Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 123: Shared Past?

Chapter 123: Shared Past?

Jordan sitting in the passenger seat in the front, wondered why Arthur asked the car to stop in the middle of the road.

Could there be any trouble in the back? Did Sophia try something on Arthur and made him mad? Is Arthur trying to kill her?

As he was wondering, he heard the bang in the glass panel behind him and felt his blood flowing backwards. It was a sharp bang as if a skull was bashed on it and even the driver was startled.

Jordan was the first to step out of the car to open the door in the back and the moment he opened, he coughed slightly and waved the cigar smoke coming from the inside and his eyes watered as the smoke got in his eyes.

Was he trying to bake himself with this much smoke? Can’t he hold his urge to smoke until he dropped the Lady at her home?

As Jordan’s eyes cleared, he was dumbfounded to see Arthur’s left hand choking Sophia, pressing her on the partition glass panel. Her eyes were red with tears streaking down her cheek and her face was deep red as she couldn’t breath and her lips almost looked blue.

"Arthur! Let go!" Jordan didn’t even look at Arthur and released Sophia from the death grip around her slender throat by prying Arthur’s hand away and pulled her out with all his might.

"You! What were you thinking?" Jordan asked gritting his teeth looking at Arthur whose eyes were red and even the veins in his forehead were popping out as if he was enraged.

He looked like a beast! A beast!

Jordan patted Sophia’s back as she was coughing incessantly and got hit water from the car for her to drink and glared at Arthur the whole time.

What the hell is wrong with him?

Arthur still couldn’t get what was going around since he had a splitting headache. He felt like someone was pushing needles into his brain and the pain made him giddy. He just wanted to go home and after taking medications and a nice bath, wanted to sleep.

"Are you getting in or not?" Arthur asked Jordan who was still speaking something to him and Arthur wasn’t in the mood to listen.

Jordan who didn’t realise the pain Arthur was in, got stunned by the indifference in his tone.

How can someone be this calm after hurting a Lady?

" What about Lady Sophia?" Jordan asked. By now Sophia had stopped coughing, but there was still tears falling from her eyes. He felt pity for her. She doesn’t deserve this.

"Walk her home then!" Arthur had no patience dealing with them. Snow had started falling and with the car door open, the heat inside the car got lost and he felt cold. He closed the door and urged the driver to get home. He really didn’t care what happened to that woman. The nerve on her to talk about his Iris!

Jordan was dumbfounded as the car making a U-turn and since it was a small hill road with only big estates around, the big car took a little time to make a turn.

With a sigh, he walked to the front fender and picked up the umbrella from the umbrella slot of the car and he wanted to look at Arthur but he couldn’t since the car left immediately after.

The warmth from the car exhaust was quickly swept away by the chilly wind that swept by. Tightening the long coat he was wearing, he walked to Lady Sophia and he could see her rubbing her shoulders unable to bear the cold. Her face looked pale now and her red lips were blowing out vapour as she tried to warm herself up.

Jordan looked at her clothes and his eyebrows furrowed unconsciously. Her coat was only up to her knee and she was wearing sheer stockings which according to his sisters does nothing for the cold.

Can’t she wear something warmer? She must be freezing!

Under the street light she was standing, her blond hair shimmered and the little snowflakes resting on her blond hair made it seem like she was wearing pearls on her lustrous hair.

Looking at her, another series of images popped in his mind and he shook his head to get it out of his mind.

It was a long time ago!

Jordan opened the umbrella and passed it to Sophia who now had a plain expression. Without saying a word, he removed his woollen muffler he was wrapping around his neck and tried to put it around her neck, but she took a step back.

"No thanks, Mr. McAllister. I can walk by myself," saying this she tried to walk away but Jordan’s nimble hands had already wrapped his muffler around her neck swiftly.

"You..." her brown eyes looked at Jordan with incredulity and in the end, she didn’t say anything and started walking. Jordan followed her silently.

In the long elevated road, the two of them walked without saying a word. The wind was blowing and there was a crunching noise under their feet as they walked over the snow.

Sophia thought about the incidents that happened in the past few hours and felt her throat getting heavy. Yes, he tried to strangle her. But still, she still wanted to be with him.

Her hands reflexively went to her throat as she thought about that incident. She really was scared. But her eyebrows twitched as she felt the soft will in her hands. Along with the warmth it provided, there was a soft lemony scent eluding from the muffler.

She felt her heart palpitate a little. She didn’t understand why. As she wondered the gentle voice from behind her made her wince a bit. His voice was so soft, unlike the man she loved.

