The Traps of Black Swan

'Why?' Jordan will never dare to say he couldn't face Aarvi nor he could hide it if she becomes a part of the family. Revealing the truth is the same as losing Aaron forever.

He took steps to leave without answering. He needed time to mull over it and he didn't really like Aarvi to be part of the Rivas family either.

Aaron's voice sounded frosty uttering each word clearly, "Walk away, you will never see me here again."

Megan held Aaron's arm to stop him helplessly, "Aaron..."

Jordan roared, "Aaron." Nine years back or present, he couldn't believe they still argued for the same girl.

Aaron didn't yield and maintained his eye contact where Jordan again failed to look him in the eye right after remembering Aarvi's oppressing gaze. He did what was best for them but the guilt of hiding it from Aaron crept up.

'Grandfather, I won't let you stop me after six years.' It was the last line Jordan had heard from Aaron before Aaron had stopped talking to him. It took him three years to yield the stubborn Aaron and Jordan knew Aaron would never come back if he leaves now.

Jordan sat down having no choice against his grandson. He knew Aaron would comply and listen to him for everything but with an exception for his Cupcake. Jordan had thought it was just puppy love and Aaron would move on. He also got happy when Aaron returned without speaking a word about his Cupcake. Now he understood why Aaron never searched for his Cupcake or spoke about her.

'Why would he go in search of her when she was right next to him for the last three years?' Jordan had thought Aaron was looking after Aarvi because of the heart inside her, now he realized she got the heart of Rivas princess because she is Cupcake, Aaron's Cupcake.

Jordan's lips separated to ask 'Why Connor didn't tell me this girl is Aaron's cupcake?' He hadn't seen Little Aarvi but Connor knew her. His fist tightly balled up thinking father and son purposefully hid everything from him and he was right. The duo purposefully hid from Jordan. Shawn was instructed to hide from everyone whereas Shawn's father had no idea other than Aarvi accepted Aaron.

Their aim wasn't to keep it a secret, Connor knew Aarvi doesn't remember Aaron before the latter even found her hence he had asked Aaron to wait till she wakes up before he discloses it. Shawn got to know Aarvi aka Ava is Cupcake when she woke up from comatose and he overheard Aaron and Connor speaking about Aarvi having no memory of Aaron. 

To avoid Aarvi pressuring herself to remember Aaron or their memories, they hid it to avoid falling on Aarvi's ears.

Jordan sounded uptight while he rejected, "Who knows what she did to end up like that three years back? She is not right for you and our family."

Megan: "..." She wanted to retort but she didn't have any base and didn't know why Aarvi was in such a brutal state after her canceled wedding.

Aaron countered in relaxation, "Grandfather, you shouldn't judge when you don't even know."

Jordan frowned as he grounded his teeth. He wasn't a fool not to understand Aaron would counter for each thing whatever he says and he would never lose in the argument, especially if it's about Cupcake. "No simple girl will end up that way. Her terrible background will affect you and our family."

Aaron smirked hearing it and proudly responded, "Yes, she is special. She is unique." Her background? Her current background would leave him wonderstruck.

Megan tried her best to hide her grin hearing Aaron and glancing at Jordan's darkened face. The latter couldn't believe his ears hearing Aaron shamelessly praising Aarvi when he was trying to reject her by condemning.

"You want the one who doesn't even remember you." He felt a pang of guilt while stating it. 

Aaron's brows raised asking, "Want?" He shook his head confusing Megan before he said, "I need her." She is his need, not just desire.

The teenager Aaron or the current one, Jordan never heard him mention 'need' for anything other than Aarvi and he couldn't understand what was so special about her that he hadn't moved on and still craves nobody other than her. "Need? What if she was dead three years back? Wouldn't your 'need' change by now?"

Even though Jordan added 'If' Megan and Aaron didn't like to hear it, "Dad!"

Aaron's face turned cold. He can't say how he would have lived without having Aarvi by his side but he was sure he wouldn't have liked anybody else.

