Chapter 27 Kissing his pain away
Ophelia’s POV
As I walked down the stairs to the kitchen to grab a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee, I noticed the dark and gloomy ambiance of the entire household.
It seemed as if the workers were all in a sort of dark bubble of sadness as they all had long, forlorn faces. I didn’t see Jason in sight, else I could have asked him what was going on.
Thankfully, I sighted Lilian just as I was about to head over to college. She was also clad in a black outfit just like the rest of the workers, but she didn’t have the same forlorn look as they all had, she seemed normal.
My curiosity continued to blossom inside me as I slowly sipped the cup of coffee, inwardly thinking of how to start a conversation with Lilian and ask her about the reason for the sudden atmosphere change in the mansion.
It seemed she caught on to my curiosity as she smiled at me, “Is there something else you need, Miss Ophelia?”
I hesitated as I set the coffee down and stared at her, “Uhm…I was just curious about something. Is there a reason why the mansion seems so gloomy today? And you all are clad in black?” I asked.
I noticed she stiffened for a split second before her lips quivered into a sad smile, “Oh, I guess since you’re new here, you wouldn’t know. But, I thought you were quite close to Sir Ryan and h-” Lilian halted in her statement, which made me arch a perplexed brow at her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to word it like that, Miss Ophelia,” Lilian muttered, to which I nodded and remained quiet.
It seemed as if whatever was happening was a secret sorta thing. I finished my coffee, retrieved my satchel from the kitchen island where I had placed it prior, and slung it across my chest.
Afterward, I turned around to leave for school but as I did, Lilian’s next utterance made me halt in my steps.
“Today is the death anniversary of Sir Ryan’s parents,” Lilian muttered, and my eyes doubled in surprise as I inclined my head sideways to stare at her.
“You know they passed away when Sir Ryan was in his second year of college, seven years ago. They died in a car crash. Bless their souls, they were very nice and accommodating people. They helped train Jason while they were alive. They all thought us to be their friends and not merely their helpers, so it gets very sad in the mansion on their death anniversary,” Lilian explained, and by the time she was done talking, my mouth was left hanging open in surprise.
“Oh, I didn’t know that. Ryan didn’t tell me anything about it,” I confessed to Lilian, and she nodded in understanding.
“Yeah, I figured he didn’t. Even though he carries himself like a ruthless and heartless enigma of a brute, I know Sir Ryan is not as cruel as he makes himself seem. He is a kind man with a heart of gold,” Lilian uttered, and I almost scoffed.
Ryan and kindness were two polar opposite words that would never go together.
There was no way the beast who had forced me to suck him off some days ago was kind, and more importantly, had a heart of gold.
More like he had a heart of stone.
“His parents’ death extremely ruined him. Sir Ryan wasn’t always as brutal as he currently is. I think he acts wicked because he doesn’t want to seem weak to others. I hope he finds someone who he can be himself with soon. A partner who will teach him the true meaning of love,” Lilian sighed as she darted a weird sort of look at me.
I gulped as I cleared my throat nervously, and looked away from Lilian’s fixated stare.
“I hope so too,” I squeaked before I turned around and literally walk-sprinted out of the kitchen before Lilian dissected my insides with her piercing gaze.
It seemed as if she knew something about me with the way she kept staring at me.
I shuddered before I bowed to Damon which he reciprocated and flung the car door open for me.
As he expertly maneuvered the car towards the direction of my college, various thoughts simmered inside me with the most prominent one being how I was going to act with Ryan when he came back from work.
Should I just act and pretend I was oblivious to the fact that the day was his parents’ death anniversary? Or should I act honestly and offer him a few words of condolences? I thought as I chewed on my lower lip.
I knew how random Ryan’s mood swings were. I could try to be nice to him by speaking nicely to him, and he could just rudely tell me to fuck off.
Maybe I would just stick to my initial thought and act like I didn’t know anything. I resolved within myself as I got down from the car moments later.
I saw Ava standing at the foot of the entrance stairs with a weak menacing glare and her arms folded across her chest as I approached her.
“Who was that?” She spat as soon as I got closer to her.
“My boss’s driver,” I responded, and the glare instantly dissipated from her face.
Well, figuratively, Ryan was my boss. So, I wasn’t lying to Ava. I thought, in a bid to convince myself.
“Damn, babe. You are literally living a life of bliss now. I want to be like you,” Ava fake cried which made me stiffen with guilt.
No, Ava. You don’t want to be a sex slave to a brute. You really don’t. I thought to myself as I feigned a smile at her in response.
+++
After I finished my classes, Damon came to pick me up. I felt my resolve to pretend like I was unaware of the day’s significance to Ryan, crumbling.
I heaved a heavy sigh as I found myself in front of Ryan’s bedroom door hours later, late in the evening when I was sure he must have arrived from work.
What I was going to do or say to him, I didn’t know.
I inhaled deeply before I knocked gently on the door. Afterward, I waited for a response with my clammy hands clasped together in my front.
I was about to leave, thinking he probably didn’t want to see anyone and wanted to grieve alone when the door clicked open from the inside.
My breath hitched in my throat as my palms got sweatier. I exhaled deeply as I knobbed the door open, and stepped inside.
My eyes roamed around the room in search of Ryan when I didn’t see the man anywhere.
Had a ghost opened the door to me then? I foolishly thought as I clasped my hand over my mouth.
“I’m here,” Ryan’s voice boomed across the room, and I diverted my gaze to the direction where his voice came from.
My heart almost broke when I saw him seated in a dark corner of his room. He had four bottles of alcohol–all opened up in front of him, and his head was turned towards the direction of the glass walls of his bedroom.
I could tell he was broken. He seemed so vulnerable.
“Ryan, it’s me, Ophelia. Are you busy or should I come back later?” I asked as I took hesitant steps towards him.
“As you can see, I’m not busy. What do you want to tell me?” He turned his face towards me to ask, and I shook my head in pity. I could deduce from the dried tear trickles on his face that he had been crying for a while.
“I-err,” My words got stuck in my throat when I realized I had never had a normal conversation with Ryan, and I was confused about how to start one.
“Come sit next to me,” He slurred, beckoning to me and patting the space near him.
I hesitated for a beat before I nodded and obliged his command.
I was stunned when Ryan placed his head on my shoulder and squinted up at me.
I felt my cheeks heat with crimson as I held his gaze.
“Ophelia, why do you look so pretty today?” He drawled, and I quickly averted my stare from him before my face completely reddened.
“I-I heard today is your parents’ death anniversary, so I came to offer my late condolences to you,” I stuttered, as I fixed my gaze on the floor.
“Oh? Thanks, I guess. You’re a nice person, Lia. Even though I’ve troubled you so much like the unchanging asshole I am, you still came to comfort me,” Ryan sighed, and I felt something akin to guilt poke my heart as I stared down at him.
It seemed Lilian was right. Maybe Ryan really had a heart and wasn’t totally a jerk.
“You’re welcome,” I muttered as I felt his breath, which was spiked with alcohol on my nose.
“Can I kiss you?” He whispered as he focused his stare on my lips.
I gasped with impatience as I fervently nodded, fluttered my eyes shut, and waited for him to close the distance between us.
I sighed as his soft lips tenderly captured mine. I remained still as I let him maul my lips in a gentle yet passionate kiss.
Moments later, he released my lips with a string of saliva connecting us and smiled warmly at me.
“Thanks again,” He mumbled.
“You’re welcome,” I reiterated with a smile.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.