Chapter 4: Solution (Alexander's POV)

I don't know what happened to me when we got a hold of her. I wasn't taught to act like this with women and I never have before. But the second I got close to her, all I saw was red. 

She brought out the worst in me for no apparent reason. Not one that I know of anyway. And just to make sure it doesn't happen again, she needs to be kept as far away from me as possible. 

I climbed into the car, sitting beside her. One of the guards came with us. The other stayed behind to make sure nobody else got hurt in our chaos and to pay for any damage we caused to anything being sold at one of the stalls. I sighed in anger, staring out of the window as the car started heading to the palace. 

"Where are you taking me?" 

I didn't answer her and continued to focus on my breathing. 

"Hello? I'm asking you," she huffed, trying to undo the handcuffs. She struggled and no doubt, the metal was cutting through her skin. 

Maybe I shouldn't have tightened those to that extent. 

She cried, mumbling curses under her breath while continuing to try. 

"Stop moving around," I said as calmly as I could. She ignored me and tried persistently. I grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. "I said stop moving around," I said sternly. 

She huffed but listened to me. She wasn't looking at me. Aria Rose. She's never been caught committing a theft. That's the problem. And even today, although I caught her, I have no proof of what she did. Because ultimately, I'm the one with the watch. I reached behind her, loosening the cuffs. 

She sighed instantly in relief, her shoulders relaxing. I let her go and she moved back, settling into her seat. "You can't do anything. You know that right?" she scoffed. 

"If you want those handcuffs to stay loose like that then keep quiet." 

She rolled her eyes and both of us resumed staring out of our windows. When we arrived at the palace, I was first out of the car. Just being around her angers me. I walked inside without waiting for her, hearing her groan as the guard pulled her out and forced her to follow me. 

"I can walk on my own," she mumbled. 

When we made it inside, I headed to the living room while taking my blazer off and unbuttoning the sleeves of my shirt while loosening my tie. "Mr. Harry!" 

He came rushing over. "Yes, sir?" 

"Call my parents, please. Both of them." 

He nodded before scurrying back out. Aria was brought and she stood in front of me. 

"Uncuff her," I ordered. The guard took the handcuffs on and she brought her wrists forward, rubbing them while hissing in pain. I looked down at her wrists. They were bruised but her right wrist also had a small cut on it. 

"Where's my hat?" She turned to the guard. He handed it to her. She grabbed it possessively, dusting it clean and holding onto it. "Now what?" she asked, running a hand through her hair. 

I glared at her and continued ignoring her. I sat down on the one-seater, waiting for my parents to walk in. They came inside, utterly confused while the other guard who accompanied me entered the palace. They both were standing on either side of Aria who had now moved and stood a few feet behind my chair. I rested my elbow on the armrest and held my chin in my palm while my parents' footsteps echoed before they appeared. 

They were talking to each other and took their seats without glancing up at me. My father whispered something to her before they turned to me. "Now what..." my father trailed off, his eyes going to Aria. "Who is this?" 

She let out a soft chuckle. 

"This," I sighed, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. "Is Aria Rose." 

"Aria Rose?" my mom frowned in confusion, my parents exchanging a look. 

"The thief?" he asked. 

"The one and only," I scoffed. 

"Why have you brought her here?" my mother questioned. 

"Because she stole from me." Surprise took over both their faces. 

"Tried," she corrected. "I tried to steal from him. Only I couldn't." 

My dad stood up. "So, you brought her into the palace because she attempted to steal from you?" 

I nodded. 

"What did you try stealing?" my mother asked her. 

"The watch he's wearing," she answered. 

My mother sighed, facepalming. 

"Where did this happen?" my father asked. 

"Azura market palace. Where you sent me," I huffed. 

"I sent you to get your watch fixed. Not get robbed." He rolled his eyes. "Where were the guards?" 

"Um, sir..." one of them started. 

"I sent them to go look for something in the market," I lied. It wasn't their fault. 

"Did you now?" my mother asked, narrowing her eyes at me. She knows how to read me, unfortunately. 