Jordan ignored their expression and continued, "What if she had married somebody else? Would you have still gone behind her?"

Aaron's face deadpanned. It would have been possible because she doesn't remember him but it was quite uncanny hearing that from Jordan. Aaron wanted to ask how he could say it so he countered meticulously to know how much Jordan knows about Aarvi, "What if she was searching for me and ended up in such a state?"

Aaron knew he lied but got to see only a blankness on Jordan's face which didn't reveal anything. However, Jordan suppressed himself from saying 'She has no idea about you.'

Megan tried to analyze the situation after hearing everything. Aarvi doesn't remember anybody because of her painful accident which is acceptable, 'Didn't Aarvi know Aaron is Rivas? If she knew, why didn't she contact Aaron through Shawn? Does that mean Aaron has one-sided love all these years?'

She couldn't understand why Aaron was going through so much all these years. She wished nothing but happiness for him.

Jordan didn't respond to Aaron and changed his argument, "What is her family background? Our Rivas family can't accept just anybody."

They were the Rivas family after all. He regretted not asking anything about Aaron's Cupcake when they were little, now he was sure Connor or Aaron both would cent percent hide everything from him. And Shawn was out of the list because Shawn loves his brother fondly than Jordan to divert any information away.

Megan who was silent in her thought subconsciously started responding by hearing the family background, "Gigglemug is..." Aaron quickly held her shoulder to stop her right there from telling Aarvi's birth name that will indicate she is from the Kelly family and was no lowly background girl.

Megan realized she wasn't allowed to tell hence she continued in a flow, "Oh I am sorry for talking in the middle. Please continue..." She smartly pulled herself out without letting Jordan sense it.

Little did she know, each of them is keeping secret from each other and that secret is only about one girl, Aarvi Evans aka Ava Kelly. If some wanted to protect her, the other two weren't ready to face the wrath of Aaron. And only one who knew everything was Aaron's father Connor Rivas.

Aaron nonchalantly responded, "I will marry my Cupcake but not her family or background."

Jordan couldn't understand why Aaron can't see anything when it is about this girl. He kind of regretted challenging the teenager Aaron.

It was Jordan who had given one million to fifteen-year-old Aaron and challenged him to prove what he could do with it. Aaron invested and multiplied the money in a year. Then bought the cafe near the school and started managing it at the age of sixteen. That cafe made the whole Rivas family be proud of Aaron and the latter found his Cupcake through that cafe. 

Jordan had thought he was just a little kid when he had told them he found his bride, he was irritated when Aaron wasn't ready to stay in country S because of her and now he realized how persistent and certain Aaron was and is about his Cupcake.

"The marriage is not about only two individuals." For him, marriage is never about just two people in love or two in an arranged marriage. A marriage also establishes rights and responsibilities between the couple and between them and their in-laws.

Aaron hummed in response, "Hence I brought her here so that she could get a family love." As much as she accepted him as hers, he wanted his family to be hers and get all the love and affection she missed in her own family.

He brought her to the family mansion because he thought if he told them she was the one who he loved from the past, Jordan would understand her as his Cupcake and accept her but, "I guess I was wrong about my own family."

Megan whispered immediately hearing his disappointment in the family, "No, no... I love Gigglemug, you better get my Gigglemug back." She wanted to see Aarvi smiling, laughing, talking, and happier like before.

Aaron's face softened hearing Megan, he wasn't sure if it is possible with others but he will get his lively cheerful Cupcake.

Jordan was speechless, 'Does he mean to say I failed him and that girl deserves a better family than us?' Aaron means to say Jordan failed him for still not understanding what Aarvi meant for him however he wasn't looking down on his family, he knew well they could give the family affection that was lacking in Aarvi's life.

Jordan stood up in rage and held the power of the elder in the family, "Aaron Rivas, is she important to you more than the family? Did we grow up to listen to this?"

Megan's back stiffened. She didn't expect her father-in-law to ask Aaron to choose between family and love. She knows Aaron would never leave the family nor he could leave his Cupcake.