Page 60 of Petals and Fangs

My mind is racing, and I feel like I have to do something, anything. I must find answers to this. Arial. I have to call Arial. I can't think of a better person than her to talk to about this.

I dial her number, and she doesn't take long to pick up. My hands are shaking, and I can barely hold the phone. I hope she doesn't hear the crack in my voice. I am not even sure whether it is fear or just anxiety, but my voice doesn't seem to be under my control.

“Hey, Arial, you there?”

“Yes, is everything okay?” She can obviously sense something is wrong.

“I am not sure. Do you mind if you stop by my place? I really need your opinion on something,” I say and sigh.

“I'm just getting off work, Lily. I'll be right there,” she says and hangs up before I can say anything else.

It's almost eight at night, and the storm is not making things better. I hate the dark, and I hate this weather. As I pace the room, every creak of the floorboards and howl of the wind outside makes me jump.

‘What if Ethan finds out what I'm doing?’ The thought sends a shiver down my spine.

I glance at the clock, the seconds ticking by painfully slow. Arial can't get here soon enough. I need her calm presence and rational mind to help me sort through this mess.

Finally, there is a knock at the door. I rush to open it, relief flooding through me at the sight of Arial's familiar face.

“Thank you for coming,” I say, my voice trembling.

“Of course, Lily. Now, tell me what's going on,” she replies, stepping inside.

“I am not sure where to start,” I say, running my hand through my hair.

“I am here for you, Lily. You can tell me anything. You look pale. Has the Rothschild guy done something to you?” she asks, seeming worried.

“No. No, he hasn't. I am afraid I have.”

“What have you done Lily? It must be something serious because I am not the biggest fan of your facial expression right now.”

“Let us just say that I looked around his office and took something that I was not supposed to.”

“Such as?” she asks, obviously impatient.

I hesitate for a minute, making Arial lose her patience, but I eventually go to my purse and place a couple of blood bags on the table. Arial stares at them, her eyes widening in shock.

“Why are those blood bags there? That's a blood bank, Lily!” she exclaims.

“Well, you see, this is the reason Ethan wanted me to stay away from his fridge. He's been having those in there for God knows how long,” I say, and it suddenly feels like a burden has been lifted off my chest.

“And why did you go snooping around his fridge in the first place, Lily?” she questions.

“Because I don't know! Just because I could? Because I have an eye for anything abnormal, I guess.”

“Lily, this is wrong. You should not go around looking for things that are not yours. There are rules, rules we all live by.”

“We practically spent the entire day together today. Ethan and me. He ended up dragging me to the company's storage units and I couldn't help but notice a weird-looking box in the basement. As I approached it to take a look, he went crazy on me.”

“Maybe he didn't want you approaching it. Such matters are extremely sensitive in pharmaceutical companies.”

“But why was he so freaked out about it? It is almost like he is hiding something.”

“How do you know he is hiding something? Are you sure of that?”

“Because he wouldn't let me see the box and he avoided me for the rest of the day. I did the work that I was required to do and went looking for him in his office, but he was nowhere to be found. There was just the goddamn fridge, slightly open.”

“Okay, then maybe you should ask him about it when you see him again. Give him a chance to explain himself. Try to understand him. Don't jump to conclusions, and trust me, he will tell you the truth. Always.”

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