"Of course I want you to be happy, Little dummy." Else he would have forced her to be in the country itself.

"Then why aren't you happy to send me there? Shouldn't you be happy knowing I got a seat in such a good college?"

​​

"Aria, you are smart, you could excel in whatever you want studying anywhere."

"Alan, I might try my best to excel at this middle level. But I want to reach your level."

Alan cupped her face as he spoke "Aria, I'm at no level. I'm just me for you. You don't have to pressure yourself for what others think."

Aria shook her head, "I don't do for others. I want to do it for us. I want to do for myself."

Alan patiently explained, "Aria, you were attacked quite a few times and you know that which others don't. How can you expect me to send you so far away? Do you think I can be at ease here leaving you there?"

Aria held his hands down from her face, "So it isn't about trust. It's about fear."

Even though Alan wanted to say no, he said yes. "Yup"

"Alan, you had told me not to live in fear. Fear will stop our growth."

Alan furrowed his brows and grunted. "Aria."

Aria jerked back due to his sudden increase in tone.

Aria took the fruit knife from the fruit basket which was on the coffee table and handed it to him.

"If it's about fear, why don't you end it? I don't want to give up because of fear, I don't want you to worry about it either. If I can't be your strength, I don't want to be your weakness either. Instead of living in fear playing as the other one wants, end it today."

Alan's eyes were bloodshot hearing her asking him to kill. He controlled himself from giving her across the face clenching his fists tight, "Get out."

Aria unknowingly shivered as his voice echoed in her ear but she didn't move.

He stood up, dragged her to the door, and pushed her out before closing the door.

He sat on the armchair breathing heavily.

He knew her who always gives a straight reply with an instance but he couldn't take it that she dared to say it to him.

It's true he didn't want to live in fear. He also knew Aria didn't like to live in fear either. He knew Aria never liked to be a weakness of him or play by the rules of a man who was playing behind the scenes.

Those weren't the only things stopping him, there were many more things, and 'five long years isn't a short time'...

He didn't know how long he sat and thought about Aria and them but he suddenly remembered Aria had waited outside the room door in his villa and bolted out to see her still standing keeping her gaze down.

He hugged her tight feeling his heartache, he felt so hard to breathe that his hands tightened around her.

He didn't notice his slight tremble remembering how he treated her hours back when she tried to calmly make him understand.

"You little fool." He understood his importance to her without a need of a word.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief when Alan opened the door.

When they had heard the door crashing the door frame to close, they had seen Aria stumbling and again standing back near the door wiping her cheeks.

Rowan had stopped her from going to Aria because Amelia would cent percent chide Alan for treating Aria that way and the matter wouldn't resolve between Aria and Alan.

If they couldn't be on positives, Rowan wanted Aria to decide firmly about what she wanted to do to which they were ready to support her even if it was against Alan's will.

The tensed one in them was Amelia who had paced in her room for more than two hours seeing Aria stand like a statue without going to her room.

Rowan breathed a sigh of relief and forced his wife to bed to rest.

Alan was helpless seeing Aria cry. He took her inside the bedroom and tried to coax her to stop crying and he wouldn't raise his voice again but those were making her cry harder.

Alan heard her between broken sobs, "If you don't want, I will not go anywhere."

As soon as he pushed her out of the room, she felt she was losing him which she couldn't afford. She was ready to compromise on anything but Alan wasn't in it.

"Will you be happy giving up on that college?"

Aria didn't reply and the answer was very obvious.

Alan carried her towards the bed as he spoke, "I will allow your five years of education and working plans but for the rest of the things you will do as I say."

He laid her on the bed when he finished saying it which Aria misunderstood and started crying, "Why do you want to force on me?"

Alan was speechless seeing her covered with a duvet. He knocked on her head, "Do I look like an animal to you?"

Aria sniffed as she thought about it, "Eva said there is nothing like a gentleman. It's only for outside people."

'I have to warn Isaac to keep his girlfriend at bay.' Alan thought to himself looking at Aria.

Even though he felt like teasing her, he preferred the main issue and embraced her with the duvet leaning on the headboard. "I meant to say, I will arrange rest the things like where you will be staying, your security..."

He listed quite a lot of things that Aria listened carefully as she stopped crying.

Alan pulled out wet tissues and wiped her face gently as he continued every important to miscellaneous things to her.

Aria spoke at last, "Is my safety is so much at risk? Are there so many trying to harm me?"

Seeing her cover him with the same duvet, Alan pulled her close kissing her forehead. "I don't care. I just want you to be mine."

Seeing her wrap her hands around him rubbing her little face on him indicating nobody else can get her other than him but Alan asked moving her hand to her waist, "Are you seducing me now?"

"Alan" Aria screamed hitting him and making him chuckle.

He left her and cupped her face, "Never talk about harming yourself."

Aria obediently hummed went to his arms.

"I will not let you out of sight after five years."

Aria again obediently hummed.

Alan again listed many things and Aria agreed to each one of them as she fell asleep in his warm embrace.

"We will marry once you come back."

Alan heard her hum in sleep.

"I will eat you up now."

Alan chuckled hearing her hum.

"My Dummy!" He hugged her tight and fell asleep peacefully after many days.

He had thought to send her while thinking about her before opening the door. Hearing her giving up for him he understood she would give up anything for him.

So he decided to be her strong support instead of stopping her growth.