The Traps of Black Swan

Everything happened so quickly that Aarvi was caught off guard. Numerous things played in her mind in a mere second but everything went blank when Nico seized her in his arms.

She clenched her teeth, curled her fingers when they trembled, her heart squeezed and shuddered, hitting the accelerator hard. She wanted to get rid of the man regardless of why he might have held her. 

Nico was passing by on a bike when he noticed Aarvi speaking to the delivery guy while passing him the banquet.

The Shadow team were at a good distance and before they could identify the man, Nico had already hugged Aarvi. They rushed up to them but paused when Aaron came to their view.

Aaron had a few emergency mails to check so he hadn't left the penthouse with her. Once he was done, he left with Zain and Shawn. He wanted to drop by at the shop and accompany Aarvi for a while as he had to talk to Aarvi about Leon.

He was just a step away watching Aarvi whose panic for the physical contact was a lot controlled after staying with the Rivas family the whole day.

Aaron was about to pull Nico away from Aarvi, Nico unwrapped his arms after a quick hug but he held Aarvi's arms. Without giving her time to collect herself, he blurted out without noticing Aarvi wasn't being her normal self. "I am sorry, I am so sorry. I really didn't know you came looking for me at the base. I had no idea of it. Why didn't you call me that day? How..."

His voice was laced with regret and disappointment about himself. He was truly apologetic to the mistake, he hadn't even done it.

Aaron was quick to discern Nico was talking about the past. He hadn't heard the complete past from Aarvi yet, so he understood his Cupcake had tried her best to escape from Leon.

Anyway, he shrugged off Nico and gently cupped her face. Their eyes met and slowly, Aarvi's breathing stabilized and her struggling expression calmed down.

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On the surface, it would look like they were displaying affection in public but Nico, who knew how cold yet serene Aarvi behaves, noticed the changes as soon as he came to his senses from overwhelming thoughts. He had thought he might not get a chance to meet her.

He didn't care about the identity 'Aarvi Evans.' He knew she was Ava Kelly and nothing mattered.

Aaron didn't speak or ask too much. Revealing her weakness was what he least wanted. Wrapping her in his arms, he didn't care about the eyes they were grabbing as it was still pre-office hours.

Once she calmed her nerves, Aarvi tried to recall what Nico said and then threw it behind her head. She looked up at Aaron who should have been on the way to the office, was catering to her.

She pouted, "I sent flowers to you, just now." If she knew he was going there, she could have handed him herself.

Aaron was used to her multiple thoughts brain so he wasn't surprised how she ignored Nico and his actions and focused on him. "I will go and collect them."

He was aware she doesn't send normal, easily available flowers to him. She always gets him unique, rare flowers from her farm which won't be available easily to other customers unless they write down a special order, sometimes waiting in queue for their turns.

Aarvi nodded before both looked at Nico and the Shadow team members. Aarvi cued them to leave before entering the shop with Aaron and Nico in tow.

Nico couldn't hold his patience for long, especially after he discovered 'Ava Kelly' had passed the life and death gate to become 'Aarvi Evans.' What bugged him the most was, he was at his base when she was at the main gates asking for him. He could have saved her, couldn't he?

"Ava, why were Leon's men following you?"

Aarvi paused when she was unwrapping the packed flowers to the big jars. "Evans." She corrected him coldly.

Nico knew she wasn't denying she wasn't Ava but she didn't like to be called one. Hearing Evans, he understood that he doesn't have the independence to address her by name. 

Even though they got to know each other due to Vance Hays, they had spoken over the phone a few times. That time, she was the first one to address him 'Brother Nico.' So he had called her his little sister, a sister from another mother. 

That soft-spoken, happily talking Ava Kelly and the woman called Aarvi Evans was stark contrast yet the same. There was a fine balance and a huge line drawn between both characters.

He silently watched her when she quickly and efficiently wrapped a few pre-ordered bouquets while Aaron helped her with papers, ribbons, and the fresh leaves that she needed.

They indeed ignored him as they spoke and Aarvi taught Aaron about a few flowers before she sent out all the orders as they served the customers who were coming in. Despite seeing Aarvi professional at the work she was doing, Nico knew this wasn't what she does for a living. 

Once the office hours started, the customers weren't there and Aarvi brewed coffee for Aaron. Nico was thinking she would ignore him but she extended the other cup towards him.

He took it, then thanked her before he sat down at the small table that was aside.

"You want to stay? Who will do your work?" She asked Aaron who surprisingly let her drink coffee by sharing from his cup.

"A little more time." Aaron coaxed her before she could throw him out.

Aarvi gave a thought, glanced at Nico. He was impatient when he came, and he finally acquired his demeanor indifferent, highly alert, and calm even when eager. She knew Nico wouldn't leave so easily as he had started to blame himself for her ill fate.

"I will tell you a story. Come on." She said taking Aaron to the table.

Aaron wanted to stop her as it would make her sad. Anyway, he decided to stop her if it got out of hand or send Nico away to take care of her.

"How did you know, Captain Burton?" Aarvi asked as she crossed her legs sitting opposite Nico, next to Aaron.

Nico glanced at Aaron before looking at her. He wanted to get answers to many questions so he chose to respond to her first, "I got to know the lies of Vance Hays."

He didn't get to see any reactions to it. It was like Vance Hays didn't matter to her at all. He ignored his negligible expectation as Aarvi never acts according to him.

"I recovered the deleted footage of you at the base camp main gate asking the comrades to let you see me or let you wait there for me." 

Asking? No, she was requesting, practically begging them but that hadn't softened the stone hearts of the military men who thought she was there to seduce them wearing the fancy dress but behaving like in danger.

Nico was looking through events of what happened to Ava kelly when she left the wedding hall. He highly doubted Vance doing something to her. 

Even though his and his team's efforts were in the drain, he had noticed somebody had erased the traces of her purposefully. During that time, his comrade was looking for him and he revealed to Nico everything that happened at the main gate that day and also mentioned he met 'Ava Kelly's doppelgänger' at the mall.

Even though Nico didn't mention who told him about that day, Aarvi remembered the military man she had met in the mall.