"No, sir. We asked if we could go buy some... some toys for our children," one of them admitted. 

"And you let them?" he asked. 

"Yes, I let them," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. 

"What happened next?" my mom asked. 

"I was at a stall when she bumped into me for the third time," I stated. "Then I asked for her name. I knew it sounded familiar but... I could decipher where I had heard it. Then the man running the stall I was at explained to me how she's a thief." I turned in my seat to glare at her. "And then," I turned back to my parents. "She made me chase her all around town for forty-five minutes." 

"Were you expecting her to surrender?" my dad scoffed. 

I rolled my eyes and continued. "Then I caught her and we brought her here. But there's a little problem," I cleared my throat. 

"What?" my mom inquired. 

I groaned, rubbing my temples. "When I was chasing her and when I grabbed her, I... lost my temper, I guess." 

"Did you hit her?" My mom was clearly appalled. 

"No, of course not!" I said quickly. 

"What you did isn't any better," Aria mumbled. 

"What did he do?" she asked. Nobody said a word. "What did you do, Alexander?" 

"I got a little too physical. Too aggressive." 

"Is she hurt?" 

"She may have some bruises," I nodded. 

My mother shot out of her seat, walking over to Aria. I didn't bother turning around to see. I knew what she was doing. She was checking for any major injuries. "And the cut on her wrist?" 

"It's from the handcuffs." 

"You handcuffed her?!" my dad exclaimed. 

"I wouldn't have had to if she cooperated, which she didn't. Not in the slightest!" I snapped. 

"I don't care about her cooperation levels!" he argued. "You went out into the kingdom today for the first time independently and you came back with a scandal following you. This is unbelievable," he sighed, sitting back down. "What happened after you caught her?" 

"I had her handcuffed and then placed in the car. Then we came here." 

"What about the bruises?" my mother interrogated. 

"What about them?" I asked without turning around. 

"How did she get so many? All over her arms and... she's bleeding." 

"What?" I turned around in confusion. I didn't do anything to make her bleed. 

"Her back is bleeding." 

I stood up, walking over. Aria glared at me while I went behind her. I gathered her hair, lifting it up. Her white t-shirt had a small red spot on her lower back. "Why are you bleeding?" I questioned. 

"You pushed me against that stall," she spat. "There were nails that pinned the table cloth onto the table. Don't you remember? When I screamed and people yelled at you for hurting me?" she asked mockingly. 

"People? What people?" my dad questioned. 

She turned to him while I stood beside her. "We were in Azura market palace. You cannot expect there would be no people there. There were thousands and they all saw what your son did to me." 

"What about what you tried to do, huh?" I glared at her. 

"I'm not denying it," she shrugged. "But nobody in this town will tolerate somebody putting their hands on a woman. Even a thief like me." I bit my tongue and stared down at her. "Actually," she chuckled. "Especially someone like me." 

"And why is that? What makes you so special?" I arched a brow at her. 

"Our town has a soft spot for orphans," she said. 

My face fell when I registered her words. 

She's... 

She turned to my parents. "I tried stealing the watch and I couldn't. He caught me and I got my fair share of punishment. May I leave now?" 

"How can we let a thief leave?" my dad mumbled. 

"That depends," my mom sighed. "How can a thief be so appreciated by the citizens?" She then turned to Aria. "Why has nobody reported you?" 

"Because I'm a good thief. And your citizens love me," she grinned. 

"Our citizens? You come from Azura too," I stated. 

"I'm not from Azura. I wasn't born here." 

"Where were you born?" my mother questioned. 

"With all due respect, I'm not here to talk about my childhood and where I was born. If you have a punishment to give, then please go ahead and give it. I'll be waiting." 

"We must find a solution," my mother sighed, going back and taking her seat. 

"Solution? I brought her here to be punished," I argued. 

"Before we get to that, there's another problem we now have, thanks to you," my dad groaned. 

"Arthur, relax," my mom said. "We'll find a solution."

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Chapter 4

next chapter: problem