"Arthur... He is not like that always..." Jordan said softly as he looked at Sophia’s back. She was walking five feet in front of him. It seemed like with the heels she was wearing, walking in the snow was not easy. He could never understand why women try to hurt themselves this much for the sake of looking good.

Then again, she was supposed to travel by car. It was Arthur’s fault she had to walk.

"I know. He only acted that way because I tried to kiss him," Sophia answered. The tip of her nose has gone red probably because of the cold. Somehow the man walking behind her made her feel a mixture of emotions.

"... Oh?" It took a lot of time for Jordan to find his voice to answer. And he was lost for words for the rest of the journey. As he was in deep thoughts, he walked slowly and the distance between them got wider and wider.

As they reached the big iron gates of the Clairmont House, Sophia turned to send Jordan away. Her family cannot know Arthur didn’t send her off. They’d be eagerly waiting for her return to hear about the date. She decided to lie to them and just say that Arthur dropped her at the gates and left in a hurry since something came up.

Jordan realised Sophia was walking towards him and wondered what that was about and hastened his steps.

Sophia found it hard to walk down the ramp was harder because of the heels she was wearing and walked carefully. But she didn’t realise there was ice formed below and ended up slipping on the ice.

As she was falling down she felt a strong hand holding her by her arm and lifting her up. Jordan’s other hand was around her waist as she was still stumbling on the ice and she lifted her and placed her in a safe place.

"Ha! That was scary," Jordan smiled looking at Sophia’s face now awfully close to his. He could even count the number of eyelashes on her eye. The fog from her mouth ended on him and his smile froze as he felt something else.

Sophia who had just gotten over the scare of falling down, felt her heart beat erratically and held on closer to the strong man who was holding her gently.

She could see her reflection in his grey eyes and slowly she felt like she’d get sucked into the gentleness in them.

"Hmm!" she pulled herself away from him. That was dangerous. She needs to be warded against him. Only he is dangerous for her, just like before.

"Mr. McAllister, your muffler and umbrella," she passed them to him.

"You can have it..." Jordan clenched his teeth to compose himself and said. Is she scared of me?

"No need, I-"

"There are bruises on your neck. Your family will worry." Jordan interjected her.

"Oh?" Sophia traced her finger through her neck and her eyelids drooped out of sorrow.

Will they? Will my family worry if I tell them the truth?

"Even so Mr. McAllister, now that I’m engaged, I can’t have another man’s articles of clothing with me," she stuffed the muffler and umbrella in his hands and turned to leave. She didn’t know why but her heart felt heavy as she walked away from him.

"And Jordan, you still remember what happens if you try to get close to me, right?" she said pausing her steps and Jordan who was watching her leave, felt his heart skipped a beat and he snorted.

"Good Night, Lady Sophia. Sleep tight," he said as he wrapped the muffler around his neck and turned and walked back in long strides not knowing there was a look of guilt in Sophia’s eyes.

How will he forget?

---

Talia locked the bedroom door softly not to make any noise as Rebecca was sleeping. In the office, it seemed like the talk between Joe and Rebecca wasn’t productive. Rebecca’s been crying for this long and slept just now and she didn’t want to disturb her.

For Talia who observed from the outside, it seemed like Rachel had something over Joe and Joe was giving in to Rachel. He truly loved Rebecca but Talia could infer there was something of a secret that Rachel knows that prevents Joe from opening up with Rebecca. She couldn’t figure out what Rachel wants.

Unless Joe opens up, their problem won’t be solved.

Talia who had taken a break from the Internet for more than half a day decided to go back and as usual her name came up once again in Esteria.

As she went through the articles, her heart burned with jealousy as she read the headlines about Arthur’s very first date with his fiancée. There were a lot of comments about how cute she was as they had dinner together.

But Talia could only laugh as she saw the bouquet of flowers he gave Sophia.

Oh, Fred! For him to choose these flowers... It was deliberate.

Also there were many video clips of their date that happened in the most crowded restaurant in the city and that too not in a private stall.

Fred, you did everything right! Talia praised him in her heart.

As she went through the videos, it seems like he was not interacting with Sophia even a bit and he talked with a old lady sitting in the table adjacent to his.

Eeeeh!

Talia screeched out in joy as she listened to one of the video clip.

"I love Iris!"

He said it! He said it!

She didn’t even feel bad about the date anymore and read the comments which were all saying how cute and shy they were with each other.

You all know nothing!

Talia couldn’t help but smile.

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