone" he declared watching everyone agree with him.

"Now go and prepare the lunch. Miss Ariana might be hungry" Fret instructed moving his attention to the head chef and dismissing the small gathering.

Fret didn't want to commit any mistake in disappointing his master. All these years they had been living here with the hope that one day, Lucian would finally find the person he had been looking for and now that his search finally came to an end, his only wish was to be careful around the new person.

By the time the lunch was prepared, Ariana had woken up from her nap. She pushed herself up on the bed and scratched her eyes.

Finding herself alone, Ariana suddenly began to her old home and she looked around the house to find something. "Don't they use a telephone here?" she mumbled and climbed down from the bed.

Ariana just wanted to check on Martha and everyone. She wasn't able to call her after she reached here but now, when she tried to find a telephone inside the room she could see it.

"Such a big house yet they don't have a telephone here" Ariana wondered how she would communicate with Martha if there wasn't any source

Heaving out a deep sigh, Ariana dropped the idea for now but she would soon ask Fret if he could get a telephone line connected to her room.

With that thought, she turned and headed to the bathroom. She was yet to change her clothes into casual wear and now she finally got the time, she didn't waste a second and decided to take a shower.

Taking a quick bath, she stepped out and got changed into her regular wear when she heard a knock on the door and Fret walked inside along with a few maids who carried trays of food with them.

"We have your lunch ready Miss Ariana" Fret spoke and motioned the maids to arrange the food on the small dining table placed in the corner of the room.

In no time the food was arranged on the table and one of the maids pulled a chair for her. "Please have your seat young miss," the lady said politely which made Ariana feel a little shy.

She wasn't used to this type of special treatment and felt awkward with the way they were referring to her as their young miss.

"Please call me Ariana. I am familiar with that name" she answered sincerely and took the seat which the maid pulled out for her.

The maids share a glance at each other and then at Fret who motioned them with his piercing eyes instantly silencing their behavior.